Also known as the Leira Chronicles. Grab this fantastic collection of the Austin Series and see how the Oriceran Universe began. Waking Magic: Solve a murder, save her mother, and stop the apocalypse? No problem.She has a foul-mouthed troll on her side.For Austin homicide detective Leira Berens, happy is running down bad guys and solving crimes.And she’s damn good at it.Which is why when the Light Elf prince is murdered, the king breaks a centuries old treaty and crosses between worlds to seek her help. Wait a minute. An Elf? Like from Lord of the Rings or something? Yeah, Leira has a hard time accepting that.But it doesn’t matter what she believes.Magic is real, and it’s coming back with a literal bang.The prince’s death was only the beginning. Tracking down his killer is about more than just justice. It’s saving the world. Also included are books 2 - 8: Release of Magic Protection of Magic Rule of Magic Dealing in Magic Theft of Magic Enemies of Magic Guardians of Magic It’s gotten hard to tell who the good guys are and who’s out for her blood. Time for Leira 2.0 and a new set of rules. Ready or not, the new world order has started, and magic has returned. History will never be the same. If you're looking for a heroine who prefers fighting to flirting, this books is for you.

    . . . Originally presented as a manga series and now available for the first time as a stand-alone novel, Desert Tales combines tentative romance, outward strength, and inner resolve in a faery story of desert and destiny.The Mojave Desert was a million miles away from the plots and schemes of the Faerie Courts—and that's exactly why Rika chose it as her home. The once-mortal faery retreated to the desert's isolation after decades of carrying winter's curse inside her body. But her seclusion—and the freedom of the desert fey—is threatened by the Summer King's newfound strength. And when the manipulations of her trickster friend, Sionnach, thrust Rika into a new romance, she finds new power within herself—and a new desire to help Sionnach protect the desert fey and mortals alike. The time for hiding is over.

    and your wish comes true? Young Sarah is about to find out. Left at home to mind her baby brother, Toby, she finds herself trying to comfort a screaming infant as a wild storm rages about the house. In a fit of temper, she wishes that the goblins would come and take the child away. Unfortunately, they do.Sarah then plunges into a whirlwind adventure. If she cannot reach the center of the mysterious Labyrinth within thirteen hours, Jareth -- King of the Goblins -- will keep Toby forever. In the twists and turns of her dangerous journey to Jareth's castle, she meets an extraordinary variety of strange characters, some more friendly than others. But none of them will be able to help her unless she musters the courage to challenge Jareth -- no matter what the odds.Jim Henson, creator of the Muppets and directory of Labyrinth, has joined with executive producer George Lucas to take us once again on a fascinating journey into a fantastic world. Labyrinth has been produced by Eric Rattray; the executive supervising producer is David Lazer, illustrator Brian Froud is the conceptual designer, and the screenplay by Terry Jones is based on a story by Jim Henson and Dennis Lee. A Henson Associates Inc. / Lucasfilm Ltd. production, the movie is distributed by Tri-Star pictures.A.C.H. Smith, who is also author of The Dark Crystal and Lady Jane, has captured all the excitement and poetry of a brilliant film in this riveting novel.

    Having graduated at the top of her class from the Tagis Praff School for the Magically Inclined, Ceony is assigned an apprenticeship in paper magic despite her dreams of bespelling metal. And once she’s bonded to paper, that will be her only magic…forever.Yet the spells Ceony learns under the strange yet kind Thane turn out to be more marvelous than she could have ever imagined—animating paper creatures, bringing stories to life via ghostly images, even reading fortunes. But as she discovers these wonders, Ceony also learns of the extraordinary dangers of forbidden magic.An Excisioner—a practitioner of dark, flesh magic—invades the cottage and rips Thane’s heart from his chest. To save her teacher’s life, Ceony must face the evil magician and embark on an unbelievable adventure that will take her into the chambers of Thane’s still-beating heart—and reveal the very soul of the man.From the imaginative mind of debut author Charlie N. Holmberg, The Paper Magician is an extraordinary adventure both dark and whimsical that will delight readers of all ages.

    A city in danger. A boy with the power to command the crows. Ferals is the first book in a dark, action-packed trilogy that’s part The Graveyard Book, part Batman, and all high-octane adventure.Blackstone was once a thriving metropolis. But that was before the Dark Summer—a wave of violence and crime that swept through the city eight years ago, orchestrated by the fearsome Spinning Man. Now the Spinning Man is on the move again, and a boy named Caw is about to be caught in his web.Caw has never questioned his ability to communicate with crows. But as the threat of a new Dark Summer looms, Caw discovers the underground world of Blackstone’s ferals—those with the power to speak to and control animals. Caw is one of them. And to save his city, he must quickly master abilities he never knew he had . . . and prepare to defeat a darkness he never could have imagined.

    Orphans, unwanted and unloved, they nonetheless dream of coming of age elsewhere, of finding a better life, even if that means living on the streets of the brutal city of Ashton. Sophia and Kate, also best friends, have each other’s backs—and yet they want different things from life. Sophia, a romantic, more elegant, dreams of entering court and finding a noble to fall in love with. Kate, a fighter, dreams of mastering the sword, of battling dragons, and becoming a warrior. They are both united, though, by their secret, paranormal power to read other’s minds, their only saving grace in a world that seems bent to destroy them. As they each embark on a quest and adventure their own ways, they struggle to survive. Faced with choices neither can imagine, their choices may propel them to the highest power—or plunge them to the lowest depths.

    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?

    Their father drowns his pain at the bottom of a bottle.They begin a new life in Florida, where Michele meets a White Witch boy, but the divide between Black and White Witches is as dangerous as ever. Soon Michele is caught between love and loyalty, truth and lies.Could falling in love be the deadliest mistake she's ever made?

    

     Or so Oak Jones thought. He’s wanted on the Police Dinosaur Unit all his life. Now that he’s in, he’s discovered that training a Police Working Velociraptor is a lot harder than he ever imagined. And if he thought training would be difficult, living with a Velociraptor is a whole new level. Banshee can clear a six-foot fence like it was nothing, and he has a love for eating the neighborhood cats, which is putting Oak on the outs with his next-door neighbor, Christy Dao. But there is a reason for everything, and when Oak discovers why Banshee struggles, it breaks his heart. Terrible Lizard is a funny and endearing look at life with Banshee, a great working dinosaur, but one terrible lizard. +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Officer Hendricks sat at the temporary desk for training leads. He was without his sunglasses for the first time ever. His bright blue eyes burned with intensity. “I wanted to talk to you about Banshee,” he said. “I know it was rough yesterday,” I said, “but we’ve made good progress.” “You have, and it’s to be commended. You are the best handler here. But it’s a team effort, Oak. I called you in because I wanted you to be the first to hear that I intend to fail Banshee.” “What? No. There’s still two weeks left.” “Less than two weeks left. And this isn’t the kind of thing that gets fixed in less than two weeks.” “Give me a chance.” “Oak, you will be returned to your station until I can place you in Violent Offenders. Renato has given you a great review, and the captain there can’t wait to have you. Next year, you can re-apply. I cannot guarantee you that you will be accepted, but based on what I’ve seen over the past four weeks, I like your chances. You will definitely have my vote.” Officer Hendricks extended his hand to me, and I shook my head. “No. I refuse. Give me two weeks.” The open hand pinched Officer Hendricks’ nostrils. “You are not the first officer to work with Banshee. This was his third time in the course. Three strikes, and the raptor is gone.” “So that’s it? There’s nothing more that can be done?” “Not in my experience, Oak. I’m sorry.”

    While the kingdom’s noblemen squabble, on their borders an ancient enemy, the Lithmern, raises an army. As the head of the Noble House of Brenn attempts to organize an alliance, the princess Alethia celebrates her twentieth birthday. She is a remarkable woman: quick-witted, beautiful, and handy with a throwing knife. But on the next night, she passes through a dark corridor on her way to the banquet hall, and never emerges from the shadows. The Lithmern have kidnapped the princess. When Alethia regains consciousness, an evil Lithmern with a face made of shadows is carrying her through the forest. These are magic woods, home to fabled creatures whose existence she has always doubted. To find her way home, Alethia will have to learn to trust in the old tales, whose legends of magic and daring hold the only hope of saving her kingdom.

    No, more than a commodity. Her existence is guarded at all costs.She’s a water Elementalist, the strongest of her dwindling kind. She creates steam to provide energy to fuel Dome Four: the only thing standing between humanity and an earth ravaged by World War III. No steam, no Dome. No Dome, no life.Or so she thinks.That is, until a mysterious man offers her a way out of having to donate steam. A way to escape the corrupt government of Dome Four. While the offer seems too good to be true, Avery is intrigued. But when she arrives to her new home, she realizes the grass isn’t any less dead on this side of the fence. Instead, the lies are just hidden better.…Which means digging deeper.When Avery enlists the help of her friends to uncover the truth, she learns that while some secrets are better left concealed, humankind was never meant to live in a cage. And when you can control the most sought after resource, you can learn to control anything…including the fate of your world.

    Absolutely everything. Monsters, Magic, & Mayhem collects four novella chronicling Bubba the Monster Hunter's trip through the lands of the Fae in search of his kidnapped sister. Yeah, he didn't know he had a sister, either. And that joke's old, man. Into the Mystic - Bubba and his troupe of merry morons has to find their way to Fairyland to rescue his sister. It's not as easy as it sounds, and it involves Bubba learning a lot of uncomfortable truths about why his mother walked out, and his maybe not-quite human heritage. Cold as Ice - Bubba meets his grandmother, which should be great. Except she's the psychotic Queen of the Winter Court and wants to pretty much murder everyone. There's torture, tights, and Bubba dancing. Which is pretty much torture in tights. So lots of torture. Hot Blooded - Bubba and Co. travel to the Summer Court in their Quest for the Sister, only to find that his grandfather, while less abjectly psychopathic than his ex-wife Mab, is still kind of a douche. And just when the team thought they were on the right track to finish their quest, there's a dragon. A dragon. This is not something growing up in Georgia prepares you for. Shades of Grey - Bubba is closing in on his sister and her kidnapper, the Shakespearean trickster Puck. Except, he's not like hot Loki trickster, he's more like cut your throat while you sleep and tell you a knock-knock joke while you're bleeding out trickster. Bubba has to battle his way through a horde of zombies just to get the opportunity to go on an old-fashioned dungeon crawl (with spiders, because…dungeon) to maybe finally confront Puck and save his sister. Then they get home and things get REALLY screwed up!

    The Abernathys don't mean any harm by their flirtation with the underworld, but when they unknowingly call forth Satan himself, they create a gap in the universe. A gap in which a pair of enormous gates is visible. The gates to Hell. And there are some pretty terrifying beings just itching to get out...Can one small boy defeat evil? Can he harness the power of science, faith, and love to save the world as we know it?Bursting with imagination, The Gates is about the pull between good and evil, physics and fantasy. It is about a quirky and eccentric boy who is impossible not to love, and the unlikely cast of characters who give him the strength to stand up to a demonic power.John Connolly manages to re-create the magical and scary world of childhood that we've all left behind but so love to visit. And for those of you who thought you knew everything you could about particle physics and the universe, think again. This novel makes anything seem possible.

    Negotiating with aggressive advisors and hostile kingdoms is one thing, but when his beloved lies at death's door, he'll do anything - even forsake those he's sworn to protect - to find a cure.Receiving word of a magical stone with the power to heal her, he embarks on an epic adventure to retrieve it. When mythical beasts, scheming elves, and even enemy kingdoms stand in his way, he'll stop at nothing to get what he needs to save his wife's life.Will Alexander destroy lives, betray loyalties and ruin peace forever? Or will he realize what he's doing before it's too late?Join Alexander Drygo on a journey of love, loss, and madness told through the eyes of those closest to him. Soul Siphon is a collection of novellas, including an exclusive, never-before-released story, Sentinels of the Stone.Fans of R.A. Salvatore, Brandon Sanderson, and Patrick Rothfuss will love this epic sword and sorcery adventure.