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Truth of Crowns by Carl D. Albert “Secrets, secrets are so fun. Secrets, secrets – cut my tongue.” In a land where magick is heresy and ancient forces manipulate human whims, secrets will tear a fragile peace asunder. Four people stand at the heart of this burgeoning war. An unproven prince who married a woman forbidden to him. A sickly boy with a connection to an eldritch beast. An outcast knight who hides the infidelity of her liege lady. And a traitorous duke caught between the contradictions of his ideals. Two will die. Two will rise. And the Age of Terkir will march toward its end. Truth of Crowns is the tragic first installment in The Ash Eternal series, an epic fantasy rife with blood-soaked politics, arcane mysteries, and the human heart at conflict with itself. |
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The Undead Sorceress by JF Garrard Ever since Tamara became a vampire, things have gone downhill. Her grandmother runs off with her daughter’s soul and her husband thinks she is going crazy. Caught in the middle of a war between vampires, sorceresses and warlocks, she discovers an alternative history to the world she thought she knew.Meanwhile, strange jiangshi corpse zombies and other supernatural creatures start attacking civilians across the globe. Magic appears to be making a comeback, threatening the modern civilization which the vampires have built throughout the ages. The timeless battle between good & evil seems to be beginning once again.As Tamara gathers her courage to hunt down her grandmother, she isn’t sure if she can sacrifice one family member over another. Is it so wrong for grandmother to want to live forever? |
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Shadow of the Winter Mood by Cam Sinclair Drunk … Scoundrel … Thief … Vagabond … Fool … Reelum Hangs has been called many things, and at one time or other has resembled them all. Reelum, however, knows a dark and terrible secret—one that delves right to the heart of Kraven city. Sharrock is a grisly veteran from the harsh lands north of the Riven Expense—a brutish man with a hard temper and harder reputation. When a business opportunity presents the seemingly simple task of locating Reelum Hangs and providing a solution to his money woes, Sharrock is set on a course that will forever alter his life. Foul conspiracies that may threaten the very fabric of society will be uncovered. Scores will be settled, violence and mayhem unleashed, and bestial lusts unfettered to rampage without restraint. The notion of right and wrong, hero and villain, action and consequences will forever be skewed and tainted. Welcome to the Kraven Kronicles … |
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Jagged Emerald City by R. K. Brainerd Meet Fairian Leynthall. She’s irreverent, the unwilling heiress of her family’s business empire, and obsessed with learning magic. She’s also got two big problems. One, there’s evidence the magical being who killed her sister is in town. Two, there’s this supernatural jerk interfering with her field research. He keeps spouting nonsense about danger, treating her like she matters, and distracting her with big lonely eyes. Not to mention it’s aggravating how much being around him makes her feel like her true self. Then it turns out that her supernatural jerk, Daimyn, is some kind of lynchpin in the magical community, and people are desperate to control the power he holds. As Fairian struggles to unravel the truth about her sister’s death, a ridiculous rumor of Daimyn’s affection for her spreads, and she becomes a target. Fairian convinces Daimyn to work together to fix it, but she won’t let herself get close to him. Because the last magical being she trusted? Killed her sister. History threatens to repeat itself as Fairian falls further into the tangled web of supernatural politics. Becoming a pawn would be the easy path. The hard path will mean believing in herself, being vulnerable enough to trust, and take back power to be her own piece on the board. Jagged Emerald City is the first in the OBSIDIAN DIVDE series, set in an eco-city and following the adventures of Fairian Leynthall as she discovers and finds her place in the magical underworld. |
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Eleventh Cycle by Kian N. Ardalan GRIMDARK MAGAZINE: "Eleventh Cycle checks all the boxes of a grimdark masterpiece. It is a stunning achievement, establishing Kian N. Ardalan as one of the most exciting new voices in speculative fiction." 
It has been a thousand years since the last Seed abandoned their duty. The mists are closing in. Finally, the Morning Bell tolls. A new Seed is born, but is it too late? The rot eats away at mortals. The Witnesses pray so that they may not turn into one of the forgotten. And the constricting mists infect the lands with fear. But there is more to this tale than just the Elders and their Seeds. Four mortals will have a part to play in Minethria’s fate. A farmer girl with only love in her eyes. A warrior born to the life of a refugee. A highborn stuck between the realm of gods and men. And a woman running into front lines and away from home. Will the cycle finally be completed? Or will the mist swallow all? A seed is born and the evil is slain, so doth another cycle commence. Yet the last Seed born hath turned traitor, and the mists which had been pushed back, returneth. |
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Carved Amidst the Shadows by M.T. Fontaine When the gods shaped the continent into five kingdoms to be ruled by their progeny, they did not account for the greed of men. When they created the Order from their god-blessed followers to mediate between realms, they neglected to plan against the hoarding of power. War between the royalists and the godly was inevitable. Five centuries later, the borders between kingdoms are impenetrable. No branded-born Marked can cross them without burning to ash, except the Order’s Stewards. But a damaging new war has been prophesied, one that haunts the Order, one that will come to pass if Carved traitors roam free and brandless-born Flawed are left alive. It starts with one girl that survives the impossible. Kaianne, the Carved. It takes shape through one prince with ambition. Andreiyes, the Marked. It hinges on one grieving man who is ready to give up hope. Rau, the Steward. Three people bound by fate – whether they like it or not. The first book in an epic new saga about family, vengeance, and determination with a varied cast of characters. *Please note: This book contains explicit content and dark elements that might be triggering to some. It includes mature scenes of a sexual nature, violence, death including that of an infant, drug references, addiction, childhood trauma, and mentions of suicide. |
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The Way of Unity by Sarah K. Balstrup The Seven Lands of Velspar put their faith in the Intercessors, a psychic priesthood responsible for the purification of the spirit. Where passion flares, they soothe its intent. Those who cannot be soothed, are cast out, their spirits destroyed by fire. The Intercessors are mystics of the highest order, but Velspar’s ruling Skalens believe their power has grown too great. Surviving the Intercessor’s murder plot against her family, Sybilla Ladain rises to power. The Skalens come together under the banner of her grief, bringing the practice of Intercession to its brutal, bloody end. Yet victory brings Sybilla no peace. In time, she will have to face the people of Velspar, forced to live in a psychically alienated world, and a band of rebels led by an escaped Intercessor set on her annihilation. |
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Sul: From Gold to Iron and Rust by Jacqui Davis, Katy Grierson A king destined to rule. A priest determined to protect his land. A demon out to Create chaos. A princess with her eyes on the throne When a demon murders the regent, young King Elmes leaves his island palace and sails north to conquer a frozen wilderness rich in resources his people have squandered –and of course, hunt down the demon. Elmes has no doubt he’ll prevail. After all, he is great like his ancestors. But the land is already home to half-wild barbarians led by an immortal priest, who are used to weather more savage than any warrior. With a court losing confidence and a wife set on keeping the crown no matter whose head it sits on, the decisions at home prove the greater danger. With mounting threats on all sides, Elmes wins his empire, but his arrogance leaves him cursed and trapped in the north. Without his armies, his magic, or even his own name, Elmes must face his selfishness and irresponsibility to preserve what truly matters: his young son’s life. |
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A brooding wolf. A heroine who doesn’t need protecting. And a curse that only love can overcome. Gran's stories of horror and violence have dictated Red's whole view of the forest outside her village and the wolves who live there. Sheltered but bold, Red longs to explore that forest for herself, but the Huntsmen who guard her village keep her trapped. When Gran is injured, Red sees her chance. To save Gran’s life, Red ventures down a path Gran hoped she’d never follow. In the woods, Red finds a secret, hidden world full of death and danger. The beasts in it all try to kill her...so why does she feel so alive? The Huntsmen will stop at nothing to get Red back. They will kill every wolf in the woods, and there’s one in particular Red is determined to save. The villagers have magic on their side, and all Red has is love. Will it be enough? |
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Born to a life of abandonment and servitude, Syl'Kara is confronted with a horror she could not have imagined. Still a child, by elven standards, she is ill-equipped to handle life on her own, but that will soon become the least of her worries. Faced with an enemy that it seems no one else can withstand, she is left with a simple choice: run and hope someone else can put an end to the terror, or take matters into her own hands, despite her crippling fear. |
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Litany of the Destroyer by Chaz Lebel Sir Galien Banforth is damned. He watched a demon drag his lord to Hell, and he knows he’s next. When war once again pulls him into a theater of pillage and butchery, Galien abandons the battlefield, and his knighthood, to find a way to repent. Fate is about to give it to him. The dark cult of Apollyon the Destroyer grows by the day, its adherents spreading a catastrophic sickness. Galien is about to find himself in a new war, against the apocalypse itself, and the demons that carry it on noxious wings. |
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When good men forsake the light, humanity pays the price, and the dead collect. Vas was raised to be a clerical healer who channels the Light of Heaven. When he loses his uncle, Vas rejects the Light and embraces necromancy to resurrect him at the cost of several other lives, including the sister of the girl he loves. Vas seeks to understand the horrors he has wrought and absolution for his sins. But when dark forces seek him out, Vas must choose between watching his new family die or becoming darkness itself to save them. |
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The Ghosts in the Flames by Seann Barbour For centuries, the Four Kingdoms have lived in fear of the dragon Raksen-Kal, who roosts upon the peak of the Black Mountain. To satiate his hunger, a noble maiden is sent to the dragon as tribute every Autumn, with each of the kingdoms trading off the duty of sending the sacrifice year by year. Shivuri is the youngest princess of Endaru, the smallest and poorest of the Four Kingdoms. Today, her cousin is sent to the dragon, and in four years' time, she will be as well. As the day of her death draws ever closer, the young princess seeks solace in darkness, and explores the forbidden art of witchcraft. In doing so, Shivuri learns of secrets that would once have filled her with terror-- and of freedom that she never before could have imagined. ---- Please be aware this novel contains depictions of violence, gore, abuse, sexuality, and assault. |
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The Fractured God by Gerard Howard Jaded mercenaries Aelred and Xyla have come across the most clichéd of contracts: rescue a missing princess to end a series of brutal wars waged in her name. Much to everyone's surprise, the rescue does not pan out too well. A god gets involved and hurls the three of them into another universe where technology rules in lieu of magic. It's not too bad, though. Saving the multiverse from the destruction of a bored god who wants to experience nonexistence is an additional responsibility that could've fallen on anyone. Despite their social skills, they'll find a decent set of companions to help ease their burden: a speechless outcast from a species of arachnoids living inside a giant space worm, a disgruntled soldier living on a deserted prison planet, and a chirpy salvager with a horrific past and a droid that has a difficult time ignoring its primary torture functions. Take a trip through the multiverse in this humorously dark adventure where bad things definitely don't happen to good people and everything is always fine! |
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The Wickwire Watch by Jacquelyn Hagen ***WINNER OF THE 2023 REALM AWARD FOR BEST DEBUT NOVEL*** ***2023 REALM AWARDS FINALIST FOR BOOK OF THE YEAR*** ***AWARDED THE INDIE B.R.A.G. MEDALLION*** TRUST NO ONE. It's the first and greatest rule Inkwell Featherfield ever learned. It's also the only way he knows how to survive—besides picking pockets, dodging the law, and using every ounce of his plucky charm. But none of this will be enough to save him now. If only he'd never snooped around a dead man's house. If only he'd never found that pocket watch full of strange magic. If only he'd known the old man had snuffed it at the hands of the ghostly Spektors, or that such dark spirits even existed, because now they're after him. When Ink is approached by an enigmatic group offering to keep him safe, he accepts—only to discover his rescuers are a band of infamous fugitives. Who knew they had a flair for winemaking? Or a penchant for sing-a-longs? Thrust into a world of arcane horrors, powerful politicians, and dangers on every side, the boy has no choice but to finally break his rule and decide who to trust. But with all the secrets, magic, and mystery thickening around him—and the stakes so much higher than he ever imagined—it might just be downright impossible. The Wickwire Watch is the first book of the epic fantasy series The Riverfall Chronicles. For more information, visit jacquelynhagen.com. |
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A feast will come, of carrion all… Kenrig Ebermann has devoted her life to the pursuit of the unquiet dead, but when a chance encounter draws her into a bargain with the otherworldly Unseelie she faces a threat unlike any other. The dread spectres torment the living and the dead alike, and their presence heralds misfortune across the disparate Marches. Aided by her apprentice Dandall she must find a way to free innocent souls from the Unseelie’s strange feast, but Dandall is reeling from grief and his presence might just doom them both. Unknown to him, Dandall is the subject of prophecy and Kenrig is forced to question the tenuous trust between them. The veil between life and death draws thin. The shadow of the Otherworld falls across a divided land. |
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A Quiet Vengeance by Tim Hardie Nimsah is an abandoned child living on the streets of Bengarath, surviving on her wits as part of a criminal gang in the City of Tents, home to the dispossessed. Dojan is the Crown Prince of the Emirate of Fujareen, enjoying a life of luxury in Bengarath Palace. Their lives are brought together as the threat of war looms in the neighbouring city state of Kandarah. However, Dojan and Nimsah share a secret, one that will set in motion a chain of events leading to vengeance. |
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For the skin of humans might hide monsters. For black feathers might hide a heart as big as the sun. Once upon a time, far beyond the round forest and glass mountain, there was a black castle. Long forgotten, but forever waiting. Waiting for its king to return. Darven, bound to a human king by a curse, heads a Black Army of fifty raven men. Kort, his lover, and his captain, is his mate and forever companion. Izolda, the human king’s wife, fears her husband and is desperate for love. Dangers lurk as creatures, thirsty for blood, fight to end human tyranny over the land. Trapped by the curse, Darven has no choice but to spy for his king, and fight by his side when his enemies attack. But not all is what it seems—soon, a discovery about his past and his heritage will flip Darven’s world upside down. And the love he and Kort share has to be deep enough to give space for another to join them, and strong enough to survive the grief which comes from new knowledge of a brutal past. A talking sword, a sentient forest, a necromancer, and an old spell book all play their parts as the drama unfolds. Maybe a new life can be born out of hate. Maybe three hearts can beat as one. |
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Dark Innocence by PJ Alexander After the murder of her parents, Liylah Flouwers becomes sole caretaker of her obstinate eleven-year-old sister, Rorah. Devastated and unable to help her sister cope with their tragedy, Liylah seeks out the mysterious dark arts to heal her pain. An accident with the magic transports Liylah to the surreal, nightmare world of Sojor, a place where mirrors tell no lies and Liylah’s own reflection proves to be the scariest thing of all. When the real world starts bleeding into Sojor, Liylah learns that her only hope to save herself and her sister might be her own darkness that lies within. |
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Out of the Grey by K.B. Sprague RAW survival. Forbidden weaponry. A quest to save mankind turns into an experiment gone wrong. 
In the disaster-ravaged land of Theia, Lumen Hadamard walks the line. He must enforce the anti-tech treaty barring old-world devilry, lest Theia follow the same path of destruction that shattered ancient civilization. Yet, he must prepare for a pending war, one his people are not equipped to fight. Hadamard needs more than traditional weaponry at his disposal, so he ventures into the treaty's "grey areas" – dabbling in mystifying forces not known to exist when the treaty was written. But it's risky: the space-rippling striker weapons are not well understood and, if in the wrong hands, could be a recipe for disaster. Meanwhile, Hadamard's prized protégé, Vey Lancer, accepts a critical mission to Fort Abandon. Her talents of persuasion are needed to forge an alliance against a rival kingdom. But Vey has her own objectives in mind: time away from the crazed luminary with an eye towards romance involving the charming vice regent. But nothing ever goes as planned for the naïve diplomat. Her people have a long history of meddling and not everyone is happy with the way things turned out. A chance encounter with a vengeful old shaman sets Vey on a twisted path of darkness – abducted, drugged and fighting for raw survival. Will Vey's mission allow Hadamard to work the kinks out of his prototypes before it's too late? Or will it spark an all-out war between neighboring territories? A war neither side can hope to win. A dark, gritty EPIC FANTASY filled with intrigue and adventure. |
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Price of Innocence by Michelle Piper In an unconventional plot, Queen Aspera enlists four criminals to conceal her role in Sosten’s fall. If they don’t bend the knee and give unyielding loyalty to her cruel reign, they forfeit their lives. However, when they steal an infant child in the night and destroy his family, they quickly realize how flimsy the queen’s justice is. The infant, Sonder, is the last known descendant of the Auza-Verndari, a blessing given by The Goddess of Stars. He becomes the queen’s ward to continue his father’s bloody legacy. Growing up alongside him is a Lorist Princess named Rhianwyn, similarly held captive. Despite the joy they find as children, they grow to realize they’ve become ensnared in her war against their lineages. Standing between them and Aspera’s ambitions is a man named Bran, the last living Black Knight of Old, once a protector of the Auza-Verndari, and Aspera’s right hand. When he discovers a sliver of the truth, he convinces the four to defy the queen to protect the children. But when the lines between who they were and who they can become in her shadow blur, their alliance frays. They grapple with what it means to be good when they’re the villains bearing torches rewriting the kingdom’s history and concealing how deep the treachery goes. |
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The Wayfarer by Zachary M. Kekac "Burying sorrow is like burying water; it simply seeps into the soil and up into everything that grows from it." ___ The Wayfarer stands on the rim of insanity. Forgetting everything. Everyone. He doesn’t know when the forgetting began, but the Shadow does. A doppelganger wreathed in darkness; a figure only he can see; it claims to know both why he is losing his mind, and the way to restore it. Wary, desperate, with what seems no other way open to him, the Wayfarer submits himself to the Shadow, its warning compelling him forward: Move on. Or wither. As the Shadow leads the Wayfarer through sentient forests, the graveyards of dragons, and realms between realms, so too does it lead the way into his forgotten past, restoring fragments of memory throughout the journey. Only the memories are distorted, nightmarish. In them he sees his friends, his family—dead. Impossible. His friends are alive, aiding him on his journey. His family is safe, awaiting his return. Disillusioned by these perversions of past, the Wayfarer decides the only way to salvation is within himself. Aided by a psychoactive mixture, he descends into his subconscious, seeking the truth of his unravelling mind, the memory of his madness' beginning. You are not ready. Though the Wayfarer can sense the truth lurking within the abyss of his subconscious, something in the Shadow’s words waylays him. Something in the Shadow’s words holds a truth of its own, warring with the truth within himself. Frustrated, fearful, his mind fraying at its seams, the Wayfarer stands now on the rim of a choice: to trust the Shadow, to hope on a fool’s hope that its way was the way to remedy; or to forsake it, to do as he willed and seek resolution his own way, knowing with the wisdom of a man prone to folly that it may very well be the way to ruin. |
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Soulstealer Origins by Reed Logan Westgate Every evil has an origin... In the Lord's year 1303, a holy order of knights faces the brink of extinction. Their holy crusade falters as a fiendish monster from beyond the mist decimates their numbers. In desperation, the Knights Templar dispatch a unit to find an ancient relic hoping to tip the scales in the battle against the forces of darkness. Sir Marcus Le'heroux bravely leads the knights into the Hungarian wilderness, but when the weapon he finds buried in the Mátra Mountains turns out to be an awakened Soulstealer, he faces much more than he bargained for. Will the Order's new weapon prove to be more monster than man? Embark on the thrilling origin story of the death eater Oxivius Soulforge from the Baku Trilogy. Before being shaped by the Witch of Endor into the master of necromantic arts, he walked the earth as Soulstealer. A Baku-verse Novel |
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For fifteen years, queen-regent Fransica de Veard has ruled Atenia alongside the mysterious sorcerer Niklon. Her gilded citadel built on suffering, brutal knights enact her will, leaving her power unquestioned. Until Haidra sets fire to the fields outside the city. Three wraiths appear in the fiery wake, kicking off a rebellion of bloodshed and magic. Swept by the tide of battle, Haidra embarks upon a path of reckoning and redemption, one that will bring her face to face with Atenia’s sins. “It ends,” cries the burning face in the skies above Atenia, “It ends!” Forces gather, the siege is set, and moment by moment the rebellion against Fransica grows…but what will Haidra uncover when the fires burn out? Hope, damnation, and freedom collide in this scorching novel for fans of A Song of Ice and Fire, Shadows of Mordor, and Chronicles of Amber! |
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The Beauty of Dawn by W.D Seitz A stay-up-all-night tale of love, loss, and friendship: The Beauty of Dawn is a debut classic epic fantasy adventure full of magic, non-stop action, and an unforgettable journey toward redemption.

Nathaniel Kade, a mistrustful thief, has never seen the sun. Centuries ago, it is said that the prophets cursed Ealidor with an eternal midnight. While the realm dreams of the sunlight’s return, Nathaniel uses his unique connection to the darkness to survive. But when he saves a knight of the Faith of Auyn from a spectral ambush, an unlikely mentorship blooms. He is thrust into a gruelling and foreign landscape, where prophets are massacred for their dark magic, and murderous wraiths bleed through the Veil into the land of the living. To save all he has come to love, Nathaniel must join the ranks of those who still believe they can bring back the sunlight. A thief burdened by prophecy.
A dishonoured knight.
A sheltered squire with a secret past.
A runaway prince, afraid of the dark. They hold the fate of Ealidor in their hands—and as the darkness threatens to consume them all, they’re the realm's only hope of returning the dawn. |
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The Bleeding Stone by Joseph John Lee The island nation of Ferranda is the jewel of the Acrarian Kingdom, and its Founder, Aritz a Mata, is revered as a god amongst men. But twenty-five years ago, Aritz was merely a man, a colonizer, an Invader seeking glory and fame in the name of his King and Queen, and Ferranda was a nameless union of indigenous Tribes, reverent of the heightened powers and aptitudes granted to them by their Animal Deities, but sundered by the foreigners claiming their lands to the south. In the unconquered north, the Stone Tribe has for fifteen years offered a safe haven for the southern Tribes displaced by Aritz's Invaders, whose occupying march north has been ostensibly halted by a dense forest barrier dividing north and south. Among the Stone people lives Sen, an outcast for the circumstances of her birth, preserved in society only by her status as daughter of her Tribe's Chief. Forever relegated to the fringes of society, she is forced to watch as countless of her kin, including her sister and brother, complete their rites of passage into adulthood and accordingly earn their aptitudes by the Deity to whom they share an affinity - the Bear, the Wolf, or the Owl. Despite this, Sen finds comfort in her life of forced solitude with her close inner circle, but hers is a comfort in days of waning tenuous peace. When Aritz's technologically-advanced forces push north, Sen is thrust into a singular quest to rescue one of her precious few captured in the ensuing struggle. While her goal is earnest - save someone dear to her and prove her worth to her Tribe - her people's goal is far more dire: survival in the face of uncertainty. |
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“In a world ruled by the wicked and depraved, sometimes killing is the choice weapon of the righteous.” Prince Eerion Talvios of the Kingdom of Nalg has had an unimaginably privileged life, with every vice known to man available. But after a horrific revelation about his father, King Nyflon Talvios, his entire worldview is shattered. United only by the goal to see Nyflon brought down, Eerion must reluctantly ally himself with a few unlikely comrades, some of whom wouldn’t mind seeing his own death as well as his father’s. But such a task is rarely so easy. Assuming they can survive the bandits and ruffians who wouldn’t hesitate to slit their throats for a loaf of bread, not to mention the companies of soldiers hunting them, can they live with the choices they make? The path to revolution is inevitably stained with blood, but how much is acceptable? And who’s blood? Eerion is determined to stop his father and rule the kingdom with justice and mercy. But he can’t shake the guilt of his past. Are his allies right that he is irredeemable in the eyes of man? And can he ever make up for what he’s done, or will he be forever burdened to live with the sins of his past? |
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A floundering priest. A woman in a wheelchair. An ancient curse. On the run from a cursed king and his army of assassins, priest Niels Bosch seeks sanctuary in rural Briscona. What he gets is a barrage of intimate and unsettling questions from his new cantor, Beldenka Nadinov. Questions he can’t risk answering. Accompanied by his friend and bodyguard Mikhandor, and Bel’s protector Leks, the pair set out to challenge the mad king. But Bel has a dark secret of her own – a secret that could endanger the entire mission. When Niels unearths the chilling truth and realises there’s much more at stake than just his life, it’s too late to turn back. He must lift the curse and end Night’s reign forever. |
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No Heart for a Thief by James Lloyd Dulin We are the stories we tell ourselves...even the lies. The Thief, a great spirit, and her descendants have abused their ability to steal magic for centuries. When Kaylo starts to hear the song of other people’s magic, he must learn to hide from his people as well as the invaders. A gift or a curse, Kaylo may be able to save his people from the Gousht Empire that claimed their land with this stolen magic.

 Eighteen years later, Kaylo still prays to the spirits, but not out of loyalty or love. He knows better than to rely on those selfish bastards for anything. While hiding in the forest from his foolish acts of rebellion, he encounters a girl, Tayen, being pursued by two soldiers of the empire. Against his better judgment, he risks facing the consequences of his past to intervene.

 When Tayen attempts to run off seeking vengeance for her family, he offers to train her to wield her magic and a blade. If he can’t convince her to relinquish her need for vengeance and stave off the demons of his past, he’s going to get them both killed. |
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Crown Prince: Book One of New Blood by W.D. Kilpack III 2024 International Impact Book Award Winner • 2022 The BookFest Award Winner • 2021 International Firebird Book Award The future of Mankind relies on the Guardian of Maarihk. Will his Sight be true? Or will his impure Firstblood prove the ruin of us all? Natharr is Guardian of Maarihk, one of a long line of protectors dating back to the Firstborn Age, before the Aa Conquest. Natharr's is an ancient role, rooted in his Firstblood, giving him Sight to see what is yet to be. He adheres to his sacred duties even in the centuries since the Firstborn were forced to the brink of extinction by the Aa. Natharr still stands guard over all men, Aa or Firstborn, Seeing what will come to pass, deciding what is unavoidable and what is not. He spends decades planning how to save the life of the newborn Crown Prince Vikari so he may one day reclaim the throne of the land where Mankind was created, back in the time when the Olde Gods still walked. "I've been won over by Crown Prince! The world is deeply conceived. The prose is well crafted. The solemn, almost-inhuman Guardian/seer standing guard during a deadly siege as the young queen gives birth makes for a hell of a great start! That weightiness to his character was a key point of interest to me that comes across right from the opening pages, plunging right into the thick of it for a wonderful change of pace. Crown Prince is intriguing, grand, strange, and shadowed by ill-omens. It is Shakespearean." — Tom Mock, author of The Long Nights "A very good book ... [and] a very great read! Natharr is very much tested as he strives to save the life of newborn Crown Prince Vikari. This book reads wonderfully, and I am grateful to have had the opportunity to get to know the story. It is full of pulse-pounding adventure and also features great, extensive world-building! Definitely a recommend from me!” — Philip Chase, Ph.D., medievalist and author of The Way of Edan "Author W.D. Kilpack III presents an atmospheric and immersive journey into a richly crafted fantasy world, balancing a strong character-led adventure with a wider web of plots, setting up a highly complex and enjoyable fantasy saga to follow. There’s a clear flair for character, dialogue, and attitude from the start, with Natharr's intense presence affecting all who encounter him and making for some really dynamic clashes. The weightiness of his responsibilities and the depth of the world-building immediately gripped my attention and, as the story unfolded, the way the characters’ attitudes and actions were shaped by the realism of the worldbuilding was totally compelling. This book delivers on every promise, thanks to the swift pacing of the plot, coupled with dark storytelling, strong descriptive skills, and captivating character development that balances emotion with duty well. Overall, I would certainly recommend Crown Prince." — K.C. Finn, author of The Book of Shade for Reader's Favorite |
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Notes on Monster Hunting by Chad Retterath The world is filled with creatures that have grown too big or too aggressive. These animals are considered monsters. Skrale's monster hunting company travels without affiliation to any kingdom, undertaking contracts to eliminate creatures that pose a threat to human life. Beatrice journals and records the hunts as part of Fourth Squad. She roams farther from her home into unknown kingdoms and conflicts. |
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Death's Disciple by Emma L. Adams Seven years ago, Captain Yala Palathar was a hero. She and her squad of close-knit dragon-riding warriors were Laria’s elite, fighting for their nation alongside the monarch and his magic-wielding Disciples. Seizing control of an unmanned island should have been a simple mission, but Yala’s squad was little prepared for the horror and tragedy that awaited. Instead of triumph, all Yala and her allies found was death. Years on, Yala lives in seclusion in the deep jungle, ignoring the rumours of unrest in the capital following the end of the war. She little expects assassins to find her hideout - nor does she anticipate the mission that ended her career to have given rise to rumours that see her targeted by mercenaries vying to claim a price on her head. With the other survivors from her squad being picked off one by one, she has little choice but to return to the capital in the hopes of finding answers. Whether the truth lies with the Disciples of the Flame - who refused to believe her stories of the monstrous beasts that haunted the island - or with the long-dead king who sent her squad to their doom, one thing is clear. Yala must finish the battle she started all those years ago… even if it brings her face to face with the god of death Himself. |
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A Crack in the World by James Mordechai England, 1994. Villages in Sussex are vanishing into thin air at an alarming rate. Gino Marcotti – the Gran Maestro Occultist, son of the official occultist of the Fascist Italian Regime – is tasked to investigate by the Royal Paranormal Institute in Greenwich. His investigation takes an unexpected turn when he realises that the Black Metal scene, with its recent homicides and arson attacks on Norwegian churches, is connected to these disappearances. But he soon discovers that there are bigger and more malevolent forces at play – and the only way to defeat them is to connect with his dead father. A Crack in the World is a fast-paced Occult Detective novel that plays with paranormal, cosmic horror and dark academia themes. A thrilling race across multidimensional portals for the fans of The X-Files, Twin Peaks and H. P. Lovecraft. |
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Welcome to the Zaragarian Empire. Rada's newborn sister is disfigured and her father has decreed that her fate lies at the Seat of the Gods. Rada knows what that means - he wants her sister dead. To save both her sister and her mother, Rada must find the Emperor and beseech him for help. Rada is six. The Emperor terrifies her, but there is no one else. In a world of intricate politics, rivalries, dissent and revolt; where old gods lay in wait, the fate of two little girls will change the course of an empire. Everything depends on a six-year-old with a slingshot *Rada is set approx 16 years before "Altaica" and forms part of a companion series. |
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Crucible of Lies by Mitchell Hogan I founded my empire on lies and bloodshed. Thus they are built. Some name me cursed, but I am an immortal emperor. Attend to my tale. If you dare… I was born when the world was a glorious place, but my parents were betrayed and murdered. I was raised by my sister in fear and poverty instead. That was merely the beginning. I lived through untold death and destruction when the old world was shattered, when creations turned against creators, and a new evil rose to assert power. I fought back against the new order, and broke humankind free from the shackles of terror that enslaved them. I discovered secrets beyond the lore of all other sorcerers, knowledge that ensures my people will not lack a shepherd on their long march through eternity. And yet the ungrateful world forgets. Bites the hand that feeds it. Comes for me with armies. Sharpens the assassin’s blade. Do you think that I, immortal emperor, greatest of all sorcerers, guardian of my people, will not meet you with fire, sorcery and steel? |
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A Gallery for the Barbarian by Taylor Hartley An untamed barbarian, his undead portraitist, and the city of magic and mirrors. Svinheim: glittering city of the fine arts. Fleshless painter Violetto scouts the streets for his next subject, and finds unexpected inspiration in the beastly Brask of Bannavaria. Hailing from the brutal North, with his immense appetites for gold and glory, Brask is sure to become a sensation in civilized Svinheim—by brush or by axe. As two shadowy and competing cults threaten to engulf the powers that be in the Fine City, will Brask and Violetto achieve the fame and fortune they believe to be so rightfully theirs? At once a callback to episodic, vintage sword-and-sorcery fiction and a dark, queer fairy tale, A Gallery for the Barbarian is Taylor Hartley’s debut work of fantasy and the first in a new series, THE VIOLETTO PAPERS, sure to please fans of Michael Moorcock’s Elric and Robert E. Howard’s Conan the Barbarian. |
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BOW DOWN TO YOUR DEMON OVERLORDS The apocalypse is over.
This is not that story.
This is what happens next.
Our final tale.

After the great war of heaven and hell, the Gods moved on,
abandoning a decimated Earth behind.

But a pocket of life survived. And thrived.

A new civilization has emerged.

New nations. New species. And an old evil.

This new earth lies unprotected,
and something has slunk out of the depths to claim it.

To rule.

And in a world with the absence of a sane God,
the laws of physics have twisted,
and allowed for the return of magick. Arlex wakes up in the centre of an impact crater that levelled a third of the Palace District—without a scratch on him.
He will discover that he is the most wanted sapien in all of New Tartarus. And Lord Malus has dispatched his pack of monstrous Nephilim to hunt him down.
Joined by a devious cleric and a dangerous pair of escapees from Downshade Asylum, Arlex must come to terms with the truth: that somehow he caused the devastating explosion.
Arlex embarks on a journey to clear his name and uncover the secret of his newfound powers.
He will need to learn if he is meant to be this world’s saviour or the one destined to destroy it all – and usher in true hell on earth. |
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Tracking Trouble by Aldrea Alien A jaded mage-hunter. A mystery that's better left unsolved. And a choice that tests morals against codes. For years, Tracker’s life has had two facets: Hunting spellsters and entertaining strangers in his bed. Few doubt he's good at both, although only one is considered acceptable amongst the King's Hounds. His trip to Toptower should be just another task in an endless string of routine. Take down any dangerous spellster he finds and send the timid ones to Demarn’s tower prison. It is a role he was born to play. One he has grown weary of. But there's something off about the spellsters he’s encountering. The people he typically finds aren't usually this powerful or anywhere near as lethal to a man immune to magic. It's as if something, or someone, is releasing them with an eye to weaken an already harried kingdom. To what end, he cannot be certain of. History is littered with the dangers of magic running unchecked. He must uncover the truth, and quickly. But with all leads pointing one way, will he be able to uphold the code of the King's Hounds once he finds it? *This book contains violence, gore and explicit adult themes.* |
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The Hand of God by Yuval Kordov The world ended—twice. Once at humanity’s hand and a second time at God’s, according to legend. Only Esther, the Eternal One, saw it all happen. Chosen by the Messiah to redeem humanity, she heads a holy sisterhood that rules Cathedral, the Last City. Except Cathedral isn’t the last city, and the source of the Revenant Sisterhood’s supernatural power is far from holy. It’s the year 2500, give or take. The passage of time has become as blurry as the gray wastes that cover most of North America. No moon or stars light the night, and demonic hordes smash against the last outposts of civilization. Two reborn nations vie for humanity’s future. In the west, Cathedral unleashes its God-engines—ancient walking war machines—in a final bid to cleanse the earth. In the east, the struggling city-state of Bastion turns to the last living AI for salvation. Between them, a tribe of technological scavengers known as the Union unwittingly holds the balance of power. Hell is on the horizon. Who will survive? |
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An Ocean of Others by Joshua Scott Edwards REMEMBER WHAT'S REAL OR YOUR HEAD WILL BE THEIRS Survival is never easy, but it’s never been harder for Grim, the last bounty hunter in Liwokin. He survived the Great Riot that killed Liwo by the thousands, endured the bloody chaos that ruled the city in its aftermath, and avoided the crushing fist of the Agency created to quell the unrest. Rule of law returned, but following the rules doesn’t put food in your belly. On a job gone wrong, Grim stumbles into a conspiracy that targets Ulken, the Head of the Agency, a man who has done more to ruin Grim’s life than any other. Struggling to earn honest coin, Grim plans to use this information to rise quickly through the ranks of the organization so an empty purse never worries him again. He becomes a Finger of the Agency, joining a sardonic ranger, two fugitive siblings, a stone-skinned Skardwarf, and a powerful dark mage—none of whom know any better than Grim what they’ve gotten themselves into. Grim’s Hand soon discovers the Agency’s furtive work is far deadlier than hunting bounties. While fighting to save his home from monsters who once were men, Grim discovers the conspiracy runs deeper than just Ulken and the Agency—what was unleashed is spreading, and if Grim’s sanity doesn’t prevail, it will consume the minds of the Bright Empire and beyond. Action-packed, bloody, and full of brain-bending intrigue, in An Ocean of Others the line between monster and man is thin enough to drive you out of your mind. |
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The Hummingbird's Tear by C M Kerley In the high towers of Castle Kraner the King has chosen to hide away, leaving his kingdom undefended, open to attack from men, monsters and magic users.His loyal son Prince Orren, despairing of his father's wilful ignorance, is doing all he can to gather the men and women he believes can help him avert the war before it starts, to save his land before it needs saving. Brennan and his young brother Calem find themselves drawn to Kraner; as their innate powers begin to manifest and they are woven into the mad schemes of rulers and invaders they must decide what to believe, who to trust, and how far they're willing to go to fight an enemy they can't see. |
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Salt in the Wound by Benjamin Aeveryn Our world is lost to time. Only our myths remain. Once rain was a symbol of hope and harvest. Now it brings only death. Humanity survives in sheltered cities and canvas-covered towns. Travel between these patches of safety is rare and dangerous. It’s what Galahad lives for. But while seeking a lost cache of salt—a fortune he plans to use to build a shelter over his hometown—Galahad is betrayed by the friends he holds dearest. They leave him for dead. Unfortunately for them, he lives. Torn between seeking justice or revenge, Galahad knows one thing for certain: that treasure is his, and he’ll do anything to reclaim it. |
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Out of Shadows by Oliver Carman It’s been ten years since Brennan Redhands, the most feared warrior alive, fled from a lifetime of bloody failures to live a simple life with daughter Gwenna. When raiders kidnap Gwenna, Brennan knows that to rescue her he must once more carve a corpse-strewn path through the land he fled—a place scarred with the ruins of an extinct race, where the strong take what they want and the weak scratch around the mud. But Gwenna possesses a magic she can’t control and has awoken a forgotten evil, one that seeks to escape its prison and cover the world in shadow. With old scores that refuse to die, an ancient sword with a will of its own, and an insane boy warlord bent on the apocalypse; the world seems determined to get in Brennan’s way. Only the real trouble is, Brennan destroys all he touches or so the crippling voice inside his skull will have him believe, and with a secret buried in the recesses of his mind that threatens to tear him apart, can he put down the most terrifying enemy of all—the one in his head—before it is too late? |
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The Daughter of the Ice by Luis Falcao de Magalhaes After a thousand-year slumber, the goddess of frost awakens to a world that has all but forgotten her. She will rule again... Even if it means covering Elessia in icy death. Eregar, a decorated knight in his twilight years, longs for one final adventure—one last chance to test himself against sword and sorcery. When rumors rise of a powerful sorceress building an army to the east, he jumps at the offer of leading a band of young mercenaries into the heart of the distant Frozen Plains to assess the threat. But as fierce warriors wielding dark magics unleash an undead army upon the last bastion of civilization, the old knight will find that more than his mettle is to be tested... The Daughter of The Ice is the first chapter in a new sword & sorcery series set in the world of Elessia, filled with charismatic characters and intense action. Readers and reviewers alike have said it evokes the best parts of The Witcher, The Dragonbone Chair, and The Wheel of Time. |
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Curse of Shadows and Thorns: A Dark Fairy Tale romance by LJ Andrews A bargain between enemies. A curse without an end. A love that will bring a kingdom to its knees. Long ago, Elise's ancestors stole the crown from the fae king. As the niece of the brutal, current king, her purpose is to do whatever is asked to ensure her family keeps the throne for centuries to come. The trouble is, Elise would rather sneak into gambling halls with the servants than be a silent princess at a ball.

Soon reckless games are ended when her uncle forces her into negotiations for a marriage. If she refuses, her deathly-ill father will pay the price.

Trapped by her sense of duty, Elise is given to the charge of Legion Grey, the handsome and mysterious dowry negotiator. But Legion holds more than her future in his hands. He incites her anger and a forbidden passion.

When a coup upends the kingdom, Elise flees with Legion, only to discover he holds more secrets than anyone. Unknowingly, Elise sets in motion a beastly curse Legion has endured as long as he can remember.

As secrets unravel about Legion's vicious past, questions rise over who has the true right to the throne. When answers come, more lives are put at stake, and Elise is forced to make an impossible choice: avoid a bloody game by leaving Legion to the beast within, or end his curse and restore magic to the land by sacrificing a life--hers. Part Viking, part Fairy Tale, one-click to preorder a dark, swoon-worthy slow burn romance with the perfect amount of spice and action. |
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Between Despair and Hope (The Divine Between Series Book 2) by Jess Wisecup During the longest night, will you sink into the darkness or call upon your light? Emmeline has experienced more heartache and sorrow than any one person should. Though she now has immeasurable divinity granted by the gods, her new status came at a price she never would have paid. Haunted by the events of the Cascade and the horrifying acts she bore witness to, she must work alongside people she never would have expected to undo the atrocities committed on that dreadful day—starting with what was done to her daughter. With the help of trusted friends and new allies, she must learn to harness and control her powers, live with guilt and grief in the face of her decisions, and work to save the one man who never gave up on her. Will her love be enough to bring back those she loves—not only physically, but mentally, as well? Please Note: This book contains explicit and darker |
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Between Wrath and Mercy (The Divine Between Series Book 1) by Jess Wisecup A mother will do anything to save her child, no matter the cost. After her daughter is kidnapped, Emmeline Highclere—a thirty-four-year-old mother living in isolation with memories and grief her only companion—must do everything in her limited power and divine abilities to get the girl back. Emmeline believes that her daughter, Elora, is the Beloved—the conduit with goddess-granted divine abilities prophesied to bring peace to the Three Kingdoms. Because the last person thought to be the Beloved was brutally murdered by the enemy kingdom of Folterra, Emmeline has dedicated the last sixteen years to hiding her daughter and keeping her safe. When Elora is kidnapped by a Folterran prince, Emmeline must leave her place of hiding, resolving to do anything to rescue her daughter. But to have any chance against those who took the girl, Emmeline must call upon one of the most powerful conduits in the Three Kingdoms, the Crown Prince of Vesta—the man who broke her heart—and hope he helps her despite their estrangement. With the weight of his father’s impending death hanging over his head, Crown Prince Rainier has begun to make moves to prove his dedication to assume the role of king. When he is visiting the estate that was once a second home to him, the woman who has long haunted his dreams and consumed his thoughts appears before him, asking for his help to find the child she had with another man. Now, he must decide: does he drop what he is doing to help Emmeline, or does he maintain his unwavering duty to the Crown? Now, Emmeline and Rainier must work together to find the Beloved—to save the girl from the Folterrans and fulfill the prophecy of peace—while they both battle feelings of remorse and heartbreak, trying to ignore the heated desire and simmering attraction between them that never left. From relative isolation to the capital city of Vesta and onwards to Folterra, Emmeline must find out exactly where her daughter has been taken—seeking out help along the way—and bring her home before it is too late. |
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IN A WORLD RULED BY MEN, ONE WOMAN WILL RISE She was their greatest warrior; the daughter of the king. But her uncle stole the throne and sent her away to marry Eadmund, the drunken son of their worst enemy. Now she must pick up her sword again to restore her family’s honour and return to the home she loves. Despite her skill with a sword, her prowess in battle, and her reputation as the greatest warrior in Brekka, without her father to protect her, Jael was merely a pawn, a woman to be married off so her uncle could forge an alliance to fulfil his own desperate ambitions. Eadmund is broken hearted, tortured by the murder of his first wife, but his father had lost patience with him. He wanted heirs for his kingdom. He wanted his son back, restored to the fierce warrior he had once been. And when his daughter has a dream about Jael, the woman who would save him, he eagerly jumps at the opportunity to make an alliance with his worst enemy. Jael and Eadmund will fight against their union, but the dreamers know that this marriage is meant to be; it must happen for the sake of all Osterland. For without them... without Jael and her sword, without Eadmund by her side, the five kingdoms will not survive the darkness that is coming to claim them all. |