The Scythe Wielder’s Secret is a thrilling young adult fantasy/adventure
series by Christopher Mannino. The first two books in the trilogy, School of
Deaths and Sword of
Deaths, are
out now, with the third book Daughter of
Deaths expected to be released next year.
The Scythe
Wielder’s Secret series has received rave reviews and been compared to
bestsellers like Harry Potter, The Hunger Games, and Percy Jackson. It is
recommended for readers who enjoy magical realism, fantasy, paranormal, middle
grade, young adult, and/or books with a strong female protagonist.
School of Deaths (The Scythe Wielder’s Secret,
Book 1):
Thrust into a world of men,
can a timid girl find bravery as the first female Death?
Suzie Sarnio is a thirteen-year-old whose world is turned upside down when she discovers that she is destined to be a Death. She always believed the Grim Reaper was a fairy tale image of a skeleton with a scythe, but now, forced to enter the College of Deaths, she finds herself training to bring souls from the Living World to the Hereafter. As her year progresses, Suzie uncovers a plot to overthrow the World of Deaths. Now she must learn and embrace the reason she was chosen to be the first female Death in a million years.
Praise for School of Deaths:
“Wonderful! Addictive!
Two thumbs up! The plot itself was beyond intriguing. It definitely took me for
a spin. I wasn’t expecting the story to take me where it did, and it definitely
kept me guessing all the way toward the end. The author did a wonderful job at
keeping me both entertained and fascinated by the world he created. Would
recommend School of Deaths to YA lovers everywhere.” - Kristy Centeno, author
of The Keeper Witches series and the Secrets of the Moon series.
"The characters are well developed, the story is complex and
non-stop. Lots of surprises along the way. A dash of romance, lots of intrigue,
mystery, and fantasy. This was a book I didn't want to end.” – Montzalee Wittman
"Loved this book! Suzie is a wonderfully well
written and in depth main character. I understood her struggle and appreciated
her growth throughout the book.” – Ann Andrews
"Not just a book
for young adults, but an imaginative read for everyone who likes something a
little bit different. 5 Stars!" - Reader's Favorite
About the Author:
Christopher Mannino’s life is best described as an unending creative
outlet. He teaches high school theatre in Greenbelt, Maryland. In addition to
his daily drama classes, he runs several after-school performance and
production drama groups. He spends his summers writing and singing. Mannino
holds a Master of Arts in Theatre Education from Catholic University, and has
studied mythology and literature both in America and at Oxford University. His
work with young people helped inspire him to write young adult fantasy,
although it was his love of reading that truly brought his writing to life.
Christopher’s
debut novel School of Deaths (The
Scythe Wielder’s Secret, Book 1) was published in May 2014 by MuseItUp
Publishing. The second book in the trilogy, Sword
of Deaths (The Scythe Wielder’s Secret, Book 2), was published in August 2015. The
third book Daughter of Deaths is
expected to be released in 2016. His series
has received rave reviews and been compared to Harry Potter and The Hunger
Games.
Christopher’s
wife Rachel Mannino is also an author. She writes romance books. To learn
more, go to http://www.rachelmannino.com/
To learn more,
go to http://www.christophermannino.com/
Extract
“You okay, squirt?”
Joe bounded through her bedroom door. He smelled of sweat and dirt.
“I’m okay,” said
Suzie. She sat up in her bed, putting her book aside. “They teased me a lot
today.”
“You? My sister? I’ll
beat ’em up.” He slapped her on the back playfully, making Suzie slump forward.
He leaned closer to her and peered in her eyes. His cinnamon gum stank.
“Tell me honestly.”
He lowered his voice to whisper. “What’s going on? You’ve been losing weight
since Bumper died. Mom and Dad are freaking out.”
“I’m not trying to
scare them, Joe. I’m sure I look anorexic or something, but I keep eating and
eating and nothing changes. It must be some disease the doctors haven’t heard
about, they’re bringing in a specialist and everything.”
“Suzie?” Joe sat next
to her and wrapped his big, muscular arms around her wiry frame. “You’ll be
okay?”
“I will be, yeah.”
“Susan,” called Mom
from downstairs. A moment later, her head appeared in the doorway. Joe released
Suzie and stood.
“How are you feeling
honey?” asked Mom.
“I’m fine.”
“Why don’t you both
come down for dinner?”
“Okay, Mom,” they
said in unison. Joe turned to Suzie and smiled. They headed downstairs and sat
down.
“Your father had an
urgent call, and won’t be home until late,” said Mom, carrying a steaming dish
of delicious-smelling rosemary chicken and potatoes to the table. The doorbell
rang.
“I hope it’s not the
Mormons again,” muttered Mom, rising.
“I’ll get it,” said
Joe. Whenever Dad wasn’t home, Joe tended to act like the man of the house.
Suzie wasn’t sure if he was annoying or endearing, or perhaps a little of both.
Mom sat down, and Joe opened the door.
“Can I help you?”
A hunchbacked man in
a black robe, carrying an immense scythe, stood in the doorway. Something shiny
hung around his neck.
“Er, um. H-h-hello.
I-i-i-s Su-su-su-Susan here?”
Joe laughed.
“Halloween’s not for over a month, man. Why don’t you come back then?” He
started to close the door, but the strange man lowered his scythe, propping it
open.
“What are you doing?”
yelled Joe.
“P-p-please. I n-n-need to ta-talk to Susan,” he stammered.
Suzie gasped,
remembering where she had seen the strange man. He was the one who opened the
door looking out in the strange dream she kept having. Mom touched the blade of
the scythe and drew her hand back in surprise.
“That thing’s real,”
she said. “Get out. Get out of my house!”
“P-p-p-please,” he started again.
“Wait, Mom,” Suzie
said, rising. Joe, Mom, and the strange man turned to her. “I want to talk to
him.” Was it the man from her dream?
“Susan, sit down,”
said Mom, her voice trembling.
“No, it’s okay,” said
Suzie. She walked to the door. The man seemed scared, even a little confused.
He was probably her father’s age, but was nothing like Dad. His face was
chubby, unshaven, and pockmarked, and his blond hair was uncombed. A golden
chain with a charm hung from his neck. He raised his scythe and nodded. Joe
held the door, ready to slam it, but Suzie stood in the entrance.
“Who are you?” she
asked.
“My n-n-n-name is
K-k-k-Cronk. C-Cronk Averill.”
“C-Cronk Averill?”
laughed Joe. “Is this guy for real?”
“I’ve c-c-c-come to
t-t-t-take you b-b-b-back.”
“Take me back where?”
asked Suzie.
“You are a
D-d-d-d...”
“What?”
“A Death,” said
Cronk. Joe reached for Suzie, but before he touched her, Cronk grabbed Suzie’s
arm. His speed surprised her. She yelled, but he raised his scythe and lowered
it, cutting the air. Suddenly, the house, Joe, Mom, and the entire world
vanished. Colors and smells, noises and strange sensations, flowed past Suzie
in a blur.
She opened her eyes.
She was standing in a field. Cronk stood in front of her, frowning.
“What did you do?”
she demanded. “Where are we?” She looked up. It was sunny. But there were two
suns.
