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:
“Some mighty strange ones here tonight,” Cressida commented.
“You think?”
Two small, chattering schmooks sat together on a bench near the fire. Telyn thought they looked like chipmunks beneath their brown hoods—if chipmunks had bright-orange mouths and eyes where their ears should have been. Despite sitting next to the fire, they had not removed their cloaks. They talked incessantly, leaning close together as though every word was a conspiracy. A third schmook sat on the other side of the room, all alone in the shadows. Now and then lantern-light glinted off his wide-spaced, emerald eyes.
Near the fire, quiet and mean-looking, sat a green-skinned, reptilian trogo. He stared around boldly and gabbed to himself in a guttural language as if chatting to an invisible friend. A bit of drool oozed its way down the trogo’s ivory-like tusk and dripped to the table. He wore a stylish trench coat, currently unbuttoned, over black trousers and shirt. Several gold necklaces and bracelets jangled as he moved. Not a few humans sat near the beast, evidently hoping for some trouble. Telyn recognized Heath Robinson, a tough who frequented both the Sable Head and the Lazy H, and Tyre Flint, who’d had a tryst with Daisy Brooks at Dragon Tower.
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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.”