Book picks similar to
The Hound of Hell by Rory D. Nelson


fantasy
urban-fantasy
gave-up-on
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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.

The Dragon Wakes


Sarah Dalton - 2016
    Powerful brothers at war. An orphan girl sold as a bride. Long ago, the Kingdom of Estala was a place of dragons and sorcerers. Those with magical powers were more than human, they were Menti. But now Menti sorcery is outlawed by the capricious king, and those who wield it are hunted down by the fanatical Order of Insight to be made into slaves, or worse, executed. Two young heroes find themselves unwillingly thrown into the centre of these uncertain times. Prince Luca, King Davead’s second son, has always been the sickliest of the royal children, but in a shocking turn of events, Luca finds himself at the heart of a magical power so great it may consume him forever. If he fails to control those powers, he could be put to death by his own father. Reva Avalon grew up believing she would marry her childhood friend, Prince Luca. But after she is orphaned in the Menti uprising, the King of Estala sells her to his most feared general instead. Young and frightened, but still strong-willed, Reva must survive a harsh new life away from the palace. And in the realm rebellion looms, as do the return of the mighty dragon shifters. Some long for the return of the dragons… others fear it will be the end of the world as it is known.

A Shaper's Promise


Karen MacRae - 2018
    They might be Musicians or Artists, gifted with the Elements, like Stone, Light or Air, learn a language in minutes or have Speed, Strength or a million other possibilities. They’re not mutants. They’re not aliens. They’re just extraordinarily talented.One of the rarest gifts is Reading the auras that surround every living thing: understanding the patterns of light that reveal a person’s thoughts and feelings, their very being. The rarest gift of all, though, is the ability to not just Read an aura but manipulate it, control it or even destroy it… to Shape it. It’s no wonder ancient lawmakers decreed Aura Shapers be wiped out or that Shaping is still punishable by death.A Shaper’s Promise begins with Anna. She’s just eighteen and possibly the first Aura Shaper born in The Kingdom in centuries. Her Healer mother's always warned her to never let anyone know what she is, but she's determined to head to Ionantis to try to join the Quorum of Gifted. Fate seems to think she should follow a different path and she soon finds herself embroiled in events beyond her wildest dreams. For there is evil heading towards The Kingdom and Anna's gift might be the only weapon that can save them."An entertaining and exciting tale from a convincing and attractive fantasy world”“The finale is crashingly epic. I read it at the speed of sound. People! This is an excellent read!”“Absolutely loved this book. Cost me some sleepless nights cause I couldn’t drag myself away from it!""The whole concept of this magical world is enchanting. Would thoroughly recommend and can’t wait for the next instalment!!”“The first in a trilogy, that draws you in to a wonderful world of fantasy. Great characters, well thought through plot, page turning.”The Aura Shaper Series is dedicated to the author's friend, Ann Clark, who passed away much too early after a lifetime dedicated to healing others.Please note that Karen MacRae is a British author who writes in British English.

The Lunar Effect


C.J. Pinard - 2018
    Thankful for the help of her two older brothers, Ayla St. John learns to accept the wolf inside of her. Then she meets Ryder, the swoon-worthy high school football star who is impossible to resist. Despite being thrust into a supernatural world she didn’t know existed, she maintains her resolve to go to college and try to keep up a normal life, in spite of her monthly full moon disruption. As she begins to accept and thrive in her new life, a devastating tragedy rocks Ayla and her family. Now too restless and distraught to finish college, she moves into the big city of Denver to try to figure out how she’s going to go on after her shattering heartbreak. She decides seeking revenge is a good way to spend her time, until she finds herself on the wrong end of a vampire’s fangs. The psychic visions that begin to plague her after her attack are crippling. Her quest for vengeance has just doubled. As she hunts for two vampires, she meets Kellan, an infuriatingly sexy vampire himself—a natural enemy she is supposed to hate—and feels an instant pull to him. And he’s not going away anytime soon. He wants Ayla, but she’s got no time for the silly vampire, no matter how drawn she feels to him. She’s also still got Ryder wanting to build a life with her. Once Kellan finds out she’s become a hunter, will he still continue to pursue her? The Lunar Effect is book one in The Ayla St. John Chronicles, and is a paranormal romance for readers 18 and older.

Wilde's Fire


Krystal Wade - 2012
    When she inadvertently leads her sister and best friend through a portal into a world she's dreamed of for six years, she finds herself faced with more than just the frightening creatures in front of her. Kate's forced to accept a new truth: her entire life has been a lie, and those closest to her have betrayed her. What's worse, she has no control over her new future, and it's full of magic and horrors from which nightmares are made. Will Kate discover and learn to control who she really is in time to save the ones she loves, or will all be lost?

Witch Hunt


S.M. Reine - 2014
    Yeah, maybe he brought the waitress home for some fun — he was too drunk to remember it — but he knows for a fact that he didn’t kill her. He’s an agent with the Office of Preternatural Affairs. He doesn’t hurt people. He saves them.The cops disagree. Now Cèsar is running.The search for a shaman.Isobel Stonecrow speaks with the dead…for the right price. She brings closure to the bereaved and heals broken hearts. But when she resurrects someone for the wrong client, she ends up on the OPA’s most wanted list.One risky solution.Tracking down Isobel is the last case assigned to Cèsar before he bolts. If he finds her, he can prove that he didn’t kill that waitress. He can clear his name, get his job back, and bring justice to the victim.She’s just one witch. Cèsar has bagged a dozen witches before.How hard can one more be?

The Temptation of Dragons


Chrys Cymri - 2016
    ‘Holy water doesn’t harm vampires. Which is just as well, as it would make it impossible to baptise them.’ When I was asked by a dragon to give him the last rites, I never dreamed it would lead to negotiating with his cannibalistic family or running from snail sharks. Life as the priest of a small English village is quite tame in comparision. At least I have Morey, a gryphon with sarcasm management issues, to help me. And if all else fails, there’s always red wine and single malt whisky. As if my life weren’t complicated enough, a darkly beautiful dragon named Raven keeps appearing where I least expect him, I’ve met a handsome police inspector who loves science fiction as much as I do, and my younger brother is getting into trouble for trying to pick up vampires. That’s what happens when you’re dealing with an incredible and dangerous parallel world full of mythical creatures. And I have to learn to navigate it all without losing myself, or my brother…

The Witch Born to Ignite


Tanya Milne - 2019
    A growing evil. To save her family, she'll have to embrace her magical destiny…Seventeen-year-old Eva hopes she can find a normal life at her new school. But when a mysterious book reveals she and her brother are powerful witches with an ill-fated destiny, she's angry at her parents and terrified for her future. And the one boy who seems able to comfort her may be the last person she can trust.With the tyrant mayor going to extreme lengths to crack down on witchcraft, Eva is forbidden to practice magic. But when his evil spreads into her family, Eva may have no choice but to unleash her powers laced with darkness.Can Eva protect her loved ones without sacrificing herself?The Witch Born to Ignite is the first book in the spellbinding Inferno YA witch fantasy series. If you like forbidden magic, simmering chemistry, and page-turning paranormals, then you'll love Tanya Milne's compelling supernatural tale.

Voodoo Academy


Theophilus Monroe - 2020
    This girl, however, came with strange abilities bestowed upon her in the after life. When Kalfu, an evil Loa, discovers Annabelle he hopes to use her abilities to his advantage—to escape the spiritual realm and take a corporeal form. When Ogoun, the Loa of War, intervenes he recruits Annabelle to join him as a student at the Voodoo Academy. Will Annabelle master the arts, and fend off Kalfu’s spiritual assaults? Or, is she ultimately a puppet in a battle between Voodoo demigods? Voodoo Academy is the first book in the Gates of Eden: The Voodoo Legacy series. Theophilus Monroe’s Annabelle Mulledy is a snarky badass heroine with attitude. Monroe draws on the legend and myth of Voodoo lore in a way that neither caricatures the arts as “demonic” nor glosses over the dark side of the Voodoo tradition. With dark magic, dragons, vampires, and a slow burn academy romance the Gates of Eden: The Voodoo Legacy series has something for everybody.

Demon Child


Kat Cotton - 2017
    Get in, use my sex thrall to dust pesky incubi and get paid the big bucks. A girl’s gotta do what a girl's gotta do.Now there’s a Demon Child on a feeding rampage. I’ll get all the kudos if I kill him but no one’s fronting up with the cash -- and you can't eat kudos. Then the most infuriating vampire I’ve ever met wants to hire me. By the way, working for a vampire is strictly taboo.So, how do I kill this one? Can’t use my sex thrall when he looks like a kid, silver doesn’t hurt him and stakes don’t work either. This time, I have to rely on my wits, my skills and, worst of all, teamwork! We might all be doomed.If you like snarky vampires, snappy dialogue, and hot-blooded team dynamics, then you’ll love this fiendishly fun adventure.

Vivatera


Candace J. Thomas - 2010
    Haunted spirits once touched by elemental magic are now tethered restlessly to the world. Their salvation lies dormant within a simple girl, kept away from the powers controlling the kingdom, a girl named Naomi. The only one who knows her secret is the mysterious rogue, Reynolds; and their instant attraction weaves deeper than either expect. Reynolds recognizes the magical connection and must act quickly before unraveling everything he has tried to keep hidden--and safe."

Four Times Broken


Peiri Ann - 2014
    Everything is working out in her favor. Life has finally started to normal out, until... a car accident sends her plans spiraling out of her control.Her pedestrian reality crashes around her after an innocuous encounter with a diabolically handsome stranger. Nathan Newcomb has her head and her world altering minute by minute. Soon, she discovers the only cure for the uneasy feelings and abrasive pain is Nathan himself. A man whose very existence balances between violent chaos and rigidly controlled dangers.Nathan knows the life of a woman mated to a Burdened Sephlem is destined for peril beyond a human’s reckoning, that he’ll be required to literally hand over his heart to her. But Tracey calls to his desire to experience love in spite of the hazards. And Nathan’s impossibly potent magnetism draws Tracey into a bonding that will put her in mortal danger again and again.Once the pair becomes one, the threat escalates and nowhere is safe. There are enemies that lurk behind every corner. But the greatest danger may be in the bloodlines that course through Nathan’s veins.Can their love survive or will their burdened souls surrender and fade away?

Reveal


Brina Courtney - 2011
    Well except that my dad went missing when I was six. But my mom makes it work. And I have annoying brother. See, normal?So why does my life feel like a train wreck waiting to happen... oh yeah because now Jeremy is also missing.Fate intervenes when Hugh, with his stunning golden eyes and similar dark hair, starts taking an interest in me. He divulges that he also shares my little "gift" of seeing the dead. Should I be freaked out? Yes. But am I? Okay, but only a little bit.Senior year is hard enough as it is, but clearly I like a challenge.Other books in this series:Capture (Cryptid Chronicles 2) AVAILABLE NOWSettle (Cryptid Chronicles 3) AVAILABLE NOW

The Curse Merchant


J.P. Sloan - 2012
    He keeps his magic clean and free of soul-corrupting Netherwork, thus avoiding both the karmic blow-back of his practice and the notice of the Presidium, a powerful cabal of practitioners that polices the esoteric arts in America. However, when an unscrupulous Netherworker interferes with both his business and his personal life, Dorian's disarming charisma and hermetic savvy may not be enough to keep his soul out of jeopardy.His rival, a soul monger named Neil Osterhaus, wouldn't be such a problem were it not for Carmen, Dorian's captivating ex-lover. After two years' absence Carmen arrives at Dorian’s doorstep with a problem: she sold her soul to Osterhaus, and has only two weeks to buy it back. Hoping to win back Carmen's affections, Dorian must find a replacement soul without tainting his own. As Dorian descends into the shadows of Baltimore’s underworld, he must decide how low he is willing to stoop in order to save Carmen from eternal damnation... with the Presidium watching, waiting for him to cross the line.

The Beauty in Darkness: A Vampire Story


Leah Reise - 2016
    She awakens in her San Francisco studio as a bloodthirsty vampire with no memory of her death. Terrified of hurting innocent people, she nearly puts an end to her new existence; that is before she realizes there might be people the world can do without.Now immortal, Edrea finds she's caught in the middle of a war between two ancient vampire clans, the Decret and the Shevet, and she has no idea who to trust. Then the frightful memory of her death returns, and she will ultimately have to choose between her humanity and cold-hearted murder. Her struggles only get harder when she must also leave her past life behind her in order to protect her family.Little does she know, her estranged, mortal sister Rena is on a dangerous quest in search of Edrea, whom is believed is merely "missing." While Rena struggles with insecurity and guilt, her obsession with finding Edrea comes between her and her own future, and especially the man she loves. Rena just can't let go of the feeling that Edrea is alive somewhere, and she isn't about to give up.As they follow their individual roads through life and the un-death, Edrea and Rena learn not only that their sisterly bond is stronger than they thought, but also that their family shares a dark secret that connects both of them to a mysterious quantum world.Amidst the chaos and adventure, the story will intrigue you with a scientific and philosophical theme that will keep you wondering until the end ... and maybe even after that.