Book picks similar to
Honor Bound by Michael G. Southwick
fantasy
magic
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young-adult
Seers of Light
Jennifer DeLucy - 2010
Always sensing more to the world than is easily perceived, she fears that her instincts are stubborn flights of fancy, or worse, mental instability. But some things—disappearing strangers, tangible dreams, and visits from malevolent creatures—cannot be ignored. Before it's too late, Lillian is ripped from the only existence she’s ever known and thrust into a reality that she always suspected, but could scarcely believe. She must learn the truth about who she is, the powerful beings that wish to destroy her, and the two men who would die to protect her.
Sword and Verse
Kathy MacMillan - 2016
Forced to serve in the palace of the King, she’s endured hunger, abuse, and the harrowing fear of discovery. Everyone knows that Raisa is Arnath, but not that she is a Learned One, a part of an Arnath group educated in higher order symbols. In Qilara, this language is so fiercely protected that only the King, the Prince, and Tutors are allowed to know it. So when the current Tutor-in-training is executed for sharing the guarded language with slaves and Raisa is chosen to replace her, Raisa knows that, although she may have a privileged position among slaves, any slipup could mean death.That would be challenging enough, but training alongside Prince Mati could be her real undoing. And when a romance blossoms between them, she’s suddenly filled with a dangerous hope for something she never before thought possible: more. Then she’s approached by the Resistance—an underground army of slaves—to help liberate the Arnath people. Joining the Resistance could mean freeing her people…but she’d also be aiding in the war against her beloved, an honorable man she knows wants to help the slaves.Working against the one she loves—and a palace full of deadly political renegades—has some heady consequences. As Raisa struggles with what’s right, she unwittingly uncovers a secret that the Qilarites have long since buried…one that, unlocked, could bring the current world order to its knees.And Raisa is the one holding the key.
Mind Forged
T. Michael Ford - 2014
Once he gets there he finds he is in a class all of his own, literally! He’s the first Enchanter born in 700 years! And the dark forces of power wish it had been a lot longer, like never! Meanwhile, completely unknown to Alex, mysterious forces of light are also in play and are grooming him for a run at a Necromancer whose undead hordes control half the world! To help him he acquires, a half crazed mentor, an unwanted pixie and a hot sword slinger girlfriend that fights the zombie apocalypse every night in her sleep! And if those three weren’t enough to drive anyone crazy, the rest of his friends might! Mischievous fashion conscious druid girls, a dwarf, dragons, a talking sword, and the occasional marmot fill out the cast of characters for this adventure!
Hereditary
Jane Washington - 2013
Even before she steps foot inside the Academy, they know her name and they know the truth about her birth. She is one of the Tainted: a mixed-breed creature with the blood of a monster, clinging to legitimacy by the genes of her human father. She is more beautiful, more powerful, and more despised than any other being in the Read Kingdom.Her life was never going to be easy, but when fate throws her together with Cale, the troublemaking son of her father’s sworn enemy, and Hazen, the intimidating crown prince of the Read Kingdom, she quickly discovers that her problems haven’t even begun. In a world built on status, there are lines that can never be crossed. In a time of peace, it is inevitable that war will whisper on the wind once again. In a land of mixed blood, a Tainted Creature can either be killed … or they can be recruited.
Bloodrush
Ben Galley - 2014
The Prime Lord’s last will and testament forces Merion west across the Iron Ocean, to the very brink of the Endless Land and all civilisation. To a place they call Wyoming.In the dusty frontier town of Fell Falls, there is no silverware, no servants, no plush velvet nor towering spires. Only dust, danger and the railway. Merion has only one ally to help him escape the torturous heat and unravel the mystery of his father's murder: a faerie warrior named Rhin, and a twelve inch-tall outcast of the fae realm. Revenge and redemption are never easy. There are dark forces at work in Fell Falls, and not just the railwraiths, brigands or the savages. Secrets lurk in Merion’s bloodline. Secrets that will redefine the young Hark, and open up a whole world of magic buried by empire and industry.———WINNER OF THE LIBRARY JOURNAL'S INDIE EBOOK AWARDS 2016BLOGGERS' FAVOURITE OF #SPFBO 2015ABOUT BLOODRUSHThe first book in the Scarlet Star Trilogy, Bloodrush is a coming-of-age and weird western fantasy set in an alternate 1867. It is a time when steam and clockwork seek to push the boundaries of the known world, even if it means trampling an ancient one. An action-packed mix of western and dark fantasy, Bloodrush is perfect for readers of Neil Gaiman, Jim Butcher, Lila Bowen and Stephen King’s Dark Tower.
Benjamin Ashwood
A.C. Cobble - 2016
This classic swords and sorcery tale is inspired by Robert Jordan's Wheel of Time and Tolkien's The Hobbit. If you liked them, you will love Benjamin Ashwood.Life is simple in Ben’s small town until an attack brings the arrival of exciting strangers straight out of a story. Before Ben understands what is happening, he embarks on a dangerous journey to help his friends. A mage, demons, thieves and assassins are just a few of the perils he will face while trying to make it to safety. But things aren’t always what they seem and safety is a fragile concept when the destructive behaviors of the powerful are exercised unchecked. In Ben's world - like our own - political, economic and military might create a system to keep the elite in power at the expense of the common man. As the series unfolds and Ben's knowledge and skill grows, he will have to decide if he wants to live within the system, flee from it or break it.
The Book of Deacon
Joseph R. Lallo - 2010
The find will change her life, sending her on an adventure of soldiers and rebels, wizards and warriors, and beasts both noble and monstrous. Each step will bring her closer to the truth of her potential, of the war, and of the fate of her world.
Eyes Like Stars
Lisa Mantchev - 2009
Enter Stage Right NATE. Dashing pirate. Will do anything to protect Bertie. COBWEB, MOTH, MUSTARDSEED, and PEASEBLOSSOM. Four tiny and incredibly annoying fairies. BERTIE'S sidekicks. ARIEL. Seductive air spirit and Bertie's weakness. The symbol of impending doom. BERTIE. Our heroine. Welcome to the Théâtre Illuminata, where the actors of every play ever written can be found behind the curtain. They were born to play their parts, and are bound to the Théâtre by The Book, an ancient and magical tome of scripts. Bertie is not one of them, but they are her family, and she is about to lose them all and the only home she has ever known. Lisa Mantchev has written a debut novel that is dramatic, romantic, and witty, with an irresistible and irreverent cast of characters who are sure to enchant the audience. Open Curtain
The Mountain's Call
Caitlin Brennan - 2004
But Valeria knows no woman has ever been called to the Mountain. Until she feels a strange pull and answers the call—as a boy….When her secret is discovered Valeria loses all that she's won. Her anger and frustration with the Empire might be enough to give the barbarians a way into the Mountain. And so the Empire now depends on the will, the strength and the loyalty of one Rider. A Rider who has been rejected by all but the gods…
Taming the Elements
David Ekrut - 2014
But with war looming and an accident that could cost him his freedom, Elwin finds himself fleeing for his life and evading the Guardians of Life. The Guardians think Elwin guilty of the most grievous of crimes, and as he trains the gifts of his bloodline, he will discover a secret from long in his past.
Avondale
Toby Neighbors - 2014
Only a few fortified cities high in the mountains have survived. The lands below lay covered by a permanent barrier of mist and only huge, monstrous beasts ever rise up above the cloud bank.In Avondale, the Earl’s son harbors a secret. Magic is blamed for the cataclysm and outlawed in the high mountain cities, but Tiberius longs to become a wizard. When he finally begins to practice magic, he knows his time in the wondrous city of Avondale is short, but where can he go? What lies beneath the mists that surround his mountaintop home? And if he ventures out of the city, how will he survive in a land that no one has ever returned from?Avondale is the first book in new epic fantasy series that explores a fantastic world full of wonder and more than a little danger. It’s a fast paced adventure, with strong characters and magical places that you won’t want to put down. Written by Toby Neighbors, author of the best selling series The Five Kingdoms, Avondale is a fresh, new, high action fantasy novel that will sweep you away into a world of magic and wizards, swords and sorcery.
Adamant
Emma L. Adams - 2015
After a devastating magical war tore apart her homeworld, she and her family were forced to defy the Inter-World Alliance and hide on the low-magic Earth. Stuck in a dead-end job in London, Ada has spent her life hiding her real identity and risking her safety to help others from her homeworld. Until she loses her job, is chased by a rampaging monster, and is arrested by the Alliance as a prime suspect for a murder she had nothing to do with. It really isn't Ada's day. Kay Walker, grandson of the Alliance's late founder, expects to spend his first week as an Alliance employee chasing monsters out of the Passages between worlds, not solving his supervisor's murder or questioning a strange, fierce young woman he arrested in the Passages. Killer or not, she's hiding something, and the closer he gets to the truth, the higher the body count rises. The last thing Ada wants is to help the infuriating Alliance guard who arrested her, but it soon becomes clear that the Alliance knows too much about Ada's magic. More, in fact, than she knows herself. Now she has to choose between loyalty to her family, and helping the Alliance save the Earth -- and the Multiverse -- from a deadly enemy.
Spirited
C.M. Stunich - 2018
In the country of Amerin, she's one of a select few with magical gifts known as whisperers.
Every year, the Royal College accepts a small number of new students, all magically inclined, all whisperers. Competition is brutal and the classes, nearly impossible to pass for a half-breed angel with two left feet and a massive pair of black feathered wings.
Oh, and especially if she brings her six ghostly boyfriends with her to the academy (including the recently deceased crown prince, a master thief hanged for his crimes, and a former student of the Royal College). What kind of spirit whisperer is Brynn of Haversey if she can't exorcise her own soulmates? But Brynn isn't attending the most prestigious academy in the world to become a better exorcist - she's searching for a way to bring her lovers back to life…
Phoenix Unbound
Grace Draven - 2018
For the last five years, one small village's tithe has been the same woman. Gilene's sacrifice protects all the other young women of her village, and her secret to staying alive lies with the magic only she possesses. But this year is different. Azarion, the Empire's most famous gladiator, has somehow seen through her illusion, and is set on blackmailing Gilene into using her abilities to help him escape his life of slavery. And unknown to Gilene, he also wants to reclaim the birthright of his clan.To protect her family and village, she will risk everything to return to the Empire and burn once more.
The Shadow Prince
Stacey O'Neale - 2014
Discover a world of elemental powers, courage, duty, sacrifice, forbidden romance and a war for the very elements of life. Sixteen-year-old Rowan is an elemental prince. Banished to the mortal world, he doubts he will ever return to Avalon and claim the fire court throne. Until he receives a challenge from his estranged mother. If he slays Kalin, the half-human, half-elemental, princess of the air court, she will abdicate her throne. Is he capable of completing such a heinous task? And what price will he pay if he refuses? Perfect for fans of Holly Black and Sarah J. Maas. "Filled with betrayal and intrigue, The Shadow Prince is a dark and twisty novella from an exciting new author!" Katee Robert, New York Times and USA Today Bestselling Author