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Wolf, Willow, Witch by FreydĂs Moon A vicious romance imbued with magic, thievery, and necromancy⊠When Tehlor Nilsen stumbles upon an abandoned corpse hidden in her friendâs empty house, she canât ignore the energy lingering around the broken albeit familiar body. Entranced by the promise of ritualistic power, she seizes her chance to secure a vorĂ°r. Miraculously, Hel, the goddess of death, grants Tehlor an audience. But Lincoln Stone has no interest in becoming a magical sentry and raising him from the dead comes with violent consequences. When a mysterious neo-church arrives in Gideon, Tehlor catches wind of a rare relic. Despite Lincoln's troubling enthusiasm for demonology, she strikes a deal with her unruly vorĂ°r, hoping to mend their strained relationship⊠Work together. Steal the Breath of Judas. Control the dead. As the magically bound pair infiltrate Haven and their heist becomes a hunt, Tehlor isn't sure if she's the predator or prey⊠|
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Heart, Haunt, Havoc by FreydĂs Moon Laced with romance, gothic imagery, Catholic mysticism, diaspora, and horror⊠When lonely transgender exorcist, Colin Hart, finds himself challenged by an unruly haunted house in Gideon, Colorado, heâs kept awake by ghosts, demons, ghouls, and the handsome nonbinary owner of the house, Bishop MartĂnez. Unlike the simple hauntings Colin is accustomed to, Bishopâs house is a living beacon, attracting a plethora of inhuman creatures, including a vengeful wolf-headed spirit who might be the key to quieting their sleepless nights. But as a heartbreaking mystery unravels, Colin comes face-to-face with the past Bishop tried to bury, opens a closet full of bloody skeletons, and trips into an accidental romance. As paranormally skilled as Colin might be, this particular haunting may be too messy for him to handle⊠|
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The Necessity of Rain by Sarah Chorn It begins with a butterfly in chains. Since the dawn of time, life has been comfortable and predictable. The gods have wrested pockets of Creation from Chaos, formed civilizations, and built entire realities. Now, the nature of Creation is changing and the Divine are losing their divinity. Rosemary, daughter of the God of Creation, can no longer deny this when a strange delegation from Dawnland braves the paths through Chaos and survives. Come to negotiate trade and protection agreements with the Divine of Meadowsweet, it is the butterfly woman who so captivates Rosemary. The weight of her sorrow, the heaviness of her secrets. For the soul is a battleground. Clouds are massing along the horizon, and Rosemary... She must survive the storm. |
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Sistah Samurai by Tatiana Obey Afro Samurai meets The Sword of Kaigen in this anime-inspired novella This is no revenge story. I ainât got time for that. Iâve got errands to run and things to do and barely enough time to make it home before sundown. I donât care why folks are going around stealing ink. I donât care why the monks are acting kinda strange. I donât care that everybody is expecting me to save them. I might be a Sistah Samurai but those days playing hero were back when my knees didnât ache, and I wasnât the only one left. So leave me alone. All I want to do is get home, drink some green tea lemonade, and enjoy my peace. Iâm not asking for much, so why are all these demons daring to get in my way? I am not the one. Not today. Sistah Samurai is an Action Fantasy novella that is an homage to the anime, Afro Samurai. Both works feature a feudal Japan-inspired setting that is rife with anachronisms. In the words of Samuel L. Jackson, âIs that a motherfâing RPG?â |
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Your Blood and Bones by J. Patricia Anderson Kill the monsters when theyâre found. No matter who they used to be. The girl with secret feathers in her skin and strange bones jutting out beneath her clothes is resigned to her fate. Her deformities mark her a monster and the stories say monsters must die. When her family finds out and turns on her, a village boy saves her and leads her on a frantic escape. The girl believes her death has merely been delayedâuntil he mentions a cure. With the world against them and the monstrous change progressing, they must cross water, forest, and field to chase the rumor that fuels their desperate hope. But is hope enough to keep them going? |
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The Erstwhile Tyler Kyle by Steve Hugh Westenra Tyler Kyle doesnât believe in monsters. A washed-up thirty-year-old actor and reluctant cryptid investigator, Tyler is used to playing the Scully to his best friend Joshâs Mulder on their stupidly popular YouTube channel. But when Tyler receives previously unseen footage of the B movie bombshell mother who abandoned him eighteen years agoâfootage linked to an isolated island in the Canadian wildernessâthe mystery is one conspiracy heâs determined to investigate. The fact that following the scent gives Tyler an excuse to run away from the âstraightâ Josh, whom he drunkenly made out with, is just the cherry on the shit sundae. But Echo Island isnât what it seems. Its eerily scenic veneer hides a twisted secret buried in its roots as a gay conversion camp, and as Tyler retraces his motherâs footsteps, he discovers a supernatural connection between the residents and the islandâone they seem to think Tyler and his mother share. Even worse, the footage of Tylerâs mom came from someone on the islandâa stalker whose obsessive fascination with both Tyler and Josh is about to make Tyler wish he hadnât gone this one alone. Puppeteered by his stalker, searching for his mother, and debating whether itâs possible to queerbait yourself, Tyler comes to realize that it doesnât matter so much whether you believe in monsters, if they believe in you. THE ERSTWHILE TYLER KYLE is an adult horror comedy for fans of GHOST FILES, BUZZFEED UNSOLVED, and TWIN PEAKS. |
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The Forgotten Lyric by Carolina Cruz How can an assassin retire and live with everything theyâve done? Some men turn to drink, while others choose to live in denial. Kennet Peders, on the other hand, is just trying to be a better person. Saving a young girl from death by poison seems to be the perfect place to start, yet even as he takes a job that does nothing but good, Kennet canât fully escape his past⊠With the supernatural ability to influence other peopleâs emotions, Asa never felt quite comfortable in the society they were raised in. Luckily, being a bard means they can easily leave that society to find a home somewhere newâand the country of Bladland is very new to them. Here Asa finds themself presented with an opportunity: use their influence to help save a young girl and befriend a mysterious (and handsome) sword-for-hire in the process. Itâs an adventure theyâd be a fool to pass up on. The Forgotten Lyric is the second book in the Creed of Gethin trilogy. |
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Open Wound by Shane Blackheart Continued from Everything Is Wonderful Now ... After the angel that threatened his life, Sean faced his frightening alter, Vexis, who haunted his dreams. With the help of Byleth, Zagan, and Darokin, he thinks his troubles are finally behind him. Little does he know that PTSD is a beast lying dormant in waiting to emerge. It ends up influencing everything, including the way he perceives reality. Vexis was the reason Sean remained in a trauma loop for so long, but something changes within them as they decide to finally work with him; they want to help him heal from trauma after years of prolonging it. Being a sadist who is unable to feel love, it results in a twisted and sexual masochistic relationship that Sean becomes addicted to. As Vexis takes Sean through various liminal space voids and dark memories â theirs included â they reveal that they are something much more frightening and ancient than an angel or a demon. Can Vexis really be trusted? Or are they opening Sean's wounds to let something sinister slip inside... |
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Stronghold Fair Haven by the Sea is a beacon in a sometimes harsh world, open to all and deliberately, stubbornly kind. It also holds the honour and responsibility of hosting an atelier, a workshop for the rare and highly-prized magical engineers known as Mancers. Hazel lives a comfortable, contented life in Stronghold Haven as a member of the team of elite bodyguards protecting the resident Mancer. But when another Mancer comes knocking on Haven's door to plead for refuge from the stronghold zhey've just escaped from, zhey bring a growing threat of invasion in zheir wake. Ash is disruptive to Hazel's peaceful routine in more ways than just that: to his own astonishment, he's hopelessly attracted to the prickly, secretive Mancer. This might be the start of something precious...or the end of everything he holds dear. |
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Child of the Forest by Audrey Simmons Even as bait, Neoma thought she would have a little more time to have fun with her best friends on Tour before things got serious. But Tobiasâ words still ring in her ears. A chilling prophecy about tangled destinies, one that Tobias refused to expand on. Only a hint that a relationship with Luca will mean she never comes home. Almost as soon as the journey being Neoma is given yet another dire prophecy from the Mountain Herself: Hold close the stars in your soul or the Mad God will win this fight and chaos will reign. Neoma has a decision to make but the clock is ticking. Aurinkun warships have been spotted off the coast of Manena. |
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Natural Outlaws and Fractured Sovereignty by S.M. Pearce A precarious royal court. Two thieves with everything to lose. Caught robbing the Governorâs mansion, Blythe is given a choice: steal the crown jewel of Ostraitâs greatest enemy, or her papa and friends all die. Forced undercover as a candidate in the Fletch Kingâs marital competition, she must survive the cut-throat court under the watchful eye of the Governorâs pet assassin. But how much of herself will this mission cost her? Kalen got her into this mess. And now they must keep their head down in the servantsâ quarters, enduring their new superiorâs brutality and confronted with the terrors of their past. Itâs no longer as simple as crafting bombs and letting the fire do the workâthereâs nowhere left to run, and his real talent seems to lie in screwing everything up. Can a martyr learn what it means to live? Can a coward learn what it means to fight? Theyâre only a pair of outcasts. Failures. Will the cruelties of court tear their friendship apart? Or can they salvage a future together in a world that doesn't want them? **This queerplatonic dark fantasy novel contains themes/subject matter intended for a mature audience. |
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Homecoming Chaos by D. W. Brooks Four years ago, Jamie left everything behind. Now sheâs back to face her past, her family, and a killer. Jamie Scott had a seemingly perfect life: a loving fiancĂ©, a promising career as a doctor, and a supportive family. But she canceled her wedding and turned down a cushy job offer, instead, running away to join a humanitarian mission abroad. But life brought her back to her hometown, and now sheâs ready to face the consequences of her actions. What she doesnât expect is to walk into a murder scene in the parking lot of her familyâs business. She also doesnât expect to encounter Detective Nick Marshall, the sexy and smart cop who is assigned to the case. Heâs determined to find the truth, even with Jamie distracting him and interfering in the case. Heâs also drawn to her like a moth to a flame, despite the constant chaos that seems to surround her. |
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BACKMASK is written in the style of 60s horror pulp. Inspired by pop music history, BACKMASK is the fake history of a conspiracy theory surrounding the Satanic agenda to control children's minds. Nicholas Hush, 1960s record producer, has a vision for the future of pop music. After a series of prophetic dreams he wants to combine occult imagery with upcoming trends to create a new, groundbreaking look. His secretary, Valerie Chill, is tasked with finding consultants and funding while he crafts the perfect album. Quickly their project becomes entangled in other, larger machinations, and two teenage pop acts become responsible for international intrigue, brainwashing, and an occult massacre. Taking inspiration from the lives of Joe Meek, Phil Spector, and Timothy Leary, BACKMASK is a speculative look at how hidden messages got into pop music. |
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Lockdown Laureate by O F Cieri A 22 tale collection, with 22 illustrations by Soren HĂ€xan. Dark, introspective, grimy, urban, strange. âLike a puddle of blood in a back alley of New York City that whispers to you of what could have been via a static-slathered Bluetooth connectionâŠâ |
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Lord of Thundertown by O F Cieri In the movies, Thundertown was depicted like a real town, with boundaries, Folk-run businesses, and a government. In real life, Thundertown was a block here or there, three businesses on the same side of the street, an unconnected sewer main, or a single abandoned building. When an epidemic of missing person cases is on the rise, the police refuse to act. Instead, Alex Delatorre goes to Thundertown for answers and finds clues leading to a new Lord trying to unite the population. No one has seen the Lord, and the closer Alex gets to him, the farther Alex gets from his path home. |
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ManuScrita: Poems on Life, Love, & the Nature of Reality by Michael Teichberg Embark on a transformative journey of introspection and wonder with "ManuScrita," a captivating award-winning poetry collection two decades in the making. Inspired by undergraduate studies in philosophy, comparative religion, Judaic studies, astronomy, and metaphysics, as well as encounters with eclectic music, movies, and conversations with strangers and friends, this collection offers a lifelong odyssey for reflection. Featuring poems composed during the Poet-in-Decadence Writer's Residence for O, Miami Poetry Month in 2016, alongside experimental formats, short free-form essays, and stream-of-consciousness exercises, "ManuScrita" offers an immersive experience that invites readers to delve into the depths of their own consciousness. Prepare to be transported, challenged, and moved by this debut publication, which celebrates life, love, and the nature of reality through a mystic's lens. |
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Last Train Home by Sienna Eggler Meikeâs cozy train ride left them stranded in Glasend, a world where magic and man-eating plants are the norm. With their knowledge of botany and healing herbs, Meike aspires to become a reputable herbalist and mage. They make many friends along the way, including a quick-witted swordswoman, an axe wielding corgi, and other quirky characters. Later seasons explore magic and proper questing, and introduce monster taming. Updates weekly, on Thursdays! |
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Early Adopter by Sienna Eggler "But what if she doesn't want to be found?" Aided by their cybernetic eyes, private investigator Ryn Casler makes a living busting cheating spouses. While theyâll occasionally dabble in fraud and other typical cases, they donât deal with the missing. Until the persistent Shae Winters, a police detective, approaches them about the disappearance of a young Black woman. Friction flies between detective and PI, as Shae insists on tagging along during the investigation. But as their search deepens and spills into the world of fantastical body mods, it becomes clear thereâs more to this case than meets the eye. |
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Never Too Much by Sienna Eggler Romance was never a priority in Cyrille's life; her work on the local nature reserve came first. And compounded by her upbringing in a small town, finding a girlfriend seemed out of reach. "If it happens, it happens." But now that she's in her late 30's, Cyrille realizes it's better now than never. And a lot has changed over the last twenty years, leading to a steadily progressive attitude in town. A not yet out Cyrille braves a speed dating event, where she meets three potential partners: a childhood friend, a fellow park ranger, and a self-proclaimed "Goblin of the Forest." A hopeful Cyrille has one person in mind, but life is full of surprises. Never Too Much is a sapphic romance about an asexual lesbian navigating the dating scene, happy ending included. |
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Andy and the Extroverts by Jessica K. Foster Seventeen-year-old bookish Andy has no friends. When her over-involved mother has the audacity to ship her off to summer leadership camp, she's thrust into an introvert's nightmare. Everyone is a Communicator with a capital C, icebreaker activities are scheduled into every waking moment, and horror of all horrors: there's no coffee. Even the girls who take her under their wing are the kind of self-assured people Andy could never dream of becoming. Then she meets Lucasââhot, attentive, and everything Andy reads about in her books. Though the girls in her cottage try to warn her about him, she's swept into the first romance of her life. But when she discovers her friends may be right, she'll have to find her inner confidence to save her summer and become the leader she was always meant to be. |
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Queen of the Dawn by S.M. Gaither "The light cannot always overcome the dark. But it can rise to meet it.â Against all odds, Casia Greythorne has survived battles with gods and monsters alike, and the most powerful crown in the Kethran Empire is now securely in her grasp. Yet a seemingly impossible task still looms: finding a way to rid her world of its darkest god so she actually has a future to rule over. The path to sealing that god away has been revealed, but to follow it will mean venturing into a deadly and strange new realm, facing old fears and enemies, and deciphering ancient magic that raises more questions than answers. Meanwhile, chaos continues to spread throughout the empires. Armies rise and fall. The bonds between allies begin to frayâand hope along with it. And with every bloody battle, the final cost of saving their world becomes clearer. Dawn is coming, but will Casia and her friends survive to see the new day? |
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Paper Daffodils: A Dawn & Rosie Adventure by Titania Tempest Is it ever too late for a love story? Dawn Clermont certainly doesnât think so. Rosie Bishop absolutely disagrees. The last place divorcee Rosie wants to be is on a Seniors Retreat in the Lake District. Sheâs determined not to have a good time, but an unexpected reunion with an old friend thwarts her plans. Her armour of bitterness proves no match for the spirited widow Dawn; dragged through a whirlwind of adventures and betrayed by her own sense of humour, Rosie soon realises she hasnât got a hope of staying sullen. As Rosie clings to the remnants of her sarcasm, something about Dawn draws her closer than ever before. Soon, their bond threatens to run deeper, but is the possibility of budding romance worth risking their rekindled friendship? |
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Everything Is Wonderful Now by Shane Blackheart When Dark is good and Light is evil... Ten-year-old Sera is isolated and depressed; bullied at school and at home by her father. Her mind gives her no respite, suffering from a panic disorder and a second voice in her head that forces violent, intrusive thoughts. She meets the fallen angel Byleth one night while wanting to end her life. He isn't a fan of kids and intends to leave immediately, but Sera's aura catches his eye. It's dark, and it isn't from her trauma that pulls at his heartstrings. It's also attracted a corrupt angel who wants to rid the world of another Hellspawn child. Sera has a lot on her plate, but as she ages and transitions to Sean, a disabled trans man with C-PTSD, he not only meets more spirit guides from Hell, he realizes that his biggest threat has always been the 'other' that dwells in his own head. |
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I Am Changing Careers: Questions to Guide a Job Seeker by Anita Job "I Am Changing Careers" is a series of questions and answers based on the author's own job hunting experience that will encourage and motivate you on your own journey of what works to get hired. Topics include choosing your career, getting hired, how to take care of your health, and what to do once you have the job. The roadmap at the end of the book provides a 2-week daily checklist of how to implement the contents of the book and find meaningful employment as quickly as possible. |
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Tamika Wood's Birthday Party by Le Kendall Follow the stories of Alan Sebastian Parker and his family as they navigate life, love, family and parenting, queerness and neurodivergence. |
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Merchants of Light and Bone by Erika McCorkle Sorrow in paradise. A parentâs worst nightmare. When grief drives one to revenge. Living in a tropical paradise with his spouses and kids, Amiere is a merchant of light, a sculptor who carves glowing crystals into spectacular and powerful, demon-killing works of art. When the ground opens up near his idyllic village to reveal a massive supply of crystals, the whole nation of Aloutia celebrates. The merchants are guaranteed money for decades and officials predict Aloutia will be safe from demonkind for generations. But Amiere isnât rejoicingâwhen the ground split apart, his seven-year-old daughter fell to her death. Amiereâs grief turns to rage when an old enemy returns to the village with a young daughter displaying signs of starvation and abuse. Having witnessed his own daughterâs death, Amiere cannot bear the thought of watching another child die, especially when he can prevent it. Unable to ask police for help due to the villageâs reputation of hostility toward authority figures, Amiere takes matters into his own hands, even at the risk of being exiled and separated from his family forever. |
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Of Mycelium and Men by William C. Tracy The generational fleet planned to make landfall after eighty years, but eleven planets and four centuries later, they still had not found a home. Finally, they landed on Lida, but something already lives there, and it's big. Agetha and her husband have spent their whole lives in the fleetâs zero-G. Now all is turmoil as the fleet lands, discovering they are surrounded by a single fungal biomass spanning the entire planet. To build a new home, the fleet must confront a dangerous organism, and Agetha must decide if she can raise a family in this inhospitable landscape. Jane Brighton holds tenuous command over the colony and its administrators. She and the other gene-modded leaders emerged from their four-hundred-year suspended animation to find a crew much different to the one that departed Old Earth. Jane must direct the colonyâs fragile growth, and defend it against being overrun by the fast-growing biomass. But there is something none of the colonists know. The massive organism that spans the planet is not simply a fungal mass, nor even a chimerical combination of species that once roamed the planet. The biomass has desires and goals, and one is to know these strange beings carving out a home in its midst. |
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It appears out of nowhereâone moment the sky is empty, the next, thereâs a rent in the fabric of space itself. And nothing in the system will ever be the same. In the far reaches of the Rim Mountains, itinerant field-scientist Aran Romeu is searching desperately for the cure to an incurable diseaseâone thatâs slowly killing his best friend. Heâs sworn to do whatever it takes to find it. But when the portal opens, and something comes through, he realizes that âwhatever it takesâ will involve travelling into the uncharted space beyond the portal. And heâs not the only one after the cure, and willing to do whatever it takes to get to it first ⊠In the weighty halls of government, Chief Justice Alba Espina is preparing a political gamble that could change the shape of the system itself. The appearance of the portal shatters her carefully-laid plans and hands her political rival a weapon he could use destroy herâunless she can delay him with the promise of a diplomatic mission through the portal. But the stakes of the mission are higher than just her personal ambition. If her diplomatic mission doesnât succeed, it might just spell the end of humanity itself. In a remote spaceport, Savina Moya, the system's most talented assassin-for-hire, is on the run again after her latest murder. But when a deadly government agent is sent after her, with instructions to bring her back dead or alive, the diplomatic mission heading into the portal may hold the key to Savinaâs survivalâif sheâs brave enough, or desperate enough, to take it. No one knows whatâs beyond the portal. And as the three of them are drawn inexorably together in uncharted space, with no idea who is an ally and who is an enemyâitâs an open question if any of them will live long enough to find out. |
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Star Marque Rising by Shami Stovall The future is governed through a genetic hierarchyâsuperhumans at the top, humans and defects at the bottom. Welcome to an all-new military science fiction novel from critically-acclaimed author Shami Stovall. Clevon Demarco, a genetically modified human, has a cocksure attitude and the combat skills to back it up. With his unparalleled skills, he makes his living as a ruthless gunrunner on a shady space station near the edges of the quadrant. Stronger, faster, and wittier than most sad sacks, no one even comes close to Demarcoâs abilitiesâuntil he crosses paths with the captain of the notorious Star Marque, Endellion Voight. Captain Voight arrests Demarco and offers him a choice: go to a prison planet for his crimes, or join her starship, the Star Marque, working as mercenaries for the superhumans. But she didn't pick him at random. She has a plan to become a planet governor; a title no human has held since the superhumans won the war. It doesnât matter the costâassassinations, extortion, blackmailâsheâs determined to claw her way to the top. All Captain Voight needs is Demarcoâs help to carry out her machinations, and sheâll give him everything heâs ever wanted in return. A fast-paced space opera for those who enjoy Old Manâs War by John Scalzi, Revelation Space by Alastair Reynolds, or anything by Robert A. Heinlein. |
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The Left Hand of Dog by Si Clarke Escaping intergalactic kidnappers has never been quite so ridiculous. When Lem and her faithful dog, Spock, retreat from the city for a few days of hiking in Algonquin Park, the last thing they expect is to be kidnapped by aliens. No, scratch that. The last thing they expect is to be kidnapped by a bunch of strangely adorable intergalactic bounty hunters aboard a ship called the Teapot. After Lem falls in with an unlikely group of allies â including a talking horse, a sarcastic robot, an overly anxious giant parrot, and a cloud of sentient glitter gas â the gang must devise a cunning plan to escape their captors and make it back home safely. But things wonât be as easy as they first seem. Lost in deep space and running out of fuel, this chaotic crew are faced with the daunting task of navigating an alien planet, breaking into a space station, and discovering the real reason theyâre all there⊠Packed with preposterous scenarios, quirky characters, and oodles of humour, The Left Hand of Dog tackles complex subjects such as gender, the need to belong, and the importance of honest communication. Perfect for fans of Charlie Jane Andersâ Victories Greater than Death and The Long Way to a Small by Becky Chambers â especially ones who enjoy endless references to Red Dwarf, Star Trek, and Doctor Who. This book will show you that the universe is a very strange place indeed. |
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Aztra's Mirror by Charles Freedom Long Beneath the surface of Trychnos and its twin, Saecula, lie a galaxyâs wealth of gemstones. The Trux have despoiled their world through mindless quarrying. The Saec rejected wealth and all modernity. They detest each other. To the point where their saints have abandoned them. With Trychnos on the verge of ecological collapse, the Trux plan to invade Saecula and repeat the mining calamity. Centuries of hate cannot simply be erased. But deep within the bowels of Trychnos, lies a magical mirror, made of one perfect diamond by the god Aztra herself. Whoever gazes into Aztraâs Mirrorâif they survive the mirrorâs gazing back into themâwill have power beyond their wildest dreams. Power to bring about whatever change they desire. If they do not survive, they will pay a price beyond imagination. Neither Zakan nor his twin Javek ever wanted more than to live as simple acolytes in their pastoral village. But the God Aztra herself calls Zakan to the challenge of the Mirror. Despite Zakanâs recurring dream that he will die in this quest, driven by Aztraâs calling, aided by saints, sinners, sorcerers, and the dead of both planets, Zakan sets out to find Aztraâs Mirror and use its power to save both worlds. If he fails, both the simplistic Saec and avaricious Trux will die, and their planets with them. The mirror has its price. And it will be paid. |
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Dangerous Thoughts by James L. Steele Their planet was ripped apart from under their feet. When Deka and Kylac wake up, they discover Archeons are dead, and the portals have closed without warning, leaving hundreds of planets without links to other worlds. Relâs destruction touched every planet in the contacted universe. Without the portals, entire civilizations hang in the balance, and Deka and Kylac are the only two who can make spacetime spheres. The raptor and the fox travel from world to world, repairing the damage the disaster caused, preventing civilization from collapsing. Floating islands drifting through the toxic atmosphere of a gas giantâoffworlders are stranded there, just barely clinging to life. A planet of raised platforms made of growing rock that elevate the people above the flammable algae on the surfaceâeverything is falling apart, and where are the people? A world of giant insectsâresearchers have gone missing, and they have been injected with mind-altering venom. A planet of salamanders and birdlike reptiles who relied on portals for foodâfacing starvation, the reptiles revert to hunting the salamanders. What could have destroyed an entire planet? What could have reached across the light years to kill so many Archeons at the same time? Did anyone else survive? |
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Before the Shattered Gates of Heaven (Shattered Gates Volume 1) by Bryan S. Glosemeyer FIGHT FOR YOUR PLACE IN THE STARS in an epic adventure of interstellar war, visionary transformation, and cosmic mysteries! Growing up the lowest of the low in a cruel, alien underworld, Sabira dreams of something more. More than being forever unseen, toiling in tunnels and mines, and never seeing the sky. She dreams of a life of adventure among the stars. She has only one way to make her dreams come true:âšVictory in the deadly fighting pits of the Divine Masters. When a failed battle brings certain death and defeat, a chance encounter saves Sabiraâs life, but challenges everything she holds sacred. Confronted by shamanic visions and unimaginable revelations, Sabira must choose between faith and loyalty or mystery and liberation. The lives of everyone she loves, and of worlds across the galaxy, weigh in the balance⊠Bryan S. Glosemeyerâs novel delivers a fast-paced, thrilling sci-fi adventure set in the distant future, filled with vivid worlds, compelling characters, and gritty action. |
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The Shepherds of the Sunstone: Book One - Sunstone Saga (The Sunstone Saga) by Nicolin Odel A murdered father. Awakened magic. Nightmares of drowning in the dark abyss. Something hunts in the deep of the night through the endless sea of sand. Adventurous, captivating, and complex, The Shepherds of the Sunstone plunges into the world of fantasy with a blood-curdling scream. Hata thought she was ordinary until she discovered her power to bend the earth to her will. Simon had a dream of drowning, and then his nightmare became a reality. He was kidnapped by a savage tribe and enslaved in the desert. His wife, Saudett, is a soldier who would stop at nothing to rescue him. She joins forces with a band of warriors and Hata, the mysterious girl with earth-shattering magic. But they were not the only ones who wanted Hataâs gift. A powerful order of mages is hunting her down, and they will stop at nothing to capture her. And as they journey across the desert of the Burning Sea, they face a malevolent force threatening to destroy them all. Can they survive the perils and save Simon from his fate? Find out in this epic fantasy adventure, where magic, grit and courage collide. Fans of Patrick Rothfuss, Andrzej Sapkowski, Sarah J. Maas, and Robin Hobb will find this first installment in the Sunstone Saga an intense, tactile, dark, and action-packed journey. |
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The Recovering Materialist by Tuomas MĂ€kinen âHow much are you willing to sacrifice for your dreams?â At 25, Tuomas comes up with his answer: everything. Stuffing his life into a single orange suitcase, he moves across the globe to a Hindu monastery deep in the redwood forests of Northern California. He expects to finally find the tranquility, truth, and harmony he has always yearned for, but instead comes face-to-face with his darkest shadows. As it turns out, ashrams are a lot less âKumbayaâ and a lot more like rehab centers. The greatest battle of Tuomasâ life begins, and thereâs no knowing whether he will land on his feet or his ass. âThe Recovering Materialistâ offers a candid, raw, and at times sidesplitting portrait of the hardships and victories of a life dedicated to spiritual enlightenment. In lean and inventive prose, MĂ€kinen takes the reader on a rollercoaster from his alienated years of hardcore punk and societal underperformance, through his relationship dysfunctions and family drama, to crying alone in a dark yurt and barely averting a fist fight with a fellow monastic, all the way to tentative contentment through building a temple. There is no middle ground in this memoir. The story is in constant movement between the depths of darkest despair and the heights of spiritual ecstasy. Get ready! |
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The Configuration of a Soul by Irina Diamond In a world where knowledge is considered power, Scholar Eris has witnessed firsthand why secrets are the difference between life and death, and why trust and attachment are dangerous. However, that doctrine was challenged almost a decade ago when she met the altruistic and pragmatic siblings Aaron and Natlee in the slums. Now, when Aaron is murdered at gunpoint protecting an innocent Supine, she may just be willing to defy everything she's ever known, and death itself, to bring him back. The only problem is, just who can she trust? |
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When The Stars Alight by Camilla Andrew A maiden of the stars. A monster from the shadows. A collision that rewrites their worlds. Princess Laila Rose is a fallen star in human form. A beloved guardian to humanity. Yet in spite of these fantastical origins, she has never much believed in prophecies. Thatâs why when a demon of apocalyptic legend is presented to her in a block of ice, she feels fascination rather than fright. Curiosity kindles into mutual desire once he breaks free of his captivity. Far from the rampaging beast of mass destruction everyone expectsâhe is monstrously handsome, deviously articulate and alluringly mysterious, a prince among his kind. Eager to discover his origins, Laila travels from her idyllic seaside realm into a land of unspeakable horrors, relying on her wits to survive her journey. She arrives aiming to establish peaceful contact with the aid of the besotted prince. However, it becomes clear that the heartless demon king does not desire peace at all, only war and conquest. When diplomacy fails, Laila turns to the kingâs suave and manipulative bastard son in the hopes that she can inspire both him and his trueborn brother to go against their father. But soon it is her heart she must keep from being torn between their centuries-old dangerous rivalry. This gothic fantasy set in a vibrant gaslamp world is a must-read for fans of Catherynne Valente and Angela Carter. Itâs written in lush, lyrical prose full of intricate worldbuilding, courtly intrigue, and magic that seeps through the pages. Beneath its light, romantic and whimsical veneer, you can expect darkness, brutality and passion. |
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Pink Apocalypse by Carpenter Gibson Forget diamonds, in the Post Apocalypse, Bullets are a girlâs best friend! Pink is a mysterious woman who walked out of the wastes. She is an up and coming member of the Patrol. They are the sheriffs of the wild wastes, taking on zombies, mutants, bandits and robots left over in the ruins. Pink is now freshly promoted and set out on a seemly mundane mission with three other wasteland warrior women at her side. However, she is haunted by a failed expedition to find her mentor in more ways than one. Pink must now lead this team of bad ass bullet babes into the wastes for answers. The End of the World was just the beginning of Action and Adventure!" The world ended in the weird future of an alternate earth. Zombies stalk the wasteland! Mutants lurk in the ruins! Forgotten robotic soldiers still patrol the devastation. Raiders and rival tribes war over scraps. But there is hope. Braves souls still seek the tame the wasteland and ensure humanity's survival. Intrepid settlers and traders struggle to make a slightly better future. In such strange times tales of adventure abound. Pink's story is but one. Come see the wild west of the post apocalypse with us! |
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A wild ride stuffed to the cut-lines with humor, heart, and space shenanigans. Mayâs humdrum life gets flung into hyperdrive when sheâs abducted, but not all aliens are out to probe her. Sheâs inadvertently rescued by Xan whoâs been orbiting Earth in a day-glo orange rocket ship, watching re-runs of âI Love Lucyâ. Seizing the opportunity for a better life, May learns how to race the Audacity and pilots her way into interstellar infamy. Finally, she has a job she likes and a friend to share her winnings withâuntil the Goddess of Chaos screws the whole thing up, and Xanâs unmentionable past makes a booty call. If Douglas Adams got punted into a sticky orange pool of feminism and made sweet love to Futurama, youâd have something approximating The Audacity. Fans of Hitchhikerâs Guide to the Galaxy will appreciate the style, fans of Futurama will love the blend of laugh out loud humor and feels, fans of Steven Universe will enjoy that Space is Very Gay. If youâre tired of the same old cynical, militaristic sci-fi and crave characters who genuinely care about each other and an image of life in the Universe that isnât all gloom and doom, youâre going to have a good time in the Audacity. |
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Woodpusher by S. Morgan Burbank Erika Edens finally had everything she wanted. The girl. The quiet life. The stable job. But even the best situations can be turned upside down by powers well beyond our control. Now Erika finds herself in another universe full of gods, guardians, and advanced technologies. Along with her girlfriend and four other humans, they must undertake a plan to save Earth from a rogue deity. But for all the skills and talents this team has, one critical component is out of place. Will Erika be able to overcome her lack of skills - and her demons - to learn what she needs to save the world? Or will she trip herself up along the way? |
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The Fall That Saved Us by Tamara JerĂ©e Cassiel has given up the family tradition of demon hunting, leaving behind her sacred angelic duty and fated sword. What she canât leave behind are the scars. To cope, she spends her days immersed in work, pouring all her attention into New Haven Books, her small bookstore and anchor in the new world sheâs carved for herself. But the past hasnât let go of Cassiel yet. When a succubus named Avitue arrives to claim her angel-touched soul, Cassielâs old hunter instincts flare, forcing her to choose between old knowledge and her truth. What should be a fatal seduction becomes a bargain neither woman expects. As they grow closer, Avitue is surprised to find her own pain reflected in Cassiel, a nephilim deemed fallen by her own familyâs standards. By choosing trust, they reveal the lies that bind them. Falling for each other begins a path towards healing. But exorcising the effects of trauma is harder than naming it, and to explore the unfettered possibility Avitue represents, Cassiel must find a way to reclaim and redefine her angelic heritage. |
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Of books and Paper Dragons by Vaela Denarr & Micah Iannandrea (Free on our newsletter) How to run a successful bookshop: Change careers at thirty-eight, suffer from anxiety, make friends with the local artists, and donât get eaten by the draconic overlord. In the Lightless Sea, the Black Sands Desert that can only be traversed beneath the stars, scavenging the wrecks of ancient starships is the most prestigious and exciting profession available. And for Voa, who has spent the last twenty years amassing knowledge for the hoard of a great and terrible dragon ruling over their city, it is now a thing of the past. Scavenging has lost its luster, and a new life, the calm and comfortable existence of a bookseller, calls to them. But a lifetime of delving into the bowels of metal behemoths has left Voa ill-prepared for the social anxiety and laws found in a dragonâs city. Jet, a local artist in a similar position of changing careers, takes pity on Voa. What begins as an act of kindness quickly becomes a personal battle as she and Voa grow closer. Voa has the resources, and Jet has the people skills. All they need now is to convince Keeper Yirrin, Lord of the Archives, to support their budding passion project But the somewhat enigmatic and introverted dragon may just have their own designs for the little bookshop, and for the orc running it⊠Of Books and Paper Dragons is a cozy, low-stakes fantasy about ordinary people leading ordinary lives, selling books, doing their taxes, and battling social anxiety in the quiet safety of their book collections. |
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She Who Earned her Wings (Stars, Hearts and Dreams book 1) by Vaela Denarr & Micah Iannandrea "One does not learn to fly without taking a leap. And one has to fall to be caught." Nomi is a young druid finally taking the chance to spread her wings and leave her home. To see the world and discover its magic, beauty⊠and maybe love. Calia is a dragon on the hunt for angels, trying to square an old debt. That, and to get Laura, her desired bondmate, to finally return to her side, where she belongs. Nomi immediately catches the eye of the powerful dragons. Calia entices her with honeyed words and a skillful tongue. On the other hand, Laura, much smaller but equally intimidating, takes it upon herself to protect her. Despite the warnings, Nomi canât help being drawn to Calia's charm, her power, her fangs⊠and the hidden gentleness in her eyes. She promises danger where Laura promises safety, and Nomi is torn between the two. Luckily there is a convenient cult out for the dragonsâ heads, providing Nomi with ample distraction and at least one dragon egg to steal, hatch, and raise by herself. Perfectly normal things for a young transgender druid to get involved in! In the clutches of dragons, battling dark forces from beyond the stars, Nomi faces the questions of who she is and who she wants to be. Whether she deserves the love offered to her, and what it truly takes to earn her wings... |
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She Who Brought the Storm (Stars, Hearts and Dreams book 0.5) by Vaela Denarr & Micah Iannandrea Rhi is small, anxious, and gifted with magic that disables them more than it helpsâPowerful magic, which many would stop at nothing to obtain. In their desperate search for safety, Rhi turns to none other than one of the secret dragon masters of Habitat Seventeen, Laura, Lady of Ash. Exposing Rhiâs forbidden knowledge could garner Laura the recognition and allies she needs. Instead she offers them a She will shield them from their pursuers, and theyâll be her hunting dog. Loyal, obedient, and exactly what she needs to deal with a pervasive monster situation in her territory before the other Starborn catch wind of it. Rhi tentatively agrees, but the plan is complicated by the watchful eye of Calia, a bloodthirsty dragon with much to gain from their failure. And Rhi, grappling with their magic and desperately angling for control, doesnât realize that being with Laura will put them closer to danger than ever before until itâs too late. |
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The Gift of Blood (Crimson Tears book 1) by Vaela Denarr & Micah Iannandrea Hunger, yearning lesbians, and monstrous love. Monsters are real, and Ryann is one of them. Chosen as a weapon in a war that is not her own, she finds an outlet for her anger in the fighting pits beneath Toronto, and on the hunt for the vampires that changed her. Whatever the cost, she'll take back her life, her controlâor make them fear the hunger they've roused in her. Burdened by monstrosity, Meg, assassin of the Scorching Dawn, drowns her pain in the blood of her enemies. When the call comes to slay the monster whipping the city's beasts into a frenzy, she welcomes the hunt. And in Ryann, she finds a violent thirst for bloodâand the opportunity to feed her own. Shadows surround the city. The beasts within cower as the foundations writhe. Drawn to one another by a mutual hunger, Ryann and Meg must learn to trust each otherâor perish in the dark. |
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Worthy of the Raven: Stalked by Darkness (The Raven's Chosen One #1) by Y L Zamora The Raven chose you; a Skin demon told little Lara -a secret she's kept for almost ten years. She still can't understand the ominous message when her sick, insane father viciously attacks her mother in front of her and the Raven -always by her side when calamity strikes. Lara must seek shelter with her friends, the CondĂ© brothers, who disguise her as their younger sibling and smuggle her into war to protect her, but the darkest, most dangerous magic quickly catches up to her when she meets the Skin once more. âNicola, the heir of CondĂ©, became head of the family when his father, the greatest Longbraid warrior, lost his leg in battle and his will to live with it. Nic, an aloof intellectual who didn't inherit the CondĂ© talents for combat, can't fill his father's shoes or his younger brother's -already General at twenty-one- and struggles in a war he doesn't believe in, training the woman his brother has always loved while coping with his own tumultuous feelings for her. âAlessandro is a farmer boy turned reluctant Leader. His love for Lara isn't enough to prevent her brutal attacker the night before his army must go to war in a quest to steal the Magic only the ruthless Skin possess. He must keep his men alive against the most lethal predators in the Ucrian Peninsula and confront the Lords in a constant battle of political wits to keep his grip over the army while hiding Lara in plain sight as he deals with his own soul-crushing guilt. |
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Brandon Goes to Hong Kong by Eugenia Chu While on a trip to Hong Kong, Brandon thinks he sees a great red dragon - but is it real or imaginary? Join Brandon as he tours the city and learns about dragons in this multicultural, multigenerational chapter book which includes some Mandarin Chinese (Simplified) with Pinyin pronunciation throughout, adding educational elements of the Chinese language and culture. Is Brandon the only one who sees the dragon? Can legendary or mythical creatures ever be real? What do you believe? |
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Fragmented Fates by Nancy Foster The hero. The seer. The child. The condemned. After surviving two bloody purges that nearly exterminated both the Grey Clan and Orsenmuray City, the elf and harlequin survivors struggle to bring the tent city of Almjarhad to life. Surrounded by the ocean and desert, these inhospitable lands are slowly being developed with the aid of their magic. As the culprit of their misfortune, the condemned elf Lord Jamarnid is forced to rely on his son Jarahad to rule the city due to ending up disabled before his frantic escape. Bitter about his situation because he wanted to be executed, Jamarnid distrusts the true intentions of the seer Talgel. Unwanted by the Elf Kingdom and his harlequin great-grandfather Hurrujat, Jarahad struggles to accept his fate. As the interim ruler of Almjarhad, Jarahad wishes to complete his sword initiation to protect his people... and gain Talgel's unrequited love. Talgel is a woman of perpetual mystery with dubious morals. Upon awakening magic that grants her the ability to predict the future with absolute certainty, Talgel lost her eyesight. She now wears a masquerade mask to hide her true feelings. Embroiled in this story is a young hybrid elf named Tioja, who doesn't understand his role in the greater scheme of things. Four characters are about to have their fates manipulated, and their willpower tested. All for the sake of a demon inhabiting Talgel's body that will use them for its own nefarious purposes. |