The Wise One

May 04, 2021

The Wise One

The Wise One
K.T. Anglehart
(The Scottish Scrolls, #1)
Publication date: October 28th 2020
Genres: Fantasy, Young Adult

Mckenna’s never thought much of her nightmares, but on her seventeenth birthday, a vivid dream of burning at the stake awakens her dormant abilities, thrusting her into a world where faeries are real, spirits hold a grudge, and a High Priestess obsessed with a 16th-century prophecy is tracking her every move.

Now, her overprotective dads, Seán and Andre, are forced to tell her the truth—they know who her birth mother is, and her life is not the surrogate story she’s always been told. Abigail, Mckenna’s mom, is some sort of mystic, and Mckenna a Wise One.

Whatever the hell that means.

With the help of a persistent little wren and company of a newfound friend, Mckenna journeys to Ireland in search of her mother and real answers. Along the way, she learns to harness her innate magic and trust her intuition, as best she can anyway—Cillian, a kind and passionate delegate who crosses her path, is proving much harder to read.

Only her mother could truly help her halt her ill fate and prepare her for what’s to come . . . before she gives in to the darkness she knows is buried deep within.

Excerpt:

Mckenna stood there uncertainly for about a minute until Nissa appeared on the porch, a thick, baby- blue robe covered in cartoon images of bunnies. She ushered Mckenna around the side of the house.
“Is everything okay?”
“I’m going to Northern Ireland. To find my mother. Hopefully.”
Nissa’s face formed a brilliant smile. “I’m so glad!”
Mckenna started. “I was hoping . . .” She hesitated. Was she doing the right thing? If people were indeed still after her, she would be putting Nissa in harm’s way.
Nissa scrutinized her. “Are you asking me to come with you?” “Yes. No—I don’t know. Maybe this wasn’t a good idea . . .” “No, go ahead. Whatcha thinking?”
Mckenna took a breath. “Well, I thought we could help each other. There must be immigration records somewhere. Your ship landed in Boston, right? I have a hunch we should start there.” She fingered the feather in her coat pocket.
Nissa looked stunned. Mckenna had a feeling this was the first time anyone showed any interest in Nissa’s past. “I . . . but then—how will we get to Ireland?”
“I don’t know yet. Grab a cheap last-minute flight from Boston maybe?” “I don’t have a passport . . .” Nissa said, her head down.
Mckenna wasn’t surprised. “We’ll figure it out,” she said, having no inkling as to how. Nissa stood there irresolute, tinkering with her bracelet, which glinted in the moonlight.
“Do you believe in signs, Nissa?”
“I’m not sure.” “
Well, I do. I don’t connect much with—with anyone. And then you come along and it’s like . . .” “We’ve known each other forever,” Nissa asserted.
Mckenna beamed. “Exactly. And then there’s this bracelet.” She tugged at it. “What are the chances that it broke off you for the first time the other day, right at my feet? And then I run into you again tonight? What if . . .” She paused. She was never one to be so forward, so candid with anyone but her dads. But there was something about the person standing before her. She was the Phoebe to her Holden—one of the few people Mckenna didn’t consider a phony. “What if you’re meant to come with me?”
Nissa’s eyes widened—at first, Mckenna thought, in alarm at what she had just said; but their sparkle indicated understanding. And then, to Mckenna’s utter amazement, Nissa glanced back at the dilapidated house behind her and nodded.
“Let me just grab some things.”

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Author Bio:

Katrina Tortorici Anglehart is a born and bred Italian-Canadian from Montreal. A devoted academic, she holds a Bachelor of Arts in Journalism; a graduate certificate in Scriptwriting; and a Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing. After dabbling in TV writing and working as a digital marketing content manager, she left the nine to five to launch her freelance editing and coaching career. Today, she relishes in helping aspiring authors to develop and refine their stories.

Besides English, Katrina speaks French, Italian, and Spanglish. When she’s not writing, diving into magical reads, or Netflixing, she’s travelling with her favourite human–her high-school-sweetheart-turned-husband, Andy–and obsessing over her pet bunny, Magic, and newly rescued pup, Nessie. Katrina currently lives in Toronto, Ontario.

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