Between Wild and Ruin

Between Wild and Ruin

Truth, like love, isn’t always obvious. Seventeen-year-old Ruby Brooks has never had a boyfriend, and after moving to small-town La Luna, New Mexico following her mother’s untimely death, boys aren’t even on her radar. Ruby just wants to forget the last horrible year and blend in. But when she discovers an ancient pueblo ruin in the forest behind her house, and meets Ezra, a bitter recluse whose once-perfect face was destroyed in an accident he won’t talk about; Angel, La Luna’s handsome sheriff’s deputy, and Leo, a stranger who only appears near the ruin, Ruby finds herself teetering between love, mystery, and other worlds. What happened to Ezra’s face? And why is she so attracted to the one boy in town everyone despises? As Ruby unravels her own connections to both Ezra and the pueblo ruin, she’ll learn surfaces are deceiving. Especially in the heart of New Mexico, where spirits and legends aren’t always just campfire stories. Praise for Between Wild and Ruin: ** 2021 IBPA Benjamin Franklin Award for Best New Voice, YA ** 2020 National Press Women's Association, 1st place award for YA fiction ** 2020 Reader's Choice Gold Medal Award (1st place), for YA Fiction- Folklore ** 2020 New Mexico/Arizona Book Award, 1st place for YA fiction ** 2020 New Mexico Women's Press Association, 1st place award for YA fiction ** A BlueInk Review top 50 Indy Pick for 2019 "This first installment in Jennifer G. Edelson's Wild and Ruin series offers brisk, crisp, entertaining scenes of romance, and builds to a surprising, satisfying twist . . . Line to line, Between Wild and Ruin is crisp, brisk, and appealing. Edelson pairs superb descriptions of nature and her characters with sharp, memorable dialogue. The exchanges between protagonist Ruby and her aunt Lydia have a pleasurable warmth and verve; Ruby's many scenes of flirtation with her three romantic candidates, meanwhile, are tense and tender . . ." --The Booklife Prize "What could be a corny premise turns into an exhilarating, fun ride in Edelson's adept hands. Her characters are smartly drawn, and readers will easily identify with Ruby, a strong yet insecure young artist on the verge of adulthood, who is still recovering from her tragic past . . . Fans of Twilight and modern fairy tales will fall in love with Ruby and root for her eventual romance."-- Blue Ink Review (Starred Review) "Between Wild and Ruin is a stunning story of legends, romance, and destiny with themes of starting over, small towns, beauty, and community . . . Edelson perfectly breathes new life in mythology by honoring the oral tradition of a small community and the ruins that bring to life Ruby's destiny." -- Manhattan Book Review "Highly recommended to mature teens through new adult and adult audiences, this is a story that lingers in the mind long after its final revelation." -- Midwest Book Review "Author Jennifer Edelson's on-point dialogue, multicultural characters, and atmospheric setting, keenly conveys New Mexico's rich cultural roots and narratives, weaving a story that incorporates both folklore and romance into an engrossing, unforgettable YA story." -- Ryan Sprague, Author and Host of 'Somewhere In the Skies' book and podcast, co-host of the The CW's 'Mysteries Decoded.' "Between Wild and Ruin is, beat for beat, very close toStephanie Meyer's Twilight saga . . . which, thirteen years ago, captured the hearts of high school and college-aged girls everywhere, except instead of vampires vs. werewolves, it's cops vs. demons vs. mountain lions with a bit of a twist at the end." -- San Francisco Book Review "Descriptions of the New Mexico landscape are rich and atmospheric, arousing the senses with references to the scent of smoke and juniper, the predatory roar of mountain lions, and the brilliant dazzle of stars in the desert sky . . . The writing conveys a sense of timelessness, making it easy to believe Ruby's sense that the land is spirit-haunted and that Leo, the handsome young man she encounters near the ruins, is somehow connected to it all." -- Clarion Forward "An intriguing historical tale and an over-the-top love quadrangle romance." -- Kirkus Reviews "The paranormal aspects of the tale are credible and richly steeped in traditional lore, and the plot is finely crafted . . . Between Wild and Ruin is most highly recommended." -- Reader's Favorite (5-Star Review) "A great new addition to the YA Fantasy genre." -- Seattle Book Review Jennifer G. Edelson is a writer, artist, former attorney, pizza lover, and hard-core Bollywood fan. Originally a California native, she currently resides in Santa Fe, New Mexico with her husband, kids, and dog, Hubble after surviving twenty-plus years in the Minnesota tundra. Other than writing, Jennifer loves hiking, traveling, Albert Camus, Dr. Seuss, dark chocolate, coffee, exploring mysterious places, and meeting new people-if you're human (or otherwise), odds are she'll probably love you.  For more information,