STARSUN DEFIANCE

Seventeen-year-old Ahriee, born with the mark of the great bear, feels an instinctive bond with all the Guardian Protector animals of Starstone Isle. Tradition states she must partner with Haakon on Midsummer’s Eve. Fate dictates they will live out their lives together.

She witnesses his hunger for killing the sacred Guardian Protectors when the revered great white stag meets its demise. Ahriee refuses the decree that has shaped her entire life.

Defiance comes with only days to change her mind or face a lifetime in exile.

Guided by the spirit shadow of the great bear and seeking escape as Haakon, whose charm hides a dangerous need for control, hunts her across the island, Ahriee flees her island home and crosses into a world filled with possibility.

Ahriee considers a life shaped by choice and not tradition. But her promise of betrothal looms when Haakon finds her on the mainland. Conflicted, Ahriee yearns for loved ones. To reshape her future, she must heed the great bear’s message, engaging in a journey of courage and defiance.

Perfect for readers who love:

• Runaway heroines
• Forbidden bridges and hidden worlds
• Animal‑bond magic
• Ancient myths woven into modern settings
• High‑stakes choices and fierce self-determination

Rooted in stars, sun, and moon lore, and the mythic power of the Guardian Protector animals, Starsun Defiance is a 73,000-word YA fantasy about courage, identity, and the strength it takes to defy the destiny others choose for you, and to make your own life’s path despite the consequences.

Series Title: Bridge Across Worlds
Series Number: Book 1
Author: Patricia L. Atchison

eBook: ISBN: 978-0-9783369-7-4
Paperback: ISBN: 978-0-9783369-8-1

Publication Date: April 29, 2026
Publisher: Wood Lily Publishers

Starsun & Modern World Maps

These maps are featured in black and white in the eBook and paperback book. Presented here in full color for further viewing.

"A FREE short story unveiling the origins that echo through Starsun Defiance, Book 1" - Patricia L. Atchison

A Starsun Defiance Prequel:
Kiss of the Guardian Protector

Kiss of the Guardian Protector is a free-to-download short story prequel to Starsun Defiance, book 1 of the Bridge Across Worlds series. On Starstone Isle, Ahriee and Haakon's birthing story is told. Both babies are born on Midsummer's Eve with a Honey Moon gracing the sky. The legend of the Kiss of the Guardian Protector, as told by Ahriee's grandmother, Eira, recounts the tale of The Bridge appearing and disappearing over time, and how the Guardian Protector animals veil Starstone Isle, forever locking it in time from the surrounding world.

Midsummer's Eve: The event Guardian Protectors have waited centuries to observe—the birth of both the expected one, and of the chosen one.

How the legend of a forbidden bridge comes to pass.

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