Courage and Other Demons
Jill Daugherty
(Open Mike Publishing, Jan. 19, 2013)
"It occurred to me as I stared into the darkness that it was probably a good thing it had taken so long for me to see Simon for who he truly was. If I hadnât fallen in love with that sweet and kind boy, I wouldnât have gotten on a plane with him to fly halfway across the world; I wouldnât have trusted him enough to do what he was asking me to do. And as angry as I was, as much as I hated what my life had become, I knew I had to do what Simon and the others were asking me to do. It all came down to one inescapable belief. I would have to kill or be killed. There were certainly other pieces of the puzzle that were more complex and harder to understand, but that one piece was very clear and unrelenting and it drove me forward, even in those moments when giving up seemed like the most sensible choice I could make." The end of the world will start in the suburbs of Denver with a faery transfer student from Ireland. If you think thatâs totally ridiculous, then you understand how Maggie OâNeill feels. In all of her sixteen years, faeries were something you read about in childrenâs books. They didnât actually show up on your doorstep. They didnât kiss you and make your knees go weak and whisper sweet nothings in your ear. Until Simon Brady, that is. Simon changed everything. He makes her heart race and her skin burn with excitement, but he has also changed her core beliefs about the world and made her see it as a dark and dangerous place filled with monsters that belong only in the lines of faery tales. There is no doubt in Maggieâs mind that she loves Simon, but can she see past who he is and find a place for him in her heart?