The Final Hope (Paperback or Softback)

Everyone needs Annie Harper to save the realms.

There's just one problem. Annie Harper has stopped believing she's worth saving.

She has power now—the kind of magic she once couldn't control and others have every reason to fear.

But power couldn't save everyone she loved.

And it couldn't protect Annie from herself.

Consumed by guilt and grief, she has retreated from the found family she fought so hard to trust. The young woman who once desperately wanted somewhere to belong now wants only to be left alone with the consequences of what she's done.

Then war comes looking for her.

The realms are facing destruction, the people Annie loves are once again in danger, and walking away is no longer an option.

To defeat the enemy waiting for them, Annie must do something far harder than mastering her magic.

She must find her way back to herself.

But some victories demand sacrifice.

Some wounds cannot be healed.

And sometimes saving everyone doesn't mean everyone comes home.

For readers who loved the emotional devastation and formidable heroine of R.F. Kuang's The Poppy War trilogy, and the fate, sacrifice and hard-won emotional payoff of James Islington's The Licanius Trilogy.

The Final Hope is Book Three of the Golden Fleck Series—an emotional epic fantasy of found family, grief, magic, redemption, love and heroic sacrifice, where triumph and tragedy may be two sides of the same ending.

Hil (author of The Golden Fleck Series) is a Lancashire Lass with a most dubious claim to fame-she almost killed Stephen Hawking while furiously pedalling to a university lecture she was woefully late for. Born in Preston, in the land of Wallace and Gromit, Hil's love for her northern roots often surprises and amuses her husband.Originally a teacher by trade, Hil spent years creating impromptu stories for her students and sketching cartoons of her cheeky spaniels, all while weaving tales of adventure. It was during a long recovery from a herniated disc that the Golden Fleck series unexpectedly took root. Frustratingly confined to rest, Hil took her mind on daily virtual runs with her spaniels through the nearby woodland-and in that tranquil space, she imagined portals, a key element in her stories.Her curiosity about a young homeless girl named Annie, and what made her choose that life, led to the development of Annie's character, who would become the heart of The Golden Fleck Series.When she's not writing, you can find Hil practicing yoga, reading, attempting classical guitar, or dancing around to her favourite songs with no one watching. She's a believer in the power of stories, the joy of running her dogs (no longer virtually!), and the importance of always staying curious.