Book picks similar to
Shardai by Sandra Cox


fantasy
first-reads
fiction
feel-good-books

Song of the Forever Rains


E.J. Mellow - 2021
    Many whisper of its existence, but few have found this place, where magic and pleasure abound. There, the mysterious Thief King reigns supreme with the help of the Mousai, a trio of revered and feared sorceresses.Larkyra Bassette may be the youngest of the Mousai, but when she sings her voice has the power to slay monsters. When it’s discovered the Duke of Lachlan is siphoning a poisonous drug from the Thief Kingdom and using it to abuse his tenants, Larkyra is offered her first solo mission to stop the duke. Eager to prove herself, Larkyra accepts by posing as the duke’s potential bride. But her plans grow complicated when she finds herself drawn to Lord Darius Mekenna, Lachlan’s rightful heir. Soon she suspects Darius has his own motivations for ridding Lachlan of the corrupt duke. Larkyra and Darius must learn to trust each other if there is to be any hope of saving the people of Lachlan—and themselves.Welcome to the world of Aadilor, where lords and ladies can be murderers and thieves, and the most alluring notes are often the deadliest. Dare to listen?

City of Masks


Ashley Capes - 2014
    Yet the sentient bone mask, powerful enough to Compel those around her, will not speak, and Sofia, the first female Protector in a hundred years, is left defenceless.Hunted by the king, she is driven from the palace and must fight for survival, alone in the cold streets of Anaskar. There, she crosses paths with Notch, a bitter mercenary with problems of his own. Accused of murder, Notch is trying to clear his name while hunted by the city's robed assassins, the very people who are now searching for Sofia.To take back their city and cast down the tyrant on the throne, Sofia and Notch must face the blades of Anaskar's assassins, the rage of a mighty sea beast, and the mysterious Lupo, a man with a Greatmask of his own, who has masterminded vicious terrorist attacks on the city that spurned him.Their struggle threatens to tear the city – and the kingdom - into shreds.

Keeper of the Eye


Mark Shane - 2016
    Then she learns she's fighting for the wrong side. Fleeing for her life, she seeks out Max, the one wizard who can help save her people. Michael is a simple carpenter. While other eighteen-year-olds seek adventure, he loves his quiet life. Then nightstalkers attack and everything turns to chaos. With the world on the brink of Armageddon, a mystical gem known as the Eye calls on Michael to wield its great magic, but its power is useless if he can’t learn to embrace the magic within himself. Thrown into a war of wizards and warlocks, demons and dragons, Michael and Falon follow Max on a daring mission to save the world. Racing headlong toward the fight of their life, Michael must wield powers he barely understands while Falon must embrace skills she abhors and Max must become the wizard he failed to be in the past.

Nosferatu


Peter Cawdron - 2017
    Lurking in the shadows, and remaining in the background, they have preyed on humanity for thousands of years. Bram Stoker came close, revealing the presence of Dracula, but even he misunderstood the true nature of the vampire.

Zombie Evolution


Edmond Geanta - 2020
    He is an Icelandic ex special forces. And then there is Eve—their 5-year-old. When Gabi is infected by a zombie, devastated and heartbroken Rey does the impossible to save her. Only she turns into something else—the next step in human evolution. A new female superhero emerges from the ashes of a post-apocalyptic America. While the new Gabi is hunted by the US military hoping to develop a cure from her DNA, Eve is the one holding the key to the unique bloodline.

Start


Odette C. Bell - 2014
    So imagine her surprise when she is detailed for a mission to the dark and mysterious planet Remus 12. Strange things are afoot on Remus 12, a dust-bowl which according to legend bursts to life once every five thousand years – with deadly consequences for the galaxy. So join Nida as she deals, using all her accustomed style and flair, with the presence of a strange and uninvited guest in her own head, a commander who is convinced she’s the Coalition’s worst recruit in one thousand years, and an uncomfortably handsome Lieutenant Carson Blake.

Dungeon of Chance: Even Odds


Jonathan Brooks - 2020
    This was the way it had always been and Clay Shuntwise was perfectly fine with that. Running deliveries for his family’s shop in the sleepy town of Renton, the young teenager barely even thought about Heroes and their role in keeping the world safe.That was, at least, until the world came crashing down on him.Reborn into the brand-new and unfamiliar form of a Dungeon Core, Clay struggles through learning more about Heroes and the dungeons they delve through to get stronger. According to the guide that was trying to help him understand his new life, however, because he was a former Hero, Clay should already know most of what he needed to succeed; all of the finer parts regarding the relationship between Heroes and dungeons, including information about probabilities and drop rates, should be common knowledge.The problem? Despite wishing that he had been that lucky in his past life, Clay had never been a Hero…but now he might be forced to become one, though not quite in the way he ever expected.This book contains Dungeon Core, LitRPG, and GameLit elements including dungeon construction and defense, monster summoning, character progression, and a game-like interface. In addition, many of the probabilities the world is based upon are similar to Gacha-type mechanics. Contains no profanity, harems, or explicit sexual content.

Rebirth


Gayle Parness - 2011
    She’s too strong, too fast and her senses are way too acute. Not knowing her real parents and passed around from family to family, she’s never fit into the mundane world she’s grown up in, making it impossible for her to put down real roots or form permanent friendships.So waking up in the forest in the middle of the night covered in blood and having no memory of how she got there, pisses her off and makes her even more confused. Who is this guy who’s kidnapped her and tells her that she is more than human and needs to be trained? And who’s the hot guy in the room next door who she’s supposed to train with? And why has Garrett, a compellingly seductive vampire, been her silent guardian for the last few years, saving her life when she was brutally attacked by thugs?As the days pass and Jackie is confronted with the strange truth of who and what she is, she begins to put the pieces of her splintered life back together to feel whole for the very first time. Becoming acquainted with a world spinning with a mysterious energy and populated by shapeshifters,vampires, weres, and even the powerful fae, Jackie learns to pull strength from the magic, her new friendships and even love.

Gloria


Bentley Little - 2021
    Gloria's mom is... different. She's younger than when she died, dressed in clothes from the 1980s. And nobody else in Gloria's family seems to recognize her.As Gloria tries to figure out the reason for her mother's reappearance ― and the odd behaviors the woman begins to exhibit ― other bizarre events occur. The changes to Gloria's world are small and subtle, at first... then they become much more startling.The freaky situation might just be connected to a mysterious shed in a small California town. The strangers who gather around the shed seem to know Gloria's name... and maybe they aren't strangers after all.With Gloria, Bentley Little presents one of his most complex and compelling novels ― one that is certain to surprise readers on every page.

Scavenger Girl: Season of Atchem


Jennifer Arntson - 2017
    There is no question that her family's bond is strong, but the law of the Authority is stronger...and soon it will come to collect her. After all, the family is on borrowed time already.When a night of torment and truth reveals well kept secrets, Una takes new freedoms - free from the Authority, her family, and possibly her fate. Pulled between the life she's always known and a world where status and rituals are everything, Una struggles to understand a culture that has rejected all she holds dear. As Atchem comes to an end and she learns who she really is, will Una find the courage to do what it takes to ensure her family's survival, or will she find the faith to follow her heart?

Happy Doomsday


David Sosnowski - 2018
    One minute, people are going about their lives, and the next—not. In the wake of the inexplicable purge, only a handful of young misfits remains.When it all went down, “Wizard of Odd” Dev Brinkman was seeking shelter from the taunts of his classmates. Goth girl Lucy Abernathy had lost her best friend and had no clue where to turn. And Twinkie-loving quarterback “Marcus” Haddad was learning why you never discuss politics and religion in polite company—or online.As if life when you’re sixteen isn’t confusing enough, throw in the challenges of postapocalyptic subsistence, a case of survivor’s guilt turned up to seven billion, and the small task of rebuilding humankind…No one said doomsday would be a breeze. But for Dev, Lucy, and Marcus, the greatest hope—and greatest threat—will come when they find each other.

H-17 The Morningstar Abduction


Jake Vickers - 2017
    The class of child genius Gabby Morningstar is interrupted by the news that her parents have been murdered. The detective assigned to the homicide then abducts her. Before Gabby can piece together her situation, she's sold to a mysterious group of individuals lurking off of an unmarked highway exit. Gabby's feral runaway sister, Nikki, will stop at nothing to find her.

Ravensblood


Shawna Reppert - 2013
    Raven. The last heir of an ancient family of dark mages, he holds the secret to recreating the Ravensblood, a legendary magical artifact of immense power.Cassandra Greensdowne is a Guardian. Magical law enforcement for the elected council — and Raven’s former apprentice and lover. She is trying to live down her past. And then her past comes to the door, asking for her help.As a youth, Raven wanted to be a Guardian but was rejected because of his ancestry. In his pride and his anger, he had turned to William, the darkest and most powerful mage of their time. William wants a return to the old ways, where the most powerful mage was ruler absolute. But William would not be a True King from the fairy tales. He would reign in blood and terror and darkest magic.Raven discovers that he does have a conscience. It’s rather inconvenient.He becomes a spy for the council that William wants to overthrow, with Cassandra as his contact.Cass and Raven have a plan to trap William outside his warded sanctuary. But William is one step ahead of the game, with Raven’s life, his soul, and the Ravensblood all in danger.

Home


Brian Declan - 2017
     Frederick Lockland has been one of the most powerful empath for the better part of a century. In service to the King he has ended bloody wars, hunted rogue empaths and defended the realm from most horrifying beasts in existence. Nothing seems impossible for the legendary hero but when an eight-year-old boy becomes his ward he may have found a challenge he cannot handle. Before he was able to walk Falcon learned the bitter taste of pain and loss but pain comes in many flavors and there is always more to lose. In a world where strong emotions can give someone unbelievable power or destroy them from the inside out, Falcon must master his pain before it tears him apart.

Demons of Time: Race to the 7th Sunset


Varun Sayal - 2019
    He has only seven days and a single chance to exact his vengeance. Time Travel meets Demonic Possession in this mythology inspired sci-fi thriller. 3077 BC. Ancient India. As a young child, Tej saw his mother endure brutal torture by Kumbh, a nefarious time-demon, until she was rescued by Rigu, a well-known sage. Twenty years later, Tej's scars have healed, but the fire of revenge burns inside him, unabated. When Rigu reveals that Kumbh has escaped from his time-prison and plans to decimate human life on a global scale, Tej knows that he needs to act. To stop Kumbh, Tej must travel five thousand years into the future to the year 2024 AD and re-capture the demon. He races against time as he has only seven days, after which Kumbh will become invincible. The clock is ticking.