No Place for Peace by Tom Dumbrell

As Cyrus rides away from the safety of his family in Highcastle to face his destiny in cunning King Simeon's kingdom, Augustus braces himself for the arrival of a new threat: an invading army is coming for the capital. Easthaven's young king will need the support of those closest to him if there is any hope of saving not just the city but their kingdom. Will Thaddeus and Adaline be able to guide Augustus toward victory, or will a magnetic new influence cloud his judgement? What fate awaits Cyrus in Auldhaven, and is there more to Simeon than meets the eye? As Cyrus's journey takes him farther from home than ever before, his future will become more unpredictable. The outcome seems destined to be explosive. War is coming, but the fiercest battles are often fought within.

Foresyth Conservatory by A. L. Sterling

Ninth House meets Mexican Gothic in a dark academia, gothic mystery where the cards are stacked against reason-and the price of knowledge is blood. Dahlia Blackburne is a failing bookstore keeper and Tarot reader who relies on deductive reasoning--not magick--to cast her fortunes. When a stranger calling himself the Meister walks into her shop after closing and offers three times her normal rate for a reading, curiosity and her growing debts compel her to accept. But the reading reveals that the Meister has a far more dangerous proposition: infiltrate Foresyth Conservatory, an elite occult arts graduate school, and investigate the alleged suicide of brilliant but troubled student, Julian Earhardt. Desperate to care for her ailing mother after her father's recent death, Dahlia agrees to investigate. But inside Foresyth's rose-thorned walls, Dahlia is thrust into the school's ruthless academic Circle, a cadre of students including the seductive "Trees," Aspen and Sequoia, who are obsessed with creating art that doesn't merely imitate life, but transcends it. As the line between performance and passion blurs, Dahlia must confront the truth about Julian, her peers, and a dangerous form of magick that isn't taught-but inherited. The cards at Foresyth have already been dealt . . . Now it's time for Dahlia to play her hand.

Fire & Flight by Brianna R. Shaffery

There are those that tell stories about the legends of the Shadow Forest, of magical waters that grant your deepest desires, and of times long ago when ancient sorcerers wielded unnatural power. After the death of her family and the appearance of strange physical changes she cannot explain, seventeen year-old Nyla begins to wonder if she might be cursed with magic herself. Without a home and longing for the family she’s lost, Nyla retreats into herself. But when her new plan for answers brings her to a crossroads with a fellow traveler named Xander—whose own painful past is also a mystery—Nyla must decide if she can trust a stranger. But even if she can learn to trust, could her very connection to Xander place them both in peril? With an ominous force gaining power in Nyla’s homeland, she must choose how far she is willing to go to find answers when not only her fate—but possibly all of Tenebris—depends on it. Fire & Flight is Brianna R. Shaffery’s debut novel and the first novel in the epic young adult fantasy trilogy Heirs of Tenebris.

Everlasting | Legacy of Blood And Hope by Melanie Frome

The legacy of her blood has always come with a price. "Please just let me finish my final year of high school, preferably drama-free. And alive?" Sady Smith sends her plea up to the sky, already knowing it won’t be answered. Another year, another town, another fresh start. Her family does what it always does—packs up, moves on. Every home is temporary. Every friendship a risk. The rules are Don’t get attached. Don’t let anyone in. Start over. This year should be no different. Only… it is. First, there’s Greyson Black—her history teacher, of all people—who stirs up something she’s never felt before. Feelings she definitely shouldn’t be having. Before she can even start to unpack that little existential crisis, along comes Kelsey—a human wrecking ball of friendship, completely uninterested in the concept of boundaries. One day, she’s just a girl at the lunch table. The next, she’s there to stay. Effortless. Unshakable. Normal. Which means it’s doomed. Because mythical creatures? Yeah, they’re real. Her parents included. And Sady? She’s changing—fast. Power she can’t understand, or control. No rulebook to follow. And when her new friend, her only friend, is attacked—the storm inside her finally unleashes. And when the dust settles—it’s time to confront the demons of her bloodline and choose her own legacy. And then? Darkness takes her.

Under the Lesser Moon by Shelly Campbell

Indie Recs Indie SPFBO9

“Dragons once led our people across the wastelands, away from storms, and toward hunting grounds.” That’s what the elders say, but Akrist has squinted at empty skies his whole life. The dragons have abandoned them, and it’s Akrist’s fault. He’s cursed. Like every other firstborn son, he has inherited the sins of his ancestors. In his camp, he’s the only eldest boy left. Something happened to the others. Something terrible. When Akrist befriends Tanar, an eldest boy from another tribe, he discovers the awful truth: they’re being raised as sacrifices to appease the Goddess and win back her dragons. The ritual happens when the dual moons eclipse. Escape is the only option, but Akrist was never taught to hunt or survive the wastelands alone. Time is running out, and he has to do something before the moons touch.

Lightblade by Zamil Akhtar

SPFBO8 SPSFC 2022

In three days, Jyosh will slay the God Emperor, or die trying. But first he must train his lightblade skills. While asleep. Each hour of sleep equals a day in a lucid dream, plenty of time to master the essential lightblade techniques and hopefully get skilled enough to defeat the monster who enslaved him and beheaded his parents and sister. When Jyosh awakens to learn that the God Emperor has surrendered to an even crueler foe, a mysterious lightblade master who can summon divine dragons to burn whole cities, he’ll face a trial by fire against forces far more frightening than he could ever dream. That is, if he’s not still in one.

The Thread That Binds by Cedar McCloud

The books are restless. At the Eternal Library, books are more than the paper, ink, and thread they're made from--they're full of spirits. Only a handful of people will ever be invited to the Bindery to learn the craft of Illumination: the magical creation of intricate illustrated manuscripts, bound with a secret that will make them last forever. Tabby is a dreamwalker, a witch who escapes into the stories of sleep to avoid a birth family that's never loved em enough. Amane is a cartomancer, a medium who speaks for the Unseen, but doesn’t know how to speak her own needs. Rhiannon is a psychic, an archivist who can See into the past, but only has eyes on the future. Their stories intertwine as they discover the secrets of Illumination, the Library's archives, and those of their mentors--the three of whom are competing to be the next Head Librarian, the Speaker for all the books. How do you know who's truly worth being part of your family? Sometimes we must forge connections in order to heal; other times, those bonds must be broken.

Let Loose the Fallen: Book Two of Children of the Nexus by S. Kaeth

Teacup Dragon Coop SFFOasis

The priestess searches for her faith. The fire-wielder wrestles with her past. The psion dreams of peace. And the hero is torn between his heart and his duty. While grief scatters the four protectors to the winds, outside forces write history according to their own whims. The fate of the Rinaryns lies twined with that of the boy, Eian, caught in a tug of war the heroes are unaware of. But the evidence lies waiting for Taunos and the others to see, if only they can move past their betrayal.

The Beast Hunters by Christer Lende

When a monster brutally kills her parents, Ara is saved by two beast hunters. Becoming their apprentice, she discovers serums, secret bestiary knowledge, and remarkable abilities-all to save unsuspecting souls from the same fate her parents suffered. But, terrifying creatures lurk everywhere and Ara must master the art of beast hunting quickly if she is to uncover the elusive creature plaguing the village of Cornstead. An epic monster-slaying story starring an orphaned girl turned beast hunting apprentice named Ara. This is the ultimate in escape fiction.

First Contact: America by Matt Turner

What happens if First Contact doesn't go the way we want? A religious American family set's off on a delightful weekend away. Mom and daughter embark on a girl's getaway, while Father and Son have a guy's weekend. Just as the two pairs are starting their little vacations, aliens unexpectedly descend upon Earth; making First Contact. The family's torn asunder and their idyllic weekends take an unexpected turn as they grapple with this otherworldly encounter. The aliens come bearing ominous messages. Are they friends or foes? A family, torn apart, embarks on an adventure that tests their physical and mental fortitude, as well as their faith. Will they find unity once again?

The Nameless Restaurant: A Cozy Cooking Fantasy by Tao Wong

There is a restaurant in Toronto. Its entrance is announced only by a simple, unadorned wooden door, varnished to a beautiful shine but without paint, hidden beside dumpsters and a fire escape. There is no sign, no indication of what lies behind the door. If you do manage to find the restaurant, the décor is dated and worn. Homey, if one were to be generous. The service is atrocious, the proprietor a grouch. The regulars are worse: silent, brooding, and unfriendly to newcomers. There is no set menu, alternating with the whim and whimsy of the owner. The selection of wine and beer is sparse or non-existent at times, and the prices for everything outrageous. There is a restaurant in Toronto that is magically hidden, whose service is horrible, and whose food is divine. This is the story of the Nameless Restaurant.

Aestus: Book 2: The Colony by S. Z. Attwell

An underground city. A deadly project. And an Intelligence agent who can help Jossey take down the City...if she can trust him again.Jossey grew up believing the Onlar, creatures of the aboveground, were monsters. But when they kidnapped her, she found out terrible secrets about her city and her family. Her choice to help the Onlar against the City almost cost her her life. And the Intelligence agent she'd thought was her friend was the one tasked with carrying out her execution.But he didn't quite succeed.Now Jossey, barely alive, has been sent to the Onlar by a mysterious figure from the City. And time is of the essence - her solar network project could mean disaster not only for the Onlar, but for thousands of citizens as well. She can’t do much from the Onlar camp, but Gavin, Jossey’s Patrol leader and longtime friend, isn’t convinced she’s dead. And Patrol has started to learn the truth.As tentative alliances form, Jossey begins to think this might be easier than she’d thought. But a terrible miscalculation has been made, one that may cost her and her friends both the City and their lives. Can she see it before it’s too late?Aestus is an adult dystopian science-fiction series set centuries after climate change has ravaged much of Earth. An epic story of vengeance, power, shifting loyalties, and survival that looks at just how far people will go to protect what they love, brought to you by science writer S.Z. Attwell, Aestus paints a picture of a world in which far too little has changed.