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Battle Space Monsters In An Excerpt From Tristina Wright’s 27 HOURS

Meet Rumor, Braeden, and some gruesome, beastly foes in an excerpt from 27 HOURS!

We’re sure you’ve got lots of books on your holiday wish list already, but we’ve got one more for you: Tristina Wright‘s 27 Hours, a science fiction fantasy adventure that follows queer teens falling in love while simultaneously fighting a war with vicious monsters in space! It’s got everything you could ever need from a story: Action, suspense, romantic tension, and fresh world building.

27 Hours hit shelves last month, but there was plenty of buzz long before its release. Now, thanks to Entangled Teen, we have an excerpt for readers who haven’t had a chance to check out the novel yet. In this snippet, we see Rumor and Braeden fighting off space monsters known as gargoyles before going up against and even fiercer enemy!

Rumor slung the rifle across his chest, yanked the strap tight, and grabbed the thickest cable. He pulled his legs up and wrapped his ankles around the cable, supporting his body weight at three points instead of one. He looped his injured hand over the cable and held on with the crook of his elbow, the muscles in his arms straining.

“Nice,” Braeden said. “You’re good.”


“Not like we have all the time in the world.”


“Less talky. More shimmy.” Braeden fired twice at an approaching gargoyle, setting off the familiar howl of pain followed by a crash.

Rumor slid along the cable. He was exposed and dependent on Braeden for protection. And he was oddly okay with it. Okay with having a partner in the chaos.

He managed to reach the hole in one piece and wriggled his way out, pulling the rifle off his back the second he was able. He nodded to Braeden, and they crawled across the ravaged cabling, moving as fast as they could to the outer edge of the wall.

“Will they trust that we’re bringing the dragon to them?” Rumor moved to the side, keeping the back of the huge one in his line of sight.

“They’d better.”
Rumor ducked as the dragon noticed them, swiping with one huge paw. Its accompanying roar threatened to blow out their eardrums.

“Move!” Braeden grabbed his arm and hauled Rumor after him. Another roar, and the whole web pitched as the dragon shifted. They stumbled, rolling down the web to the edge of the outside wall. Rumor hooked an arm around the lowest cable, halting himself with a sharp jerk that nearly pulled his arm out of its socket. He snagged Braeden’s wrist as he tumbled past. Braeden planted his feet on the web to get his balance back, his face twisted in pain.

“Thanks for that,” Braeden gasped. He helped Rumor up. “Big Daddy is after us. Time to run.”

He leveled his gun at the dragon. Three shots later, they ran.

Blood sang in Rumor’s ears, his heartbeat keeping time with his pounding feet. The dragon howled, the web shaking and rolling as it crawled after them. Braeden limped as he ran, his free hand in a tight fist.

They reached a bend in the wall, and Rumor paused long enough to spin and fire a couple of shots, not caring if he hit the dragon, just wanting it mad enough to keep following. As he spun, a human-sized gargoyle dove out of the sky, catching the side of his face with its foot and sending him stumbling to his knees on the roiling web. He fired square in itsface as it banked for another pass.

The dragon was so close, the wall vibrated under his feet. About twenty meters ahead, Braeden skidded to a stop and then bobbed out of sight. The stairs. Rumor lowered his head and put on a burst of speed. He reached the stairs and jumped down three, then fired again. And again and again, heading down the stairs sideways.
The dragon appeared over the edge of the wall and took a flying leap. Cannons boomed and shells pounded into its side. It screeched and unfurled great, ragged wings that blotted out the sky. It flew high into the night, banking for another dive at the colony. The cannons fired again, most of the shots missing as it banked away in a roll.

Rumor grabbed Braeden, who sagged against the wall at the bottom of the stairs, his face pale, his breath coming out in stuttered gasps. As Rumor slung his arm around his shoulders, Braeden raised his gun and fired.

27 Hours is out now. You can order it via…

Amazon | B&N | iBooks | Kobo | Entangled Publishing

MORE BOOK INFO

Rumor Mora fears two things: hellhounds too strong for him to kill, and failure. Jude Welton has two dreams: for humans to stop killing monsters, and for his strange abilities to vanish.

But in no reality should a boy raised to love monsters fall for a boy raised to kill them.

Nyx Llorca keeps two secrets: the moon speaks to her, and she’s in love with Dahlia, her best friend. Braeden Tennant wants two things: to get out from his mother’s shadow, and to unlearn Epsilon’s darkest secret.

They’ll both have to commit treason to find the truth.

During one twenty-seven-hour night, if they can’t stop the war between the colonies and the monsters from becoming a war of extinction, the things they wish for will never come true, and the things they fear will be all that’s left.

27 Hours is a sweeping, thrilling story featuring a stellar cast of queer teenagers battling to save their homes and possibly every human on Sahara as the clock ticks down to zero.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Tristina Wright is a blue-haired bisexual with anxiety and opinions. She’s also possibly a mermaid, but no one can get confirmation. She fell in love with science fiction and fantasy at a young age and frequently got caught writing in class instead of paying attention. She enjoys worlds with monsters and kissing and monsters kissing. She married a nerd who can build computers and make the sun shine with his smile. Most days, she can be found drinking coffee from her favorite chipped mug and making up more stories for her wombfruit, who keep life exciting and unpredictable.

Still trying to figure out the mermaid thing.

Website | Blog | Twitter | Instagram | Facebook | Goodreads

By Kait

Kait is a New Englander, a YA book and adaptation lover, and a Slythindor, as well as a red velvet and red wine enthusiast. She likes to like things. Catch her on Twitter: @kaitmary