Bøker av Lisa Cassidy

Edited by Lisa Cassidy and Mianna Lotz, Philosophies of Adoption: Perspectives and Reflections explores the philosophical analysis of adoption by providing insight into the emerging and underexplored topics within the implications and realities of adoption. Through this analysis, three scholarly developments are central to the emerging philosophical discourse on adoption: a problematizing of the adoption triangle or 'triad'; a critique of the so-called 'bio-normative' family; and an attention to specific issues with transracial and First Nations adoption. The contributors expand on all three of these areas by addressing the following questions: how does being adopted shape self-knowledge and identity, what challenges arise at the intersection of race and adoption, what can be learned about epistemic justice, identity and belonging from transracial adoption, and what are the narratives told about adoption; to show how present conditions give new shape, meaning, and importance to the philosophy of adoption. Organized into three core themes, situating adoption, knowing adoption, and telling adoption, this book grapples with the adoption experience, current developments in adoption practice, and emerging directions and developments in philosophical scholarship. Showcasing a range of styles, Philosophies of Adoption provides first-hand accounts of adult-adoptees through diverse standpoints, voices, perspectives, and relationships to adoption.

Born Nameless. Raised in ice and snow. Destined to rule.Arya Nameless has sidestepped her destiny in favour of joining House Ravenstrike and helping Thiara Ravenstrike become High Warlord of Dunidaen. First, Arya must ensure that Thiara's only son, Rorin, succeeds in running the Dreadwater Gate into Khadini, a deadly rite of passage that none have survived for decades. If they triumph, Arya will be named general of Ravenstrike's army and land a political blow against their powerful adversary, Warlord Mathas Crowtalon.Yet Khadini holds challenges far beyond what they expected. And while Arya contends with wild jungles, fierce enemy warriors, and potential new allies, the Nightstalker continues to seek her with relentless intensity. The monsters hunting her wield a dark magic she has no way of countering. Survival relies on staying hidden, secret.Yet, when Arya's wyvern calls, the time for hiding is over.Because destiny cannot be ignored forever.

An ambitious orphan. A ruthless warlord. An impossible destiny.Arya Nameless is a lowly Raider posted to an isolated fort in the most dangerous place in Dunidaen. She has few prospects, and as much as she loves her fellow soldiers, she burns for more-more control, more autonomy, more power.When her bravery during an unexpected attack leads to an offer to join the household of one of Dunidaen's warlords, Arya finds a home and family she never expected. Yet her quicksilver temper and fierce pride put her place there at constant risk. And as her warlord embroils them all in a dangerous political game to rule Dunidaen, over the border to the west, the Nightstalker lurks. A king who wields powerful magic, the Nightstalker's fate is inextricably entwined with Arya's. His relentless pursuit will force Arya into a choice she doesn't want to make, between loyalty and love, and taking hold of the destiny she was born to fulfill.Which will she choose?

Love drives her. Magic fuels her. But vengeance always has a price.To save Ahrin Vensis, Lira Astor has agreed to take control of the Mage Council and use that power to subdue the kingdoms on behalf of Lucinda and the Seven. She must succeed where her grandfather-a vastly more powerful mage-failed twice. And to do that, she will have to face down Alyx Egalion, the woman who destroyed the Darkmage. Lira is no fool. Lucinda is the most daunting adversary she's ever faced, and the task before her seems impossible. But Lira is determined to win this time. To succeed, she's going to have to pull off a con of epic proportions, and all without the help of her Darkhand. But Lira has learned. She has allies now. Friends even.Lira Astor doesn't give up. And she doesn't lie down. She's going to beat them all.Or she's going to die trying.

They thought the Darkmage's cause had died. They were wrong. Lira Astor has been rotting in prison for over two years. The passage of time has only reinforced her determination to be free of her cell and wreak a trail of destruction on those who put her there. No longer avoiding her name, Lira Astor has accepted her heritage.When a shocking disappearance sends old allies looking for Lira's help, she uses them to get what she wants. Freedom. A chance to burn Lucinda and the Shadowcouncil to ashes. Yet vengeance means more than just relying on those who once betrayed her. Lira will be faced with an enemy more powerful than she could ever have imagined. To survive, the heir to the Darkmage will be faced with a choice. Take on her grandfather's mantle, for real this time.Or lose the thing she loves most in this world.

Loyalty. Magic. Ambition. Which will triumph?Returned to Temari Hall after her abduction, Lira's ultimate ambition remains unchanged. Destroy Underground and leverage that victory to rise up the ranks of the Mage Council. Make them all forget about the Darkmage and remember her instead.To do that, she must win back the trust of Underground while secretly spying on them for the Mage Council. Exposure would mean her death at the hands of the powerful Shadowcouncil.But the arrival of Ahrin Vensis at Temari Hall places Lira in greater danger than ever before. The Darkhand's agenda is unknown, and she hides secrets that could undo everything Lira is working towards. Winning the Darkhand to her side would guarantee victory, but to do that Lira will need to betray those who offer a gift she's never had but always yearned for... acceptance and friendship.Can she successfully walk the line between ambition and loyalty, or will Lira's hunger for danger leave her standing amidst the ashes of all her hopes?

Ambition drives her. Danger thrills her. But magic always has a price.Twenty years have passed since the Darkmage was destroyed and the war between mages ended. For Lira Astor, the single living heir to the Darkmage, escaping her name is impossible. People still fear what is long dead, and they see in her the rise of another dangerous mage with deadly ambition. Desperate to claw her way free of her grandfather's shadow, to make her own name amongst the world of mages, Lira is willing to do whatever it takes. Even if that means joining the secretive rebel group looking to restore his vision.Survival is a lesson Lira learned early and often, yet when she is abducted and held prisoner in a deadly game of cat and mouse, she finds herself facing a nemesis she may be no match for. Forced to band together with unlikely allies who challenge everything she believes about what it means to be a mage, she will have to rely on every bit of ruthlessness she possesses.Because the war may only just be beginning......and Lira Astor intends to come out on top.

...We fly as one... The time of the Shadowhawk was gone. Now he needed to be more. In the space of a night Cuinn Acondor lost his crown and almost his life. Devastated by Talyn's disappearance, he's on the run, fleeing from Armun and Shadow hunters who want to destroy everything he stands for. But he won't give up. Together with the resurgent Wolves, he begins preparing to take back what Azrilan stole from them. After killing their Shadow betrayer, Talyn is captured and thrown in a Montagni labour camp. With no way of knowing what happened to Cuinn or her Wolves, she fights desperately to find a way out, to return home to them. Like Cuinn, she refuses to give up, no matter what... even if escaping means allying with her greatest enemy. In the Twin Thrones, the Dumnorix are banding together and marshalling their forces. Firthland has brought war to their shores. And they intend on fighting back.

A storm is coming…The Shadowhawk has been unmasked to those he trusts most. Montagn, the most powerful empire in the world, prepares for invasion. And back in the tangled alleys and dark streets of Dock City, Vengeance lurks.Badly injured after the ambush that nearly claimed his life, Cuinn Acondor is recovering in the Twin Thrones, determined to grow strong so that he can go home and do more. Be more. Find a way to make a better country for his people. Talyn Dynan, reeling from the news that Montagn has been using Vengeance as a tool to undermine Mithranar from within, has a single purpose… return and raze them to the ground.But Vengeance isn't their only enemy. The prince of night grows stronger, his grip on power in Mithranar tightening. A deadly strike to the heart of the Dumnorix family reveals a greater threat than anyone realised.And when a dangerous revelation sends shockwaves through Mithranan society, Cuinn and Talyn must stand together and fight, or risk losing everything they love.

Dumnorix princess and born warrior, Talyn Dynan was the finest fighter of her generation. With her Callanan partner at her side, she was invincible, reckless, a death-knell to their enemies. But after her partner is torn away from her, Talyn is left broken, wracked with guilt and unable to regain the confidence she once had. Could an unexpected mission to the mysterious country of Mithranar, home of the magical winged folk, be the thing that saves her? Or will the danger and secrets she finds there finally break her completely?The Shadowhawk lives a life in the shadows. Constantly hunted for his criminal exploits, yet desperate to help the human folk of Mithranar who are oppressed by their winged folk rulers, he haunts the streets of Dock City. The arrival of a foreign warrior threatens to upset the carefully balanced life he leads, but when she begins to offer a hope for the humans he's only ever dreamed of, can he risk trusting her?And unbeknownst to both, a mysterious foe stalks the dark corners of Dock City. One that answers to a single purpose…Vengeance.

In the epic conclusion to the Mage Chronicles series, Alyx Egalion and her friends must find a way to defeat the most powerful mage alive before he destroys everything they hold dear.Shakar's influence is spreading, his darkness descending on Rionn and Tregaya like a shroud. The Mage Council is cowering in Carhall. Mages everywhere are divided, some cleaving to the council, others to Alyx and the faint hope that she is powerful enough to defeat Shakar. Yet Alyx is on the run, pursued relentlessly by Shakar's Hunters and hiding a terrible secret from everyone-even those she trusts most.When tragedy strikes, Alyx is left with a heartbreaking choice. Is she willing to sacrifice those she loves to become the leader the mages need her to be?

Book 1 of The Mage ChroniclesThe adventure begins here…The Taliath-ancient guardians of the mage order-have vanished inexplicably. A fragile peace that stood for decades is threatening to crumble. Yet sixteen-year-old Alyx Egalion is oblivious to all this. Daughter of the king's most powerful lord, she's popular, spoiled and dreamily in love with the prince and heir, her best friend Cayr.Her world is shattered when she is sent to the far-distant DarkSkull Hall, a gloomy place wreathed in secrets where young men and women are forged into mages. Alyx's wealth and status mean nothing in the harsh and unforgiving school. Unable to access her magic, she is vulnerable to stronger students, particularly the apprentice Galien who torments her incessantly.If Alyx can swallow her pride, she may find allies in the handful of DarkSkull's other misfits. And then there is the enigmatic Ladan Mirren, who seems to have an odd fixation on keeping her safe.The longer she spends at DarkSkull, the more she discovers about the terrible secrets that hide her true past-secrets that challenge everything she's ever believed in. But in the midst of despair and danger, Alyx will learn the true nature of friendship, courage and loyalty.

Dive back into the epic young adult fantasy world of The Mage Chronicles...Almost two years have passed since Alyx Egalion was first sent to DarkSkull Hall to become a mage. Now a half-trained mage apprentice, Alyx wields a depth of magic that scares even the corrupt Mage Council.Summoned abruptly home, Alyx and her friends find themselves unprepared for the changes that have occurred in Rionn during their absence. Her father has lost influence at court. Lord-Mage Casovar claims to be protecting Rionn, but his new Mage Guard is harassing citizens on the street. Worse, the Shiven threat is growing, their armies building up along the Rionnan border. Invasion seems inevitable.When a Taliath is revealed, Alyx and Finn find themselves on opposing sides of a larger battle. Neither of them is willing to yield. Alyx's special abilities make her a powerful weapon, but they also make her a threat. As darkness sinks its tendrils even deeper into Alistriem, a horrifying discovery drives Alyx and her friends even further apart.An old enemy is on the hunt…

Driven to find the truth behind her mother's death, Alyx Egalion has returned to DarkSkull Hall and reunited with her friends. The lies that bound her past have broken open, and she's determined to embrace the magic that burns inside her.Despite her resolve, Alyx struggles to learn, haunted by terrible nightmares and the loss of her friend Brynn. Her nemesis, Galien, strains at the leash of the masters' control-his hatred for her placing Alyx and her friends in constant danger. With the world outside DarkSkull under threat from the increasingly restive Shivasa, the powerful Mage Council sees in Alyx a tool for the protection of the mage order. But the more time she spends in the mage world, the less she trusts the council's motives.And as they dig deeper into her mother's life, Alyx and her friends uncover a terrible secret that strikes to the heart of her family and threatens the powerful bond of friendship between them. Can they come together, or will the ruthless world of mages tear them apart?