Emerald Illusion — Jennifer Rodewald

Abrielle used to dream of a different life. Adventure. Romance. Hope.
Not of Kansas.

Now, after the loss of her mother and a move she didn't want to make, she's lost the will to dream anymore, let alone believe in her father's Somedays. But a swirling wind, a wall of leaves, and a blinding darkness transform her world.

She and both of her brothers, Brogan and Matteaus, are swept from Kansas to someplace beyond--to a desert in which everything is watery brown, including the sky and the light of the weak sun. Abrielle finds herself in the middle of a realm everyone had heard of but no one believed existed. Except this version is run-down and broken, void of color and hope. Not much different from her view of life in Kansas.

When she gathers her bearings, she discovers her youngest brother is missing, lost in a land that is foreign and dying. Finding Matteaus becomes her sole focus, but when she and Brogan meet a boy named Levi, who only adds more mystery to this world that shouldn't exist, she finds out this kingdom is much more perilous than the children's book ever told.

Matteaus is in great danger.

There is nothing safe about Oz.

""With vivid settings, evocative descriptions, and brilliant characters facing issues relevant to our times, Emerald Illusion is a modern fairy tale that will appeal to anyone seeking a place to belong. With nods to L. Frank Baum and C. S. Lewis, author J. Rodes has created a portal fantasy that is both sweetly familiar and entirely new--with a hint of romance that adds an extra bit of tension to the plot. Highly recommended "" Serena Chase, author of the Eyes of E'veria series