Book picks similar to
Darkness Watching by Emma L. Adams


fantasy
paranormal
new-adult
young-adult

One Foot in the Grave


C.C. Hunter - 2017
    and he’s bringing his work home with him. Once again, seventeen-year-old Riley Smith is the new kid in school and her dad’s career has her back to being dubbed a freak. Truth is, she’s a much bigger freak than her classmates think. The only company she keeps these days is the dead who follow Dad home from work. She can see them. She can speak to them. And Fate seems to think she can help them solve their last problems so that they can move on to the other side. Which is odd, because with the loss of her mother and her father’s alcoholism, she’s got enough problems of her own. But nothing could prepare her for the next tormented young spirit who darkens Riley’s door. The young woman’s death wasn’t the accident everyone believes. Soon Riley finds herself face-to-face with the killer and her only protection comes in the form of another spirit, Hayden, a boy her age with a heart-melting smile and understanding eyes that make her feel safe. If she can escape becoming the killer’s next victim, Riley knows she’ll have to help Hayden move on too, but what if she can’t let him go?

The Changelings


Elle Casey - 2012
    Jayne and Tony, together with a group of runaway teens, are hijacked and sent into a forest, where nothing and no one are as they seem. Who will emerge triumphant? And what will they be when they do? Content Warning: Mild violence and significant foul language within. Meant for older Young Adult readers (age 15+).

Illumine


Alivia Anders - 2012
    Haunted by vivid nightmares and hallucinations of the event she does anything she can to pretend she's like every other normal girl in High School. Only Essallie is far from normal. Able to conjure blue fire and a shimmering silhouette of wings from her body, she seeks the only known solace left to her name; her first home in Belfast, Maine.But she soon realizes that her return home is only the beginning of a long and twisted road taking her as far from her humanity as possible, with Kayden, the demon originally summoned to slaughter her, leading the way. Unable to touch her but oddly curious, he joins Essallie in her search to find out just what she is. But neither of them were prepared for the secrets they've begun to unravel, secrets that will change Essallie and everyone around her forever.

Insight


Jamie Magee - 2010
    That night, the figure in her nightmare marked her wrist with a star, giving her father no choice but to tell Willow a family secret that would abruptly change life, as she knew it, forever. Before Willow had time to absorb the shock of her father's secret, her soul mate that had shared every stunning dream with her, found her, and darkness captured her closest friends. In order to save them, she must weave through broken myths and the undeniable power of the Zodiac. In the end, Willow discovers that at the moment of our birth we are all given a divine gift.Special note to the reader:The Insight series is part of the “Web of Hearts and Souls Universe,” where several series combine into one large story. All series can be read independently or as one. The reading order for the Insight Series:• Insight• Embody• Image• Vital• Vindicate• Enflame• Imperial (Story of the Sovereigns)• Blakeshire (Drake’s Story)• Emanate Reading Order for the Complete Web of Hearts Universe • Insight• Embody• Image• See• Witness• Vital• Vindicate• Synergy• Enflame• Redefined• Rivulet• Imperial• Blakeshire• Derive• Emanate• Exaltation*• *If you are a fan of Adult Paranormal Edge can be read with the Web of Hearts, before or after Exaltation—the stories share the same characters.

Open Minds


Susan Kaye Quinn - 2011
    Zeros are outcasts who can’t be trusted, leaving her no chance with Raf, a regular mindreader and the best friend she secretly loves. When she accidentally controls Raf’s mind and nearly kills him, Kira tries to hide her frightening new ability from her family and an increasingly suspicious Raf. But lies tangle around her, and she’s dragged deep into a hidden world of mindjackers, where having to mind control everyone she loves is just the beginning of the deadly choices before her.TOP 5 FINALIST for 2012 Best Indie Book, Young Adult Fiction - The Kindle Book ReviewMINDJACK SERIES READING ORDEROpen Minds (Book 1)Closed Hearts (Book 2)Free Souls (Book 3)Locked Tight (Book 4)Cracked Open (Book 5)Broken Wide (Book 6)Mindjack Short Story Collection (Book 7)The Locksmith is a standalone novella that can be read independently of the trilogy and novellas.

Runes


Ednah Walters - 2013
    The last thing she needs is Torin St. James—a mysterious new neighbor with a wicked smile and uncanny way of reading her. Raine is drawn to Torin’s dark sexiness against her better judgment, until he saves her life with weird marks and she realizes he is different. But by healing her, Torin changes something inside Raine. Now she can’t stop thinking about him. Half the time, she’s not sure whether to fall into his arms or run. Scared, she sets out to find out what Torin is. But the closer she gets to the truth the more she uncovers something sinister about Torin. What Torin is goes back to an ancient mythology and Raine is somehow part of it. Not only are she and her friends in danger, she must choose a side, but the wrong choice will cost Raine her life

Marked by Hell


Erin Bedford - 2017
    Mary's no different. Los Angeles isn’t just a playground for those searching for a new start. It’s darker and more dangerous than they’ll ever know. So, when the L.A.P.D. comes knocking on Mary’s door with a case that could give her a chance at revenge on the demons that took her wings, she is hard pressed to say no. Mary has her hands full trying to play human while looking for a way back home. Throw in an irate ex-client's spouse and exorcised demons wanting payback, and she will be lucky to find time to polish her halo. With a mysterious half-demon who has his own secret agenda for her new case, her life becomes infinitely more complicated. If Mary wants to get her revenge and save the friend she lost her wings for, she’ll have to put her angelic morals aside and start playing by their rules. But how far will she fall before she becomes too tainted to return to heaven? And does she even care?

Spellcaster


Claudia Gray - 2013
    Descended from witches, Nadia senses a dark and powerful magic at work in her new town. Mateo has lived in Captive’s Sound his entire life, trying to dodge the local legend that his family is cursed - and that curse will cause him to believe he’s seeing the future … until it drives him mad. When the strange dreams Mateo has been having of rescuing a beautiful girl—Nadia—from a car accident come true, he knows he’s doomed. Despite the forces pulling them apart, Nadia and Mateo must work together to break the chains of his family’s terrible curse, and to prevent a disaster that threatens the lives of everyone around them. Shimmering with magic and mystery, New York Times bestselling author Claudia Gray’s new novel is sure to draw fans of the Hex Hall and Caster Chronicles series, and fans of the hit CW TV show The Secret Circle.

Undertow


K.R. Conway - 2013
    And yeah, her new town isn't perfect: the cheerleaders are heinous clones, the local rip current can kill you, and apparently her Great Grams was fried by lightning in the harbor square. Still, Eila is hopeful her luckless days are in the past.When Raef O’Reilly becomes her friendly shadow, Eila thinks life is pretty darn perfect. But just as her new hometown starts to feel normal, a beach bonfire party turns into a nightmare when she’s hauled beneath the waves by an undertow WITH ARMS. Raef, no longer able to hide the truth from Eila, must come clean: she’s possibly the last of her kind, a supernatural assassin who should be able to wield the power of human souls as a weapon, just like her murdered Great Grams. Soon Eila finds herself under the protection of Raef and an outrageous crew of allies. Unfortunately, she’s now the hottest Must Have on the supernatural black market, and the teenage gang that is trying to guard her is woefully lacking . . .

The Dark World


Cara Lynn Shultz - 2014
    But when a fire demon attacks Paige in detention, she has to admit that things have gotten out of her league. Luckily, the cute new boy in school, Logan Bradley, is a practiced demon slayer-and he isn't fazed by Paige's propensity to chat with the dead. Suddenly, Paige is smack in the middle of a centuries-old battle between warlocks and demons, learning to fight with a magic sword so that she can defend herself. And if she makes one wrong move, she'll be pulled into the Dark World, an alternate version of our world that's overrun by demons-and she might never make it home.

Destiny Gift


Juliana Haygert - 2013
    Nineteen-year-old Nadine, a student at NYU, works hard to better her family’s life in the harsh conditions. When she starts having strange visions of someone named Victor, she tries to ignore the flashes, afraid she might be going insane. But when she bumps into a very real Victor, her entire world shifts. Her visions taking a turn for the worse, Nadine is bombarded with prophecies of eerie fates, unfamiliar gods, sharp-clawed demons… and instructions. Along with the reluctant Victor, she finds her path entwined with yet another man, Micah, who may be able to shed light on her dark revelations.Directed down an unbelievable path of magic and mayhem, the three must unravel clues from the visions in order to restore an ancient creed. The chance to bring sunlight to the world again is in Nadine’s gift, but only if the evil forces behind the darkness don’t manage to stop her first.

Fledgling


Natasha S. Brown - 2012
    A life threatening heart condition smothers her future and she yearns to feel normal. Her hopes are pinned on a fresh start in a remote town far from her native Colorado. Among the locker filled hallways in Clark Bend High, Ana keeps to the shadows, not wanting to draw attention to her violet tinged lips and wilted silhouette. And she almost succeeds, until she meets Chance Morgan. Struggling to keep up appearances, she soon suspects Chance is hiding something as well. His animal-like senses, miraculous healing ability and peculiar reaction to her Thunderbird necklace compels Ana to question if there’s more to the stories about his Navajo ancestry. Without any other explanation, she fears he is playing tricks on her. But the truth may prove too much for Ana’s delicate heart…

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.

Wilde's Fire


Krystal Wade - 2012
    When she inadvertently leads her sister and best friend through a portal into a world she's dreamed of for six years, she finds herself faced with more than just the frightening creatures in front of her. Kate's forced to accept a new truth: her entire life has been a lie, and those closest to her have betrayed her. What's worse, she has no control over her new future, and it's full of magic and horrors from which nightmares are made. Will Kate discover and learn to control who she really is in time to save the ones she loves, or will all be lost?

Fear University


Meg Collett - 2015
     My mother abandoned me when I was ten years old because I have a freakish mutant disease that makes me incapable of feeling pain. I bounced from one foster family to another because too many people like to test my medical condition in a game of “Try To Make Ollie Scream.” At sixteen, I killed a man for taking that game too far. Two years later, I’m still on the run in Kodiak, Alaska. Here, I’m the most dangerous person around, until I come face to face with a creature that should only exist in folklore. The monster is an aswang, and I, with my medical anomaly, am uniquely qualified to hunt the beast that haunts the night. At least, that’s what the two scarred, mostly crazy ’swang hunters tell me when they kidnap me and take me to Fear University, a school where young students learn to hunt and kill aswangs. I arrive at the university a prisoner, but I stay because I finally find my freedom. For once in my life, I belong. I’m needed. I make a home for myself inside the university masquerading as an old Alaskan prison. Something close to happiness warms my icy heart when I’m with my scarred, still mostly crazy tutor, Luke Aultstriver. For a murdering runaway like me, Fear University is a haven where I can put my skills to good use hunting monsters in the night. But when certain truths come to light and even more lies are exposed, I fear that I, Ollie Andrews, am the worst kind of monster of all. And, maybe, they should be hunting me. This book is recommended for mature readers due to sexual content, violence, and language.