it is the facade that many of us peruse our lives carrying, often neglecting our pain, our mental health, and most importantly, the way we are more prone to hurting others when we lack this self-awareness. (w)holehearted seeks to encompass as many stories as possible, touching on several topics, namely, spirituality, feminism, colorism, domestic violence, intersectionality, mental health and more. it aims to depict that anyone with the darkest past and pitfalls can still save themselves from drowning in the difficulties that not only plague our world, but also plague our hearts.

    What he finds is Zayda Yond.Ever since Zayda was sold into bondage by her financially destitute father, her masters have taught her a punishing lesson: erase the past. Collared with an unmovable band of exotic metal, her future is that of a slave. She’s also become an ink mage, marked with a tattoo that enables her to experience the world as no one else can—a powerful honor, yet one out of her control. Now, Zayda dreams only of escape.She gets her chance when a scuttled ocean passage leaves her in a longboat, and in the company of another lone survivor, Peyne, a foreign envoy—spoiled, noble, a libertine, and a gambler. He’s also a skilled fighter. And when they make it to land, in wild and unfamiliar jungle territory, he’s the only person Zayda can trust.Then come rumors of a lost desert city said to hold the key to removing Zayda’s collar. Shadowed by enemies who want to use her power to win their own war, Zayda must fight for her freedom—whatever the cost. And Peyne will do anything to help her.

    Welcome to the Midwest, America's Heartland, home to a hidden community of witches and wizards. When Maria Apple receives a strange music box for her nineteenth birthday, everything changes. She begins to showcase odd magical abilities, glowing blue, seeing ghosts, and talking to creatures that shouldn't be able to talk, all while trying to juggle the task of being a typical teenaged girl. Now, not only does Maria learn she is a witch, but her grandfather Ignatius reveals he was once a famous warrior from a planet named Oriceran. Throw in a world in between the two worlds, a ghost bringing Maria an ominous warning, a race of giant spiders determined to claim the music box for their own, and Maria Apple realizes she'll never be a typical teenaged girl again. After all, it's just another day in the Midwest, where magic is real and the stakes never stop rising. Welcome to The Revelations of Oriceran. A magical world tied to Earth, and nothing like it.

    Kill them for their mana. Aliens are blown away by science.Daniel Thrush is the only known human with the ability to learn the magic which runs the various empires of the universe. Earth is in the crosshairs of the Tellask Empire, a race that discovered magic millennia before humanity even mastered fire.All known aliens focus on the arcane. Upon learning of magic, their technological progress all but halted as great voidships spread their colonies across the galaxy. For all of Earth’s military might, their only hope is to incorporate the alien’s magic into technology, to use the enemy’s own tools to fight them.The government is dead-set on transforming magic into a standard-issue weapon. That means finding monsters and harvesting their mana, usually after sticking them with a sword. Despite his better judgement, and the world on his shoulders, Daniel leaves Earth behind to bring them back a future.

    They can be read in any order with or without prior knowledge of The Foreworld Saga.There’s a bounty out for Prince William of Orange…and “alive” is not an option.The Dutch are trying to free themselves from the Spanish yoke, and the dynamic and charismatic revolutionary, William of Orange, is risking life and limb for the nation he so desperately loves. But when the Spanish monarch offers glory, titles, and twenty thousand crowns for the man who can silence William, the battle for the Netherlands becomes an assassin's game.Celebrated Welsh mercenary Roger Williams is ordered by the crown of England to protect the prince at all costs, and while the Welsh mercenary has many years of battlefield experience, the cat and mouse of political assassination is a much different fight. The enemy is faceless, its tactics are unknown, and there will be little or no warning before the attempt is made. Roger's skills are drawn from the legacy of the Shield-Brethren--the one true art of the sword--and he may be unprepared for the dawning of the age of the gun.A thrilling new tale set in the Renaissance Era of the Foreworld Saga, The Assassination of Orange is an exciting addition written by one of The Mongoliad authors, Joseph Brassey.

    When he found his old console from when he was a kid, he dusts it off and sets it up. He played his old games, but he had finished them all long ago. So, what does he do? He takes a trip to the local game shop to browse the used titles. Browsing the old cartridges, he finds one that he never heard of: Dark Ages: The Death of Magic. When a store attendant tells him that game is rumored to never have been beaten, he had to have it. Occupying all his free time he finally beats the unbeatable game. What happens next, he never would have guessed. He is introduced to the System. Something that has always existed but not everyone knew about. Join Dean as he is introduced to the seedy underbelly of a world where the myths of magic from the past read like history. Joined by his childhood friend, he must survive in a world of magic hidden from everyone. A world that has remained secret through the blood of those who have discovered it. And to top it all off, he discovers that his childhood friend—his best friend—isn’t even human.

    But instead of waking up in the afterlife, Favian finds himself reincarnated into a fantasy world where magic is real, monsters exist, and a bloodthirsty secret organization will stop at nothing to hunt him down.Struggling to survive in a bizarre world beyond his wildest dreams, Favian must master the unique World of Exile game system to rise through the ranks of this land and embrace his destiny. But at his heart lies a secret power – one that will get him killed if anybody discovers it…Can Favian find a new place for himself on the continent of Ortu Solis? Or will he face death a second time?Dive into the gripping debut novel in an epic sword & sorcery saga with this page-turning LitRPG adventure. Perfect for fans of Warlock of the Magus World, Age of Adepts, and The Wizard World, you won’t want to miss The Mage of Shadows. Grab your copy now!

    That, however, was not meant to be. A single choice changed his fate, and his soul was forced to live again as a dungeon. Reborn but shackled to the heart of a mountain, this old soul has lost everything—and more.In a world of gods and demons, there is no room for a weak newborn dungeon. Now with a new name, Smit and his creations will have to carve out their own place. The path may be long and dangerous, but with a soul hardier than stone and a will stronger than iron, will he be able to forge his own destiny?

    One second, clothes. Next second—boom—naked.And from the moment that my unlikely—and ultimately unpredictable—gift of invisibility showed itself, everything changed. Whether it was for the better, I still can’t say.First, the men in black came to whisk me away to the Secret Academy, a special college for magic folk hidden in plain sight amid the plains of rural Georgia. Then, I meet my new classmates. They, of course, had all been brought up in the magical world, while I never even knew it existed. Now, with an overly friendly roommate and two hot-and-cold, very esoteric suitors, I can’t help but wonder if I’m the only one around this place who is actually being myself. In fact, my only true ally might be the captive white tiger that has decided to make me her pet.Turns out the Secret Academy isn't just hiding itself from humans. It’s hiding more sinister mysteries within these ancient crumbling walls. And, the more I discover, the more I’m starting to realize that I might be at the heart of these deadly secrets… Who can I trust when I don’t even know whether I can trust myself?

    Combing through the oft-forgotten enclaves of the Holy City, Macy and Buxton bring readers face to face with a group of orphans who haunt a College of Charleston dorm, a Citadel cadet who haunts a local hotel and the specter of William Drayton at Drayton Hall Plantation, to name just a few. Based on historic events and specific details that are often lost in most ghost stories, this collection of haunting tales sparks curiosity about what figure might still be lurking in the alleyways of Charleston's storied streets.

    His acceptance letter in hand, Jiyong is sure nothing will stand in the way of his dreams.When a street brawl lands him in a coma only weeks into the year, his chances of graduating are all but shot. With an unlikely digital companion, he’ll have to rebuild his magic core and catch up on all his classes, or risk being dropped from the academy at the end of the year.But kingdom life is not like the outer-cities, and kingdom kids are far more ruthless about who they’ll allow to climb to the top. Jiyong will have to train hard and fight for every score to make it in this wealthy academy for powerful families, all while supporting his own from afar.From J.D. Astra, author of Viridian Gate Online: Firebrand, comes a brand-new Cultivation Academy series, bursting at the seams with nanites, martial arts, and LitRPG goodness.

    To prevent herself from reaching the same demise as her ancestors, Keira Quinn pretends to be a werewolf. That is until she barely survives a brutal ambush.With a thirst for blood and short temper, she molds herself into a ruthless assassin. Nothing will stop her from getting revenge. She’ll hunt down the ones who attacked her and kill them one by one. After all, what better way to assassinate someone than to impersonate the one they trust most?

    This panoramic novel skilfully interweaves past and present, fact and fiction, exploring the enigma of reincarnation through the ages.Set in the village of Mayfield in Sussex, To Sleep No More opens in the tumultuous reign of Edward III when monarch and Church struggled for supremacy and ambitious noblemen aimed to better themselves by marrying their daughters well. Oriel accepts the Archbishop's half-witted brother Colin de Stratford to please her father but soon falls in love with the dashing Gascon squire, Marcus de Flaviel. A strange and touching friendship develops between the three but, when Oriel becomes pregnant, suspicions are aroused and Marcus disappears without trace.But their souls cannot rest and the story follows them through the times of witchcraft persecution under James I to the troubled Georgian period when highwaymen and smugglers held sway.

    On their travels, Edward works to overcome the challenge of reintegrating with his siblings and parents. They try to work together in search of a brighter future, all feel the strain of losing their home and livelihood. Edward is not the same boy as when he left home and must balance his hard-fought independence with his role as brother and son.Despite optimism for the future and escaping the destruction of Azalon, a dark threat looms over the family’s hope of rebuilding. Edward’s skills continue to progress, but will it be enough to protect the family’s fragile beginnings? Overcoming his own fears and personal demons is the biggest challenge Edward must face as he chooses a future with his family, or one of an adventurer.

    Correk is recovering on Oriceran and no one seems to be in the mood for Christmas. But with the help of the regulars… and an unexpected artifact… plus a certain troll, donuts and Hagan, plus the magical community from the Jackalope this just might be a very Merry Christmas after all. ​ Merry Christmas everyone! Welcome to the Magical World of Oriceran. Because Magic is Real.