Book picks similar to
The Curse of Broken Shadows (Smoke and Shadow, #1) by Laura Winter
fantasy
romance
dnf
on-watch
Court of Bitter Thorn
Kay L. Moody - 2020
Under the terms of her bargain, she can’t go home to the mortal world until Prince Brannick becomes the next High King.Or until he’s taken out of the running…Sabotaging Brannick’s chance at the crown will be much faster than helping him win. The fae prince may be charming, powerful, and wickedly handsome, but that won’t stop Elora from selling his secrets to the highest bidder.By day, she uses her master sword skills to train the prince, while ignoring her growing attraction to him. By night, she conspires with a rival king in a nearby court whose plans could destroy half of Faerie.If she gets caught, Brannick will kill her. But what’s life without a little bit of danger?
A Shadow in the Ember
Jennifer L. Armentrout - 2021
Chosen before birth to uphold the desperate deal her ancestor struck to save his people, Sera must leave behind her life and offer herself to the Primal of Death as his Consort. However, Sera’s real destiny is the most closely guarded secret in all of Lasania—she’s not the well protected Maiden but an assassin with one mission—one target. Make the Primal of Death fall in love, become his weakness, and then…end him. If she fails, she dooms her kingdom to a slow demise at the hands of the Rot. Sera has always known what she is. Chosen. Consort. Assassin. Weapon. A specter never fully formed yet drenched in blood. A monster. Until him. Until the Primal of Death’s unexpected words and deeds chase away the darkness gathering inside her. And his seductive touch ignites a passion she’s never allowed herself to feel and cannot feel for him. But Sera has never had a choice. Either way, her life is forfeit—it always has been, as she has been forever touched by Life and Death.
Before She Ignites
Jodi Meadows - 2017
Since the day she was born, she’s been told she’s special. Important. Perfect. She’s known across the Fallen Isles not just for her beauty, but for the Mira Treaty named after her, a peace agreement which united the seven islands against their enemies on the mainland.But Mira has never felt as perfect as everyone says. She counts compulsively. She struggles with crippling anxiety. And she’s far too interested in dragons for a girl of her station.AfterThen Mira discovers an explosive secret that challenges everything she and the Treaty stand for. Betrayed by the very people she spent her life serving, Mira is sentenced to the Pit–the deadliest prison in the Fallen Isles. There, a cruel guard would do anything to discover the secret she would die to protect.No longer beholden to those who betrayed her, Mira must learn to survive on her own and unearth the dark truths about the Fallen Isles–and herself–before her very world begins to collapse.
Shattered Kingdom
Angelina J. Steffort - 2020
One with her blade. A heart yet unbroken.It would have been only one more year of training. One year in the dust and wind of the Calma Desert. But Gandrett Brayton’s fate storms in disguised as a beautiful stranger with a damning secret.As he forces her into the service of the lord who tore her from her mother’s arms ten years ago to commit her to the Order of Vala, Gandrett is left with a choice: run, or work for the man she despises and earn the chance to see her family again. Trained with all the weapons she can wield with her hands, Gandrett must learn that at the courts of the shattered kingdom of Sives, her sword won’t help her - especially when it is her own heart on the line.★★★★★ “Fae, magic, and a heart-throbbing adventure will keep readers entranced until the last page.”Shattered Kingdom is bestselling author Angelina J. Steffort's new young adult epic fantasy romance about a girl who's heart could change the course of history.
Bring Me Their Hearts
Sara Wolf - 2018
Bound to the witch Nightsinger ever since she saved her from the bandits who murdered her family, Zera longs for freedom from the woods they hide in. With her heart in a jar under Nightsinger’s control, she serves the witch unquestioningly.Until Nightsinger asks Zera for a Prince’s heart in exchange for her own, with one addendum; if she’s discovered infiltrating the court, Nightsinger will destroy her heart rather than see her tortured by the witch-hating nobles.Crown Prince Lucien d’Malvane hates the royal court as much as it loves him – every tutor too afraid to correct him and every girl jockeying for a place at his darkly handsome side. No one can challenge him – until the arrival of Lady Zera. She’s inelegant, smart-mouthed, carefree, and out for his blood. The Prince’s honor has him quickly aiming for her throat.So begins a game of cat and mouse between a girl with nothing to lose and a boy who has it all.Winner takes the loser’s heart.Literally.
Shadow Study
Maria V. Snyder - 2014
She survived to become a vital part of the balance of power between rival countries Ixia and Sitia.Now she uses her magic to keep the peace in both lands—and protect her relationship with Valek.Suddenly, though, dissent is rising. And Valek’s job—and his life—are in danger.As Yelena tries to uncover her enemies, she faces a new challenge: her magic is blocked.And now she must find a way to keep not only herself but all that she holds dear alive.A CHRONICLES OF IXIA NOVEL
White Stag
Kara Barbieri - 2016
While her sisters were becoming wives and mothers, she was taught to hunt, track, and fight. On the day her village was burned to the ground, Janneke—as the only survivor—was taken captive by the malicious Lydian and eventually sent to work for his nephew Soren.Janneke’s survival in the court of merciless monsters has come at the cost of her connection to the human world. And when the Goblin King’s death ignites an ancient hunt for the next king, Soren senses an opportunity for her to finally fully accept the ways of the brutal Permafrost. But every action he takes to bring her deeper into his world only shows him that a little humanity isn’t bad—especially when it comes to those you care about.Through every battle they survive, Janneke’s loyalty to Soren deepens. After dangerous truths are revealed, Janneke must choose between holding on or letting go of her last connections to a world she no longer belongs to. She must make the right choice to save the only thing keeping both worlds from crumbling.
King of Battle and Blood
Scarlett St. Clair - 2021
To end a years-long war, she is to marry vampire king, Adrian Aleksandr Vasiliev, and kill him. But her assassination attempt is thwarted and Adrian threatens that if Isolde tries to kill him again, he will raise her as the undead. Faced with the possibility of becoming the thing she hates most, Isolde seeks other ways to defy him and survive the brutal vampire court. Except it isn’t the court she fears most — it’s Adrian. Despite their undeniable chemistry, she wonders why the king — fierce, savage, merciless — chose her as consort. The answer will shatter her world.
The Assassin's Curse
Cassandra Rose Clarke - 2012
But that only prompts the scorned clan to send an assassin after her. When Ananna faces him down one night, armed with magic she doesn't really know how to use, she accidentally activates a curse binding them together.
A Dark Vampire Curse
Nikki St. Crowe - 2021
And oddly enough, she can’t read his.Suddenly, Emery is ushered into a dark, deadly underworld of the city she loves where Rhys is reigning king. Or at least he is until the curse plaguing him and his vampires turns them all into feral bloodsuckers.Time is running out. Rhys thinks only Emery can break the curse. She’d tell him to buzz off if every time he was near, her body didn’t turn electric with desire. Rhys has money, power, and a face to die for, but he only has eyes for Emery. The thrill of it is intoxicating, but what happens if she can’t help him?Does he want Emery only to save himself? Or is it Emery that needs saving?In A Dark Vampire Curse you can expect lots of should-I-shouldn't-I tension between the main characters and plenty of snark, sass and diehard loyalty between the members of this powerful vampire family. A Dark Vampire Curse is a full length novel with HEA for the main characters. Note there is a teaser epilogue for new series with cliff.
Edgewood
Kristen Ciccarelli - 2022
The scent of damp earth curls into her nose when she sings and moss creeps across the stage. It’s as if the woods of her childhood, shrouded in folklore and tall tales, are trying to reclaim her. But Emeline has no patience for silly superstitions.When her grandfather disappears, leaving only a mysterious orb in his wake, the stories Emeline has always scoffed at suddenly seem less foolish. She enters the forest she has spent years trying to escape, only to have Hawthorne Fell, a handsome and brooding tithe collector, try to dissuade her from searching.Refusing to be deterred, Emeline finds herself drawn to the court of the fabled Wood King himself. She makes a deal—her voice for her grandfather’s freedom. Little does she know, she’s stumbled into the middle of a curse much bigger than herself, one that threatens the existence of this eerie world she’s trapped in, along with the devastating boy who feels so familiar.With the help of Hawthorne—an enemy turned reluctant ally who she grows closer to each day—Emeline sets out to not only save her grandfather’s life, but to right past wrongs, and in the process, discover her true voice.Haunting and romantic, Kristen Ciccarelli's Edgewood is an exciting novel from a bold, unforgettable voice in fantasy.
The Fae Prince
Serena Meadows - 2019
Ejected from the palace with only a handful of coins, the prince suddenly finds himself a pauper. He must experience some of life’s harsher realities, say the king and queen, if he’s to become the leader the Seelie people need.
Across the fields his royal subject, Darby, knows all about harsh realities...
After losing her parents at thirteen the young farmer has had little time for royals or gossip. A good day means a warm hearth and full bowl. Anything else is a luxury. But things are finally improving and for the first time ever, winter’s approach isn’t quite so bleak.
Until she discovers a large, rumpled heap sleeping in her barn…
The thing—whatever it is—stinks worse than her animals (and sounds just as ornery) but questionable hygiene is the least of Darby’s concerns. The seasons are turning, and darkness is gathering at the edges of the Seelie Kingdom. More than ever, the people need a hero they can count on, but it seems that man is nowhere to be seen.
Note: Note: This is Book 1 in the series "Fae of Ballantine". All books in the series can be read as standalones with a HEA and no cliffhangers.
Warning: Adults Only
Stolen Enchantress
Amber Argyle - 2018
An enchantress. An unbreakable curse . . .When her little sister is taken by the beast of the Forbidden Forest, Larkin does the unthinkable: she goes in after her.Deep within the sentient woods, Larkin uncovers a secret that puts her in dreadful danger. Worse, now that the beast has had his taste, he’ll never stop hunting her. But the forest has woken something inside Larkin; something that gives her the power to fight back. Magic.Using forbidden magic will get Larkin hanged. Not using it will leave her at the mercy of the beast's enchantment. But there’s a third option; one that scares her more than anything.She could fall in love with the beast. Fans of A CURSE SO DARK AND LONELY and A COURT OF THORNS AND ROSES will be spellbound by the fairytale retelling of Beauty and the Beast and The Pied Piper in Stolen Enchantress. One-click now to find out why readers around the world are getting lost in the Forbidden Forest! “Moody, whimsical, & enchanting.” - Emily R. King, author of The Hundredth Queen Series OTHER TITLES BY AMBER ARGYLEForbidden Forest SeriesLady of ShadowsStolen EnchantressPiper PrinceWraith KingCurse QueenFairy Queens SagaOf Ice and SnowWinter QueenOf Fire and AshSummer QueenOf Sand and StormDaughter of WinterWinter’s HeirWitch Song SeriesWitch SongWitch BornWitch RisingWitch Fall
Gods and Monsters Books 4 - 6
Quinn Blackbird - 2020
SyfonerValissa's death toll keeps climbing and her sanity unwinding.After she uncovers the true reason that Prince Poison keeps her like a caged bird, and she uncovers his terrible secret, Valissa faces the her greatest and deadliest challenge yet. Betray her closest friend, Ava, who is lost into the arms of a devil or stay by the Prince's side.Problem is, Valissa doesn't sacrifice herself for anyone, especially when escape comes in the tempting package of Damianos, her mysterious night-time visitor.Valissa is on her own, but that doesn't mean she won't tear everything down on her way to freedom.The Prince made a mistake in training her up to withstand his poison. Now, Valissa is stronger than ever ... as strong as a God.5. GodsStolen away by Phantom, Valissa finds herself tangled in a war older than herself. But with her powers climbing and cruelty rising, she starts to doubt her choice. Phantom offers her greatness but at a price, a price that carves into her a longing for her wretched Prince Poison.What can be worse than running from a malicious God?Running into the arms of another...6. MonstersValissa's power burns like a murderous fire within her, consuming her. Now a God, she must choose whether she will be cruel or fair. But what remains of her humanity is destroyed by a betrayal so cutting that Valissa kills a God close to her.What is worse than killing a God? Perhaps killing the wrong one...
Gilded Rose
Emma Hamm - 2019
The world is plagued by creatures called the Dread, and the monster who's captured me is their king. But no matter how hard I try to get away, there's no escaping him. Not when he's magically bound to turn me into one of his creatures. When I discover he wasn’t supposed to destroy cities—that he’s one of the Celestials meant to save humanity—I realize my only hope of survival is breaking his curse. The one that turned him into a beast. But as I uncover the truth to break his curse, I begin to wonder if I’ve lost myself in the process... Can I still escape him? Or has he taken my heart forever? Fans of Robin McKinley and Grimm will fall in love with this twisted fairytale retelling of Beauty and the Beast.