stories in and

The Eye of Everfell

The Eye of Everfell by Lewis Knight

SPFBO8

In a kingdom where peace and chaos balance on a knife's edge ... fear is growing. The High King is whispered to have gone mad, and rumors of unnatural forces spread across the realm. In the middle of the conflict are Nyori and Marcellus: a priestess and a famed knight whose paths couldn't be more different. But whether swept from humble grasslands to treacherous mountains or from a noble palace to a warlord's dungeon, both will find their lives irrevocably altered and their destinies inexplicably intertwined by forces beyond their understanding.

For beings once thought to be myths emerge from the shadows, led by Alaric, the Pale Lord. King of a doomed race, he will do anything to cure them of their dreadful curse, even if it means tearing the realms of men apart like rotted cloth. 
Amid deceptions and pursuits, triumphs and tragedies, battles and alliances, Nyori and Marcellus will find themselves pitted against overwhelming forces of darkness, unaware that the greater danger is closer than they realize.

For the Eye of Everfell sees all, including the darkness within.

Don't miss this sweeping saga from a rising star in epic fantasy. Pick up your copy today!


Crystalborne Sigils

Crystalborne Sigils by S. Lynn Helton

SPFBO8

Bringing with it the secret and forbidden, a battered ship unlike any seen before in the Atturei Empire sails into the harbor of Hawei. And the townsfolk whisper of ‘death ships’ and ‘evil omens’. While even his brother believes the ship is a harbinger of change, Gyasi K’rond remains unconvinced. He's felt nothing portentous in the secret magic he shares with his brother. The harbor hosts many different ships. This must be just one more, mustn’t it? Elsewhere in the Empire, a stranger plots to elude those who pursue him. He too carries the secret and proscribed with him, and his schemes bring an unforeseen threat to the careful order the Empire has so diligently maintained these many years. For magic is forbidden in the Empire. When the forbidden and the secret are no longer so, can Gyasi keep his own magic hidden? Dare he risk revealing it?


The Definition of Vengeance

The Definition of Vengeance by Kevin Wright

SPFBO8

The small village of Untheim has a big problem. Folk go missing with alarming frequency. Even more alarming? They turn up dead. And a young girl’s just disappeared. Sir Luther Slythe Krait also has a big problem. He’s stuck in Untheim. Penniless and poor and on his last legs, Sir Luther shoulders the task of tracking down the missing girl. The good news? He finds her. The bad? She’s heading home in a box. And that’s just the start. Bound by oath to hunt down the girl’s killer, Sir Luther treks through town and wilderness, hounding the populace, ferreting leads, and drawing back the shroud of a decades-old secret privy to a select few. It’s a dark secret, and those few want it kept that way. Will Sir Luther find the killer? Will he exact justice? An eye for an eye? A head for a head? Or will the head lost be his own? Read ‘The Definition of Vengeance’ and experience the horror and black humor of the latest installment of the grimdark detective series, ‘The Serpent Knight Saga.’


You Can't Prevent Prophecy

You Can't Prevent Prophecy by D.G. Redd

SPFBO8

Three arrogant heroes all want the Eye of Aera, but little do they know that they are about to face world-shattering prophecies. Josephus believes he is the prophesised Chosen One, on a quest to save the world. Accompanying him into the dungeon is his trusty side-kick, Grilk, a kobold wizard. They seek the Eye of Aera, a magical artifact. On the other side of the dungeon, Penellina Dairgren descends into its depths. She considers herself a master halfling thief, and to prove it, she will be the first to uncover the Eye of Aera. Meanwhile, back in town, a proselytising dwarven cleric seeks solace in a good meal at the local tavern. One day, when he's converted enough people to his god's religion, he will be welcomed back into his lord's good graces. None of them know it, but they're all about to be swept up into a mess of ancient prophecies. But prophecies are malleable things that can be bent to suit the needs of those with the knowledge and power to do so. This is a light-hearted adventure in the vein of a fantasy roleplaying campaign. The characters are memorable, the stakes are high, and the adventure goes through many twists and unexpected outcomes. You can expect to laugh often and be entertained throughout.


Draconis

Draconis by David Oliver

SPFBO8

Magic is real. You just need the right crew to find it.

Over a decade ago Jlayn Syr, cartographer, embarked on a mission to map the world on behalf of the Ursal Federation. He returned with most of his crew dead and two strange rune stones. Stones that changed everything. Within an eternal storm, Jlayn had found a gateway to another world. A world populated with horrifying monsters and broken tombs.
A world of magic. Now he is the leader of the Wayfarers. A mercenary troop dedicated to entering the portal and returning with new rune stones. The Ursal Federation used the impossible magic of the rune stones to cement themselves as the foremost world power and the location of the rift is a closely guarded secret…one that many would kill for. With forces gathering to take control of the rift, Jlayn and his adopted daughter Sesha must embark on the newly built Draconis to explore this new world once again…but with a large target on their heads the days of the Wayfarers may be numbered.


From David Oliver, author of The Great Hearts series, comes a portal fantasy like no other. If you like your novels to have runic-enhanced cannons, devilish traps, high fantasy and an arms-race to produce flying galleons, this one is for you.
Oh and monsters.
Lots of monsters.


Crown of Madness

Crown of Madness by Ryan G. Beaty

SPFBO8

The Order of the Grim Hunt, a group dedicated to the hunting and slaying of monsters, work to preserve the world and its inhabitants from the creatures of the dark. But what happens when the people become worse than the monsters? Marcus, a professional monster slayer known as a hexblade, a master of both sword and spell, finds himself caught in a war between nations instigated by the manipulations of darker forces and a scheming sorceress. The affairs of men is something the Order of the Grim Hunt is supposed to remain impartial to, but how can he protect the world if it is left to destroy itself? As the fate of the continent hangs in the balance, it will be up to Marcus, a simple hunter of the supernatural, to keep two nations from collapsing into the flames of war. It will be his responsibility to restore balance, and to serve justice by means of the sword.


Scales and Sensibility

Scales and Sensibility by Stephanie Burgis

SPFBO8 SPFBO Finalist

Sensible, practical Elinor Tregarth really did plan to be the model poor relation when she moved into Hathergill Hall. She certainly never meant to kidnap her awful cousin Penelope's pet dragon. She never expected to fall in love with the shameless - but surprisingly sweet - fortune hunter who came to court Penelope. And she never dreamed that she would have to enter into an outrageous magical charade to save her younger sisters' futures. However, even the most brilliant scholars of 1817 England still haven't ferreted out all the lurking secrets of rediscovered dragonkind...and even the most sensible of heroines can still make a reckless wish or two when she's pushed. Now Elinor will have to find out just how rash and resourceful she can be when she sets aside all common sense. Maybe, just maybe, she'll even be impractical enough to win her own true love and a happily ever after...with the unpredictable and dangerous "help" of the magical creature who has adopted her. A frothy Regency rom-com full of pet dragons and magical misadventures, Scales and Sensibility is a full-length novel and the first in a new series of standalone romantic comedies


The Acktus Trials

The Acktus Trials by D. T. Kane

SPFBO8

"Reading Books can get you killed." In the land of Oration, magic is cast by reading aloud words of power from Spoken Books. Only a select few, the Speakers, are born with the ability to do so. But after a disaster nearly destroyed Oration, society grew to fear the Speakers' power and they were hunted and enslaved, never taught to read. Now they live in oppression, unable to use their magic unless a spell is first read aloud to them. Each year, young men and women from Oration's ruling Libraries compete in the Acktus Trials, a journey that takes them through the wilds of Oration to the ruined city of Tome. Once Oration's capital, it is now abandoned, though the Great Library at its center still holds a wealth of Spoken Books. As Speakers are no longer taught to read, they also cannot write, so new Spoken Books have not been created in hundreds of years. The discovery of a new Book is a coveted prize for any young noble. Baztian is a slave to one of Oration's poorer Libraries. When he is selected to accompany his master on the Actkus Trials, he thinks his life is over. The wilds are treacherous, his master incompetent, and their fellow competitors set on winning, whatever the means. But Baz also has a secret—one that could get him killed, but one that also makes him the most valuable of assets during the Trials. Baz can read, and after he saves his master from certain death, he strikes a deal—his secret kept safe in exchange for aiding his master in completing the Trials. But can Baz really help a young man who thinks of him as property? And even if he can, there is much he doesn't know, like the evil that lies in wait beneath the ruins of Tome.


A Sea of Cinders

A Sea of Cinders by Adam R. Bishop

SPFBO8

In Cellagor—a land segregated between humans and Elves—fear, manipulation and war are inevitable. Nearly one hundred years have passed since the War of the Fallen, a cataclysmic battle between human and Elf which left both races teetering on the brink of extinction. Now, the Age of Tranquility is finally nearing its end, and the northern King of Havelmir is hungry for power and revenge. The Elven peace of mind remains unchanged—that is, until the Kingdom of Rhan is threatened by unknown forces. Soon it becomes clear that the tranquil Elven existence is once again at risk of crumbling. However, even with the element of surprise, the road to victory is not as smooth as it may seem. Ulterior motives are afoot, ancient magic is resurfacing, and an unlikely friendship between two young men may just pose the biggest threat of them all.


Bloody Spade

Bloody Spade by Brittany M. Willows

SPFBO8 Indie Recs Indie

A girl full of heart A thief touched by darkness A boy with a fiery temper An unwitting servant of evil The era of magic was once thought to be a myth, but after the Reemergenceushered forces both dark and light into the mundane world, it has sincebecome a harsh reality. Now those affected by this strange power—aspecialized group of Empowered called Jokers, known collectively asCardplay—must protect their world from the darkness that threatens toconsume it, all the while fighting for equality in a society clinging to normalcy. But the Reemergence was only the beginning. When another influx occurs on the seventh anniversary of that fateful event, an unfortunate encounter at ground zero lands Iori Ryone, a teenage boy in possession of a corrupt and legendary magic, in the care of recentJoker graduate Ellen Amelia Jane. From him, she learns the Reemergencemay not have been the inevitable natural disaster it first seemed. Someone is trying to tear down the barrier that separates the magical realmsfrom the mundane. The question is, can Cardplay stop them before it'stoo late Bloody Spade is the first installment in anurban fantasy duology that follows a cat-eared thief and a spirited girl as they try to navigate his wild magic, her hotheaded brother, asinister plot, and the feelings they're developing for each other.


The Gritikah Castle

The Gritikah Castle by Emmanuel Akeyo

SPFBO8

A contestant in SPFBO 8, in 2022.


Aya and the Alphas

Aya and the Alphas by Berneta L. Haynes

SPFBO8

When a young girl, Aya Wright, develops extraordinary abilities and becomes a target of the world’s most powerful fader, Eve must protect her. But at what price? In the twenty-five years since she exposed the existence of faders, Eve Cooper has survived the collapse of her country and the loss of her closest friends. Now she lives a mostly solitary life in rural Indiana, where she runs a secret network and safe house for faders—individuals like her with extraordinary abilities. In nearby Chicago, a young girl named Aya Wright becomes a target of the world’s most powerful fader because of her unparalleled abilities. When she arrives at the safe house after an attack, Aya soon sets in motion a series of events that threaten not only to upend Eve’s settled life but potentially change the world. As Eve struggles to reconcile her past with the choices in front of her, she must decide whether to leave her recluse life to protect Aya or allow the headstrong girl to find her own way in the world…

Aya and the Alphas is an action-packed and expansive sequel to Eve and the Faders that will thrill readers!


The Pacts We Make For Love

The Pacts We Make For Love by S.K. Nova

SPFBO8

Otherworldly entities lurk on the edges of existence. Haints. Witches. Things from Beyond. Call them what you will. They love us. They want us. They need us. And they want in. But they can’t exert their alien will without a connection to our world. They come at your weakest moment, at your most vulnerable, and they offer a deal. A pact. A favor for you, now. In return, you do a favor for them, later. Any favor. Something as simple as posting a letter at a certain time. Or something as ghastly as murder. You won’t know until it’s time to fulfill your end of the bargain. Five individuals make their Pacts out of love. Love of family. Love of self. Love of success. Alissa Sorrow, a poor scholarship student at Taliaferro Mann, the private school of choice for the elite, finds herself at the center of these Pacts. A point of convergence. These entities want her. But she doesn’t know any of that. She’s just trying to navigate the treacherous social waters of Taliaferro Mann. What price will she pay to survive?


The Rage of a Boy

The Rage of a Boy by Edward Patrick

SPFBO8

A destructive magic, long gone from the world, has returned, and new dangers rise with it. Tristan was a young boy when his home was invaded and captured by the crown prince of Felixandria. Now, he serves as a mercenary for Grauberg. When fate intervenes, he is put face-to-face with the man who took his home away all those years ago. Now, he has the chance to defeat this enemy, reclaim his home, and prevent war from coming to those who gave him shelter and refuge. Together with his closest friends, Garit and Ella, he sets out on a secret mission. Can vengeance quench the beast inside? Is evil truly a matter of black and white, or does understanding lie in the grey?


Aria of Rivers

Aria of Rivers by Lilse Asalt

SPFBO8

Aria is an orphan who has spent her life trying to live up to the luck that made her into a priestess. Her only dream is to be the perfect acolyte for the goddess she serves. She has little understanding of the wheels turning around her. As a curse is spreading through the land and wiping out what little hope the common folk have, she is given a gift by the goddess she serves. But how can she live up to expectation as a nobody? How can she save everyone if she cannot save herself?


Waking Ursa Minor

Waking Ursa Minor by Helen Rygh-Pedersen

SPFBO8

Waking Ursa Minor is the first book in the debut epic fantasy series, Riverda Rising by Helen Rygh-Pedersen. Spanning different countries and cultures readers are taken on a journey of love and loss, the search for identity and a thrilling fight for survival. As Gesland swelters in extreme heat, Serakela watches the nomadic Clans make their way across the plains on their annual pilgrimage and resigns herself to the monotonous life of servitude at the institution which raised her. But Serakela is not the orphan she always believed herself to be. On the night a crazed assassin tries to kill her, her heritage is revealed catapulting her into an island-hopping fight for survival, and the search for the fabled Stone of Riverda. The sundered islands of Riverda are dying. The earth magics that protected and sustained them before the Rivening are unbalanced; dwindling in some areas whilst stifling others. As time runs out and tensions rise, countries teeter on the brink of war, starvation and extinction. A way to save them has just arisen from the realm of rumour but Brother Okrafkus of the Separamus cannot allow this to happen. Not only will Serakela’s quest lead her to her long-lost family, rumour has it that she who wields the Stone will restore the islands of Riverda to their former glory. Rumour also has it that in doing so, she will unleash the evil that split them.


Princess of Undersea

Princess of Undersea by Leslie Conzatti

SPFBO8

Mermaid princess Ylaine has only ever wanted one thing: her father's recognition and approval. King Davor of Undersea, however, is obsessed with launching a war against the ignorant, pact-breaking humans. Ylaine believes that if she can convince her father that not all humans are evil, he might listen to her, and call off his plans for war. Such an outcome seems so far out of reach, till the day she willingly trades a most precious gift to have the thing that she hopes will help her make peace between the realms: magic that transforms her into a human. Safe in the palace of Overcliff, Prince Nathan seeks his own comfort, and dreads the day when the people of his failing kingdom will depend on him for their well-being. His father, King Theodore, remains distant and forgetful, while the Royal Council runs things--and as far as the Prince is concerned, he is free to continue doing as he likes. When a mysterious young woman arrives on the island, he begins to realize that all is not as it seems--and threats can come just as easily from across the sea as under it.


The Price of Honor

The Price of Honor by Richard Fierce

SPFBO8

Some traditions are meant to be broken. Lailani has always known that being a woman means that she will never be a dragon rider, but when a messenger shows up demanding that all dragon riders must prepare for war, Lailani knows that her father’s crippling illness will get him killed. She must choose between two paths: let him go and die or put on his armor and go in his place. Disguising herself as a boy, she joins the dragon riders and finds herself facing danger at every turn. With her father’s dragon the only friend she can trust, Lailani must learn to be a warrior and fight to save her homeland … if she can keep her secret that long. Mulan meets Eragon in this epic tale!


The Boy Who Drew Horses

The Boy Who Drew Horses by M. L. Roberts

SPFBO8

A custody hearing, an explosion, a boy on the run. Benjamin does not know what awaits him, but he knows what he leaves behind: a burned mansion, a dead guardian and the police who think he did it. If he stays to prove his innocence, he will not last the night. The blast summoned the unseen world. They seek the one using forbidden magic, and not to give him praise.


His Ragged Company

His Ragged Company by Rance D. Denton

SPFBO8

A pissed-off warlock with a taste for revenge. An army of sand-golems with fistfuls of magic. A wishing well with a mind of its own. No wonder Blackpeak, Texas never got its spot on the map. Town marshal Elias Faust thinks that he can make any problem go away if he throws enough lead at it. The living’s easy for a lawman. Bloody, but easy – that is, until Magnate Gregdon arrives with his undead syndicate to tear the town of Blackpeak, Texas apart. When a shootout with a pair of outlaws goes sideways, Elias Faust accidentally draws the Magnate’s attention. As if dealing with arcane sorcery, reanimated corpses, and the Magnate’s personal vendetta aren’t enough, Faust finds himself at the center of a power-struggle for Blackpeak’s eldritch secrets. Suddenly, staying alive just got a lot more complicated. Hunted by a cadre of sandshades and hounded by sinister spellcraft, Elias Faust may be the only bag of skin defiant enough to keep Blackpeak from being destroyed. To outlast the Magnate’s disciples, he’ll need to shoot straighter, run faster, and live longer…even if it means sacrificing a part of himself to do just that.


The Sorcerer Within

The Sorcerer Within by Will Rice

SPFBO8

How do you solve a murder when the victim and suspects are sorcerers? Elliot can't escape the feeling he has a connection to his colleagues at Arthan Associates. Even though they all have supernatural powers while he is just another faceless nobody. When one of the sorcerers is murdered, the others are all under suspicion. No one seems a likely culprit, but their kind are naturally secretive. Who is not what they seem? As the investigation continues, Elliot's sense of unease grows. What is that familiar feeling? Why does he feel a darkness in his dreams and an echo of violence within? When he discovers the truth, he will have to give up everything. If he is to stop another murder, Elliot needs to find out who he is.


Hell and High Water

Hell and High Water by Charlotte E. English

SPFBO8

Meet the baddest belles of London city. They were known as the fatales, once. Investigators and spies; killers and thieves; con artists and vigilantes — they fought fire with fire, did what had to be done, to make things right. Until the mission that broke them. Many decades later, the fatales have scattered to the winds. Fionn's the queen of London haute couture. Thetai's the star of the power metal scene. And Daix? Could be anything. Anywhere. It'll take a lot to bring them back together. When a model goes missing from a catwalk show, Fionn's frantic. The girl was a friend — and a fellow selkie. And she won't be the last to vanish. To catch the monster responsible, Fionn needs backup. It's time for the fatales to reunite, but can they get it together after eighty years apart? And will it be enough to face down an old enemy straight out of their murky, half-forgotten past? Three fabulous fae banter and brawl their way through a re-imagined, modern-day London — fighting crime, forging friendships and causing havoc. With style. Perfectly tailored for fans of urban fantasy and Charlie’s Angels!


Homefall

Homefall by Dwayne Leroy

SPFBO8

A time of change has come to the world. The great nations are meeting to decide the fate of all at the far off island city of Altex. The powerful, the power hungry, and those who once had power will vie for control, and they will learn that their existence is just one facet of the true struggle taking place around them. Men and women of great abilities, considered Scions of the divine, are making themselves known in a way that has not been seen in millennia, while a thing unknowable and unknowing crawls into the world. Two men, as far apart as it is possible to get, will be immersed in this tumult, forced by circumstances beyond their control. Eldon Demicrus, a wandering scholar, steams north on a great locomotive, driven by duty back to his abandoned home, his dread growing by the mile. Stathen Keldridge, Sheriff of a frontier town, has his life upended by the arrival of strangers, while tragedy catches him up in a whirlwind. Two men, two paths, one endpoint. Their fates bound by chains.


Dreams of Dust

Dreams of Dust by Lily Anne Crow

SPFBO8

The immortal lilka heal the wounds of a fractured world, but when the spirits of nature are silenced… Thaniel Swift’s life is about to change. The inexperienced Wayfinder sets out on his first mission to explore the untamed wilds of Koranth. But when he joins a band of storied heroes to uncover the cause of an ominously deserted village, the hunt will lead Thaniel far from home, into the remnants of a long-forgotten civilization, and dangers beyond his dreams. In the east, an ancient sorceress wields forbidden magic to attain the object of her obsession, no matter how much nature itself cries out in fear and pain. To achieve her desires, she will destroy not only the guardian spirits of the land, but the humans as well, leaving the continent of Koranth in desolation. Thrown into the unpredictable wilderness, with growing talents he barely understands, Thaniel uses magic and skill to lead his new allies further into a dying land, seeking answers. Only with the wisdom of the lilka, and the enigmatic aid of one of the Builders, will Thaniel and his companions have any chance at all. But will it be enough to stop the Queen of Dust? Dreams of Dust is the first thrilling adventure in the new fantasy series, Will of the Wayfinder.


Blessed With A Curse

Blessed With A Curse by Katie Cherry

SPFBO8

From the moment of my birth, I became Zeus's number one Most Wanted. I'm so screwed. I'm not a bad person. In fact, I'm training to be a nurse so I can help and heal people. Not that Zeus would care about any of that if he even knew. No, all he cares about is his law- no humans are allowed to use magic. The punishment for breaking this is death- a fate I've been able to avoid by living my life in meticulous secrecy. Until the night my magic activates on its own, releasing a gorgeous demigod from the town's statue. I have no choice but to run, taking Nikandros with me. After days filled with terror of being caught and killed, Nik convinces me to fight for my freedom. My magic may be strong, but going up against Zeus himself? Impossible. Run or fight, it doesn't seem to matter anymore. Thanks to this magic I've been cursed with, I will soon meet my end.


The Gates Of Anak'anor

The Gates Of Anak'anor by Topher Metcalf and Walt Allen

SPFBO8

Jari Rockjaw, a dwarf from the Blue Mountains wants to retire from bounty hunting, and after 100 years in the trenches chasing brigands, highwayman, and an assortment of creatures, he has earned it. He recruits a rag tag group of heroes that need that retirement check too. In his company for retirement are his best friends Betha Silentnight, a female minotaur who kills first and asks questions later and Toli Hookhand, a one handed horny dwarf who wants nothing but dwarven a** and money. The trio prepare for one last mission to produce the coins needed for that permeant vacation on the coasts of Anak'anor, the mercenary hot spot and their favorite watering holes. Lord Polis Silverwell, a human with ties to the King of Ekepia finds them and recruits the group who call themselves the Loners to take out Boro Spiderbinder, an evil dwarf who plans on world domination across Labrys. Come join the Loners in an epic battle for survival, friendship and retirement as they bullnose their way to the finish line. The question that will need answering is how many of them live to retire after their one last mission. Retirement is always easy to get when you're the most hated company on Labrys.


Gatekeeper's Key

Gatekeeper's Key by Krista Wallace

SPFBO8

Outcast swordfighter, Kyer Halidan, walked out of a cornfield at the age of three. Twenty years later, she leaves her adopted home to discover who put her there. And why. When she kills a man in a duel, she catches the interest of one of her greatest heroes, who invites her to join his company on a mission. But the man she killed had powerful friends. Desperate to learn what she knows about their plans, her new enemies pursue her relentlessly. Kyer’s impetuousness and disregard for consequences put the mission, and her life, in jeopardy. But to save a village, and the continent, from a despicable evil, she must choose between adhering to duty and breaking the rules.


No Gods, Only Monsters

No Gods, Only Monsters by Steve McHugh

SPFBO8

Diana, the Roman Goddess of the hunt, lives alone on the far edge of the Roman Empire. When an old friend arrives looking for help, Diana finds herself thrust back into her old life, and old problems. With innocent lives caught in the crossfire, Diana realizes that the only way to ensure the safety of her friends and loved ones is to do what she does best: hunt her enemies down.


Flight of Sorcery and Shadow

Flight of Sorcery and Shadow by Meg Cowley

SPFBO8

A captivating and darkly delicious romantic fantasy perfect for fans of Throne of Glass and Air Awakens. Aedon's captivity is over when darkness descends upon the realm. The elf's only choices become escape or death—a far cry from his past fame and notoriety as a legendary thief. Lost, alone, and desperate to escape the deadly beasts now stalking him, he does not count on meeting Lief, a ranger of the woodland elves...and Aedon's natural worst enemy. Lief prides herself on being one of Lune's finest rangers—now, she is the only one left alive. She must alert the Queen at once that the realm's defences have been breached by unimaginably malevolent sorcery. The last thing she needs is to stumble upon an escaped prisoner. Aedon and Lief become unlikely allies. Neither can survive without the other in a deadly race to outrun what hunts them. Lief must learn to trust another again, and Aedon must dust off his once legendary skills if they are to escape—but what else will bloom in the darkness that niether of them can deny? An old enemy rises. Stronger than before. He will consume all in his path, until dominion over the world is his. Multiple fates are bound in an inexorable descent into darkness. This new series from USA Today Bestselling Author Meg Cowley can be enjoyed as a new entry point into the Altarea world, or to dive back into the saga and discover what happened after the events in the Chronicles of Pelenor: Rise of Saradon series. From irresistable enemies-to-lovers and found family to heartrending betrayals and redemption, the complete Darkness of the Living Forest trilogy will keep you turning pages all night to a gloriously bittersweet and satisfying finale and your next bookish hangover.


Weapons of Disharmony

Weapons of Disharmony by Chad Retterath

SPFBO8

Titans roam the world of Ruun, bringing chaos and destruction wherever they appear. Magical weapons of unimaginable power lie hidden across the land. It is a dangerous, unforgiving world. Two small kingdoms sit on the brink of war, unaware of the dangers gathering outside their borders. Elite mages and boorish monarchs feud and argue within the palaces of Brunta and Ta-Veer.
The Bone Knight, a notorious swordsman, reappears after years on the run. Trouble follows the Bone Knight as forces work in the shadows, attempting to resurrect a long-forgotten titan.
Powers collide in Weapons of Disharmony as legendary weapons, titans, and powerful mages clash over the fate of the kingdoms.


Oath Broken

Oath Broken by Jarryd Smith

SPFBO8

Kaleb Reigns just wants to live a normal life. So much in fact that he swore an Oath to never use any of his gifts again. An Oath to leave the supernatural world behind, to walk away and never interfere again. Kaleb’s best friend is missing, and someone is messing with his dreams. He has been warned by the witches not to get involved, but Kaleb has to make a choice. Some Oaths are meant to be broken.


Atlas Rising

Atlas Rising by Blake Severson

SPFBO8

A new groundbreaking Virtual Reality MMO, a giant corporation with unknown motives, and a regular druid lost in the mix. Atlas finally gets the chance to play the latest VRMMO game with the first-of-its-kind Full Dive experience. Picking a druid, he charges forward into an unknown land as he tries to master an odd combat system. Luckily for him, the crafting system is ripe to make money and the game’s currency is tied to the real-world market. But a strange dungeon forces him to reevaluate everything he thought he knew. Is the company behind this game truly what it seems to be, or is there a nefarious purpose hidden below the surface?


Any Minor World

Any Minor World by Craig Schaefer

SPFBO8 SPSFC 2023

For Roy Mackey -- a recovering addict who makes his living as an unlicensed PI and occasional muscle for hire -- tracking down a dead writer's final manuscript should be a walk in the park. Too bad his client is a phony, the dead writer is a thief, and shadowy men are watching his every move. All clues lead to a canceled pulp-adventure comic, The Midnight Jury, and its mousy, reclusive author. Lucy Langenkamp is living a quiet life as an art restorer in Las Vegas; when Roy helps her escape from a crew of armed kidnappers, she's as baffled as he is. Then one of her own characters, a flamethrower-wielding "human exterminator," steps out of the pages of her comic book and into the real world. He's intent on hunting her down, and he isn't alone. The pulp villains spawned from Lucy's childhood imagination are coming to life, searching for their long-lost author. Her most sinister creation, the Illustrated Duke, has a dark plan in motion. This is a job for Lucy's two-fisted vigilante, the Midnight Jury. But the Jury is missing. To save the day, Lucy and Roy must descend into a noir-drenched nightmare city on a rescue mission. The walls between fiction and reality are shattered, there's wild magic in the air, and it's up to two unlikely heroes to risk it all and save the day.


The Last Dragonkeeper

The Last Dragonkeeper by Drew Montgomery

SPFBO8

Joven Farquin has spent a lifetime building up a reputation, his name spread far and wide as the man who travels with the last known dragon, as a mercenary who has made his living with a beast that inspires fear and awe throughout the land. It is a reputation that has brought him face to face with kings, warriors, clergy, and more across the Free Kingdoms as he has built his fame and fortune. But none of it could make him invincible. Awakened in a strange camp, injured and imprisoned, his dragon nowhere to be found, he finds himself at the mercy of powerful forces, agents of both a massive empire and an influential order of sorceresses. As he answers their questions, providing a glimpse into a past that has led him to this place, his mind seeks answers, searching for an escape and to find a reason that the beast he had so long entrusted with his life could allow him to fall.


Mysterious Ways

Mysterious Ways by Abbie Evans

SPFBO8 SPFBO Finalist

The Goddess works in mysterious ways, and Isabella Varselak intends to find out exactly what those ways are. As the commander of the 7th Unit of the Solistopian City Watch, Isabella Varselak has dealt with many a mystery. Murderers, burglars, con artists, and troublesome demons have given her a multitude of crimes to solve over the years. But injustice in the way the world works is all around her. Innocent people suffer, guilty people triumph. When this is questioned, the only answer she receives is that the Goddess works in mysterious ways. Determined to get to the bottom of what these ways are and solve the ultimate mystery, she sets off on a journey to find answers — but she’ll have to go through hell to get them. Mysterious Ways is a fantasy novel set in a matriarchal world. Women are in power, they worship a Goddess, and same sex relationships are common and socially acceptable.


A Blade For Hire

A Blade For Hire by Christopher D. Brand

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Who, and where, is Amheris? The question that will dominate the fortunes of Hale - a former soldier turned blade for hire – and could yet decide the entire fate of Ambria. After a bloody fight to protect the Lady de la Faye, Hale is offered a new task by his patron and frequent employer, the Lord Barthelme: to travel to Andrid and escort two priests on their journey to find their missing contact, known only as 'Amheris'. But despite the priest's assertions that this a routine job for a routine payment, the task quickly turns into a lethal game of cat and mouse, as Hale and his charges find themselves pursued at every turn by a relentless and deadly foe. Magic, muskets, mystery and mayhem are all unleashed in this swashbuckling fantasy thriller.


On Lavender Tides

On Lavender Tides by Travis M. Riddle

SPFBO8 SPSFC 2023

Ever since he was a kid, all Balt Vana wanted was to be a world-renowned Jekua Summoner like his grandmother, battling other Summoners in front of audiences of thousands. But from where he stands now, living up to the Vana name feels impossible. When his best friend Alani, an initiate at the local Church, is sent on a pilgrimage to find her path in life and the god she will follow, Balt sees the perfect opportunity to launch his career by escorting her across the archipelago and its purple seas. The islands are filled with monsters to imprint and Summoners to battle, with every victory bringing him one step closer to his dream. It will take more than just his family name to reach the same heights as his grandmother, but Balt won't stop until he does.


Water for Blood

Water for Blood by A.R. Henle

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Restore the spring of life! Losing her beloved father scarred Mara. She held tight to her mother, half-brother, and the unknown grandfather who showed up in the wake of her father's death. He never explained his absence. She never asked, valuing him as a link to her dad.

Until her dying grandfather asked her to go on a quest for the conquistador who, centuries earlier, stole the spring of life.

She agreed, never guessing that the quest involved deep, dark secrets about her father—and herself.

Moving and powerful, Water for Blood features compelling, complex characters facing generations-old evil.


Flowers and Bones

Flowers and Bones by Mae Jordon

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Shattered dreams lay around Rosalind MacBeth’s life. A Chosen of deities, trained to hunt monsters in Japan, she is forced to flee the only life she’s ever known after her family’s mysterious death. Tick Tock, a hunter of the supernatural, is also a Chosen. After his husband is slain, the Hunter’s Association sends him away on a mission to find a young person with flowers and bones in their hair: Rosalind. A dangerous road lies ahead for them both. Corruption and civil war brew inside the Hunter’s Association. Supernatural beasts of all kinds close in for the kill. Will they survive?


Vulcan Rising

Vulcan Rising by J. W. Judge

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Even your most deeply buried secrets can find their way back to you. The mysteries of Agatha's past threaten to expose themselves when Joseph investigates a noise he hears in the middle of the night and stumbles upon a world that he didn’t even know existed. Her quiet life in the suburbs is about to come crashing down around her.

When their son is kidnapped, Joseph and Agatha have to rely on each other to figure out why he was taken and how to get him back, whatever the cost.

Along the way, Agatha discovers to her horror that even her most deeply buried secrets are finding their way back to her. And the consequences are inescapable.

Vulcan Rising is the first book in The Zauberi Chronicles series. It is a work of contemporary/dark fantasy where Stephen King's The Institute meets Brandon Sanderson's Steelheart and Neil Gaiman's Neverwhere.


The Reign of the Occult

The Reign of the Occult by Lauren Louise Hazel

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The Reign of the Occult is a shuddering, thrilling, urban fantasy for Young Adults. Filled with hair raising chases through shadowy streets, frightening fights and mind-blowing magic, it's sure to keep many a different genre loving reader happy. The battle between the Underworld, full of darkness, and the Overworld, full of light, has been evenly balanced for millennia. Caught between them is the mortal world, where humans have become so afraid of a magic they cannot understand or control that they allow the Occult to rule them. After the Occult joins forces with the Underworld, the balance shifts and the Overworld is decimated. But still, in the mortal world, the magic won’t die. It appears when a supernatural being and a human have a child, like Prue. This is the first volume in an epic new fantasy series that spans the three richly detailed worlds as Prue, her non-magical half-brother Everett, and all Magic Users, fight to survive. They are being hunted by the Occult, who turn the Magic Users they capture into tools to eliminate their own kind and, eventually, to destroy all traces of magic.


Quenched in Blood

Quenched in Blood by Sean Crow

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Twilight City hosts over a hundred million souls, most held beneath the heel of the global empire, Tenocore. After suffering a bitter defeat in Europe, Angus Jarlson, the Glade Burner, has brought the Old Gods and what remains of his once mighty empire of Valhalla Steel, across the ocean to stake a claim in the megacity and begin to rebuild. Yet the long-lived Fae despise the Glade Burner and will muster their might and magic to destroy what remains of Angus and his clansmen. When vengeance and duty to family collide, violence ensues. The question is not only which side will be victorious, but will either remain standing at all?


The Black Parade

The Black Parade by Kyoko M

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Jordan Amador. 21. New Yorker. Waitress. Mild alcoholic. Murderer. Two years ago, Jordan accidentally shot and killed a Seer: a person who can see, hear, and talk to ghosts with unfinished business. Her crime came with a hefty price, too. She has two years to help a hundred souls cross over to the afterlife or her soul is bound for hell. Tough break. As if that weren’t bad enough, two days before her deadline a handsome pain-in-the-ass poltergeist named Michael strolls into her life. His soul is the key to her salvation, but the cost just might be more than she can handle. Solving his death puts her right in the crosshairs of Belial: a vain, bloodthirsty archdemon who won’t rest until she’s his slave. Can she rescue Michael and save her own soul, or will they both be dragged down into the clutches of the eternal black parade?


The Fangs of War

The Fangs of War by E J Doble

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After the brutal execution of Provenci's King by the roving forces of Tarraz, a new military government vaults into power with the nefarious Alvarez at the helm. Hell-bent on bloodshed and the glory of an imperial past, he amasses the largest army seen in a generation and plunges the two nations into a bloody war, against the will of the god-like being known as the All-Mother. Cavara, a general of the army at odds with her superiors over the war, is ground under the heel of the scheming Commander Revek and betrayed by her own people, left for dead on a distant shoreline. Saved by a passing ship and taken to the other end of the world, she is plagued by visions of a white void and a figure known as the Shadow Woman, who begins to unravel the true nature of the war - a conflict not only of men, but also of gods alike. In a story of hope, power, greed and hatred, all are driven mad by the enemy within - none are safe from the Fangs of War.


From A Great Height

From A Great Height by Jacob Stewart

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Rachel has been waiting her whole life. Waiting for power, waiting for freedom, waiting to see the walls of the city where she has lived in exile come crumbling down--but when the time comes, will she be ready? The king of Belum fears a revolutionary may be stoking fires in his city, and he will stop at nothing to silence her. A young soldier flees the front lines with a brutal hunter of deserters hot on his trail. Signs and wonders rain down on the city of Belum, calling into question just how far the daughter of a priest will go to secure the return of her people to their homeland. All these threads weave together as Rachel navigates a tenuous relationship with a divine power shrouded in darkness and mystery. And with such a heavy burden on her shoulders, she must keep an eye on those in her company who would use her for their own ends.


The Beckoning Void

The Beckoning Void by Patrick LeClerc

SPFBO8 SPSFC 2023

Emelia DuMond is an actress, her skill at adopting and changing her identity lifting her from her humble beginnings to success on the stage of Victorian London. And to the attention of the Ghost Society, a secret organization who work to defend the world from threats of the paranormal. After centuries of seeking, the sinister Disciples of the Void have obtained an arcane book of great power. A power that could tear the veil between dimensions and plunge the world into a dark, unspeakable future. Now she has recruited an aging soldier of fortune burdened by a conscience, the sword wielding daughter of an Afghan brigand and an airship whose captain escaped slavery during the Civil War by stealing a Confederate vessel. Can Emelia and her band of plucky outcasts save the world from a cult of fanatics intent on unleashing an ancient horror? “The Beckoning Void” is a tale of cunning plots, flashing swords, skillful piloting, witty repartee and eldritch dread.


Honor for the Dead

Honor for the Dead by Connor Ludovissy

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Ao has always tried to do the right thing. So when Renfreya was attacked by the bloodthirsty Kings, he volunteered for the army. Now he has blood on his hands, his own comrades are hunting him, and the right thing to do isn’t so clear anymore. Renfreya and the Kings have fought each other to a bloody stalemate on the Plain of the Ancestors, and no one knows who will emerge the victor. No one but Ao. When an easy first mission turns into a massacre, Ao uncovers a secret that could turn the tide of the war and save his home. But with a power-hungry sergeant leading the company and a horde of killers opposing them, he might never get the chance. Not unless he creates it himself. With his rifle, cunning, and a little bit of runic magic, Ao will do whatever it takes to save his home. No matter who has to bleed for it.


Candle and Claw

Candle and Claw by Stephen Taylor

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Hard magic, nuanced characters, and epic conflicts make Candle and Claw perfect for fans of Brent Weeks and Brandon Sanderson. Giovel Ullin’s job is to stop witches from crafting experimental magic and destroying the world. It’s a job he never wanted. Every time he hunts a witch, he’s reminded of the ones who stole his wife away and sent her back distant, delusional, and dying. Even worse, the same magic that ruined her life is now part of his—a tool Giovel’s expected to master for the sake of his duties. When a coterie of witches begins systematically removing Giovel’s companions, he has little choice but to fight back. But the more he learns about his own power, the more he sees himself in the very witches he hunts.


Ser Ghostwriter

Ser Ghostwriter by Joshua Derrick

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Heraclia is a land of poets, whose haikus and sonnets build towers, grow grain, and sail ships. Ed is a scribe to one of these poets, and when his master is murdered by highwaymen, he takes up his quill and becomes a ghostwriter, a masterless poet. Broad shouldered and strong, Ed does not exactly have the makings of a master poet, but enters his names into the rolls at a poetry slam tournament nonetheless. Though his poems are little more than scratchings of a quill, Ed's good heart soon lands him in the middle of a conspiracy that threatens the safety of the realm itself.


The Blood of Crows

The Blood of Crows by Alex C. Pierce

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Ren, a state-trained thief working in a world where everyone has magical ability except for him, doesn’t kill people. Tensions are already high in the walled realm of Lenmar, and when the nobility start dying with no trace of magic that isn’t from the victims, Ren immediately becomes the prime, and only suspect. Hunted by magic-eating Inquisitors and the Captain of the Royal Guard, his life becomes one of flight and fear through a realm on the brink of civil war.

All Ren wants to do is stop a serial killer, clear his name, find his mentor, and protect the people he cares about. To do that, he’ll have to pull one more high-stakes heist— And steal the proof he needs from the very people who want to catch him.


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