Synopsis

​A haunted teen outcast and her snarky ghostly best-frenemy outwit enforcers, monsters, and the scars of the past in a race to take expose a deadly conspiracy and escape a bloody end. A lush, award-winning debut to a captivatingly eerie YA Urban Fantasy trilogy. Discover a labyrinthine, post-climate-collapse dystopian Vancouver overrun by monsters and magic in this intricate and startlingly original journey of discovery, restoration, and revenge.

It’s hard not to be a little obsessed with survival when your only “friend” is an unruly ghost and the wrong thought could get your soul devoured by eldritch horrors. Haunted 17-year-old outcast Cole wants nothing more than to hide her forbidden fascination with the monster-taken and blend in with the (dreary) scenery. Her plans for a peaceful life take a turn for the deadly when a mesmerizing stranger and his dangerously tempting offer drive her into the middle of a grisly conspiracy.

But Cole hasn’t yet uncovered the biggest secret of all, and it might just have something to do with the mysterious threads tugging her into horrifying visions—not to mention the shimmering boy at their dark heart. Uncovering the truth will cost her dearly as she fends off scheming enforcers, dreamjacking ghosts & soul-sucking nightmares in a desperate quest for survival and retribution. Can she escape the scars of her past and expose the lies before she’s the next to die?

Blind the Eyes is the first book in a lush and labyrinthine trilogy of paranormal-meets-gothic-dystopian YA Urban Fantasy filled with glittering underworlds, delicious-and-deceptive strangers, and facing down the voices in your head. This slow-burn fantasy with an edge leads readers on a captivatingly unexpected journey of self-discovery, reclaimed identity, and conflicted sisterhood for those who like a little sparkle with their monsters (it glistens so nicely on all the blood.) Fans of post-climate-collapse dystopias, monsters-and-magic, and genre-bending dark fantasy will love this award-winning series starter in a complete and 100% binge-ready trilogy.

Books2Read * Amazon * Apple

Kobo * Google * B&N

Waterstones * Chapters-Indigo

Guest Post

Read Spooky Not Scary!

I’ve always had waaay too much imagination for the truly terrifying—seriously, I had nightmares after the first time I watched The Mummy (which is tragic, because Brendan Fraser and Rachel Weisz are fantastic in it!)

Which is why I love the idea of “spooky reads.” There’s this whole sort of hidden subgenre of fantasy with creepy characters, scenes, and other elements, without the kind of creeping horror that makes you afraid to step out of bed in the middle of the night. Specifically, I like to hang out on the gothic end of the spectrum. Consider:

• Dystopian manors, towns, or cities, crumbling into obscurity. Everything’s a little worn and faded but also eerily gorgeous. Also, you’re half-or-more in love with death, which is perfect, because it’s also obsessed with you.
• There’s a very slim chance of a romance turning out well, but may I present: confused and/or forbidden attraction, endless yearning, and frustrated desire. Forget steam; how about a slow, poisonous simmer?
• Then there’s the monsters. Are they paranormal? Supernatural? A symptom of your own repression? The true face of society’s oppression? Does it matter, when you know the only sure thing is that your dread will be rewarded with blood and someone’s sure to die beautifully?
• And don’t forget the aesthetics. Wisps of fog, hidden menace and shrouded scenery. Dark waters, mirror-still and waiting to swallow you whole or storm-grey and tossing, eager to grind you against the rocks. Ominous towers with secrets hidden at their feet, endless rooms hiding unimaginable horrors, and faded glory, flaking off under your touch. Gilt and velvet and tattered silks; bitter wine and opium.
• But where it really all comes together is the heroine. Lost and lied to, trapped by circumstances, desperate not to dominate, to subject, to rule, but simply to survive. A gothic dystopian heroine is not a kickass leather-bound stereotype in stilettos but an exhausted girl just trying to get by in a world that wants to grind her under its heel. What could be more relatable? And if she has to untangle endless lies, uncover her stolen past, face down her ghosts and face up to the broken humanity surrounding her in order to take back her life and her power, what could be more aspirational?

So yeah, despite my woefully low capacity for the kind of horror that makes you pull the covers over your head, I’m all about the gothic touches in my fantasy. Curious what it’s all about? Join me at kawiggins.com (and join the newsletter to get started with some free spooky short reads!) or on social @kaiespace!

About the Author

K.A. Wiggins (Kaie) writes award-winning speculative fiction for young people and adults that explores the tangled webs of society, environment, and identity through intricate, dreamlike tales of monsters and magic.

Her debut novel was a Page Turner Awards 2020 Book Spotlight Prize winner and a Barnes & Noble Press “20 Favorite Indie Books of 2018,” kicking off a celebrated and recently completed YA Urban Fantasy trilogy set in a gothic-dystopian post-climate-collapse Vancouver. Her short fiction has appeared in small press anthologies, genre magazines, and in translation for international audiences.

She’s also the President of the Children’s Writers and Illustrators of British Columbia society, co-founder of marketing and business services consultancy The Creative Collective, and a creative writing coach with the Creative Writing for Children society, and was recognized in the 2021 Arty Awards, taking first place in Literary Arts category.

Website ~ Twitter ~ Facebook ~ Pinterest ~ Instagram ~ Goodreads

Giveaway

Enter to win a special edition hardback copy of Blind the Eyes: A Dystopian-Gothic YA Urban Fantasy (GRAND PRIZE) (one winner/USA only) or ebook copy K.A. Wiggins’ award-winning novel. (5 runner-up winners) (ends Dec 24)

BLIND THE EYE by KA Wiggins Book Tour Giveaway