Book picks similar to
Snakes and Shadows by Amy Hopkins


fantasy
paranormal
urban-fantasy
adventure

The Culling Trials


K.F. Breene - 2019
    The Academy Chooses You. I had no idea how those words would change my life. Or how they’d changed my life already… Until the day the most dangerous man I’ve ever met waltzed onto my farm and left us a death sentence. In an invitation. My younger brother has been chosen for the prestigious, secret magical school hidden within the folds of our mundane world. A place so dangerous, they don’t guarantee you’ll make it out alive. If he doesn't go our entire family will be killed. It’s the same invitation my older brother received three years ago—the same place he mysteriously died. The academy has already killed one sibling. I’ll be damned if they take another. I do the only thing an older sister can: chop off my hair, strap on two bras to flatten the girls, and take my brother’s place. Magic and monsters are real. Assassins are coming for me, and the dead are prone to rise. What’s a girl faking it as a boy supposed to do? That’s right—beat the academy at its own game. Or die trying. Shadowspell Academy Book 1 and Shadowspell Academy Book 2 end with a cliffhanger.

The Exceptional S. Beaufont Boxed Set 1: The Complete Training Collection


Sarah Noffke - 2020
    Beaufont series Books 1-3 in one GIANT ebook!The Uncommon Rider:The first dragon rider in over a hundred years has been born.And it’s a girl.Never before has a female been chosen to ride a dragon.The Elite, a guild comprised exclusively of dragon riders, is dead according to most. No one has seen a rider in decades. The problems they used to fight overwhelm the world. Dragons are thought to be near extinction.However, the Elite aren’t dead…It’s just that a bunch of crusty, old men who do nothing that benefits the world at large are easy to mistake as useless corpses.Sophia Beaufont is about to change all of that.When the dragon egg that magnetized to her hatches, it sets Sophia on a new course. The Elite are immediately notified. She’s expected to train. To defend. To fight.Sophia is ready to conquer evil, as the dragon riders should have been doing for centuries.However, the Elite have been turning a blind eye, allowing the world to be overrun by criminals.That’s all about to change.S. Beaufont isn’t a girl who will be told to sit down and relax when a war is brewing that only a dragon rider can extinguish.Arbitrate or Die:Dragons are almost extinct.Eggs are rare. The dragons alive are in danger.All because of one man.Thad Reinhart doesn’t just want dragonriders gone because their role as adjudicators threatens his businesses. His grudge is personal. But there’s one thing he didn’t anticipate.S. Beaufont isn’t like any dragonrider before.She is modern. She thinks differently. And she definitely doesn’t look like a dragonrider. And when it comes to tackling challenges, Sophia uses new world thinking for old world problems.Will it be enough to beat an evil bent on destroying the planet?Magitech Rises:Only a few dragonriders exist.Only five dragon eggs are left in the world.After they are gone, dragons and riders will be gone forever.Unless one woman can change everything. The only problem is that Sophia Beaufont doesn’t know what to do.Magitech is seeking to ruin the world.Everything hangs in the balance and not even Mother Nature can fix things. However, something is being orchestrated behind the scenes and S. Beaufont strangely feels like it involves her.Can she help to save the Dragon Elite?Will magitech destroy the planet? If you love dragons, and the special people who ride them, then you'll LOVE this action-packed dragon rider series!

First Project


Jennifer Rose McMahon - 2019
    Keeping the strange Mystic Academy a secret within her prep school was the second. Competing against the strongest student, Dom, a stunning boy with a dark secret, was the unexpected twist.FIRST PROJECT: Explore Hell's Gates.Brynn must learn how to use her psychic gifts in time to uncover the mystery of a local urban legend. The town woods behind her school is where children become lost with no memory of where they'd gone, and its tales of burned witches smother the town in shame.Can this ancient myth be debunked, while fighting the maddening distraction of Dom, in time for the project deadline? Or will the sinister truth hidden within legend awaken, creating unhinged chaos within the academy? One-click to start the epic adventure of the Urban Mystic Academy: First Project.

Undraland


Mary E. Twomey - 2015
    With her heart set on college life, Lucy’s dreams of medical school are dashed when a rabid bear attacks her in the middle of suburbia. When Jens, a handsome yet irritable stranger, saves her life, Lucy’s gratitude is cut short when he abducts her, taking her to a land filled with people and creatures she remembers from bedtime stories she assumed were just Scandinavian folklore. Jens takes Lucy to a world she never expected, and cannot escape. Undraland is teeming with oversized garden gnomes, warrior elves, Nøkken, Fossegrimens, and worst of all, Sirens. Lucy goes further and further down the rabbit hole until she signs up to join a band of thieves bent on taking down Pesta, the last Siren.

Providence Paranormal College: Unabridged Books 1-5


D.R. Perry - 2018
    To defeat this rising evil, the students must band together and master their strange powers - because if they don't..Well, it's pretty hard to graduate when you're dead.Includes the first five books plus four brand new short stories inside the college."I spent more than a couple of late nights reading through these stories to find out what was going to happen to my new friends!" - Michael Anderle, Best-Selling Author of The Kurtherian GambitThis series is for fans of Harry Potter, Jaymin Eve, and all academy books.

A Throwback Witch


Holly Ice - 2020
    Maybe magic. Not monsters.In an Edinburgh graveyard on Halloween, Bianca Nash is waiting for a monster to strike a deathblow. Instead, strange men appear, desperate for her to stick around.Within days she’s forced on a plane to Latvia – and magic school. But her first student welcome comes with a glare. What does devastatingly handsome bad boy Shane McKee have against throwback witches like her?The deeper Bianca gets into life at Wildes Witch Academy, the more questions she has – and the more she has to hide. This school is swimming in secrets, but who can she trust to help her find the truth?A Throwback Witch is the first book in a brand-new urban fantasy series featuring a strong, snappy heroine, a tattooed and deliciously bad-for-you hero, and serious romantic tension.Click now to join Bianca on her whirlwind introduction to magic and the infuriating Shane McKee.

Blood Rite (The Lost Clan Chronicles #1)


Janelle Peel - 2019
    Left to run Wolf Lodge on her own, she must come to terms with her grief and prepare for the spring season. To make matters worse, something is changing inside her.Rafe is the Alpha of the Cascade Pack. The Clan Meet is quickly approaching, and the location needs to be secured. He calls the lodge. A curt woman answers and informs him of her mother’s passing. Before he can respond, she disconnects.Mary never spoke of a daughter. Why would she keep such a secret from the Pack? If Tamsin was born a Shifter, a Blood Rite would be called. Challenge after challenge would take place, and the Alpha left standing would claim her as his.The Meet could quickly turn into a bloodbath.*This series changes POV's.

Null Witch


Lori Drake - 2019
    A threat to those with it. Can she unlock her heritage to save innocent lives? ER nurse Emily Davenport was born a null—a powerless witch. Ignoring the contempt of her prestigious magical family, she seeks out normalcy in New Mexico. But when a local spellcaster lands in her emergency room drained of power, she fears something evil lurks in her southwestern sanctuary.When she alerts the police, their sole Magic Crimes detective desperately needs Emily’s help in locating the suspect. But while rescuing a witch under attack, she awakens a mysterious ability that could be the key to protecting her kind.Can Emily wield her gifted birthright before more witches get burned?Null Witch is the first book in the action-packed Secondhand Magic urban fantasy series. If you like unique worlds, sassy characters, and paranormal adventures with a distinctive southwestern flavor, then you’ll love Lori Drake’s thrilling tale. Buy Null Witch to cast a spellbinding journey today!

Second Sight


J.A. Culican - 2017
    At thirteen, Ela foretold the death of her best friend, only to watch it happen before her very eyes. Ela, now twenty-one, spends her days locked away in her apartment, avoiding the public and the gift she considers a curse.Until he appears. Luka Conway is handsome. Charming. And magical. After Ela predicts yet another death, Luka leads her to an underground city hidden beneath Atlanta, populated by empaths, telepaths, and seers. Luka is a Shade, a soldier fighting a secret war against the Wraiths, a deadly group of sorcerers who wish to take over the world. Ela is given no choice; she must prove herself a Shade, and use her powers for the light, or she will be put to death. Resolved to her fate, Ela trains as a warrior, determined to put her curse to good use. Then Talon Michaels appears. He's just as dashing as Luka, and even more dangerous. A Wraith, Talon warns Ela that the Shades aren't all what they appear. Who can Ela trust, if anyone? Should her powers be used for good...or evil? Which should she choose?

Unhallowed


John P. Logsdon - 2019
     Evangeline, a hellion born with the gifts of dual-blades and advanced magic not seen for over a century, had been living a great life as a Guard at House Sinister for many years. But her world is shattered when three rival Houses attack, forcing her to watch powerlessly as her mentor and father figure, Garrick, is slaughtered. His dying command: The House must survive at all costs. With Evangeline being the only remaining member, that means she must survive a full year. It's the only way to restore honor to House Sinister. Pissed that she has to leave, Evangeline obeys Garrick's final words and escapes, fleeing the Netherworld to a place called Los Angeles. As a hellion, she must find a normal to possess, since that's the only way to hide from the assassins who are hot on her trail. Too bad she catches the eye of the Black Ops Paranormal Police Dept. Lovely. In exchange for keeping her secret, she agrees to be their assassin, but she's damn sure going to bitch about it. There's a glaring problem with joining the PPD...a hellion wielding crushing magic and blazing dual-blades is like a Tasmanian devil on crack. Definitely not low-key. Evangeline will play this game of assassin for now, but her mission--her true mission--is to exact revenge on the Houses who destroyed her world and shattered her life. Though, she must admit, killing a few of the bastards now won't suck. When her year on the run ends, she will bring pain and death... If you like BR Kingsolver, Shannon Mayer, Jayne Faith, or Shayne Silvers...you're in for one hell of a ride with the first in the action-packed, adrenaline-pumping, snark-loaded world of Sinister, created by bestselling authors John P. Logsdon and Christopher P. Young. The Paranormal Police Department has delighted thousands of readers with action, adventure, outrageous (and often offensive) comedy, and tons of snark. Grab your badge and join the legion of fans who keep begging for more... Logsdon and his team of rockin' co-authors has brought laughs to hundreds of thousands of readers over various book series. The goal is simple: write stories for mature people who harbor seriously immature thoughts...

A Legacy Witch


Ashley McLeo - 2019
     But my parents don’t want me attending their alma mater, Spellcasters Spy Academy. They think I can’t hack it. Of course, I plan on proving them wrong. If I can stay alive long enough. Someone is attacking witches in my year, and I seem to always be nearby when they strike. I swear I have nothing to do with it. Shoot, I can barely get my magic to cooperate. But convincing some people of my innocence is impossible. Like hot-as-hell Alex Wardwell, who despises me because of one dumb mistake. So between proving my parents wrong, passing the trials Spellcasters has in store, trying to convince Alex that he has me pegged wrong, and simply staying alive, it looks like I’m going to have a busy year. Thank the universe I’ve always been up for a challenge. A Legacy Witch is an upper YA/NA paranormal academy novel with an espionage twist! With an enemies-to-lovers romance, mysterious deaths, and a diverse cast of supernatural creatures, your enrollment at Spellcasters will be unlike anything you’ve experienced before. Enroll today!

Eternal Bond and Brimstone


J.N. Colon - 2019
    Wicked. Romantic.I’m Lena Raven, and I have a secret. A demon killed me. And an angel brought me back to life. But it wasn’t without consequences…I had a normal existence until my dad decided to uproot us and move to Podunk town, USA, population: one thousand. I expected to be bored to tears. What I didn’t expect was my shmexy neighbor or the supernatural freak show unfolding in Mystic Hollow.The name should have tipped me off, right?Jayson Casteel is infuriating, arrogant, and bossy. It wasn’t love at first sight. I can’t stand him. And I’m determined to find out what he’s hiding.Too bad that curiosity got me killed. Now Hell is coming for me, and Jayson is my only chance of escaping a destiny of fire and brimstone.But he’ll have to face a powerful demon and an ancient fallen angel to save my soul.

Wicked Betrayal


Marty Mayberry - 2020
    Wizards sent there are never heard from again.The moment I arrive, I'm forced to complete a series of initiation tests with a snarky, too-hot fae. If the creatures trying to kill us don't do him in, I just might. Yet my birth father is on Darkwater Island, and while he could be just about anyone, I'm determined to track him down. He stole something from me when I was a baby, and I want it back.Once I get what I came for, there are two ways out. Survive the Challenge--another series of trials that take place in the ever-changing, magical catacombs beneath the island. Or I can fulfill the secret blood bond I made with the Master Seeker. Eliminate someone and the Master Seeker will transport me home....Except the person I must kill is the wizard I'm falling for.This book is 71,000 words.

Descension


B.C. Burgess - 2012
    Following a cryptic message to seek her birth family in Oregon, Layla uproots her life to find out the truth about her past. And herself.QuinQuin's natural charisma is attractive to plenty of women, but he longs for the one he's been dreaming of his entire life. When that day arrives, not only is he breathless, he's confronted with the challenge of a lifetime - an innate need to keep her safe and forever by his side.The EnemyThrough manipulation and dark magic, Agro uses the powers of others to elevate his supremacy and wealth. When he discovers Layla didn't die at birth, he sets out to find and possess her.Stretching from coast to coast and teeming with loathed villains and beloved heroes, The Mystic Series is rich with emotion, magic and intrigue. Whether the reader is laughing, crying or falling in love, they'll find themselves invested in Layla's fate through the rich dialogue and emotionally driven characters that weave the web of this fiery tale.

King of Ash and Bone


Melissa Wright - 2015
    Her brother has been taken, her future has vanished, and all that remains is a desperate need for revenge. After discovering the breach the creatures used as a gateway, Mackenzie devises a plan to stop them, whatever the cost.When she finds an injured stranger in the street, he just might be the key she needs to succeed. What Mackenzie doesn't know is that this stranger isn't the helpless boy he appears to be. He's one of the monsters. And he's got plans of his own.Thrown into a dying city in another realm, Mackenzie is powerless to get back. With the gateway closing, time is not on her side. But the stranger is, and if they can escape execution, this girl and her monster might be able to save both their worlds.