Daughter of Isis (Descendants of Isis #1)
By Kelsey Ketch
Release Date: October 26nd, 2013
Upper Young Adult Fantasy
By Kelsey Ketch
Release Date: October 26nd, 2013
Upper Young Adult Fantasy
Summary from Goodreads:
“Her mouth parted slightly, waiting for
Seth to breathe life into her own body, just like in the story. She wanted him
to awaken her senses.”
Their worlds collide in California’s high desert.
The last thing Natara “Natti” Stone wants to do is to start anew at Setemple High School. She wished she had never left London. Yet the brutal murder of her maternal grandmother has made her life very complicated. The only clue related to her murder is an ancient, encrypted necklace Natti discovered after her grandmother’s death. And if trying to adjust to American life is not enough, Natti is being stalked by a mysterious, charming high school senior, Seth O’Keefe, who is annoyingly persistent in his attempts at seduction.
Seth O’Keefe is secretly a member of the Sons of Set, an order that worships the Egyptian god of chaos. Seth’s blessing from Set, his “charm,” never failed, except with one person: Natti Stone. Her ability to elude him infatuates and infuriates him, and he becomes obsessed with the chase. But the closer he gets to her, the more his emotions take a dangerous turn, and he risks breaking one of the most valued covenants of his order. The punishment for which is a fate worse than death.
The adventure this unlikely couple becomes engulfed in could cost them their lives and their souls.
*Note: Content for Upper YA*
Their worlds collide in California’s high desert.
The last thing Natara “Natti” Stone wants to do is to start anew at Setemple High School. She wished she had never left London. Yet the brutal murder of her maternal grandmother has made her life very complicated. The only clue related to her murder is an ancient, encrypted necklace Natti discovered after her grandmother’s death. And if trying to adjust to American life is not enough, Natti is being stalked by a mysterious, charming high school senior, Seth O’Keefe, who is annoyingly persistent in his attempts at seduction.
Seth O’Keefe is secretly a member of the Sons of Set, an order that worships the Egyptian god of chaos. Seth’s blessing from Set, his “charm,” never failed, except with one person: Natti Stone. Her ability to elude him infatuates and infuriates him, and he becomes obsessed with the chase. But the closer he gets to her, the more his emotions take a dangerous turn, and he risks breaking one of the most valued covenants of his order. The punishment for which is a fate worse than death.
The adventure this unlikely couple becomes engulfed in could cost them their lives and their souls.
*Note: Content for Upper YA*
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***Praise for Daughter of Isis***
“I always enjoy a good book about Mythology and Daughter of Isis brings a thrilling modern day spin to one of the tales. Kelsey Ketch wove the story perfectly and sucked me right into her magnificent world.” —Naomi, Nomi’s Paranormal Palace
Book Trailer:
Excerpt:
There was silence, then one of the other men whispered
into the lean man’s ear. “Tefen, if they
are speaking the truth, then we have no choice—”
Seth watched the man—Tefen—lower his dagger and cast a
deadly glare toward his fellow guard. The man looked at his brother with fear
and pity before backing down.
Tefen marched forward. “I think this is a lie. How do the followers of Set even know of the
prophecy much less who it is about?”
Set laughed. “It is
obvious you have been down here too long, my friend. It’s been thousands of
years since Isis and Set were even alive. Thousands of years during which Set’s
men have been gathering information to find the secret name of Ra and once
again raise their god.”
Seth wanted to kick Set in his thick head. Did he want
all of them to die? Because that was exactly where this was going to lead if he
wasn’t careful. Tefen was a loose cannon ready to explode, and Set kept burning
the fuse every time he opened his mouth.
Tefen snorted. “And
how do I know this is really her? For all I know, she could be just another one
of your brainwashed victims. Another slave for your god’s temple. Another poor
soul under the mercy of your cult.”
The tone behind his final words were filled with such
heat it could have physically burned. This wasn’t just about protecting Ra’s
secret name. This was personal for Tefen. He had suffered loss by the Sons’
hands, and Seth had to wonder who it was.
“Look”—Seth
took a deep breath, trying to emphasize, though it was hard to feel anything
toward a man who had been holding a dagger to his beloved’s throat—“we wouldn’t be here at all if Isis and
Osiris didn’t entrust us with the crook and flail.” Tefen’s face became
stone at Seth’s words, and the realization hit him. “But you already know that, don’t you? You know only the one marked in
favor could reopen the gateway.”
“It’s the only reason
they have not killed us,” Set clarified with a satisfied smile.
Tefen’s stance stiffened to the point where every muscle
strained against the force. Set was right. Something was holding him back. And
Seth doubted it was just about which of them was really the one marked in
favor. There was more to this than appeared, yet it didn’t prevent a devilish
grin from suddenly inching its way up Tefen’s lips.
“It doesn’t mean I
can’t require a test of honor. Tjetet, step forth.”
A giant of a man stepped forward, reminding Seth of
Dwayne Johnson from The Scorpion King.
He cracked his knuckles while his dark eyes darted between Set and Seth.
“A battle to the
death,” Tefen continued. “One of
yours against our best man here.”
Seth swallowed, knowing full well that Set wouldn’t risk
his life and Natti would be like watching a match between the Hulk and
Thumbelina; it had to be him. “I will do
it. I accept your challenge.”
“No. Not
you.” Tefen’s grin grew even more twisted. “The girl.”
Bonus Scene:
Looking up from her plate of scrambled eggs, hash browns,
toast, bacon, and sausage links, Natti watched Seth march down the aisle of
brown vinyl benches and dark oak table tops. His piercing gaze never leaving
her for one second. His eyes simmered with his anger. Natti picked up her mug
of steaming hot tea, yet her fear of Seth hardly scratched the surface of her
own frustration towards his actions. Seriously, Seth thought he had a reason to
be angry with her? She was the one who woke up alone in their hotel room and
found his mobile phone left behind on the dresser. By all right, she should be
fuming.
Trying to hide her true feelings, she forced a smile.
“Morning, sleepyhead. It’s about bloody time you showed up. You look terrible,
by the way.”
Seth scratched the stubble on his cheek and collapsed on
the bench across from her. “Natara Stone, you are a lot of trouble.”
Natti couldn’t help snicker at his reference to The Wind and The Lion. An old movie
which she remembered watching with her father and mother a long, long, long time ago. It also happened to be
one of her grandmother’s favorites.
Seth crinkled his brow, his exhaustion sagging his
shoulders and deepening the few wrinkles appearing around his eyes. “You have
any idea how much of a panic I was in when I found—?”
“Can I get you something to drink?” Renee, the waitress
who had taken Natti’s order earlier, interrupted with a tap of her pen to her
pad.
Natti watched Seth glance at the beautiful brunette,
expecting his usual charm to come on strong. But his bleary eyes hardly took in
the waitress’s slim figure. He has no interest in her or in even making a
flirty attempt. Which has Natti wondering, where the hell did he go last night?
“Coffee,” he finally said.
The waitress gave him a sweet, flirty smile. “I’ll also
get you a menu. You look ravenous,”
Renee retorted, obviously emphaticizing the last word. Natti shook her head in
disbelief. Seth always had that kind of effect on girls. They wanted him, even
when he looked like death warmed over and showed no interest at all.
However, Natti couldn’t blame them either.
“Thanks, Renee,” Seth grumbled, and then turned a hostile
glare toward Natti just as Renee disappeared from sight. “Care to explain your
reason for that little disappearing act you pulled?”
“Sorry, mate,” Natti said, her British slang showing even
more as she attempted to keep a light tone. She took a bite of egg covered
toast to cover up the facade. “I only wanted to get out and have a real
breakfast. I didn’t think you would mind, considering.” Considering you freakin’ left me in our room, alone. What if the Sons
suddenly showed up? I’d be dead! “Besides, I was suddenly starving. That’s
a good sign, right?”
“You could have at least left me a note or a text letting
me know where you are,” he snarled in return.
“Oh, like the note you left when you disappeared last
night?” Natti snapped, her cheerful demeanor slipping to show her real anger.
“Real considerate of you, by the way. Leaving a girl in the middle of the night
while she’s sleeping. Tell me, is that how you juggled your multiple
girlfriends?”
Even Natti was surprised by her rant. She never realized
how much she cared who Seth was with. He was a typical playboy and a jerk. He
wasn’t worth her time. Yet now, after spending weeks with him, the thought of
him with all those other girls smothered her heart.
Seth’s face turned red. “That was different. I planned to
be back before you woke up, but I got held up unexpectedly.”
“So I noticed by
your appearance.” Her voice weakened slightly, taking in his disgruntled look
one more time. “You could’ve at least taken your mobile with you instead of
leaving it behind for me to find.”
Seth appeared to fire back when Renee slipped his coffee
and a menu in front of him. He froze in place and forced a smile.
Natti rolled her eyes at him, waiting impatiently for
Renee to leave. Once the waitress was gone, she continued their conversation.
“Where were you anyway?” She danced fork across her plate to scoop up another
bite of eggs and piled it on her toast.
Seth took a sip of his coffee. The long silence pulling
at Natti’s heartstrings. “I got frustrated, all right? So I decided to take a
ride to cool off,” he finally said.
Natti was taken aback. Her blessing didn’t detect a hint
of a lie in his words, yet from seeing the Eclipse sitting in the parking lot
that morning, she knew he was. Then it hit her: he wasn’t “riding” the stolen
car they used to get out of Barstowe. A wave of emotional pain washed over her
skin. He was with another girl, getting his leg over her. God, how could she be
so stupid? Even now—on the run from his psycho father and cult—he was still
playing the field.
What the hell?
Natti stared down at her food, pushing the sausages with
her fork. A small part of her wondered who the poor sucker was. The other didn’t
really care. Not like she and Seth were dating, or anything, so it really
wasn’t any of her business. Yet she couldn’t help be hurt.
Suddenly opening her mouth, she spoke up; a little more
chipper than she intended. “You should try the bangers here.” She snickered
subconscious at her play on words. “They’re really good.”
The word “bangers” caused Seth to choke on his coffee.
Natti wasn’t sure why she had said what she did—especially since it wasn’t
actually the proper use of the term—but the reaction put a satisfied smile on
her face; knowing she tripped Seth up.
“Wh-What? ‘Bangers’?” Seth asked.
Oh, what the hell? She
laughed to herself. She was going to drag this out as long as possible and
watch him squirm just a little more. Besides, what would he know about British
slang? It’s not like Seth ever traveled outside California before, right?
“Oh, what do you Yanks call them?” She jabbed her fork
toward her plate, enjoying this far too much. “Sausages! That’s right! They’re
good, honestly. I’ll be happy to give you a taste.”
She was about to stab one of her links and hold it to his
face when Seth shook his head. “Oh. Thanks, but no. I’m not that hungry.”
“Says the boy who consumed a family-size bag of chips and
a large can of tuna in one evening.” She sniggered, and in one fell swoop, all
her tension released. She had her fun, now it was time to move on. She shifted
her smile into one that was sweet while her cheeks flushed. How Seth could
always make her frustrated one minute, and then feel comfortable the next
beyond her. But this wasn’t his magic washing over her like a blanket. This was
the real deal. She tucked back her hair. “That could be one reason for your
sudden lack of appetite, I guess.”
After a long silence where Seth just stared at her, Natti
dropped her fork and shoved some money to the center of the table. His gaze
flickered between her and her empty plate, confused. Natti glanced out the
window and shrugged.
“I’m sure you can pick
up your tab when Renee comes back,” she teased and slid from her seat.
“Natti—” Seth started.
Natti turned to him, still disappointed but no longer
angry. He was who he was, and like she told herself before, it wasn’t like they
were dating anyway. He was a free agent.
“Don’t worry.” She waved and nodded toward the window.
“I’m not going far. Just back to the room, is all. And I have my mobile, if you
need me.”
She started to walk away again when Seth grabbed her arm.
She stopped and looked down into his beautiful turquoise eyes. They were
speaking volumes, whispering his thoughts and more so his guilt. His reasons
for last night, whatever they might’ve been, he regretted them. And what was
weird, so did she. From last night, him destroying her notebook, the ceremony
in the temple, the fire set in the school, all the way to that night at the
Pharaoh Festival.
But, really, what could they do about it?
“Um, since you’re clearly feeling better, maybe we should
head out of here. It would probably be risky to stay another night, anyway.”
Kelsey Ketch is a young adult/new adult author, who works as a Wildlife Biologist in the state of North Carolina. During her free time, she can often be found working on her latest work in progress or organizing the New Adult Scavenger Hunt, a biannual blog hop. She also enjoys history, mythology, traveling, and reading.
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