Book picks similar to
An Act of Faith by C.A. Oliver
fantasy
netgalley
fiction
goodreads-giveaways
Sin Eater
Megan Campisi - 2020
Orphaned and friendless, apprenticed to an older Sin Eater who cannot speak to her, May must make her way in a dangerous and cruel world she barely understands. When a deer heart appears on the coffin of a royal governess who did not confess to the dreadful sin it represents, the older Sin Eater refuses to eat it. She is taken to prison, tortured, and killed. To avenge her death, May must find out who placed the deer heart on the coffin and why.The Sin Eater walks among us, unseen, unheard Sins of our flesh become sins of Hers Following Her to the grave, unseen, unheard The Sin Eater Walks Among Us.
The Handmaid’s Tale
meets Alice in Wonderland in this gripping and imaginative historical novel about a shunned orphan girl in 16th-century England who is ensnared in a deadly royal plot and must turn her subjugation into her power.
Salem Burning
Daniel Sugar - 2018
Kyle is a liar; he does not believe in witchcraft, he is simply trying to get rid of Lilly. But Kyle is in for a shock because, as it turns out, Lilly really is a witch. "Salem Burning" is a fast-paced, brand-new take on the Salem witch trials.
Wildwood Whispers
Willa Reece - 2021
“Dark, tender, and thought-provoking, Wildwood Whispers is a beautifully woven tale of fantasy, feminism, and mystery set in rural Appalachia.” —Constance Sayers, author of A Witch in TimeAt the age of eleven, Mel Smith’s life found its purpose when she met Sarah Ross. Ten years later, Sarah’s sudden death threatens to break her. To fulfill a final promise to her best friend, Mel travels to an idyllic small town nestled in the shadows of the Appalachian Mountains. Yet Morgan’s Gap is more than a land of morning mists and deep forest shadows. There are secrets that call to Mel, in the gaze of the gnarled and knowing woman everyone calls Granny, in a salvaged remedy book filled with the magic of simple mountain traditions, and in the connection, she feels to the Ross homestead and the wilderness around it.With every taste of sweet honey and tart blackberries, the wildwood twines further into Mel’s broken heart. But a threat lingers in the woods—one that may have something to do with Sarah's untimely death and that has now set its sight on Mel.The wildwood is whispering. It has secrets to reveal—if you’re willing to listen…
A Throne of Swans
Katharine Corr - 2019
Aderyn's ancestral bird is a swan. But she has not transformed for years, not since witnessing the death of her mother - ripped apart by hawks that have supposedly been extinct since the long-ago War of the Raptors. With the benevolent shelter of her mother and her father now lost, Aderyn is at the mercy of her brutal uncle, the King, and his royal court. Driven by revenge and love, she must venture into the malevolent heart of the Citadel in order to seek the truth about the attack that so nearly destroyed her, to fight for the only home she has ever known and for the land she has vowed to protect.Written in rich detail and evocative language, this is the start of an irresistible, soaring duology about courage, broken loyalties and fighting for your place in the world.
Storm Glass
Jeff Wheeler - 2018
The privileged live in sky manors held aloft by a secretive magic known only as the Mysteries. Below, the earthbound poor are forced into factory work to maintain the engine of commerce. Only the wealthy can afford to learn the Mysteries, and they use their knowledge to further lock their hold on society.Cettie Pratt is a waif doomed to the world below, until an admiral attempts to adopt her. But in her new home in the clouds, not everyone treats her as one of the family.Sera Fitzempress is a princess born into power. She yearns to meet the orphan girl she has heard so much about, but her father deems the girl unworthy of his daughter’s curiosity.Neither girl feels that she belongs. Each seeks to break free of imposed rules. Now, as Cettie dreams of living above and as Sera is drawn to the world below, they will follow the paths of their own choosing.But both girls will be needed for the coming storm that threatens to overturn both their worlds.
Hohenstaufen: Mark of the Beast
Daniel R. Hopkins - 2018
Instead of going to heaven or hell, he wakes up on the other side of the world—almost eight hundred years back in time. It’s 1277 in the Holy Land. The Crusaders are making their last stand. The unclaimed throne of Jerusalem is their only hope. But things get complicated when a girl only Arjen can see or hear puts him on that throne. Arjen’s mission to discover who he is and why he’s here quickly becomes one of survival as his reign sets him down the path of war with a mad conqueror. Caught in a love triangle between a gold-hearted nun and a demoness from hell, Arjen must choose between his destiny and his soul—even when he’s already lost both.
Priest of Bones
Peter McLean - 2018
But things have changed while he was away: his crime empire has been stolen and the people of Ellinburg--his people--have run out of food and hope and places to hide. Tomas sets out to reclaim what was his with help from Anne, his brother, Jochan, and his new gang: the Pious Men. But when he finds himself dragged into a web of political intrigue once again, everything gets more complicated.As the Pious Men fight shadowy foreign infiltrators in the back-street taverns, brothels, and gambling dens of Tomas's old life, it becomes clear: The war is only just beginning.
The Guard
N.L. Westaway - 2020
Thumbing back through the pages again, slower this time, I found it. It was about an inch thickness in… Mom’s handwriting… pages of it.When a woman linked to the supernatural, discovers her adoptive mother’s journal holds a cryptic mystery, she and her closest friends race to uncover a secret matriarchal society safeguarded by mystical unseen forces. What if Cancer wasn’t just an illness or evil sickness that took our loved ones? What if it’s something bigger—a sacrifice or choice to keep humanity safe—to keep the balance?Ottawa, the capital of Canada, is considered the 3rd cleanest city in the world and rated the 2nd highest quality of living of any big city in the Americas, but unless you’re Canadian you probably wouldn’t know any of that stuff. And it’s all very nice and well, but boring as hell.... That’s what four unsuspecting girlfriends thought, until their good friend Lynn Westlake came home to visit, and they found themselves in the biggest mystery and adventure of their normal boring lives.The Guard is the first book in the N. L. Westaway urban fantasy/paranormal mystery trilogy. If you appreciate brilliant urban fantasy or paranormal mysteries involving everyday people, you’ll love this entertaining three-part trilogy. Note; it is recommended that you read the books in order as the mystery is in three parts, and not individual stories per book.
Io Deceneus: Journal of a Time Traveler
Florian Armas - 2012
Wealthy, immortal lords control the developed planets. It’s a feudal society, but they don’t fight with swords.The feudal lords fear the mysterious quantum-mind Erins. With a directive to travel in the past and eliminate the Erins, two vicious Factions are ready for a dirty war. Their invasion does not go unnoticed. As past becomes future, a secret mission led by the Observer of that planetary system jumps into action to save the Erins. They must remain in the shadows to avoid the Factions’ spies, chrono-devices and SAT-mines. Hit by a SAT-mine, the target is not only destroyed, it is erased from history. That person would never have existed, and all its offspring, actions or interactions would be reversed.Helped by a Gate, a shadowy intelligent entity part of the Universe’s fabric, neither life, nor technology, a man from Earth, a not yet accepted planet in the Galactic Federation, is teleported three hundred years into the past to stop the genocide and change the pattern of history. His survival and the survival of the Erins rests on his ability to fend off the Factions, but when past and future collide, his skills may prove useless.When failure is not an option and survival isn’t guaranteed how far will the man go to save lives and test fate?
Roar
Cora Carmack - 2017
Long ago, the ungifted pledged fealty and service to her family in exchange for safe haven, and a kingdom was carved out from the wildlands and sustained by magic capable of repelling the world’s deadliest foes. As the sole heir of Pavan, Aurora’s been groomed to be the perfect queen. She’s intelligent and brave and honorable. But she’s yet to show any trace of the magic she’ll need to protect her people.To keep her secret and save her crown, Aurora’s mother arranges for her to marry a dark and brooding Stormling prince from another kingdom. At first, the prince seems like the perfect solution to all her problems. He’ll guarantee her spot as the next queen and be the champion her people need to remain safe. But the more secrets Aurora uncovers about him, the more a future with him frightens her. When she dons a disguise and sneaks out of the palace one night to spy on him, she stumbles upon a black market dealing in the very thing she lacks—storm magic. And the people selling it? They’re not Stormlings. They’re storm hunters.Legend says that her ancestors first gained their magic by facing a storm and stealing part of its essence. And when a handsome young storm hunter reveals he was born without magic, but possesses it now, Aurora realizes there’s a third option for her future besides ruin or marriage. She might not have magic now, but she can steal it if she’s brave enough. Challenge a tempest. Survive it. And you become its master.
The Dark Awakening
D.L. Blade - 2018
An ancient witch. And a vampire who desires her blood. Mercy knows what true pain is—she’s lived with it since her high school graduation when someone drove a knife into her chest. She’s taken comfort in knowing they're locked away, but now, months later, a new threat lurks in the shadows—a stalker—and he’s watching her every move.As she nears her eighteenth birthday, a series of strange events lead Mercy to discover a long-held dark secret that shakes her conscience and stirs a magic inside her. Her body heals at an unnatural speed, and a power ignites at her fingertips. She has no idea what’s happening until a mysterious stranger, Caleb, comes into town, and reveals to Mercy a past life she can’t remember—she’s an ancient witch, vampires are real, and she is destined to destroy them.As Caleb teaches Mercy how to harness her magic, a plan unfolds within Salem’s most powerful vampire clan–and their leader, Maurice—is coming for her.Mercy must fight to survive and release the dark power she was born with. Because to slay a monster, she must become a monster.◆ A top 10 finalist for young adult books at the Author Academy Awards, 2019 & 2020, and Amazon bestselling author. Immortals of East Greenwich Series-The Dark Awakening-The Dark Underworld-The Dark DeliveranceREADER REVIEWS★ ★ ★ ★ ★ “Character development is fantastic."★ ★ ★ ★ ★ "I didn't see THAT coming!"★ ★ ★ ★ ★ "This book had me in another world without realizing I'd left my own."★ ★ ★ ★ ★ "A definite page turner!"AUTHOR NOTESSecond edition. Complete rewrite, added prologue & 100k more words. (The story, plot and characters are the same) The Chosen Coven series has been renamed Immortals of East Greenwich series.
A Solitude of Wolverines
Alice Henderson - 2020
While studying wolverines on a wildlife sanctuary in Montana, biologist Alex Carter is run off the road and threatened by locals determined to force her off the land.Undeterred in her mission to help save this threatened species, Alex tracks wolverines on foot and by cameras positioned in remote regions of the preserve. But when she reviews the photos, she discovers disturbing images of an animal of a different kind: a severely injured man seemingly lost and wandering in the wilds.After searches for the unknown man come up empty, local law enforcement is strangely set on dismissing the case altogether, raising Alex’s suspicions. Then another invasive predator trespasses onto the preserve. The hunter turns out to be another human—and the prey is the wildlife biologist herself. Alex realizes too late that she has seen too much—she's stumbled onto a far-reaching illegal operation and now has become the biggest threat.In this wild and dangerous landscape, Alex’s life depends on staying one step ahead—using all she knows about the animal world and what it takes to win the brutal battle for survival.
Indelible
Dawn Metcalf - 2013
Joy Malone learns this the night she sees a stranger with all-black eyes across a crowded room—right before the mystery boy tries to cut out her eye. Instead, the wound accidentally marks her as property of Indelible Ink, and this dangerous mistake thrusts Joy into an incomprehensible world—a world of monsters at the window, glowing girls on the doorstep, and a life that will never be the same. Now, Joy must pretend to be Ink’s chosen one—his helper, his love, his something for the foreseeable future...and failure to be convincing means a painful death for them both. Swept into a world of monsters, illusion, immortal honor and revenge, Joy discovers that sometimes, there are no mistakes. Somewhere between reality and myth lies…THE TWIXT
The Queen's Assassin
Melissa de la Cruz - 2020
No one alive can best him in brawn or brains, which is why he's the Guild's most dangerous member and the Queen's one and only assassin. He's also bound to the Queen by an impossible vow--to find the missing Deian Scrolls, the fount of all magical history and knowledge, stolen years ago by a nefarious sect called the Aphrasians.Shadow has been training all her life to follow in the footsteps of her mother and aunts--to become skilled enough to join the ranks of the Guild. Though magic has been forbidden since the Aphrasian uprising, Shadow has been learning to control her powers in secret, hoping that one day she'll become an assassin as feared and revered as Caledon Holt.When a surprise attack brings Shadow and Cal together, they're forced to team up as assassin and apprentice to hunt down a new sinister threat to Renovia. But as Cal and Shadow grow closer, they'll uncover a shocking web of lies and secrets that may destroy everything they hold dear. With war on the horizon and true love at risk, they'll stop at nothing to protect each other and their kingdom in this stunning first novel in the Queen's Secret series.Perfect for fans of Sarah J. Maas and Red Queen, this is the first novel in a sweeping YA fantasy-romance duet about a deadly assassin, his mysterious apprentice, and the country they are sworn to protect from #1 NYT bestselling author Melissa de la Cruz.
The Cannastar Factor
Stephen Steele - 2011
This rewritten, revised, expanded and updated edition is now part of a 3-book series entitled The Trouble with Miracles.Alex Farmer, M.D. is a former drug addict trying to put his tortured life behind him. Cyd Seeley is a brilliant botanist and rancher in dire financial straits. Inadvertently, they are thrown together when a mutual friend is murdered after developing an inexpensive, organically grown cure for viral diseases.The miracle plant is called Cannastar and it cures all manner of viruses from Coronavirus and cancer, to HIV and herpes. Cannastar costs next to nothing to grow, returns the hopelessly ill to good health, and threatens to bankrupt the pharmaceutical industry. Big Pharma will stop at nothing to keep it off the market.Aided by faithful Native Americans from the Flathead Indian Reservation in Montana and the Navajo Nation in Arizona, Cyd and Alex fight to grow Cannastar and bring it to a desperate world. Their harrowing and perilous journey ranges from the Rocky Mountain wilderness, to the political corruption of Washington D.C., to the jungles of Mexico, to the deserts of the Southwest.Filled with mystery and suspense, The Cannastar Factor is part adventure and part love story; a timely thriller that unfolds with endless surprises and heartwarming relationships; an epic novel about the resolute passions of two people who stand against a broken world.