Empath: A New Adult Dragon Portal Fantasy

S. Usher Evans

May 2015 · Sun's Golden Ray Publishing

About this ebook

From award-winning author S. Usher Evans comes a unique take about a real-world girl transported to a fantasy land and faced with a dragon that just might be the manifestation of her mental illness. Empath has "broken the feels" of readers around the world and helped them slay their own fears. 

"I think we should just cut our losses and move on."

If you ask Lauren Dailey, things are totally fine after the breakup. She doesn't care that all her friends are getting engaged and moving on with their lives when all her dreams went up in smoke. She's not crying herself to sleep every night. Everything is A-OK.

That is, until a mysterious voice promises an easy out to all her problems, and she wakes up in a fantasy world with the powers of an empath.

Without a way home, Lauren embraces her new life. There's a village full of interesting characters, including Cefin, a handsome young man who's everything a fantasy hero should be. She's getting the hang of doing laundry in the river. And when she uses her empath powers, she's temporarily distracted from the sadness that followed her from California and crops up at the most inconvenient times.

Still, there's one large, dragon-shaped problem: The Anghenfil lives in the mountains nearby, and some say he's got a taste for empaths. And Lauren's afraid it might just be that mysterious voice tempting her deeper into her own darkness.

Empath will transport readers to a new world, while remaining firmly rooted in the realities of dealing with depression, anxiety, and other mental illnesses. Recommended for readers who need help overcoming their own dragons.

This is a stand-alone novel. Content warnings for suicide, substance abuse, and adult situations.

Praise for Empath

★★★★★ "A pint of ice cream for your soul." - Erin Sky, author of The Wendy

★★★★ "A brilliant allegory" - Elizabeth F., Goodreads Reviewer

★★★★★ "As someone who faces anxiety on a daily basis, this book spoke to me." - Katrina M., Goodreads Reviewer

★★★★★ "Empath is encouragement to accept your whole self and move forward into great adventure." - Sierra D.

Keywords: Dragon, Mental health, anxiety, depression, mental health awareness fantasy, depression fantasy, portal fantasy, dragon books, evil dragon books, new adult and college fantasy, fantasy with dragons,

Ratings and reviews

Lauren Dailey has been having a rough couple of months. She has ended things with her boyfriend after realizing that he wasn't interested in marrying her. She is stuck in a boring, dead-end job. She keeps replaying her breakup in her head, wondering why she couldn't make it work. And worst of all, it seems that everyone around her is happily in love and rubbing it in her face. She feels like she has hit rock bottom...until she is transported to a different world with no running water and a dragon hiding in the mountains. Oh, and she's also an empath. Anyone who has been through a breakup knows that it usually feels like the end of the world. And in a small sense, it is; it is the end of a big part of your life and it often comes as a shock to the system. Not quite as much of a shock as being transported to a new world and becoming an empath, however, as Lauren quickly learns. She has spent months after her breakup burying her feelings and pretending that she is ok. But now, suddenly, she cannot touch another living thing without being overwhelmed by an onslaught of emotion. It took me a little while to connect to the characters in Empath, but I eventually grew to care about all of them. Sometimes I was so frustrated that Lauren wouldn't share her true feelings with people, but I understood her anxiety and was able to relate to her thought process. I have been there before - not giving people a chance to grow to love the real me because I assumed they wouldn't like me. I loved that Lauren was able to encounter other characters with the same fears, so she could learn that numerous people, no matter what walk of life or world they live in, struggle with the same worries and anxieties. Empath was written as a response to a time in S. Usher Evans' life when she felt a lot like Lauren. The story comes across as very personal, but not like a diary entry. You can easily get lost in the adventure and dragon fighting, but you are still left with a wonderful and personal message. Anyone who has lived with anxiety or depression (whether related to a breakup or not) can empathize with Lauren's story. It is a lovely lesson in learning that sometimes you can admit that you aren't ok - and that is ok. Empath is the sixth S. Usher Evans book that I have read. While I have truly enjoyed them all, Empath has now become my favorite. I hope you will give it a try and enjoy it as much as I did.