Book picks similar to
The Broken Heart of Arelium by Alex Robins
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Into the Labyrinth
John Bierce - 2018
He can barely cast any spells at all, and those he does cast tend to fail explosively. If that wasn't bad enough, he's also managed to attract the ire of the most promising student of his year- who also happens to be the nephew of a king. Hugh has no friends, no talent, and definitely doesn't expect a mage to choose him as an apprentice at all during the upcoming Choosing. When a very unusual mage does choose him as apprentice, however, his life starts to take a sharp turn for the better. Now all he has to worry about is the final test for the first years- being sent into the terrifying labyrinth below Skyhold.
Marked by Hell
Erin Bedford - 2017
Mary's no different. Los Angeles isn’t just a playground for those searching for a new start. It’s darker and more dangerous than they’ll ever know. So, when the L.A.P.D. comes knocking on Mary’s door with a case that could give her a chance at revenge on the demons that took her wings, she is hard pressed to say no. Mary has her hands full trying to play human while looking for a way back home. Throw in an irate ex-client's spouse and exorcised demons wanting payback, and she will be lucky to find time to polish her halo. With a mysterious half-demon who has his own secret agenda for her new case, her life becomes infinitely more complicated. If Mary wants to get her revenge and save the friend she lost her wings for, she’ll have to put her angelic morals aside and start playing by their rules. But how far will she fall before she becomes too tainted to return to heaven? And does she even care?
Orconomics
J. Zachary Pike - 2014
For the licensed wizards and warriors of Arth, slaying and looting the forces of evil is just a job. The Heroes' Guild has turned adventuring into a career, selling the rights to monsters’ hoards of treasure as investment opportunities. Corporations spend immense sums sponsoring heroes to undertake quests, betting they’ll reap the profits in plunder funds when the loot is divvied up.Questing was all business for famous Dwarven berserker Gorm Ingerson, until a botched expedition wiped out his party, disgraced his name, and reduced him to a thieving vagabond. Twenty years later, a chance encounter sees Gorm forcibly recruited by a priest of a mad goddess to undertake a quest that has a reputation for getting heroes killed. But there’s more to Gorm’s new job than an insane prophecy; powerful corporations and governments have shown an unusual interest in the job. Gorm might be able to turn a bad deal into a golden opportunity and win back the fame and fortune he lost so long ago.Promising fun, fantasy, and financial calamity, Orconomics: A Satire is the first book in The Dark Profit Saga, an economically epic trilogy.
Miss Mabel's School for Girls
Katie Cross - 2014
Determined to break free before it kills her, she enrolls in the respected school to confront the cunning witch who cast the curse: Miss Mabel.Bianca finds herself faced with dark magic she didn’t expect, with lessons more dangerous than she could have ever imagined. Will Bianca have the courage to save herself from the curse, or will Miss Mabel’s sinister plan be too powerful?Miss Mabel’s School for Girls is the first novel in The Network Series, an exciting new fantasy collection. A gripping tale about the struggle to survive, it will take you to a new place and time, one you’ll never want to leave.
The Knife's Edge
Matthew Wolf - 2013
Ronin. Once-heroes from a different age, they wield elemental powers… wind, water, fire, stone, forest, sun, moon, flesh, and metal.At the same time, a young man discovers his best friend with a sword in her stomach, and dark wings sprouting from her back. Guards rush onto the scene, accuse him of the act, and he is forced to flee.In a new world without his memories, Gray must find his way amid legends and darkness, as he wrestles with an elemental power inside himself. A power all too similar to the infamous Ronin…
Valley of Embers
Steven Kelliher - 2016
Only the Embers can stand against it.For centuries, the flame-wielding warriors have been the last line of defense against the nightmare creatures of the World Apart. But their light is fading, and few remain to push back the darkness.When Kole Reyna, Ember of Last Lake is wounded by a demon unlike any they have seen before, the Emberfolk believe it is a sign of an ancient enemy returned - a powerful Sage known as the Eastern Dark.With the tribes of the valley besieged, the land's mightiest champions rise up to meet the coming threat, but even the combined might of the last Embers and their elemental kin may not be enough to stem the tide of chaos.Kole has never believed in destiny, but with his people hanging on the precipice and his home on the brink of ruin, he must discover the limits of the one power he fears above all else.His own.For when an Ember's fire awakens, even the gods take notice.Publisher’s Note: Valley of Embers 3rd Edition represents a re-written and improved version of the 2016 self-published release, with new prose, expanded lore, a fresh intro and extended ending.
Knightmare Arcanist
Shami Stovall - 2019
Sailing. A murderer among heroes. Gravedigger Volke Savan wants nothing more than to be like his hero, the legendary magical swashbuckler, Gregory Ruma. First he needs to become an arcanist, someone capable of wielding magic, which requires bonding with a mythical creature. And he’ll take anything—a pegasus, a griffin, a ravenous hydra—maybe even a leviathan, like Ruma. So when Volke stumbles across a knightmare, a creature made of shadow and terror, he has no reservations. But the knightmare knows a terrible secret: Ruma is a murderer out to spread corrupted magic throughout their island nation. He’s already killed a population of phoenixes and he intends to kill even more. In order to protect his home, his adopted sister, and the girl he admires from afar, Volke will need to confront his hero, the Master Arcanist Gregory Ruma. A fast-paced fantasy with magical creatures for those who enjoy the Furies of Calderon (Codex Alera series) by Jim Butcher, Unsouled (Cradle Series) by Will Wight, and Percy Jackson and the Olympians by Rick Riordan.
The Barrow
Mark Smylie - 2014
Set in the world of the Eisner-nominated Artesia comic books.To find the Sword, unearth the Barrow. To unearth the Barrow, follow the Map.When a small crew of scoundrels, would-be heroes, deviants, and ruffians discover a map that they believe will lead them to a fabled sword buried in the barrow of a long-dead wizard, they think they've struck it rich. But their hopes are dashed when the map turns out to be cursed and then is destroyed in a magical ritual. The loss of the map leaves them dreaming of what might have been, until they rediscover the map in a most unusual and unexpected place.Stjepan Black-Heart, suspected murderer and renegade royal cartographer; Erim, a young woman masquerading as a man; Gilgwyr, brothel owner extraordinaire; Leigh, an exiled magus under an ignominious cloud; Godewyn Red-Hand, mercenary and troublemaker; Arduin Orwain, scion of a noble family brought low by scandal; and Arduin's sister Annwyn, the beautiful cause of that scandal: together they form a cross-section of the Middle Kingdoms of the Known World, brought together by accident and dark design, on a quest that will either get them all in the history books, or get them all killed.
Night of Wolves
David Dalglish - 2011
Their skin is soft, and their minds dull from years of safety. We are the vicious. We are the destroyers. Come the full moon, when our goddess watches our victory, we will taste of their blood!"----Wolf-men, savage creatures given humanoid form in an ancient war, mass along the Gihon River. Led by their packleader Redclaw, they seek to cross the river and claim a land of their own, slaughtering those that would stand in their way. Two paladins, Jerico of the god Ashhur, and Darius of the god Karak, must helm the desperate defense against the invasion. Their friendship will be tested as their gods resume an unending war, and their very faiths call for the death of the other. Together, friend or foe, they must face Redclaw's horde.NIGHT OF WOLVES by David DalglishCan faith remain when the gods call for blood?------About the Author:David Dalglish currently lives in rural Missouri with his wife Samantha, daughter Morgan, and snake, Velixar. He graduated from Missouri Southern State University in 2006 with a degree in Mathematics and currently spends his free time watching Spongebob Squarepants with his daughter.
Smiler's Fair
Rebecca Levene - 2014
His human father wanted to kill him, but his mother sacrificed her life to save him. He'll return one day to claim his birthright. He'll change your life.He'll change everything.Smiler's Fair: the great moving carnival where any pleasure can be had, if you're willing to pay the price. They say all paths cross at Smiler's Fair. They say it'll change your life. For five people, Smiler's Fair will change everything.In a land where unimaginable horror lurks in the shadows, where the very sun and moon are at war, five people - Nethmi, the orphaned daughter of a murdered nobleman, who in desperation commits an act that will haunt her forever. Dae Hyo, the skilled warrior, who discovers that a lifetime of bravery cannot make up for a single mistake. Eric, who follows his heart only to find that love exacts a terrible price. Marvan, the master swordsman, who takes more pleasure from killing than he should. And Krish, the humble goatherd, with a destiny he hardly understands and can never accept - will discover just how much Smiler's Fair changes everything.
Smoke and Stone
Michael R. Fletcher - 2019
Beyond the outermost wall lies endless desert haunted by the souls of all the world’s dead.Trapped in a rigid caste system, Nuru, a young street sorcerer, lives in the outer ring. She dreams of escape and freedom. When something contacts her from beyond the wall, she risks everything and leaps at the opportunity. Mother Death, a banished god seeking to reclaim her place in Bastion’s patchwork pantheon, has found her way back into the city.Akachi, born to the wealth and splendour of Bastion’s inner rings, is a priest of Cloud Serpent, Lord of the Hunt. A temple-trained sorcerer, he is tasked with bringing peace to the troublesome outer ring. Drawn into a dark and violent world of assassins, gangs, and street sorcerers, he battles the spreading influence of Mother Death in a desperate attempt to save Bastion.The gods are once again at war.
Fae Song: Fantasy Novel (Ballads of Balahar)
Deonne Williams - 2020
The characters are robust and lively, and the world of Balahar is brilliant; the reader is easily pulled into the action filled epic journey. Love, loss, and sacrifice can be powerful when music and adventure weave with magic and romance.
Lana Mowdy PhD
The ancient Imperial trade road snaking toward the horizon would have daunted many but to Gwynn its dust tasted of freedom.Her days would no longer be ruled by endless lessons. She had bested the greatest bards of Balahar and was on her own, free to follow the road into the green. That is until she heard the exhausted hoofbeats of the dark warhorse bearing its dying rider into her camp.The dazzling realm of the Fae Royal Court of Heralith awaits them if only she can muster her skills both learned and hidden.
Unsouled
Will Wight - 2016
Lindon is Unsouled, forbidden to learn the sacred arts of his clan. When faced with a looming fate he cannot ignore, he must defy his family's rules...and forge his own Path.
Gunmetal Gods
Zamil Akhtar - 2020
Fifty thousand gun-toting paladins march behind him, all baptized in angel blood, thirsty to burn unbelievers.Only the janissaries can stand against them. Their living legend, Kevah, once beheaded a magus amid a hail of ice daggers. But ever since his wife disappeared, he spends his days in a haze of hashish and poetry.To save the kingdom, Kevah must conquer his grief and become the legend he once was. But Micah writes his own legend in blood, and his righteous conquest will stop at nothing.When the gods choose sides, a legend will be etched upon the stars.
Diviner's Prophecy
Nicolette Andrews - 2013
A sorcerer took away her past leaving her with little more than her name. When she discovers that the sorcerer took her memories to cover up a plot that threatens her kingdom, she realizes it is up to her to stop him. But she has to break her curse first, and that means finding the sorcerer. He never intended for her to remember, so she must rely on her ability to see into the future to guide her. But it will not be an easy task, the spell weakened her powers and her visions are unclear. The few clues she has, lead her to court where she is plunged into a world of royal intrigue. Though many offer assistance, no help comes without a price. There is no one she can trust, or so she thought. Her visions bring her to Prince Adair. His reputation as a rogue proceeds him and Maea fears he is just like the other courtiers. But he may be the key to revealing the sorcerer’s identity. He offers to aid in her search and asks for nothing in return. Maea doubts his motives but her visions do not lie. She foresees a dire future if the sorcerer and his allies cannot be stopped. As she unravels the mystery surrounding her curse, she finds the plot goes deeper than she could imagine and if she does not hurry, the sorcerer will unleash an ancient evil that will destroy her kingdom.