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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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A band of medieval castaways is stranded in an Otherworld they first believe is paradise. However, they come to believe that a toxic tree fruit enhancing the beauty and power of their women is an offering by the devil. This âEveâs Appleâ eventually upsets the established patriarchic order. Over a millennium later, Howard and Julia tumble into this alien world as a couple settled comfortably in a relationship based on her supremely self-confident boyfriendâs need to take care of his insecure girlfriend. Civilization is now thriving there with absurdly powerful women due to an uncontrollable addiction to the refined extract of the tree fruit. Their relationships with the weaker male sex are generally based on some form of explicit or implicit domination. Men are mainly objects of their outsized erotic appetites or perform menial service. After a period of disorientation where the couple unsuccessfully attempts to extract themselves quickly from this upsetting situation to return to their previous comfortable lives, Julia is relentlessly tempted by her host to become like the women of this new world and eventually succumbs in an act of betrayal of Howard who reacts adversely to the breach of trust and begins to reject his girlfriend on account of jealousy and fear. Julia doesnât understand his problems as she considers the change to be a purely practical matter to protect themselves while they figure out how to leave this world. As Howard realizes the enormous magnitude of Juliaâs new abilities he withdraws ever more to the ongoing disappointment of Julia. In the wake of a relationship in crisis, Julia warms up to what the new world has to offer to women and begins to indulge. In the process, Julia realizes that something new inside her makes her prone to act and feel in ways that she would never have condoned before, and is deeply conflicted about that. Gradually she begins to see fault in Howard for this state of their affairs and prods him to adapt which he refuses to do despite several cathartic experiences he is subjected to. Eventually, she loses patience and lets her new nature break free after giving her boyfriend a debilitating taste of her power. |
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Angel from the Rust by Jason Link They say Earth was a place of wonders, where towers pierced the clouds, cities lit up the night, and flying machines streaked across the sky. It was magic. But the magic conjured the End War. Fire fell from the sky, and metal beasts leveled the cities. That was six hundred years ago. Now the ruins of the Ancient world are buried or overgrown. And the technology of the past is feared as forbidden magic. Corvala, a young musician on the run from the law, never intended on getting mixed up with history. But when a murderer falls from the heavens and sets himself up as a god, sheâs driven into the wilderness and discovers the secret of her bloodline: a code of immense power embedded in her DNA. The code could save thousandsâor plunge her into madness. To defeat the tyrannical false god, Corvala must do something more terrifying than confront the demons of Earthâs history. She must confront her own. |
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Gates to Illvelion by A.R. Rathmann A strange adventure in a world beyond the edge of our own... When Lord Agravaine's daughter, Gwenhivar, tumbles over the edge of the forest and into the fairy realm, he will stop at nothing to save her. But his own life is threatened too, and it is Gwen who must save them both from the magic of the woods. As they face bewitchment and worse, Gwen and her father confront the dazzling Queen of Illvelion -- a woman once human who rules with terrible magic and the bitter sting of loss. Can the human child overcome her enemies and find the power to save her kin? Or will her enemies destroy her soul? |
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An unstoppable disease. A fanatical doctor. A nightmare obsession. As a deadly plague rips through Harriet's village, unexpected salvation arrives in Adam: the bright-eyed novice healer with a hidden gift, who vanishes as quickly as he came. Haunted by weird nightmares and a witch's dying words, Harriet seeks the truth about Adam and his mysterious home at Wolfern Priory. But the world of healers is changing. The royal doctor Lady Hawkes is on a quest to perfect humanity, with her miraculous and addictive new treatment: the Mordant Sleep. Swept along by dark rumours, guilty secrets and ancient powers, Harriet is drawn into the shadowy conflict between Mordancy and medicine, and finds that perfection can be deadlier than any plague. Mordicax is Book 1 in the Creatures of Flyn fantasy series. |
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The Fall Is All There Is by C.M. Caplan SPFBO9 SPSFC 2023 SPFBO Finalist All Petre Mercy wanted was a good old-fashioned dramatic exit from his life as a prince. But itâs been five years since he fled home on a cyborg horse. Now the Kingâhis Dadâis deadâand Petre has to decide which heir to pledge his thyroid-powered sword to. As the youngest in a set of quadruplets, heâs all too aware that the line of succession is murky. His siblings are on the precipice of power grabs, and each of them want him to pick their side. If Petre has any hope of preventing civil war, he'll have to avoid one sibling who wants to take him hostage, win back anotherâs trust after years of rivalry and resentment, and get an audience with a sister he's been avoiding for five years. Before he knows it, he's plunged himself into a web of intrigue and a world of strange, unnatural inventions just to get to her doorstep. Family reunions can be a special form of torture. |
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Path of the Warrior by Melissa Stone Ashrinn Chimekin is a Fugitive Recovery Agent tasked with helping the crew of the Shrike in their pursuit of the rogue Cult of Atraxia. When something goes horribly wrong during an infiltration attempt on the cultâs compound, Ashrinn and the crew find themselves on a strange, new world. Worse yet, the cultists made their way to this new world as well. Told that the capture of the cultists will lead them back home, the simple task becomes much harder when Ashrinn and the crew discover the cultists have allied themselves with the Darkriders, people who will stop at nothing to gain total control over their world. And making matters worse, the cultists have gained mysterious, dangerous magic powers... Ashrinn forges alliances with the Dragonlords, the force in opposition to the Darkriders, in hopes of stopping both the cultists and the Darkriders once and for all. As she fights, she finds herself getting closer to uncovering the mystery behind the black sword that appears when sheâs in dire need - and if it will affect her desire to return home. |
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Throne of Deceit by Richard Fierce Their royal parents assassinated, two young siblings are separated and hidden to protect their future and the future of their kingdom. Only when their adoptive families are murdered do they discover the truth of their heritage. Now it is time to reclaim what is theirs.But to do that, they will need an army â and magic. With many interested in their royal roots, they must decide who can be trusted ⌠and who is trying to kill them.Throne of Deceit is the first book in the series Dragons of Isentol, a tale of dragons, magic, and a growing rebellion against tyranny. |
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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 heâs 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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The Dragon's Hide by Dustin Porta and D.K. Holmberg A cozy tavern on the edge of the empire holds a deadly secret. When Treylen's mentor died, and his bonded dragon failed to grow like the others, he feared heâd be stuck forever at the mountain abbey where the queenâs assassins train. Fate has other plans for him. A message arrives ordering him and his dragon, Rime, on a dangerous mission to kill the glyph scribe who is enchanting weapons for the enemy army. Infiltrating the enemy city requires a mastery of disguise, deception, and interrogation. Treylen must learn these skills quickly from his new spymaster if he hopes to locate his target. But the comforts of the Dragonâs Hide Inn make it a favorite watering hole of enemy rangers and a deadly training ground.â¨â¨All his training may not be enough to stop the wizard intent on destroying everything Treylen cares about. The Dragonâs Hide is the start of an exciting new fantasy series! |
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Gloaming by Charlotte E. English Once upon a chime... Every day at four oâ clock, an enchanted twilight sweeps over Vale Argantel. Strange things happen under its eldritch influence: mists boil up out of the ground, rain pours out of a cloudless sky, and the roses grow wild and fey. Such is the way of things. But when her friend falls through a magic mirror and disappears, Margot realises somethingâs changed. An ancient enchantment has gone awry, and chaos quickly spreads. Magic-drunk, confused and hampered at every turn, Margot must find a way to reclaim Oriane â and before anybody else disappears. But for Oriane, things are stranger still. Lost in a topsy-turvy world, how can she ever find her way home? For sheâs adrift in a place very like Argantel â eerily familiar, yet strangely different; a place which follows none of the usual rules⌠Get drunk on magic â try this atmospheric fantasy from the author of the Tales of Aylfenhame and Faerie Fruit. |
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âDestiny is a ride on the back of a wild beast. You canât control it. You can only slap its hide and hope it takes the path you want.â Nila cares nothing for destiny. She steals relics for the danger. Running the roofs, evading guards and dodging traps in her pursuit of these coveted but illegal artifacts makes her heart race, reminds her that she is more than just the ghost of a girl forced to flee her homeland. Danger turns deadly, however, when a cloaked stranger lures her into a plot to rekindle a magic that once destroyed a world. Destiny is driving her down a path of horror and darkness, and she must change its course before she loses everything. |
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The Zero of Destiny by T. R. Peers There was a prophecy. There usually is, in these kinds of situations. Invictus Kul is an invincible hero, destined to save the world. He even has a piece of paper that says so. But it turns out that knowing youâre invincible rather takes the shine off winning, and life in general. Death Scream, a wandering barbarian warrior, would like to take rather more than the shine off Invictusâ life. In fact, sheâd like to cut it abruptly short, but that canât happen until he fulfils his destiny and saves the world. Of course, Vic (to his friends, which she isnât) has no plans to do anything of the sort, so sheâs going to have to help him. Or force him. Along the way sheâll encounter Dark Lords, a nightmarish maid who gets a half-price discount at the opticians, ancient magics, gainfully-employed Orcs, and Union Regulations. All this and more can be found in âThe Zero of Destinyâ, a fantasy-comedy that absolutely nobody should take seriously, but everybody should read. Unless you donât like puns, and/or really like geraniums. |
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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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Stars and Ravens by Francis Deer and Mika Hunter Investigating a murder case, Valerian Crow is drawn into a mystery discernible only to him due to his unwanted magical abilities. Joining forces with unlikely companions, he finds himself increasingly entangled in enigmatic events. When Valerian accepts work from strange employers, magic is more and more invading his world, endangering his hold on reality. Valerian has to decide whom to trust and learn to rely on others. A challenging task, even more so since all his life he has been forced to lock certain parts of himself away and thus never deciphered the ways of his own heart. |
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The Rise of the Falsemarked by Samuel Gately What if James Bond carried a sword and worked for a dragonarmy? Since the return of dragons, armies and corporations have divided the skies. War was inevitable. It only took master spy Aaron Lorne moments to start the war with the falsemarked. Now he has just five days to end it. He and his team will need every alliance they can get to fulfill this mission. Surviving in a city that longs for their blood is not enough. They have a war to win. Rise of the Falsemarked, the second Spies of Dragon and Chalk adventure, combines elements of Ian Flemingâs James Bond novels and crime noir into a thrilling world of epic fantasy. Mixing spy craft, dragons, and good writing, Samuel Gately certainly won me over. â The Fantasy Book Critic Blog |
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On a world without a sun, one boy sees something he shouldn't. Young, alone, afraid. The only thing Loe can hope for is help. Hope is not always answered, but sometimes the door opens. Ilian stands in the doorway. She takes Loe when no one else will and they do the only thing they can - run. They run beneath the galaxy's light as their country tears itself apart. It's a dark world but that is not always a disadvantage. There is a place of safety. There is hope. They must get there. They must run. |
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This is the story of Isfael, a young wytch who practices the art of magic as the village healer. The development of her skills, however, does not come without struggles: Not only are some of her fellow elves, amongst them the elderly wytch superior, suspicious of her as an ambitious young healer, but her talents are also put to the test when Isfael comes into possession of a powerful gem that turns her dreams into nightmares. Isfael must also learn that even the most well-meaning actions we take can reap terrible consequences. |
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A sleepy town on the west coast of England. Nothing really happens here. Until now⌠Two stabbings. The victims: a man named Arthur and a mysterious knight. Detective Inspector Niamh Khalid finds herself drawn into a world of myth, magic, and betrayal. Can she solve an impossible case and keep her brother safe? Things arenât looking too great for DI Niamh Khalid. Her brother Lance has been arrested, her superior officer is breathing down her neck, and she is investigating an attempted murder, with no suspects and no clues to the identity of the victim. Then, Lance and his friends discover another dead body: a young man, dressed as a knight. Soon, a series of terrifying incidents threaten to derail Niamhâs investigation. Lance is clearly hiding something, and Niamhâs journalist ex-fiancĂŠ is back in her life, asking awkward questions. When criminal barrister Merlin Rhys seeks her out with a stunning revelation, Niamh begins to appreciate just how strange and frightening a mystery she and Lance have become involved in. Can myth and magic be real? Can they help Niamh solve her case, and save both her brother and her world? Police procedural meets Arthurian fantasy. Fans of Ben Aaronovich, V.E. Schwab and women detectives will love Kingsrise, an urban fantasy mystery by first-time author Anne Mattias. |
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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 Unseelieâs 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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The Darkness Calling by Joe Coates The Darkness Calling is a gritty, stylish, action-packed novel from start to finish. Populated with vividly portrayed characters, thrilling moments and plenty of dark humour, it is brilliantly written, and will keep you turning the pages far into the night. Perfect for fans of Lee Child, J.J Connelly, Ben Aaronovitch, Iain Banks and Warren Ellis. When a contract goes out on the head of a human-trafficker living in one of London's most exclusive suburbs, romantically deprived hitman, Archie Nyx, assumes it's just another day at the office. In a profession that usually comes with minimal moral high ground, being paid a hefty sum to expunge an excrescence like Andras Janos is as close to a good day at work as Archie gets. It's a nice thought, but when the hit goes south and the unexpected elements rear their heads, Archie must track down the mysterious client who seems to want more than just Janos dead. Beautiful but hard-boiled Detective Inspector Valentina Galanti is back at work at the Met after an accident that tore her life apart. Her old friend and boss, Detective Superintendent Jack McNeill, assigns Val to a brutal multiple homicide by way of a welcome back. Val embraces the carnage as a pleasing escape from the grief and fury that are threatening to overwhelm her. By chance, or so it seems, Archie and Val meet one afternoon. Lies and deceptions breed more lies and deceptions, with the assassin and copper having no idea that they are both working towards the middle of the same problem from opposite sides. Set in a near-future London not too dissimilar to the one we know, The Darkness Calling is a soft sci-fi novel that explores whether any silver lining can be found in the midst of a son's hatred for his father, a mother's heart-crushing grief, and the place where the bullets fly. |
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Of Thieves and Shadows by B. S. H. Garcia Some secrets are best left to the shadows. But shadows have a mind of their own. The ancient land of Quinaria teeters on the brink of war, as its most precious resource is unearthed and exploited. Three nations have maintained tenuous peace for centuries, but as the life-giving nevethium dwindles, rumors of an ancient evil long thought dead spread like wildfire. Elaysia never wanted to lead. As the high chieftainâs only surviving heir, sheâs thrust into a role that jeopardizes the already fragile peace. A deadly attack on the day of her induction strengthens her resolveâand her suspicion that her parentsâ murders and these disturbing rumors are connected. With newfound companions, she embarks on a journey to uncover the truth. But as they unravel layers of secrets, they find themselves in the clutches of a dictator whose unethical nevethium experimentation threatens to bring about a new world of terror and violence. Elaysia and her allies could be all that stands between war and a dying worldâif their conflicting ambitions donât destroy them first. |
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Fifty-nine nights of peace. One night of terror. This sequence has repeated itself since before history was recorded on the scrolls. Galenâs life is ruled by the cyclic attacks of the Harvesters, the twisted, vampiric creatures of the night who can only be seen by the children they hunt. In order to stay unharmed, he, along with the other children, must rely on their own wits and the mystical sap gathered from the Grove Trees. Much as they try, their parents can offer little protection. For as a child matures, the Harvesters become invisible to their eyes. After a Harvester breaches the protective barrier around the house and wreaks havoc on the family within, Galen vows revenge on the monsters. His father, devastated by the attack and repulsed by the discovery that his son can Channel magic, sells Galen to the most powerful family in the town to serve as a decoy for their own prize heir. Here, Galenâs true potential is recognized, and he is sent to The Spire for formal training. It is within these walls that he learns an invaluable lesson: Danger does not always wait for darkness to emerge. Faced with the challenges of his new life, and with the time before the Harvesters fade from his sight drawing near, Galen must use every bit of his knowledge to make good on his oath of vengeance while struggling not to lose himself in the process. |
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Kill Your Darlings by L.E. Harper "INKHEART meets INCEPTION in this allegorical masterpiece." Fantasy author Kyla knows dreams don't come true. Isolated and grappling with debilitating depression, she copes by writing about the realm of Solera. Fearless heroes, feisty shapeshifters, and mighty dragons come alive on her pages. She adores her characters, but she doesn't believe in happy endings. And if she can't have one, why should they? Kyla's on the verge of giving up on everything when she wakes one morning, magically trapped in her fictional world. Now she's with her most cherished characters: the friends she's always yearned for, the family she's never known. There's even someone who might be Prince Charming (if Kyla could get her act together and manage some honest communication). She'd surrender to the halcyon fantasy, except she knows a nightmarish ending awaits. Solera is at war, and its defenders are losing against the insidious villain spawned in the depths of Kyla's mind. He feeds on the energy of dreams, seeks the destruction of all who oppose him-and Kyla's become his number one target. Kyla must trade her pen for a sword and fight to change her story's ending, but this isn't a fantasy anymore. No happily-ever-after is guaranteed. And mental illness has robbed her of everything she needs to succeed: love, fighting spirit, hope. If Kyla can't overcome the darkness inside her, she'll die with her darlings. CONTENT WARNINGS: Depictions of mental illness including depression, anxiety, suicidal ideation, and self-harm. |
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The Certainty of Blood by Tim Frankovich Nothing is certain under the moon's gaze, save blood.â¨â¨When Aldan discovers the power to burn someoneâs blood, he is taken from his family, branded, and sold into slavery as an arena fighter. A painful life and an early death are all he can expect, until he listens to a supernatural voice coming from his own blood. Taking her advice, he uses his power to become the greatest arena fighter of the age, fighting year after year with one goal in mind. If he can purchase his own freedom, maybe a normal life with the woman he loves is possible. And now, he needs to win only one more fight⌠against a rebel leader who people are calling âthe chosen one.â From the grueling training grounds where boys learn to kill, to the luxuries of the sinister Hawk Kingâs palace, Aldanâs whole life has led inexorably to this one day. This one fight. The king holds everything Aldan cares about. All he has to do is kill this final opponent. But love and friendship demand a different outcome. The choice is not as easy as it first appeared⌠Gladiator meets The Name of the Wind in this mesmerizing tale of blood, glory, magic, and love. |
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Vevin Song by Jonathan Neves Mayers Years have passed since hostile creatures flew down from the sky and forced humanity to fight or flee. Now, the surviving humans live in underwater cocoons, knowing that the world above does not belong to them anymore. Marla Hightower is just getting by with a job she loathes in a cocoon, longing for something more fulfilling after a rough start to life. But things change as she begins to develop unusual abilities not unlike the winged creatures who invaded her world. Knowing that being discovered will result in her being experimented on and placed in confinement, Marla plans to escape from the cocoon and launch up to the surface, beginning her dangerous journey to uncover not only her origins, but those of humanity's enemies. |
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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 kingâs 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 seemsâsoon, a discovery about his past and his heritage will flip Darvenâs 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 Liylahâs 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. â¨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" â 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 protĂŠgĂŠ, 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 naĂŻve 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 â 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 Sostenâs fall. If they donât 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 queenâs 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 queenâs ward to continue his fatherâs 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 theyâve become ensnared in her war against their lineages. Standing between them and Asperaâs ambitions is a man named Bran, the last living Black Knight of Old, once a protector of the Auza-Verndari, and Asperaâs 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 theyâre the villains bearing torches rewriting the kingdomâs history and concealing how deep the treachery goes. |
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Building a bodyguard to kill your aristocratic nieceâs vengeful ex-husband should be easy for a witch. All you need is the right body and the right magic, and soon you have a mindless killer to do your bidding. Of course, it all depends on what the butler brings back from the cemetery. For Frances Stein, reanimating the dead is one thing, but convincing the corpse thereâs life after death is another. Finding out heâs neither mindless nor killer is something else entirely. Especially when heâs her last hope, because they both have a limited lifespan, and time is literally running out⌠Note: no lambs or werewolves were harmed during the making of this book. |
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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 doesnât 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 familyâdead. 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 Shadowâs words waylays him. Something in the Shadowâs 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 foolâs 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 MĂĄtra 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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Twenty-year-old Maylee finds herself transported into a world by a book she finds in her grandmother's library, only to be kidnapped by a prince in hiding and his loyal chef upon arrival. The ultimate betrayal. Unexpected lust. A magical book that shows the future. A tiny creature with a big attitude. But that's not all she experiences while in the land of Kanore. An evil tyrant has murdered the prince's family in order to gain control over the country. Her new friends take her on some unfortunate adventures as she assists them on their journey to reclaim the throne. With the help of the book, she finds herself able to escape the most dire of situations. Even when the ink disappears, the story continues. |
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The Quavering Air by Simone Snaith All that divides Span from its dark sister world, Avid, are two extraordinary clocks set an hour apart. When a mysterious shapeshifter alters their settings, Avidâs beasts start slipping through rifts in the air, wreaking havoc on the many species of Span. Despite her insecurities and fresh heartbreak, the young human Renna answers a summons by the wise founders known as the Appon, to join a motley crew of champions chosen to save Span from destruction. On a journey riddled with attacks from otherworldly creatures, the team must put aside their prejudices and dark suspicions . . . because they dare not abandon the mission. From the author of Between The Water & The Woods comes a new adventure in a strange world full of magic and wonder, danger and humor, and unexpected romance. |
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For Evergreens and Aspen Trees by A. L. Lorensen War leaves neither man nor magic untouched. Tristan knows this truth all too well. The twenty-year war against the magic of the Ancient Races has stolen his family, his home, and his past. He clings to the only things left to him; a scar from a wound meant to kill him, a mysterious silver ring, and the name of the place where he was snatched from death. Stationed in Fort Lorate the past five years - the only years of his life he can remember â he has done nothing but wait for the day he can pursue the fragments of his life that must be somewhere on the kingdomâs battlegrounds. Secrets buried deep in Lorateâs roots unravel when an elven woman named Aspen infiltrates its walls, and Tristan's life is shattered in mere moments. Despite being on opposite sides of the bloody, bitter war, Tristan asks for her aid when his duties clash with his conscience. Trying to prevent Lorate from becoming a threat to her homeland and battling a private war within herself, Aspen has every reason to gut Tristan where he stands and be done with the matter. But she doesnât, to her eternal dismay. Together, Tristan and Aspen embark on a journey of memories, curses, monsters, and storms. Forces both mortal and magical combine against them, and their only hope of success is to rebel against the hatred woven by war and come together as one. For ever and always. For evergreens and aspen trees. |
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Felix Chance: Volume One by j.e. pittman Luck is his greatest skill... Born on the last day to exist, Felix Chance roves the world untold. Mystery hounds his steps as he unlocks his secret past and seeks the love he left behind. What's real? What's not? Felix knows - more than he'll ever tell. A moose walks into a bar, Bigfoot's drunk it dry. And that fox over there? It's not. Fairy traps and pumpkin scraps, plus an immortal - or two - met on a stolen day. Step careful in the world awry as Chance guides your way. ...or be lost Felix Chance: Volume One gathers the first three arcs originally published on Kindle Vella. How? Why? When? Felix never knows, just that the implausible will happen -- By Chance. Press your luck in Game of Chance as Felix gets a letter that sends him on the road to Vegas for answers. And by some Strange Chance, Felix always finds himself at the wrong place at the right time. |
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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 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 Ateniaâs sins. âIt ends,â cries the burning face in the skies above Atenia, âIt ends!â Forces gather, the siege is set, and moment by moment the rebellion against Fransica growsâŚbut 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.â¨â¨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 sunlightâs 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.â¨A dishonoured knight.â¨A sheltered squire with a secret past.â¨A runaway prince, afraid of the dark. They hold the fate of Ealidor in their handsâand as the darkness threatens to consume them all, theyâre the realm's only hope of returning the dawn. |
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Seeds of War by JoĂŁo F. Silva "He ran like the monster he was. And the smoke followed." GIMLORE is a single mother and war veteran turned crime boss set on protecting her family and her town. ORBERESIS is a petty thief pretending to be God to protect a terrible secret. REDNOW is the world's most feared mercenary, but his best days are behind him and there's one job left to do. In a world of dangerous monsters and devastating smoke magic, the seeds of war are being planted. Allies must be treasured and enemies defeated. The Smokesmiths is a gritty epic fantasy series with a harsh world of smoke magic, alien creatures and ancient secrets where characters do their best to come out on top. Peace will not last. |
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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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Many Savage Moons by Ben Spencer A smartly written contemporary fantasy influenced by the genre-bending styles of David Mitchell, V.E. Schwab, Benjamin Percy, and Lev Grossman. In the space of a single afternoon, Nathaniel falls hard for Winter York, the beguiling, tattooed woman he meets at the local bookstore. She entrances him with her enigmatic sophistication, and the fact that she is avoiding another man only increases his interest. What starts as the perfect day ends in a violent home invasion when the man Winter is avoiding tracks her home. Nathaniel fights him off, sure the worst is over. Winter, however, insists that the man is capable of a strange and twisted magic: once he touches someone, he can write them into dreams, dreams where that person can die. How does Winter know? She is the inspiration for the manâs fantasy book series, and she has seen her friends perish at the stroke of his pen. Many Savage Moons is an unconventional love story full of literary references and haunting tattoos, set in a world where a writer wields fantastical powers over those who inspire his work. Straddling the literary and fantasy realms, Many Savage Moons is a compelling work of fiction. |
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The Werewolf of Whitechapel by Suzannah Rowntree Murder, monstersâŚand a disreputable Victorian ladyâs maid. A killer stalks the grimy streets of Whitechapelâbut Scotland Yard seems determined to turn a blind eye. With one look at her best friend's corpse, Liz Sharp already knows the truth: the killer is a werewolf. No one important will hold a werewolf accountableâafter all, the monsters rule Europe. Certainly, no one will believe a werewolf victim like Liz: the very scars that make her determined to investigate Salâs death also condemn her as the sort of female whoâd sell her blood for easy money. As it happens, Lizâs best hope for justice might well lie with her emotionally repressed employer, Princess May. Though the princess has connections with werewolf royalty, thereâs no one else Liz can turn to. Certainly, she canât risk trusting the irritatingly personable Inspector Short, who dogs her steps from the slums of Whitechapel to the palaces of St James. But as corpses mount up, Liz discovers that no one is precisely who she thought: not Sal, not herself, and certainly not the werewolf. Luckily, she has a few tricks hidden in the pockets of her trusty bloomers⌠The first novel of Miss Sharpâs Monsters is a witty historical fantasy adventure, perfect for fans of The Parasol Protectorate or Pride and Prejudice and Zombies! Pick up The Werewolf of Whitechapel and join Miss Sharp on the uncanny streets of Victorian London⌠|
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In a world of darkness where royal vampires are in charge, I spend my days working as a knight in the city formerly known as London. Instead of a lance and a horse, I rely on my trusty axe, Babe, and ride the occasional dragon. Every day new threats emerge that require a dash of magic and a dollop of attitude. Good thing I have both. Naturally danger comes with the territory. What no one knows is just how dangerous it is for me. If our vampire overlords discover what I am, theyâll execute me on the spotâno questions askedâwhich is why I avoid them at all costs. Until now. If only this one didnât have a lethal reputation, a princely pedigree, and a quest that leads to more questions than answers. The heat between us doesnât help matters. Unfortunately I canât refuse a royal command, so Iâm stuck until the job is complete. And even if the job doesnât kill me, the truth just might. If you like humor, heart, a kickbutt heroine and an enemies-to-lovers romance, check out Wild Knight, Midnight Empire: The Tower, the first book in a new urban fantasy series. |
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The Lady Jewel Diviner by Rosalie Oaks Diamonds, Death, and Devonshire tea⌠in a magical Regency England Miss Elinor Avely's proper upbringing cannot prepare her for the tiny, spinster vampire who crashes into her sitting room and demands to be fed with a sheep. Elinor already has enough troubles without having to catch ruminants. First, her secret gift for divining jewels has landed her in scandal, exiling her from London society. Second, a nobleman of dubious repute wants her to find a cache of smuggled jewels, hidden somewhere along the Devon coastline. Last â and worst â she is invited to cream tea at the local manor. And while the autocratic and magnificent Earl of Beresford might be there (and perhaps the jewels themselves too), Beresford is the last person Elinor wants to meet over cream tea. When a dead body is discovered along the cliffs, of course, such delicate considerations become secondary. Fortunately, Elinor now has a small vampiric chaperone â even if said spinster has a habit of appearing stark naked â and together they are ready to risk the hard questions. Where are the jewels hidden? Who killed the smuggler? And just when is the cream tea being served? The Lady Jewel Diviner is the first book in the Lady Diviner series, set in Regency England with generous servings of magic, manners, and romance. |
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Daughters of Tith by J. Patricia Anderson The kandar are the children of the trees. Powerful. Immutable. Nine hundred eternal beings who need no sleep nor sustenance, created at the beginning of time to guard the nine human Earths. That was never meant to change. The youngest of five sisters, Tchardin is about to be acknowledged as queen of the kandar. She must lead them in their Creator-given Purposeâto guide and inspire the humansâbut her people have been exiled to their homeworld for generations. None of them have seen the Earths. Not one of them has met a human. Tchardin can think of no way to end their exile until a strange longing calls her from beyond the shore of their island. Most of her sisters tell her to ignore it, to take her place as queen and focus on the kandar. One suggests she answer it, as it might be the key to finally returning her people to their Purpose. |
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The Last Dai'akan by Jeremy Miller An angry, blood-sucking god and a broke, desperate dungeon master. What could possibly go wrong? The mighty Aatma has fallen, and Empress Inalda has lost her main supplier and is forced to sponsor new dungeons to fuel her armyâs expansion. Gabriel Shook intends to rise to the occasion, but he is broke and must buy second-hand minions from a consignment store to defend his new dungeon. All he can afford is a half-skeleton, rat, and cursed zombie. Half a world away, Talia lives in paradise, but a betrayal threatens her way of life and sets a collision of destinies into motion. What will happen when her god awakens and the otai flows? Can they both survive the machinations of the Empress and the guilds? |
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Siren's End (#3 Siren Series) by Jessica Cage Love triangles, a murderous father, and a fight to save the world. It's been months since Syrinada finished the Naiad's Walk, the series of tests that each Siren must face to receive their Siren's Stone. In this stone is the key that unlocks the power that rightfully belongs to her kind. With one task completed and full access to her powers, Syrinada is faced with a new problem. Alderic, the father she once thought had died, wishes to use her as a weapon, a tool to bring about the damnation of the world. She refuses to help him, but Alderic isn't one to simply accept no for an answer. Syrinada can no longer run from her problems. Alderic is powerful and growing stronger each day, but her fight isn't just with her estranged father. The witches of New Orleans, have discovered the true reaches of Syrinada's power and they've decided to stand against her. With fire coming at her from all sides, Syrinada has no choice; she must stand and fight, or die alongside everyone she loves. Siren's End is the third installment of the Siren Series, a Paranormal Fantasy series written by USA Today Best-Selling Author, Jessica Cage. Find if Syrinada has what it takes to defeat dear old dad, download your copy today! |