Welcome to the blog tour for ILLUMINATED, a standalone young adult, coming-of-age, fantasy thriller, by Iris Marsh. See below for information on the book, buy links, an exclusive excerpt, and details on their giveaway.

ILLUMINATED by Iris Marsh

About the Book – Read for Free with Kindle Unlimited
Title: ILLUMINATED
Authors: Iris Marsh
Release Date: November 21, 2022
Genre: Adult Mystery/Thriller
Links: Goodreads | Amazon | Amazon UK | Amazon CA | Amazon AU | Amazon DE | Amazon IT | Amazon FR 

Synopsis
In this coming-of-age YA contemporary fantasy, a teenage girl has her life turned upside down when her family is breaking apart, and she discovers her supernatural powers. There’s no time to deal with it, however, as she’s targeted by a dangerous power-siphoner.

Nikki Chase, a 16-year-old striver, feels like her life is falling apart around her. Her parents’ marriage seems in trouble, her best friend prefers to spend time with the popular girl, and she’s quite certain she’s on the verge of a psychosis. After all, normal people don’t see colors around people or hear voices, right?

When a volunteering assignment leads her to a mental hospital, Nikki is determined to figure out what’s going on with her—and if perhaps she belongs in that facility. What she discovers is nothing she expected: Lorene, a volunteer, tells Nikki she’s not crazy but, in fact, has the power to influence people’s thoughts and beliefs. However, someone has been sucking the power out of people just like her, leaving them behind as an empty shell. Desperate for help and someone to trust, Nikki teams up with Lorene to discover who is behind the siphoning. But can she stop them before she becomes a victim? And can she do so without becoming addicted to the power herself?

Fans of suspenseful contemporary fantasy will love this YA coming-of-age fantasy thriller book about coping with difficult emotions, navigating relationships with family and friends, and the addictive quality of power. 

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Excerpt #1
I need more time.

Molly stared out of the window, a finger tapping on her kitchen table, the TV on only to provide background noise to drown out the silence. Only a sliver of the moon was visible through the dense clouds. The darkness was pressing. She could almost feel the pressure in the air like a storm brewing.

She eyed the sizeable antique clock standing against the wall, an old family heirloom, the cast corners faded and chipped.

Midnight.

The witching hour.

She snorted—it wasn’t far off. Granted, what she could do wasn’t exactly witchcraft, but it certainly came close.

Scraping her chair back, she stood up, her legs feeling too restless, too agitated, too much like a wind-up feather ready to uncoil.

She needed more time.

Images flashed through her mind as if she was fast-forwarding a show on TV. All the times she’d failed her mentor… All the times she’d been punished, given those sickening sensations of despair, pain, and darkness. Always that suppressing darkness.

Molly walked to her kitchen, grabbed a half-empty bottle of red wine, filled half her tea mug, and took a swig. The warmth and slightly tangy flavor rolled over her tongue and into her throat, an aroma of earth and fruit surrounding her like a comforting blanket on a chilly day.

Her nerves settled a little. Good. Another sip.

Ding-dong.

Time was up.

Molly jumped, a splash of the red wine falling on her burgundy blouse. Cursing, she walked to the door; she’d have to remember to clean it with some soda later.

She opened the door and shivered, both from the cold wind and the person standing in front of her.

“Come in,” she said, stepping aside.

The figure in front of her strode past her, not taking off their dark, hooded cloak. There was something wrong with the image; it was pixelated and fuzzy, like a picture taken with the wrong settings. Try as she might, Molly couldn’t get a clear image of the figure in front of her.

How was that possible?

“Some wine?” Molly asked.

In her hand, the wine trembled. She put the glass on the table, her knuckles turning white.

“Yes, thank you,” the figure answered in an equally distorted voice.

It was almost as if she was watching one of those legal shows, where they blurred the face and distorted the voice.

But why? Why wasn’t she allowed to look at her mentor? Was this a dream after all?

Molly returned to the kitchen, fetched a crystal wineglass—the only expensive one she owned—and poured the red liquid until just underneath the bulge of the glass. Walking back, she placed it in front of the figure, immediately pulling her hands away and wrapping them around her mug.

“Did you get the documents?” the figure asked.

Molly swallowed and closed her eyes briefly. “Almost.” Her voice cracked.

“Meaning?”

Molly’s palms started sweating. “I retraced them back to the Romero’s. I only need to identify the correct family—find out what last name they have now. They’ll have the ritual.”

“Hm. Romero, eh?” The figure took a sip of the wine. “I suppose that’s something. But we’re starting to run out of time. I needed those papers yesterday.”

The darkness circled and slithered around Molly, surrounding her—big, sticky, and oily. It weighed on her, even with her mental barriers up. With her mentor, mental barriers were pretty useless, anyway. How often had she tried to keep the darkness out and actually succeeded?

Not once.

“I know, I’m sorry.” Molly looked down, scratching the back of her hand.

“I know you are.”

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Author Iris Marsh

About the Author
Iris Marsh is a behavioral researcher turned writer. As such, she focuses on her character’s journeys as well as the plot. Her YA fantasy debut novel Illuminated is no exception: it’s both suspenseful and heavy on character development. Currently, she lives in the Netherlands with her partner and cat.

She would be overjoyed if you visited her website IrisMarsh.com and would love it if you followed her journey on Instagram.

Where to find Iris Marsh
Goodreads | Website | Instagram | Pinterest

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Giveaway
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