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The Return of Innocence: YA Fantasy by Duane Simolke https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/7766
Winner, Allbooks Reviewers Choice Award.
At sixteen, Sasha left her island home to buy seeds in the kingdom of Jaan. She stumbled into a series of misadventures that ended with the death of an evil sorcerer and made Sasha a legend, known as "Innocence." Now, the Jaanians expect her to defeat a much more powerful sorcerer. Comical fantasy, written with Toni Davis. Revised eBook, Published 2026.
Winner, Allbooks Reviewers Choice Award.
Revised 20th Anniversary Edition.
The Return of Innocence blends humor and romance with exciting fantasy action. It features the resourceful teen heroine Sasha Varov, a diverse cast of supporting characters, and a few dragons.
Sasha left her island home to buy seeds in Jaan. She stumbled into a series of misadventures that ended with the death of Wuhrlock and made Sasha a legend, known as "Innocence." Never mind that the legend barely resembled the truth, or that Sasha caught Wuhrlock in an unguarded moment. When Sasha returned for more seeds, the people of Jaan expected her to defeat a much more ruthless and powerful sorcerer.
Duane Simolke wrote the short story "The Return of Innocence" in 1983. With contributions by Toni Davis, he later developed it into a novel, published in 2006. This revised version first appeared in 2026 as an eBook.
"This was a really fun fantasy book." –Shawn C. Sproatt, author of The Misfit of Supernatural High
"I absolutely loved The Return of Innocence. I thought it was one of the better short YA fantasy books that I had read in a while." –Kayla's Reads and Reviews