Fresh Meat: July 5-11th — 55 Speculative Fiction Releases

Posted July 7, 2015 by Carmel in Fresh Meat / 5 Comments

Urban Fantasy:

Splintered
Splintered (Arcane Underworld #2)
by Jamie Schultz
Urban Fantasy
[learn_more caption=”Book Description”]The author of Premonitions continues his Arcane Underworld saga…




Anna Ruiz is on a mission: Help her friend and partner-in-crime, Karyn Ames, break free of the tangle of hallucinations and premonitions that have cut her off from reality. With the aid of her crew—ex-soldier Nail and sorcerer Genevieve—she’ll do whatever it takes to get Karyn help, even if it means tracking down every lowlife informant and back alley magic practitioner in the occult underworld of Los Angeles.




But since a magical heist went to hell, the crew has been working for crimelord and doomed magus Enoch Sobell. Between fighting Sobell’s battles with some seriously scary demonic forces and tangling with a group of violent fanatics who want to manipulate Karyn’s abilities for their own gains, Anna, Nail, and Genevieve are beginning to realize they’re in way over their heads.




And now that Karyn’s secret about seeing the future is out, even more unpleasant parties—human and otherwise—are about to come knocking…[/learn_more]


Wicked Embers (Souls of Fire #2)
by Keri Arthur
Urban Fantasy
[learn_more caption=”Book Description”]Keri Arthur, New York Times bestselling author of Fireborn, presents the thrilling new Souls of Fire Novel featuring Emberly Pearson, a phoenix that can transform into a human—and is haunted by the ability to foresee death….




Crimson Death, the plague like virus spawned from a failed government experiment to isolate the enzymes that make vampires immortal, continues to spread. Emberly and her partner, Jackson Miller, are desperately seeking the stolen research for a cure before the virus becomes a pandemic.




But their mission is jeopardized by another threat uncovered in Emberly’s prophetic dreams. A creature of ash and shadow has been unleashed on a murdering spree. Now Emberly must summon all her gifts and investigative knowledge to put an end to this entity’s brutal rampage—even if it means placing herself in harm’s way….[/learn_more]


Flight from Death (Fly by Night #1)
by Yasmine Galenorn
Urban Fantasy
[learn_more caption=”Book Description”]I’m Shimmer, a blue dragon shifter. Thanks to a mistake, I was exiled from the Dragon Reaches and sentenced to work for Alex Radcliffe, a vampire who owns the Fly by Night Magical Investigations Agency. Now, not only do I have to adapt to Earthside culture, but every time I turn around, somebody’s trying to kill us. And worse, Alex is as gorgeous as he is exasperating. But you know what they say: All’s fair in love and bounty hunting…




When an old friend of Alex contacts him about a haunting at the High Tide Bed & Breakfast in Port Townsend, Washington, we think we’re on a simple ghost hunt. But our investigation quickly transforms into a deadly fight as we uncover an eighty-year-old murder, a cursed house, and a dark force trapping the spirits within. To stop impending disaster we must break the curse and lay the angry spirits to rest. [/learn_more]


Witchlock (Belador #6)
by Dianna Love
Urban Fantasy
[learn_more caption=”Book Description”]Witchlock vanished in the 13th century… or did it?


Some win. Some lose. And some will never be the same again.




After finally earning her place among the Beladors, Evalle is navigating the ups and downs of her new life with Storm when she’s sucked into a power play between her Belador tribe and the Medb coven. Both groups claim possession of the Alterants-turned-gryphons, especially Evalle, the gryphon leader. But an influx of demons and dark witches into Atlanta threatens to unleash war between covens, pitting allies against each other as a legendary majik known as Witchlock invades the city and attacks powerful beings. Evalle has one hope for stopping the invasion, but the cost may be her sanity and having to choose which friend to save.[/learn_more]


Nightlife: Night Terrors
by Matthew Quinn Martin
Urban Fantasy / Horror
[learn_more caption=”Book Description”]Enter a world where the streets crawl with unimaginable demons, and a monster can lurk behind every friendly face. Matthew Quinn Martin first terrified horror fans with Nightlife, the captivating story of two unlikely monster hunters determined to save the city of New Harbor from the Night Angels—bloodthirsty creatures that feed on the forgotten. Jack Jackson and Beth Becker are among the few who can see these creatures for what they really are, but as they hunt the creatures, a mysterious organization known only as The Division is hunting them.




In the novella Hazardous Material, we get a glimpse of The Division’s origins and aims when a young man stumbles onto a long-abandoned video arcade—which three decades ago was the site of the largest mass shooting in New York history—and unwittingly uncovers a relic of unimaginable power and mind-altering terror.




And in the never-before-released As the Worm Turns, Jack and Beth are back, along with their faithful dog, Blood. For months they’ve been keeping just one step ahead of The Division, whose enigmatic leader has been pursuing them with the single-minded obsession to capture them by any means necessary. But as Jack and Beth continue their quest to rid the world of the creatures once and for all, they find themselves facing off against something even more terrifying than the Night Angels––something that could hold the key to humanity’s salvation…or its doom.[/learn_more]


The Blumhouse Book of Nightmares
The Haunted City
by Jason Blum
Urban Fantasy / Horror
[learn_more caption=”Book Description”]Original and terrifying fiction presented by Jason Blum, the award-winning producer behind the groundbreaking Paranormal Activity, The Purge, Insidious, and Sinister franchises.




Jason Blum invited sixteen cutting-edge collaborators, filmmakers, and writers to envision a city of their choosing, and let their demons run wild. The Blumhouse Book of Nightmares: The Haunted City brings together all-new, boundary-breaking stories from such artists as Ethan Hawke (Boyhood), Eli Roth (Hostel), Scott Derrickson (Sinister), C. Robert Cargill (Sinister), James DeMonaco (The Purge), and many others.




“Geist” by Les Bohem…“Procedure” by James DeMonaco…“Hellhole” by Christopher Denham…“A Clean White Room” by Scott Derrickson and C. Robert Cargill…“Novel Fifteen” by Steve Faber…“Eyes” by George Gallo…“1987” by Ethan Hawke…“Donations” by William Joselyn…“The Old Jail” by Sarah Langan…“The Darkish Man” by Nissar Modi…“Meat Maker” by Mark Neveldine…“Dreamland” by Michael Olson…“Valdivia” by Eli Roth…“Golden Hour” by Jeremy Slater…“The Leap” by Dana Stevens…“The Words” by Scott Stewart…“Gentholme” by Simon Kurt Unsworth[/learn_more]



Paranormal Romance:

Earth Bound
(Sea Haven/Sisters of the Heart #4)
by Christine Feehan
Paranormal Romance
[learn_more caption=”Book Description”]The #1 New York Times bestselling author of Air Bound returns to the mysterious coastal town of Sea Haven where six sisters of the heart are bound by the elements, and one is stalked by an inescapable past…




After escaping from a cult, Lexi found refuge with her sisters on the farm that more than sustained her body—it nurtured her soul as well. But she never forgot the terror she left behind or the always present fear that the cult would find her again, and claim her. Then her nightmare came true.




Lexi was discovered and threatened—only to be suddenly saved by a stranger. He is Gavriil Prakenskii, and he’s awestruck by the woman he’s rescued. She is destined for him. He can feel it in his soul. But how can Lexi find happiness with a man steeped in secrets and shadows, one intimately acquainted with violence, and whose very love could be the death of them?[/learn_more]


Licked by the Flame
(The Forbidden Realm #2)
by Serena Gilley
Paranormal Romance
[learn_more caption=”Book Description”]Shape-shifting Dragon Nic Vladik has infiltrated a human technological organization to monitor their efforts on alternate fuel sources. It seems they have discovered the power being emitted from one of the Dragons’ facilities. Nic must keep the humans from learning the truth about this Dragon stronghold at all costs and deter them from tapping into their heat source. That means stopping an incredibly sexy scientist from ruining his race.




Lianne McGowan is a human scientist sent to assist with the site. She believes this heat source will help save the planet and she will stop at nothing to learn more and discover the full truth about what lies beneath this mysterious mountain. But when she meets the sinfully seductive and dangerous Nic and dark forces start to work against them, she begins to realize that there is far more to the story than she ever imagined…[/learn_more]


The Scarlet Deep (Elemental World #3)
by Elizabeth Hunter
Paranormal Romance
[learn_more caption=”Book Description”]On the waves of the North Atlantic, a poison spreads, sapping the life from humans and striking madness into immortals.




Patrick Murphy, the immortal leader of Dublin, has been trying to stem the tide of Elixir washing into his territory, but nothing seems to stop the vampire drug. While others in the immortal world work to cure the creeping insanity that Elixir threatens, Murphy has been invited to London to join a summit of leaders hoping to discover who is shipping the drug. If Murphy and his allies can cut off the supply, they might be able to halt the spread long enough for a treatment to be found for the humans and vampires infected.




Anne O’Dea, Murphy’s former lover, retreated from public life over one hundred years ago to help immortals in need… and to heal her own broken heart. Though powerful connections keep her insulated from the violence of vampire politics, even Anne is starting to feel the effects of Elixir on her isolated world. The human blood supply has been tainted, and with Anne’s unique needs, even those closest to her might be in danger. Not just from infection, but Anne’s escalating bloodlust.




When Anne and Murphy are both called to London, they’re forced to confront a connection as immortal as they are. As they search for a traitor among allies, they must also come to terms with their past. Behind the safe facade of politics, old hungers still burn, even as an ancient power threatens the fate of the Elemental World.[/learn_more]


Act of Submission
(Immortal Ops: PSI-Ops #3)
by Mandy M. Roth
Paranormal Romance
[learn_more caption=”Book Description”]Haven Carey wants revenge against the man who killed her brother. She’s given up everything to seek out the man responsible. But she gets more than she bargained for from the tall, dark and delicious alpha male and quickly learns all is not as it appears to be.Cat-shifting PSI-Operative Miles “Boomer” Walsh is the team loner and wears the label proudly. He doesn’t back down, and he doesn’t give in. Not anymore. When a beautiful vixen shows up at card night, claiming he murdered her brother, he doesn’t try to protect himself. No. Primal instinct demands his total surrender to whatever the woman has in mind…especially if that something includes a little pain mixed with pleasure. [/learn_more]


SEAL Wolf Hunting (Heart of the Wolf #16)
by Terry Spear
Paranormal Romance
[learn_more caption=”Book Description”]Paul Cunningham is one of the only bachelors left on the SEAL wolf team, and he’s less than thrilled to hear he’s been volunteered for a local charity bachelor auction.




Lori Greypaw suspected that her grandmother would use the auction as an opportunity to fix her up. So she’s not surprised when she “buys” Paul to help Lori renovate her mountain cabin for a week. Lori’s had a crush on the sexy SEAL wolf for years, but he proves to be handy with more than a hammer when two fugitives come knocking and he’ll do anything to protect the woman he’s falling for…[/learn_more]


Deception (The Demon Hunters #2)
by A.S. Fenichel
Paranormal Romance
[learn_more caption=”Book Description”]When Demons threaten Regency London, only a Lady can stop them.




Lillian Dellacourt is beautiful, refined and absolutely lethal. She’s also the most feared and merciless demon hunter in The Company. She’s come a long way from the penniless seamstress’s daughter sold to the highest bidder, and it wasn’t by trusting a man, let alone an exiled Marquis with more on his mind than slaying the hellspawn.




For Dorian Lambert, Marquis de Montalembert, being sent to keep track of Lillian is no mean task. He’s wanted the fiery vixen since he first heard of her five years ago. But wooing the lady while fighting the demon uprising is no easy feat, especially when the lady’s tongue is as sharp as the Japanese sai blades she favors for eviscerating the spawn of hell.




These two will have to learn to trust each other fast, because the demon master is back, and he’s planning to turn Edinburgh into a living hell…[/learn_more]


Cursed
by Charmaine Ross
Paranormal Romance
[learn_more caption=”Book Description”]After years of abuse and torture at the hands of her father, Katia uses her genetically engineered “gift” to destroy the lab that has been her living hell.




She wakes from the explosion to find she’s been transported more than a hundred years into the future to a new world where nothing makes sense. As handsome and as kind as Dr. Julius Freeman is, Katia doesn’t buy his story that she’s been in a coma, and she certainly doesn’t trust him. She does know, however, that the horrors of her previous life have followed her to this century.




Katia stirs more than strictly professional feelings within Julius, but he, too, harbors a dark secret that could threaten everything building between them. When Julius is attacked and kidnapped, Katia must face her demons and fight like she’s never fought before to save the man she loves.[/learn_more]


Magic and Macaroons
(A Magical Bakery Mystery #5)
by Bailey Cates
Cozy Mystery
[learn_more caption=”Book Description”]From the New York Times bestselling author of Some Enchanted Éclair comes a tale of delicious desserts and supernatural sleuthing…




For magical baker Katie Lightfoot, the only way to beat the Savannah summer heat is to whip up some cool treats for the Honeybee Bakery’s patrons. But when a meeting of the spellbook club is interrupted by a stranger collapsing on the floor of her shop, mumbling something about a voodoo talisman, Katie drops everything to begin investigating.




Her search for answers quickly leads her into a dangerous blend of Savannah’s infamous voodoo queens, a powerful missing charm—and a deadly witch who seems to be targeting the city’s magical community. And with the case getting hotter by the second, Katie will have to work fast to track down the talisman and the killer before the timer runs out…




RECIPES INCLUDED.[/learn_more]


Spellcasting in Silk
(A Witchcraft Mystery #7)
by Juliet Blackwell
Cozy Mystery
[learn_more caption=”Book Description”]From the New York Times bestselling author of A Vision in Velvet comes more spooky sleuthing with Lily Ivory, vintage boutique owner and gifted witch…




Lily would like nothing better than to relax, enjoy her friends, and take care of business at her store, which is booming thanks to San Francisco’s upcoming Summer of Love Festival. But as the unofficial witchy consultant to the SFPD, she is pulled into yet another case.




A woman has jumped off the Golden Gate Bridge, and her apparent suicide may be connected to a suspicious botanica in the Mission District. When the police investigate the shop, they ask Lily to look into its mysterious owner, whose granddaughter also appears to be missing. As Lily searches for the truth, she finds herself confronted with a confounding mystery and some very powerful magic…[/learn_more]


Sense of Deception
(Psychic Eye Mystery #13)
by Victoria Laurie
Cozy Mystery
[learn_more caption=”Book Description”]In New York Times bestselling author Victoria Laurie’s newest Psychic Eye Mystery, Abby Cooper senses a convicted killer is innocent, but she’ll need hard evidence to save the woman before it’s too late…




A ticked-off judge has tossed Abby in the slammer for contempt of court, and during her brief but unpleasant stay she learns the story of a condemned woman who is facing a far more serious sentence. Skylar Miller has been found guilty of murder and faces the death penalty. Everyone believes she’s guilty, including her own family and her ex-husband—everyone, that is, except Abby, whose finely honed intuition tells her this woman doesn’t belong behind bars.




With the help of her husband Dutch and her friend Candice, Abby launches into her own investigation to clear Skylar and find the real killer. But after a final appeal is denied and Skylar’s attorney scrambles for a stay of execution, time is running short—and the list of suspects keeps growing. There’s no margin for error as the life of an innocent woman hangs in the balance…[/learn_more]



Science Fiction / Fantasy:

Time Salvager
by Wesley Chu
Science Fiction
[learn_more caption=”Book Description”]Convicted criminal James Griffin-Mars is no one’s hero. In his time, Earth is a toxic, abandoned world and humans have fled into the outer solar system to survive, eking out a fragile, doomed existence among the other planets and their moons. Those responsible for delaying humanity’s demise believe time travel holds the key, and they have identified James, troubled though he is, as one of a select and expendable few ideally suited for the most dangerous job in history.




James is a chronman, undertaking missions into Earth’s past to recover resources and treasure without altering the timeline. The laws governing use of time travel are absolute; break any one of them and, one way or another, your life is over. Most chronmen never reach old age; the stress of each jump through time, compounded by the risk to themselves and to the future, means that many chronmen rapidly reach their breaking point, and James Griffin-Mars is nearing his.




On a final mission that is to secure his retirement, James meets Elise Kim, an intriguing scientist from a previous century, who is fated to die during the destruction of an oceanic rig. Against his training and his common sense, and in violation of the chronmen’s highest law, James brings Elise back to the future with him, saving her life, but turning them both into fugitives. Remaining free means losing themselves in the wild and poisonous wastes of Earth, somehow finding allies, and perhaps discovering what hope may yet remain for humanity’s home world.[/learn_more]


Final Protocol
by J.C. Daniels
Science Fiction
[learn_more caption=”Book Description”]Tip #1: Don’t get on her bad side. Tip #2: There’s no good side.




Her name is Silence. If she was ever known by any other name, she doesn’t remember.




She is a killer. If she was ever anything else, she doesn’t remember.




She has an owner. If she was ever free…well, that she does remember. She was free and then somebody gave her to a madman to pay a debt that wasn’t hers. She’s his toy, his pet…and his trained killer. She kills at his whim or she dies.




She has a target. Her so-called owner…the man who makes her life a living hell. If she could kill anybody in the universe, it would be him. But he holds her life in his hands.




And she has a wish—to find a man she barely remembers. A man she knows she once loved. The man who betrayed her and stole away her freedom.




With one final target between her and the tantalizing promise of freedom, she moves in for the kill. There’s one problem. There’s something strangely familiar about her mark. Something that echoes in the void where love used to live.




Warning: One woman with a mission, one evil bastard who lies as often as he breathes, and a man who’ll stop at nothing to find what he lost. Be warned…some questionable consent lies within.[/learn_more]


A City Called Smoke (The Territory #2)
by Justin Woolley
Science Fiction
[learn_more caption=”Book Description”]The battle was only the beginning; the real danger is beyond the fence …




The Diggers have been destroyed, a horde of ghouls is moving inland and the High Priestess has seized control of the Central Territory. Together with Nim, a Nomad boy seeking vengeance against the ghouls, Squid and Lynn begin their long journey toward the city of Big Smoke, a city that may not even exist.




Pursued by forces that wish to see them fail, facing threats on all sides and conflict from within, Squid, Lynn and Nim search for a weapon against the ghouls. It is a search that will lead them into forbidden lands where long-held beliefs about their world are tested and Squid may finally unravel the truth of his identity.




But even if they survive their journey, the teenagers on whom the fate of the Territory now rests have no idea what dangers await them beyond the fence. [/learn_more]


Aurora
by Kim Stanley Robinson
Science Fiction
[learn_more caption=”Book Description”]A major new novel from one of science fiction’s most powerful voices, AURORA tells the incredible story of our first voyage beyond the solar system.




Brilliantly imagined and beautifully told, it is the work of a writer at the height of his powers.




Our voyage from Earth began generations ago.




Now, we approach our new home.




AURORA.[/learn_more]


The Annihilation Score (Laundry Files #6)
by Charles Stross
Science Fiction
[learn_more caption=”Book Description”]Dominique O’Brien—her friends call her Mo—lives a curious double life with her husband, Bob Howard. To the average civilian, they’re boring middle-aged civil servants. But within the labyrinthian secret circles of Her Majesty’s government, they’re operatives working for the nation’s occult security service known as the Laundry, charged with defending Britain against dark supernatural forces threatening humanity.




Mo’s latest assignment is assisting the police in containing an unusual outbreak: ordinary citizens suddenly imbued with extraordinary abilities of the super-powered kind. Unfortunately these people prefer playing super-pranks instead of super-heroics. The Mayor of London being levitated by a dumpy man in Trafalgar Square would normally be a source of shared amusement for Mo and Bob, but they’re currently separated because something’s come between them—something evil.




An antique violin, an Erich Zann original, made of human white bone, was designed to produce music capable of slaughtering demons. Mo is the custodian of this unholy instrument. It invades her dreams and yearns for the blood of her colleagues—and her husband. And despite Mo’s proficiency as a world class violinist, it cannot be controlled…[/learn_more]


The Dangerous Type
(The Dangerous Type Trilogy #1)
by Loren Rhoads
Science Fiction
[learn_more caption=”Book Description”]Set in the wake of a galaxy-wide war and the destruction of a human empire, The Dangerous Type follows the awakening of one of the galaxy’s most dangerous assassins and her quest for vengeance. Entombed for twenty years, Raena has been found and released.




Thallian has been on the lam for the last fifteen years; a wanted war criminal whose entire family has been hunted down and murdered for their role in the galaxy-wide genocide of the Templars. His name is the first on Raena’s list, as he’s the one that enslaved her, made her his assassin, and ultimate put her in a tomb. But Thallian is willing to risk everything—including his army of cloned sons—to capture her. Now it’s a race to see who kills whom first.




Alternatively, Gaven has spent the last twenty years trying to forget about Raena, whom he once saved and then lost to the clutches of Thallian. Raena’s adopted sister, Ariel, has been running from the truth: the one about Raena, about her and Gaven, and doesn’t know if she’ll be able to face either of them.




The Dangerous Type is a mix of military science fiction and an adventurous space opera that grabs you from the first pages and doesn’t let go. Along with a supporting cast of smugglers, black market doctors, and other ne’er-do-wells sprawled across a galaxy brimming with alien life, The Dangerous Type is a fantastic beginning to Loren Rhoads’s epic trilogy.[/learn_more]


William Shakespeare’s The Clone Army Attacketh
Star Wars Part the Second
by Ian Doescher
Science Fiction
[learn_more caption=”Book Description”]In time so long ago begins our play,


In clash-strewn galaxy far, far away.




To Shmi or not to Shmi? Torn between duty to the Jedi, attraction to Padmé, and concern for his beloved mother, yeoman Jedi Anakin Skywalker struggles to be master of his fate. The path he chooses will determine not just his own destiny, but that of the entire Republic. And thereby hangs a tale.




Alack the day! A noble lady in danger. A knight and squire in battle. And a forbidden love that’s written in the stars. Once again, the quill of William Shakespeare meets the galaxy of George Lucas in an insightful reimagining that sets the Star Wars saga on the Elizabethan stage. The characters are familiar, but the masterful meter, insightful soliloquies, and period illustrations will convince you that the Bard himself penned this epic adventure. [/learn_more]


Dark Disciple: Star Wars
by Christie Golden
Science Fiction
[learn_more caption=”Book Description”]Based on unproduced episodes of Star Wars: The Clone Wars, this new novel features Asajj Ventress, former Sith apprentice turned bounty hunter and one of the great antiheroes in the Star Wars galaxy.




The only way to bring down the Sith’s most dangerous warrior may be to join forces with the dark side.




In the war for control of the galaxy between the armies of the dark side and the Republic, former Jedi Master turned ruthless Sith Lord Count Dooku has grown ever more brutal in his tactics. Despite the powers of the Jedi and the military prowess of their clone army, the sheer number of fatalities is taking a terrible toll. And when Dooku orders the massacre of a flotilla of helpless refugees, the Jedi Council feels it has no choice but to take drastic action: targeting the man responsible for so many war atrocities, Count Dooku himself.




But the ever-elusive Dooku is dangerous prey for even the most skilled hunter. So the Council makes the bold decision to bring both sides of the Force’s power to bear—pairing brash Jedi Knight Quinlan Vos with infamous one-time Sith acolyte Asajj Ventress. Though Jedi distrust for the cunning killer who once served at Dooku’s side still runs deep, Ventress’s hatred for her former master runs deeper. She’s more than willing to lend her copious talents as a bounty hunter—and assassin—to Vos’s quest.




Together, Ventress and Vos are the best hope for eliminating Dooku—as long as the emerging feelings between them don’t compromise their mission. But Ventress is determined to have her retribution and at last let go of her dark Sith past. Balancing the complicated emotions she feels for Vos with the fury of her warrior’s spirit, she resolves to claim victory on all fronts—a vow that will be mercilessly tested by her deadly enemy . . . and her own doubt. [/learn_more]


Master of Formalities
by Scott Meyer
Science Fiction
[learn_more caption=”Book Description”]Even when finding oneself engaged in interstellar war, good form must be observed. Our story is set thousands of years after the Terran Exodus, where two powerful, planet-dominating families—the elegant House Jakabitus and the less refined Hahn Empire—have reached a critical point in their generations-long war. Master Hennik, the Hahn ruler’s only son, has been captured, and the disposition of his internment may represent a last and welcome chance for peace.




Enter Wollard, the impeccably distinguished and impossibly correct Master of Formalities for House Jakabitus. When he suggests that Master Hennik be taken in as a ward of the House, certain complications arise. Wollard believes utterly and devotedly in adhering to rules and good etiquette. But how does one inform the ruler of a planet that you are claiming his son as your own—and still create enough goodwill to deescalate an intergalactic war? [/learn_more]


Iron & Blood
by Gail Z. Martin & Larry Martin
Science Fiction / Steampunk
[learn_more caption=”Book Description”]New Pittsburgh in 1898, a crucible of invention and intrigue, the hub of American industry at the height of its steam-driven power. Born from the ashes of devastating fire, flood and earthquake, New Pittsburgh is ruled by the shadow government of The Oligarchy. In the abandoned mine tunnels beneath the city, supernatural creatures hide from the light, emerging to feed in the smoky city known as ‘hell with the lid off.’




Jake Desmet and Rick Brand, heirs to the Brand & Desmet Import Company, travel the world to secure treasures and unusual items for the collections of wealthy patrons, accompanied by Jake’s cousin, Veronique ‘Nikki’ LeClerque. Smuggling a small package as a favor for a Polish witch should have been easy. But when hired killers come after Jake and a Ripper-style killer leaves the city awash in blood, Jake, Rick and Nikki realize that dark magic, vampire power struggles and industrial sabotage are just a prelude to a bigger plot that threatens New Pittsburgh and the world. Stopping that plot will require every ounce of Jake’s courage, every bit of Rick’s cunning, every scintilla of Nikki’s bravura and all the steampowered innovation imaginable.[/learn_more]


Cities and Thrones (Recoletta #2)
by Carrie Patel
Science Fiction / Steampunk
[learn_more caption=”Book Description”]In the fantastical, gaslit underground city of Recolleta, Oligarchs from foreign states and revolutionaries from the farming communes vie for power in the wake of the city’s coup. The dark, forbidden knowledge of how the city came to be founded has been released into the world for all to read, and now someone must pay.




Inspector Liesl Malone is on her toes, trying to keep the peace, and Arnault’s spy ring is more active than ever. Has the city’s increased access to knowledge put the citizens in even more danger? Allegiances change, long-held beliefs are adjusted, and things are about to get messy.[/learn_more]


The Shores of Spain (The Golden City #3)
by J. Kathleen Cheney
Fantasy
[learn_more caption=”Book Description”]A brilliant new chapter in the Novels of the Golden City.




Even as the branches of peace are being offered, there are some who still believe those who are not human should be used as chattel. And they are willing to go to great lengths to retain their power.




Newlywed siren Oriana Paredes has been appointed Ambassador to her home islands now that communication between Northern Portugual and the magical races has been restored. But convincing her people that the new Portuguese Prince’s intentions are honorable after years of persecution is difficult. And her husband, Duilio, faces his own obstacles among the sirens where males are a rare and valuable commodity with few rights.




In addition to their diplomatic mission, the two hope to uncover the truth behind Oriana’s mother’s death. Evidence suggests that Spain—a country that has been known to enslave magical beings—may have infiltrated the siren authority. Unable to leave their post, Oriana and Duilio must call on Inspector Joaquim Tavares to root out the truth.




But even his seer’s gift cannot prepare him for what he will discover.[/learn_more]


Bell Weather
by Dennis Mahoney
Fantasy
[learn_more caption=”Book Description”]A captivating adventure set in a fantastical world where a young woman must uncover the secrets of her past while confronting the present dangers of a magical wilderness.




When Tom Orange rescues a mysterious young woman from the flooded Antler River, he senses that their fates will deeply intertwine.




At first, she claims to remember nothing, and rumor animates Root—an isolated settlement in the strange wilderness of colonial Floria. Benjamin Knox, the town doctor, attends to her recovery and learns her name is Molly. As the town inspects its spirited new inhabitant, she encounters a world teeming with wonders and oddities. She also hears of the Maimers, masked thieves who terrorize the surrounding woods.




As dark forces encircle the town, the truth of Molly’s past spills into the present: a desperate voyage; a genius brother; a tragedy she hasn’t fully escaped. Molly and Tom must then decide between surviving apart or risking everything together. Dennis Mahoney’s Bell Weather is an otherworldly and kinetic story that blends history and fantasy, mystery and adventure to mesmerizing effect. [/learn_more]


A Murder of Mages
(The Maradaine Constabulary #1)
by Marshall Ryan Maresca
Fantasy
[learn_more caption=”Book Description”]A Murder of Mages marks the debut of Marshall Ryan Maresca’s novels of The Maradaine Constabulary, his second series set amid the bustling streets and crime-ridden districts of the exotic city called Maradaine. A Murder of Mages introduces us to this spellbinding port city as seen through the eyes of the people who strive to maintain law and order, the hardworking men and women of the Maradaine Constabulary.




Satrine Rainey—former street rat, ex-spy, mother of two, and wife to a Constabulary Inspector who lies on the edge of death, injured in the line of duty—has been forced to fake her way into the post of Constabulary Inspector to support her family.




Minox Welling is a brilliant, unorthodox Inspector and an Uncircled mage—almost a crime in itself. Nicknamed “the jinx” because of the misfortunes that seem to befall anyone around him, Minox has been partnered with Satrine because no one else will work with either of them.




Their first case together—the ritual murder of a Circled mage— sends Satrine back to the streets she grew up on and brings Minox face-to-face with mage politics he’s desperate to avoid. As the body count rises, Satrine and Minox must race to catch the killer before their own secrets are exposed and they, too, become targets.[/learn_more]


The Shapeshifters
by Stefan Spjut
Fantasy
[learn_more caption=”Book Description”]Summer 1978. A young boy disappears without a trace from a summer cabin. His mother claims he was carried away by a giant. He is never found.




Twenty-five years later, another child goes missing. This time there’s a lead, a single photograph taken by Susso Myrén. She’s devoted her life to the search for trolls, legendary giants known as stallo who can control human thoughts and assume animal form. Convinced that the trolls are real, she follows the trail of missing children to northern Sweden. But humans, some part stallo themselves, have been watching over the creatures for generations, and this hidden society of protectors won’t hesitate to close its deadly ranks.




Mixing folklore and history, suspense and the supernatural, The Shapeshifters is an extraordinary journey into a frozen land where myth bleeds into reality.[/learn_more]


The Gods’ Day to Die
by David Welch
Fantasy
[learn_more caption=”Book Description”]Desmond Taylor—a free-spirited loner and heir to a family fortune—didn’t mean to fall in love. But when he stumbles upon a beautiful archer deep in the wilderness, they begin an electrifying and wild romance like no other. To make matters even more complicated, the woman is the goddess Artemis.




Like her Mount Olympus kin, Artemis has walked among mortals for thousands of years. But Desmond and Artemis’s isolated paradise is violently shattered when they’re tracked down by the goddess Athena’s insane mortal son: a man hell-bent on killing every last god.




Thrown into a fight to the death, Desmond finds himself traveling the globe at Artemis’s side, dodging bullets and proving himself as a fighter. Now, the gods must come together to defend themselves—or risk dying violently at the hands of the psychopath who is hot on their heels. While they are skilled in battle, there are but a few gods left to fight the steady onslaught of mercenaries sent by their vicious nemesis. Can Desmond stop the massacre of the last immortals, or could this truly be the gods’ day to die?[/learn_more]


The Price of Valor
(The Shadow Campaigns #3)
by Django Wexler
Fantasy
[learn_more caption=”Book Description”]In the latest Shadow Campaigns novel, Django Wexler continues his “epic fantasy of military might and magical conflict”* following The Shadow Throne and The Thousand Names, as the realm of Vordan faces imminent threats from without and within.




In the wake of the King’s death, war has come to Vordan.




The Deputies-General has precarious control of the city, but it is led by a zealot who sees traitors in every shadow. Executions have become a grim public spectacle. The new queen, Raesinia Orboan, finds herself nearly powerless as the government tightens its grip and assassins threaten her life. But she did not help free the country from one sort of tyranny to see it fall into another. Placing her trust with the steadfast soldier Marcus D’Ivoire, she sets out to turn the tide of history.




As the hidden hand of the Sworn Church brings all the powers of the continent to war against Vordan, the enigmatic and brilliant general Janus bet Vhalnich offers a path to victory. Winter Ihernglass, newly promoted to command a regiment, has reunited with her lover and her friends, only to face the prospect of leading them into bloody battle.




And the enemy is not just armed with muskets and cannon. Dark priests of an ancient order, wielding forbidden magic, have infiltrated Vordan to stop Janus by whatever means necessary…[/learn_more]


Queen of Fire (Raven’s Shadow #3)
by Anthony Ryan
Fantasy
[learn_more caption=”Book Description”]In the thrilling conclusion to the “deftly and originally executed” (Booklist) New York Times bestselling trilogy, Vaelin Al Sorna must help his Queen reclaim her Realm. Only his enemy has a dangerous new collaborator, one with powers darker than Vaelin has ever encountered…




“The Ally is there, but only ever as a shadow, unexplained catastrophe or murder committed at the behest of a dark vengeful spirit. Sorting truth from myth is often a fruitless task.”




After fighting back from the brink of death, Queen Lyrna is determined to repel the invading Volarian army and regain the independence of the Unified Realm. Except, to accomplish her goals, she must do more than rally her loyal supporters. She must align herself with forces she once found repugnant—those who possess the strange and varied gifts of the Dark—and take the war to her enemy’s doorstep.




Victory rests on the shoulders of Vaelin Al Sorna, now named Battle Lord of the Realm. However, his path is riddled with difficulties. For the Volarian enemy has a new weapon on their side, one that Vaelin must destroy if the Realm is to prevail—a mysterious Ally with the ability to grant unnaturally long life to her servants. And defeating one who cannot be killed is a nearly impossible feat, especially when Vaelin’s blood-song, the mystical power which has made him the epic fighter he is, has gone ominously silent…[/learn_more]


The Chart of Tomorrows
(Gaunt and Bone #3)
by Chris Willrich
Fantasy
[learn_more caption=”Book Description”]The poet Persimmon Gaunt and the thief Imago Bone had sought only to retire from adventuring and start a family, but they never reckoned on their baby becoming the chosen vessel of the mystical energies of a distant Eastern land. With their son Innocence hunted by various factions hoping to use him as a tool, they kept him safe at the cost of trapping him in a pocket dimension of accelerated time.




Now free, the thirteen-year-old Innocence has rejected his parents and his “destiny” and has made dangerous friends in a barbaric Western land of dragon-prowed ships and rugged fjords. Desperately, Gaunt and Bone seek to track him down, along with their companion Snow Pine and her daughter A-Girl-Is-A-Joy, who was once trapped with Innocence too.




But as the nomadic Karvaks and their war-balloons strike west, and a troll-king spins his webs, and Joy is herself chosen by the spirit of the very land Innocence has fled to, Gaunt and Bone find themselves at the heart of a vast struggle — and their own son is emerging from that conflict as a force of evil. To save him and everything they know, they turn to a dangerous magical book, The Chart of Tomorrows, that reveals pathways through time. Upon the treacherous seas of history, Gaunt and Bone must face the darkness in each other’s pasts, in order to rescue their future.[/learn_more]


Girrrl
by Devin Govaere
Fantasy
[learn_more caption=”Book Description”]Surrounded by fears. And all of them real.




There isn’t much that doesn’t frighten ten-year-old Kelly Carter—the dark, the water, monsters, you name it—but she’s about to enter the summer of all fears. When Kelly and her family arrive at Kildare Lake, she knows it’s not just for vacation. They’ve come to say goodbye to her little brother, Cody, who is dying.




Kelly tries to be brave for Cody, but everything around her is plagued by darkness, and all of it is scary. Dangerous things lurk beneath calm water, and others skulk beneath her bed. Shadows swirl through the lake, and more dart in the upper corners of her room. Her parents tell her there’s nothing to be afraid of, but she doesn’t believe them. Her fears are real. Somehow, scared or not, she must find the courage to keep her brother safe.[/learn_more]


The Unnoticeables
by Robert Brockway
Fantasy
[learn_more caption=”Book Description”]There are angels, and they are not beneficent or loving. But they do watch over us. They watch our lives unfold, analyzing us for repeating patterns and redundancies. When they find them, the angels simplify those patterns, they remove the redundancies, and the problem that is you gets solved.




Carey doesn’t much like that idea. As a punk living in New York City, 1977, Carey is sick and tired of watching the strange kids with the unnoticeable faces abduct his friends. He doesn’t care about the rumors of tarmonsters in the sewers, or unkillable psychopaths invading the punk scene—all he wants is drink cheap beer and dispense asskickings.




Kaitlyn isn’t sure what she’s doing with her life. She came to Hollywood in 2013 to be a stunt woman, but last night a former teen heartthrob tried to eat her, her best friend has just gone missing, and there’s an angel outside her apartment.




Whatever she plans on doing with her life, it should probably happen in the few remaining minutes she has left of it.




There are angels. There are demons. They are the same thing. It’s up to Carey and Kaitlyn to stop them. The survival of the human race is in their hands.




We are, all of us, well and truly screwed. [/learn_more]


The Floating City (Shadow Master #2)
by Craig Cormick
Fantasy
[learn_more caption=”Book Description”]In a land riven with plague, inside the infamous Walled City, two families vie for control: the Medicis with their genius inventor Leonardo; the Lorraines with Galileo, the most brilliant alchemist of his generation.




And when two star-crossed lovers, one from either house, threaten the status quo, a third, shadowy power – one that forever seems a step ahead of all of the familial warring – plots and schemes, and bides its time, ready for the moment to attack…




Assassination; ancient, impossible machines; torture and infamy – just another typical day in paradise [/learn_more]


Faces (Masks of Aygrima #3)
by E.C. Blake
Fantasy
[learn_more caption=”Book Description”]The spellbinding third novel of The Masks of Aygrima is set in a land where people are forced to wear spell-imbued Masks that reveal any traitorous thoughts they have about their ruler, the Autarch.




Mara Holdfast is a young woman gifted with the ability to see and use all the colors of magic. Two other people share this talent: the Autarch, who draws upon the very life-force of his subjects to fuel his existence and retain his control over the kingdom; and the legendary Lady of Pain and Fire, the only person who has ever truly challenged the Autarch’s despotic reign.




After a devastating battle that takes a dreadful toll on both the rebel unMasked Army and the forces of Prince Chell, their ally from across the sea, Mara and her fellow survivors have no one to turn to for help but the Lady of Pain and Fire.




As the Lady leads them to her haven beyond the mountain borders of the kingdom, Mara feels that she has found the one person who truly understands her, a mentor who can teach her to control and use her power for the greater good. Together, they may be able to at last free Agryma from the Autarch’s rule.




Living within the Lady’s castle, cut off from her friends in the village far below, Mara immerses herself in her training. Still, she can’t entirely escape from hearing dark hints about the Lady, rumors that the Lady may, in her own way, be as ruthless as the Autarch himself.




Yet it is not until they begin their campaign against the Autarch that Mara discovers where the real danger lies. Driven by the Lady’s thirst for revenge, will Mara and all her friends fall victim in a duel to the death between two masters of magic? [/learn_more]


The Fortuitous Meeting
(The Elephant and Macaw Banner #1)
by Christopher Kastensmidt
Fantasy
[learn_more caption=”Book Description”]Welcome to a world of muskets and magic.




In The Elephant and Macaw Banner series, two brave adventurers–the Dutch explorer Gerard van Oost and Yoruban warrior Oludara–travel the unexplored wilderness of sixteenth-century Brazil. Along the way, the encounter a host of creatures inspired by Brazilian folklore: from the brain-sucking Kalobo to the one-legged prankster Sacy-Perey.




This first story, The Fortuitous Meeting, a finalist for the Nebula Award in 2011, shows how the two protagonists first meet in sixteenth-century Brazil. Each of them, in turn, must find a way to outwit a legendary foe.
The Elephant and Macaw Banner is an award-winning series of novelettes published in magazines and podcasts around the world. For the first time, this edition unites these stories for English readers. [/learn_more]


Witches Be Crazy
by Logan J. Hunder
Fantasy
[learn_more caption=”Book Description”]Real heroes never die. But they do get grouchy in middle age.




The beloved King Ik is dead, and there was barely time to check his pulse before the royal throne was supporting the suspiciously shapely backside of an impostor pretending to be Ik’s beautiful long-lost daughter. With the land’s heroic hunks busy drooling all over themselves, there’s only one man left who can save the kingdom of Jenair. His name is Dungar Loloth, a rural blacksmith turned innkeeper, a surly hermit and an all-around nobody oozing toward middle age, compensating for a lack of height, looks, charm, and tact with guts and an attitude.




Normally politics are the least of his concerns, but after everyone in the neighboring kingdom of Farrawee comes down with a severe case of being dead, Dungar learns that the masquerading princess not only is behind the carnage but also has similar plans for his own hometown. Together with the only person senseless enough to tag along, an eccentric and arguably insane hobo named Jimminy, he journeys out into the world he’s so pointedly tried to avoid as the only hope of defeating the most powerful person in it. That is, if he can survive the pirates, cultists, radical Amazonians, and assorted other dangers lying in wait along the way.




Logan J. Hunder’s hilarious debut blows up the fantasy genre with its wry juxtaposition of the fantastic and the mundane, proving that the best and brightest heroes aren’t always the best for the job.[/learn_more]


Shower of Stones (Jeroun #2)
by Zachary Jernigan
Fantasy
[learn_more caption=”Book Description”]The follow-up to Zachary Jernigan’s critically-acclaimed literary debut No Return.




At the moment of his greatest victory, before a crowd of thousands, the warrior Vedas Tezul renounced his faith, calling for revolt against the god Adrash, imploring mankind to unite in this struggle.




Good intentions count for nothing. In the three months since his sacrilegious pronouncement, the world has not changed for the better. In fact, it is now on the verge of dying. The Needle hangs broken in orbit above Jeroun, each of its massive iron spheres poised to fall and blanket the planet’s surface in dust. Long-held truces between Adrashi and Anadrashi break apart as panic spreads.




With no allegiance to either side, the disgraced soldier Churls walks into the divided city of Danoor with a simple plan: murder the monster named Fesuy Amendja, and retrieve from captivity the only two individuals that still matter to her—Vedas Tezul, and the constructed man Berun. The simple plan goes awry, as simple plans do, and in the process Churls and her companions are introduced to one of the world’s deepest secrets: A madman, insisting he is the link to an ancient world, offering the most tempting lie of all… Hope.




Concluding the visceral, inventive narrative begun in No Return, Shower of Stones pits men against gods and swords against civilization-destroying magic in the fascinatingly harsh world of Jeroun.[/learn_more]


Weavers
by Aric Davis
Fantasy
[learn_more caption=”Book Description”]Nine-year-old Cynthia Robinson’s life was perfectly normal until the day she knew, without being told, of her parents’ impending divorce. From there, things got stranger, and now not only does she have premonitions, but she can also read and influence the minds of those around her.




Cynthia is not the only one with the ability to “weave”—all over the country, people with similar abilities struggle to balance their lives with their powers. Some with this gift are weavers with dark motives and grisly appetites who want to use people like Cynthia for their own purposes.




Meanwhile, a top-secret government organization, the Telekinetic Research Center, has been looking for telekinetics to use for its own clandestine agenda. When TRC agents learn of Cynthia and her dangerous pursuers, will they come to her rescue? Or will they capture her and take her power for themselves?[/learn_more]



New Adult / Young Adult:

An Immortal Descent (Goddess Born #3)
by Kari Edgren
New Adult
[learn_more caption=”Book Description”]Selah Kilbrid, descendant of the Celtic goddess Brigid, has been ordered to remain in London and leave any dangers in Ireland to her goddess-born family. They fear she’s no match for Death’s most powerful daughter and—if the legend holds true—the witch who once nearly destroyed the Irish people. But Selah has never been good at following orders, and nothing will stop her from setting out to find the two people she loves most—her dearest friend, Nora Goodwin, and her betrothed, Lord Henry Fitzalan.




Hiding from kin, traveling uneasily beside companions with secrets of their own, Selah is forced on an unexpected path by those who would steal her gift of healing. With precious time ticking away, she turns to a mortal enemy for help, heedless of the cost.




Selah would pass though hell to rescue Nora and Henry, but what if it means unleashing a greater evil on the human world? Her only chance is to claim the fullest extent of her birthright—at the risk of being forever separated from the man she longs to marry.[/learn_more]


Renegade (Silver Blackthorn #2)
by Kerry Wilkinson
Young Adult
[learn_more caption=”Book Description”]The stakes are raised in the second novel of The Silver Blackthorn Trilogy, Renegade. Silver Blackthorn is on the run. All she really wants is to be reunited with her family and friends but the time for thinking about herself has passed. Now the fates of eleven other teenagers are in her hands – and they are all looking to her for a plan. With an entire country searching for the escaped Offerings, Silver is under pressure to keep them all from the clutches of the Minister Prime, King Victor and the Kingsmen. As expectations are piled upon the girl with the silver streak in her hair, she realizes that life will never be the same again. Huge changes are on the horizon and Silver is in the thick of them . . .[/learn_more]


Hallowed (The Blessed #3)
by Tonya Hurley
Young Adult
[learn_more caption=”Book Description”]Three lost girls, one mysterious boy. They battle for his heart while he struggles for their souls in this gripping conclusion to The Blessed trilogy, from the New York Times bestselling author of the ghostgirl series.




Lucy, Cecelia, and Agnes have sacrificed everything for their belief in a boy who stole their hearts. First in Precious Blood and then in Passionaries, the girls have struggled to reconcile with their destinies. Now, as the world turns against them, will they be able to hold steadfast? Will they survive the final test? [/learn_more]


The Fixer (The Fixer #1)
by Jennifer Lynn Barnes
Young Adult
[learn_more caption=”Book Description”]When sixteen-year-old Tess Kendrick is sent to live with her older sister, Ivy, she has no idea that the infamous Ivy Kendrick is Washington D.C.’s #1 “fixer,†? known for making politicians’ scandals go away for a price. No sooner does Tess enroll at Hardwicke Academy than she unwittingly follows in her sister’s footsteps and becomes D.C.’s premier high school fixer, solving problems for elite teens.




Secrets pile up as each sister lives a double life. . . . until their worlds come crashing together and Tess finds herself in the middle of a conspiracy with one of her classmates and a client of Ivy’s. Suddenly, there is much more on the line than good grades, money, or politics, and the price for this fix might be more than Tess is willing to pay.[/learn_more]


The Six
by Mark Alpert
Young Adult / Science Fiction
[learn_more caption=”Book Description”]To save humanity, they must give up their own.




Adam’s muscular dystrophy has stolen his mobility, his friends, and in a few short years, it will take his life. Virtual reality games are Adam’s only escape from his wheelchair. In his alternate world, he can defeat anyone. Running, jumping, scoring touchdowns: Adam is always the hero.




Then an artificial intelligence program, Sigma, hacks into Adam’s game. Created by Adam’s computer-genius father, Sigma has gone rogue, threatening Adam’s life-and world domination. Their one chance to stop Sigma is using technology Adam’s dad developed to digitally preserve the mind of his dying son.




Along with a select group of other terminally ill teens, Adam becomes one of the Six who have forfeited their bodies to inhabit weaponized robots. But with time running short, the Six must learn to manipulate their new mechanical forms and work together to train for epic combat…before Sigma destroys humanity.[/learn_more]


The House of the Stone
(The Lone City #1.5)
by Amy Ewing
Young Adult / Science Fiction
[learn_more caption=”Book Description”]In The Jewel, we followed Violet in her servitude under the Duchess of the Lake. Now we’ll hear Raven’s story and her time as a surrogate for the Countess of the Stone in this digital novella from Amy Ewing.




When Raven is bought at the Auction, she knows immediately that things will not go well. And when she arrives at the Countess’s palace, Raven quickly discovers that the Countess is much less interested in having a baby than experimenting with Raven’s mind and body. Raven can only hope for an escape…and to see Violet again, all the while reminding herself that she is Raven Stirling, and she does matter.




HarperTeen Impulse is a digital imprint focused on young adult short stories and novellas, with new releases the first Tuesday of each month.[/learn_more]


Ink and Bone (The Great Library #1)
by Rachel Caine
Young Adult / Fantasy
[learn_more caption=”Book Description”]Ruthless and supremely powerful, the Great Library is now a presence in every major city, governing the flow of knowledge to the masses. Alchemy allows the Library to deliver the content of the greatest works of history instantly—but the personal ownership of books is expressly forbidden.




Jess Brightwell believes in the value of the Library, but the majority of his knowledge comes from illegal books obtained by his family, who are involved in the thriving black market. Jess has been sent to be his family’s spy, but his loyalties are tested in the final months of his training to enter the Library’s service.




When he inadvertently commits heresy by creating a device that could change the world, Jess discovers that those who control the Great Library believe that knowledge is more valuable than any human life—and soon both heretics and books will burn.…[/learn_more]


Silver in the Blood (Silver in the Blood #1)
by Jessica Day George
Young Adult / Fantasy
[learn_more caption=”Book Description”]As spoiled society girls from New York City circa 1890, Dacia and Lou never desired to know more about their lineage, instead preferring to gossip about their mysterious Romanian relatives, the Florescus. But upon turning seventeen, the girls must return to their homeland to meet their family, find proper husbands, and-most terrifyingly-learn the secrets of The Claw, The Wing, and The Smoke. The Florescus, after all, are shape-shifters, bound by a centuries-old tradition to do the bidding of the royal Dracula family and it is time for Dacia and Lou to take their place among the ranks. But when the devilish heir, Mihai Dracula sets his sights on Dacia as part of his plan to secure power over all of Europe, the girls choose to fight against this cruel inheritance with all their might. Only the dashing Lord Johnny Hardcastle and the mysterious Theophilus Arkady- members of a secret society charged with ridding the world of monsters-can help Dacia and Lou, but breaking the shackles of their upbringing will require more courage than the girls ever imagined.




The thrilling start to a richly drawn, romance-filled series, this epic adventure of two girls in a battle for their lives will have readers coming back for more.[/learn_more]


The Heart of Betrayal
(The Remnant Chronicles #2)
by Mary E. Pearson
Young Adult / Fantasy
[learn_more caption=”Book Description”]Held captive in the barbarian kingdom of Venda, Lia and Rafe have little chance of escape. Desperate to save her life, Lia’s erstwhile assassin, Kaden, has told the Vendan Komizar that she has the gift, and the Komizar’s interest in Lia is greater than anyone could have foreseen.




Meanwhile, nothing is straightforward: there’s Rafe, who lied to Lia, but has sacrificed his freedom to protect her; Kaden, who meant to assassinate her but has now saved her life; and the Vendans, whom Lia always believed to be barbarians. Now that she lives amongst them, however, she realizes that may be far from the truth. Wrestling with her upbringing, her gift, and her sense of self, Lia must make powerful choices that will affect her country… and her own destiny.[/learn_more]


Trollhunters (Trollhunters #1)
by Daniel Kraus & Guillermo del Toro
Middle Grade / Fantasy
[learn_more caption=”Book Description”]”You are food. Those muscles you flex to walk, lift, and talk? They’re patties of meat topped with chewy tendon. That skin you’ve paid so much attention to in mirrors? It’s delicious to the right tongues, a casserole of succulent tissue. And those bones that give you the strength to make your way in the world? They rattle between teeth as the marrow is sucked down slobbering throats. These facts are unpleasant but useful. There are things out there, you see, that don’t cower in holes to be captured by us and cooked over our fires. These things have their own ways of trapping their kills, their own fires, their own appetites.”




Jim Sturges is your typical teen in suburban San Bernardino—one with an embarrassingly overprotective dad, a best friend named “Tubby” who shares his hatred of all things torturous (like gym class), and a crush on a girl who doesn’t know he exists. But everything changes for Jim when a 45-year old mystery resurfaces, threatening the lives of everyone in his seemingly sleepy town. Soon Jim has to team up with a band of unlikely (and some un-human) heroes to battle the monsters he never knew existed.




From the minds of horror geniuses Guillermo del Toro and Daniel Kraus comes a new illustrated novel about the fears that move in unseen places.[/learn_more]


I’m with Cupid (Switched at First Kiss #1)
by Anna Staniszewski
Middle Grade
[learn_more caption=”Book Description”]Marcus is a Cupid. Lena is a Reaper. Opposites attract in the exciting new Switched At First Kiss series by the acclaimed author of The Dirt Diary.




When she’s dared to kiss the adorkable Marcus Torelli at a party, Lena thinks it’s the perfect opportunity to cross First Kiss off her list of “Things to Accomplish Before I Turn Fourteen.”




It’s only when she gets sent on an assignment the next day that she realizes something went horribly wrong. That ZING she felt wasn’t the thrill of her first kiss–she and Marcus have swapped powers! Lena is not your average eighth grader; she’s a soul collector with a serious job to do. And Marcus turns out to be a supernatural matchmaker (like Cupid, but without the diaper).




Now logical Lena finds herself with the love touch, and sweet, sentimental Marcus has death at his fingertips. The truth is that Lena should never have taken that dare…because one little kiss has Lena and Marcus in a whole lotta trouble.[/learn_more]


Beyond the Kingdoms
(The Land of Stories #4)
by Chris Colfer
Middle Grade
[learn_more caption=”Book Description”]Fairy tales are just the beginning.




The Masked Man is on the loose in the Land of Stories, and it’s up to Alex and Conner Bailey to stop him…except Alex has been thrown off the Fairy Council, and no one will believe they’re in danger.




With only the help of the ragtag group of Goldilocks, Jack, Red Riding Hood, and Mother Goose and her gander, Lester, the Bailey twins discover the Masked Man’s secret scheme: He possesses a powerful magic potion that turns every book it touches into a portal, and he is recruiting an army of literature’s greatest villains!




So begins a race through the magical Land of Oz, the fantastical world of Neverland, the madness of Wonderland, and beyond. Can Alex and Conner catch up to the Masked Man, or will they be one step behind until it’s too late?




Fairy tales and classic stories collide in the fourth adventure in the bestselling Land of Stories series as the twins travel beyond the kingdoms![/learn_more]



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Carmel Signature

Owner, designer and main blogger behind Rabid Reads. Avid book reader, snowboard bunny, video gamer and Supernatural fan. I love all things paranormal, werewolves especially. Oh, and I’m Canadian, eh!

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