Book picks similar to
The Varcolac's Diary by D.C. McGannon


fantasy
young-adult
middle-grade
paranormal

Plain Kate


Erin Bow - 2010
    As the wood-carver's daughter, Kate held a carving knife before a spoon, and her wooden charms are so fine that some even call her "witch-blade" -- a dangerous nickname in a town where witches are hunted and burned in the square.

Coven of Secrets


C.J. Beaumont - 2020
    A missing sister. A grisly murder. Once touched by darkness, always tainted. Roxanne Cole swore off magic for a reason. But now her little sister Kathryn has gone missing, and the only person willing to help is her pretty-boy nemesis, Ray Hammond. Roxy’s not sure she can trust him, but with nowhere else to turn, she’s forced into an uneasy alliance.When the coven's high priestess also goes missing, it seems her sister’s disappearance is just a small piece of a much bigger puzzle. And the more she works with Ray, the more she realizes he’s just another temptation that could add to the ever-increasing magical missing persons count. As bodies start dropping and the death toll rises, it becomes clear someone is declaring war on the Bayshore Witches. Now, if Roxy wants her little sister back, she’ll have to decide what, and who, she's willing to sacrifice. If you liked Practical Magic by Alice Hoffman or Laurell K. Hamilton's Anita Blake and Merry Gentry series, you'll love C. J. Beaumont's up-and-coming supernatural thriller, the Bayshore Witch Legacy series. One-click today to join Roxy in her chilling quest to save the only family she has left.Note: This is book one of a slow burn paranormal romance series that must be read in order to make sense.

The Soul's Mark Series Boxed Set


Ashley Stoyanoff - 2014
    After searching for his soulmate for nearly a century, and now that Amelia's here, Mitchell's not letting her go. As their newly formed soul's bond wreaks havoc with their emotions, Amelia unlocks her painful past, uncovering a powerful secret. Caught in the middle of a deadly game of revenge, she quickly learns YOU CANNOT RUN FROM DESTINY. Waking Dreams: Eric had a history, a life before Amelia Caldwell arrived on the scene. Yet there was something familiar about her, an attraction that was destined not to be fulfilled because she was marked for his father. One day he was a simple rancher, the next in a world beyond his wildest imagination--dreaming of a girl he knew he couldn't live without. The Soul's Mark: HUNTED: After a shaky start, Amelia and Mitchell are finally getting along. But the tranquillity is short-lived when an unexpected reunion with Mitchell's ex-girlfriend and Eric's mysterious dreams adds tension to their new life and threatens their blissful home. Danger becomes inevitable when vampires and humans turn up dead, and the killer is heading straight for their front door! The Soul's Mark: BROKEN: Willowberg doesn't take kindly to unexpected guests; the vampire hunters are no exception. When turmoil breaks out between the vampires and humans, Amelia must fight not only for her and her family's freedom, but also for the town's humans. Forced to face a fate decided by a power much closer to her than she ever imagined, will she find the strength to mend what has been broken? The Soul's Mark: CHANGED: Amelia and Mitchell have a predicament on their hands--Amelia is now a vampire, and Mitchell is a human with a very bad cold. All hell breaks loose when they encounter an unexpected resistance and an unexplained deadline from the spirits. Amelia soon realizes this is a fight she can't win alone and in order to save Mitchell, he needs to change--again--but will he survive?

The Problem with Black Magic


Karen Mead - 2012
    Sam, a mysterious co-worker at The Daily Grind, seems to have taken an instant dislike to her, but for Cassie, the looming specter of the SAT Verbal section is a much bigger concern.After a freak accident nearly leaves Cassie and her co-workers dead, a spell cast in desperation transforms her from a regular teen to a valuable familiar: a magical well a demon can tap. As if she didn't have enough problems, now every demon (and their monstrous minions) seems to be after Cassie's latent magic, and will stop at nothing to possess her.Blending a hint of gothic romance with wry humor, The Problem With Black Magic is a tale of one young woman's struggle for independence in a brand new world of sorcery, intrigue, and wonder.

Professor Gargoyle


Charles Gilman - 2012
    Display them on bookshelves—and then watch the cover characters morph into monsters as you pass by!Strange things are happening at Lovecraft Middle School. Rats are leaping from lockers. Students are disappearing. The school library is a labyrinth of secret corridors. And the science teacher is acting very, very peculiar. Robert Arthurt knew that seventh grade was going to be weird, but this is ridiculous!With the help of some unlikely new friends, Robert discovers there's more to Lovecraft Middle School than meets the eye. Can he uncover the secrets of the school before it's too late?

The Thief of Always


Clive Barker - 1992
    The Thief of Always tells the haunting story of Harvey, a bright 10-year-old who is suffering from the winter doldrums, and of a creature who takes him to a place where every day is filled with fun, and Christmas comes every night. Illustrated.

The Liftsal Guardians


Alexandra Moody - 2016
    A prince with a heart of ice. A darkness lurking in the shadows, so evil it may destroy them all. Eighteen-year-old Sloane has spent years training to be lethal. She can cut a man down as easily with her bare hands as she can with a sword. But when her brother goes missing on the green planet, Aeris, she will need more than her skills with a blade to save him. Sneaking aboard the rescue mission may be easy for her, but the woods of Aeris aren’t as empty as her people first assumed. Sloane is about to meet her match, and he’s not exactly human… Kidnapped and dragged to a mysterious frozen world, Sloane must gain her captor’s trust if she wants to escape. The only problem is: she didn’t plan to care for the strange people who live there. She didn’t expect the smoldering attraction she feels for the man who keeps her prisoner in the snow. And she never imagined the dark creatures that haunt the foreign world could hold the answers she is looking for.

Facing the Sun


Carol Beth Anderson - 2018
    At age fourteen, her magic awakens, but her uncontrolled power nearly destroys her school, leaving her confidence as shaken as her surroundings. Tavi and her friends train to use their gifts, unaware of the threat developing in a distant city. Dissidents have banded together, and they’re killing to attain gray magic, an ominous new force that breaks the rules of ordinary magic. But to seize true power, the Grays must grow their ranks—and Tavi is a prize worth pursuing. In a fight where confidence is as crucial as strength, even extraordinary gifts aren’t sufficient. If Tavi is to prevail against the Grays, she must find a courage that goes deeper than magic itself. Here’s what early readers are saying: “Facing the Sun kept me hooked from the beginning to the end. I fell in love with the characters (especially Tavi and Tullen). It was clear to me that the author was a masterful storyteller.” -Sarah Lentz “The Sun-Blessed Trilogy was one of the most exciting, breathtaking, and heart-stopping series I’ve ever read! Readers of all ages will enjoy this wonderful series.” -Madysun Waldrop “Face it! You won’t be able to put these books down. Order them as a trilogy. You’ll want the next one at your fingertips when you finish the first one.” -Brenda Elliott “Facing the Sun introduced me to wonderfully complex characters. Anderson creates characters you want to know and a world you might even want to live in!” -Kim Decker “I thoroughly enjoyed the Sun-Blessed Trilogy. Following Tavi and her friends through their journey of growing up, getting stronger and wiser kept me on the edge of my seat. All along I was either rooting or crying for them. Made me wish I were born blessed too!” -DeDe Pollnow

Crystal Magic


Madeline Freeman - 2014
    Windows break. Books rocket across the room. Lights flicker. Strange occurrences follow the sixteen-year-old everywhere. When tragedy forces her to move to the small town of Clearwater, Michigan, with her estranged aunt Jodi, Kristyl tries to leave her past behind. But Clearwater has secrets of its own—a mystical history that intersects with Kristyl’s life and might shed light on the inexplicable events that plague her. When a mysterious illness threatens her aunt’s life, Kristyl will do anything to cure her. Enlisting the help of witches could save Jodi, but is dealing in magic worth the consequences?

Shade


Marilyn Peake - 2014
    Having a name like that while being the new girl in school is pretty much catnip for bullies. The summer before Shade’s junior year of high school, her mother breaks up with yet another boyfriend and moves them once again to a new town.This time, they move into a dilapidated old house where Shade has an entire attic bedroom to herself—at least until she discovers it’s haunted by the ghost of a teenaged boy named Brandon Yates. When Shade’s best friend goes missing, her life becomes even more complicated. With the help of Brandon who’s struggling with his own issues in the world beyond, Shade faces the question of whether or not she has what it takes to become a true hero.Although this novel deals with a number of serious issues—drug and alcohol abuse, cutting, and disturbing world events—it's primarily a novel about a teenaged girl finding out who she really is and that she's capable of so much more than she ever thought possible.SHADE is a YA Paranormal Mystery / YA Urban Fantasy novel.

Alignment


H.G. Suren - 2015
    A sunless and moonless sky is covered with an enormous barrier that prevents any view of the heavens.And silence, pervasive and absolute, reigns. Nothing stirs. The air is oppressive and there is no wind, not even the softest breeze.As far as the five friends can tell, there isn’t another living thing on earth other than them, neither animal nor plant. What happened to life on Earth while they slept? Are they all that's left, these five closest of friends? Is humanity really gone? Are they really still on Earth or have they been transported elsewhere -- another planet, heaven, hell, pawns in a sophisticated computer game? Is it all just their imagination?Aram believes they aren't dead. He believes if there is a way into the Silent World, then there must be a way out. He must convince his friends to stay focused and put up a worthy fight to find their way back to the reality they once knew. He can't give up, because somewhere out there, beyond their frightening new world, is a new-born son waiting for his Daddy's return.The debut novel from H.G. Suren, Alignment: The Silent City, is a novel comparable to The Mist by Stephan King and Pines by Blake Crouch.

Hex Vet: Witches in Training


Sam Davies - 2018
    They're the best veterinarian witches of all time—or at least they're trying to be. When an injured rabbit with strange eyes stumbles into their lives, Nan and Clarion have to put down their enchanted potions and face the biggest test of their magical, medical careers. Hex Vet: Witches in Training is an original graphic novel suitable for kids of all ages! From popular web cartoonist Sam Davies (Stutterhug), this book explores a truly spellbinding story about sticking together and helping animals at all costs. Perfect for fans of The Tea Dragon Society and Steven Universe!

The Billionaire's Curse


Richard Newsome - 2009
    But that was before he inherited twenty billion pounds, a Caribbean island, a yacht, and three estates from a great-aunt he never knew. With this fortune, however, comes a letter. One from his great-aunt Geraldine. One that tells Gerald that she was murdered, and that it's up to him to find out why.Along with his friends Ruby and Sam, Gerald embarks on a journey that will lead him from the British Museum to dodgy social clubs for the disgustingly rich to mansions in the English countryside to secret places far underground. Who was Geraldine Archer? And what secrets was she hiding? Unless Gerald, Sam, and Ruby can find out before the killer does, they may be next.

A Soul for Trouble


Crista McHugh - 2012
    When an insane stranger is murdered at the inn where she works, Trouble becomes the next Soulbearer for the disembodied god of chaos, Loku. Yes, it comes with the ability to channel the god’s limitless power, but at the cost of her sanity — literally. Now she has a sexy but cynical knight claiming to be her protector, a prince trying to seduce her to his cause (and his bed), and a snarky chaos god who offers a play-by-play commentary on it all, whether she wants to hear it or not. To make matters worse, a necromancer wants to capture the soul of Loku for his own dark purposes, and the only way he can get it is by killing her first.

Courtney Crumrin and the Night Things


Ted Naifeh - 2003
    Courtney's parents have dragged her out to a high-to-do suburb to live with her creepy Great Uncle Aloysius in his spooky old house. She's not only the new kid in school, but she also discovers strange things lurking under her bed.