From bestselling author S. Usher Evans comes a unique take about a real-world girl transported to a fantasy land and faced with a dragon that just might be the manifestation of her mental illness. Empath has "broken the feels" of readers around the world and helped them slay their own fears.
"I think we should just cut our losses and move on."
If you ask Lauren Dailey, things are totally fine after the breakup. She doesn't care that all her friends are getting engaged and moving on with their lives when all her dreams went up in smoke. She's not crying herself to sleep every night. Everything is A-OK.
That is, until a mysterious voice promises an easy out to all her problems, and she wakes up in a fantasy world with the powers of an empath.
Without a way home, Lauren embraces her new life. There's a village full of interesting characters, including Cefin, a handsome young man who's everything a fantasy hero should be. She's getting the hang of doing laundry in the river. And when she uses her empath powers, she's temporarily distracted from the sadness that followed her from California and crops up at the most inconvenient times.
Still, there's one large, dragon-shaped problem: The Anghenfil lives in the mountains nearby, and some say he's got a taste for empaths. And Lauren's afraid it might just be that mysterious voice tempting her deeper into her own darkness.
Empath will transport readers to a new world, while remaining firmly rooted in the realities of dealing with depression, anxiety, and other mental illnesses. Recommended for readers who need help overcoming their own dragons.
This is a stand-alone novel. Content warnings for suicide, substance abuse, and adult situations.
Praise for Empath
★★★★★ "A pint of ice cream for your soul." - Erin Sky, author of The Wendy
★★★★ "A brilliant allegory" - Elizabeth F., Goodreads Reviewer
★★★★★ "As someone who faces anxiety on a daily basis, this book spoke to me." - Katrina M., Goodreads Reviewer
★★★★★ "Empath is encouragement to accept your whole self and move forward into great adventure." - Sierra D., Goodreads Reviewer
Mindy on Books, Books, and More Books wrote:This is a thrilling book that mixes a solid fantasy setting with the heroine’s emotional turmoil and does so in a surprising, but well-executed way. Recommended to fantasy fans who don’t mind a more contemporary touch in their books (Lauren is, after all, still a twenty-first century girl traveling to a fantasy world).
Jen Streck on Psychocat Reviews wrote:Interesting premise of time and space/dimension travel mixed with psychological or mental illness issues so that you aren’t sure even at the end if it really happened. The story was an interesting mix of fantasy and reality. It explores the concepts of depression, suicide, and letting other people in to the “secret” thoughts and emotional connections. Well written so that it is intriguing rather than preachy.
There's a good chance those final chapter will break your feels, but they will also remind you that ending up at the bottom doesn't mean you have to stay there.