Branded

Henry Murphy’s parents never told him he was from another realm. They couldn’t, because they have become as unaware as Henry. Everything was forgotten—memories siphoned away by the dark force that stalked them. For the last seventeen years, Henry has been living a lie.

All those years of hiding have been compromised. Henry’s parents fled as refugees after stealing the location of the furnace—a source of power that would have allowed the Nekura uncontested rule over all life. But with their memories silenced, the Nekura have closed in on them unnoticed.

The first warning was the screaming girl. After she broke into Henry’s high school classroom and screamed for him to run, she was hauled away and disappeared. The only friend Henry finds to help him is Charley, a strong-willed orphan girl with a fractured past.

Henry is thrust into a reality he never knew existed and must fight against sinister creatures he cannot touch for reasons he doesn’t understand. What he doesn’t know can still hurt him, and it is hunting him down. Their only hope is the Light—a legendary force that bestows intangible power for those connected to it. Henry must uncover the shrouded memory of his family’s past and race to find the furnace before the Nekura tear his family apart and destroy both worlds in the process. Henry will learn the heartache of the forgotten, the joy of the reclaimed, strength beyond himself, and the unbreakable ties that bind family together.

Joseph T. Humphrey is a premiering author of contemporary fiction for young adults with adult crossover appeal. He loves a good thriller with complex, cerebral plot lines and plenty of action. And he loves his heroes to be heroic!When Joseph is not writing, he works as a board-certified emergency medicine physician, although he wishes he could be out slaying minions of the darkness with the characters in his books. He lives in Illinois with his fabulous wife, who gave him inspiration for his story. He also served as a flight surgeon for the U.S. Navy, but even more perilously, he is the father of two young boys.Joseph is also a Christian thinker and speaker-he loves talking about Jesus Christ and the Gospel message. He tries playing the banjo when his lovable Goldendoodle allows him a break from the constant petting. He likes baseball, loves the Avengers, and hunts for the best donuts shops across the country.