The devil doesn't care how much money your parents make. All that matters is that you keep your mind on anything and everything but God.

In the Palace of the Great King (348 pages) by debut author Julie Ash reveals how two teens from totally different backgrounds respond to the call to conversion and contemplative religious life in the midst of an often hostile secular culture and a Church in crisis.

"Julie Ash crafts an iconic tale of demons, angels, beliefs, and the reality of what it means to give one's life to God."

D. Donovan, Senior Reviewer, Midwest Book Review

"What if Heaven is everything they say it is? What if it's this wonderful place where you can have everything you ever wanted and be happy forever? And nobody told us?"

Lonely 14-year-old Char Fisher isn't as popular as her beautiful younger sister, Kayla. Jealously they bicker and argue. Then a family trip to Cleveland changes everything when their mother has a major meltdown over a pro-life protester.

After her beloved Abuelita Isabel dies, 17-year-old Tia Esperanza gets uprooted from her childhood home in San Antonio when her mother decides to move them all to Cleveland. Now, they're closer to Tia's father, but things aren't exactly working out. She'll be graduating soon, and then what? She's so busy working and helping take care of her special needs brother while her mother works nights that she doesn't have time to think about anything else.

Char and Tia come from totally different worlds, but when a chance bus ride in a terrifying storm throws them all together in Holy Angels Monastery, something beautiful emerges that even Tia with her Catholic upbringing couldn't have expected.

Featuring vivid and detailed descriptions of locations in San Antonio, Great Falls, Cleveland, and Pittsburgh, peppered with the popular culture and music of the late 1990s, and anchored with quotes from Catholic saints, poets, writers, and religious, this fast-paced novel will appeal to spiritual seekers of every age and ethnicity.

This true-to-life young adult novel by Julie Ash is packed with gripping adventure, heartwarming humor, and a stunning conclusion that you won't see coming!

"In the Palace of the Great King is an engaging, prayer-provoking, and truly beautiful read... I thoroughly enjoyed every word of it."

"Catholic Teen," Catholic Teen Life

"I was astounded by how well-written and enthralling this book was, and it is now one of my favorites."

Grace Donahue, A Catholic Girl Reads