Groton, MA -- (SBWIRE) -- 03/06/2014 -- It’s every child’s dream to discover a mysterious book that leads to the adventure of a lifetime. However, as Marian Burke’s debut novel proves, some adventures are as tumultuous as they are life-changing.

Everything is exposed in ‘Heartswood: The Redemption’. Readers of all ages will be entranced by the book’s unique fusion of bold fantasy and real-world life lessons.

Synopsis:

Fifteen year old Sarah and her younger sister Jillian have just moved cross country to an old New England farm house on the edge of a dark forest called Heartswood. Sarah’s resentment about being uprooted quickly turns to shock when she discovers a mysterious book in the attic library. The girls learn they are The Light and The Way, part of a plan to fix an ancient prophecy that has gone wrong for eons.

As Nil, a creature born of hate and the embodiment of evil, learns of the girls’ existence and begins to hunt them, Sarah and Jillian conjure the magic of the book and connect to another pair of sisters hundreds of years in the past. Separated by the centuries, but together in spirit, the girls battle against the darkness in an effort to end the cycle of pain, suffering and death that has gone on for millennia. As they struggle to understand their powers and destiny, each girl finds a capacity for bravery, love and forgiveness that none of them ever dreamed existed.

Will it be enough to overcome the malevolence of Nil and his wicked minions or will they fail like so many “Chosen” sisters before them?

As the author explains, her narrative contains many crossovers with the real world.

“While it’s suspenseful fantasy, the book was designed to give the reader food for thought regarding the universal themes of guilt, sacrifice, atonement, forgiveness and redemption. As the story progresses, readers will be uplifted as they ponder these important themes,” says Burke.

Continuing, “It’s the depth and complexity of the book’s antagonist, as well as the development of the entire cast of characters that will keep them thinking long after the last page has been turned.”

Early reviews for the book have been impressive.

For example, Roxanne Hunt comments, “I read this book . . . and then I read it again. Now I'm going to give a copy to each of my daughters to read. If you love good vs evil, you will love this book. The story line itself is captivating, one of those books that you will want to read cover to cover in a single sitting. But in addition, I really enjoyed the author's style, she drew me in immediately and I was invested in the journey of these characters.”

Hilary K. adds, “If you loved Harry Potter, couldn't get enough Katniss, or wished you could go on adventure with Percy then you will LOVE this book!!! A brilliant story, carefully crafted writing, and a vibrant sense of immediacy make this novel an engrossing page turner appropriate for precocious young readers an a really good read for grown-ups as well.”

‘Heartswood: The Redemption’ is available now: http://amzn.to/1eRlTu8.

For more information, visit the book’s official website: http://heartswood.com.

About Marian Burke
Marian lives in Groton, Massachusetts with her daughters and two grandchildren. She works as a Finance Manager by day and continues to pursue writing in her spare time. In addition to this genre novel, she has created a creative non-fiction novella entitled A Death in Paris, a short story, The Victorian, and is currently working on a second fantasy novel, entitled Pendulum, as well as a generational fiction based on the women in her family dating back to the first Acadians in Nova Scotia.