Books with author A. J. Matthew

It's a struggle to be yourself in a place that demands conformity. A beautiful place, yet a place where to be beautiful means to stand out. It's a struggle to be something, someone, in a place that says someone is something you can never be. A complex place, yet a place where to be complex means to stand out. He wishes to fit in. She wishes to get out. This is a story about the youths struggle for freedom and identity in a modern ever changing Japan (as well as struggling with just being a kid!). So welcome to Japan, a world in flux, full of modern thinkers and freewheeling souls--but beware! The roots of Japan dug deep into the past persist, for better, or worse, and Japan has a strong hold on the lives and minds of the young... and is reluctant to release its grip.

Branwen Riley has no idea who to trust. She’s had the Gift since birth, but she has no answers for the leukemia threatening her life. When she’s asked to enter a treatment program that may offer a cure, she comes to suspect that the geneticist in charge might only be interested in passing her Gift on to others. Her best friend Cecily is dating the geneticist’s son Nico, and now she’s spiking Branwen’s IV. When Cecily dies in an attempt on Branwen’s life, the only person who might have the answers is Nico. Can Branwen discover the truth, or will she be next to die?

An enchanted green violin, an automaton that comes to life, and a hidden treasure. . . . THE CLOCKWORK THREE is a richly woven adventure story that is sure to become a classic!Three ordinary children are brought together by extraordinary events. . . Giuseppe is an orphaned street musician from Italy, who was sold by his uncle to work as a slave for an evil padrone in the U.S. But when a mysterious green violin enters his life he begins to imagine a life of freedom.Hannah is a soft-hearted, strong-willed girl from the tenements, who supports her family as a hotel maid when tragedy strikes and her father can no longer work.

Matthew J. Kirby, author of THE CLOCKWORK THREE, deftly weaves a brand-new tale with chilling cleverness and subtle suspense that will leave listeners breathless.NARRATOR: TBAFORMAT: 10 CDs, UnabridgedTrapped in a hidden fortress tucked between towering mountains and a frozen sea, Solveig, along with her brother the crown prince, their older sister, and an army of restless warriors, anxiously awaits news of her father's victory at battle. But as winter stretches on, and the unending ice refuses to break, terrible acts of treachery soon make it clear that a traitor lurks in their midst. A malevolent air begins to seep through the fortress walls, and a smothering claustrophobia slowly turns these prisoners of winter against one another.Those charged with protecting the king's children are all suspect and the siblings must choose their allies wisely. Can Solveig and her siblings survive the long winter months and expose the traitor before he (or she) succeeds in destroying a king, his empire, and his children?

Owen, Javier and the rest of the Last Descendants teens uncover their destiny in this epic third book in the trilogy based on the hit Ubisoft videogame. The stunning conclusion to the Last Descendants Trilogy! Only one piece of the Trident of Eden remains. Isaiah, a rogue Templar agent, has discovered both the faith prong and the fear prong of this powerful relic. Should he possess the devotion prong, there is little that can stop him. For the time being, Owen and his fellow teens have established an uneasy alliance across Assassin and Templar lines in order to stop Isaiah while they still can. Over a thousand years earlier, Styrbjorn the Strong, a Danish warrior, leads the Jomsvikings against the Danish king, Harald Bluetooth. It is on those Viking battlefields that the secrets of the devotion prong lie. It is there that the fate of the world, the truth behind the teens' collective unconsciousness, and their ancestral links to one another lie. History has already been written. The rest is up to Owen, Javier and the other members of their unlikely alliance. The actions they take will change the world of Assassin's Creed forever.