Book Synopsis
THE MENAGERIE
Five Species. Five Leisures. One Beautiful Lie.
In the heart of what used to be Washington State lies Olympia, a shimmering capital of order and peace. Here, humanity has evolved. To keep the world safe, every citizen is a hybrid, sorted into one of five “Leisures” based on the animal they become: the protective Wolves, the brilliant Ravens, the immortal Vampires, the soaring Dragons, or the sacrificial Phoenixes.
To sixteen-year-old Nyx, life as a Wolf is a gilded promise. As the daughter of a legendary Sentinel, her path is clear: train, shift, and protect the city’s perfect borders. But beneath the mist-covered rainforests and the neon lights of the Capital, a secret is rotting.
When Nyx’s mandatory "Shift Evaluation" goes wrong, she realizes she is a genetic glitch the Vampires have spent centuries erasing: The Perplexed.
Nyx doesn’t just belong to the pack—she is a cocktail of forbidden DNA that threatens the very foundation of the Menagerie. Now, she must navigate a deadly game of cat-and-mouse with High Curator Julian Valerius, the Vampire who rewrites history to hide the truth.
To survive, Nyx must turn to a group of unlikely allies: a Dragon who refuses to kill, a Raven who knows too much, and a Phoenix living off the grid. Together, they must decide: is it better to live as a beautiful specimen in a cage, or die as a monster in the wild?
Welcome to The Menagerie. Try not to break the glass.
About The Author
Hi, my name is Janelle Thomas. Crazy how I am only 14 and a freshman in high school. But probably by the time this book is published, I will be 30 with a child. I wanted to write this specific book because I have always been a fan of dystopian books ever since 8th grade. I took inspiration from books like The Giver, Hunger Games, Divergent, and The Lottery, but I added a twist to my book, as you can see. I wanted it to stand out differently, so that is where the fantasy comes. I chose this method because I wanted my book to be memorable in its own way and not have readers think of another book while reading. So hopefully to all my readers and upcoming authors, that you guys enjoyed this book, and maybe there may be a series evolving because is it really 'The End'?