Book picks similar to
Stealing Magic by Alex C. Vick
fantasy
young-adult
middle-grade
magic
Gateway to Fourline
Pam Brondos - 2015
Sending one young woman through may be the key to survival for the kingdom of Fourline.
Strapped for cash, college student Natalie Barns agrees to take a job at a costume shop. Sure, Estos—her classmate who works in the shop—is a little odd, but Nat needs the money for her tuition.Then she stumbles through the mysterious door behind the shop—and her entire universe transforms.Discovering there’s far more to Estos than she ever imagined, Nat gets swept up in an adventure to save his homeland, an incredible world filled with decaying magic, deadly creatures, and a noble resistance of exiled warriors battling dark forces. As she struggles with her role in an epic conflict and wrestles with her growing affection for a young rebel, Soris, Nat quickly learns that nothing may go as planned…and her biggest challenge may be surviving long enough to make it home.
The Light Within Me
Carly Fall - 2011
She longs to feel a real connection with someone, and she finally does when she meets Noah.Unbeknownst to Abby, Noah is from another world and his sole purpose is to hunt down the evil of his people that was unleashed on Earth hundreds of years ago. He's certain he isn't going to be able to return to his home, and anger and the need for revenge are his constant companions. His focus has been eradicating the evil and making them pay for taking his life on his world away from him.Noah tries desperately to fight his attraction to Abby so he can keep his focus on his mission. But when Abby gets dragged into the evil and mayhem from Noah's world, he realizes that maybe with Abby he can find a home here on Earth...if he can save her in time.
Stormwielder
Aaron Hodges - 2021
Horrified by the devastation he had unleashed, Eric fled his village, and has spent the last two years wandering the wilderness alone. Now, desperate to end his isolation, he seeks a new life in the town of Oaksville. But the power of the Gods is fading, and in their absence, dark things have come creeping back to the Three Nations. Civilisation is no longer the safe haven he once knew, and Eric will soon learn he is not the only one with power…
Brightest Kind of Darkness
P.T. Michelle - 2011
Due to an incident in her past, Nara avoids using her special gift to change fate...until she dreams a future she can't ignore.After Nara prevents a bombing at Blue Ridge High, her ability to see the future starts to fade, while people at school are suddenly being injured at an unusually high rate.Grappling with her diminishing powers and the need to prevent another disaster, Nara meets Ethan Harris, a mysterious loner who seems to understand her better than anyone. Ethan and Nara forge an irresistible connection, but as their relationship heats up, so do her questions about his dark past.
Storm Glass
Jeff Wheeler - 2018
The privileged live in sky manors held aloft by a secretive magic known only as the Mysteries. Below, the earthbound poor are forced into factory work to maintain the engine of commerce. Only the wealthy can afford to learn the Mysteries, and they use their knowledge to further lock their hold on society.Cettie Pratt is a waif doomed to the world below, until an admiral attempts to adopt her. But in her new home in the clouds, not everyone treats her as one of the family.Sera Fitzempress is a princess born into power. She yearns to meet the orphan girl she has heard so much about, but her father deems the girl unworthy of his daughter’s curiosity.Neither girl feels that she belongs. Each seeks to break free of imposed rules. Now, as Cettie dreams of living above and as Sera is drawn to the world below, they will follow the paths of their own choosing.But both girls will be needed for the coming storm that threatens to overturn both their worlds.
Hell Inc.
Dick Wybrow - 2018
Allowed to have three strangers help him on his quest, he's got just days to scour the planet and find the four interlocking pieces. Once assembled, the lamp could save the dying Carissa. But, does the Devil have secret, dark plans for the lamp? (hint: uh, yeah! I mean... Devil, right?) Hell inc. is a laugh-out-loud thrill ride and paranormal adventure about love, friendship and never giving up. Listen, I need a favor. So, remember how that doctor with the wonky eye broke the news about Carissa? He said there was nothing they could do to save her. They couldn’t save her. Yeah, I guess he said twice because I’d gotten a bit distracted. Wasn’t sure he was talking to me. Because, you know, the eye. Okay, the favor. I sorta made a bet with someone, might be the Devil, and if I find this ancient lamp for him, he’ll save Carissa. She’ll be okay. This lamp he wants was busted up centuries ago and spread all over, so we’ll be sorta flying all around the planet for days on end. After we steal a plane, of course. And find a pilot. It’ll be real, real dangerous. Possibly death, then kinda downhill from there. But you’ll get the miles.
Apprentice
Eric Guindon - 2013
When a wizard visits Benen's village and chooses him for his apprentice, the boy's life is irrevocably changed. Unfortunately for Benen, his master is far from kind and often cruel. His education becomes a trial he must survive.
A Corner of White
Jaclyn Moriarty - 2012
Madeleine and her mother have run away from their former life, under mysterious circumstances, and settled in a rainy corner of Cambridge (in our world).Elliot, on the other hand, is in search of his father, who disappeared on the night his uncle was found dead. The talk in the town of Bonfire (in the Kingdom of Cello) is that Elliot's dad may have killed his brother and run away with the Physics teacher. But Elliot refuses to believe it. And he is determined to find both his dad and the truth.As Madeleine and Elliot move closer to unraveling their mysteries, they begin to exchange messages across worlds -- through an accidental gap that hasn't appeared in centuries. But even greater mysteries are unfolding on both sides of the gap: dangerous weather phenomena called "color storms;" a strange fascination with Isaac Newton; the myth of the "Butterfly Child," whose appearance could end the droughts of Cello; and some unexpected kisses...
I Kissed a Dog
Carol Van Atta - 2012
She can communicate with animals. A gift she unwrapped following one of her frequent dances with death.In her otherwise wacky life, she's finally found a semblance of sanity working at the Plum Beach Wildlife Park, where her unique talents can make life or death differences for the animals in her care. That semblance is shattered when a new veterinarian roars into the park in his spiffed up sports car and sets his golden gaze on her. If she had her way, he'd roar right back out.Problem: He's her new coworker and he's saved her life twice - in the past twenty-four hours.Zane Marshall, Enforcer for the Pacific Pack of purebred werewolves, has a job to do - figure out who or what is mutilating the young men of Plum Beach.With orders to find the woman who talks to animals, he accepts a position working alongside the fiery Chloe Carpenter, a female who ignites his interest far more than he ever expected.Remarkably, she's the one elusive female with potential to bring meaning and passion to his empty existence.Problem: She despises him.Together, they're forced to unravel a mystery of supernatural proportions, a murderous mystery with eternal implications for everyone. In the process, they discover opposites really do attract.Major Problem: Zane is pledged to another woman, and she'll do anything to keep him from Chloe.
The Survivors (Life After War Book 1)
L.A. White - 2020
They’re running out of food and water; infighting is rampant, and they have too many enemies to reclaim their countries alone. They have to bring the rest of the descendants to their side. The easiest way to accomplish that has always been to threaten the kids.Adrian has a rare gift that lets him draw in other magic users and charm them. He is a master at digging into the soul to repair the damage. After the apocalypse, Adrian forms Safe Haven Refugee Camp and creates a dream that even his secrets can’t crush.Angela blazes a path across the broken country to find her son after the war, using her gifts. The witch attracts traumatic threats that threaten everyone and trigger evolutions to levels of power that haven’t existed in centuries.Samantha escapes captivity and makes her way to the only place left in America where she’ll be protected. By the time she learns Adrian’s secret, Safe Haven has become her home. The storm tracker will do anything to protect her new place in the post-apocalyptic world.Marc is a tall, dark, handsome Marine who only cares about honor and his broken heart. Finding out he made a baby brings the military loner to Safe Haven in hopes of a second chance with his past. Sparks fly when he discovers Adrian’s secret, causing a battle for the love of a woman and leadership of the powerful camp.Nature is a dangerous foe that tries to push humanity over the brink of extinction with eruptions, earthquakes, disease, animal attacks, and harsh weather. Mother Nature fears the descendants will serve their true purpose and save the world that she is trying to bury under the ashes. Nature wants the plague of humans gone, and she’ll go to any lengths to accomplish that goal.She’ll even challenge the Creator for it.Life After War is a dark fantasy series that chronicles the survival of humanity when a global nuclear war splits the remaining populations and pits them against each other in an epic battle for control of everything. Book One brings the survivors together and starts a chain reaction that will either save the world or finish destroying it.*Not suitable for those under 18.
Boy's Life
Robert R. McCammon - 1991
It’s 1964 in idyllic Zephyr, Alabama. People either work for the paper mill up the Tecumseh River, or for the local dairy. It’s a simple life, but it stirs the impressionable imagination of twelve-year-old aspiring writer Cory Mackenson. He’s certain he’s sensed spirits whispering in the churchyard. He’s heard of the weird bootleggers who lurk in the dark outside of town. He’s seen a flood leave Main Street crawling with snakes. Cory thrills to all of it as only a young boy can. Then one morning, while accompanying his father on his milk route, he sees a car careen off the road and slowly sink into fathomless Saxon’s Lake. His father dives into the icy water to rescue the driver, and finds a beaten corpse, naked and handcuffed to the steering wheel—a copper wire tightened around the stranger’s neck. In time, the townsfolk seem to forget all about the unsolved murder. But Cory and his father can’t. Their search for the truth is a journey into a world where innocence and evil collide. What lies before them is the stuff of fear and awe, magic and madness, fantasy and reality. As Cory wades into the deep end of Zephyr and all its mysteries, he’ll discover that while the pleasures of childish things fade away, growing up can be a strange and beautiful ride. “Strongly echoing the childhood-elegies of King and Bradbury, and every bit their equal,” Boy’s Life, a winner of both the Bram Stoker and World Fantasy Awards, represents a brilliant blend of mystery and rich atmosphere, the finest work of one of today’s most accomplished writers (Kirkus Reviews).
The Golden Acorn
Catherine Cooper - 2009
Just an ordinary boy, Jack has been chosen for a hugely important task, and enters a world he believed only existed in legend. Full of twists and turns and featuring characters such as talking ravens and mischievous Spriggans, The Golden Acorn is a hugely entertaining and exciting tale from a very talented new author.
School for Psychics
K.C. Archer - 2018
Yes she’s resourceful, bright, and scrappy. But she can also read people with uncanny precision. What she doesn’t realize: she’s actually psychic. When a series of bad decisions leads Teddy to a run-in with the police, a mysterious stranger intervenes. He invites her to apply to the School for Psychics, a facility hidden off the coast of San Francisco where students are trained like Delta Force operatives: it’s competitive, cutthroat, and highly secretive. They’ll learn telepathy, telekinesis, investigative skills, and SWAT tactics. And if students survive their training, they go on to serve at the highest levels of government, using their skills to protect America, and the world. In class, Teddy befriends Lucas, a rebel without a cause who can start and manipulate fire; Jillian, a hipster who can mediate communication between animals and humans; and Molly, a hacker who can apprehend the emotional state of another individual. But just as Teddy feels like she’s found where she might belong, strange things begin to happen: break-ins, missing students, and more. It leads Teddy to accept a dangerous mission that will ultimately cause her to question everything—her teachers, her friends, her family, and even herself. Set in a world very much like our own, School for Psychics is the first book in a stay-up-all night series.
The Jack of Souls
Stephen C. Merlino - 2014
As the day approaches, nightmares from the spirit world stalk him and tear at his sanity; sorcery eats at his soul.To survive, he’ll need more than his usual tricks. He’ll need help—and a lot of it—but on the kingdom’s lawless frontier, his only allies are other outcasts. One of these outcasts is Caris, a mysterious, horse-whispering runaway, intent upon becoming the Queen’s first female knight. The other is Sir Willard—ex-immortal, ex-champion, now addicted to pain-killing herbs and banished from the court.With their help, Harric might keep his curse at bay. But for how long? And both companions bring perils and secrets of their own: Caris bears the scars of a troubled past that still hunts her; Willard is at war with the Old Ones, an order of insane immortal knights who once enslaved the kingdom. The Old Ones have returned to murder Willard and seize the throne from his queen. Willard is both on the run from them, and on one final, desperate quest to save her. Together, Harric and his companions must overcome fanatical armies, murderous sorcerers, and powerful supernatural foes.Alone, Harric must face the temptation of a forbidden magic that could break his curse, but cost him the only woman he’s ever loved.
Looking for Dei
David A. Willson - 2018
Yet it seems that her life is filled with them, from the ugly scar on her back to the strange powers she possesses. Her adoptive father refuses to say anything about her origins. And when Nara is invited to the town’s announcement ceremony, which tests youths for magical gifts, he forbids her from revealing her powers.The poor village of Dimmitt has not announced a gifted youth for decades. But when Nara discovers that the town priest has been keeping secrets of his own, she draws upon her hidden magic to correct the injustice. Her rash decision sets her on a path of danger, discovery, and a quest for the divine. But will the truth she reveals set her people free? Or unlock a curse that could spell her doom?