Book picks similar to
Magic Required by H.S. Paisley
fantasy
urban-fantasy
straight-urban-fant-scfi-novels
tbr-longterm
Blood Magic
Matthew Cook - 2007
Using the power of her "blood magic," the young necromancer creates grotesque and inhumanly strong creatures by calling men's souls back into their dead bodies. These "sweetlings," as she calls them, are utterly devoted to her, and Kirin cherishes them as if they were her own children. But while fighting a bloody war against a relentless enemy, she meets Lia Cho, a beautiful and gentle woman who can call the power of storms... and soon, Kirin learns that there is more to life than pain and vengeance.
Sprat Morrison (Horizons)
Jean D'Costa - 1990
The stories are selected both for their appeal to young people and for the quality of the writing.
Elemental Outcast
Sean Fletcher - 2021
But when a knife-wielding psycho attacks her best friend, of course she tries to stop him. Turns out, a knife through the heart isn’t all it’s cracked up to be. Apparently, neither is death.Instead of pearly gates, Riley wakes up alive and ensnared in a witch’s curse with twelve paranormals known as the Outcasts—including the inhumanly beautiful, totally-hates-her-guts vampire Jasper. Supposedly, an ancient prophecy says the thirteenth Outcast will be the one to break our curse. That means Riley. Lucky number thirteen.Between attempting to control her unstable new magic, figuring out what the deal is with broody Jasper, and learning more about the Outcast’s prophecy, it becomes clear that she’s a target. A dangerous paranormal knows about her connection to the prophecy and wants her dead. Only this time, dead means dead. There’s only one thing to do: she’s got a destiny to fulfill. Combine the adventure and wit of Percy Jackson with the fast-paced plot and supernatural heart of Cassandra Clare and you’ve got Elemental Outcast!“Takes a wild ride down paranormal lane! Vampires, shifters, and ghouls, Oh My! With twists and turns that keep you up at night, literally, this book is a fun and fantastic read!” ~ Amazon Reviewer ★★★★★“I think this might be my favourite Sean Fletcher book yet, and I love all his books. There's so much mystery, suspense, build-up in the plot, twists and turns” ~Veronica, Amazon Reviewer ★★★★★“This is my favorite of Sean’s so far and I simply CANNOT wait for the next book!” ~JeepCruiser, Amazon Reviewer ★★★★★—————★★★★★——————If you like books with a healthy dose of pulse-pounding fights, snark, sinister magic, and a slow-burn romance between people who can’t stand falling for each other, then this series is for you!
The Super Secret Book
Tian En - 2020
The Super Secret is a team of six young superheroes who take down bad guys with their high-tech gadgets and unparalleled combat skills, but when a powerful, mysterious diamond falls into the hands of a vengeful supervillain, they are forced into the biggest fight of their lives and must reconsider what it means to be a superhero before it's too late…
Guardians of the Garden (Guardians Book I)
Theresa Pocock
At least there she would be free from the garden’s magic, free to lead her own life, and free to never again think about ancient apples, or duty, or life unending. Seth Johnson's sister is losing her battle with cancer, and his parents seem to have given up on trying to save her. He cannot let her die. He will do anything to stop it including cutting a deal with a mercenary. Neither Seth nor Miriam want to be caught up in the tide of fate and feelings destined for them, but with such harshly opposing goals their worlds are bound to collide. If Miriam and Seth cannot find a way to have faith in each other this will end with the death of a beloved sister, a destroyed relationship, and the secret of immortality revealed to a pre-apocalyptic world.Pocock takes her readers to a land where myth, folklore and reality merge, where love is strong, fear runs deep, and the end of the world is coming.
Satan's Gift
Everly Taylor - 2019
Santa and his elves as they attempt to track him down and make sure Christmas isn’t ruined. And Holly’s begrudging attraction to these devilishly charming men as she is roped into their chaotic holiday.Just in time for Christmas in July, this is an RH, 18+ book… that is sure to set your yule log blazing!
Blood & Sawdust
Jason S. Ridler - 2012
But nothing prepared him for Milkwood: a fat, ugly bastard who could take a beating like a government mule, but never, ever won. So when Malcolm risks his life to discover Milkwood's secret, he convinces the fighter to stop being a punching bag and to go for broke in the local tournament. Only problem? A beautiful woman called Lash who needs Milkwood for her own purposes, and a fouler creature on her heels known only as Dizzy Colt. But for Malcolm and Milkwood? Hell, it’s just another day of Blood and SawdustPRAISE FOR BLOOD AND SAWDUST!"With wicked, playful prose that blends the best of pulp with the supernatural, Jason Ridler’s Blood and Sawdust creates an unholy, hell-raising hybrid, the kind of tale Christopher Moore and Jim Thompson might swap after a long night of drinking, trying to one-up one another with acerbic absurdity." Joe Clifford, Author of CHOICE CUTS and JUNKIE LOVEPRAISE FOR THE WORK OF JASON RIDLER!"An exciting new writer." Lucius Shepard, multiple-award-winning author of HANDBOOK OF AMERICAN PRAYER. “Jason Ridler is kind of like a bull rider who’s tossed a saddle on a Tiger tank, and he’s riding that bucking sucker for all he’s worth, because, hey, no one told him that he couldn’t do it, did they? So here he is, the Man in the Barbed-Wire Straitjacket." Norman Partridge, Award Winning Author of DARK HARVEST. "Jason Ridler’s work is intense and taut, with incredible characters and plots that keep your mind buzzing long after you’ve reached the final page." Trent Zelazny, author of TOO LATE TO CALL TEXAS, and FRACTAL DESPONDENCY. ABOUT THE AUTHORJason S. Ridler is the author of BLOOD AND SAWDUST, the Spar Battersea thrillers (DEATH MATCH, CON JOB and DICE ROLL), the short story collection KNOCKOUTS, and has published over fifty stories in such magazines and anthologies as Beneath Ceaseless Skies, Brain Harvest, Chilling Tales, and more. His popular non-fiction has appeared in Clarkesworld, Dark Scribe, and the Internet Review of Science Fiction. A former punk rock musician and cemetery groundskeeper, Mr. Ridler holds a Ph.D. in War Studies from the Royal Military College of Canada. Visit him at twitter at http://twitter.com/JayRidler, Facebook ,http://www.facebook.com/Ridlerville, or his writing blog, Ridlerville, atwww.jsridler.com
The Society of Imaginary Friends
Kristen Pham - 2011
But a visit from the imaginary friend of her childhood opens a world of possibilities, including a new life half a universe away on a planet that is bursting with magic.The Society of Imaginary Friends follows Valerie on a journey that straddles two worlds. In order to survive, she must travel many light years away to a realm where anything is possible.On the Globe, imaginary friends come to life, the last of the unicorns rules the realm, and magic seeps from the pores of all the Conjurors who live there.But choosing to embrace her potential will set Valerie on a treacherous course–one filled with true love, adventure and perilous danger.
The Harvest
K.B. Benson - 2019
Iris never expected to live her life trapped on land. Nor was she prepared for what she would find there. A siren isn't supposed to fall in love with her prey. When Jace moved to Santa Cruz, he never imagined he'd risk his life to protect a monster. He soon finds that ancient myth has become reality. And not every pretty face is what it seems. After Iris sings her siren's song to Jace — a hypnotic melody that leads men to death beneath the waves — both of their worlds are turned upside down. Will Iris give in to her bloodlust or will she turn her back on everything she's ever known? As the tide runs red with the blood of the Harvest, Iris must choose: save the life of the human boy she loves or sacrifice her chance at humanity forever.
The Wiccan Diaries
T.D. McMichael - 2011
She drops everything--her school, her friends, her future--and sets off, to find the only one who can help her get to the bottom of her past, and to the secrets of what happened to her parents.Kinsey and Maximilian Rookmaaker were two powerful magical beings . . . until somebody killed them. Now Halsey wants to know why.With her is Ballard, an attractive teenage boy with problems of his own. Together, they must decipher an ancient magic text, and prevent an evil necromancer from taking over the world.Life is never easy when you're an unfledged teenage witch. In Volume One of The Diaries, Halsey Rookmaaker must come face to face with her past, and with a dark stranger, who may be out for her blood.
Sidekick
Auralee Wallace - 2014
To make matters worse, her twin sister is keeping secrets, loan sharks are circling, and the man of her dreams — a newspaper reporter — is on assignment to bring down everyone with the last name St James.Things are certainly looking bleak for the down-and-out socialite until a good deed throws her into the path of the city’s top crime-fighter, Dark Ryder. Suddenly, Bremy has a new goal: apprentice to a superhero, and start her own crime-fighting career.Ryder has no need for a sidekick, but it turns out the city needs Bremy’s help. Atticus St James is planning the crime of the century, and Bremy may be the only one able to get close enough to her father to stop him.Now all she needs to do is figure out this superhero thing in less than a month, keep her identity secret from the man who could very well be The One, and save the city from total annihilation.Well, no one ever said being a superhero would be easy...
Good Guys
Steven Brust - 2018
For jaywalking, supposedly. Actually, for arguing with a cop while black. Four of the nine shots were lethal--or would have been, if their target had been anybody else. The Foundation picked him up, brought him back, and trained him further. "Lethal" turns out to be a relative term when magic is involved.When Marci was fifteen, she levitated a paperweight and threw it at a guy she didn't like. The Foundation scooped her up for training too."Hippie chick" Susan got well into her Foundation training before they told her about the magic, but she's as powerful as Donovan and Marci now.They can teleport themselves thousands of miles, conjure shields that will stop bullets, and read information from the remnants of spells cast by others days before.They all work for the secretive Foundation...for minimum wage.Which is okay, because the Foundation are the good guys. Aren't they?
Sophie and the Odd Ones
Gwen DeMarco - 2020
Rent is due on her crappy apartment and she's halfway through her last loaf of bread.Sophie doesn't have big ambitions. She only wants a job that will keep her landlord off her back, enough extra cash for whiskey at the neighborhood bar and a bit of free time to hang out with the naughty old lady next door.When a chance encounter with a quiet stranger leads to a job offer at the San Francisco City Morgue, Sophie jumps at the opportunity. She never expected to find her calling on the graveyard shift surrounded by dead bodies and the strange characters that make up the morgue's staff; but she quickly realizes that these are her people, and she has finally found her perfect gig.And then things get... odd.Unusual murders keep ending up on Sophie’s autopsy table, hinting at strange powers working within the city. Something nefarious is building in San Francisco, and it is up to Sophie and her friends to thwart the evil powers on the rise.
The Afterlife Coach
Susan E. Paul - 2017
For Claire Anderson, this crosses the line. To make matters worse, they’re on the lam and can’t be returned to sender until In Between, the afterlife way station, can arrange transportation to pick them up. In the meantime, Claire tries to contain this motley crew, hoping to stave off an international incident. How do they manage to walk among us? Will Claire succeed in repatriating them? And at what cost? The Afterlife Coach is a humorous tale of second chances, self-awareness and, for those among us who make bad choices, demonstrates just how hard it is to die happily ever after.
The Poseidon Network
Kathryn Gauci - 2019
“One never knows where fate will take us. Cairo taught me that. Expect the unexpected. Little did I realise when I left London that I would walk out of one nightmare into another.” 1943. SOE agent Larry Hadley leaves Cairo for German and Italian occupied Greece. His mission is to liaise with the Poseidon network under the leadership of the White Rose. It’s not long before he finds himself involved with a beautiful and intriguing woman whose past is shrouded in mystery. In a country where hardship, destruction and political instability threaten to split the Resistance, and terror and moral ambiguity live side by side, Larry’s instincts tell him something is wrong. After the devastating massacre in a small mountain village by the Wehrmacht, combined with new intelligence concerning the escape networks, he is forced to confront the likelihood of a traitor in their midst. But who is it? Time is running out and he must act before the network is blown. The stakes are high. From the shadowy souks and cocktail parties of Cairo’s elite to the mountains of Greece, Athens, the Aegean Islands, and Turkey, The Poseidon Network, is an unforgettable cat-and-mouse portrait of wartime that you will not want to put down.