SPFBO7 Self-published Fantasy Blog-Off Entries 2021
Entries into Mark Lawrence's Self-published Fantasy Blog-off in 2021 (the 7th year of the contest).
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Where I Belong by Willow Woods When all you know is forgotten, you can change a kingdom. Explore Jadeus and the kingdom of Saphyre, a realm rich with magic and corruption. Alexandra is a young woman intent on forging her own destiny. But the Princess of Karstares is not free to marry for love and her relationship with a lowly knight is doomed from the start. When her betrothal to the King of Saphyre is announced Alexandra becomes desperate to make her own life. After a spell goes awry, Alexandra finds herself married to the tyrannical Carlyle with no memory of her past or even her magical ability. With no idea of who she is, Alexandra finds herself thrust into the heart of a five-hundred-year-old rebellion led by a man who claims to be Saphyre's rightful king. Buy now and join Alexandra as she battles to remember who she is, and decide the fate of a kingdom. |
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The Vanguards of Scion by Michael E. Thom Power corrupts absolutely. The Vanguards of Scion is a dark epic fantasy story about five characters who are given great powers by dark beings from another dimension. We follow the five as they move through the East Realm and soon discover their powers have unimaginably horrid costs and the stakes keep stacking against them as the world they once knew begins to change forever because of their own mistakes. THE MOST POWERFUL MAGE IN THE UNIVERSE CREATES SCION, A POCKET DIMENSION FOR HARVESTING THE MOST POWERFUL MAGIC IN THE UNIVERSE, BUT IT IS DYING. THE KING OF SCION SETS HIS SIGHTS ON A NEW WORLD TO RESIDE, BUT HE MUST FIND FOLLOWERS TO WEAKEN ITS KINGDOMS FOR HIS INVASION A failed knight, a petite foul-mouthed assassin, an outcast witch, an alchemist who seeks validation & a huntress desperate to save her dying sister. All are met with a proposition to change their lives forever but at what cost? The five begin on separate paths across the world but their fates collide as some are visited by the King of Scion and given unworldly powers in exchange for servitude as vanguards to usher in his invasion. Some soon discover that great power is not worth the price of the bloodshed it bestows, but others embrace it straight into villainy. |
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The Scarred God by Neil Beynon How Do You Kill A God? Anya longs to be a warrior like her grandmother, the legendary witch-warrior of the Shaanti, and is ready to defy her grandfather's last wishes and take the ink. With her village captured and best friend killed by the invading Kurah, Anya must defeat them before the rest of the Shaanti fall. But the Kurah have a secret weapon: an exiled Shaanti god in search of revenge. Escaping to the Rift Forest, Anya must rely on her reluctant ally, Vedic, to find her way through the woods and free the goddess of her people. But what is Vedic keeping from her? How can Anya unite the forest and the Shaanti against their common foe? And with the fate of the world in her hands, just how far is she prepared to go to defeat her enemies? Anya is about to discover that the line between hero and villain is a knife-edge. The Scarred God is the thrilling first novel in the Shaanti Saga epic fantasy series. If you like complex characters, gods behaving badly, and non-stop action, then youâll love Neil Beynonâs gripping tale. Ideal for fans of Robin Hobb, Tolkien, Philip C Quaintrell, David Gemmell and Brent Sanderson. |
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Along the Razor's Edge by Rob J. Hayes An empire in flames. A prisoner of war. An unbreakable will to escape. At just fifteen Eskara Helsene was forced to fight in the greatest war mankind has ever known. She lost. There is only one place her enemies would send a Sourcerer as wild and dangerous as her. The Pit. A prison sunk so deep into the earth the sun is a distant memory. Betrayed by her best friend, Eska finds herself stripped of her magic, surrounded by thieves and murderers. And there are far worse things that call the deep darkness their home. In order to survive she will need to make new allies, play the inmates against each other, and survive the darkness long enough to find a way out. Her enemies will soon learn Eskara is not so easily broken. An emotional roller coaster in this unique coming of age story. Perfect for fans of Patrick Rothfuss and Mark Lawrence, be one of the first to dive into Award-Winning Author Rob J. Hayesâ new epic fantasy world. |
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We all wear masks. Some do so to hide from their own guilt. Lady Foonauri's life of indulgence and chasing wealth has left the young noblewoman empty inside. She wears a mask of happiness while she is consumed by guilt for the two men she loved... And destroyed. One man sees her as more than a beautiful ornament. He sees a woman who can change the world. He offers her a new mask to wear and the chance to do something meaningful with her life: Steal a dangerous artifact before it falls into the wrong hands. Can she shed her mask of guilt and find purpose in her life? Will the life as a thief bring her peace? Or is she entering a world that will swallow her whole? |
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In the Jaded Grove (Kindred Realms #1) by Anela Deen Simith of Drifthorn is tired of war. After years of conflict between the Thistle court and the troll kingdom, even a pixie knight known for his bloodlust longs for peace. Hoping to secure a ceasefire, Simith arranges a meeting with the troll kingâand is ambushed instead. Escape lies in the Jaded Grove, but the trees of the ancient Fae woodland arenât what they seem, and in place of sanctuary, Simith tumbles through a doorway to another world.Cutting through her neighborâs sunflower farm in Skylark, Michigan, Jessa runs into a battle between creatures straight out of a fantasy novel. Only the blood is very real. When a lone fighter falls to his attackers, Jessa intervenes. Sheâs known too much death to stand idly by, but an act of kindness leads to consequences even a poet like her couldnât imagine.With their fates bound by magic, Simith and Jessa must keep the strife of his world from spilling into hersâexcept the war isnât what it appears and neither are their enemies. Countless lives depend on whether they can face the truths of their pasts and untangle the web of lies around them. But grief casts long shadows, and even their deepening bond may not be enough to save them from its reach.Note: All stories in the Kindred Realms series are written as standalone books and can be read in any order. |
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His Secret Illuminations by Scarlett Gale A Sheltered Monk By day, LucĂan brews potions and illuminates manuscripts in service to the monastery that took him in as a child, wielding magic based in his faith and his purity. By night, he dreams of the world outside the cloister--a world he knows only in books and scrolls... A Mysterious Warrior A mercenary known as the She-Wolf hunts for a shipment of stolen manuscripts. When she needs a mage to track them down, she chooses LucĂan for both his adorable blushes and his magic. She purchases his contract, hurling him headfirst into an adventure that will test both his skills and his self-control... A Sacred Vow Inexorably drawn to the She-Wolf's strength, surprising kindness, and heated touches, LucĂan fights temptation at every turn. His holy magic is both vital to their mission and dependent upon his purity. How can he serve both her and the Lord if he gives in to his desire? As intrigue and danger forces them closer, how can he possibly resist? |
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The Last of the Wicked by Israel Barbuzano Meredith is a terrible witch. Every witch in Galavan must pull her weight. The law is clear: procure from Earth one youth suitable for harvest each year. No excuses. No exceptions. Meredith hasn't managed a single one in five years. She tries, she truly does, but something always goes wrong, somehow. Simply put, she's just not very good at magic. That's it. Nothing to do with her doubt, her reluctance or her terrible illness that NOBODY must know. With her record, she wouldâve been purged from the Coven long ago ... if it werenât for Mifraulde, her dear, doting, smothering, infuriating, perfect-in-every-way brood-sister. She's the Head of the Covenâand now, even her patience is running out. Meredith has one more chance to turn it around. Her next retrieval window starts tonight. The tools are ready, the mark is promising. She couldn't be more driven. Failure is not an option. What will go wrong this time? |
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Legacy of Flame by Rebecca Bapaye A winter queen and prince of flame, bound together by fate. Following a deadly attack on a druid grove, Queen Elia Kolenikova of the Ice Realm is the first and only monarch to take a stand against the fire priest order, a reclusive band of sorcerers with unlimited power. Determined to find a way to protect druids from further violence, Elia turns to the annals of history, tracing her knowledge of fire priests back to a time when a previous Ice Queen was intimately tied to the rise of the order. Thereâs just one problem: what Elia reads in those accounts may not be true. To unravel the mystery, Elia needs more than an allyâshe needs a fire priest. An immortal Ice Realm prince whoâs been missing from the history books for centuries. Syllian, like his father before him, sacrificed his mortal body to be born again in flames. Two thousand years later, heâs hunted at every turn by fire priests seeking revenge for his betrayal of the order. The threat means little until a rumor reaches him: Queen Elia Kolenikova is asking questions. About fire priests, about druids, and most dangerously of all, about the truth. Emerging from the shadows could cost Syllian his life. But if he doesnât, the lies and propaganda of the fire priest order will cost Elia hers first. |
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Bound and Broken (Melas Book 1) by V.A. Lewis Killed and born again to a fantasy world, Melas finds herself as the daughter of a dangerous criminal. Her mother is a spellcaster, her magic banned throughout the continents of Soli and Vitae. They will be hunted by the Church, shunned by their peers, having to fight both people and monsters to survive. When faced with inquisitors, slavers, terrorists, and more, Melas will have no choice but to overcome them to seize her own destiny, or fail and run from it all. Thus begins the tragedy of a girl from Earth, murdered unfairly and cast into an even more unfair world. For while cursed into this terrible fate, one small blessing will aid her throughout her story, and it's the wish granted to her before her rebirth: Make me the most powerful spellcaster in the entire world. |
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A call to arms against a heathen threat in a hallowed place. A promise made that cannot be broken. An epic journey through unfamiliar kingdoms to lands ravaged by war. Even those hundreds of miles away cannot escape the call for soldiers to fight for the holy cause in a hallowed land. Those summons reach the small farm of Gwil and Eira, and a husband and father marches away, joining others from his town and across the kingdoms in the fight. For two years, Eira keeps the farm going, working with her children to tend the crops, all while awaiting news about her husband. When news finally comes, it is in the form of a half-dead townsman, ridden much of the way from the front only to deliver news of an ambush, the men of the town slaughtered, left unburied, their rites unspoken, their souls forever lost in the place between worlds. While the rest mourn, Eira can only think of the promise she made before Gwil left, the promise to see him properly buried. Leaving the farm in the hands of her children, she ventures from her home for the first time in her life to fulfill that promise. With the help of a drunken priest, an adventurous bard, and dreams of her husband that may or may not be real, she travels across lands sheâd never known and into a place where a terrible war still rages on, where she only hopes she can make it alive to see her husband given his rites. |
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The Spear of Akvaloon by Toby Bennett No one remembers when the cities drowned. A great wave swept the world clean of its old corruption and the age of sorcery was done. For those who remain life has narrowed into the simple rhythms of survival. The villagers living in the flooded reed lands are content to keep their past submerged and Marisha is no different... at least she tries not to be. For as long as she can remember Marisha has pretended to be human, but in reality sheâs a shifter, blessed with ability to take on the form of other creatures. A blasphemy to the priests who rule this tiny world, but one that has gone unnoticed, until a sorcerer steps out of legend and into her fatherâs hut... |
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The Girl Who Talks to Ashes by Rachel Rener Fifteen-year-old Willow is terrified of her new baby, Lilah, who has a peculiar form of epilepsy. Every time Lilah's eyes glaze over, terrible things happen: flowers shrivel, food goes to rot - even Willow's long, auburn hair turns stark white. But it's the death of the family cat that becomes the last straw; in the middle of the night, Willow and her mother dump the infant at the fire station two towns over â and are never heard from again. The next morning, Chief Stanley Quinn takes Lilah home and cares for the toddler as best as he can. With medication, her epilepsy remains under control... For the most part. But as a teenager, Lilah isn't always keen on taking her pills, and when she sneaks away to a rock concert with the cutest boy in school, something terrible happens, landing both of them in the hospital. After Stanley breaks down and confesses everything to his adopted daughter, she decides to track down the young girl who gave her up sixteen years ago; the young girl who never made it home that night⌠The young girl who is now presumed to be dead. Soon, Lilah's quest to find her birth mother becomes a quest to solve a sixteen-year-old missing persons case. She has everything she needs to find her â she just needs to learn how to control her peculiar âgiftâ before she kills someone. Again. |
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Tears of the Old Gods by Emmanuel Akeyo The Old gods have come to helldire and to stop them, Mercy will have to venture into the dark forests, but people have always told stories about the forestsâand not the good kind. She will have to go to the forests with her sister, who is a wolf, in search of the Kal order, a secret order that has protected the world against threats from other worlds. Their quest will tangle them with other characters all in hope of killing the old gods, but maybe to kill an old god you need help from another god. Maybe theyâll need to find a new god to help, but the cost will be great. |
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Stone & Shield (Fall of Emros 1) by Thomas J Devens A new vain Emperor sits on the throne. Dreaming of glory and conquest. A stirring in the west as power shifts. And a band of mercenaries known as the Stone & Shield make way to return to the imperial capital. A great gritty grimdark adventure. For thirty years Diirg has done the bloody work and the years have taken their toll. But when in the trade of death, oneâs past is never far behind. Itâs a long journey to Emros City, and enemies new and old stalk the trails. |
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A deathbed promise Arlynâs quest is simple: Find her father and let him know her mother is dead. After all, Arlyn had promised her mother sheâd go. The problem? Her father's people are myths and legends, and he doesn't even live on Earth. But despite a long journey through the mysterious mists of the Veil, finding him turns out to be the easy part. A dream long-buried After five hundred years, Kai has given up on finding his soulbonded. So when he stumbles across Arlyn after returning from his latest mission and recognizes her as his mate, Kai starts their bond in haste. But he never could have imagined that his bonded is his best friendâs newfound daughter. Whoops. A hidden conspiracy sparked to life Though the sight of Kai makes Arlynâs heart pound, she isnât sure she can forgive him for starting their bond without her permission. But her love life is the least of her problems. Her father is an elf lord, and his sudden acknowledgment of a half-human heir reignites the same conspiracy that took him away from her mother in the first place. Now Arlyn and her family must face iron wielding assassins, bigotry, and her newly awakened magical abilities if they hope to come through in one piece. Arlyn thought she would return to Earth after meeting her father. Now she must fight to save the family she never knew she wanted. |
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The Gifts of Pandora by Matt Larkin The winding road of fate unfolds ⌠In the last days of the Silver Age, the tyrant god Zeus takes whatever and whomever he wants with impunity. He has already torn Pandora from one home and now he threatens to destroy another. When he turns his wrath upon Atlantis, Pandora flees with the Titan Prometheus. Despite her bitterness, Pandora finds a friendship she never imagined possible. But Zeus is not done with Prometheus, and what Pandora will face next will make all she has endured pale in comparison. But Pandora has considerable gifts of her own, not least her cunning mind. When Zeus binds Prometheus, Pandora swears to turn all those gifts toward bringing Zeus down and saving her one true companion. |
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What if you had to believe the impossibleâŚthen fall in love with him? Stephanie Starr thinks her senior year of high school is going to be like every other: an ordinary kind of awful stuck between a group of mean girls and her motherâs overprotective mania. Everything changes when gorgeous Haley Smith walks into her life. She doesnât understand why he wants her so badly and pushes him away. But, Haley wonât give up. He canât give up. Thereâs a shadow running through his blood tied to a curse in hers, and time is running out for them both. Faced with rogue gods and deadly prophesies, Stephanie must survive the ultimate test in order to uncover the truth and save her mother, her friends, and her town. Nothing can prepare her for what she discovers, and no one can save her from her fate. Except Haley. "Downcast" is a thrilling paranormal, enemies-to-lovers romance reimagining the Greek myth of Hades and Persephone. |
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When angels initiate a war, humans on Apkallu die. Deprived of human worshipping, angels resort to burning human souls to sustain themselves, when the ancient Qal of an assassinated archangel wakes up on Earth inside a human, disturbing the precarious peace. Holding the key to all three realms, the allegiance of this archangel will mean eternal dominance in a game on a global scale. Thrown into a battle of courts, tangled in a web of intrigues and palatial games, naĂŻve Ariel is surrounded by powerful factions, chasing their own agendas. There's no one she can trust; everyone stands to gain something from her death. In the "CELESTIAL CREATURES" series you will find immersive world-building, Sumerian language and religion, new and re-imagined Christian mythology, new blood-thirsty creatures, plenty of sword fighting, the final grand battle and high-octane adventure throughout. |
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Ghosts of the Nightmare Gods by Rebecca Mickley All Skye Worthington wanted was a job; a way to make ends meet, keep the lights on, and her stomach fed. The fates had other plans. A wrong turn, and a sputtering engine herald her entrance to an ancient truth⌠Little does she know it, but hidden within her mundane world lurks a world of light, magic and nightmare. An ancient evil begins to awake, and she may be one of the few that can stop it. But first⌠a few changes are in order. |
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Winds of Strife by U. G. Gutman âThey burned me and mine. I'm not done until I burn them and theirs in return.â Witch-hunts have plagued the kingdom of Olyanath for decades. Thousands were slain due to the kingâs paranoia of women who practice Senspiritic magic. No more. Nye and his companions have seen enough of murder and misogyny. Fifteen years have passed since he joined the witch-hunters, and now, at long last, an opportunity to destroy them from the inside reveals itself. An opportunity to overthrow the king and end his reign of cruelty. But fifteen years of pretense have taken a toll. The strive for vengeance has steered Nye toward a path of violence and villainy. His hands are stained by the blood of countless innocents, his heart is scorched by grief, and his sanity hangs by a thread. Even if he can kill the king and see this revolution through, it may not suffice to purge the voices from his head. |
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A magical weapon in the hands of evil. It could end them all. Aboard the Dreadnaught, Shiphead Junathan Reed and the Raiders fight the battles that the Northlands canât. Peace is fleeting and sharp iron is the only ally. When a great Northlands vault is breached and a magical weapon plundered, Jun and the Raiders will head to the Southlands to take it back. The corsair responsible â Raynar Bloom the Halfsight â should be dead, but after coming out of hiding, he has barricaded himself on the Isle of Rats and conjured a deadly storm to deter any interlopers. With the ancient weapon in the Halfsightâs grip, the realm is in danger that no fleet or army could withstand. But Jun has met with the Halfsight before, when everything he loved was torn from his heart and scattered to the seas. Once again, Jun will have to face the monster responsible for ten years of torment â the death of his family, the pain of his capture and the empty void of his life. Heâll stop at nothing to get his reckoning and bury the Halfsight. Even if he has to share the grave. 'Raiders' is the first book in a series called 'The Dying Light Saga'. |
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Gracie Boswell's got a charmed bullet, a brand new posse, and a pack of outlaw vampires to kill. The tiny town of Penance has a big vampire problemâand charmslinger Gracie Boswell aims to be the solution. A whole nest of vampires makes for a mighty fine bounty, though, and Gracie is far from the only charmslinger angling for the job. When a charming local layabout and an old competitor elbow their way into Gracie's posse, she's forced to at least pretend to play nice...but trust is scarce in the west, and smart bounty hunters always sleep with one eye open. But Gracie doesn't have much time to watch her fellow bounty huntersâPenance's vampire nest is bigger and more organized than anyone suspected, and there's at least one traitor in the town's midst. Soon, Gracie finds herself in the unenviable position of leaning on her posse...and at least one of them isn't what he claims to be. |
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Fractured Throne - Part One by Lee H. Haywood Previously published as Fractured Throne Book 1 by Lee H. Haywood. Never trust the promise of a dragon. Emethius Lunen is learning that lesson the hard way. One of the best swordsmen in the realm, Emethius has spent his life serving the royal family. But his oath is challenged when the Crown Prince attempts to overthrow his own father, forcing Emethius defend the royal family from itself. Most believe that Prince Meriatis longs for power, but Emethius has his own dark theory. He believes the prince is afflicted by the Blackheart, a sickness that causes its victims to slowly lose their mind to an ancient deity known as the Shadow. Torn by his friendship to Prince Meriatis and his loyalty to the High Lord, Emethius doesn't know what to do. But when a mysterious dragon name Ftoril offers Emethius a way to save both the prince and the realm, Emethius can't refuse the offer. Ftoril claims to know of a sorceress who can cure the Blackheart. The only problem - the sorceress has gone into hiding in the fallen Empire of Cella, a place where nightmarish creatures known as the Cul reign supreme. The dragon promises to guide Emethius to the sorceress, that is, if Emethius is willing to pay the price. |
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Kings and Daemons by Marcus Lee âWhat the gods give with one hand, they take away with the other, for if you are gifted, you shall also be cursed.â ----- In the Ember Kingdom, a dying land riven by famine and disease, Daleth the evil Witch-King plots his conquest of the neighbouring Freestates. Gifted with eternal youth, his vampiric power is responsible for the decay that afflicts his realm, and now other kingdoms must fall to quench his never-ending thirst for life. However, on the cusp of the invasion, Maya, a peasant huntress, is arrested, Dalethâs soldiers kill an old farmerâs wife, and a young outcast is reluctantly enlisted into the Witch-Kingâs army. Three seemingly innocuous events that nonetheless have the potential to alter the destiny of generations to come. For Maya is gifted with the ability to heal and can influence the hearts and minds of men if she but finds the strength to do so. The young recruit carries a gift of reading thoughts and has no love for the king he serves. As for the vengeful farmer ⌠heâs an ancient warrior gifted in reaping souls who now seeks to fulfil a long-forgotten oath against unbeatable odds. The world will soon be soaked by the blood of war, but with these three individualsâ lives inescapably entwined, the faint light of hope begins to shine. Alliances will have to be forged, enemies convinced to become friends, and a flicker of love given a chance to become a flame for there to be a chance to fight the encroaching darkness of the Witch-King's evil. ----- The Gifted and the Cursed. A dark fantasy trilogy set in a dystopian land, with heroes that are at times more demonic than the evil they face. The bloody battles, quests for revenge and fights for survival are artfully balanced with a light romance, tales of redemption, and the breath-taking beauty of Mayaâs gift. |
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One Nation Under Gods by Reeshi Ray The war raged for five years. When the smoke cleared the United States was a memory, conquered by a race unlike the world had ever seen. They are the Specialsâa godlike race gifted with powers so cataclysmic that the human survivors of the war had no choice but to surrender to their invincible overlords. But Houston Holt doesn't surrender. A war veteran turned underworld fixer, Houston spends his nights evading the regime's secret police, building his criminal empire brick by brick in his relentless quest to escape the human slums. But one night, Houston steals a truck from the wrong people and sets off a chain reaction of mayhem that engulfs the empire. Because the truck contains a shocking secretâa secret of such fabled power that the Specials will unleash their most savage killers to hunt it down. Enter a world of immortals, assassins, and rogues in One Nation Under Godsâan epic adventure that combines the best of science fiction, superhero lore, and fantasy into a non-stop thrill ride. |
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The Lords of the Summer Season by Peter Blaisdell Bradan grew up in Camelot and grew famous during the Summer of Love. Heâs nearly immortal, a talented musician, but only a mediocre magician. Thatâs unfortunate because heâll need more than pretty lyrics to confront a psychopathic Celtic warlord and a Welsh god hell-bent on collecting souls. Theyâve also near-immortal and Bradan clashed with them 1500 years ago. They havenât forgotten. Theirs is a duel through history with savage fights in Camelot and Renaissance Florence. Now itâs 1967 and theyâve found him again, and they lead an army of specters intent on murder. Bradanâs only friends are his haunted motorcycle, his lunatic band-mates, and a witch with uncertain loyalties. There wonât be much love this summer unless Bradan defeats a warlord and a god. And his friends die too if he doesnât win this fight. This is fantasy with a dash of psychedelia. The Lords of the Summer Season is part of a series, which also includes The Lords of Oblivion and The Lords of Powder. Each book can be read as a stand-alone novel or together as part of an ongoing series. |
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A millennium has passed since the small world of Incari was struck by a meteor known as the Kutsal Stone. In the celestial object's wake, two powerful inhabitants of another realmâbeings of light and creatures of shadowâravaged the land with war until they were ultimately banished. Time distorted tales of these god-like creatures into myth and legend, but Princess Elurra quickly finds there is legitimacy amongst the lore. After her parents' deaths pave the way for her exiled aunt to claim the throne, she finds herself desperate and on the run. Elurra must uncover the truth about magic and untwist the legends of old in order to protect the future of her homeland and thwart her aunt's malicious plots. Mysterious visions lead Elurra and her unlikely allies down a path to the truth; however, they find the conflicts of the past may be impossible to repair before they rip Incari apart. |
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A mysterious shipwreck could unlock ancient powers⌠or send her to a watery grave. Targa MacAuley feels more at home on dry land than in the watery realm of her mermaid ancestors. After 17 years on solid ground, she fears sheâll never grow into the creature her mother hoped sheâd become. To keep her momâs homesickness and true identity under wraps, Targa signs on for a mysterious salvage dive in the Baltic Sea. Her plan to blend in with the rest of the crew is spoiled when she catches the eye of a handsome local. A freak accident and a strange connection to the ancient shipwreck below attract even more unwanted attention. With both her momâs secretâand her lifeâin danger, Targa must finally find the courage to unleash the currents surging deep within. Born of Water is the first book in The Elemental Origins, a series of captivating YA urban fantasy novels. If you like new twists on mermaid lore, simmering romance, and close-knit mother-daughter bonds, then youâll love A.L. Knorrâs nautical adventure. Embark on a deeper dive into the story's lore with The Wreck of Sybellen, a companion novel included with the book. |
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Temple Knight by Paul J Bennett Life took a twist she never expected. All Charlaine ever wanted was to follow in her fatherâs footsteps. That is, until the moment she was forced to leave her old life behind to save her family. Now, as a Temple Knight, she finds herself alone in a distant realm, and unaware of what the future will demand of her. Her hopes for a new life are dashed when her past catches up with her. It is only when raiders begin harassing the coast that Charlaineâs true mettle emerges. Suspecting that all is not as it seems, she hatches a plan that reveals a far greater danger than anyone ever imagined. With her new family of Temple Knights, Charlaine leads them in a desperate gambit to thwart the ambitions of a mighty foe that has the power to destroy them all. Journey along with Charlaine deShandria as she chases her destiny in the action-packed, intrigue-filled Temple Knight, the first book of Paul J Bennettâs newest epic fantasy series, Power Ascending. Grab your copy of Temple Knight today and let the adventure begin! |
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Flesh Eater by Travis M. Riddle Branded as a Flesh Eater, Coal is on the run from Palace Stingers: soldiers tasked with tracking down those who have consumed flesh and locking them away in specialized prisons. After a year of avoiding capture and struggling to scrape by working odd jobs for a local crime lord, Coal is growing desperate. He learns of someone in the city's underbelly who can erase his record, but her services don't come cheap. Seeing no other option, he enters a spiderback race with a grand prize valuable enough to pay for his fresh start. But he's not the only one after the prize, and Coal is about to find out exactly how far he's willing to go to win. |
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People called them different things when they first appeared: Walkers, Cryptids, Infected, the Ridden. The most popular was also the least apt, Zombies. Sands from across the ocean blew in and covered everything in a fine dusting of granules, as they did every year. But this year they carried with them an infectious spore that infected anything that breathed. Animal or human, it showed no favorites and infected them all. If people were lucky, they retained the ability to think. If they werenât, they became little more than monsters hungry for more spores. Chris stumbled out of his cheap motel room after the worst night of his life and straight into the apocalypse. This is not your normal zombie apocalypse story, as Chris was about to find out. Itâs not the monsters he needs to worry about. Itâs the humans. If you liked The Last of Us and World War Z, you will be sure to enjoy The Ridden. |
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We Men of Ash and Shadows by HL Tinsley âWe Men of Ash and Shadowâ is the first book in the Vanguard Series and follows the journey of protagonist, John Vanguard, through the dark and corrupt city of DâOrsee. A Grimdark gas lamp novel, âWe Men of Ash and Shadowâ explores themes of redemption, loyalty, and betrayal against the backdrop of a world where survival often means compromising your values. Amidst the gas lamp shadows former soldier-turned-mercenary John Vanguard hunts criminals at the behest of his corrupt employer, Captain Felix Sanquain. Shamed by his deserter past and seeking to make amends for his many misdeeds, a chance encounter with Tarryn Leersac â a skilled young would-be-assassin fallen from the graces of high society â leads Vanguard to become an unlikely mentor. Charged with hunting down the killer of two guards left washed up on the banks of the canal, the further Vanguard delves into the underbelly of the city the more he finds himself entangled in a web of secrets and lies. A prominent aristocrat is missing. Crime lords, con men and harlots run amok and the city teeters on the brink of another revolution. With his already precarious reputation hanging by a thread, Vanguard must piece together how and why the last war came to pass, find a way to earn redemption for his mistakes and come to terms with the past in a city where few survive, and even fewer can be trusted. |
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The Gatekeeper's Staff by Antoine Bandele TJ Young has been surrounded by magic his entire life, yet he has never tapped into it⌠until now. Fourteen-year-old TJ grew up normal in a secret community of gifted diviners in the heart of modern-day Los Angeles. His powerful sister was ordained to lead his people into a new age of prosperity, but her mysterious death in Nigeria threatens to destroy the very foundations of TJâs world. Desperate to pick up where his sister left off and uncover the secrets behind her questionable death, TJ commits himself to unlocking the magical heritage that has always eluded him. So he enrolls in Camp Olosaâa remedial magic school for the divinely less-than-gifted in the humid swamps of New Orleans. But little does he know, TJ is destined to cross paths with powerful spirits of old thought lost to time: the Orishas. Delve into this young adult fantasy based on the mythology of the West African gods, where TJ will encounter unlikely allies, tough-as-gatorhide instructors, and the ancient secrets of the Orishas. |
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A jobless jester and a misguided magpie venture into a land where technology is boomingâ but trouble is brewing. Dame Elsebet de Whellen has ruled her mildly magical, high-tech country for 50 prosperous years. Now it's facing a crisis three generations in the making, and the bold steps she's taken to save it have gone disastrously off the rails. She needs a hero who can calm her mind, cast a spell, and find a missing sorcerer. Instead she gets Malfred Murd, former Royal Fool, booted from his job and now scrounging a living around the corners of the Kingdom. What starts as Fred's quick attempt to con Dame Elsebet escalates until heâand his self-appointed magpie advisor Corvinaliasâ are hopelessly entangled in a desperate mission that might cost a Fool his life and a people their future. |
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The Other Magic by Derrick Smythe The men secured the shackles slowly, hesitantly, but Kibure did not resist; he couldnât. Whatever otherworldly power had come over him in those moments of passion had fled his body the second he realized what he had done⌠In a realm where only clerics are permitted to practice magic, Kibureâs inexplicable use of power places him in grave danger. In a twist of fate, the rogue priestess hired to strip him of his power chooses instead to help him escape. Her reasons for doing so are her own, but something worse than death awaits if they are unable to evade the Empire's most potent wielders. This epic fantasy series will be especially enjoyed by fans of Brandon Sanderson, Robert Jordan, Michael J. Sullivan, Patrick Rothfuss, and Michael Wisehart. |
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Saint Dorian and the Witch by Michael Raship The rumors borne across the empire by pilgrims are full of wild talk about Dorian, a boy with a flute reputed to have come from somewhere beyond the world in order to combat great evil. His followers are already calling him Saint Dorian. When word of the boy with the flute spreads as far as the remote mountain monastery where the young monk Bartholomew serves in the honored position of librarian, he astonishes his fellow monks by placing his faith in vague, contradictory rumors and declaring himself a follower of Dorian. Before the winter snows cut off the monastery from the rest of the empire, he makes a clandestine departure from the only home he has ever known in order to devote himself to the child saint. Even while others around him continue to deny that Dorian is a saint, Bartholomew can sense the boy with the flute guiding his journey, summoning him to play his destined role in a vast pattern that will give a purpose to the puzzling events of his past life and of his journey: His ill-fated childhood act of charity towards the wandering heretical storyteller Valentine The warning spoken to him by one of the greatest men in the empire, the legendary hero and subtly brilliant monk Father Zero His bargain with a wild witch girl named Ruth, who agrees to keep him safe on his journey in exchange for obscure facts of natural science and philosophy that only a librarian could know The powerful new spells that Ruth is creating based on this knowledge, spells that Bartholomew believes will be of service in combating the great evil against which Dorian is said to be waging a righteous war Yet when he and Ruth arrive at their journeyâs end, and Bartholomew is about to fulfill his destined role in Dorianâs plans, it suddenly seems to him that his proper place is not among Dorianâs followers but on the other side, as an ally to the child saintâs enemies and a rebel against heaven. |
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Faye in the City: With Her Dog Puffy by KE Wills After graduating college, Faye moves to Washington, D.C. with her dog Puffy and best friend Lucy. The three of them navigate sharing a tiny studio apartment and adapting to living in the city. But very quickly, Faye realizes something isnât as it seems. As her quirky talents become strong abilities of the mind, she stumbles across a magical compass and dives into the comfort of her Persian culture. Faye must learn to accept who she is and what she can do. Join along with Faye and Puffy as their adventures in the Capitol test the strength of friendships, love, and sense of self. |
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The Thunder Heist (Twisted Seas # 1) by Jed Herne A relentless thief. A magical device. And a heist to change everything. Kef Cutmark is the greatest pirate in the Twisted Seas. Just ask her â sheâs more than happy to talk about her exploits. Sheâs a woman of sharp wit and an even sharper sword. Sheâs killed sea monsters, toppled kings, stolen priceless artifacts, and made a hefty sum of gold along the way. But her charming, roguish exterior hides a dark past. As a child, she was a slave in Zorith â a tangled jungle of a thousand boats, all lashed together to make a floating city-ship. After a life spent running from her past, sheâs had enough. Now, itâs time for revenge. Zorith is powered by a magical device that draws energy from lightning. Mysterious, unique, and locked in an unbreachable tower, itâs the envy of Zorithâs rivals. And Kef? Sheâs here to steal it. To do that, sheâll need a water-breathing mutant, a grumpy architect, and a deaf alchemist. If Kef can take the device, it will cripple Zorith, and serve out justice for what the city did to her. But with all the odds stacked against Kef, failure looks more likely. And if she fails, sheâll never find peace again. The Thunder Heist is a fast-paced fantasy tale of deception, thievery, and revenge. If you enjoyed The Lies of Locke Lamora, The Gutter Prayer, or Mistborn: The Final Empire, you'll love The Thunder Heist. |
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Storm of Divine Light by Ernesto San Giacomo A rogue, a mage, and a monk walk into a tavern. What could possibly go wrong? Ignited by a disturbance in the night and a bumbling stranger, the exiled master rogue Dagorat plunges into a perilous quest. Along with his witty friend Cyril the Wise, and the hopelessly naive Brother Liberon, he sets off to retrieve a holy relic stolen by the dark mages of the Golgent. Together, they brave the journey from the great city of Mentiria across the continent of Tyrennia to Dagoratâs former home of Easterly, where discovery means certain execution. At times astonished by his friendsâ skills â and other times dumbfounded by their amateur antics â Dagorat uncovers hard truths about his past, and finds new hopes for his future. But the rising threat of war means his hopes tremble on a razorâs edge. Can he ever find his way out of the shadows and into the light? |
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This Quest is Bullshit! by JP Valentine The Questing Stones have come to Nowherested, and Evelia Greene is finally ready to receive her life's quest. Perhaps she'll be a great warrior, or a wealthy merchant, or a brilliant mage. Perhaps her quest is simply to live a quiet life, constantly honing a craft to the heights of perfection. Or perhaps the Questing Stones will grant her the Legendary mission of popping over to the next village to pick up a loaf of bread. Wouldnât that be ridiculous? Eve canât even begin to guess how or why sheâs come by such an absurd life goal, nor how a level 1 Messenger Girl is supposed to complete anything labeled as Legendary, but at least she can be sure of one thing. No matter how many wolves or goblins attack, no matter how many speeding tickets she racks up, no matter how many bakeries spontaneously combust as she steps into town, one way or another, Eve is going to get that gods-damned bread. There just might be a few Side Quests along the way. |This book contains game elements, good jokes, bad jokes, worse jokes, and language strong enough to lift weights. Please enjoy.| |
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A Game for Gods by Keith Deininger A war is brewing, the Godgame has begun... "An epic fantasy tale set in a wondrous world of corruption and war and hope and longing and dreams. No review you will read will ever do this story justice. Just buy it, read it and thank me later." ~ Nev Murray, Confessions of a Reviewer Some say the world of Meridian is in its last age of existence. The Flood is coming, an event that will wipe the planet clean of corruption. But for humanity, there are more immediate troubles. A war is brewing between the decadent and industrial City of Talos and the rural territory of Nova. When twelve-year-old Ash Alexander is recruited by the Novan militia, his lifeâand the life of each member of his familyâis thrown into chaos, into a war far deadlier than anyone could have predicted. While Ashâs sanity is tested against the horrors of war; a woman seeks to uncover the mysteries of the School of the Unseen in her lifelong quest to travel the world; a man will do anything to cure his wife of a horrible sickness; and the chief adviser to the ruler of Talos will align himself with grotesque and otherworldly beings in order to achieve his ambitions. The Godgame has begun. |
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Emergency Shift by Daniel Potter Never promise a fey anything. With magic leaking back into our world, working the nightshift as a paramedic comes with danger. But I handle it. Iâve got a shotgun for the zombies and my lycanthropic rage hasnât escaped my apartment. Life is normal-ish. All that changes when Iâm called to help a dying fey knight and I make a promise. Thereâs a little girl with big eyes and a heart-rending sniffle. I canât say no. Of course sheâs not human. Sheâs their key to opening the long-closed gates and feasting on humanity. Now an entire world I know nothing about is trying to kill me. And if I donât protect her, the teeth around my heart will finish the job. If I learn fast and bargain the right parts of my soul, the girl and I might make it out alive. Otherwise the cruelest winter will freeze even the warmest hearts in the city. Read my story now and ride along for a wild Emergency Shift. Fans of Patricia Briggs and Anne Bishop will love this collision of shifter and fairy worlds. |
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Olde Robin Hood by Kate Danley Rebel. Outlaw. Hero. Exiled for an unjust crime and forced to use whatever means necessary to survive, a figure of hope emerges from Sherwood Forest. But what most people know about Robin Hood (the enemy of Prince John and nobleman loyal to King Richard) was an invention of a playwright nearly three hundred years after Robin Hood died. However, there are older stories about the real Robin Hood. USA Today bestselling author Kate Danley weaves the original 13th century ballads, Robin Hood traditions passed down through ancient pagan rites, and historical evidence together into a swashbuckling epic fantasy. Enter a world of adventure and chivalry as you discover the man behind the myth, as you meet the Olde Robin Hood. |
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The Executioner's Right by D.K. Holmberg Executioners donât solve crimes, they punish those who commit them. Or so Finn thought before apprenticed to one. Poverty-stricken Finn Jagger would give anything to heal his ailing mother. With his father imprisoned, Finn has joined a thieving crew to earn the money he needs to save her. When the latest heist turns to disaster and lands him on death row, Finnâs future seems to be tied up with a noose. Until the kingâs executioner claims him as an apprentice. Finn soon learns an Executioner has far more power and greater responsibility than heâd ever realized. As inquisitor and detective, he must find the truth behind each sentence he carries out. Itâs a challenging job, but one that Finn is surprisingly good at. When the crew decides Finn could be the key to completing an impossible heist that threatens the kingdom, heâs forced to choose between his new job and his old friends. And making the wrong choice could cost him everything. The Executioner's Right is the first book in The Executioner's Song epic fantasy series and is perfect for fans of Michael J Sullivan, Brent Weeks, and James Islington. |
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Sentinel: Masked by G.S Michaelson Not everyone's first day at work ends with them fighting a gorilla man in a sea of corpses ...unless you're Tyrone Sy - one of WestScarlet's newest Sabres. Tyrone wants to use his role as a Sabre to be a hero, but he'll have to get past this first mission. It was a simple mission. So simple, even rookies like Tyrone and his team could do it. Write a report on a series of wild animal attacks in four small, remote towns. It's probably just the fever dreams of a few overexcited people, right? When the team encounter dangerous enemies and the tail-end of a massacre , they'll have to dig deep if they are to survive their very first mission and stop the dying before there's no one left.The terrorist organisation Masquerade has control of the beast masks and has infiltrated the government . With the enigmatic Caine as their leader, and the ferocious Jack as their most powerful enforcer, will even the Sabres fall before them? The answers to WestScarlet's troubles lie in the city of Draekeor. For Tyrone, they may hit a little too close to home. |
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Path of Darkness by C.M. Lackner The decree of the Gods is clear: All sorcerers must die. As a priestess in training, Aelith knows that the only way to be a sorceress is to pray to the God of Sin. Yet when she discovers she is a sorceress without having done such a thing, she must confront the fact that everything she has learnt is a lie. Forced to flee her home, Aelith encounters a mysterious cabal of sorcerers who proffer a tantalising offer to her: Join them and learn to control the powers bestowed upon her. The alternative is forever living on the run, always under threat of being hunted down and killed. However, their protection bears a heavy cost â murder, treachery and deception. Forced to choose between the cabalâs shelter and a dangerous life, forever alone, Aelith is forced to choose between atrocity and survival. |
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The Child of Chaos by Glen Dahlgren Nothing can break the stranglehold the gods of Order have on the world . . . except a roll of the dice. An irresistible longing drags young Galen to an ancient vault where, long ago, the gods of Order locked Chaos away. Chaos promises power to the one destined to liberate it, but Galen's dreams warn of dark consequences. He isn't the only one racing to the vault, however. Horace, the bully who lives to torment Galen, is determined to unleash Chaos--and he might know how to do it. Galen's imagination always got him into trouble, but now it may be the only thing that can prevent Horace from unraveling the world. |
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Restoration Day by Deborah Makarios Princess, pawnâor queen? Princess Lily was born to be queen of Arcelia, where the land itself has life and magic growing in it. Yet she leads a pawn's existence in the shadow of her guardians' control. She dreams of the day when she will take her rightful place in the world. At last her chance arrives, with a quest for the three Requisites of Restoration Day, the royal rite which renews the life of the land. But she's been hidden away too long... Stripped of all she thought was hers, Lily will need to do more than cross the board if she is to emerge triumphant as the queen she knows she must be. The land becomes both field and prize in a gripping gameâand this time she's playing for her life. |
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A Cat's Guide to Bonding with Dragons by Chris Behrsin The unlikely duo who might just save the world Ben must be the hungriest cat ever⌠One moment, he was enjoying a breakfast of salmon trimmings in his home in South Wales. The next, he was teleported across time and space onto the cold stone floor of an evil warlock. Locked in the warlockâs tower through day and night, Ben may have to serve him for a while. He'll hate this, especially having to hunt those infernal demon rats when the warlock doesnât feed him well at all. Meanwhile, in a distant academy, a dragon is bored out of her mind. Unable to wear a saddle, no human dares mount her. Is there anyone in this land who can ride her into battle against the forces of the evil warlocks? Somehow, she doubts sheâll ever find a suitable bond. Unless there is another creature with enough dexterity to fulfil that role. One, perhaps, who is currently sprinting right out of a warlockâs front door⌠|