escaping wonderland

Arilyn has always dreamed of escaping Green Hill, leaving behind the pain of her father's abuse and the memories that haunt her. When an unexpected transfer to Riverside University gives her the chance to start over, she seizes it-only to come face-to-face with Xander Hale, her former best friend who vanished from her life without explanation. Xander is no longer the boy she remembers. Now a star hockey player with a sharp edge and a colder heart, he keeps everyone at arm's length. But Arilyn's arrival stirs something in him he thought he'd buried long ago. As the two are forced to confront their shared history, tensions rise, and buried emotions thaw, revealing truths neither expected.

North Harper, a brilliant yet unassuming third-year college student, finds solace in her books and late-night visits to her mother’s grave, escaping the torment of bullies who call her “turtle girl.” One night, she encounters Valentine, a mysterious Vampire Prince. Their connection deepens, but her life takes a dark turn when a rogue vampire attacks her on campus. To save her, Valentine turns her into a vampire, unknowingly creating a rare hybrid. North awakens with enhanced abilities and newfound confidence, but her unstable powers and hybrid nature put her in danger. Valentine becomes her guide, helping her navigate her new existence, but their growing bond defies ancient vampire laws. As the Vampire Council deems her a threat, a human faction called The Ascendants, an underground organisation bent on taking out Vampires, target her, seeking to use her blood to create superhuman soldiers. Amid rising tensions, The Ascendants infiltrate her college and attempt to abduct her. Forced to confront her dual identity, North must embrace her hybrid powers to protect herself and those she loves. In a climactic battle, North destroys the Ascendants' leader and their serum, saving both vampires and humans. Gravely injured, Valentine’s fate compels her to make a choice: she asks him to transform her into a full-blooded vampire to secure her place in his world. Though the Vampire Council allows her to live, they keep her existence under strict watch, marking the beginning of her journey as a powerful anomaly in both worlds.