About the Book
Book: Chaos Woods, Chronicles of the Ever-Guise, Book I
Author: Scott T. Barnes
Genre: Young Adult Fantasy
Release Date: November 14, 2025
After a thieves’ auction goes wrong, young barmaid Telyn Brower winds up with a shard from a magical mask.
Only one problem: In this world, humans are forbidden to use magic. In fact, they’re the only sentient beings without any innate magical powers.
That doesn’t stop Telyn and her friends from using the mask to improve life in their isolated mountain town of Harlech.
At first, the changes seem small. Helpful. Necessary.
But good intentions only carry them so far.
Soon, lies begin to surface. Trust erodes. With every spell they cast, the mask tightens its grip. The power is seductive, addictive. The consequences are dangerous.
As the subjugation of humans intensifies and enemies draw near, the only way out seems to lie deep in the Chaos Woods—an ancient forest where magic itself bends and frays.
To survive, the friends must face the cost of their choices and decide whether they can truly trust one another.
Discover the young adult fantasy Chaos Woods, rated 4.8 out of 5 stars by IndieReader, and described as “an ambitious, character-driven fantasy.”
Excerpt from the Book:
Instead, the big man reached to scratch Tum’s ears. “Good. No one ’ll be complaining this evening, what with the flacks to keep them diverted. Garlic’s expensive.” Razenbock leaned in, as if the eehoo was his confidant. “We’re closing early. Clean up in here and get home.”
He scooped up the pot of stew and disappeared through the swinging door.
The girls whirled toward each other, mouthed, ‘Closing early?’ and rushed to peek out. Telyn’s chin rested on Cressida’s head; her brunette waves spilled over Cressida’s straight, blond hair; their bodies pressed together. It took a moment for their eyes to adjust to the public room’s dim interior to discern more than smoky outlines. But when they did—
A shiver of interest spread from Telyn’s lower back; she spotted at least five flacks. Five! In the Sable Head!
Flack was the catch-all term for non-humans, creatures with magical powers—those you’d best stay away from or likely you’d go missing, or get sold into slavery, or die. Flacks didn’t call each other that, of course—they called each other the complimentary term thaumas.
Flacks never came into the Sable Head; there was too much chaos wood in the walls. Chaos wood disrupted magic and made spells go awry. An abundance of chaos wood made flacks nervous.
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About the Author
An afficionado of small towns, forests, and mountains, you can find Scott T. Barnes writing in coffee shops all over Southern California. Scott won the Writers of the Future Award for his story “Insect Sculptor.” His contemporary fantasy, Memories of Lucinda Eco, set in Baja California, received a coveted “Editor’s Pick” from BookLife, while his epic fantasy Chaos Woods earned 4.8 out of 5 stars from IndieReader. Kirkus Reviews called it, “An absorbing, character-driven YA tale of camaraderie and redemption.”