The Community by Jacob Klop

WriteHive Book Club

For generations, the Community has thrived within a complex cave system, sheltered from a blight that has infected the rest of the world. Despite the seeming perfection of their society, its people want nothing more than to return to the Outside, and so, every ten years, a Hope is chosen to venture forth and discover whether it is now safe for them to emerge from their rocky home. The Hope has never returned.​ Generations of Fathers and Mothers have always guided the Community, and the people are completely devoted to them and their society, but after Bastion's dad is chosen, he questions whether Father is truly the benevolent leader the rest of the Community believes. His lack of faith leads him on a path of self discovery and redemption, but he loses sight of those closest to him. Through his ignorance he sets the Community on a path that teeters between salvation and destruction. Sometimes, a little knowledge is a dangerous thing...

The Unwanted Prophet by Carolina Cruz

Quincy Sauer is in jail. As far as she’s concerned, that's where she belongs - until a god of death decides otherwise. He’s got a plan to undermine his own priests and Quincy is his pawn of choice. Going from criminal to prophet would be a difficult transition under even the best circumstances, but Quincy’s luck is about to turn from bad to worse as corrupt priests, cults, and threats unknown stand between her and the answer to her greatest questions: Has the god of life and death made a terrible mistake? And if he has, who is going to pay the price for it? The Unwanted Prophet is the debut novel of Carolina Cruz. If you enjoy low-magic fantasy, character-driven stories, and diverse fictional worlds, the Unwanted Prophet has something for you to enjoy!

This Too Shall Burn by Cat Rector

Indie Recs Indie

Arden has lived in the woods near the deeply religious town of Arrothburg all her life, practising magic and keeping balance with nature. She heals the sick, as her mother did before her. No matter how deeply the people of the village hate witches, they still arrive at Arden’s cabin in the dead of night, looking for help that their pastor, mayor, and doctor would never provide. Verity is trapped in a life she doesn’t want. Her mother was burned as a witch six years ago, forcing Verity into the role of caretaker for her father and her younger siblings. The Good Book asks her to serve, and so she does. But it also asks her to endure the ungodly, debilitating agony of her monthly bleeding. No medicine, no comfort, no protests. If God is kind, why is she so cursed? When a chance encounter between them leaves both their skin charred at a single touch, Arden and Verity are left with questions that may get them killed. Does something wicked live inside Verity? If Arden is the only true witch for miles, who is burning on the pyres? Will they be next?

The Assassin of Grins and Secrets by K.E.Andrews

SPFBO8

Once the infamous assassin who killed with a smile, Serein now waits for death in the fighting pits of the Harpy's Chest. When the crown prince of Sarddon, Rameses al-Amirmoez, seeks her out with an offer of freedom if she serves as his guard, she must decide whether to work for those who ravaged her homeland or die. Rameses wants to believe that the war his father started was justified, but he has heard rumors and seen a cruelty in his father that causes him to question everything he's been told. To find answers, he needs Serein. Uriah Stormheir, Captain of the Oyon's city guard, finds himself caught between his duty to the crown and his friendship with Rameses. His distrust for Rameses' new guard runs deep. As Uriah wrestles with guilt from his past, he must work alongside the dangerous assassin whose true motives are hidden underneath her scars and dark grins. In a land of hot sands and dying magic, Serein plays the game of secrets with Uriah and Rameses, knowing one wrong step could end her life. As the shadows of her past catch up with her, she has to choose between pursuing vengeance and protecting a secret only she knows.

The Last Gifts of the Universe by Rory August

SFFOasis SPSFC 2022 SPSFC Winner Indie Recs Indie

A dying universe. When the Home worlds finally achieved the technology to venture out into the stars, they found a graveyard of dead civilizations, a sea of lifeless gray planets and their ruins. What befell them is unknown. All Home knows is that they are the last civilization left in the universe, and whatever came for the others will come for them next. A search for answers. Scout is an Archivist tasked with scouring the dead worlds of the cosmos for their last gifts: interesting technology, cultural rituals—anything left behind that might be useful to the Home worlds and their survival. During an excavation on a lifeless planet, Scout unearths something unbelievable: a surviving message from an alien who witnessed the world-ending entity thousands of years ago. A past unraveled. Blyreena was once a friend, a soul mate, and a respected leader of her people, the Stelhari. At the end of her world, she was the last one left. She survived to give one last message, one final hope to the future: instructions on how to save the universe. An adventure at the end of a trillion lifetimes. With the fate of everything at stake, Scout must overcome the dangers of the Stelhari’s ruined civilization while following Blyreena’s leads to collect its artifacts. If Scout can’t deliver these groundbreaking discoveries back to the Archivists, Home might not only be the last civilization to exist, but the last to finally fall.

Heroes & Harbingers by ARK Horton

Food fights. Detention. Dissecting fairies for science class. Just another day for teachers at a Magical Public School. Ms. Sirin’s fate as a death harbinger has ruined her life. She longs to be more than a herald of doom, aspiring to impact lives in her teaching career. But when a new student with bold dreams joins her class and is picked as this century's Chosen One, Ms. Sirin’s dark power senses a terrible sacrifice to come. Finn MacCool’s warrior past didn’t prepare him for a hundred years of teaching for his community service. Spending the last decade of his sentence at a new school, the immortal develops a crush on his tempting but aloof coworker. The Irish legend blows his chance when he butts heads with the Council of Pantheons’ latest brave heroine—who also happens to be Ms. Sirin’s favorite pupil. However, the Chosen One’s quest isn’t all it seems. Pavlina’s lethal prophecies come to pass, and her gift warns of more to come. Will this daring trio of heroes have what it takes to make the grade, or will they fail before they even make it to Summer Break? Set in an alternate reality of Jacksonville, Florida, this adult urban fantasy is the first book in the Secret of Pantheons series. If you enjoy a hearty helping of mythology, found family, and unbreakable bonds, this book is for you. Class is in session with Heroes & Harbingers—delve in now before the bell rings!