Book picks similar to
Dragonsoul by Justin DePaoli


fantasy
dragons
series-completed
epic-fantasy

Sky in the Deep


Adrienne Young - 2018
    Her life is brutal but simple: fight and survive. Until the day she sees the impossible on the battlefield—her brother, fighting with the enemy—the brother she watched die five years ago.Faced with her brother's betrayal, she must survive the winter in the mountains with the Riki, in a village where every neighbor is an enemy, every battle scar possibly one she delivered. But when the Riki village is raided by a ruthless clan thought to be a legend, Eelyn is even more desperate to get back to her beloved family.She is given no choice but to trust Fiske, her brother’s friend, who sees her as a threat. They must do the impossible: unite the clans to fight together, or risk being slaughtered one by one. Driven by a love for her clan and her growing love for Fiske, Eelyn must confront her own definition of loyalty and family while daring to put her faith in the people she’s spent her life hating.Part Wonder Woman, part Vikings—and all heart.

The Finding


Jenna Elizabeth Johnson - 2009
    Humans have been extinct for centuries, trapped by a terrible curse and left to live out their existence in the form of dragons. Despite his doubts, however, Jaax assumes responsibility for the baby girl only to discover that what he has been seeking for so many years has finally been found... Jahrra knows all about the legends and sagas of Oescienne, but never in her wildest dreams would she believe that she played a part in one of them. She’s far too busy dodging the bullies at school and seeking out new adventures with her friends to worry about what secrets her dragon mentor might be keeping from her, or that her every move is being watched by something living in the forest surrounding her home.But the secrets run deep, and as Jahrra fights to earn her place in this extraordinary world, she will begin to unravel the truth of it all: that she isn’t as safe as she thought she was, that danger lurks around every corner, and that her role in this unfurling tale is far more significant than she could possibly imagine.

Dragon Killer


Rob May - 2013
    In a world fearfully waiting for the return of the dormant dragon god, a triumvirate of evil villains rises up to take advantage of the chaos. Reluctantly pitted against them is Kal Moonheart, an adventurer and gambler, marked for a life of danger at a young age. But Kal has friends to stand with her—honest thief Will Straightarrow, smuggler and pirate Lula Pearl, knight-errant Rafe Firehand, and wiley policitian Benedict Godsword. There will be blood. There will be a reckoning …In DRAGON KILLER, a mysterious threat puts Kal on a collision course with terrors she thought she had left buried in her past. Teaming up with a young guard captain, aspiring knight Rafe Firehand, she travels to a dragon-haunted island to hunt down a murderous beast. Once there, Kal soon discovers there are worse things in the world than dragons, and when an unexpected sequence of events leaves her in an impossible situation, she must summon every ounce of skill, cunning and strength in order to survive.

The Tethered Mage


Melissa Caruso - 2017
     Zaira has lived her life on the streets to avoid this fate, hiding her mage-mark and thieving to survive. But hers is a rare and dangerous magic, one that threatens the entire empire.Lady Amalia Cornaro was never meant to be a Falconer. Heiress and scholar, she was born into a treacherous world of political machinations. But fate has bound the heir and the mage. War looms on the horizon. A single spark could turn their city into a pyre.The Tethered Mage is the first novel in a spellbinding new fantasy series.

Here, There Be Dragons


James A. Owen - 2006
    "All the world, in ink and blood, vellum and parchment, leather and hide. It is the world, and it is yours to save or lose." An unusual murder brings together three strangers, John, Jack, and Charles, on a rainy night in London during the first World War. An eccentric little man called Bert tells them that they are now the caretakers of the Imaginarium Geographica -- an atlas of all the lands that have ever existed in myth and legend, fable and fairy tale. These lands, Bert claims, can be traveled to in his ship the Indigo Dragon, one of only seven vessels that is able to cross the Frontier between worlds into the Archipelago of Dreams.Pursued by strange and terrifying creatures, the companions flee London aboard the Dragonship. Traveling to the very realm of the imagination itself, they must learn to overcome their fears and trust in one another if they are to defeat the dark forces that threaten the destiny of two worlds.An extraordinary journey of myth, magic, and mystery, Here, There Be Dragons introduces James A. Owen as a formidable new talent.

Realm Breaker


Victoria Aveyard - 2021
    But she won’t be alone. Even as darkness falls, she is joined by a band of unlikely companions:A squire, forced to choose between home and honor.An immortal, avenging a broken promise.An assassin, exiled and bloodthirsty.An ancient sorceress, whose riddles hide an eerie foresight.A forger with a secret past.A bounty hunter with a score to settle.Together they stand against a vicious opponent, invincible and determined to burn all kingdoms to ash, and an army unlike anything the realm has ever witnessed.

King of Scars


Leigh Bardugo - 2019
    or feed them.The dashing young king, Nikolai Lantsov, has always had a gift for the impossible. No one knows what he endured in his country's bloody civil war--and he intends to keep it that way. Now, as enemies gather at his weakened borders, Nikolai must find a way to refill Ravka's coffers, forge new alliances, and stop a rising threat to the once-great Grisha Army.Yet with every day a dark magic within him grows stronger, threatening to destroy all he has built. With the help of a young monk and a legendary Grisha general, Nikolai will journey to the places in Ravka where the deepest magic survives to vanquish the terrible legacy inside him. He will risk everything to save his country and himself. But some secrets aren't meant to stay buried--and some wounds aren't meant to heal.

Dragon Bones


Patricia Briggs - 2002
    But few people know that his foolishness is [very convincingly] feigned. And that it's all that's saved him from death at the hands of his abusive father, who's always seen Ward as a bitter rival for power.When his father dies, Ward becomes the new lord of Hurog... until a nobleman declares that he is too dim-witted to rule. Ward knows he cannot play the fool any longer. To regain his kingdom, he must prone himself worthy--and quickly.Riding into a war that’s heating up on the border, Ward is sure he’s on the fast track to glory. But soon his mission takes a deadly serious turn. For he has seen a pile of magical dragon bones hidden deep beneath Hurog Keep. The bones can be dangerous in the wrong hands, and Ward is certain his enemies will stop at nothing to possess them...

The Knight of Inner Light: The Phoenix Empire - Book 1


Josh Hilp - 2018
    This power leaves him with newfound responsibilities, and problems, as he struggles to keep important promises to those around him and those long gone as the world around him begins a slow, painful descent into chaos and darkness as demons begin roaming the lands for the first time in an Age. Wes's power might just be able to make the difference and save everyone, but he's just one boy. Beyond demons and darkness, Wes has to come to terms with the fear that magic, especially his own immense new power invokes in the people of the Kingdom of Strata, as well as the class system that leaves the nobility towering over those they deem beneath themselves. Even if he manages to save the Kingdom, and those around him, will he still be a good person when all is said and done?

The Immortal Game


Talia Rothschild - 2021
    But when a violent attack leaves Mount Olympus in chaos and ruins, she is accused of the crime. Banished from Olympus, Galene sets out to prove her innocence and discovers a more deadly plot—one that threatens even the oldest of Immortals.Fortunately, she has allies who willingly join her in exile: A lifelong friend who commands the wind. A defiant warrior with deadly skill. A fire-wielder with a hero’s heart. A mastermind who plays life like a game.All-out war is knocking at the gates. Galene and her friends are the only ones who can tip the scales toward justice, but their choices could save Olympus from total annihilation, or be the doom of them all.

Descendant of the Crane


Joan He - 2019
    Rulers sacrifice their own.Princess Hesina of Yan has always been eager to shirk the responsibilities of the crown, but when her beloved father is murdered, she’s thrust into power, suddenly the queen of an unstable kingdom. Determined to find her father’s killer, Hesina does something desperate: she engages the aid of a soothsayer—a treasonous act, punishable by death... because in Yan, magic was outlawed centuries ago.Using the information illicitly provided by the sooth, and uncertain if she can trust even her family, Hesina turns to Akira—a brilliant investigator who’s also a convicted criminal with secrets of his own. With the future of her kingdom at stake, can Hesina find justice for her father? Or will the cost be too high?In this shimmering Chinese-inspired fantasy, debut author Joan He introduces a determined and vulnerable young heroine struggling to do right in a world brimming with deception.

Immortal Defiance


Laura Maybrooke - 2019
    An elven Dragonmistress and an immortal vampire warrior may be each other’s best hope for peace... if the world doesn’t destroy them first!Things take a strange turn for Dulcea, the elven enchantress turned war heroine and Dragonmistress, when a countryman's betrayal lands her in enemy hands.As she awaits her execution, a handsome stranger with mysterious powers offers her another chance at life. Will she die here or risk what sinister fate he has in store for her?Can Dulcea reclaim her rightful place and lead her army once more? Or does Krath, the man who travels the Realm of the Dead as one of its own, prove to be the obstacle that fells her rebellion?… Or will this immortal vampire warrior turn out to be the best chance she has of defying the ancient evil arising in the west?Some things never die. Hope. Heroes. Defiance.

Seraphina's Lament


Sarah Chorn - 2019
    The Sunset Lands are broken, torn apart by a war of ideology paid for with the lives of the peasants. Drought holds the east as famine ravages the farmlands. In the west, borders slam shut in the face of waves of refugees, dooming all of those trying to flee to slow starvation, or a future in forced labor camps. There is no salvation.In the city of Lord’s Reach, Seraphina, a slave with unique talents, sets in motion a series of events that will change everything. In a fight for the soul of the nation, everyone is a player. But something ominous is calling people to Lord’s Reach and the very nature of magic itself is changing. Paths will converge, the battle for the Sunset Lands has shifted, and now humanity itself is at stake. First, you must break before you can become.

Runes of Issalia Bonus Box Set: Complete Epic Series Special Edition (Issalia Omnibus Book 1)


Jeffrey L. Kohanek - 2020
    A desperate quest for an enchanted relic. The final battle to save mankind from extinction.1,100 pages of epic fantasy filled with magic, mystery, and monsters._________________________________Meet the heroes of Issalia:Brock is a downtrodden teen behind a false identity. Within a school for the elite, he discovers a long-forgotten magic. Can he tame his frightening new abilities?Ashland trains as a magic-based healer until she discovers conspiracies the empire is protecting. Determined to pursue a better future, she must overcome her troubled past.Cameron, an imposing warrior with legendary bloodlines, trains to become the greatest swordsman of his generation. Can he escape his father's shadow?Benny's inventions amaze his peers and superiors until he combines magic with science, and changes his world forever. If only he understood the destruction he would cause.Parker is an archer whose father is a powerful empire leader. What will the man do when he discovers his son's betrayal?Tenzi, a sailor and expert knife thrower, becomes embroiled in a struggle to save her world. Will her courage be sufficient when faced by a horde of giant monsters?_______________________________Includes the COMPLETE Runes of Issalia trilogy and the aftermath novella, ICON, books combining for over 250 5-star Amazon reviews, and 700 Goodreads 5-star ratings.Books in this boxed set:The Buried Symbol: Runes of Issalia, Book IThe Emblem Throne: Runes of Issalia, Book IIAn Empire in Runes: Runes of Issalia, Book IIIICON: An Issalia companion tale EXCLUSIVE to this set

Crown of Crowns


Clara Loveman - 2020
    When she meets Roki, a handsome young man from the city with knowledge and aspirations beyond his status, Kaelyn realizes she’s not the only person trapped. She starts to question everything she thought she knew, including about the Gurnots, a group of rebels set on overthrowing the laws—people who the nobles have labeled as terrorists.When her parents find out that she’s spending more time with a lowborn citizen, they forbid her to meet Roki ever again. He’s common. She could be queen.Kaelyn tries to move on. Her future as a potential leader depends on it. But she can’t forget Roki, or the ominous signs his lessons now make clear: the death of an obedient follower of Decens-Lenitas, the unrest that follows … and the whispers of conspiracy.With the lives of all free people at stake, Kaelyn must uncover the truth—even if she risks her heart at every turn.Praise for Crown of Crowns "Crown of Crowns is a sweeping, epic, futuristic YA novel that is so engrossing. The plot is well-paced and so well written, and the characters feel so real. A great read." - Kelly McFarland "The mix of YA, sci-fi, fantasy and romance is a breath of fresh air, and when you add the unpredicted twists and turns in the mix, it's a combination resulting in a really good read." - NetGalley Reviewer "The author succeeds in telling a story of a young woman's path to free her people from their shackles." - The US Review of Books