This years SPFBO Entrants have recently been announced. SPFBO is a yearly competition for self published fantasy books, which are judged by multiple judges. You can get more details from Mark Lawrence’s initial post.
Below is the list of all the entrants, which will be shortened down to semi-finalists later this year before the judges pick overall winners of the competition. If you’re looking for more information on any of these books Goodreads and Amazon links are below, or you can check the Master SPFBO Spreadsheet to check on whether the book is included in Kindle Unlimited.
A Bad Rune at Angels Deep by Anthony Lowe
“I’m not a god. I’m just mean like one.”
Runes: a form of deployable magick that caused untold devastation during the war. With the stroke of a pen, entire cities were demolished, entire armies decimated—and now one such rune may have come south to Ariasun County.
Acting on scant clues left behind by the vicious lynching of a smuggler, Evaline Cartwright and Trivan Esterhazy head north to track the rune’s passage through the county. All in the hope of destroying the rune—or its possessor—before it can be used for catastrophic ends.
A Cat’s Guide to Bonding with Dragons by Chris Behrsin
An 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 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 doesn’t 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 she’ll 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 warlock’s front door…
A Change of Blood by G. P. Gabriel
A man hearing the voice of his dead wife. A boy struggling to understand emotions he cannot feel.
A journey into a land of bloodthirsty creatures was never a simple matter to begin with. Their mission: deliver an arcane explosive into the heart of the corruption.
Kynnar is a Guild Drengir mercenary roaming the Corrupted Lands, a place of maddening sickness that took the life of his beloved. When his guild leader contacts him after years of silence, it’s to send him on a mission with an assembled crew. Sounds like just another job. At least until he finds out he’ll work alongside mages with powers responsible for the infection in the first place.
Eight, a human experiment of torture, fails to assassinate his target. If he wants to stay alive—which he decides would be a preferable outcome—he has to accept an offer from the very man he tried to kill. The offer gets him into the Guild of the Arcane, but nowhere did it mention he’d be an apprentice to a battlemage about to embark on a certain mission. Sort of makes the whole ‘not dying’ part redundant.
A Debt Owed by Avril Sabine
Melody’s mum made a bargain with the Fae twenty years ago, but she’s the one who ends up paying for it. Somehow she has to survive nearly a year in the realms of the Fae, until her eighteenth birthday, without getting more entangled in their world and unable to ever leave it. The Fae can be vindictive, manipulative and retaliate at the smallest slight, often using your greatest fears against you. Melody needs to make sure they never learn how terrified she is of spiders, particularly when helping a Fae knight brings her to the attention of his enemies, the arachnid people.
A Dragon’s Chains by Robert Vane
Dragons are slaves.
Using stolen magic, the human Kingdom of Rolm has risen to power on the backs of the world’s most formidable predator, but that is about to change. Bayloo is the first of the free dragons. Born into slavery, his shackled mind has awoken to find a human giving him orders and his race enthralled to an evil king. The world shall now face the rage of dragons.
Experience a fearsome struggle of magic and cunning between humans and dragons, where victory will determine the fate of the world.
A Drowned Kingdom by P.L. Stuart
Once Second Prince of the mightiest kingdom in the known world, Othrun now leads the last survivors of his exiled people into an uncertain future far across the Shimmering Sea from their ancestral home, now lost beneath the waves. With his Single God binding his knights to chivalric oaths, intent on wiping out idolatry and pagan worship, they will have to carve out a new kingdom on this mysterious continent―a continent that has for centuries been ravaged by warlords competing for supremacy and mages channeling the mystic powers of the elements―and unite the continent under godly rule.
With a troubled past, a cursed sword, and a mysterious spirit guiding him, Othrun means to be that ruler, and conquer all. But with kingdoms fated on the edge of spears, alliances and pagan magic, betrayal, doubt, and dangers await him at every turn. Othrun will be forced to confront the truths of all he believes in on his journey to become a king, and a legend.
When one kingdom drowns, a new one must rise in its place. So begins the saga of that kingdom, and the man who would rule it all.
A Game for Gods by Keith Deininger
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 life—and the life of each member of his family—is thrown into chaos, into a war far deadlier than anyone could have predicted.
While Ash’s 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 game for gods has begun.
A Handful of Souls by Stephen Rice
Mud, gold and lies. That’s all you get in Branera. You’ll find no better expert on these things than Lily Kale-Tollworth. Yet she has no clue of the events already in motion around her.
Weeks ago, a murderer with a bleeding grin was released from the Mountain Head. Lily doesn’t know this pale-skinned giant has been writing to her. She doesn’t even know he’s coming to find her. But as her father, Husker Tollworth feels like it’s his right.
Days ago, a tax patrol was slaughtered. Lily doesn’t know her brother’s corpse was pulled from a ditch, stolen by a man who can raise the dead. Lark Kale-Tollworth will follow this bizarre scholar to the Southlands. He will forget how many times he’s died.
Hours ago, an informant showed Lily’s stepfather an incriminating note. Branera has taxed its villages too hard. An uprising is massing in the Northlands – and they have a noose with Josef Kale’s name on it.
At this very moment, Josef is frantically packing their coach, while Lily is drinking whisky in a brothel. She’s met the arrogant idiot who will be their guide south. She doesn’t know he has a hollow soul, filled with thousands of spirits. She doesn’t know his mouth is filled with as many lies.
But if there are three things Lily’s good at, it’s mud, gold and lies.
A Journey Unveiled by Amy Maltman
A plane crash. A cave. A magical journey begins.
It’s June 8, 2004. The first Transit of Venus in more than a century. Lexi Guinel and her family are flying high above the Alps when a storm sweeps in, knocking their plane from the sky. While seeking help, Lexi stumbles through a mysterious veil into a world of magic and evil.
Crown Prince Aeric of Gower obeys his father’s every command, no matter how dark or cruel. When elves and dwarves seize the city Aeric commands, he is grateful for his critical wounds. He’d rather face death than the king’s wrath. Unfortunately, the witches and elves have other plans.
Lexi has more to learn than magic. Life in Gowerland is dangerous, especially after her fate becomes entwined with that of Prince Aeric. They both have important roles to play…provided they don’t kill each other first.
Step through a crack, you can’t go back.
A Rokian’s Curse by Krista Jain
For most, the sight of an elf in Fairdraisha would scare even the bravest of men, but for Blair Tripps, she’s more than intrigued to see one up close. He’s charming, handsome, and magical, but he’s also eyeing her as his target. When he finally draws her in his arms, Queriven sets a visible curse on her skin.
“When the trees catch the colors of fire again, you’ll no longer be a part of this world.”
Those were the last words he left her before he disappeared. Now Blair’s left with limited options; stay home and endure disaster, or run away in hopes to discover what this means and how to undo it. Choosing the latter, she heads off into the big wide world in search for answers, but quickly discovers Queriven in her path once more. He claims to know nothing about what happened to her and seemingly joins her side to help her with no motivation at all. Who is this mysterious elf who seems to follow her, and does he want to help her, or destroy her? And most importantly, what is he hiding?
Blair has many questions, and a very short time left to answer them.
A Season of Ravens by J R Snyder
Confronting werewolves, exploring haunted forests, calming angry spirits, and befriending ancient vampires.
These are just a few of the tasks that Asher Norwood and his raven partner Aethon find themselves doing on any given day.
Asher is a sin eater, a guild of mages that exists to combat dark magic wherever it rears its ugly head. Invoking the forces of nature to protect a society that looks down on him, Asher will stop at nothing to defeat the monsters that plague his world
A Song of Steel by J.C. Duncan
Alternate history – 1116 AD. Three hundred years of cruel Viking raids have finally united Christian Europe against the pagan Northlands. A great crusade has been called to pacify the wild Norse kingdoms. The banner of the cross has been raised against the north, and all the power and fury of the west rides under it.
Ordulf, a talented young German swordsmith, is ripped from his comfortable life and cast into the bloody chaos of the crusade. As fate deals him a cruel blow in the lands of his enemies, he will have to forge a new path through the chaos, or be consumed by it.
In the Northlands, three rival kingdoms must unite to survive the onslaught. But can any man, king or commoner, unite the bickering brotherhood of the Norse? Or is the time of the Vikings finally drawing to a violent end. Heroes will fail, kings will fall, and ordinary people will fight for the right to a future.
A Time of Ashes by Ru Pringle
A quest through a thousand worlds. An aeons-old foe. Not even the gods can help. It’s killing them, too.
IN THE YEARS BEFORE THE CORRUPTION CAME, Murrin Kentle lived in a world where the largest island could be walked across in a day, and humans traded and fished in bladeships made from the bones of the gigantic and bizarre sea monsters patrolling its stormy, bottomless oceans. As a truthkeep of the Brotherhood of the First Mind, it’s been his duty to fight the decay of knowledge with religious fervour. A fervour he has increasingly struggled to maintain.
Before the Corruption came, Sheehan hahe Seeheeli was a carefree countess of the Shi’iin. Amphibious and fiercely matriarchal, her people have maintained an uneasy coexistence with the human scholars dominating the islands. Then an emissary of the gods brings news of an impending catastrophe. Now, she and Murrin must embark on a desperate voyage in the hope of salvation, although both the subject of their search and the path they must take remain stubbornly obscure.
Before the Corruption came, a wild young man named Coll grew up in a desert town, consumed by rage over what was done to his mother. His thirst for retribution will set in motion a train of events not even the gods could fully have foretold.
NOW THE CORRUPTION IS HERE, and nothing in Murrin’s world, nor any of the worlds of the Sundered Realm, will ever be the same.
A World Broken by Carol A. Park
In every end, there is a beginning…
They say that long ago, the world was unbroken. That there was no war—nor poverty, nor disease, nor famine. That the gods themselves walked among mortals—choosing some to be their instruments of peace and justice among the races. They even say that there was no winter.
Then, it all fell apart.
Book One of the Chronicles of the Lady Sar
The five races of Erets have lived in one accord since the inception of the world. But now, the seeds of hostility are growing due to a dispute over an innocuous plant, and three people find themselves entangled in affairs they would have once found unbelievable.
An advocate—trained to promote mutual understanding between the races—must confront the unimaginable prospect that peace is out of reach.
A priest—one who refuses to bend the knee to the gods he serves—finds that the only vow to those gods he has made might be harder to keep than he expects.
And a seeker—a gentle warrior sent to uncover the truth behind an unthinkable murder—stumbles into a labyrinth of lies that could shatter the world.
These three must save the world that they know.
But are they already too late?
Ad Luna by Hûw Steer
The Moon is on the brink of war.
Alexander Dio, an officer of the Vulture Dragoons, flies in defence of the Lunar people against the monstrous armies of the Sun. He is ready for war – or at least he thinks he is.
But when Dio’s patrol finds a crashed ship out in the Sea of Tranquility, his life is turned upside-down. Because the ship is not from the Moon, and its captain is unlike anyone he’s ever known.
His name is Lucian, and he comes from the Earth.
Based on the ancient Greek story by Lucian of Samosata, this epic voyage of discovery goes back to the very beginning of science-fiction.
Akiri: Sands of Darkness by Brian D. Anderson & Steven Savile
Across the perilous expanse of the Great Valharoth Desert, Akiri and Kyra have journeyed seeking fortune among the rich and mysterious kingdoms of the East. He has turned his back on the gods and their schemes and is determined to create his own destiny. But the gods will not be so easily ignored. And once again, Akiri finds himself caught in their web. In the kingdom of Yagash, an ancient evil has spread over the land like a plague. The Cult of Hajazar, at the command of its dark leader, are seizing the innocent for their blood sacrifices. Now they have set their sights on a young lord whom Akiri has vowed to protect. But there is more at stake than the life of one child. Should Akiri fail, it will herald the return of the old gods…and the end of the world. With naught but his steel and his wits as his ally – and Kyra, of course – Akiri will face an enemy of such colossal power and cunning that the heart of the fiercest warrior would be tested to the full. But he is Akiri. His will is iron. And his courage will never fade.
Almendra’s Quest by Farida Mestek
Almendra Ravenlock, a seventeen-year-old ruler of the Upper Kingdom, has never set foot outside the grounds of the royal castle, believing that beyond its gates lies a deadly curse left behind by the same group of rebels that attacked her kingdom and sent her mother to her early doom fifteen years ago. Isolated from the rest of the realm, with only her cranky granny and her loyal wolf for company, she waits for Prince Frederick of the Lowland Kingdom to come and set her free. There is a prophecy that strongly suggests that he is the one to win her heart and save her kingdom.
However, when an unexpected messenger arrives and tells her that the prince is at death’s door after an attempt on his life and that she is the only one who can save him, Almendra grabs at the chance to fulfill the prophecy on her own terms. As she travels through the realm with her wolf and her new friend, Almendra unearths a horrifying secret buried deep under the rebels’ lair, discovers that her life and her kingdom are in as much danger from them as ever, and that the prince she is determined to save might not be the one meant to save her or her kingdom after all.
Along the Razor’s Edge by Rob J. Hayes
No one escapes the Pit.
At just fifteen Eskara Helsene fought in the greatest war mankind has ever known. Fought and lost. There is only one place her enemies would send a Sourcerer as powerful as her, the Pit, a prison sunk so deep into the earth the sun is a distant memory. Now she finds herself stripped of her magic; a young girl surrounded by thieves, murderers, and worse. In order to survive she will need to find new allies, play the inmates against each other, and find a way out. Her enemies will soon find Eskara is not so easily broken.
Amulet of Wishes by Rita A. Rubin
The Guardians are the protectors of Aloseria. They are the keepers of the peace and they have a unique ability–they can turn into dragons. Derek Draco is one of them. Haunted by the memories of his past, Derek comes across a piece of a mythical amulet, said to hold the power to grant wishes once all three pieces are brought together. Seeing an opportunity to right the wrongs of his past, Derek sets out on a journey to find the rest of the amulet, along with his friends, Jared and Arabelle. However, Derek is unaware of the true power of the amulet and using it to fulfil his seemingly innocent wish could have disastrous consequences.
Army of the Cursed by Karim Soliman
Everybody knew the Cursed were coming.
Nobody knew how to defeat them.
The Goranians thought they were ready to face demons in battle. But when the foretold War of the Last Day begins, one fact becomes clear: the doom of Gorania is just a matter of time. Now its fate rests in the hands of a hapless trio.
By joining the mages’ guild, Leila cedes her title as the Crown Princess of Murase. But as she struggles with her lack of talent, the Army of the Cursed approaches her country. Leila will have to decide if she is ready to protect her loved ones, or she should abandon them and run for her life.
Nardine, the Crown Princess of Bermania, hears a rumor that her long-gone father was so close to finding a weapon against the immortal demons. While she investigates what has happened to his unfinished work, a rebellion threatens to tear apart her kingdom.
Far in the harsh northern lands of Skandivia, Halgrim starts a perilous journey to claim a birthright he has been denied because of a lie. If his journey goes according to plan, nothing will stand between him and his ultimate prize. Nothing, except the Army of the Cursed.
Can the three unite and put aside their differences before it is too late? The entire human race is already on the brink of extinction.
As Fierce as Steel by Christopher P. Walsh
The nation of Illiastra sits in the clutches of the Elite Merchant Party, a group who uses its lands and its peoples to enrich themselves and further their own goals. Openly standing against them is a woman known only as Lady Orangecloak and her faction, the Thieves. With their very lives at stake, the Thieves and their fearless leader fight to end a hundred-year reign of oppression. Inspired by Lady Orangecloak’s actions and seeking her own emancipation, Lady Marigold Tullivan, daughter of a ruling lord, steps forward with designs on tearing down the Elite Merchants from within. Will Illiastra survive what is to come?
As Fierce as Steel is the inaugural entry in the seven-part Gold & Steel Saga, an industrial-era fantasy epic by Christopher Walsh. The series blends traditional fantasy elements with modern sensibilities, inviting seasoned fans of the genre and contemporary readers alike. The conflicts and struggles of Lady Orangecloak, Marigold Tullivan, mercenary Tryst Reine, Ellarie Dollen of the Thieves and others weave a grand epic adventure of growth and personal discovery that is sure to captivate readers of all preferences.
As I Was on my Way to Strawberry Fair by Raymond St. Elmo
Two strangers aide one other on a dark country road; and vow to meet again at the local Renaissance Fair. To do so they must learn to see beyond their own masks. And united, to win past a host of fairy glamours, crazed role-players, angry jugglers, sinister bikers and the secret of the ancient charter of Strawberry Fair itself.
I will find you at Strawberry Fair,
I will win you a lion, a tiger, a bear.
I will buy you ices, electronic devices
And give you a kiss for finding me there.
A romance in masks.
Ascendant (Songs of Chaos #1) by Michael R. Miller
Holt Cook was never meant to be a dragon rider. He has always served the Order Hall of the Crag dutifully, keeping their kitchen pots clean.
Until he discovers a dark secret: dragons do not tolerate weakness among their kin, killing the young they deem flawed. Moved by pity, Holt defies the Order, rescues a doomed egg and vows to protect the blind dragon within.
But the Scourge is rising. Undead hordes roam the land, spreading the blight and leaving destruction in their wake. The dragon riders are being slaughtered and betrayal lurks in the shadows.
Holt has one chance to survive. He must cultivate the mysterious power of his dragon’s magical core. A unique energy which may tip the balance in the battles to come, and prove to the world that a servant is worthy after all.
Bad Cow by Andrew Hindle
In the last great golden age of the planet Earth, Barry Dell dies in a tragic elevator accident. On a not-quite proverbial stairway to Heaven, Moskin Stormburg dedicates his life to figuring out where it all went wrong. In a world slowly choking on its own sewage, the Vandemar sisters do what they can to save a human race that by all rights should be taking its last desperate breaths. And through it all, the Archangel Gabriel asks himself when it’s okay to dust his hands off and walk away.
This is a story about a dying world and the Angels, the Demons, the Vampires, the lost immortals and the billions and billions of humans trying to live on it. It is a story about a two-thousand-year-long game of musical chairs where somebody switched off the music at the very beginning. And burned the chairs.
As for why it’s called “Bad Cow”… well you’ll probably have to read the book and see. The blurb can’t tell you everything
Bad Dreams by Kenneth Buff
We all have nightmares, but not all of us have to live them. Johnathon Clarke did. His bullies beat him. They humiliated him. They stole his life. So at the age of 17 he took it away with a bullet from a gun.
In Hell John finds himself working out his existence in the mailroom, until he’s given the promotion he died for—he becomes the forger of nightmares, the giver of bad dreams.
With his new position, John makes his assignments feel the fear he’s felt his entire existence. He does this until he’s assigned a young girl named Danielle. Danielle’s not much younger than John was, and the circumstances surrounding why she’s been assigned are troubling. They’re troubling because he disagrees. Now John must decide between continuing this life of torture and scares, or using this dark gift for something else, something that could help this girl who needs him.
Beneath a Brass Sky by Eli Steele
Ulfric Halehorn is a sellsword that believes in the sanctity of the contract. He’s also rekindled an old grudge, incited a riot, and landed himself in jail on enough counts to see himself hung twice. In the midst of this, he somehow managed to win a lucrative contract to transport a mysterious crate across the Brasslands to Kush.
He’d be better off if he hadn’t.
Days into the journey, Ulfric learns that the job is more than it seems, and that he carries with him the spark that may touch off a revolution that could burn across a city, and perhaps an entire region. Knowing this, Ulfric sees a chance to atone for breaking another contract nearly a decade ago — one that cost another city its freedom and its people their lives; an act that still haunts him to this day.
But the Brasslands is a vast land, filled with fugitives, and wild beasts, and nameless things that lurk in the low dark. In those wastes also rides another — one charged with snuffing out the same revolution that Ulfric aims to set afire. And as these rivals drive towards their opposing goals, a storm of steel and blood is building on a bleak horizon.
Berserker by Dimitrios Gkirgkiris
Alex is a game developer though he’d much rather stream RPG classics or spend time with Louie. That’s his adorable corgi.
He also hates people. Not in a homicidal way but rather in an extremely-antisocial one.
Unless you hurt Louie.
In such an instant, Alex is pulled in the Apocosmos, where our whole world is just a blip in a colorful tapestry of million others.
A multiverse ruled by a strict system.
Where Norse, Greek, and Celtic pantheons clash.
Where dwarves craft, dragons hoard, and vampires don’t glitter.
A world that is as cruel as epic.
Alex wants none of that though. He just wants to earn an early retirement somewhere in Spain.
There’s money to be made in the Apocosmos.
Alex will take advantage of the market just like he did in his MMORPG days, in what seems like an error-proof plan.
But it’s a zero-sum game and some would do anything to eliminate competition.
Beware Greeks Bearing Gifts by Gareth Lush
Beware Greeks Bearing Gifts’ tells the story of Heracles Olympus: a gifted warrior with a past that haunts him, fuelling him with a secret thirst for revenge and cursing him with a rage he cannot ever quite control. Heracles feels shackled by his life in his home city, until a chance encounter with his past sends him in search of three fabled items that have the potential to shift the power of the world: for better or for worse. Can Heracles, and his growing band of eclectic followers, find the items before they fall into the hands of the ever looming organisation known only as ‘Tartarus’?Beware Greeks Bearing Gifts is the first in a trilogy of novels, part of The Shield & Snake Saga, from new author Gareth Lush. The novel is for anyone with a love of epic fantasy and/or ancient Greek mythology, or just a book to get lost in.
Birthright by Kim Fedyk
Arleth, a 17 year old slave in a backwater world, has no idea her life is about to be turned upside down.She is too busy trying to avoid the abuse from her owner Bella. But when the legendary king of Oherra comes to Tocarra, Arleth soon finds herself being chased by assassins, sought out by spies and smack dab in the middle of a decades long war. It soon becomes clear to Arleth that powerful forces are at play. Not everyone is who they seem, even those she wants to trust the most. Haunted by an ancient magic, Arleth must decide who she can trust and fast. The wrong choice would cost her the ultimate price – a fate worse than death – to end up as an enchantment. A hollowed out shell of a person; devoid of thought, consciousness and feeling. That’s if the birthright she’s completely unaware of doesn’t kill her first.
Bitter Sky by Tim Stretton
War is in the air. In every sense, as the aeronauts of Lauchenland prepare to take their airships aloft against the mighty Beruzil Empire.
It’s the chance for Heino Voss to fulfil his life’s ambition and fly an airship into battle. At his side is his aloof navigator, Saskia von Eck. Soon they realise that war is not a game, and that unquestioning loyalty can take them to some dark places.
Saskia’s brother Erich finds himself fighting for the other side. As the bloodshed and horror mount, he learns there is no place for honour on the battlefield.
As the conflict draws to its grim conclusion, all three realise that the price of victory could be higher than they’re willing to pay. And that, even in wartime, there are fates worse than death…
The start of a breathtaking new series, Bitter Sky explores the cost of dreams and the terrible toll war takes on even the most idealistic.
Blades Falling Softly by Sarah Lin
Two families. Two species. One destiny.
Anyinn and Canumon are old warriors long past the adventures of youth, but destiny is coming for them all the same. One seeks to protect her ancestral homeland, the other to enter it. As they each become the representative of their nation and species, the conflict will draw their families together in a way they never imagined. Can their friendship survive the tides of history?
Blood Bounty by Liza Street
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 problem—and 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 hunters—Penance’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.
Blood Indigo by Talulah J. Sullivan
A centuries-long stalemate endures over possession of a sentient world.
In one corner, a dwindling cabal of shamans holds a weakening defence; in the other, a colony of aliens tries to maintain a bio-engineering experiment run amok. In the middle stands a youth who has been genetically altered to ‘Shape’ the elemental powers.
If Tohwakeli surrenders to those powers, he will be not only outcast, but a weapon.
Blood of Ravens by Jen McIntosh
Hunted. Hidden. Scattered.
But the old bloodlines hold true.
And now is the Time of the The Rising.
It’s been a hundred years since the Shade King orchestrated the Fall of the Graced; a century since he tipped the balance in his favour and brought those magically gifted warriors to their knees. But now a new power is rising and even the faintest ember, buried amongst ash and ruin, can reignite the flames of war.
A mother with no memory.
A general enslaved.
An unwilling heir.
And the two children who see it all
Blood Spells by Alicia Ellis
After her parents’ deaths, she turns to illegal blood magic to hunt a killer. But is it worth her freedom—or her life?
Was it suicide? Two months after finding her stepmother’s corpse, Maddy is still unconvinced. Magic users like her stepmother don’t spill their blood without purpose.
Blood magic is illegal for minors. But both of Maddy’s birth parents are long dead, and the truth is all she has left. She starts her investigation with a few familiar spells—finding lost objects, summoning the dead.
Soon, she draws the attention of a man with an unexplained connection to her stepmother—a man with power so big and so lethal that it shouldn’t exist. But who’s going to believe a grief-stricken kid when she claims impossible magic killed her stepmother?
Maddy must decide what the truth is worth. Her friends? Her freedom? Or even her own life?
Bloodlines by K R Gangi
“Welcome to Navaleth, a young kingdom built on a graveyard of secrets, ruled by a monarchy descended from the gods, and run by a society recovering from a bloody, ruthless war against an ancient enemy. Now meet Quiver, whose’s internal struggles pull him further away from his people’s traditions, drawing him closer to becoming an outsider. And Sarah, a bright, beautiful young woman, travels the world for her father’s business until one night her world takes a turn for the worse. Then there is Trevor, Sarah’s best friend, who has never left his home of Robins-Port, a trading village that shuns him for things beyond his control. Francis, second only to the king, Herald herald of the church, is a charismatic idealist visionary who has a knack for uncovering ancient secrets. And finally, Alric, a war veteran of war, who struggles to find a peaceful future, unable because he can’ to escape his violent past. Witness the beginning of the end as an ancient prophecy begins to unwind, directing our characters towards a dark future that they will inevitably share … until the very end.”
Book of Secrets by Claudia Blood
Joshua Lighthouse never wanted to save the world, but now he has no choice. Three hundred years ago, the human world and the world of Myth underwent a cataclysmic Merge. Those who survived – both human and Others – formed factions. Joshua led one faction, the Human Protection Agency, which is charged with maintaining the safety of the humans in his city. He secretly protects an artifact more powerful than even he knows… The Book of Secrets.As the anniversary of the Merge approaches, Joshua’s world is turned upside down, the order he’s maintained for so long is stripped away from him. He is kidnapped and betrayed, and a bounty is placed on his head. And the Book? Stolen. On the run from the organization he once served and legions of Others who seek to kill him, Joshua is in a race against time to find the Book of Secrets and prevent the inter-species war that will end the world he knows forever.Can one man find his way to salvation when everything he believed in turns out to be something else?
Born of Water by A.L. Knorr
Everything you thought you knew about mermaids is wrong.
Life for a small-town high school kid in Saltford should be simple and straightforward – for 17-year-old Targa MacAuley, it’s anything but. Navigating life with a supernatural mother is tricky enough, but dealing with the feelings of guilt that she’s never been able to ‘change’, and confusion that she doesn’t seem to be attracted to boys (or girls for that matter), Targa feels like she’s got more demons than the average kid.
When the opportunity to salvage a mysterious wreck in the Baltic arises for her mom, a professional salvage diver by day, Targa jumps at the chance to go abroad for the summer. But it’s when she meets Antoni Baranek, and a boating accident puts them both in danger, that Targa’s world turns completely inside out in more ways than one.
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.
Breakaway by Dezarea Dunn
“A different spin on a mermaid’s life. The characters are believable and draw you in, twists and turns make you want to keep reading. I can’t wait for the next book!” – Reader Review
Thea Galleon is your typical eighteen-year-old girl…almost. Between classes, coffee dates, and looking forward to her Pisciessoan Tail Ceremony, life is good, but long buried secrets threaten Thea and her beloved mermaid community.
Bellamy, a Cephalian half man-half octopus, is on a mission to discover information about the deadly White Blight, a highly contagious illness plaguing these two secretive species. An encounter with Bellamy throws Thea’s quiet world into a tempest; she discovers she was adopted, and worst of all, is suspected to be human.
Accused of treason, Thea sets out with her best friends to escape the secluded island of Bailerunda in a race against the forces that would keep them all in the dark.
Will she find the truth about her past, family secrets, and government schemes, or be imprisoned for a crime she didn’t commit?
Burn Red Skies by Kerstin Espinosa Rosero
When the Summoner’s army blazes through her village, Dove is forced into hiding. Torn from everything she knows, she begins training in the elements with only one goal in mind: to find her brother. She just needs to get past the Summoner’s army-but how can she slay a dragon that is already dead?
Burning Promise by Thiago d’Evecque
“Those who seek the Abyss are doomed to find it.”
Alicia is a country girl with a simple life. Her only dreams are to spend her life besides her fiancé and work the fields.
Dreams that are shattered when mercenaries attack her village and leave a trail of smoke, ashes, and blood.
Something awakes inside Alicia. A thirst for vengeance dominates her and demands to be quenched with death.
In a path paved by hatred, Alicia will face saurians — massive lizards and birds that plague the North — advanced golems, corrupt soldiers, and a conspiracy involving angels, necromancers, and the blood magic forbidden in the kingdom.
But her greatest struggle will be to keep her own humanity as she dives into the Abyss.
By the Pact by Joanna Maciejewska
High mages lied: Veranesh, the demon who destroyed the continent is still alive. And it’s up to their former student to expose the truth—even if it means another Cataclysm.
When Kamira, a once high mage student turned arcanist, discovers an imprisoned demon in underground ruins, she is forced into a pact that grants her powerful magic, but also ties her to the very demon that once devastated the continent… and Veranesh wants his freedom.
With one friend by her side, Veelk, a mage killer bound on protecting her, Kamira will have to outwit the archmages, other demons, and possibly her own demonic benefactor to survive. Her chances are slim, but with Veelk’s ever-present sarcastic repartee, Kamira might just pull through.
Plots and schemes, power and means—sometimes the price for victory is choosing which friend will die, but when you only have one friend, the choice is… easy?
By The Skies by J.E.Mueller
Kariea has turned healing into an art. Despite attending the best academy in Arix, she’s only allowed to study what her family approves. They want a lady; she wants more.
The dragon magic of old has granted everyone power. Kareia doesn’t intend to squander it. Though she’s forced to learn other arts in secret, an unexpected friend offers to teach her move. Even better, he isn’t afraid to break a few rules.
All the better for Kariea. With an arranged marriage in her future, she’s running out of time. Luckily, the law of the land is on her side: she can duel her betrothed and win her freedom… provided she can sneak in a little training first.
Can Kariea hone the skills she needs to win? Or will she be forced to accept an unwanted marriage?
Carrion by Alyson Tait
The Rook legacy: duty at all Costs. Regina’s family are the last living members after a long line of magical families. Their heritage is a promise to the world; they can be trusted to keep magic from corrupting power hungry witches — In doing so they keep an unearthly evil from crushing humanity.
When Regina Rook’s mother dies a sudden, violent death, the living coven members come from around the world to attend the funeral, and begin breathing down her neck as next in line to lead. Trying to find a balance between her own goals and her family’s demands, all the while keeping her recent nightmares hidden where she becomes the very thing they fighting.
But when those things become intertwined, can she do anything but watch as the world around her crumbles to ancient horrors?
Casting in Stone by Morgan Smith
They said ill winds blew at her back. They said she was cursed, a dreading and a hissing in the dark. And it was true: everywhere she went, no matter what she did, misfortune seemed to follow in her wake. But that, of course, wasn’t the worst of it.
The curse that seemed to follow Caoimhe throughout her life had caused many tragedies. She fled her old life, trying to lose herself in anonymity, but the unholy circumstances of her birth, and the machinations of those who sought to use her existence to further their own schemes followed her still. Can she overcome a long-dead evil and finally be free?
Children by Bjorn Larssen
Gods make lousy parents.
All Magni wants is peace and quiet, but when your father is the God of thunder, you don’t get to live the life you want. When Thor destroys all his son knows and loves, Magni vows to bring prosperity and end the violence… forever. But can you escape cruelty in a universe built on it, or the shadow of your father when everyone calls you by his name?
Maya, her rage more powerful than she knows, wants freedom to pursue her own destiny. Neither torture nor blackmail can make her obedient or pretty enough for Freya, her foster-mother and Goddess of love. Fighting for independence and revenge, can a mere human win a game where Gods dictate the rules?
Cold from the North by D W Ross
Driven by the promise of an ancient prophecy which will bring the dark ways of an old god back to power and prominence, an army of invaders swarms Ogulf Harlsbane’s homeland slaughtering all those who oppose them.
Along with his people, Ogulf must seek refuge from this savage force. In his search of sanctuary, he is tasked with finding the one person who can put a stop to the onslaught.
Doing so will send him across lands and seas, have him and his closest friend navigate the intricacies of a civil war, and try to win the help of the princess fighting for her throne.
If he fails, darkness will prevail and the reign of the Onyxborn will begin.
College of Shadows by Mark Wells
Cambridge is home to the brightest minds… and the deadliest monsters.
Working-class rugby player Nick feels out of place at university. The hallowed halls of Cambridge seem impossibly huge and far beyond the Mansfield of his youth. But Nick has much more than fitting in to fear when he’s attacked by a creature straight out of his worst nightmares…
Emotionally scarred by the sudden death of her parents, Annabel buries her feelings deep in her studies. But after barely surviving a freak accident, the shy girl begins to fear she’s cursed. And when her new friends nearly fall prey to a monstrous beast that shouldn’t exist, she’s terrified that her bad luck could bring their demise.
As Nick and Annabel plan to trap the creature, they stumble upon a long-held Cambridge secret. And the otherworldly truth is less pass-fail than do-or-die.
Can Nick and Annabel banish the beast before freshers’ week becomes their last?
Coyote Chronicles by Anton Le Roy
“They call me Veteran. A grizzled old warrior. Always on the road, meandering through fantastic lands and bouncing from contract to contract, which usually end up in violence. I flee the past. I flee the ghosts that forever haunt me, but I know that in the end I’ll have to finally stand and face them down. And when that day of reckoning comes my sword will be singing, the world will be burning, the ghosts will be swarming and a goddess will fall.”
Veteran and his buddy Gregor, two aged warriors for hire, have been on the road for decades when an audacious contract to steal a magical relic from a god brings them into contact with dark cultists called the Newborn. They soon discover the Newborn are led by an old pal they thought long dead, something Veteran had always blamed himself for. In an attempt to make amends, they track the priests through war torn kingdoms to find him. Along the way they’ll learn just how dangerous the Newborn are and also that facing up to the past can be even more deadly.
Curse Painter by Jordan Rivet
Art is magic. Art is a curse.
Briar can curse with the flick of a paintbrush. Her paintings maim, bewitch, and—most effectively of all—destroy. But Briar doesn’t want to hurt people anymore. She has fled her family’s deadly curse business to start a new life peddling nonlethal jinxes and petty revenge.
Briar’s destructive powers catch the eye of a charismatic young outlaw called Archer, who hires her to help him save a kidnapped friend from a ruthless baron. Briar thinks this is her chance to make amends for her crimes, but the family business won’t let her go so easily.
When her violent past jeopardizes Archer’s rescue mission, Briar must confront the dark arts she left behind—and decide what she’s willing to destroy in order to be good.
Cursed by Brent Miller
With his life now divided between myth and reality, Garrick Elliott struggles to learn what it truly means to be human. As a fledgling lycanthrope, Garrick battles his own dark thoughts and the encroaching threat of hunters, as well as the ever-growing willpower of the beast within. Despite those around him accepting what they are, Garrick desperately clings to a hope of one day returning to his life as a normal teenager. His obsession with ridding himself of the wolf may just be the drive he needs to find a cure—or the fatal error which puts him and his pack in danger. As he vies for control of his own mind, Garrick questions if fighting his affliction is worth the sacrifices he must make, or if he is destined to live the rest of his life Cursed.
Dark Apprentice by Val Neil
A psychopathic wizard. An immortal mage. An epic battle of wills.
Nikolai doesn’t want much out of life: sex, immortality, and the power to disembowel anyone who crosses him. But with dark magic forbidden, his only option is Medea–a mage so deadly even the Enforcers give her a wide berth. Despite dire warnings that her apprentices don’t survive, Nikolai won’t stop until she agrees to train him. After all, he’s a killer himself.
Barbaric and brutal, the training is a far cry from what Nikolai expects. When a mysterious illness strikes Nikolai down, he suspects he’s found the secret to Medea’s longevity. He resolves to find out what happened to her previous apprentices. If he can locate the source of her power, he can turn it against her.
Medea swore off training dark wizards–none of them take the craft seriously and the ungrateful bastards always try to kill her. This one definitely seems the backstabbing type, but magic is dying out and she hasn’t felt such magical strength in centuries. If she can control the boy, show him that magic is more than curses and necromancy, he might obtain the power he desires. If not, well . . .
What’s one more dead apprentice?
Daughter of Flood and Fury by Levi Jacobs
Aletheia Vjolla is a walking heresy: a girl born with a man’s magic, she studies among the city’s revered monks only on the authority of her father, head seer of the temple. Already disliked for her gender and blasphemous magic, things fall apart when her father is deposed and murdered. Searching for answers to his sudden death, Aletheia stays on at the temple only by being the best—and by burying her grief in the quest.
It isn’t enough.
Enemies in her class bring her to the new head seer, who publicly sentences her to death while privately admitting he killed her father. Calling on those few loyal to her father, Aletheia manages to escape, but finds herself alone in a hostile city, unsure how to survive and unable to hide her heritage. Hunted by the temple and darker elements in the city, to vindicate her father she must first learn the lesson he couldn’t teach her: how to find the strength in her heresy.
Dawn Rising by A.F.E. Smith
Alyssia Gale is a daydreamer. A liar. An attention seeker. Everyone she’s ever known has found a label to stick on her, but one thing’s for sure: she can’t be telling the truth. The flashes she sees of the dark and difficult lives of four other people, living in a world that’s not her own … they can’t be real. Alyssia understands that as well as anyone, even if she does keep catching herself thinking of the people she sees as friends.
Then she’s pulled into that other world by blood and dark magic, and realises that everyone she’s ever known was wrong.
To start with, her focus is on surviving until she can find a way home. Yet it doesn’t take long for her to figure out that where before she was merely a spectator, now she can change things. And with one of her friends being forced into an abusive marriage, and another trapped in the cruellest of prisons, there’s plenty that needs changing. She just needs to survive long enough to do it.
What she doesn’t know is that something connects her to these four people. Something she never could have imagined. And it’s not long before she isn’t just fighting to find her place between the worlds – she’s fighting to protect her closest friends from a narrative that wants them dead.
Death by Miracle by Fowler Brown
All persons shall be equal before the law, regardless of divine heritage or status of godhood.
That’s the idea, anyway.
Detective Sophia Akerele deals with the worst of divinity. Instead of chattering on social media about Apollo’s latest pop song, she’s tracing magical weapons to local gangs… until she takes a fireball to the chest.
She expects an afterlife, not a job offer from an international law enforcement agency. The Furies give her a chance to finally make a difference—to return to life with the power needed to tackle the worst supernatural crimes.
Her first assignment: Egypt, where a divine bomb throws her hometown into chaos. Sophia works alongside her cynical new partner, the local police, and an adventurous demigoddess with a doctoral degree in thaumaturgy. But that may not be enough, as she confronts organized crime, sinister gods, and, worst of all, the family she had to leave behind.
Deathborn by C. E. Page
Corruption is a disease with no cure that ends with a rapid descent into madness and violence. And until now it only targeted mages.
When an infected warden shows up challenging everything Margot thought she knew she is thrown into the chase to find the impossible cure. But to understand this new revelation she needs someone who knows possession … She needs Nea and lucky for Margot, her warden friend Garret has been tasked with tracking the rogue necromancer down.
Garret is used to dealing with dangerous mages so this should be like any other job: find the mage and deliver her to the king. But from the moment he finds Nea he is dragged into a deadly game of dark secrets and brutal machinations. Now he must make a choice: deliver Nea as promised and place a weapon in the hands of a mad man or deny his king and change the lives of wardens and mages forever.
Defiant by Aaron Hodges
On the wild planet of Talamh, humanity thrived…
…until the Alfur conquered their world.
Now, defeated and broken, humanity serves their alien overlords.
And looks to the stars for a hero.
Rydian Holt is nothing, nobody—just another human from the slums of Talamh. But when his mother is caught up in the slaughter of a fledgeling resistance group, Rydian’s entire family is thrown into infamy. His fellow humans brand him traitor, while the Alfur hail his mother a hero. Desperate to clear his name, Rydian must delve into his mother’s past, and the secrets she sought to uncover. Secrets about the Alfur, about their alien technology—and the mysterious Light that powers their world.
Deliverance of the Blessed by A B Endacott
Like all Blessed in the First Country, Kaylene is kept behind the stone walls of the Sanctuary to ensure the protection of others. Life has not been unbearable, though. She has found friends – and in Luka, even love. Then Luka dies in a terrible accident and Kaylene’s entire world falls apart.
Life itself seems devoid of any hope until a chance encounter with a stranger gives Kaylene a purpose that sets her and her friends on a path that challenges everything she’s believed: to reach beyond death itself and bring him back.
A standalone book in the Legends of the Godskissed Continent world, Deliverance of the Blessed weaves a tale of loss, longing, and encountering the unexpected, which builds to a thrilling conclusion.
Demonheart: Raging Elementals by J.J. Egosi
In dark medieval times, a young man serves under the family of the wealthiest jewelry estate in all the land. He believed he’d be nothing more than an instrument of ridicule for all those that crossed his path. Until a violent tragedy exiles him from the only home he knew. Now, he must explore the world on his own in search of a new purpose. Where he meets an assassin in search of the world’s rarest creature: Elementals. Soon, he encounters a witch from another place; existing from a time long ago. Who tells him of a secret to his past he had to experience to truly believe. Now, he must search all corners of the world for something he never knew he had. During a life he never knew he lived. Before the demon king puts an end to all things he finally came to fight for.
Demons, Ink by Clayton Snyder
If you’ve got a job, Jack Nyx can do it. For a price.
But he’s about to find out some things aren’t worth the money. When a job he can’t refuse lands in his lap, Jack enlists the help of friend and witch Ivy to track down a missing kid. What he finds instead is just the tip of a dangerous iceberg, and as unseen forces work to make his life hell, he’s caught between the demons bound to him, and the devil he doesn’t know.
Djinn Tamer: Starter by A.J. Cerna & Derek Alan Siddoway
Jackson Hunt wants nothing more than to be a professional monster tamer — skilled trainers who raise and battle magical creatures called djinn. He longs for the day when he comes of age and can leave home to pursue his dreams of taming djinn.
Unfortunately for Jackson, dreams and reality don’t always coincide.
To help his grandmother make ends meet, Jackson spends his days doing manual labor on a breeder’s ranch — just about as far removed from the bright lights and roaring crowds of the (Djinn Fighting League) as it gets. But no matter how hard Jackson and his grandma try, it’s never enough.
Facing bank foreclosure, Jackson is desperate to save his home but has no idea how… until he discovers a young, untrained djinn left behind for him by his dead mother.
As time runs out, Jackson works tirelessly to raise and develop a bond with his djinn. But monster taming isn’t as easy as the pros make it look. Along the way, Jackson and his friends will delve into the shady world of underground fighting, experience the agony of defeat and learn what it takes to be a true monster tamer.
Will Jackson and his djinn level up fast enough or is his dream destined to die before it even truly begins?
Doomsayer Prince by Rune S. Nielsen
WHAT THEY FORESEE WILL SHATTER THIS AGE
In his vision, colossal artifacts stride across his homeland, destroying everything in their path. In a desperate attempt to save his home, Mage Prince Phytiax heads to the wild north in search of allies. On his journey, his magical powers become damaged at the worst possible time, and his destined allies need to be saved before they can help him: Pino, the weakest Mage of all time and wielder of a mysterious artifact sword; Emilai, a kidnapped noble woman—turned Witch to fight her captors; and Cordin, an old Light Master wanted for murder, but dead-set on getting his life back. With the brutal and mysterious force invading and destabilizing the kingdoms around them, will his potential allies help or hinder him? And even if they save their homelands, the price might be worse than they ever imagined.
Downcast by Cait Reynolds
What if you had to believe the impossible…then 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 mother’s overprotective mania.
Everything changes when gorgeous Haley Smith walks into her life. She doesn’t understand why he wants her so badly and pushes him away. But, Haley won’t give up. He can’t give up. There’s 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
Downfall by G.A. Everett
A kingdom attacked. A princess on the run. A battle for survival.
In Deepwater, Princess Tempest believes her impending marriage to be the worst of her troubles; but when an attack is made on the king, starting a battle for control between the nations of Nyazere, she must flee the only home she has ever known and form new alliances if she is to survive. But beyond the walls of her city lies a dangerous road, where blades and coin matter more than legacy and titles.
Downfall is the first book in the Queen of the Unworthy series, featuring an engaging sword and sorcery fantasy world, filled with battles, backstabbing and morally ambiguous characters aplenty. If you like fast-paced adventure and thrilling fantasy, then you’ll love the first book in G.A. Everett’s page-turning series.
Dragon Mage by ML Spencer
Aram Raythe has the power to challenge the gods. He just doesn’t know it yet.
Aram thinks he’s nothing but a misfit from a small fishing village in a dark corner of the world. As far as Aram knows, he has nothing, with hardly a possession to his name other than a desire to make friends and be accepted by those around him, which is something he’s never known.
But Aram is more. Much, much more.
Unknown to him, Aram bears within him a gift so old and rare that many people would kill him for it, and there are others who would twist him to use for their own sinister purposes. These magics are so potent that Aram earns a place at an academy for warrior mages training to earn for themselves the greatest place of honor among the armies of men: dragon riders.
Aram will have to fight for respect by becoming not just a dragon rider, but a Champion, the caliber of mage that hasn’t existed in the world for hundreds of years. And the land needs a Champion. Because when a dark god out of ancient myth arises to threaten the world of magic, it is Aram the world will turn to in its hour of need.
DragonBirth by Raina Nightingale
In a world where dragons are considered demons and Dragonriders are hunted and killed as witches…
A devout village-girl, Silmavalien, meets a dragon hatchling and discovers a love she could never have dreamed. At the same time, her world is ripped apart as she discovers the gods she has worshipped and everything she has ever been taught or believed is a monstrous lie. Not knowing what to believe – or even if she can trust her engaged, Noren, with her new secret – she must find a way to care for herself and her dragon, Minth, in a wild and hostile world, a world which only grows stranger as the days pass.
Dreams of the Dying by Nicolas Lietzau
If your mind is the enemy, where do you run?
Years after a harrowing war experience, ex-mercenary Jespar Dal’Varek has taken to drifting. It’s a lonely existence, but, barring the occasional bout of melancholia, he has found the closest thing to peace a man like him deserves. Life is “all right.”
Or so he believes. Hoping to turn the page, Jespar accepts a mysterious invitation into the beautiful but dangerous archipelago of Kilay-and everything changes.
Plagued by explosive social tensions and terrorism, the tropical empire is edging ever closer to civil war. Kilay’s merchant king is the only person able to prevent this catastrophe, but he has fallen into a preternatural coma-and it’s Jespar’s task to figure out what or who caused it. As the investigation takes him across the archipelago and into the king’s nightmares, unexpected events not only tie Jespar’s own life to the mystery but also unearth inner demons he believed to be long exorcised.
Battling old trauma while fighting for his life, his sanity, and the fate of Kilay, the line between dream and reality blurs until only one question remains: If your mind is the enemy, where do you run?
Duplicity of Power by S. Lynn Helton
An improbable partnership of noble and rogue,
an unlikely quest – key to the fate of the Six Realms,
power struggles and the machinations of gods,
and a legendary artifact of Power…
Not always a Shadower, Namid is now one of the leaders of this select group, this guild of rogues in the decrepit city of Rhadanthus. Here she has found a refuge from darker times.
Rescuing a stranger is not usually part of her nightly haul. Her decision to help the wounded man sparks a series of events that upends her hard-won haven and sends her fleeing for her life.
Another’s quest snags Namid and casts her across the Six Realms of the Monarch and beyond, entangling her and others in power struggles, the machinations of gods, and the dangers of a past thought left behind.
What at first seemed a fool’s errand to restore a legendary artifact of Power becomes a gambit for the fate of the Six Realms. And Namid doesn’t even believe in fate!
Echoes of a Storm by Alan Scott
This dark, gritty and adult fantasy novel will draw you into a world of heroes, villains and monsters, making it impossible for you to stop reading.
As you delve deeper into the book, you will realise that this book explores many themes such as, relationships, loss, power, prejudice and ultimately, the true ‘monster’ that lurks inside of us.
Elijah by S A Haycock
Sixteen-year-old Jacob Da Nesta and his older sister Maria live a simple life of anonymity in their peaceful border town. But when a runaway prince from a rival nation appears in their doorway asking for them, their lives are changed forever.
Jacob, Maria, and their allies must flee from enemies both foreign and domestic as they journey through the perilous, war-torn land of Valouria. Guided only by visions from the mysterious Elijah, will Jacob and Maria reach salvation, or will their dark secrets catch up with them?
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. I’ve got a shotgun for the zombies and my lycanthropic rage hasn’t escaped my apartment. Life is normal-ish. All that changes when I’m called to help a dying fey knight and I make a promise.
There’s a little girl with big eyes and a heart-rending sniffle. I can’t say no. Of course she’s not human. She’s 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 don’t 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.
Empire’s Daughter by Marian L Thorpe
Lena’s world is about to change forever. Harried from north and south by two different enemies, both wanting this last remnant of a greater Empire’s land, and with invasion imminent, the military leaders see no choice but to ask the unthinkable: that women learn to fight.
In accepting the challenge, Lena is separated from her lover, who chooses banishment rather than break with generations of tradition. Promoted to leadership, drawn into the intrigues of power, Lena must make difficult choices, for herself, for her village, and for her country: a young woman at the heart of the violence and diplomacy that will begin her epic journey to save her land. Evoking Europe after the decline of Rome, the imagined world of Empire’s Daughter and its sequels is brought to vivid, believable life by the precise and powerful writing of Marian L Thorpe.
Enemy Unknown by David Stephenson
It took murder for Selvorne to learn his entire life was a necessary lie. One that must continue, if he wishes to live.
Those killed had a dark past. Earning enemies, now his own.
Do they want him dead – or worse? He might already be followed.
If amongst enemies, would he even know? Young, good of heart, his seemingly ideal life has left him unprepared. Too trusting, with a face that reveals all. He must make his way, avoiding enemies as he journeys to find the only person he might trust – a powerful ally of his father.
Can he hide his horror and despair, avoiding killers, who may be anyone? To save himself, and learn what is truly happening in the lands of North Waehter?
If you like epic adventures, deeply bonding with characters, as an innocent, good–hearted youth is forced to face a hard world, then you will love David Stephenson’s spellbinding prose and delightfully unexpected fantasy.
Join Selvorne on his journey today
Eternal Defenders by Tomas K. Grizzly
For generations, the blessed warriors and magi of the Order of Eternal Defenders had fought to defend their lands from the endless hordes of demons.
The legendary warrior Kraasian Darkwood has lost friends and family to the demons. When Tyr’eshal, his twenty-year-old son, accepts the offer to wield an almost forgotten power, Kraasian realizes there might never be a better chance to defeat the demons forever.
But the resurgence of an underestimated foe with their eyes set on Tyr’eshal, and the challenges of waging a war with just a few Eternal Defenders will test Kraasian and his hope. More so when the cost of victory might be higher than he anticipated.
Eulogy for the Dawn by Jeramy Goble
Domaren constructs peace using his tools of war. He is a silencer of rebellions and a butcher of tyrants. To some, he is a champion defender. To others, he is a merciless eradicator. Together with his fellow Godknights, Domaren wields might and magic to carry out the will of the creators.
But the creators have suddenly gone silent.
As the last living Godknight present during the ancient rebellion known as Wrathlore, Domaren must rise above suspicions of deceit, faltering powers, and a world erupting in chaos if he hopes to learn the fate of the missing creators
EXODUS 2022 by Kenneth G. Bennett
IS HE LOSING HIS MIND– OR HIS WORLD? Joe Stanton is in agony. Out of his mind over the death of his young daughter. Unable to contain his grief, Joe loses control in public, screaming his daughter’s name and causing a huge scene at a hotel on San Juan Island in Washington State. Thing is, Joe Stanton doesn’t have a daughter. Never did. And when the authorities arrive they blame the 28-year-old’s outburst on drugs. What they don’t yet know is that others up and down the Pacific coast—from the Bering Sea to the Puget Sound—are suffering identical, always fatal mental breakdowns. With the help of his girlfriend, Joe struggles to unravel the meaning of the hallucination destroying his mind. As the couple begins to perceive its significance—and Joe’s role in a looming global calamity—they must also outwit a billionaire weapons contractor bent on exploiting Joe’s newfound understanding of the cosmos, and outlast the time bomb ticking in Joe’s brain.
Eyes Last Seen Dying by Colin Adams
Lena is a gifted young swordswoman yet to develop the necessary wit, guile, and talent to destroy the world, but she’s a fast learner.
Tricked by her sensei into starting a war, Lena steals one of six stones holding back the Nithrain, the wickedness haunting the fringes of old tales. Hunted by every side, either to reforge the stone or to prevent its return, to save herself Lena must first become the hero worthy of redemption.
Eyes Last Seen Dying is epic fantasy of the highest order, written by a remarkable new voice. Prepare to be transported into the richly detailed world of Ithander, a land brimming with wondrous creatures, magic, and martial arts.
Fableman by Brad Carsten
People say, if Charlie Pratt had a penny for every blunder, he’d fill his pockets and then misplace his trousers.
In October the Campton river clears, and the levels drop offering a perfect excuse to get out in the crisp morning air and scour the rocks for snagged hooks and toads. It’s about as close as Charlie has come to magic… until he meets the strange but beautiful Dalia Addair.
While trying to learn more about her, he unwittingly slots himself into her magical trial—a trial she’s spent her whole life preparing for. He gets a day.
But something’s wrong; the trial holds its own secrets, and powerful forces will do whatever it takes to stop them.
The only way to survive is to finish the trials and block the way forever.
But first, Charlie and Dalia have to learn to work together—if they don’t strangle each other first.
Quirky, fast-paced, and brimming with humour and charm, Fableman is a young adult fantasy that shows how even the most unlikely hero will step forward to do what it takes—when there’s a ten-foot troll on his ass.
Face of Glass by Damon L. Wakes
In ancient days when the island was new, the three elements—Mountain, Sun and Moon—came to threaten Man. One by one, the hero SutaKe challenged these great figures, and with his cunning conquered them. The island now is ruled by Man alone, and SutaKe’s legend lives on through the ages.
But when a foreign merchant brings a new element—Steel—to the shores of the island, legends alone are not enough to resist it. A young slave, ParuMe, seizes the chance to claim an ancient power, and with it his freedom. However, this power comes at a terrible price: it threatens everything he had hoped to gain.
Fall into Darkness by James Pyne
A failed god determined to succeed. A fresh generation hungry for his throne. Can the universe survive when the greed of immortals collides?
The Almighty El is tired of his creations dying and his offspring questioning his competence. After purging his latest failure and raising up a new cosmos, he’s certain that this time success is assured. But just as his handiwork takes root, his greatest enemy rises from the void to challenge him in a vicious tentacled battle.
Leader of the Seraphim, Lucifer is sick of his father’s catastrophic missteps. And when he temporarily takes charge while the useless deity rests, he vows this rightful reign will be permanent. Except Lucifer soon finds himself not only dethroned, but kicked into the fiery flames of the Inferno.
Now as El’s family spirals into death and madness, he must fight to keep all of existence from imploding. And Lucifer’s hunger for vengeance has inadvertently paved the way for every celestial with a lust for power to ravage the multiverse in their bid for the coveted crown.
Can the embattled pair stop the playground of the gods from becoming a killing field?
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 isn’t 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.
Finnian’s Fiddle by Chandler Groover
Dragons can often be obstinate, and when one dragon arrives at a rural seaport demanding to hear a child prodigy perform the violin, the townspeople must strategize. They send a boy named Finnian to the city to learn how to play.
Unfortunately for Finnian, the task isn’t so simple. Everyone from bandits to scheming aristocrats seem to stand in his way, and before his quest has ended, he will have to contend with a devious plot whose machinations stretch into the fairy realm itself.
Fìrinn by E A McLaren
Avalon, Lyonesse, Hy-Brasil. So many legends of mythical lands…What if the legends speak true? A group of daring seafarers have made a voyage of discovery to Tìr-ùr, the New Land, bountiful, verdant and empty. Just ripe for the taking. That is until they encounter the earthbound, a race possessed of some characteristics that the colonists find profoundly unsettling.Off the coast of this new land, on the fortress island of Tèarmann, a young woman, Fìrinn, awaits her arranged marriage to Amrhan, a charming and fascinating nobleman, newly arrived from the distant homeland. As the only child of Bròn, the leader of the settlers, and Serin, an earthbound woman, Fìrinn is unsure of her place in the world. When she discovers some disturbing truths about her husband-to-be, Fìrinn is compelled to flee Tèarmann seeking refuge with her mother’s people. This is the personal story of a defiant young woman forced to make crucial choices, but it is also a powerful evocation of the natural world in all its aspects, both the joyful and the terrible.
Flames of Rebellion by Aaron S. Jones
A dying world. A broken mage. An oppressed people. The sparks of a rebellion. The world of Takaara is about to change but are the people ready for it?
A young, nomadic mage, Arden Leifhand, journeys across the harsh Borderlands searching for his place is the world. Taken in by a tribe of warriors, Arden discovers there may be more to him than the bullied outcast he had always thought he was.
Meanwhile, south of the Borderlands, Katerina Kane is thrust back into her old life of solving crime in Archania as she searches for the murderer of her lover. Archania has changed since she last worked a case and The Empire of Light is tightening its grip on the land. Through it all, rebellion is stirring with the downtrodden citizens as the land teeters on the edge of war.
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.
Fool’s Proof by Eva Sandor
In exchange for the freedom to continue her fifty years of benevolent rule over a technologically advanced country, Dame Elsebet de Whellen has sent the King a treasure: the world’s only actual magician, capable of an infallible healing spell. But somewhere along the way, the magician seems to have disappeared.
Enter Malfred Murd, the onetime Royal Fool, booted from his plush job in great disgrace. He’s got a talking magpie on one shoulder, a great big chip on the other, and talent galore— including a talent for rubbing people exactly the wrong way. None of which prevent Dame Elsebet from mistaking him for a hero, sent by the gods to help her on the desperate rescue mission that will decide the future of her people.
Fourth Sister by M. L. Farb
Shi, shi, fourth and death.
Fourth sister and twin to death.
Brother born silent.
Blamed for her twin brother’s death, Shisei, the outcast fourth of seven sisters, apprentices herself to a mask maker; but when the local Kazoku accuses the youngest sister of killing his son, Shisei must lead her sisters in a deception that will either save the youngest or condemn them all.
Fourth Sister is a Japanese fairy tale retelling with sparse poetry and gold-mended brokenness. A Studio Ghibli type story which invokes reflection.
Fractured Throne – Part One by Lee H. Haywood
The Shadow is claiming souls all across the realm. With the help of a dragon, a drunk, and a mad prince, Emethius hopes to save the world.
Emethius has never been one for killing. As captain of the Red Company, he has always let the men serving under him do the dirty work. But when Crown Prince Meriatis attempts a coup against the throne, Emethius can’t keep his hands clean.
Feeling guilt over his actions, Emethius tries to figure out why Prince Meriatis rebelled. Everyone believes the prince is simply insane, but Emethius has his own dark theory. Meriatis appears to have been afflicted by the Blackheart, a sickness in which one slowly loses their mind to an ancient deity known as the Shadow.
There are rumors of a sorceress who can cure the affliction, but she has gone into hiding somewhere in the fallen Empire of Cella. With more and more people contracting the Blackheart, Emethius sets out to find her. He only has two leads: a map written in blood, and the advice of a dragon who clearly has ulterior motives.
From Chaos Comes Order by Jimi Rodriguez
Surviving in a school of magic and murder is not easy!
Jacob Titus is a forgotten boy from Eslor Island. With an absent father and a mother who battles Alzheimer’s disease, Jacob has long learned to care for himself. When he is discovered by a magical talent hunter, Jacob makes the difficult choice to leave his home and enter the Valcrest School for the Promised.
As his school years go by, Jacob has to spend as much time trying to stay alive as he does finding a cure for his mother. As violence and blood lust at the school escalate, Jacob must learn to figure out who he can trust. All he wanted was to save his mother. Now he must save himself.
From the Darkness Comes by Joy Demers
Revenge is not for the faint of heart.
Cadda ni Caridos is a revenant who desires nothing more than finding the man who made her that way – the same man who killed her father and captured her mother. The glowing eyes, night vision, incredible strength and speed that came out of resurrection might seem like a boon, but when she can’t control her abilities and starts bringing death to others, she realizes it’s a curse. Cadda must dodge the authorities while searching for her father’s murderer, a man who turns out to be a powerful duke, and the only person to know the fate of her mother.
Always one step away from the king and his elite order of bodyguards, Lord Kenric Dorsile is near impossible to get close to, especially for a lowly foreigner like Cadda. While scheming a way to do just that, Cadda is finally caught by the authorities. Being conscripted into the army as punishment and sent to the far edge of the kingdom to defend against barbarians – the enemy of her enemy – proves to be a mammoth of a challenge. Cadda must find a way to return to the capital, even if that way includes personally fanning the flames of war. Otherwise, she risks losing her mother forever and forfeiting the right to avenge her father and herself.
Gathering of the Four by A.E. Bennett
Leora of Mae is a young Xanthi woman, orphaned at birth and raised on a remote farm where she is the only one of her kind. As a wielder of Xanthcraft, her abilities set her apart from her adoptive family and the other villagers. Shortly before her twentieth birthday, she learns of her family’s plot to sell her into servitude. Fearing for her life, she flees from the only home she’s ever known…
Roland Shallowbrook has been traveling the Thieves’ Road since childhood, performing odd jobs and stealing when necessary to survive. With twenty-five years behind him, he has no permanent home to speak of and considers himself lucky to have survived his latest theft. Lacking any proper destination, he stumbles into a dingy tavern in a remote road-stop town, not realizing his life will be changed forever…
Lady Aurora Verte, the eldest daughter of the powerful Lord Tristian Verte, is one of the most desired young women in the Realm. As a member of the gentry, she has only known comfort and luxury. On the morning of her wedding, she is preparing to become head of a new household and assume duties befitting of a lady when White Riders storm into her family home, destroying life as she knows it. With the help of her twin sister Eve, Aurora flees House Verte with little more than the wedding dress she’s wearing…
Leopold, First Commander of the White Riders and the Realm’s First Defender, has been a loyal servant of the sovereign since he was a child. Raised as a soldier with single-minded devotion, a secret regarding the gentry was recently thrust upon him. Bound by a duty stronger than his upbringing, he makes the decision to betray his own men, and now he must pay a terrible price…
Together, these four unlikely heroes will have to band together, not only to survive, but to battle to create a more just country for all.
Ghost Line by M.A. Poole
When your clients are all dead, it takes call center hell to a whole new level.
Sarah Mendoza just wants to get through her work week. The calls have been back to back for weeks, pushing her past burnout. But having great coworker friends makes it worth staying, and it’s not like job offers are beating down her door. The last thing she wants is to get a job in a mundane company where she has to hide her magickal abilities.
When the calls suddenly stop, she gets suspicious. It’s too good to be true, and management doesn’t seem to care what’s going on. Certain her boss is up to no good, Sarah borrows a pair of goggles that will let her see ghosts, hoping that may give her an idea.
But the ghosts aren’t the only things acting odd-Her kinda-sorta new girlfriend falls off the radar, her roommate is hiding something, and the magickal community is braced for a major upheaval. Something is going to explode, and if working at Ghost Line has taught Sarah one thing:
You never want to be in the way when magick hits the fan.
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.
Girlgoyle by Better Hero Army
Tiffany Noboru has just awaken from her death, only to be drafted into the Gargoyle Ghost Hunter Corps. Soon she is fighting jealous rivalries within her own ranks, struggling to unravel the mystery of her recent death, and trying to avoid being killed a second time by a maniacal ghost named Bones who is seeking the destruction of the gargoyle world.
In this full-length novel, appropriate for teens and young adults, a new twist on the role of gargoyles is imaginatively brought to life in spellbinding fashion. Woven in are twenty original works of art by Miimork, which breathe life into its ghostly pages.
Gleeman’s Tales by Matthew Travagline
Gnochi Gleeman is not like other entertainers. Because of his expansive knowledge of pre-apocalyptic Earth, the stories he tells are valued well beyond the flashes of an illuminator, or the spheres of a juggler. Gnochi spent the first decade of his career telling stories while traveling between taverns, inns, and any hole-in-the-wall which would feed him.
Cleo, a young teen from across the ocean, flees from her chaperone into the woods of an unknown land. During her first months journeying through eastern Lyrinth, she discovers something life-changing about herself. With that discovery comes the knowledge that her life is in grave danger.
Despite a love for the open road and a thrill for telling new audiences about the lost age, Gnochi chooses to retire and focus on curating his family’s hidden library of first-age texts. But the fates would not grant Gnochi the boon of a peaceful retirement. Not long after settling down, he learns that his sister and niece have been kidnapped, and in order to free them, he must assassinate the land’s ruling monarch.
On the path to murder, Gnochi runs into Cleo and the unlikely duo seek safe passage to Lyrinth’s capital among the dilapidated tents of a traveling menagerie.
All the while, people across the world are beginning to prepare for the once-in-a-decade winteryear. These winteryears, one of the echoes of the first age still present in the current world, have been ravaging the Earth since it awoke from its eternal winter and recovered from its near destruction thousands of years ago. Will proper preparations be taken before the Earth is blanketed in its yearlong snow?
Good Blood by Billy Ketch Allen
Is his blood a gift to the world, or a curse that could destroy it?
In the world of Terene, fate is determined by your blood. For Descendants carrying the healing blood of their ancestors, it is a life sentence. Enslaved by the ruling nobles, their blood is harvested to both power the nation and keep them weak. But after centuries, the bloodline is dwindling.
The Highfather of the Faith seeks an alternative to rule the world. Against him, a band of cutthroat rebels fights to free their people. Caught in the middle is one boy on a desperate journey to uncover his past. In his veins, he holds the power to change the world.
But he doesn’t know it yet…
Graves Robbed, Heirlooms Returned by Ashley Capes
At least when you’re Death’s nephew the bad guys literally have no-where to hide, right?
Meet Reed Lavender, a mostly-human detective with the uncanny ability to hear the final words of the dead. But on this case he’ll need more than his usual tricks to solve the murder of a teen runaway – he’ll need something that just might be more trouble than it’s worth – the help of his ragtag Reaper-cousins.
But the deeper Reed digs the more he realises there’s something far bigger and darker beneath his city, something vast, something that is ripening to rot…
Greed by Tim Beeden
A story about working out what’s valuable in life and then trying to take it from someone else.
Greed by Viljami L.
Ethan and Gabriel have been fast friends since early childhood. Regrettably, whilst they were but young boys, Gabriel’s parents met their deaths due to not being able to afford a treatment for a curable disease. Life, however, extended an olive branch to the unfortunate soul by the way of offering a loving place in Ethan’s thus-far unbroken family. Yet Gabriel never truly felt at home as the two tight buddies, together, grew up into young adults within the same household.
Eventually, death came to visit once more, and this time it took away the middle-aged parents who had not only taken great care of their own child but also given a roof for another, even though they were not obligated to bear the burden of a second child. It has been a few years since that latest sojourn of death, and the independent pair now travels the world in a search of something they do not know of.
One day, they come across a legend that tells of untold riches within reach of those who dare to venture into the unknown depths of Mt. Valhalla. Motivated by the idée fixe of an easy life attainable with such a rumoured treasure, the lonesome twosome decides to gather an adventuring brigade. On their arduous journey, they will meet an assorted cast of characters who all have their own personal reasons for joining the ever-growing party.
As their odyssey unfolds, Ethan begins to wonder whether vast monetary wealth is the unidentified something that he is subconsciously looking for, or if he has already strayed too far from the right path towards a more fulfilling and happy life. Gabriel, meanwhile, becomes more and more obsessed with the enchanting fantasy of living in a lavish lifestyle with the promised fortune, the enormity of the cost be damned. Still, both of them, as evermore, venture the same path hand in hand. However, what is the harsh reality that awaits them at the end of their chosen road?
Gunmetal Gods by Zamil Akhtar
They took his daughter, so Micah comes to take their kingdom. Fifty thousand gun-toting paladins march behind him, all baptized in angel blood, thirsty to burn unbelievers.
Only the janissaries can stand against them. Their living legend, Kevah, once beheaded a magus amid a hail of ice daggers. But ever since his wife disappeared, he spends his days in a haze of hashish and poetry.
To save the kingdom, Kevah must conquer his grief and become the legend he once was. But Micah writes his own legend in blood, and his righteous conquest will stop at nothing.
When the gods choose sides, a legend will be etched upon the stars.
Half Sword by Christopher Matson
“It is said that men must worship the gods of this earth, but none know whom the gods themselves must worship.” The crone’s breath stank of septic wounds and open graves. She leered at him. “I will tell you a secret—the gods worship fools such as yourself.”
Simon is that fool. Reviled as a halfwit, he is pursued across medieval Europe by a sinister league of conjurers, the Apostles of Light. Having erased his past, they will stop at nothing to steal his future as well. On the way, he joins the Knights of Palermo, a dubious band of wandering rogues, and attracts a mysterious young woman whose fate is somehow interwoven with his own.
Simon finds himself caught in a struggle for power between the shadowy Apostles, his adopted Knights, and a cabal of powerful women known to a select few as the Weavers. With only a broken sword and his own shattered memories, Simon must thread this maze of warring factions to discover who he was and why he is inexorably drawn to the haunted ruins of twelfth century Rome.
Hall of Bones by Tim Hardie
In the remote land of Laskar the seven ruling clans have vied with each other for power for over a century. The son of the Reavesburg Clan Chief, Rothgar, has been groomed all his life for a role supporting his elder brother, Jorik, in leading their kingdom when their father’s time finally comes to an end.
However, the rulers of their greatest rivals, the Vorund Clan, are in the grip of something older and far darker. They have been conquered by evil, a remnant from the time when the gods warred with one another and the world of Amuran collapsed into the Fallen Age.
Everything is about to change …
Haven by Ceril N Domace
Most people think the fae are gone. Most people are wrong.
Owen Williams wakes after a horrific car accident to find his wife is dead—and somehow turned into a gryphon—and his kids gone after a home invasion turned horribly wrong. Shattered and reeling, he vows to do whatever it takes to find them.
When a fae scout appears and promises to reunite him with his kids, he doesn’t hesitate before joining her. But she warns him that if he wants to protect his family, he must follow the fae to their city, the hidden haven of Tearmann.
With enemies on the horizon, Owen needs to set aside his fears and take up arms to defend their new home alongside the people he’s always been taught were monsters—or he’ll lose everyone he’s trying to protect.
Heavenward by Olga Gibbs
In a dull and misty English town, an ordinary girl lives her trying life.
But alongside her boring world another world lingers.
The world of angels: with Heaven and Hell, with cities, suspended high in the skies and cities, hidden deep beneath the surface, with creatures, harvesting humans… and prophecy of assassinated archangel one day reborn within a human.
Heir to the Darkmage by Lisa Cassidy
Ambition drives her. Danger thrills her. But magic always has a price.
Twenty years have passed since the Darkmage was destroyed and the war between mages ended. For Lira Astor, the single living heir to the Darkmage, escaping her name is impossible. People still fear what is long dead, and they see in her the rise of another dangerous mage with deadly ambition. Desperate to claw her way free of her grandfather’s shadow, to make her own name amongst the world of mages, Lira is willing to do whatever it takes. Even if that means joining the secretive rebel group looking to restore his vision.
Survival is a lesson Lira learned early and often, yet when she is abducted and held prisoner in a deadly game of cat and mouse, she finds herself facing a nemesis she may be no match for. Forced to band together with unlikely allies who challenge everything she believes about what it means to be a mage, she will have to rely on every bit of ruthlessness she possesses.
Because the war may only just be beginning…
…and Lira Astor intends to come out on top.
His Secret Illuminations by Scarlett Gale
A Sheltered Monk
By day, Lucían 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 Lucían 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, Lucían 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?
Hooded by A. A. Woods
Hated.
Hunted.
Hooded.
In a land of myths and monsters, 17-year-old Carlette is a slave. Her power of enhabitation, the ability to control animals, makes her useful to the island’s colonial rulers. Convinced she’s on the right side, she spends her life doing their bidding, awaiting the day she gets to leave it all behind and fulfill her purpose in their war across the sea.
But when an escaped spy forces her to leave the safety of the road, Carlette is plunged into the wilderness with a handsome enemy by her side, rebels at her back, and only her wits to guide her. Among the giant trees of the magical forest, Carlette will begin to realize her world is much more complicated than she’s been led to believe.
Will she learn to see through the lies she was raised on? Will she have the courage to choose heart over duty?
And will she do it fast enough to save everyone she loves?
I Am King: Book One by Damien Shillingford
Ten year old Beaumont never meant to get anyone killed. But when Rancine, the man who murdered his mother and father, sent assassins to capture him and deprive him of his right to his father’s stolen crown, the weight of his destiny came crashing down on him and his loved ones.
After the assassination of the King and Queen of the Middle Island’s, young Prince Beaumont was taken from the island nation and hidden away in the secluded mountain village of Mount Hope in the newly discovered realm of Hattan, waiting for the day he was a man and could reclaim his stolen crown from his families killer. But the arrival of a warrior named Nisila and her mysterious raven Shadowcry, changed all his plans and at ten years of age Beau must brave the wilderness with his cousin Julius as they flee for their lives.
With the help of Nisila, Shadowcry, Julius and a foul mouthed, ill-tempered sellsword named Gavin, Beau must brave harsh winter storms, mythical creatures, forsaken ghouls, black magic, determined assassins and a powerful demon in hopes of making it back to the safety of his homeland in the Middle Islands.
I Kill Monsters by Dennis Liggio
Mikkel and Szandor kill monsters. They’re not government funded, they’re not from a time-honored lineage of hunters, nor are they rich kids with lots of toys. They’re two twenty-something brothers from the poor side of town who have taken it on themselves to rid the streets and underground of creatures who would prey on the innocent. Donning gas masks and using makeshift weaponry, they delve into the labyrinthine sewer system of New Avalon to grapple with snarling zombies, flesh-eating ghouls, insectoid hive creatures, and more. It’s a dirty job and it rarely pays, but someone has to do it.
Hired by a woman from the rich side of town who believes she’s being stalked by monsters, the two brothers think they’ve finally gotten an easy job that will pay well. But as they follow the clues, things are not adding up. Kidnappings, jackbooted commandos, and mysterious emails are just the beginning. Soon they find themselves involved in something bigger than monsters. It’s anybody’s guess whether they’ll come through it alive, much less get paid.
Iarraindorn by Philip Dickens
ON THE NIGHT THAT HE WAS BORN, THE DEVIL CAME TO KILL HIM
The son of a farmer in Iron Age Britain, Nuadhu finds himself thrust into a destiny he is ill-prepared for. After his king murders his parents, he and his brother are forced to flee into the Roman Empire under the protection of the archangel Anael.
Meanwhile, a plague of the undead is sweeping across Europe from the east, raising their slain enemies as new allies. Their goal is not the conquest of one tribe or nation, but the subjugation of all humanity.
Can one warrior-in-exile, hungry for vengeance, build a force to repel this existential threat?
ILLBORN by Daniel T. Jackson
Long ago, The Lord Aiduel emerged from the deserts of the Holy Land, possessed with divine powers. He used these to forcibly unite the peoples of Angall, before His ascension to heaven.
Over eight hundred years later, in a medieval world which is threatened by war and religious persecution, four young men and women begin to develop supernatural abilities. These forbidden and secret powers will shatter the lives that they have known, and will force each of them to confront the mystery of the ethereal Gate which haunts their dreams. What does the dream mean, and how is it connected to their burgeoning abilities?
As they experience conflict, love, lust and betrayal, in lands which are being overtaken by war, they must try to stay ahead of and to survive the sinister forces which are now pursuing them. For they are being hunted…
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 king—and is ambushed instead. Escape lies in the Jaded Grove, but the trees of the ancient Fae woodland aren’t what they seem, and in place of sanctuary, Simith tumbles through a doorway to another world.
Cutting through her neighbor’s 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. She’s known too much death to stand idly by, but an act of kindness leads to consequences even a poet like her couldn’t imagine.
With their fates bound by magic, Simith and Jessa must keep the strife of his world from spilling into hers—except the war isn’t 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.
James: Witch-Hunter by K.S. Marsden
James Bennett is a Yorkshire lad, making the big move to Oxford to start university.
His ambitions involve getting a good education; impressing the Rugby Club; and not throttling his roommate. All perfectly normal drama, until Hallowe’en.
A girl’s murder throws James into the dangerous world of witches, and those that hunt them.
Jewels of Smoky Quartz by Anat Eliraz
A world ruled by force and magic. A game which could have a fatal ending.
She is just an ordinary woman – an emergency room nurse who practices martial arts in her free time.
Teleported into a harsh, strange world and sold into slavery to the fighters’ ring of Tur’an, she must use her wit and skills to survive.
On the brink of death, she wakes up in a strange room – only to meet one of her captors. Now, he acts as her protector.
Together they leave the city, but their journey will confront them with their own fears and deepest secrets.
And through it all, she finds solace in an old tune. Not knowing yet how it will impact her life – and the lives of everyone else.
Kept From Cages by Phil Williams
No one returns from Ikiri.
Reece’s gang of criminal jazz musicians have taken shelter in the wrong house. There’s a girl with red eyes bound to a chair. The locals call her a devil – but Reece sees a kid that needs protecting. He’s more right than he knows.
Chased by a shadowy swordsman and an unnatural beast, the gang flee across the Deep South with the kid in tow. She won’t say where she’s from or who exactly her scary father is, but she’s got powers they can’t understand. How much will Reece risk to save her?
On the other side of the world, Agent Sean Tasker’s asking similar questions. With an entire village massacred and no trace of the killers, he’s convinced Duvcorp’s esoteric experiments are responsible. His only ally is an unstable female assassin, and their only lead is Ikiri – a black-site in the Congo, which no one leaves alive. How far is Tasker prepared to go for answers?
Kept From Cages is the first part in an action-packed supernatural thriller duology, filled with eccentric characters and intricately woven mysteries. Start your journey to Ikiri today.
King of the Hollow Dark by Cat Hellisen
Georgina Skyler Carey is not a necromancer. She’s the daughter of one.
And now she’s dead.
George has grown up hidden away, trying to live a normal life after her mother was executed for a ghost uprising which killed millions. Every year, the Anti-Necromantic Unit drags her in for testing, while the Empress of Life watches. And every year; nothing.
Until she turns twenty, and the wards which were hiding her and binding her are finally erased, and Georgina discovers that she’s still not a necromancer, just the immortal body designed to host the soul of an aeons-old goddess.
Ousted from her meatsuit and trapped in the afterlife, George is determined to get her body back.
It’s not going to be that simple. George discovers that the afterlife is nothing like she could have imagined and the only people who might be able to help her have bigger issues to deal with. She’s trapped in an afterworld that is slowly being consumed by the Hollow Dark which waits at the end of all things. There’s a lot more at stake than one life – the entire realms of life and death will fall to the endless nothing of the Hollow Dark if the King of Death isn’t returned to hold his throne. The worlds are crumbling all around her, and George is going to lose more than just her body if she doesn’t find the King, and with him, the truth about her creation.
Kings and Daemons by Marcus Lee
Over fifty years have passed since Daleth the seemingly immortal Witch-King, and his army conquered the Ember Kingdom.
Now, with the once fertile lands and its enslaved people dying around him, the Witch-King, driven by his insatiable thirst for eternal youth, prepares his forces to march on the prosperous neighbouring Freestates. It will be the beginnings of a conquest that could destroy nations, bringing death and destruction on an unimaginable scale.
Then, when a peasant huntress whose rare gift was concealed from birth is exposed, it sets in motion a chain of events that could alter the destiny of generations to come.
Lady Vago’s Malediction by A.K.M. Beach
In the blackened heart of a cursed forest, a banshee haunts her crumbling castle with lethal screams.
Lady Vago is trapped in this place. She cannot fulfill her purpose as a banshee: to warn her loved ones of their deaths and watch over them while they pass. To solve the mystery of her imprisonment, she must sift through the rubble and ruin that surrounds her. By communing with old paintings, broken furniture, and even the stones themselves, she rediscovers who she was in life.
Before she was Lady Vago, she was Rovena Stoddard, a sharp-witted horse merchant’s daughter that caught the eye of a charming baron. Lord Kalsten Vago’s life as a wandering knight was over, but it inspired visions of a better life for his most vulnerable subjects. Rovena was far less afraid of bold change than his staunch and loyal steward, who saw her presence as a threat to Lord Kalsten’s success. Love and shared dreams alone wouldn’t overcome the controversy of the couple’s hasty and unequal union, as well as the trials of governing a fledgling barony—Rovena knew that. What she failed to recognize was the deeper darkness taking root in Vago lands and hearts…
Every memory of what Rovena loved is a reminder of what she lost, but she cannot let grief halt her search. Devoted spectres of ash are begging their lady for an end to their torment, and she will not let their agony–or her own–go unanswered anymore.
Lake Merrin, Journal of an Adventurer by Samuel Colbran
He is a face in the crowd; a nobody, but with every story, there is a beginning.
Travel with this ordinary half-human as he works to find a roof over his head, to put food on the table and stumbles on something beyond his reckoning.
This is his journey; this is his path. His Journal. A Journal of an Adventurer.
Should he stand up to become a “hero”?
…Will it matter?
Lake Merrin is a city in the North-Western part of Western Duchy, Favinonia. It is also known as Iron Dukedom. Duke Trahern Isenhart III is the ruler of Iron Dukedom, and his third cousin Count Darel Isenhart is the ruler of Lake Merrin, and it’s county.
Lake Merrin is home to twenty thousand people, and it has the second oldest Adventuring Hall in Favinonia; nearly nine hundred years old.
Lamp of Light by Alex H. Singh
Only the light will prove her Innocence…
Pierre Lachance, King of Tibethia, has been murdered and all eyes are on his wife Esther Anna, who knows who the real culprit is.
Before she can speak the truth, however, she is ordered to be executed by the King’s daughter Noelle, the fairest woman in all the kingdoms.
Now Esther Anna is on the run, and on her trail is a wendigo named Damian who has been resurrected from the depths of the black abyss by Noelle to stop Esther at any cost.
Esther Anna finds help along the way in form of a fairy Prince named Phillip, who tells her of an artifact that can prove her innocence called “The Lamp of Light,” but it is rumored to be on an island protected by a horrifying sea creature.
With time running out and Damien on her trail, will she be able to get to the Lamp of Light to prove who the real murderer is?
Last Sword in the West by Ryan Kirk
Never bring a gun to a sword fight
Years after the conclusion of a civil war, Tomas wanders the endless grasslands of the frontier, still searching for an elusive peace. He dreams of finding a quiet place, far beyond the ever-expanding reach of civilization, where he can sheath his sword for good.
But he can’t look the other way when he passes through a town caught in a duel between two powerful organizations. The graveyard outside of town is full, and innocents hide in their homes, hoping to survive the coming battle.
Before long, Tomas is caught within the web of the escalating conflict, a lone swordsman standing against two violent forces that seek to control the town and the unnatural power it contains. He quickly appears destined to join countless others in their unmarked graves.
But Tomas has a secret, too. And it would be a mistake to underestimate him.
His war isn’t over yet.
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, twenty-five-year-old Elia Kolenikova, queen 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. There’s just one problem: what Elia reads in those accounts may not be true.
To unravel the mystery, Elia needs more than an ally—she needs a fire priest. An immortal Ice Realm prince who’s 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, he’s 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 doesn’t, the lies and propaganda of the fire priest order will cost Elia hers first.
Legacy of the Brightwash by Krystle Matar
Follow the law and you’ll stay safe. But what if the law is wrong?
Tashué’s faith in the law is beginning to crack.
Three years ago, he stood by when the Authority condemned Jason to the brutality of the Rift for non-compliance. When Tashué’s son refused to register as tainted, the laws had to be upheld. He’d never doubted his job as a Regulation Officer before, but three years of watching your son wither away can break down even the strongest convictions.
Then a dead girl washed up on the bank of the Brightwash, tattooed and mutilated. Where had she come from? Who would tattoo a child? Was it the same person who killed her?
Why was he the only one who cared?
Will Tashué be able to stand against everything he thought he believed in to get the answers he’s looking for?
Lethal Red Riding Hood by Leonard & Ann Marie Wilson
Bloody Scarlet, the skull collector of the Crimson Forest, is just a cautionary tale to keep children from wandering in and getting lost — isn’t she? Well something’s out there.
In a world dominated by a cruel Inquisition that sees demons and witches everywhere it turns, Keely just wants to make a dishonest living convincing the obscenely wealthy to part with their excess riches through guile and trickery.
When the Inquisition shows up to destroy her life anyway, Keely goes on the offensive rather than scurry back into the shadows. To set it up for a fall she lures the Inquisition into an invented race to find a heretical book of prophecy that may never have existed.
When Keely builds her lies on existing rumors, though, and points the hunt in the direction of the Crimson forest, a new player introduces herself to the high stakes con game as a deadly wild card.
Whether or not the woman in red is the real Bloody Scarlet, the closer Keely gets to the dark, twisted heart of the forest the more quickly things spiral out of control.
Little White Hands by Mark Cushen
Almost five hundred years have passed since the Seasons were at war.
Half a millennium since Winter defied Spring, and lost.
Generations have come and gone, not knowing the bitter freeze and howling snows of Winter ever existed.
But now, after centuries of silence, the participants in this ancient struggle have resurfaced and reignited their feud on the doorstep of an unassuming little kitchen boy.
Garlan’s dreams of being just like the knights he idolizes may not be as impossible as he has always been led to believe, when he is chased from his home and thrust headlong into the kind of adventure he had only ever read about in books.
Setting out on a journey that spans the entire kingdom of Faeland, Garlan will traverse impossible mountains and stormy seas and battle terrible monsters, all to keep the world he knows safe from an enemy who will stop at nothing to bring about a never-ending winter.
With a cast of fantastical characters to aid him in his quest, can Garlan overcome his self-doubt and find the courage he needs to rise above his humble station and become the hero he always dreamed of being?
The fate of the world rests in his hands.
Lost in a Dream by R. E. Fury
If dreaming is a drug, then I’m a junkie.
For most people, sleeping is an obstacle; something to get out of the way so they can get back to their day. For others, it’s an escape to nothing; a blissful break from the wears of life.
It’s the opposite for me.
I live so that I can dream. I trudge through work so that I can go home and close my eyes, awakening in the real world—one where dreams really do come true. A place where I can fight a king instead of my ever-disappointed boss, where I’m a warrior instead of a glorified telemarketer. A place where I matter.
Tigers instead of taxes. Monsters instead of men with too much power.
Reality is just the word we came up with to accept a boring life; a birthing place for grander ideas we so desperately wish could come true.
I choose to live in a world where they do.
Lycoris in Moonlight by Kova Killian
The daughter of a god of death.
The child that shouldn’t exist.
Nin’s mother had warned her to never go to the Flame Festival, for the gods have laws against her life. Now Nin is a grumpy, world-wary almost thirty-year-old midwife. Her mother has passed away and her best friend begs her to go to the festival.
She attends, only to have her fated flame match with the last god she ever wanted to lay eyes on, Amun-Ra. Her mother’s patron god, the one person her mother begged to come heal her in her time of need. Nin despises his pompous priss face and his cocky attitude until she learns the limits of his power and the demons that plague him.
Nin must now survive the year. The one problem? Someone knows both of her parents. He can unravel her secret in a moment and send the justices after her, resulting in execution. Will Nin submit to the pull of the flames and make it to the Eternal Ceremonies? or will the secret of her parents be brought to light?
Mage Family by John Ross Elliott
The witches finally have their own realm, but who is prepared for what comes next. As a new generation comes to find the scars of those before them. Where do the Mages fit in. Edyone, Ellah and Ellysse will use all the skills to undo the legacy of their ancestor the Wicked Witch of the North.
Mask of Guilt by JMD Reid
We all wear masks…
…to hide from our guilt.
Lady Foonauri is on the far side of the world. Her life of indolence and chasing wealth has left the young noblewoman empty inside. She wears a mask of happiness while she weeps inside for the two men she loved.
And destroyed.
One man, however, sees her more than a beautiful ornament. He sees a woman who can change the world. Onyx offers Foonauri a new mask to wear and the chance to do something meaningful with her life. To be a thief and steal a dangerous artifact before it falls into dark hands.
Is this Foonauri’s chance to take off her mask of guilt and find purpose in her life? Will being a thief who takes her destiny in her own hands bring her peace?
Or is she entering a world that will swallow her whole?
Mirror Shards by Olga Werby
Trapped Between Infinite Possible Realities
Hig is a disabled kid with a loving mom, a baby sister, a distant father, and a doting uncle, Charlie. On a trip to a county fair, the family encounters a mysterious “Mirror of Wishes” booth that leads to radical, unexplained life changes, including Hig’s uncle’s abrupt disappearance and his mother’s untimely death. One of the changes is Hig’s miraculous cure—his congenital spina bifida is gone and he no longer needs a wheelchair. As Hig grows up, he continuously frets about what really happened but is too scared to actually look for answers to the mystery.
Years later, Hig takes his girlfriend Klaire to another county fair. They encounter the same booth and its proprietor, Mistress Kismet. A bizarre chain of events ensues, including Uncle Charlie’s return as a very different person. They discover that Mistress Kismet’s booth is a portal that has been altering people’s realities and fates for many decades.
When Hig’s younger sister disappears, Hig, Klaire, the woman who raised him after his mother died, and a friend chase the girl to a music festival where the visitors are being promised a transformational experience with visions of possible alternate realities. During a performance, Hig and his companions are all physically thrown into one of the possible parallel universes. It’s a very different place where Kismet is a religion, The Beatles released a Black Album, and Hig is again bound to a wheelchair. Yet in this version of reality, Hig’s mother lives.
As their time in a new reality lingers on, they risk becoming stuck there, unable to turn back, overwhelmed by cascading consequences of changing reality. Hig is desperate to return his own timestream or find a new one where they can all be together—before it’s too late.
But can any place Hig ends up ever feel like home? Does love span multiple timestreams? Does the portal offer a permanent answer to the question “What if I could have the life of my choosing?” Or is it a nightmare of neverending change?
NACL: Eye of the Storm by Allegra Pescatore & E. Sands
Lani should never have trusted any plan that started with the words, “So, I have an idea, but first you need a drink.”
When a crazy Precog handed Lani the coordinates to a stretch of ocean just off the Salt Spire, she should have thrown them overboard. Going there would be a horrible idea. Lani, though, was a pro at making bad decisions.
A not-so-chance encounter with escaped salt slave Adavera launches them on a path to forsake all that they know and dare to take on the cruel Corporation that controls every grain of salt on their planet. With the help of old friends, new friends, and people they are pretty sure might be enemies, Adavera and Lani travel outside the protective reef that keeps the worst of the Storms off the Islands and venture into a world of piracy, astonishing powers, and unexpected love.
The odds might be against them, but with a little planning and a lot of brass, this team of misfits intends to do the impossible. They have very little in common, except for two things:
They all want to blow the Crystal Corporation into oblivion…
And are willing to sacrifice anything to see it done.
Neglected Merge by Eve Koguce
“Neglected Merge” is an inspirational thought-provoking futuristic fantasy romance novel. The story of fated lovers developed against a backdrop of a new post-apocalyptic world painted in bright tones. A fortuitous meeting of Tauria, an independent woman living in one utopian-style world, and Doron from high society of the other world, is destined to be the new beginning for both worlds.
Tauria, aged 32, lives in the society that seems to believe that happiness is a universal concept. People, who had survived the near apocalyptic experience, have built a whole new world full of pleasure and easiness. It is designed to make everyone feel happy every minute of their lives. Work brings satisfaction, hobbies are encouraged, relationships are supposed to bring out only positive emotions. Does it matter that things that don’t fit into the general happy pattern get discarded and disappear? Things like friendship and commitment. Things like true love. It is supposed to be enough with lightness and never-ending joy.
But there are two worlds now. They are forced to exist side by side. Can they find a way to live together?
Nor Do the Stars Shine There by M J McBride
Ruarshi Illyana, a sorcerer-physician from the far northern land of Miriyan, has traveled south to ply his trade in Europe. He is entirely content with the life of a wandering healer—right up until the day his assistant Wil is targeted in a terrible act of violence. His priorities shift overnight and he soon finds himself back in Miriyan, where he defies his training and his clan in order to study with a member of his country’s warrior caste. He quickly discovers that his unusual talents are likely to get him into trouble, a worrying development but not one that’s going to change his mind.Meanwhile, discontented Miriyanti and ambitious Europeans are putting their nefarious plans for Miriyan’s future into motion. When his newfound abilities mark him out to play a major role in the vicious conflict that ensues, Ruarshi will have to use all his wit and skill to keep his friends and allies safe, or watch destruction overtake everything he loves.
Norylyska Groans by Michael R Fletcher & Clayton W. Snyder
Norylska Groans…
with the weight of her crimes. In a city where winter reigns amid the fires of industry and war, soot and snow conspire to conceal centuries of death and deception.
Norylska Groans…
and the weight of a leaden sky threatens to crush her people. Katyushka Leonova, desperate to restore her family name, takes a job with Norylska’s brutal police force. To support his family, Genndy Antonov finds bloody work with a local crime syndicate.
Norylska Groans…
with the weight of her dead. As bodies fall, the two discover a foul truth hidden beneath layers of deception and violence: Come the thaw, what was buried will be revealed.
Oathbound (Surgecaller Book 1) by Todd Herzman
How do you kill an Immortal?
Huon is weak. A surgecaller who escaped into the wilds, his only goal was to survive.
Now he is Oathbound, forced to fight in an arena, forced to become stronger than he’d thought possible.
As he realises he can become strong, the need for revenge fills his heart, and a new goal forms in his mind.
But his goal is impossible: kill the dragon rider, the Immortal of Fire.
To succeed, he’ll have to do more than just survive—he’ll have to advance beyond anything the realm has ever seen.
Oathbreaker by A.J. Rettger
For thousands of years, elves and non-humans alike had lived freely until humans colonized their land and forced them into hiding and subjugation. After years of living as slaves or second-class citizens, the elves rebelled, but their uprising failed, and humans remained victorious.
Mario Deschamps, a new graduate of the Knight’s College, sets off to complete his first deed, an accomplishment that will grant him knighthood and into the ordo equestris. But he has huge boots to fill. His late father, a famous knight and considered the Scourge of Bandits, single-handedly ended the Elven Uprising. Mario’s youthful confidence, vanity, and naivety don’t get him far in the real world, and he quickly finds himself trapped in a political climate where tensions are on the rise and war is inevitable.
In a world filled with monsters, outlaws, bounty hunters, demons, and murderous bandits, Mario is forced to make tough moral decisions. In a world fuelled by violence, hate, and bigotry, things are not as clear cut as he once thought. Lines have been drawn, but to complete his task, he must cross them all. With every choice, the consequences weigh greatly on him, leaving him full of guilt and doubting his path . . . and all the while, in the darkness, someone-or something-is waiting for him to break . . ..
Of Blood and Fire by Ryan Cahill
Born in fire. Tempered in blood.
Epheria is a land divided by war and mistrust. The High Lords of the south squabble and fight, only kept in check by the Dragonguard, traitors of a time long past, who serve the empire of the North.
In the remote villages of southern Epheria, still reeling from the tragic loss of his brother, Calen Bryer prepares for The Proving—a test of courage and skill that not all survive.
But when three strangers arrive in the village of Milltown, with a secret they are willing to die for, Calen’s world is ripped from under him and he is thrust headfirst into a war that has been raging for centuries.
There is no prophecy. His coming was not foretold.
He bleeds like any man, and bleed he will.
Oh Wretched Moon by Kate Ramsey
They were never supposed to meet.
Stolen at birth and brought up underground, Luna knows nothing but darkness and isolation. When disaster drives her out of the only home she knows, she stumbles into a world of wonders. But monstrous creatures lurk in corridors—and then there’s the mysterious stranger who disappears when danger strikes.
Raised by a witch, Aethon has been taught to worship strength and fear nothing. When a hunting expedition keeps him out past curfew, he finally encounters a threat his courage cannot face. With the help of a strange girl he survives the harrowing night, but his life has already begun to crumble.
As opposite worlds collide, they will need to rely upon each other to find freedom. But which is more dangerous: captivity or escape?
Old Bolts by Edward Nile
A Memory of Iron…
The Arkenian Civil War is over.
Diesel-fueled Warsuits and the Kaizer Engines that power them have been outlawed. Machines which once won freedom for a new nation now lie in pieces, demolished and left to rust.
One man Can’t let go.
For over a year, Viktor and his team of mechanics have survived, cold and hungry in the frigid mountains of Northern Arkenia. In exile, cut off from the world, they hold vigil over a last remaining vestige of the nation’s history. A Kaizer Warsuit they name Old Bolts.
But when a little boy wanders close to their strange dwelling, Viktor learns that the mountains have become home to a new mining settlement.
Where the residents are not allowed to leave.
Now Viktor must decide. Decide whether to help the miners of Talbrigdon and risk exposing not only his men, but Old Bolts. Or whether to hold firm to his duty and protect this symbol of liberty from destruction. As things become more dire for both his people and the miners, a deeper secret haunts Viktor.
One that could tear Old Bolts and her crew apart.
Old Cold Cannibal by Todd Maternowski
1849. Two men —professional con artists on the run— cross the dangerous deserts and plains of Texas and New Mexico, on a quest to find and slay a Dragon that has laid waste to the countryside.
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.
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 Specials—a 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 secret—a secret of such fabled power that the Specials will unleash their most savage killers to hunt it down.
One of Us by M. L. Roberts
A haunted girl, an evil witch, a city caught in the crosshairs.
Olivia hopes each psychic vision will be the last. Then she can concentrate on school, grades, and getting a driver’s license. But a wicked force stands in the way and once Olivia crosses its path, the only way out is death.
As Olivia searches for answers, she discovers unsolved murders, a secret pact, and a vow to avenge the past. The truth exists in a lost library and a book thought to have been destroyed. Against impossible odds, Olivia fights to save a friend’s life, release others from the same fate, and protect those she loves.
Order of the Magi by Christopher Scott
Cantus dreams of glory in magical combat. He should have ample opportunities to win fame by hunting down rogue spellcasters for the Order of the Magi. But when a seemingly simple mission leaves him permanently disabled, he must journey to the center of the Auduwyn Empire to track down the errant mage who can heal him before his magic disappears entirely. To make matters worse, he soon discovers a growing threat that challenges the very fabric of the Order and the lasting peace it has established.
A story about hubris, fear, and the occasional fireball, the self-contained novel Order of the Magi transports readers into a world where magic only complicates matters and glory comes at a grisly cost.
Orphan’s Rite by M. Warren Askins
No matter how strong or invulnerable
you believe yourself to be, this forest has
ways of proving you wrong.
The Lord Commander
of the Royal Court has grown bored,
but her curiosity is piqued
when she hears of a savage killer
loose in her city.
An orphan
ripped from her village
finds herself suddenly connected
to a vicious string of murders,
but all she wants to do
is return home so she can
bury her mother.
Oh, and there’s a werewolf knight.
Out of the Dust by Joe Coates
There are few things more dangerous or more destructive than a bad man who thinks that he is doing a good thing…
The Aska Isles are burning. An unseasonable drought is slowly killing the land; crushing it in a patient and merciless fist of rising fire and dust.
On the prosperous Northern Isle, King Taavi Fulbright, senile and raving, edges closer to death while his Viceroy, the flint-hearted Corbin Cadmael, continues with his plans for subjugating the South and bringing the contemptible, stinking peasants that farm it under his yolk.
On the beautiful and brutal highlands of the Southern Isle, an outfit of desperadoes, bandits and cattle-thieves, led by the infamous Shaw siblings, is in the midst of murdering a team of the Crown’s cattle drovers and nicking their stock. It’s a final payday before the head of their crew, Viggo Shaw, leaves the road-life for good and settles down to fatherhood. Viggo cares little for the fate of the many, being concerned only with the lives of those closest to him; his sister and brother, Ylva and Destin, his lifelong love, Erika, and their unborn child.
That is until the delightfully psychotic Cormac Latrell comes strolling back into their lives after a decade-long absence. Latrell is a monster and, like all good monsters, is a monster of Viggo’s own creation. Once a polite and conscientious young nobleman, Latrell is the bastard son of Viceroy Cadmael and has been twisted by a love unrequited, the scorn of those he wished only to help, and the revulsion of a father who only ever saw him as a disappointment.
Latrell is hunting Erika’s sister, Fenella, who is rumoured to be endowed with powers long believed to be lost to legend. They are the powers of the Empathy, an elemental magic that could bring the Aska Isles back from the brink of the fire –– or cast it into the flames.
Now, Viggo and his band find themselves inexorably drawn into a choking world of revisited childhood sins that have sown the seeds from which fiends grow, soul-ripping jealousies, false prophesies, and blood-soaked feuds that promise little in the way of relief for any of them.
Viggo Shaw must face a trifecta of hard questions and an even tougher choice; is the saving of his world, the keeping of a final promise and the defeating of a monster he helped mould worth becoming a monster himself for?
Or should he just do what he aches to do, and surrender to death?
Or perhaps, Viggo might learn on his journey that the human heart is a torment and a masterpiece.
Overworld, The Dragon Mage Saga by Rohan M. Vider
A magic apocalypse. Refugees from Earth. A new world. Elves, orcs, and dragons!
Portals from Overworld have appeared on Earth, and beings intent on conscripting humanity into the mysterious Trials have invaded.
Earth is doomed. Humanity has been exiled. Can Jamie save mankind?
Jamie Sinclair, a young man with unique gifts, must find a way for his family and friends to survive Earth’s destruction and build a new home in Overworld.
The Trials is not a game. Will Jamie survive its challenges?
Join Jamie as he struggles through the brutal Trials while wrestling with his new magics and Overworld’s game-like dynamics.
Past Legends by A. F. Stewart
An immortal witch of Camelot. A looming magical crisis. A destiny she’s willing to reject.
All Nimue wants is a peaceful life, but her past won’t leave her alone. And when her friend Iseult brings news that her old rival Morgawse has been abducted, an impending catastrophe lands on her doorstep. And worse, the wizard responsible is Nimue’s ex, Nostradamus.
Dragged into another adventure, Nimue confronts her former flame as he wages a desperate quest, only to be thrust deeper into an escalating crisis. As Nimue struggles to unravel what is happening, she discovers dark secrets that threaten the heart of magical energy. Now it’s her fate to rescue magic for every witch and wizard, including her friends. Trouble is, she wants no part of being magic’s saviour.
Will Nimue step up as a champion? Or will she let the magical world die?
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 – murder, treachery and deception.
Forced to choose between the cabal’s shelter and a dangerous life, forever alone, Aelith is forced to choose between atrocity and survival.
Privilege by Bharat Krishnan
In this epic saga about privilege and power, Rakshan Baliga will have to choose between the American Dream…and his own.
New York’s drug problem is Rakshan’s solution. Getting his hands on a super drug called WP could earn him glory, power, and a chance to win back his ex. But stealing it from the Top 1% is costly, and if Rakshan isn’t careful he’ll pay with his life.
Discover how Rakshan’s journey sets off a chain of events that changes his city, his country…and the world. This ensemble political thriller is perfect for fans of Ocean’s 11 and House of Cards.
Prophecy of Convergence by Shannon Pemrick
The twisted dragon queen stirs…
Half-elf Oracle Aviana is no stranger to prophecies. With a strong connection since birth to the dragon god, Akorith, the dissonant whispers of fate have followed her from the beginning. And when an ominous warning foretelling of the destruction of her clan comes her way, she isn’t sure what to make of it.
Then when her younger sister needs to be prepared for her coming of age trial—a task that will test the woman’s fortitude and innocence—Aviana is the one tasked with showing her the world outside their secluded town. Her hands full with her sister’s childish nature, a foreboding prophecy is the last thing Aviana needs on her mind.
The signs of the prophecy, however, appear: pirate attacks, a fight with a dragon, and crossing paths with a cheerful dwarf and stunted, lecherous elf—and Aviana can’t ignore them. Things go from bad to worse, and she’ll have to trust her intuition and the most unlikely of allies to make it through, or the world will be plunged into chaos…
Psycho Hose Beast From Outer Space by C.D. Gallant-King
Newfoundland, Canada, 1992.
Gale Harbour hasn’t seen any excitement since the military abandoned the base there thirty years ago, unless you count the Tuesday night 2-for-1 video rentals at Jerry’s Video Shack. So when a dead body turns up floating in the town water supply, all evidence seems to point to a boring accident.
Niall, Pius and Harper are dealing with pre-teen awkwardness in the last days of summer before the start of high school. The same night the body is found, the three of them witness unusual lights in the sky over the bay.
Is it a coincidence? Are the lights connected to the rapidly-increasing string of mysterious deaths? And what does the creepy old lady at the nursing home have to do with it?
There is an evil older than time hidden deep beneath the waters of the North Atlantic. It is hungry, and vengeful, and it has its sights set on Gale Harbour to begin its path of destruction. All that stands in its way are a group of kids who would rather be playing Street Fighter II…
Quantum Cultivation by Jace Kang
Like all Purebred with their menial jobs, Ken ekes out a living sweeping the floors of Kyoto Peacekeeping Central. His kind serve as a benchmark for XHumans to measure how far they’ve progressed, and a reminder of what homo sapiens once was.
His life changes when eight-hundred-year-old Ryu crosses over from the World of Rivers and Lakes, looking for a lost temple; and Aya, a beautiful hacker whose Sensory Interface perceives the EtherCloud as Feudal Japan, learns that XHumans aren’t as perfect as they thought.
They’ve edited out the genes which allow for Cultivation.
That will give Ken a chance to surpass them. And maybe use mythical martial skills to save the world from an oppressive government, spirit beasts, and alien invaders.
Raiders by C. A. Lyness
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 can’t. 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 — Raynar Bloom the Halfsight — 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 artefact in the Halfsight’s 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 — the death of his family, the pain of his capture and the empty void of his life.
He’ll stop at nothing to get his reckoning and bury the Halfsight.
Even if he has to share the grave.
Realm by Nicholas Jean-Pierre
The second millennium has just rolled over. Armageddon, the destructive Y2K bug and a crazy time-storm is afoot. The ultimate battle between good and evil is about to take place on a distant magical world far away.Rock is one of the eight warriors chosen to fight in the ancient tournament that began eight thousand years ago. He is whisked away from planet Earth to fight on the floating islands that hover high above the magical world of Threa.Rock will be guided to the destination of the ancient tournament by the powerful, mysterious wizard, Grodin. Together, they will face countless dangers. Evil wizards, trolls and magical monsters are but a few of the many perils that lie in the path of these intrepid adventurers.Rock has the unprecedented power of the sword-wand to help him brave the many difficult challenges that lie ahead of him. He also has the services of the magical, black stallion, Thunder. All this comprises a mixture of violence and unbridled, riveting adventure in the first book of the Wizard Warrior Series!
Red Harvest Moon by Miles Hurt
THE TABLES FOR THE HARVEST FEAST ARE SET.
AND THE GHULS OF URIZAN ARE COMING, UNINVITED.
Led by the colossus Krond, the flesh-eating ghuls are ready to blaze and burn across the lands of Soren. The village of Puttle lies in their path, where they will bring fire and death.
The Black Feather is an outlaw, an outcast, a Wandering Knife. But he is the only hope the villagers have in this dark hour. Bandit turned protector, the Black Feather is hired by the villagers to take up his sword against the marauders.
Krond seeks the Black Feather. The ghuls are hungry. And the harvest moon will shine red.
Red in Tooth and Claw by Ryan Howse
A brutal wilderness.
Hungry, plague-ridden animals.
A winter so cold it snaps wood.
Chemosh, a scout imprisoned by the enemy, agrees to lead the way through this wilderness for his freedom. But both his knowledge and his resilience are put to the test, not just by the wilderness, but by the chaotic, violent man he guides. A man he must rely on if they are to survive.
Red Sky Blues by Matthew Davis
Evil books. Ancient powers. Zombie pigs?
Thomas Grey, occult scholar and reclusive mage, is having a terrible day. Down on his luck and facing a looming electrical bill, he is hired by the supernatural overlord of his hometown to track down a magical book of colossal cosmic evil: The Libro Nihil. The hunt leads Thomas on an adventure across the sleepy cow town of Hanford steeped with mystery, magic, and an absurd amount of mayhem.
Aided by his crotchety, spell-slinging mentor as well as his friend and sometimes bodyguard, Thomas finds himself embroiled in a bizarre and terrifying conspiracy to awaken a sleeping evil that promises to push his magical prowess and threshold for pain to their limits.
It looks like a bad, bad day to have gotten out of bed. But a guy’s got to get paid.
Reign & Ruin by J. D. Evans
“All magic is beautiful,” she said, “and terrible. Do you not see the beauty in yours, or the terror in mine? You can stop a heart, and I can stop your breath.”
She is heir to a Sultanate that once ruled the world. He is an unwanted prince with the power to destroy.
She is order and intellect, a woman fit to rule in a man’s place. He is chaos and violence and will stop at nothing to protect his people.
His magic answers hers with shadow for light. They need each other, but the cost of balance may be too high a price. Magic is dying and the only way to save it is to enlist mages who wield the forbidden power of death, mages cast out centuries ago in a brutal and bloody war.
Now, a new war is coming. Science and machines to replace magic and old religion.
They must find a way to save their people from annihilation and balance the sacred Wheel—but first, they will have to balance their own forbidden passion. His peace for her tempest, his restlessness for her calm…
Restoration Day by Deborah Makarios
Princess, pawn-or 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 game-and this time she’s playing for her life.
Ringlander: The Path and the Way by Michael S. Jackson
Holes between worlds are tearing through Rengas. Firestorms are raging as multiple realities battle for control of the elements. Even the Way, the turbulent channel that separates Nord, Határ and Kemen, the lifeblood of the city of Tyr, has turned.
Kyira’s search for her missing brother draws her away from the familiar frozen lines of Nord and south into the chaotic streets of Tyr where games are played & battles fought. As reality tears Kyira must choose between her family or her path before the worlds catch up with her.
Rise of the Tobian Princess by D.L. Gardner
Book 1 Sword of Cho Nisi, Rise of the Tobian Princess is a high fantasy romance, between the young princess Erika of Potamia whose goal is to be a warrior and fight against the Vouchsaver’s minions until she makes a fatal mistake, costing her everything she’s ever hoped to have…
…and a young man who’s thrust upon a throne he never wanted, is pitted against an enemy he never asked for, and falls in love with a woman he is forced to exile.
But there’s a lot more than a love story to Sword of Cho Nisi in this trilogy.
There are kings, and emperors, castles and river towns, skura, falcons, mountain giants, a dragon, and a wizard who has gained enough power to rule the world but seeks one more treasure…
…to gain immortality at the expense of mankind.
Rising Shadows (The Pillar of Creation #1) by Phillip Blackwater
As tension rises between the southern and northern nations of the small continent of Exitium in the world of Anteris, the Elves turn to their eastern neighbors, the Humans, for help. They wish to learn the ways of combat, which they are not accustomed to, for they have always wielded a power far greater than forged steel. The Shards of Creation, mystical artifacts of great and virtually infinite power, have always been their prized weapon, but times have changed. They now face the same threat as the Humans: the southern nation known as the Ethula.
Wariel Ritch, general of the Human army, will take upon his shoulders this burden. But when a shadow of a past long forgotten threatens what little stability is left in the world, he will have to leave everything behind to stop it. Medregal Tergrast, an Ethulan king, dead for a thousand years, plans his return to the world of the living to gain back his former glory and finally fulfill his destiny by gaining control of the Shards of Creation. But is he really the threat people make him out to be?
In the meantime, in the bowels of the Human Kingdom, the reign of Dana Crystaloak is put into jeopardy when people around her start questioning her decisions. If she falls, war could break out across all lands.
Ryswyck by L.D. Inman
In a world still scarred two centuries after a nuclear holocaust, a military academy in an embattled nation has been turning out brilliant officers whose skill in fighting is exceeded only by their devotion to the law of courtesy. Then two of its elite students uncover a secret that has haunted its founder for twenty years. As the building scandal threatens Ryswyck Academy, their friendship becomes an indispensable grace for their community and the linchpin of a perilous solution to their country’s desperate struggle.
Lieutenant Stephanie Speir has just won a place in Ryswyck’s junior officer cadre. Her buoyant, balanced joy in combat is shadowed by the illness of her father, a retired intelligence officer and former prisoner of war. In the single-combat arena she faces Lieutenant Walter Douglas, the youngest son of a rural family, and they kindle an unshakable friendship.
That friendship becomes their anchor when a security breach reveals to them the dark secret behind General Barklay’s drive to found Ryswyck Academy. Already troubled by Ryswyck’s isolated culture and the problems of translating the ideal of courtesy to modern warfare, Douglas becomes profoundly disturbed by the revelations of Barklay’s past participation in a heinous act. His only confidant is Speir, who up till this moment had been shielded from the details of her father’s experiences as a prisoner in Berenian hands. Barklay’s secret sets Ryswyck’s loving ethos against the context of a brutal war with Ilona’s enemy across the strait, a contrast that only grows starker as the two friends take commissions at an inhospitable island base. Soon Speir and Douglas find themselves drawn not only into the looming threat of scandal, but into the overwhelming prospect of battle, which will put their skill, their courtesy, and their friendship to the ultimate test.
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 journey’s end, and Bartholomew is about to fulfill his destined role in Dorian’s plans, it suddenly seems to him that his proper place is not among Dorian’s followers but on the other side, as an ally to the child saint’s enemies and a rebel against heaven.
Sairo’s Law by Virginia McClain
An action-adventure fantasy romp featuring sword lesbians, sea battles, and a grumpy wolf spirit.
Torako has done many things to protect the valley that she calls home, but she’s never looted a corpse before. So when the katana she steals off the still-cooling body of a bandit turns out to be possessed by a grumpy wolf kami, she can only assume it’s because she’s somehow angered the spirits. An impression that’s only reinforced when she returns home to find her wife abducted and her daughter in hiding. But angry spirits or no, Torako isn’t about to let bandits run off with the love of her life, even if it means taking their 3 year old on a rescue mission.
In all Kaiyo’s years as Captain of the Wind Serpent she has never once questioned her admiral’s orders. So when she receives the command to abduct a civilian scribe with the help of fifteen felons, she registers her objections, but does as she is bid. Yet, as the mission unfolds, Kaiyo finds herself questioning everything from her loyalties to her convictions.
As Torako and Kaiyo’s fates cross like dueling blades, their persistence is matched only by their fury, until they uncover a series of truths they may never be ready to accept.
Seasons of Albadone by Christopher Warman, Elan Marche
“Don’t underestimate the emotional impact these stories will have on you and see why as the Seasons turn, so too must the choices of mankind.” – undertheradarsffbooks.comFour seasons. Four stories. An aspiring enchantress searches for a way to lift a terrible curse. A drunken father makes a dangerous wish. A foreman tilts the balance between nature and progress. A mother travels with her dying child in search of a healer. Four paths merge. Four destinies intertwine.
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.
Seven Ways to Kill a King by Melissa Wright
She was born a princess. They made her an assassin.
Myrina of Stormskeep was dead. Everyone knew the princess had been slain when the murderous lords of the Storm Queen’s Realm stole her mother’s throne to crown themselves kings.
But far away in Smithsport hides a dark-haired girl known as Bean. Each night when the last flame is snuffed inside the Blackwater Inn and her need for secrecy devoured by the darkness, Princess Myrina plots the death of seven kings.
One will seem an accident.
Two a coincidence.
By three, they will know.
But vengeance rarely goes according to plan. The worst of the kings holds her sister–rightful queen and heir to the realm–captive. If Lettie isn’t freed before she comes into her magic, the kings will hold her power as well.
Myrina can let nothing stop her, even the boy from her past who ignites feelings she long ago buried. With the help of her loyal bloodsworn Cass, the shadow princess will have her revenge.
Vowed to enact retribution and rescue her sister with no more than her wits and a sword–and the last of her queensguard–this YA fantasy is perfect for fans of Shielded and The Princess Will Save You.
Shadows of Ivory by T L Greylock and Bryce O’Connor
An undying king. A relic of rune-carved bronze and ivory flames. A war for powers only a god could fathom.
In the centuries since rising up against a cruel, twisted dynasty, the Seven Cities have done much to move past their horrid histories, the memories of ancient monarchs who once fed on the life and blood of their own people. Those with a talent for magic are no longer hounded and slain. The lands beyond the Cities are safe, spared the atrocities the Alescuans once wrought upon them. For 300 years, there has been peace.
Then Eska de Caraval, head of the prestigious Firenzia Company, finds herself framed for murder.
Soon hunted for the strange bronze disc she most certainly did not steal, Eska is forced to pit both wit and blade against all manner of adversaries who would eagerly see her dead. An assassin in the shadows. A monster in the deep. A rival looking to burn her alive. From sword and fang and flame Eska must defend herself, struggling all the while to prove her innocence and unravel the mysteries of a dangerous artifact.
But unbeknownst to Eska and her enemies, the cruelest of those tyrants of old is stirring in his grave.
She’s the One Who Thinks Too Much by S. R. Cronin
Do you know what your problem is?
Ryalgar knows hers. People have been telling this over-educated 13th-century woman for years. So when an equally intellectual prince decides he loves her, it looks like everyone was wrong and her dreams have come true.
Except, this prince is obligated to marry another. He is leading the army training to defend their tiny realm against an expected Mongol invasion. And he is considering sacrificing Ryalgar’s home nichna by abandoning it’s rich farmlands to their foes.
If only he wasn’t such a nice guy. Another woman would …..
Ryalgar has no idea what another would do. All she knows is she has a multitude of university intellectuals and a family of tough farmers behind her, and a newfound connection with the witches in the forest. Why not devise her own strategy to keep the invaders from destroying her home? Then she can figure out what to do about this problem prince.
It’s just the sort of thing that happens when a woman thinks too much.
Shift Happens by T.M. Baumgartner
Everyone has an alternate form. Lucky people never shift into it. For everyone else, there’s the Magical Probation Department.
MPD Officer Angela Jones has spent her entire career helping shifters get back into their human forms and ensuring they can manage their magical powers.
Her methods are a little unconventional, but she’s built a strong community of people who help each other. A far cry from her coworkers who would rather emulate the tough guy hero of “Shift Enforcers,” protecting the world from shifters at any cost and grabbing all the glory along the way.
Angela has mostly resigned herself to never being promoted again. But a new source of magic downtown is causing havoc. She can’t convince her boss to look into it…until a fire-breathing dragon appears.
Now Angela is being shut out of the case of a lifetime, and the city she protects is in danger of being destroyed.
When shift happens, Angela must step up…even if it means risking her own life to safeguard others.
Shimmerdark by Sarah Mensinga
The Great Drae selected a new apprentice. Xylia’s lost her position.
Determined to reclaim it, Xylia volunteers to become an Authenticator. She travels from town to town searching for children who share her unique gift, and in her free time she practices energy summoning, hoping to master a Shimmerlight skill that will impress the Great Drae.
But there’s a grim side to Authenticating children. When Xylia asks too many questions, she’s cast out of a village during the Dark Month, a time when monsters roam her world. It should be a death sentence, but Xylia’s talents are changing…
SkyView: Lord of The Wills by M. Sheehan
A unique perspective on history and time, SkyView draws readers into a seven-hundred-year struggle between good and evil. Eight family lines are on a quest to discover and control the family’s centuries-old accumulation of wealth. William Ward, the twenty-first-century heir to this wealth, is tasked with destroying the leader and heir of the evil line and ending the malice that has been thrust upon the world.
Guided by his uncle and protected by the six others with claims to the fortune, he embarks on a geographical and historical journey that reveals secrets, manipulations, and unbelievable connections. From the vantage point of SkyView, a jet with an Augmented Reality window and the capacity to digitally project history onto the landscape as it happened, William and his team desperately try to follow the fortune.
Small Places by Matthew Samuels
Jamie is a lonely, anxious kid when he has a run-in with a witch in a remote Somerset village. He’s almost forgotten about it thirteen years later when unpredictable storms and earthquakes hit England – and that’s the least of his worries. Suffering from anxiety, terrible flatmates and returning to his family home after his mother is diagnosed with cancer, he’s got a lot on his mind.
But Melusine, the witch of flesh and blood, lures him back with the offer of cold, hard cash in exchange for his help investigating the source of the freak weather; something’s messing with the earth spirit, Gaia, and Mel means to find out who – or what – it is.
As they work together, travelling to the bigoted Seelie Court and the paranoid Unseelie Court, meeting stoned fauns and beer-brewing trolls, Jamie must reconcile his feelings about the witch’s intentions and methods all while handling grief, life admin and one singularly uptight estate agent.
Snowborn by Larema Dixon
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 realm—beings of light and creatures of shadow—ravaged 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.
Soulbound by Bethany Adams
A deathbed promise
Arlyn’s quest is simple: Find her father and let him know her mother is dead. After all, Arlyn had promised her mother she’d 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 friend’s newfound daughter. Whoops.
A hidden conspiracy sparked to life
Though the sight of Kai makes Arlyn’s heart pound, she isn’t 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.
Spirit of Shadow by D. A. Holley
Lance is a servant in the Palace at Shadovane. All his life, he has been lead to believe his role in the palace is voluntary, that his parents left him there hoping he would have a better life than they could provide. When he discovers he has been lied to, that the nature of his life is not what he has long assumed, he seeks upheaval, revenge, and escape, but he can’t get what he wants alone. He enlists the help of his closest friends, and together, they take on the all powerful Shadow Queen, incarnate of a goddess called the Mother of Night, and mount a revolution she will not soon forget.
Squire George & The Dragon by Adam Digger Stolz
A Reluctant Squire vs. An Invincible Dragon
Squire George has no aptitude for (and even less interest in) being a knight, a hero or a dragonslayer. He also has no choice in the matter. It is, after all, the family business.
So he shouldn’t be surprised when his father sends him off to chase after rumors of a mighty dragon in a faraway land. He shouldn’t be, but he still is.
With an unfunny fool, a cursed wizard and a black-hearted knight for companions, it isn’t long before Squire George comes up against wispy zephyr-fiends, vengeful nar and single-mindedly stupid crorks. He also survives a trufflehump, befriends a bridge troll and meets an old crone to whom he might or might not be related.
None of which helps prepare him to kill an unkillable dragon.
Stone & Shield by Thomas J Devens
The Emperor is dead. His son now inherits the throne to the Emrosian Empire and he dreams of greatness.
The mercenaries of the Stone and the Shield have fulfilled their contract in the southern deserts of Ahnvesh. Now they must begin their journey to the imperial capital of Emros City to be paid. A long march and an odd job stand between them, a hefty payment, and possible retirement. But as they march, the Empire they thought they knew is changing.
In the far west the Councilors of Guilion seek answers to their own problems, and those that would effect the future of the world. Their source of power nears its end, their ties to the Empire are failing. Now, they must decide which part of their world matters most.
Stone Magus by Stephanie C. Marks
In life, love, and family, there is always strength in numbers.
Something is off balance between the Windsong Sisters, and for Opal and Ruby, the terrible might of their powers may just lead them to catastrophe—or clarity. As half-elf mages in the service of the Order of Aiuna, the sisters spend their days collecting and preserving anything that magic touches, and as their mission takes them further back into their past, the darkness that awaits them there threatens to destroy everything they hold dear.
Despite the dark smoke rising around them, Opal is finding it hard to ignore the flames flickering between herself and Baerdun. There’s just something about it that makes her feel weak, and not just in the knees. With so much happening around them, it’s becoming much harder to keep her head above water and her heart her own.
After everything they’ve lost—what if they lose themselves as well?
Enter a world where shadows exist within and without, and follow Opal, Ruby, and Baerdun down a path that will either bring them together or force them apart.
Storm of Divine Light by Ernesto San Giacomo
A disturbance in the night and an unlikely stranger force the exiled master rogue Dagorat into a perilous quest. Along with his oldest friend Cyril the Wise, he sets off to retrieve a powerful weapon stolen by the dark mages of the Golgent. Together, they brave the journey across a continent to Dagorat’s former home of Easterly, where discovery means certain execution. Along the way, he uncovers hard truths about his past, and finds new hopes for his future. But the rising threat of war means those hopes tremble on a razor’s edge. Can he ever find his way out of the shadows and into the Light?
Stranded by Rosalind Tate
Sophie Arundel is stranded in history, stuck in a grand house in 1925 England. Thankfully, she has her faithful dog Charlotte with her. Oh, and fellow student Hugo, annoying and charming in equal measure.
Baffled by upper-class rules, courted by boring suitors, Sophie is desperate to get back to the twenty-first century, but the only way home is through a hidden portal — and she must work with Hugo to unlock its secrets.
As one clue leads to another, Sophie and Hugo discover that history is unfolding differently. Mobs rule the streets. And when chaos turns into a deadly revolution, anyone in a grand house is fair game.
Sophie and Hugo are running out of time…
Stranger Back Home by E.L. Haines
One day, your father is a renowned diplomat. The next day, he’s an infamous terrorist.
When Sparrow is summoned to the reading of his father’s last will and testament, the most he hoped for was a minor bequest. Instead, he inherited suspicion and accusations from the Empire that his father helped unite.
Locked away in a vault are the secrets that will reveal Xavier DuMont’s mysterious past and shine a light on Sparrow’s future. Perhaps even the future of the entire realm.
Of course, these secrets won’t be obtained easily. Especially when everyone in this magical world seems so casually racist.
Social dynamics in this world were already pretty strange. Somehow, Sparrow makes everything stranger.
Subversive (Clandestine Magic #1) by Colleen Cowley
In an America controlled by wizards and 100 years behind on women’s rights, Beatrix Harper counts herself among the resistance—the Women’s League for the Prohibition of Magic. Then Peter Blackwell, the only wizard her town has ever produced, unexpectedly returns home and presses her into service as his assistant.
Beatrix fears he wants to undermine the League. His real purpose is far more dangerous for them both.
Subversive is the first novel in the Clandestine Magic trilogy, set in a warped 21st century that will appeal to fans of gaslamp fantasy.
Summer of the Gods by Sascha Kersken
Athens, in the summer of 2015. The negotiations concerning the economy crisis are going on as expected: European Commission, International Monetary Fund, and European Central Bank think as much that they’re right as the Greek participants are sure that these foreign powers don’t really want to help them. The heat is as stale as the debates.
This general deadlock is suddenly disrupted by new players whom no one would have counted in: the Ancient Gods are back!
But what do they even want?
Can people trust them?
Are they really the selfless helpers they pretend to be?
Are they even working together, or against each other?
And what about people’s free will?
The experiences of seven characters build the panorama of this story that takes a look at how an intervention by powerful and mysterious beings can change the world.
A story about power and powerlessness, war und peace, trust and treason, humans and Gods, politics and the economy.
Survival’s Edge by Casey White
Life was going great – right up until Tara died.
She’d always expected that to be it. Death is final, after all. But when she reaches the afterlife, she’s instead presented with a destiny she’d never bargained for. Instead of reincarnating to begin a new life as a human, she’s been selected as a candidate for godhood. If she can claw her way to divinity, she’ll be the first new blood to stand amid the old pantheons in ages.
Lucky her.
Thrown into the dubious situation of establishing herself as a fledgling goddess in a cruel, skeptical world, Tara clings to the task she’s been given: Kill an aging, ancient deity, and take her place. Not everyone will be happy to see her, and not everyone will approve of her smashing through celestial society like a wrecking ball.
Giving up means laying down and accepting oblivion, though – and that’s something Tara refuses to do. She’ll have her birthright, and she’ll have her name.
And then Terra will rise again.
Sword of the Moon King by Jason J. Nugent
A massive spaceship. A promise of loot. But there’s a catch in this adventurous fantasy world…
Eighteen-year-old gamer Caleb Whitson is out of options.
With his mother’s health growing worse and money running out, he signs up for a once-in-a-lifetime mission to space where he’ll play an immersive video game called Sword of the Moon King while traveling across the stars, headed for a mining mission on the dwarf planet Ceres.
Once inside the fantasy game, he soon discovers the Ceres Horizon Mining Company is not what it appears to be.
Messages indicating his mother’s worsening health compel Caleb to find his way out of the game for one last desperate attempt to contact home. The only problem: how do you leave the game?
Fighting other players and forging ahead with the quest of his life, Caleb must fight horrific dangers in a daring struggle to free himself.
But if he succeeds, a new problem awaits…and it may not be one he can overcome.
Sword of the Scarred by Jeffrey Hall
The price of becoming a legend is more than most are willing to pay.
Requiem Balestone is the last of the Scarred, a group of warriors with tremendous power that when wielded leaves cruel wounds upon their skin. After a lifetime of battling monsters, he’s gathered enough scars to become a ruined version of his former self.
But before he can lay down his blade, one last mission calls him to battle. A mission that pulls him into the middle of a civil war that threatens to destroy the world. And as both sides close in around him, and a mysterious evil begins to stalk the land, Requiem must decide if he’s willing to sacrifice the rest of himself to become the savior of the realm, or walk away from it for good.
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 forests—and 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 they’ll need to find a new god to help, but the cost will be great.
Temple Knight by Paul J Bennett
Life took a twist she never expected.
All Charlaine ever wanted was to follow in her father’s footsteps 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, unaware of what the future will demand of her.
Her hopes for a new life are dashed the moment her past catches up with her. Labelled a troublemaker, it is only when raiders begin harassing the coast that Charlaine’s true mettle emerges.
Suspecting that all is not as it seems, she hatches a plan that reveals a far greater danger than anyone ever suspected.
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 Bennett’s newest epic fantasy series, Power Ascending.
Ten Thousand Stiches by Olivia Atwater
Regency housemaid Euphemia Reeves has acquired a faerie godfather. Unfortunately, he has no idea what he’s doing.
Euphemia Reeves has most inconveniently fallen in love with Mr Benedict Ashbrooke. Housemaids do not marry gentlemen, of course… but a faerie named Lord Blackthorn is only too eager to help Effie win Mr Benedict’s heart regardless.
Effie knows what a terrible idea it is to accept help from one of the Fair Folk—but life as a maid at Hartfield is so awful that she is willing to risk even her immortal soul for a chance at something better. Now, Effie has one hundred days and ten thousand stitches to make Mr Benedict fall in love with her and propose… if Lord Blackthorn doesn’t wreck things by accident, that is. For Effie’s greatest obstacle might well be Lord Blackthorn’s overwhelmingly good intentions.
The ALL – GOD OF NOTHING by Shane Scott
What if God and the Devil had a daughter? Who would she be?
Rated MA and 18+ due to sexual situations, including LGBTQ+, vulgar language, some violence, smoking, drugs, and also mentions rape.
The ALL series chronicles four generations of the most powerful Immortal family in God’s creation. The Promethean saga spans uncountable years and dozens of worlds. Mortals, Gods, Devils, Dragons, Titans, Demons, Werewolves, Vampires, and Angels clash in a never-ending battle of love and hate.
The first book in the ALL, God of Nothing, starts the epic adventure.
Murdered at seventeen by the Titan, Silver, God of Death, Aja Ashe wakes with her Dragon. Thrust into a bizarre world where her enemies are friends, and friends are enemies, she learns the truth about her parents and herself. Her mother is God, and her father is the Devil. She was the first thing born, not created. Enraged that Aja survived, Silver, God of Death, forces her to make choices to protect those she loves. Will Aja save the ALL or destroy it? If she survives, will she hate herself for what she’s done?
The Ballad of the Songbird by Jon Ford
Welcome to the new age…
Those left on Earth survived the Rising. They survived the War.
Humanity – pushed to the point of extinction – is forced to accept that monsters no longer dwell in the murky shadows of myth and legend. They are frighteningly real. An uneasy peace has settled across the globe on the cusp of an international Summit intended to gather the surviving Human factions with the new nations of Vampyrii, Werewolf, Troll, Ice Giant, and Fae. Their leaders, their delegates, their decision makers. A conference where the honorable strive to make the world a better place, and where corrupt politicians pursue their own selfish agendas. Alliances are formed…coups are plotted.
In Werewolf-held Canada, a girl is taken. A rescue mission ensues. In Europe, a grieving hybrid soldier in search of answers returns to London to face the ghosts of her past. In Vampyrii-occupied America, one of their race seeks to restore a small part of the world to its former self. But trouble is brewing beneath the surface as society teeters on the precipice of calamity. Mysterious forces work to threaten this new way of life. Threaten to reveal who are the hunted…and who are the Hunters.
The Blood of the Spear by Mark Timmony
Two brothers. One prophecy. A world in peril.
When Kaiel loses his chance to become part of the legendary Daemon Hunters, joining the Bronze Guard mercenaries seems like the logical alternative. It is an opportunity to put his training to use and, more importantly, as the company is currently in the employ of Prince Alesandr, it will allow him to keep an eye on his younger brother, Darien, who’s determined to follow his dream of becoming a Ciralys magic-user.
But the broken continent of Athmay still bears the scars of the war between the Summoners some three-thousand years ago, and an unexpected battle with a daemon – a remnant of that ancient war – reveals the brothers’ connection to a forbidden bloodline. Soon they find themselves on the run from the prince, daemonic hordes, and a prophecy that could break the world anew.
The Bright Lord by Alex Knowles
A home, a family. Lies, resentment. To save the future, he must reclaim his past.Ryan Hart thought he had saved them all. He’d served as Lord Commander of the Sarashead guild, faithfully and with honor for thousands of years. His work expanded their empire and brought peace.But peace never lasts. . . .Emperor Duhan has been murdered, ripping Ryan out of his new life as a citizen on Earth. Once again, he must leave those he loves for the greater good.Rebirth is the path, a reset into a new body that he must cultivate and train. The collision of two worlds draws ever closer, and if he can’t claim what was once his, all will be lost.The Bright Lord is a thrilling Litrpg, cultivation story that spans multiple worlds, love and friendship.
The Broken Heart of Arelium by Alex Robins
Some Things Must Never Be Forgotten.
Over 400 years ago, twelve great warriors united the beleaguered armies of men and scoured the war-torn lands of evil, pushing the enemy back into the underground pits and caverns from whence they came. To ensure their legacy, each of the Twelve founded fortress monasteries to impart their unique knowledge of war and politics to a select few, the Knights of the Twelve.
But now the last of the Twelve have long since passed from history to legend and the Knights, their numbers dwindling, are harbouring a dark and terrible secret that must be protected at all costs.
Merad Reed has spent half his life guarding a great crater known as the Pit, yearning for some escape from the bleak monotony. Then the arrival of Aldarin, one of the few remaining Knights of the Twelve, sets off a chain of cataclysmic events that will change Reed forever.
To the north, Jelaïa del Arelium, heiress to the richest of the nine Baronies, must learn to navigate the swirling political currents of her father’s court if she hopes one day to take his place. But the flickering flames of ambition hide the shadow of an even greater threat.
And deep within the earth, something is stirring.
The Burial by Drew Montgomery
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 she’d 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.
The Child of Chaos by Glen Dahlgren
Galen loves dreaming up stories, but he never expected to be pulled into a nightmare.
An irresistible longing drags 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.
The Clarity of Cold Steel by Kevin Wright
Mortise Locke, the Machine City, last bastion of mankind in all its fallen glory, where the sum total of life is cheaper than in part.
A poor kid wrung from the city’s dregs has been abducted.
His family’s lost all hope.
Enter Detective Shakteel, gumshoe legend in his own mind and maybe — just maybe — a few others. He’s the bloodhound loosed on the kid’s trail, and it’s clear from the get-go that someone wants this hound put down. And they ain’t shy about it. Killers keep coming.
And the clock keeps ticking…
Can Detective Shakteel navigate the labyrinth of Mortise Locke’s criminal underworld? Can he follow the trail? Can he dodge death in its pantheon of incarnations to finally find the missing kid?
And if he does find him, will he wish he hadn’t?
The Conjuring of Zoth Averex by K.R.R. Lockhaven
Kept hidden by the United States government for decades, the Site is a place where magic is real. But that doesn’t mean that everything happening there is sparkly. Soul-sucking policies and layers of stifling bureaucracy threaten to take all the fun out of magic.
Harris, a newbie Conjurer, starts his first day of work at the Site bursting with excitement: he’s been brought on for an extremely big project happening the very next day. In a triumph over its habitual inefficiency, the Site manages to carry out its plan and conjure an actual dragon to be used by the military.
The dragon (Zoth-Avarex, the self-proclaimed greatest dragon in the multiverse) immediately eats the person next to him, snatches a “princess” from the ranks of the Conjuring Department, and flies away to the Space Needle. There he manipulates the media, outwits the Site’s bumbling management, demands sixty-three billion dollars’ worth of treasure (because Smaug was said to have had sixty-two billion in his hoard), threatens to destroy the city—and installs a couple of food trucks.
The Crown of Death by David Schratz
One day, eighth-grader Jay Adrastus’s ordinary life is turned upside down when he finds his cafeteria worker about to stab him. Jay’s narrow escape launches him into a world where myths are real, and dangerous, too. A character from one of these myths is alive, and bitter after the loss of his wife. It is up to Jay and his new-found friends to stop him – or never see their families again. Jay may just learn a few lessons on the trip. Ones that will change the way he views the entire world.
The Crystal Spear by Rob Donovan
The Crystal Spear is a weapon so powerful that legends tell of how any warrior that carried it could single-handedly demolish entire armies. It was a story sung by bards across Merindel but nobody truly believed it…until now.
When Klayton is told by a mysterious stranger that the Crystal Spear is real and given instructions how to infiltrate the palace at Erisea to find it, he cannot resist the challenge. Naïve? Sure! Foolish? Completely. But Klayton could not have possibly known that his discovery would have deadly consequences and reveal an inexplicable bond to the weapon even the myths are unclear about.
Prince Horan had given up trying to impress his father. He has been considered a failure and a disappointment from the moment he could walk. But when the King and Queen are on a diplomatic visit to a neighbouring island and Erisea comes under attack, Horan sees an opportunity to alter the perception of his father by saving the city, without a thought of the long-term consequences of his actions.
Finally, there is the Black Shade. The most notorious pirate of the four Isles. The mere mention of his name causes men and women to anxiously glance over their shoulders. The Black Shade has heard rumours that the Crystal Spear is very real and has set his sights on obtaining it.
Merindel is about to discover that not all legends are myths, but sometimes it is better if they were.
The Cutlass Swoon: A New World Romance by Andrew Marc Rowe
Strange Lovers In Dangerous Times, Or Dangerous Lovers In Strange Times? Only Time Will Tell…
David Holloway is an Ensign on a British galleon with a secret: he’s had enough of the legitimate way of doing things. His master plan? To break bad and join up with a pirate crew. Slicing and dicing and blasting his way into the graces of a cursed Captain Starling, David’s hidden double life in a European mysticism club comes crashing into full view of his crew right around the time he meets the love of his life, the enigmatic Heather Mercado. Before the pair can enjoy their newfound company, betrayal leaves them high and dry, desperate for a crew and a ship and… pretty much everything piratey.
Everything, that is, except for a magical cutlass made of pure ruby.
When he’s not flapping silvern tongue at prospective crew or tangling the regular kind with Heather, David’s skill as a magician emerges. He might have already mastered combat and the mystical arts, but his ability as a leader and a lover will be tested beyond the bounds of reason. As the lines between the real world and David’s spiritual realm blur and disappear, angels and demons and voodoo spirits take centre stage. Can David come to terms with his own past in time to put an end to Captain Starling’s reign of terror? And is it even his job?
Maybe he’ll find out… as long as he brings enough hot chocolate.
The Darkness That Slept by Tristen Kozinski and Keegan Kozinski
The world gathers on a precipice over chaos:
In the West, the God-Emperor Cardolyn Tyier broods over his vast conquests and plots the subjugation of all other kingdoms.
To the South, the Kalvonder plutocracy continues their bloody entertainments, too invested in small schemes, transient vices and petty ascensions to notice one of their own has a far grander design.
From the East, a legion of paladins embarks on a crusade of holy conquest against the secluded Northlands, intent on supplanting the land’s sovereign deity and crushing it beneath their pantheon.
But these are children’s squabbles, for a forgotten evil hides behind these conflicts, amassing power and guiding humanity toward the precipice.
The world has had many names for it, but men always called it the Muntalabacs: Dread Lords.
The Avenar know one has resurfaced. They can feel his quiet footsteps resounding across the world and heralding the renewed conflict between their families. The Avenar are spent, though, and will need whatever help they can find, be it from eccentrics, outcasts or madmen.
The Deathless Ones by Niranjan
In the world of Terrin, the Elementals are worshipped, but in the war torn continent of Atoth, in the ruins of an old Empire, the warlord Semil plots to imprison them. All that is missing for success is two people who cannot die.
Madh and Sadjah have hidden themselves for as long as they can remember. Their inability to die makes those with power hungry gazes want them. When Madh is discovered by the Elementals, everything changes. Truths have to be faced, and they cannot remain aloof from the world any longer.
Trapped in a besieged city with Semil’s armies at the gates, and the tentative alliance between the other three warlords the only thing protecting them, Madh and Sadjah realise that even the Elementals have their own agendas. Their only way out is an impossible choice, one that would change the world of Terrin for good and leave it more vulnerable than ever.
Sometimes, even a choice is a sacrifice
The Dividing: The Adamic Trilogy Book 1 by Devin Downing
Adamic is the language of the Gods. When spoken, it has the power to create worlds, to raise the dead, to make man as God. Fortunately, no one has spoken it in thousands of years. The only remnants are the written spells.
The people of Cavernum depend on these spells. They’re etched into the city walls, fending off the feeders—deadly creatures with a thirst for human blood. They kill and consume any caught beyond the walls. Yet for the lower class, Cavernum isn’t much safer. Children starve, and illness runs rampant. In an effort to maintain order, all children turning 18 are subject to The Dividing—a city-wide competition for the highest paying guilds. Those who aren’t accepted are sent to the fields, condemned to a life of slave-labor.
Princess Roselyn Malik has trained her entire life for The Dividing. She’s guaranteed a spot in the royal orchestra, but equalist rebels threaten her throne. To secure her crown, Rose must acquire the power and prestige associated with the guard. Only guardsmen have access to the amulets—powerful weapons that grant dominion over the elements.
Meanwhile, in Colorado, Matt will do anything to help his terminally-ill adoptive mother. For now, that means poaching to pay the bills. Until one day, Matt is attacked by a feeder and plunged into the world of Cavernum. There too, Matt is drawn to the guard, in search of a magic strong enough to save his mother.
But danger lurks beyond the walls, and Cavernum won’t be safe for long.
The Eighth Stone by Bruce Pedersen
Lara, a princess still devastated by the loss of her mother; Jethro, an apprentice to a failed painter; Arlan, a warrior barely out of training. Only these three can stand in the way of the dark forces now loose in the Lands of the Faith.
Only they can prevent a plot by Lord Draxta of Fornea to find the secret keys that will unlock powers from the past that should have remained buried forever. They must travel eastwards from their homeland Maltia across the other lands, in a race to find the last key before Draxta and the mysterious priest who never leaves his side.
There will be a final deadly clash at Hazrakeel, the ice castle in the middle of the desert, where the last key can be found and the gate to the dominion of death can be opened.
But none who enter through the gate can return without sacrificing the life of another.
The Executioner’s Right by D.K. Holmberg
Executioners don’t 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, Finn’s future seems to be tied up with a noose.
Until the king’s executioner claims him as an apprentice.
Finn soon learns an Executioner has far more power and greater responsibility than he’d ever realized. As inquisitor and detective, he must find the truth behind each sentence he carries out. It’s 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, he’s forced to choose between his new job and his old friends.
And making the wrong choice could cost him everything.
The Exiled: Of Shade and Shadow by Niamh Schmid and Rebecca Schmid
The Great War is won… so everyone tells her. But even with her brother now king, Astra Verzaer knows the fight is far from over. When her sudden exile finds her alone in the dreary country of Merimeethia with only the aloof Prince Louko for company, she digs deeper in vain attempts to find proof of her suspicions. Yet Astra is not the only one with secrets, and she soon finds herself swallowed up in a sudden uproar over Merimeethia’s throne–an uproar which she believes to be caused by the very person she set out to find. But will anybody believe her? Even if they do, will it be too late?
The Fire in the Glass by Jacquelyn Benson
London, 1914. Lily’s visions could stop a killer… if she’ll trust a reclusive aristocrat with her darkest secret.
A monster stalks the gaslit streets of Edwardian London, draining the blood of the city’s mediums. Lily Albright knows who’s next.
Lily is plagued by visions of the future she can never change. When a mysterious fiend threatens someone she loves, she’s determined this time will be different.
But she can’t do it alone. To save a life, Lily must reveal her darkest secrets to someone she has little reason to trust—the reclusive Lord Strangford, a man haunted by his own unusual powers.
From the glittering galleries of Bond Street to the rookeries of Southwark, Lily and Strangford plunge into a dark conspiracy that lies at the heart of England’s rising eugenics movement. To thwart it, Lily must face a past rife with betrayal—and embrace the power she has spent her entire life trying to escape.
The Flame and The Blade by Meredith Hart
He’s a fire mage who’s lived his entire life on the wrong side of the King’s law.
She’s a guard desperate to prove herself.
Together, they will enter the legendary Demon Forest.
Vethe Scarvian is a direct descendant of the man who almost destroyed humanity. And that plus a couple of coppers will buy him another beer.
When his aunt reveals the existence of a long-lost betrothal agreement hidden somewhere in the ruins of the Demon Forest, Vethe is only interested in how much money the noblewoman betrothed to him would be willing to pay to escape that contract.
He just has to find the contract first.
Lyria Guardia let her family down and got her heart broken. Gods help her, that will never happen again.
After a crushing betrayal by the man she’d built her life around, Lyria abandons her promising career with the Adventurer’s Guild and returns, humiliated and heartbroken, to the Guard’s Guild that her family has run for hundreds of years. Determined to regain her position and prove herself to her five brothers, Lyria is willing to accept any assignment.
Even if that means she has to drag some spoiled noble brat through the Demon Forest in search of a mysterious missing contract.
The Forever King by Ben Galley
Revenge loves company.
Mithrid Fenn wants nothing to do with magick. Magick is a curse word, banned by the vast Arka Empire and punishable by death. Its purging has finally brought peace to war-torn Emaneska. Only a stubborn rebellion, led by the warlord Outlaw King, raids and pillages the empire’s northern fringes.
To cliff-brat Mithrid, this is an age of tranquility and childhood games. That is until an illegal spellbook washes up on her shores, and she finds herself thrust into a war she never knew existed.
Now hunted by daemons and mages, she is dragged inexorably north to Scalussen and its rebels fighting doggedly to preserve a memory of freedom. Mithrid holds no such ideals. She fights for revenge and nothing nobler. If spilling blood means helping the Outlaw King, then so be it. Even if it means all-out war.
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 TJ’s 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 Olosa—a 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.
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.
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 – 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 – she just needs to learn how to control her peculiar ‘gift’ before she kills someone.
Again.
The Great MacGuffin by Rachel Ford
A fully immersive virtual reality system. A beta testing opportunity that’s the stuff of dreams – or a nightmare that may never end.
Jack Owens has logged tens of thousands of hours on Marshfield Studio games. So he’s not surprised when the company hires him to be one of their first beta testers for the newly developed Dagger of Doom series.
Jack doesn’t think twice when the techs strap him into a VR apparatus and transfer his consciousness to the new world. He’s got a return switch. He can come back any time.
Except, he can’t. A bug in the software has trapped him. And the only way out is to finish the game.
Step one? Find the great MacGuffin. Step two? Get the h*ll out of here.
The Hand of Fire by Roland J O’Leary
The Grand Alliance has failed, its armies destroyed on the battlefield by the monstrous Ulokan horde. But the Ulokans have been defeated in turn by the forces of the sorcerer-lord Skraka Gorn. As ancient evils rise once more and new threats emerge, Gorn holds himself out as the only hope for the survival of humankind.
Tamurac, lord of the Halyas, has disappeared in the battle. Now his teenage son Danalar must accept responsibility and become the warrior and leader he has trained his whole life to be. Meanwhile, until he comes of age it falls to Charymylle, Lady Halyas, to lead the clan through this time of change – if the wardens and warband will follow a woman.
When a survivor returns with suspicions of Gorn’s treachery, the Halyas must make a fateful choice. They could choose safety and give up their free heritage to support Gorn’s imperial ambitions. Or dare to resist his expanding empire and face his devastating sorceries in a new kind of war.
Their decision leads to an adventure greater and more terrible than Danalar ever imagined.
The Hungry Fire by A.M. Obst
They’re surrounded by immense magical powers. How can they survive when they only have wits and desperation as weapons?
Betharad, Sarnd and Jessa are doing their best to step out from the shadow cast by their hero parents. But they are thrown into a desperate battle for survival by the return of the sorcerer their parents died to defeat.
The siblings search for clues in their parents’ tragic battle, only to uncover shocking secrets behind the official story. Reeling from the discovery and lacking magical powers of their own, as their enemy meddles with chaotic forces, death seems inevitable.
Can three ordinary people outwit a fiend whose ruthless ambitions could send their world to its doom?
The Inner Lands: Something Stirs by A.J. Austin
For centuries, the mountainous borders of the Inner Lands had kept the monstrous Grinth at bay, and people had finally found peace. But their complacency would be their undoing, for everything was about to change. As their world falls apart around them, an unlikely bond between a young girl, beaten by her father, and a conflicted warrior, haunted by his tragic past, could well seal the fate of all humanity.
As they fight for their survival, a final battle looms. But before they can stand a chance against the Grinth, they’ll first have to conquer their own pasts. Will friendship and strength prevail? Or will the cunning and cruelty of evil twist the world into turmoil? Nothing is certain in the Inner Lands.
When Fallor called a meeting for the entire Hillock village, little did Sill know that it was just the beginning in a series of events that would reshape everything she knew about their small world. The banishing of her abusive father frees her to embark on a journey of her own. One in which she encounters incredible natural wonders like the Moonmirror Peak, mysterious people like Draneth the shaman and his hawk Tamarellin, strange men with stranger eyes; and the mighty Rydan Fort, built into the side of a mountain.
It could have been the adventure of her dreams, were it not for the monstrous creatures that pursue her all the way; bringing death, destruction and tragedy to everything and everyone she grows to cherish. The power she kept a secret for so long is too much for her young mind to handle but she’ll have to learn how to wield it, and quickly, if she’s to survive in this harsh new world.
The Iron Crown by L L Macrae
Fenn’s first and only memory is finding himself in the middle of a forest, face to face with a dragon spirit mocking him, all knowledge gone apart from his own name.
Lost and confused, his only hope for answers is Calidra—a woman living on the edge of the world with her partner. Forced to return home when her father dies, Calidra has put off facing her estranged mother for seven years, and she begrudgingly helps Fenn, forging papers for him so he can avoid the Queen’s Inquisitors.
But her mother is the least of her worries when they discover an ancient enemy is rising again. It should be impossible with the Iron Crown in power—and Fenn is terrified he might unwittingly be playing a part in the war’s resurgence.
Surrounded by vengeful spirits and powerful magic, Fenn’s desperate attempt to find his way home might well alter the fate of Tassar, and every power in it.
The Kept King by Ryan D. Meier
Autumn has come to the kingdom of Harlow’s Hill. Leaves of red, orange, and yellow cast a soft glow over the castle and its small farming villages, lending a tranquility to the quiet lands. Life in the northern hills was peaceful, serene, and trouble-free. But for King Thomas Hawke, it wasn’t that simple. Since childhood, he had been stricken with a mysterious illness; one with no known cause, and no known cure. It repeatedly took a heavy toll on the king’s body; however, nothing was more devastating than the loss of his memory.
After each episode, the King has been left to reconstruct the fragments of his life, hoping that one day his memories might return. As the years stretched on, his illness only grew worse – threatening his family line that still required an heir.
With help from the Order of Acolytes, Thomas finds himself in a race against time to find a queen. Suitor after suitor come to the castle, and each visit ends the same way – with the King alone in the castle’s keep. That is until a mysterious new woman, Kate, arrives.
Join Thomas and Kate as they unravel the mysteries of Harlow’s Hill, changing everything they know about who they were, who they are, and who they will be.
The Klindrel Invasion by Jason A. Holt
The peaceful scholars of the Redwood Valley are invaded by an army of warriors twice their size. Their only defense is a small patrol company.
Lieutenant Sabu doesn’t know how thirty-six patrollers can stop an army, but he knows he must try. He has help from a reckless bandit and a timid merchant, men of opposite temperament united in their desire for revenge.
Dusi is a rookie mind-finder eager to prove that her magic is useful, not evil. She’ll do anything to impress Sabu, but what will he do when the horrors of the battlefield resurrect the nightmares from her past?
The Lady of Kingdoms by Suzannah Rowntree
Magic made her a warrior.
Justice will make her a legend.
Jerusalem, 1180: A catastrophe destroyed Marta Bessarion’s family and whisked her away from everything she once knew. Now, armed with a magic spear and a burning thirst for justice, Marta vows to protect her new home and family, no matter the cost.
But trouble is brewing in the glittering palaces of Jerusalem…
The young Leper King, Baldwin, is dying. Before he goes, Baldwin must choose a successor…but every choice is a bad one. An innocent child, exploited by stronger men? A crafty cousin who has already tried to snatch the crown? Or his brilliant, passionate sister who is determined to rule – even if it triggers a war?
When enemy armies muster on the kingdom’s borders, Marta charges into battle. But when Baldwin’s choice puts her newfound family at risk, Marta finds herself fighting a new kind of battle – one in which intrigue, deception, and betrayal are the weapons.
To save the kingdom, she’ll need more than a magic spear to destroy its enemies.
She’ll need a saint to save its soul.
The Lantern-Lit City by Vista McDowall
Ultimate evil is simple to denounce…unless that evil lives in you.
Cara is a monster. Inside her dwells a creature akin to the undead prowlers that roam the kingdom. When a mysterious man kidnaps her lady, Cara ties her identity to the quest to free her. If she succeeds in the rescue, it will prove that she’s not evil. But danger lurks along the way to the fabled city Riverfen. Cara’s inner beast is a benefit and a curse, saving her life and endangering her in turn. As she gives into it more and more, Cara fears what such a bonding will produce.
As Cara battles her inner self, Princess Gwen hides her forbidden sorcery from the world. After being forced to flee her home by an anti-magic Inquisition, Gwen finally has the chance to pursue her enchantments. But her spellcasting provokes the very man whom Cara pursues.
Each woman’s power could free her…or doom the lantern-lit city.
This epic fantasy by Vista McDowall is for those who love courtly intrigue balanced by violence, complex magic systems, a lush new world, and diverse characters.
The Last of the Wicked by Israel Barbuzano
Meredith is a terrible witch.
Every witch in Galavan must pull her weight, and she hasn’t lured a single youth in five years. Something always goes wrong, somehow.
Her brood-sister is fed up with her, which is a dreadful problem to have when her brood-sister is the Head of the Coven. Living up to her standards is an everyday struggle.
Meredith can’t afford another failure. They’ll brand her, banish her to Earth, toss her off the flipside—or so much worse, if her secrets come to light. Her compulsions. Her pilfered stash. Her doubt, her terrible illness. And if they find out she’s been helping the serfs…
Well, she might get to choose: the pyre, or the wheel.
She has one more chance to turn it around. Her retrieval window starts tonight. The tools are ready, the mark is promising. She couldn’t be more driven. Failure is not an option.
Dread congeals in Meredith’s gut as she opens the portal to Earth.
What will go wrong this time?
The Lightning Knight by Sean P. Valiente
Po Pondarion has always dreamed of becoming a true knight. What he doesn’t know is that he’s destined to save the world and reignite the spark of magic within it.
But this isn’t his story, it’s mine. See, I once thought magic was only the stuff of fairytales, and I was wrong. I’m doing my best to protect, train, and mentor Po as we search for the key to unlock magic before a dangerous secret group gets there first.
I mean, while that all seems a bit much to take on for a sixteen year-old, that’s because it is. Here I was just planning on courting the girl of my dreams, figuring out what I wanted to do with my life, and trying not to get into too much trouble. But things can never be that easy, can they? I guess if it were easy, it wouldn’t be me.
I am Oliver Quartermaine, and my life is about to get a lot more complicated.
The Look of a King by Tom Dumbrell
Two young men.
One with a dark past, the other with a bright future.
Cyrus is a storyteller frustrated by the mundane trappings of village life, while Prince Augustus struggles to meet high expectations after an upbringing of royal privilege in the bustling capital. As both try to forge their own paths, a royal assassination unexpectedly closes the gap between them. The nation of Easthaven is thrown into war with their oppressive neighbours, and so begins a conflict from which neither can walk away.
Will a young prince finally measure up to his destiny? Will a storyteller create a legend of his own?
Cyrus and Augustus’s lives may seem worlds apart, but perhaps they aren’t so different after all…
The Lords of the Summer Season by Peter Blaisdell
Bradan grew up in Camelot and grew famous during the Summer of Love. He’s nearly immortal, a talented musician, but only a mediocre magician.
That’s unfortunate because he’ll need more than pretty lyrics to confront a psychopathic Celtic warlord and a Welsh god hell-bent on collecting souls. They’ve also near-immortal and Bradan clashed with them 1500 years ago. They haven’t forgotten.
Theirs is a duel through history with savage fights in Camelot and Renaissance Florence. Now it’s 1967 and they’ve found him again, and they lead an army of specters intent on murder. Bradan’s only friends are his haunted motorcycle, his lunatic band-mates, and a witch with uncertain loyalties. There won’t be much love this summer unless Bradan defeats a warlord and a god. And his friends die too if he doesn’t win this fight.
The Mazes of Magic by Jack Massa
The Lord of the Abyss is rising in Egypt. Can a reckless young Greek find the power to stop him?
Imprisoned in a slave yard, tormented by spells of madness, Korax the Greek struggles to regain his memory.
Purchased by the High Priest Harnouphis, he is given an Egyptian name, transported to a temple on the Nile, put into service as a translator.
But Harnouphis also has another plan: to tap the Greek’s extraordinary talent as a seer to advance his own dark ambitions.
As his wits return, Korax forges a plan of his own: to learn enough magic to escape and return to his home island of Rhodes. But before he can act, he must answer a calling from the Goddess Isis:
“Are you willing to serve the gods?”
The Mist Keeper’s Apprentice by E.S. Barrison
Storytelling was outlawed. Magic had all but vanished.
That all changed when the woman in black came to town.
Branded with the black stamp at a young age, Brent thought he would end up a vagrant like his father. His craft was telling stories, but the Order had long forbidden any weaving of tales. When Brent sees the woman in black, she leads him into a menagerie of tunnels beneath the earth where his life falls into the nauseating, but beautiful, mist of the dead.
He finds friendship in Rho, a young woman who hides her face with a tree branch while roots and vines bow to her every whim. Together, they embark on a journey to explore the world, escape the watchful eyes of the Order, and discover the woman in black’s secrets.
For thousands of years, the mist and the tunnels were under the sole guardianship of the Council of Mist Keepers. But as new monsters enter the mist, and magic is forced out of the shadows, the Council searches for young blood to join their ranks and Brent’s next in line.
The Mortal Blade by Christopher Mitchell
A city ruled by Gods, a mortal champion, a misfit girl and a disobedient dragon…
Stolen from his home, Corthie Holdfast has arrived in the City of the Eternal Siege as a new Champion.
He must fight alongside the Blades, whose lives are dedicated to the defence of the City against the hordes of monstrous Greenhides; or die at the hands of the Gods who rule.
Maddie Jackdaw, a young Blade, faces her last chance. Thrown out of every unit defending the City, either she takes on a new role, or she will be sent to the Rats, a company of misfits given the perilous tasks beyond the Great Walls.
Her new role, if she takes it, will bring her face to face with her deepest fears, for beneath the walls, in a secret and hidden lair, lies a dragon, imprisoned and waiting…
The Museum of All Things Lost & Forgotten by A.R. Henle
Bea detests snap decisions. Better to take time, examine options, and make informed choices. Order above chaos, always: in life and magic.
Her new job in a magical museum suits her to a T. Lead tours through the public displays? Easy peasy. Run mapping sweeps to keep abreast of the ever-changing back rooms? The best kind of adventure.
Until she stumbles across an unattended child lost in a long-forgotten forest. Restoring the child to her parent begins an adventure requiring Bea move fast—or risk catastrophe.
Enter the spellbinding and richly imaginative world of The Museum of All Things Lost & Forgotten
The Nameless and the Fallen by Scott Kaelen
Widespread madness, rampaging monsters and the reckless choices of monarchs all stem from a pall that has descended upon Verragos. In the midst of chaos and looming war, disparate travellers confront their own nightmares as they become embroiled in the fray of nations. Their best hope is the exposure of incredible truths from an ancient facade of lies, but is civilisation ready to pay the high cost of survival?
The Outcast
Wren, exiled from his home in the icy north as a scapegoat for a horrific massacre, begins to suspect that an insidious influence is behind the growing slew of psychotic events. To uncover the source of the threat, he must enlist the help of an old and distant friend – the only living entity aware of his bitter and brutal past.
The Freeblade
Oriken, a beleaguered sellsword, narrowly escapes death by the intervention of a mysterious woman. In gratitude for her timely arrival, he vows to help her vanquish her demons of a lost identity and a burning urge to find the owner of the one name she remembers. Haunted by the echo of a dead friend, he ventures into foreign and hostile climes and soon comes to realise that a dangerous identity may lurk beneath the trauma of the stranger at his side.
The Ninth Scripture by D Wolfsbane
Cuest is a world at war where men are conscripted when they come of age and women are sent to nurtures to birth more soldiers to replace those they bury.
At the orphanage of Sector Six, Zecaar, a hopeful pessimist, is saved from her numbing fate and taken to Talcom Academy because she has something the others do not—she has the talent. As she cultivates her telepathic and telekinetic abilities amid sanctioned fights, discrimination, hidden agendas, and desperate acts, events spin out of control until Zecaar begins to ask herself—is this where I truly belong?
The Hunt is the first installment in The Ninth Scripture trilogy and is a fast-paced adventure of one teenager’s journey to find meaning in a world gone mad, where choice challenges fate, perception eclipses truth, and the twisting path is haunted by the ghosts it creates.
The Only Wizard in Town by Heide Goody and Iain Grant
A city under siege by a barbarian horde…
A band of ruthless mercenaries…
A trap-filled dungeon…
A situation like this calls for the best wizard in town.
What they’ve got is the ONLY wizard in town: Newport Pagnell, oral hygiene specialist.
More used to soothing fevered gums and extracting rotten teeth, this dental spellcaster has to perform an operation like never before: extracting a fabled treasure from the jaws of certain doom. This time, he might have bitten off more than he can chew…
The Other Magic by Derrick Smythe
The men secured the shackles slowly, hesitantly, but Kibure did not resist; he couldn’t. 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, Kibure’s 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
The Outcast Crown by Dave Dobson
The Trouble With Treasures
The Inquisitors’ Guild stands as a bulwark against both the criminal and mysterious in Frosthelm. Now, there’s a new threat. Or is it a threat? A strange phenomenon afflicts the city – a troubling manifestation, always accompanied by a buzzing sound, sometimes taking almost human form. An unlikely pair of inspectors, one a young investigator with one big case under his belt, the other a brand new apprentice, set out to solve the mystery. As they search for clues, they come across the murder of someone who should probably already have been dead, and they find hints of treachery and intrigue from a far distant land. The city they love may be under a threat as dire as it has ever known, and they are thrust into the twisting machinations of an ancient, deadly mistake and a curse that afflicts an entire nation.
The Outcast Crown is a stand-alone novel containing a complete adventure to enjoy. The events in the book occur after Flames Over Frosthelm and include some of the same characters, so you might want to read that book first, but is not necessary to do so. These books tell tales of the Inquisitor’s Guild, the investigative arm of the government of Frosthelm, a medieval city-state where criminals thrive, nobles scheme, and dark secrets lurk. Expect intrigue, mystery, swordplay, adventure, politics, strong bonds of friendship, and some magic along the way. Because of the narrative path it follows, The Outcast Crown also includes some exploration of race, immigration, and prejudice.
The Outcast Crown is a full novel clocking in at just over 120,000 words. There is some bloodshed, fighting, and death, but little of it is explicit. Think along the lines of the harder end of PG-13, and you’re probably close.
The Outworlder by Natalie J. Holden
When two worlds clash, one man must choose a side.
When Aldeaith joined the army, he left everything behind. His world, his family, everyone who thought him a fool. The new routine gave him a sense of security, and fighting proved easier than talking to people. But the peace couldn’t last forever.
In an empire that spans thousands of worlds, there are bound to be dissidents. Dealing with them is a part of Aldeaith’s job, and the most advanced magic known to man makes it easy.
But no magic can help him when the rebels are people he grew up with. Now he has to pick a side and prove his loyalty among mounting distrust.
To come out on top, he must learn to navigate something trickier than any battlefield: other people.
The fate of the Empire depends on it.
The Pirate’s Scourge by Chris A. Jackson
Nothing is more dangerous than a warrior enslaved.
Upon the lawless Blood Sea, mariners survive by wits, cunning, and skill. Pirate captain Kevril Longbright is a survivor. With his own ship, a faithful crew, and an ambitious partner handing him fat merchant prizes, he is truly the scourge of the sea, free and beholden to none.
Or is he?
Accepting jobs from Jhavika Keshmir is far easier than scouring the sea for his own targets. But when Kevril captures a mystical truthsayer, Preel, he learns that the truth can be both a blessing and a curse.
Preel reveals the foul enchantment behind Jhavika’s uncanny ability to convince others to do her bidding. Far from being his own master, Kevril is a slave to Jhavika’s every command. Enraged by her lies and manipulations, the pirate captain embarks upon a perilous quest for freedom. But enslavement can take many forms, and Kevril finds himself increasingly drawn to Preel and her mysterious talent.
Who knew the truth could be so damning, so freeing, and so seductive…
The Rave (The Aelfraver Trilogy Book 1) by J.R. Traas
GO HOME, ALINA
When Alina K’vich lost her parents, her grandfather Dimas gave her a home and a purpose. At The School, he trained her to become an Aelfraver—a hunter of arcane beasts, demons, and other anti-human entities. For ten years, they built a life together. Then, one night, in the middle of preparing dinner, Dimas vanished.
Now seventeen, and stuck with her grandfather’s debts, Alina resorts to illegal Raves in her rundown hometown. But these small-time contracts simply aren’t enough: The School lies in disrepair, the power’s shut off, and the bills remain insurmountable. In a last-ditch gamble, she signs up for a Rave whose massive reward could rewrite her entire future. However, she’s far from the only Aelfraver to answer the call of such an alluring bounty…
Out of options, Alina sinks the last of her money into a forged Raver’s license and a one-way ticket to New El, the floating Capital. There, an unnamable horror—her target—busies itself slaughtering the nobility in the dead of night, leaving no survivors and no witnesses. Protected only by her wits and spells, Alina must find a way to save New El, her School, and herself.
The Ridden by Joshua Kern
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 weren’t, 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. It’s not the monsters he needs to worry about.
It’s the humans.
The Sand Prince by Kim Alexander
Two worlds, divided by a door.
On the war-ravaged demon world of Eriis, Hellne, the fierce young queen, fights to keep her people alive…
On the green and gentle human world of Mistra, the demons have faded into myth. Only a handful of old men and children still guard The Door between the worlds…
Rhuun, the Prince of Eriis, uncovers a forgotten book written by a human, sparking an obsession with the other world. When he is forced to flee Eriis, he must escape through The Door or pay the price in blood.
The humans of Mistra are not what Rhuun was expecting–and one insufferable young woman in particular is about to find out that the demons of Eriis are not mythological after all…
In Kim Alexander’s debut novel she weaves a witty, epic fantasy brimming with diverse characters and plenty of intrigue.
The Scarred God by Neil Beynon
Anya longs to follow in the fabled footsteps of her warrior grandmother. But when the forces of the corrupt Scarred God raid her village, she fears she doesn’t have the stomach to wield the cold steel. Captured, her only path of escape is to commit an unthinkable act of bloodshed…
Guilt-ridden over her first kill, Anya vows to rescue those still held for sacrificial slaughter. But before she can set the captives free, she must survive a bewitched forest by tying her fate to its shadowy guardian. To defeat the Scarred God, the unlikely pair seek a rival deity whose twisted motives could lead to the realm’s liberation… or its doom.
Can Anya unleash her inner hero before the vengeful gods destroy the world she loves?
The Scarred God is the thrilling first novel in the Shaanti Saga epic fantasy series. If you like complex characters, mystical forces, and non-stop action, then you’ll love Neil Beynon’s gripping tale.
The Scars of Gaia by R P Lauer
In the war torn world of Gaia, only two nations have survived the years of conflict. One covets power and strength, while the other covets science and knowledge. Both believe that they alone follow the true path of God.
James, a poverty-stricken merchant in the nation of strength, struggles to provide for himself and his mother. In his travels, his life will become intertwined with Claire; a scientist on the wrong path from the rival nation of knowledge. They meet on a day like any other, but events will transpire which alter the course of fate.
Together they will discover answers for their own lives, while also uncovering deeper secrets within the world around them. Can the two of them help bring compassion to a world of arrogance, oppression and brutality? As they begin to unravel the thread of truth and myth, they will be forced to ask:
Can compassion heal The Scars Of Gaia?
The Season of the Plough by Luke R. J. Maynard
The Travalaithi Empire is in a state of unrest, and the sleepy frontier town of Widowvale was meant to be a refuge far from the looming civil war. But when the local militia’s hunt for a lowly poacher turns up a mysterious child at the heart of an unreliable prophecy, the town’s fortunes are transformed forever, and the deadly troubles of the outside world are brought home for the harvest.
Coming of age in this uneasy world was hard enough as a simple farmer. But when Aewyn’s heroic destiny comes crashing home, and her ancient mentor stands accused of treason, the supposed Chosen One faces a choice of her own: will she fulfill the destiny she’s been given—or sacrifice it all to save her town and her friends?
This moving and poignant “small-town epic” is Cynehelm Press’s first book, and the first entry in its flagship fantasy series, the Travalaith Saga.
The Shadow and the Sun by Monica Enderle Pierce
Among the living or the dead, he’s never needed anything from anyone.
Shadow Mage Gethen is a powerful necromancer, keeper of the border between the living and the dead, and brother to the king of Besera. But with his dark powers failing and a vengeful entity attacking, Gethen should be happy when a formidable lady knight appears at his gates. He’s not. The price for her aid is steep—his allegiance in a war against his brother.
In battle or in bed, she’s never met a man she considered her match.
Militess Halina is undaunted by the threat of war between her country and neighboring Besera. She earned her titles by shedding blood and breaking bones. She uses her body to reward soldiers who serve her loyally, and to punish those who don’t. And Halina’s never met a man she couldn’t command or crush.
Until now.
Passion and power unexpectedly ignite when a blizzard traps Halina at Gethen’s citadel. With the evil entity’s onslaughts rapidly deteriorating Gethen’s sorcery, they have little time to understand their unexpected attraction. But could their passion be the key to defeating an ancient enemy that’s hell-bent on obliterating their world?
The Shadows of Dust by Alec Hutson
The Streams bind together the vast reaches of the stellar tributary, plied by brave streamsurfers and their telepathic starbeasts. Some of these adventurers are heroes. Some are rogues. And some just want to return from the void with their bodies and minds unbroken . . .
Kerin thon Talisien is the heir to a legendary name. When he was a young boy, his grandfather swooped down from the stars and rescued him from the slums of his homeworld. But with the death of the infamous old streamsurfer, Kerin and his crew have fallen on hard times, exiled from the Starfarers Guild and forced to take on risky contracts in the shadowy margins of the stellar tributary. A strange encounter in a glimmer den offers a chance at redemption and glory . . . but the stakes are high, with the fate of the Known potentially hanging in the balance.
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 she’s 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 father’s hut…
The Stars Within by Lena Alison Knight
For Kerelle Evandra, her psionic powers have always meant three things: mandatory service to a multigalactic corporation, a luxurious lifestyle as a prized asset, and an electronic collar that will kill her if she steps out of line.
As much as Kerelle might resent her gilded cage – and obedience to her corporate masters’ cold directives – everyone knows that escape is impossible. And defiance risks not just her own life, but also the life of the person closest to her: Galhen Ambrel, her lover and fellow bound psionic.
But when Galhen’s contract is suddenly sold to a distant oligarch, Kerelle learns that obedience was not the guarantee of safety she once thought – and that escape may not be as inconceivable as she was taught to believe. When a mission brings her into contact with an unexpected ally, she must decide how far she can go, and how much she’s willing to risk for freedom.
The Stillwater Project by Craig Askham
Bounty hunter on medieval planet required. Popular quest, sells fast, book early to avoid disappointment. No experience necessary.
That was basically how the ad enticed Troy Cooper into signing up for The Stillwater Project, Earth’s finest – and only – purveyor of portal vacations. In his head, of course, nothing could possibly go wrong; he played Fantasy VR games all the time, so the real thing was surely just a natural progression of that. A chance to level-up, even. A long weekend away, on a medieval planet, kicking butt and drinking ale. No big deal.
And besides, portal tourism was an actual thing these days – with billboards and everything – so it had to be safe, right?
Well, as it turns out, not so much.
Because one of the things Troy didn’t really consider was the fact that portal quests are absolutely not the same as playing online games. Not by a long shot, in fact. No second chances, no respawning at the start of a level, and definitely no Invincibility spells to conveniently get his backside out of trouble at the last possible second. Just a very real chance of death. Permanent death.
Oh, and a couple of the other things he didn’t consider? Firstly, his online avatar might have ninja-skills, but his real-life body is just a little too out-of-shape to be a bounty hunter. And secondly, ale doesn’t really taste that great.
So, join Troy and his gaming friends as they step through the portal for their first – and possibly last – adventure on magical Vangura, where everything that happens along the way may – or may not – be part of the quest they paid for.
And remember, when it comes to being a bounty hunter on a medieval planet, it doesn’t really matter what the billboards say…
…there’s no such thing as no experience necessary!
The Sword in the Street by C.M. Caplan
Trial by battle is a holy rite on Hillside. Hired blades bleed their foes in savage duels, settling everything from petty grievances to the corporate laws that keep their citizens in line. Embroiled in these cutthroat political games is John Chronicle, an impoverished swordsman with no better prospects, seeking the duel that will free him from the Dregs.
Meanwhile, John’s boyfriend Edwin, an autistic university student, befriends a fellow scholar who claims to study the arcane art of thaumaturgy. When she offers to teach Edwin this subtle magic, he hopes that he can use it to bolster John’s skill with a blade. But thaumaturgy is a dangerous magic, and the forces that drive it have other plans.
The couple soon find themselves entangled in the web of intrigue surrounding the swordsmen and their sponsors, and they’re forced to question how bloody they’re willing to get to escape poverty — and they don’t come away with the same answer.
The Throne of Ice and Ash by J.D.L. Rosell
A throne in peril, a tragic betrayal, two heirs struggling to save their land, and a prophesied war threatening to engulf the world…
Bjorn, youngest heir to the Mad Jarl of Oakharrow, has always felt more at ease with a quill than a sword. Yet when calamity strikes his family, he must draw a blade and lead a company of warriors into the cold, deadly mountains in pursuit of a mysterious foe. Though he seeks vengeance, an ancient power stirs within him, and the whispers of prophecy beckon him toward an ominous destiny…
Aelthena, Bjorn’s sister, was born with the aptitude to lead, and she’s eager to prove it. But her society’s rules for women, and her love for her brother, restrain her efforts to command. As she walks the fine line between ambition and virtue, enemies of both mankind and myth rise against Oakharrow’s throne, and even her allies question her right to rule…
The Thunder Heist (Twisted Seas # 1) by Jed Herne
A relentless thief. An impossible heist.
Meet Kef Cutmark. Pirate, monster-slayer, scourge of the Twisted Seas.
After a lifetime of running from her past, she’s returned to Zorith – a tangled jungle of a thousand boats, all lashed together to make a floating city-ship. Zorith is powered by a device that draws energy from lightning. Mysterious, unique, and locked in an unbreachable tower, it’s the envy of Zorith’s rivals.
And Kef? She’s here to steal it.
If she can take the device and cripple Zorith, maybe she’ll find justice for all the hurt the city has caused her. But with an unreliable thieving crew, hunters closing in, and her past bearing down upon her, failure looks more likely. And if she fails, she’ll never find peace again.
The Trials of the Core by Michael E. Thies
As Edwyrd Eska approaches his two-hundredth year as Guardian of the Core, he must find an apprentice to train under him. His title and role compel him to safeguard and govern his universe, Gladonus, as each Guardian before him has done and those after him shall continue to do until relieved of such duties by will of the Ancients. Prince Hydro Paen, Eirek Mourse, and Zain Berrese—amongst other contestants—receive invitations to compete in a quest of Trials intended to determine who will become Eska’s apprentice. An old adage goes: “the toughest trials test you truest” – and these events challenge their fortitude through tenuous partnerships, intellectual rivalries, and battles of weapons’ mastery. Along the way, each contestant must attempt to overcome personal demons that haunt them. In this tale of ideal dreams and lucid aspirations, these competitors find theirs threatened by deceit, betrayal, sabotage—and even flesh—as all become vital to success…
The Tryphon Odyssey by S.D. Howarth
The world of Sanctuary is not a kind place. Many races have fled to the planet across the ages. Fewer still have survived and flourished-or survived. Humankind is the most recent arrival seeking refuge and the most cataclysmic. Since their arrival within the ancient city-state of Atlantis, the embassies and tribes of man have formed new nations across several continents. Their misuse of magic turned the seas acidic and drove their ancient Gods mad. The great contradiction is that it is only with the use of magic can sailing ships such as the mighty warship Tryphon criss-cross the oceans and protect trade routes.Navigator Edouard Van Reiver departs from shipboard routine and petty politics when he stops Tryphon against age-old superstitions to rescue two survivors, inviting aboard blood, fire and death.Sunjammer Gabriel Dagmar squanders his precocious talents through daily tedium to hide from the more terrifying depths of magic.Lady Carla’s escort mission is in tatters and needing rescue from the acidic sea is the least of several concerns. Coxswain Grimm will need every one of his decades of experience to keep the Tryphon crew alive, the officers on course, and quell the threat within spilling over.No good deed goes unpunished. They must assume new roles to fight an unknown assailant, as their patrol mission before a long-awaited invasion of the pirate base of Freeport veers off course into the unknown. They will need skill, luck, or a hint that the Gods of Sanctuary still exist to rebalance the scales of a power play that could tear asunder the fragile balance the World of Sanctuary teeters upon. Can they hold the line and do their duty, or fail and doom their Spires Kingdom?
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 Wayward Wizard by Alesha Escobar
I’m the last person a secret government agency wants to call for help.
I spend my days selling New Age trinkets to humans and my nights drinking with a street-hustling alchemist. Not exactly the law and order type. But when monsters from our childhood nightmares become flesh and blood, snatching people from the streets, I’m one of the few wizards alive who can uncover who’s behind it.
My past threatens to catch up with me, and I’m not sure I can outrun it.
After losing my family in a fire and being whisked away by my caretaker to train at the Akashic Academy, my life was further turned upside down when I emerged from my final test to find three dead master wizards. Despite being cleared of all charges, most in my community believe I killed them.
They call me the Wayward Wizard.
I may be a black sheep among magic-users, but I deliver results. Which is why this secret agency has dragged me out of bed, slapped the bottle of whiskey out of my hand, and placed me with Alanna Reid. She’s their best (and most uptight) agent who’s been ordered to keep an eye on me and make sure I get the job done—or, put a bullet in me.
But as good as Alanna is, even she may not be prepared for what’s coming. And if I can’t shut down the mysterious wizard wielding stolen powers, then I have a demigod looking over my shoulder, salivating at the thought of bringing on the Apocalypse as punishment.
It’s like the teacher penalizing the entire class for one asshat’s actions, but on a cosmic level.
Since I like living, the choice is clear.
But something tells me that in unraveling the truth, I’ll also have to face my own monsters, which can be just as deadly.
The Wizard of New York City by Randall P. Girdner
On their first school trip to New York City, the wolves rounded up the people. Then the trolls sealed off the edges of the island with stacks of crushed cars, and the goblins set about constructing a portal; a portal that would bring something horrible to this world…and all of this happened before the students had even left the American Museum of Natural History. Now, armed with strange weapons they acquired in the museum, seven students find themselves on the run in a frightening urban environment overtaken with dragons, ogres, and an undead populace intent on changing the city into a fortress.
Nothing will ever be the same again.
The Wolf and the She-Bear by Morgan Stang
Mercenary Samantha Redwyne has seen too much blood spilled by her sword. She travels to the frigid north to get away from her ghosts, but doesn’t find peace for long. The job: help deliver a wagon of wolf skins to a nearby village. The complication: a band of cutthroats on the hunt for a missing wagon with a priceless package hidden within.
Pursued by ruthless men who believe her a thief, Samantha finds herself double-crossed, wounded and alone in a deadly forest. Armed with just her wits in a fight for survival, she discovers that some bloody habits are hard to break.
But it’s the longest night of the year, and man isn’t the only thing chasing Samantha. The woods are lovely, dark and deep—the place folktales come from, where monsters dwell—and before the night is over, Samantha will have to confront not only death, but the unknown lurking just beyond the safety and sanity of the civilized world.
The Wrong Path by Jane Glatt
Dani Norris found him: the dead guy. She was on her way home from her job in the PATH, the huge underground mall in downtown Toronto that connects hundreds of office towers, so it wasn’t like he’d been there long. Even though he looked like he had.
After that weird things kept happening. Ro Parks from Sentinel Security seemed to have some answers but Dani didn’t want answers. She just wanted things to get back to normal.
But they didn’t: things just kept getting weirder. And more dangerous.
And weirdest of all? It seems that only Dani can make things normal again. She hopes.
This Merry Hell by Edward Hargreaves
This Merry Hell tells of a man who finds himself unexpectedly lifeless and confronted by his killer. Rather suddenly locked in a barren underworld, both perplexed and angered by his new surroundings, Jason goes in search of answers. Without the constraints of society, or a body, he finds himself emboldened; their living hell has given him a confidence stolen in life. Driven by the need to know why he was condemned, he gathers a motley crew to seek meaning in their bluntly hollow existence.
Jason and his guide explore their very own hell, each seeking some escape from their inevitable journey. As his Alliance grows, they adventure through the dark realm, and each seek purpose in a space beyond time, in a place where they are forced to face themselves and their failings. Ultimately, the trek through hell sees Jason gather friend and foe in a search of meaning, power and the devil himself. Throughout their grand tour of the sights and sounds of the netherworld, Jason holds a dialogue driven approach to the souls around him – psychopaths and saints alike. Regardless of the adventure or the grief, Jason forever aims to uphold his sense to humor and have a lighthearted approach to death, torment and the afterlife.
It is fun, frivolous and philosophic in equal measure!
This Quest is Bullshit! by JP Valentine
As found on RoyalRoad:
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.
Either way, adventure is out there, and Eve is determined to have one.
To Dream and Die as a Taniwha Girl by Benedict Patrick
There is a price to pay for becoming a story.
Kaimana has defied the gods and won the freedom to spend the rest of her days travelling the collection of tropical islands she calls home.
But the people of the islands have taken notice of her.
They have started to tell her story; for many children, one of their favourite fireside tales is now that of the Taniwha Girl, the brave woman who befriends monsters.
Some islanders even pray to her.
The gods are displeased, but they are not the only ones paying attention to Kaimana’s rise to fame. On the borders of the island ring, an ancient demon – an old enemy of the Crescent Atoll – spreads its influence, and a spider-faced figure shadows Kaimana’s movements.
To the North by Evan L. Grove
Emily Lee wants nothing more than to live her life in peace, safe in the comfort of home with her father. But when he falls prey to dark magic, trapping him and countless others in a foreign land, she is forced to take action. Compelled only by the desire to save him, Emily travels to the northern nation of Odelia in search of a means to free her father from his terrible curse.
Lehksi Olent works as a private investigator, helping those uncover the truth that is often shrouded by a world of magic and mystery. Together with her brother, Marty, she now travels the Odelian countryside in pursuit of the growing unrest taking place within the heart of a country torn asunder by unseen forces.
When their paths converge, Emily and Lehksi’s lives will be forever changed. Two paths, one future. Be it for the good of all, or for a singular desire, the fate of Odelia lies within their choices. And should they prove lacking, the world of Oul might never be the same.
To the North is the first novel in The Awakener Duology, an adult urban fantasy that explores what it means to discover the dark truths of an unforgiving land. It takes place in an alternate reality set in a pre-digital world, one that is governed by magic and corporate influence. Two young women must navigate numerous challenges in order to protect what is important to them, but in doing so they will make discoveries that may drive a wedge between them.
Torak DragonSon by Rick Dietrich
Torak, a young servant, lives a mundane life in the weapons academy catering to the needs of swordsmen and nobility. That life is irrevocably changed when his father’s identity as a dragon is revealed in dramatic fashion. Torak is forced to leave his servant’s life and fight not only for his own survival but for the survival of all the races in the lands.
Tribesman by Paul Freeman
Banished from his homeland, a warrior of the Northern Clans grows weary of life in a harsh alien land.
With the dark god Morrigu haunting his dreams, the warrior and champion Culainn journeys north in search of a merchant’s daughter abducted by clansmen. With a desert princess as a companion he will travel through a land baked by a scorching sun, where bandits roam free and dark beasts stalk the night.
An ancient evil is rising from the desert. A Benouin myth of a ghost city inhabited by the souls of their ancestors, a bridge to the Underworld is unleashing demonic creatures on an unsuspecting world. Culainn and Persha, warrior and mage, stand alone against a tide of darkness. All the while the dark war god of the north seeks to use Culainn as her own tool, her own champion.
Truth and Other Lies by Lyra Wolf
Nothing is trickier than the truth.
All Loki the trickster god of Asgard wants is a quiet, peaceful life where he’s free to needle Balder, occasionally stir up the inter-realm porridge pot, and get Thor to dress in women’s garments (for all the best reasons).
Getting beset by sudden, painful, and terribly inconvenient visions of blood, ash, and death are definitely not on his to-do list. But, because of some small, ridiculous remnant of caring that refuses to be extinguished, Loki feels he must save Asgard…and that means warning Odin, his least favorite god (next to Thor).
But getting the gods to believe the boy who cried Fenrir is harder than it looks, and time is running out, not just for Asgard, but also for a mortal woman named Sigyn who may just hold the key to Loki’s future.
Loki is about to find out the hard way that the only thing crueler than truth are the lies behind it all.
Twelve Jackals by Moud Adel
In a divided land where rival factions struggle to gain control using the unique talents of their respective realms, Rakamai and people of Kala curb their use of magic, because to do otherwise steals years from their lives. But when a new alliance turns into a bloody betrayal and threatens open war, Rakamai vows to get revenge and secure the future of his people. To do so, he’ll need to fully embrace the magic of his people and bring his own considerable powers to bear. After all, a short future is better than no future at all.
Uncharted by Alli Temple
In a world of arrogant nobles and their punishing laws, Georgina will be hanged if anyone discovers she is a spy. But when the wicked prince proposes marriage, Georgina must accept. Refusing would expose the secrets she has delivered to a hidden resistance and forfeit her life. With her wedding day looming ever closer, salvation comes from an unlikely source.
Pirate Captain Cinder is a terror on the open sea, striking fear into hearts wherever she sails. Now she has a new target. The vulnerable Princess Georgina should be an easy mark in Cinder’s kidnapping plot. But the legend of Captain Cinder is more intertwined with Georgina’s own history than either of them expect.
Treacherous storms. A mysterious pirate king. The prince’s unrelenting pursuit. Georgina and Cinder can only escape by following the uncharted course of their hearts. But just as a future together is within their grasp, Cinder’s past threatens to drag them both to the deep.
UNJU – The Jump by Gleneley Liesl Stander
How far would you go, and what would you sacrifice for those you love?
In a setting where the multiverse is real, and travel between them can be manipulated, Katherine and Ethan must learn to navigate to these alternate realities to try to save their dying planet. Humanity is on a countdown towards extinction as climate change, pollution, and radiation have gone unchecked for decades, and it has taken its inevitable toll on their Earth-like planet and all of its inhabitants. The air has become unbreathable, the water undrinkable and mutants in all species have emerged.
Trained since they were children to connect with their genetic doubles they work for the corrupt rulers of their planet, the First Family, in the Jump Unit. Katherine and Ethan face many dangers within the multiverse and the outside world where they uncover secrets that the First Family would rather have remain hidden.
Unstoppable Shadow by Alex Mead
Friendless orphan from the slums of Talon, Scab is no ordinary boy. So everyone keeps telling him. He’s pretty sure ‘the Slow’ doesn’t happen to anyone else, but he daren’t ask, in fear of the next beating.
Taken from the city, Scab finds himself closer than ever to having a bed of his own, but it comes at a price. A painful one.
Veteran assassin, Silas is ready for a normal life with a family. Something the Shadows would never allow. Not helping matters, the strange, grey-eyed boy from the slums gives him glimpses of how life might be with a son.
Offering Scab the opportunity to follow the same violent path as his own, Silas finds himself bound tighter to the Shadows. With his future entwined with the boy’s, he’s beginning to wonder if death may be the only way out.
Up Against Mooneye by Mikkel Høst
Long ago, a mysterious and powerful spell shattered the world’s tallest mountain, causing it to crumble over the Great Eastern Empire’s capital. The wounded empire shunned sorcerers from that day onward.
But the worst was yet to come for those who practised the mystical arts, for something had climbed down the mountain before it fell to pieces…
An adventure for all ages!
Desperate to make something of himself, a man named Saolan is one day given the opportunity to become a sorcerer’s apprentice, on the condition that he agrees to fight a despicable creature known as Mooneye.
Join him as he journeys through an enchanted forest, a peaceful port town, an underwater kingdom and many ancient wonders left behind by the sorcerers of old
Waking the Witch by W. V. Fitz-Simon
She never wanted to be a witch, but when sorcerers threaten her loved ones, what else should the 20th century woman do?
Slip on her favorite Siouxsie Sioux t-shirt, touch up her makeup, and bring down the house.
Literally.
To Gosha Armitage, magic is a four-letter word, but in her mother’s world of witchcraft, words have power, power Gosha will sacrifice everything to acquire. When a murderous sorcerer masquerading as a New Age guru conspires to consume the life force of her best friend, the reluctant witch has no choice but to embrace her heritage, submit to her mother’s caustic authority, and descend into a clandestine world of magic and intrigue with only her wits, five spells, and her favorite lipstick to help her. After a lifetime denying her connection to witchcraft, will Gosha learn to trust her mother’s training in time to save her friend?
War God Rising by Tim Marquitz
Monty Python meets Gladiator!
Sand is destined for greatness. Or so a pair of two-bit criminals would have him believe.
After rescuing him from certain doom, Bess and Kaede embark on a scheme to game the War God Tournament. It’d be easier if Sand wasn’t an alcohol-soaked twit with a disturbing interest in mutton.
Pitted against monsters, magic swords, and murderers galore, they soon realize winning the tourney is the least of their worries.
We Men of Ash and Shadow by HL Tinsley
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 – a skilled young would-be-assassin fallen from the graces of high society – 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.
Wenworld by T.R. Preston
Ika Ivory and Chandi MorrowHill are two teenagers from a small town. They are the closest of friends; nearly inseparable. As wonderful as their bond is, it was forged due to tragic circumstances. Both of them are victims of dreadful childhood traumas. It is through their grief that they grew closer and learned to take on the world together.
Wenworld is a strange and wondrous place, and they have vowed to chase two particular men to the ends of it and back for revenge. Ika seeks a man named Kirga, who is known more commonly as ‘The Hellcat’. He is responsible for taking the life of Ika’s elder sister, a memory that Ika cannot escape from. Chandi wishes to one day find a man named Wriliara, who mercilessly took both parents from her.
As they grew older, Ika and Chandi spent most of their time researching these men. Through their shared research, the duo one day discovered that these men work together; though the incidents the children suffered through took place at separate times. Once they found this out, Ika and Chandi made a promise to each other that they would hunt them to the far reaches of the world to get their revenge. Together, as they did all things.
In order to get the revenge they seek, however, they must first be trained in the complex ways of Wenworld magic. Kirga and Wriliara are far more powerful than the average criminal. Ika and Chandi will need to close a mighty gap in time for that showdown. Good thing they have a competent master, who just happens to be a talking rabbit. What could go wrong?
Where I Belong by Willow Woods
When Alexandra’s betrothal to the King of Saphyre is announced she is less than overjoyed. Desperate to escape her marriage to the tyrannical king, she flees. But, after a spell goes awry, Alexandra finds herself lost in a strange world with no memory of who she is.
Alexandra begins to adapt to a life she knows isn’t hers. When the mysterious Carlyle arrives, claiming to be her jilted fiancé, she begins to doubt whether her reality is what she truly wants. After Carlyle refuses to take no for an answer, Alexandra finds herself transported to a realm of magic and corruption.
Unable to escape her destiny of becoming queen, Alexandra is determined to end Carlyle’s tyrannical reign over Saphyre. Thrust into the heart of a five-hundred-year-old rebellion, led by Caleb, who claims to be Saphyre’s rightful King, Alexandra is faced with a difficult choice – who is Saphyre’s true ruler?
While Gods Sleep by L. D. Colter
The first time Ty died he was five, the second time he was seven. He’s always believed his third death will be the final one, and now he may find out.
Greece, 1958. More than twenty years after his near-death experiences and the visions of terrifying gods that came with them, Ty leads a quiet life working as a locksmith. When a client persuades him to play in an ancient game of throwing bones his peaceful existence is shattered and Ty quickly finds himself deeply in debt, his life hanging in the balance once more. Forced to descend to the eerie mid-world of Erebus to repay his debt, his fate is soon entwined with sleeping gods, the factions that seek to control them, and an enemy powerful enough to destroy them all.
A fantasy thriller by award-winning author, L. D. Colter. Get ready to dive head-first into a 1950s Greece where conjoined queens rule a nation perched above an underworld filled with demi-gods and monsters, and a mortal man holds the key to the fate of the gods.
White as Frost by Anthea Sharp
Two sisters. One enchanted forest. And a hidden destiny that could doom them both…
I didn’t want to come live in the castle beside the Darkwood, and I especially didn’t want to become enemies with my stepsister Neeve. But how could I help it? She has magic, while I’m an ordinary girl. She’s the heir to the throne, while I’m an annoying afterthought since my mother married the king. And Neeve has the ability to master her emotions while I’m a red-haired disaster.
She also has Thorne, the handsome guardian of the forest, who tutors her in the powers that are her heritage. Even though I know he could never be mine, I can’t keep my heart from dreaming of the impossible.
But everything changes, the day I uncover the secrets the castle has been hiding…
Willow of Ashes by Ellie Raine
A cursed knight. A mystic princess. An epic journey of mystery, magic and mayhem…
A mysterious world of hidden myths and elemental magic, the five realms of Nirus have kept in harmony for centuries. But now, calamity threatens them all. A forgotten prophecy foretells of a lone warrior of great power who will be chosen to protect the realms during these dark times. It is said he will be sent by the Gods and blessed with rare magic. At last, a champion is born… except he is not a single soul, but twin brothers, their magic split at birth. Only together can these two save the world from the coming onslaught.
But now, that is impossible. For one of the brothers was killed while protecting the crown princess, and his soul became trapped inside his twin.
Unaware of the coming disaster, or their role in the prophecy, the coexisting brothers embark on a journey across rocky wastelands, blistering deserts, icy oceans and thunderous skies, intent on lifting their curse. But they are quickly ensnared by a raging war against an army of undead creatures commanded by a vicious sorceress. With the help of new comrades and a woman warrior tasked with finding the missing champion, all must fight for the future of the realms… or lose the ones they love.
For in the shadows, many eyes watch their every move. And not all have peace in mind.
Windborn by Alex S. Bradshaw
Drowning is only the beginning…
Edda Gretasdottir is a raider, a fell-handed shield-maiden, feared along every coast. Hers is a life woven in battle scars.
But she never wanted to walk the warrior’s path. All she wanted was freedom, to earn enough gold to buy her family their own remote farm, and to escape their oppressive chieftain. Now, she has enough plunder so that she can finally hang up her shield and live in peace.
That peace is stolen from Edda, however, when raiders burn her home, destroy all that she loves, and toss her, wounded and bleeding, into the ravenous ocean.
But the fates are cruel and this is not the end for Edda: she rises from the bloody surf as a Windborn, a cursed warrior whose supernatural gifts are a poor exchange for everything she has lost.
Fuelled by rage and armed with strange new powers Edda will hunt for whoever sent the raiders, for whoever is responsible for taking everything from her. She will show them the sharp edge of her axe… or die trying.
Windborn is a dark, character-driven Norse fantasy packed with emotion, deadly foes, and vicious battles.
Winds of Strife by U. G. Gutman
“They burned me and mine. I’m not done until I burn them and theirs in return.”
Witch-hunts have plagued the kingdom of Olyanath for decades. Thousands were slain due to the king’s 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.
Windward by S Kaeth
When dragons fight, mountains weep.
In nests high in the mountains, dragons and dragonbonded share their lives, thoughts, feelings, and ambitions.
Palon and her partner, the dragon Windward, are renowned among their nest for their flying skill. Their days are filled with everything she loves, especially riding the wind. Even being tasked with teaching their way of life to Tebah, a rebellious newly bonded teenager, can’t bring her down too much.
But when treasures from the dragons’ hoards are found in Palon’s collection, her idyllic life comes crashing down. She battles to prove her innocence, while her every move is cast as further evidence against her. Tebah’s suspicion, homesickness, and defiance would be frustrating even in easy times. With Palon in the spotlight while her rivals smear her name at every turn and stir up plots of revenge, her teenage charge’s behavior proves dangerous.
Dragon tempers shorten, and challenges and disputes shake the ground. Palon will have to trust more than just herself if she hopes to once more own the sky.
Wizardoms: God King Rising by Jeffrey L. Kohanek
A stirring rebellion. Unrelenting assassins. Conspiracies abound.
Two queens.
One rules by fear, her citizens laboring to fund the lavish lifestyle of the wizard class. The other believes in justice and compassion, earning her the love of her subjects…and the enmity of her wizard peers.
Both will die.
In one wizardom, a secret rebellion brews. A hero to the people rises, fueled by a mysterious sorcerer’s blood magic. But at what cost?
Conspiracies and assassins lurk in every shadow, threatening the throne of another nation. The scheming wizard behind it will stop at nothing to claim the crown. Yet, even he is a pawn.
What force is behind it all? What is their endgame?
Wolfeater by Anthony Mitchell
All things die. Eventually.
Found as a child by the war-hungry tribe of the Grey Crow, Radok has forged himself a legend as the mighty Wolfeater; a warrior feared by all. Yet even legends can die, and when he finds himself inflicted with a fatal disease, Radok sets out on a quest to face his gods and ask them the one question only gods can answer: what was the meaning of it all?
With him goes Nyana, the blind eight-year-old girl long held in his care, who has her own question for the gods: what next?
They are hunted by friends and enemies alike, some desperate to preserve the natural balance of things, others hungry for revenge. Against them are set a pack of savage cannibals, a blood-thirsty monster, and the servant of a raging god.
But if the pair can do the impossible, if they can touch the Blackstone, it could change the destiny of their people… and with it, the fate of the world.
Wrath – Dinosaur Dungeon Book 1 by Alex Raizman
When dungeon delvers and dinosaurs clash, who can survive?
Newborn Dungeon Cores must choose what entity they help contain, and that choice determines what monsters they are able to summon. After being executed for crimes forgotten in death, Tira is given the chance to make that choice. Tira chose Acekorah, the Primeval Terror, a being so dangerous few cores will risk trying to contain it.
The danger wasn’t important. Tira remembers dying. If containing Acekorah means Tira will face greater danger, that’s a risk worth taking, because the Primeval Terror walked the world long before the races of Man roamed the earth, and Cores bound to him are able to summon beings from beyond the veil of time.
Now, forged in the fires of Tira’s wrath, the dinosaurs will walk the world anew.
