Mercy Markos and the Blades of Betrayal - Sally Garcia Gratz

On an exotic cloaked island in the Mediterranean, reside the mystical purple-eyed Ara'Jaeons, a race created millennia ago to oversee Earth's elements.

Mercy Markos, a young Ara'Jaeon girl, is sent to the Tray, a private school and training center for children of the Ecclesia, an elite group of Ara'Jaeons responsible for guarding the elements. Upon arrival at the Tray and unhappy with her displacement, Mercy accidentally encounters three Metalicons, the terrifying faction made up of dark and mysterious Ara'Jaeons, and she is made aware of a troubling, ancient prophecy involving her bloodline.

While grappling with this discovery, Mercy and her newfound friends, Phin Jaymes and Fire Twins, Tambora and Vesuvius St. Clair, are thrown into the decades-old, unsolved murder of High Elder Jonathan Broomfield. The group must work together to bring justice, despite the heartbreak and betrayal it causes.

With a remarkable backdrop of fantasy and mystery, readers will enjoy connecting with Mercy as she encounters new companionships, mistrust, deceit, heartbreak, and self-discovery; and as through her resolve, she learns the value of friendship, family, and self-confidence.