Book picks similar to
Snakes and Shadows by Amy Hopkins


fantasy
adventure
paranormal
urban-fantasy

Chasing Daybreak


Sherry D. Ficklin - 2015
    But when the unexpected death of her father leaves her at the helm of the family business, things quickly go from weird to worse. Vampires are on the loose and out of the coffin, and only Isabel can walk the fine line between the world of the living and the world of the undead. Torn between letting go of her past and embracing her future, Isabel will have to decide who she can trust, and be willing to use all the weapons at her disposal, to get to the bottom of a terrifying string of deaths that lead right to her doorstep—before she becomes the next victim. In a city where nothing is what it seems, ending up the target of a deranged killer might actually be the high point of her week. Because in this town, the things that go bump in the night… just might kill you.

Illicit Magic


Camilla Chafer - 2011
    Young witch, Stella, has to put her faith in strangers just to stay alive but she might not be any safer in their midst than from the danger she is running from.There is more than one dark secret in her new family: Étoile’s sister is spoken of in fear and sadness; Marc is supposed to be a powerful witch but is missing his magic; where does the owner of their safe house vanish to every day and why does Evan have the eyes of someone not quite human? There is only one secret that someone will do anything to keep quiet, but whose secret is it and will Stella have to pay the price for silence?

Chasing Rabbits


Erin Bedford - 2016
    This was the Fae world, where rules are rules, and some things are exactly as they seem.

The Soulkeepers


G.P. Ching - 2011
    A beautiful and mysterious neighbor offers to use her unique abilities to help him find his mom. But in exchange she requires Jacob to train as a Soulkeeper, a protector of human souls. He agrees to her demands, desperate for any clue to the mystery of his mother's disappearance. But soon Jacob finds himself trapped in a web of half-truths, and questions her motives for helping him.

Awakening


J.K. Cooper - 2018
     Shelby Brooks learned she is a werewolf on the same night she learned that love and betrayal go hand in hand. She was sixteen. Now, going into her senior year in a new town, love is the last thing Shelby is looking for, but she finds herself irresistibly drawn to Kale, the son of an Alpha. As her heart slowly reopens to the possibility of happiness, threats mount and her very presence brings mortal danger to Kale and his entire pack. Is her destiny to be a savior? Or a harbinger of death, as the Summer Omega prophecies foretell? Shelby Brooks must reach deep within and discover what lies there, something she fears to unleash.

Bones of the Witch


A.L. Knorr - 2019
    One young woman struggling to master her magic is the only hope to stop it…On the cusp of womanhood, Georjie longs to unlock the full force of her fae-given powers. So when she’s invited to Scotland, she’s eager to explore the Highlands’ famed fairy realm hoping to find a mentor. But instead of unearthing a teacher, she discovers a mummified body within the walls of a seventeenth-century ruin.Teaming up with a handsome amateur historian, she uses her earth-elemental gift to overturn the secrets hidden deep in the soil. But never far from the trail of clues lurks a shadowy creature on the hunt for prey. And Georjie fears it may have found its first target when a local girl vanishes, only to be discovered in an open grave with her life slipping away…Can Georjie break the curse before ancient evil claims an innocent victim?

The Angel Trials


Michelle Madow - 2018
    She was so, so wrong. Raven Danvers is a typical college student… until she’s attacked by a demon on the night of her twenty-first birthday. Luckily, she’s saved by Noah—a mysterious, sexy wolf shifter who appears and disappears in the blink of an eye. When Raven returns home, she discovers her mom has been abducted by the same demon who came after her. And who turns up at the scene of the crime again? Noah. He’s hunting the demons who are taking humans, and he’s ultimately heading to the place where Raven needs to go to save her mom—the mystical island of Avalon. Now Raven’s tagging along on Noah’s demon hunting mission whether he wants her there or not. And he makes it no secret that his journey would be a lot easier without her dragging him down. But Raven isn’t going anywhere, so she and Noah will have to learn to work together—if they don’t kill each other first.

Forgotten Gods


S.T. Branton - 2018
    They were defeated by a great warrior—and banished to spend eternity beyond the reach of the humans who once served them. Their war is raging once again.  And once again, it will require a great hero to save humanity.  Unfortunately for humanity, I’m that hero.  My name is Vic Stratton. I’m no saint, but I’m the best chance we’ve got at surviving the chaos about to be unleashed. But hey, at least I have my good looks, a quick tongue, and the sword of the gods on my side. And I’m going to need it. Because when the gods return, all hell will break loose.  **** Forgotten Gods is a fast paced adventure series with a novel take on the Urban Fantasy genre. Vampires, werewolves, and all manner of monstrous creatures serve the unknown powers of old, but the story centers on the humans who make the heroic choice to fight them. You won’t forget, Forgotten Gods.

Half-Blood Dragon


K.N. Lee - 2017
    Lee presents Half-Blood Dragon, the first epic fantasy adventure in the Dragon Born Trilogy.*Revised & lengthened with a bonus chapter!*Pirates, dragons, mermaids. Embark on a coming of age journey that will leave you breathless.A lady-in-waiting's job is to follow orders. For Rowen, it is to execute her stepfather's plan to elevate the family's station by an advantageous marriage to the crown prince. Intrigue and seduction fill Rowen's days, but the prophecies that haunt her dreams at night warn her that death awaits.The taunts of her sleepless nights are realized when she is framed and sentenced to death for the prince's murder.For a human, there’s nowhere to run and no one to turn to in a kingdom where power is tightly held by full-blooded dragon shifters.It will take a stranger from the shadows to save Rowen from execution and reveal a truth full of terrifying potential. It is time for Rowen to find the courage to accept her fate, awaken her gift, and set the world on fire.Change is coming. So is a new prophecy that threatens the fate of the entire world.

Nightworld Academy: Blackwood Magic


L.J. Swallow - 2020
    Now someone at the Nightworld Academy has the Blackwood grimoire and possesses the ability to unleash the darkness hidden inside. Matt is the most gifted elemental witch at the Nightworld Academy, but he's breaking academy rules. If he doesn’t stop misusing his magic, Matt faces expulsion from the academy and time in detention at the Ravenhold Supernatural Reform Academy.Amelia struggles with her elemental magic and is in awe of Matt's powerful abilities, but Matt barely notices the shy witch who hangs out with his best friend, Jamie. After another magical mishap, Matt is given one last chance and a different type of punishment. Now forced to work together on the academy musical production, Amelia and Matt grow closer and discover they share a rare witch spellbond.Can Matt’s powerful connection to Amelia stop him using illegal Blackwood magic before it’s too late? Or does the magic already control him? Blackwood Magic is a standalone book in the Nightworld Academy series and focuses on Matt and Amelia’s relationship. This was originally written as a short novella and published in an anthology, but has been lengthened to a full book in order to finish their story.

Black Swan Rising


Lee Carroll - 2010
    John Dee, the enigmatic shopkeeper, commissions her to open a vintage silver box for a generous sum of money. Oddly, the symbol of a swan on the box exactly matches the ring given to her by her deceased mother. Garet can't believe her luck and this eerie coincidence until she opens the box and otherworldly things start happening. . . .That evening, the precious silver box is stolen. When Garet begins to investigate, she learns that she has been pulled into a prophecy that is hundreds of years old, and opening the box has unleashed an evil force onto the streets of Manhattan and the world at large. Gradually, Garet pieces together her true identity--one that her deceased mother desperately tried to protect her from. Generations of women in Garet's family, including her beloved mother, suffered and died at the hands of this prevailing evil. Does Garet possess the power to reclaim the box and defeat this devastating force?On her journey, she will meet the fey folk who walk unnoticed among humans and a sexy vampire who also happens to be a hedge fund manager that she can't stop thinking about. But the fairies reveal a desire to overpower mere humans and the seductive vampire has the power to steal the life from her body. Whom can Garet trust to guide her? Using her newfound powers and sharp wit, Garet will muster everything she's got to shut down the evil taking over her friends, family, New York City, and the world.

Blaze Ignites


J.L. Madore - 2013
     "Destiny my ass." Jade Glaster refuses to believe the Fates rule her life. Orphaned after an attack by Scourge soldiers, a young Jade vows never to be powerless again. Once grown and strong, wielding the affinities of fire and healing, Jade protects innocents as an enforcer for her world's elite policing agency—The Talon. When an emissary mission to reinstate a race of exiled Elves brings Galan into her life, Jade finds herself overwhelmed by new passions, some welcome, some not. Although Galan's antiquated views on women offend her to her heated core, when the Scourge attack his family, she helps him navigate the outside worlds he knows nothing about—the magical Realm of the Fair and, stranger still . . . the modern streets of Toronto. Through their sensually charged pursuit of justice, Jade discovers that when dealing with the Fates—destiny is never random.

Hades Academy: First Semester


Abbie Lyons - 2019
     Ever since my mother disappeared, I’d been fending for myself on the streets of New York by running scams—anything to get a dollar. So when I almost lightning-blast my latest victim (WTF), and some guy in a slick suit saves me from the cops by telling me I’m half-demon (double WTF) and I belong at a place literally called Hades Academy? I figured I was the one getting scammed. But no. My name is Nova Donovan, and I’m half-demon. Next thing I know, I’m flying in a horse-drawn carriage on my way to a place I didn’t even know existed until twenty minutes before. Hades Academy is 100% real: a school for demons to learn the magic that will keep the forces of Chaos at bay. But if I thought survival at Hades Academy was going to be any easier, I could not have been more wrong. Now I have to deal with tough new classes, a bitchy mean girl who hates my half-human guts, and the attention of several hot but dangerous dudes. Oh, and did I mention that someone’s trying to destroy the school? Yeah—survival’s going to take more than I thought. Hades Academy: First Semester is a magic academy NA paranormal fantasy novel with a slow-burn romance and a kickass heroine. Although there are love triangles, this is NOT a reverse harem. Rated 18+ for strong language.

Wickedly Dangerous


Deborah Blake - 2014
    They keep the balance of nature and guard the borders of our world, but don’t make the mistake of crossing one of them…Older than she looks and powerful beyond measure, Barbara Yager no longer has much in common with the mortal life she left behind long ago. Posing as an herbalist and researcher, she travels the country with her faithful (mostly) dragon-turned-dog in an enchanted Airstream, fulfilling her duties as a Baba Yaga and avoiding any possibility of human attachment.But when she is summoned to find a missing child, Barbara suddenly finds herself caught up in a web of deceit and an unexpected attraction to the charming but frustrating Sheriff Liam McClellan.Now, as Barbara fights both human enemies and Otherworld creatures to save the lives of three innocent children, she discovers that her most difficult battle may be with her own heart…

Finding Her Dragons


April Canavan - 2019
    Her family ran away from the dragon realm to keep her safe, but now she's all grown up and able to protect herself. One of only four females able to mate, she's both precious to their world and in danger from those who would use her for their own advantage. Erik, Damon, Castien and Benjamin survive in the human world by running into burning buildings and feeding from the flames. It isn't perfect, but they had to leave their dying realm behind. They're content with their lives, until they see her. A woman who calls to not one, but all four of them. The Dragon King will stop at nothing to ensure his bloodline is secure, even if it means kidnapping and forcing himself on Danica as well as the other remaining female dragons. Tired of living in the shadows, Danica steps into the light only to be faced with a terrible truth and dangerous consequences.