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Chapters (61)
  1. Copyright
  2. Dedication
  3. Epigraph
  4. Map of The Wastes
  5. I
  6. Chapter One
  7. Chapter Two
  8. Chapter Three
  9. Chapter Four
  10. Chapter Five
  11. Chapter Six
  12. Chapter Seven
  13. Chapter Eight
  14. II
  15. Chapter Nine
  16. Chapter Ten
  17. Chapter Eleven
  18. Chapter Twelve
  19. Chapter Thirteen
  20. Chapter Fourteen
  21. Chapter Fifteen
  22. Chapter Sixteen
  23. Chapter Seventeen
  24. Chapter Eighteen
  25. Chapter Nineteen
  26. Chapter Twenty
  27. III
  28. Chapter Twenty-One
  29. Chapter Twenty-Two
  30. Chapter Twenty-Three
  31. Chapter Twenty-Four
  32. Chapter Twenty-Five
  33. Chapter Twenty-Six
  34. Chapter Twenty-Seven
  35. Chapter Twenty-Eight
  36. Chapter Twenty-Nine
  37. Chapter Thirty
  38. Chapter Thirty-One
  39. IV
  40. Chapter Thirty-Two
  41. Chapter Thirty-Three
  42. Chapter Thirty-Four
  43. Chapter Thirty-Five
  44. Chapter Thirty-Six
  45. Chapter Thirty-Seven
  46. Chapter Thirty-Eight
  47. Chapter Thirty-Nine
  48. Chapter Forty
  49. V
  50. Chapter Forty-One
  51. Chapter Forty-Two
  52. Chapter Forty-Three
  53. Chapter Forty-Four
  54. Chapter Forty-Five
  55. Acknowledgments
  56. Sample Chapter from ALL THESE MONSTERS
  57. 1
  58. Buy the Book
  59. Must-Read Sci-Fi and Fantasy Books
  60. About the Author
  61. Connect with HMH on Social Media

I push him away, laughing. “What did I say about that name?” He captures my wrists and we collapse onto the bed in a fit of playful wrestling that lengthens, slows.

Tomorrow I have to leave again, venture into the unknown. There’s no guarantee that I’ll see another year, or five, or fifty, because that’s life—an uncertain path, a continuous cycle that leads to death and back again.

But I have this moment now, with Asher, and I’ll steal an hour or two with Bay at dawn before we leave. I have a brother who will travel with me, and a pack that will wait for me to return, and a band of sisters not in blood, but in spirit, who I will follow anywhere. Women who inspire me to be more than I ever dreamed.

The ease with which we all fit together fills my heart.

I trust these people with my life. I trust them with my soul.

All this time, I realize, I was only trying to find them. They are my Verdant, my green place, my paradise among the desert.

The map always led to them.

Acknowledgments

This book would not exist without my dear friend Jodi Meadows, who listened when I needed to brainstorm, provided suggestions when I was stuck, and cheered me on when I lost confidence. Jodi, I am deeply grateful.

Thanks also to my agent, Sara Crowe, and the team at Pippin Properties, as well as my editor, Kate O’Sullivan, and all the wonderful book champions at HMH who touched this story during its journey to publication. Matt Griffin and Virginia Allyn, thank you for the incredible cover art and stunning map, respectively.

To my writing friends (you know who you are), thanks for your support and camaraderie. This is a strange yet wonderful career, and it’s a blessing to have friends to discuss all the highs and lows with.

I spent a lot of the brainstorming phase for this novel talking aloud, bouncing worldbuilding ideas off my husband as I obsessed over tiny details. Rob, thank you for tolerating me. Kids, thanks for “tolerating” when I had to work. (We can discuss what those quotation marks imply when you’re a bit older.) You are my Verdant, my green place, my paradise among the desert. Mommy loves you, always and forever.

And last, to you, the reader: Thank you for spending some time with my words. You are the reason I have this job and that is never lost on me.

Sample Chapter from ALL THESE MONSTERS

A back ad for All These Monsters by Amy Tintera. Keep reading for a free sample from the book.

1

The bag slammed into my body, and I hit the mat with a grunt. I flipped over, scrambling to my knees as I tried to find the weapon that just flew out of my hand.

Four claws appeared at my throat. A loud buzzer sounded.

Dead.