Book picks similar to
Ancient Enemies by Tora Moon


1-currently-reading
fantasy-epic
zzz-cover-light-source
adult-fantasy

A Crown for Cold Silver


Alex Marshall - 2015
    One legendary general. A final quest for vengeance.Twenty years ago, feared general Cobalt Zosia led her five villainous captains and mercenary army into battle, wrestling monsters and toppling an empire. When there were no more titles to win and no more worlds to conquer, she retired and gave up her legend to history.Now the peace she carved for herself has been shattered by the unprovoked slaughter of her village. Seeking bloody vengeance, Zosia heads for battle once more, but to find justice she must confront grudge-bearing enemies, once-loyal allies, and an unknown army that marches under a familiar banner.

The Brevity of Roses


Linda Cassidy Lewis - 2011
    Meredith Dahlberg-Lang hides behind a façade. In public, she's a wealthy socialite. In private, she's a lonely woman with a heart imprisoned by guilt after her husband's death. But she can't deny the longing she feels when a younger man seeks her attention. Jalal Vaziri, after years of trying in vain to win his father's approval, defies him by pursuing a new career. When he meets the woman of his dreams, his satisfaction is complete, but fate challenges his plan for a blissful future. Renee Marshall, matured beyond her years by a hard life, heads for a fresh start in Los Angeles. But when car trouble detours her to a village on the central coast, she enters the life of a man whose fierce denial of the need to be loved matches her own.

Steel Maiden


Kim Richardson - 2015
    But she is caught, and the punishment for stealing is death. And yet in that moment she is given a choice—death or to become one of the High priests' champions in The Great Race.Elena is catapulted without warning into the bloodiest race in all the realms, forced to compete with a man she hates while she develops a growing passion for another. She struggles to understand her special skills, her mysterious healing powers that she must keep secret. Within a world built on a religious sect and dangerous secrets, she becomes a woman torn between obligation and desire, between a man she supposedly hates and another.As Elena comes to terms with her own secret, she discovers the truth behind the race and must stop the ancient, wicked evil that threatens all living things before it's too late.

Darkin: A Journey East


Joseph A. Turkot - 2011
    None could have foreseen the total evil set to descend upon Darkin.A long age of peace has left the land devoid of heroes. Slavery has taken hold of the world’s commerce. All hope rests in the rebellious spirit of one slave.Alien bloodlust besieges Adacon late one night—an impulse drives him to murder his guards and set out to find and kill his oppressers. Escaping into wilds unknown, he realizes the great peril awaiting him. A strange hermit appears from under a sand dune, claiming to know “magic.” He believes that if they work together, they can build a band of warriors powerful enough to change the fate of the world. Can they find any still harboring valor and chivalry in their hearts?—or will their quest be for nought, ending in the ruin of the world?

Whom the Gods Love


M.M. Perry - 2012
    Dark and foreboding forests. Beasts of myth and legend. All must be conquered by Cass and her small band before they can ask the favor of a God. From the Plains of the Dead Gods all the way to the Temple of Oshia, a mercurial God who promises to grant any wish to those who complete a harrowing pilgrimage, a tale unwinds that begins to unravel a great mystery—a story told only in the hazy atmospheres of forgotten pubs in the farthest reaches of the land… until now. The group quickly finds itself caught in a struggle between the gods that has spanned millennia. And everyone knows that nothing is easy when the gods have a hand in.This is the first book in the Of Gods & Mortals trilogy.

King of Ashes


Raymond E. Feist - 2018
    Feist’s epic heroic fantasy series, The Firemane Saga—an electrifying tale of two young men whose choices will determine a world’s destiny.For centuries, the five greatest kingdoms of North and South Tembria, twin continents on the world of Garn, have coexisted in peace. But the balance of power is destroyed when four of the kingdoms violate an ancient covenant and betray the fifth: Ithrace, the Kingdom of Flames, ruled by Steveren Langene, known as "the Firemane" for his brilliant red hair. As war engulfs the world, Ithrace is destroyed and the Greater Realms of Tembria are thrust into a dangerous struggle for supremacy.As a Free Lord, Baron Daylon Dumarch owes allegiance to no king. When an abandoned infant is found hidden in Daylon’s pavilion, he realizes that the child must be the missing heir of the slain Steveren. The boy is valuable—and vulnerable. A cunning and patient man, Daylon decides to keep the baby’s existence secret, and sends him to be raised on the Island of Coaltachin, home of the so-called Kingdom of Night, where the powerful and lethal Nocusara, the "Hidden Warriors," legendary assassins and spies, are trained.Years later, another orphan of mysterious provenance, a young man named Declan, earns his Masters rank as a weapons smith. Blessed with intelligence and skill, he unlocks the secret to forging King’s Steel, the apex of a weapon maker’s trade known by very few. Yet this precious knowledge is also deadly, and Declan is forced to leave his home to safeguard his life. Landing in Lord Daylon’s provinces, he hopes to start anew.Soon, the two young men—an unknowing rightful heir to a throne and a brilliantly talented young swordsmith—will discover that their fates, and that of Garn, are entwined. The legendary, long-ago War of Betrayal has never truly ended . . . and they must discover the secret of who truly threatens their world.

Cursed by Magic


Deanna Chase - 2017
    Sit back and binge on five full-length novels that will have you on the edge-of-your-seat. Romance, magic, mystery, and shocking twists that will leave you breathless.* * *Spirits, Stilettos, and a Silver Bustier - Deanna ChasePyper Rayne--medium and coffee shop owner--seems to have attracted a ghost. But he's not just any ghost. He's a witch and able to appear in solid form...sometimes. If only he'd stop disappearing on her. And Pyper needs his help. When she becomes target numero uno and the prime suspect in the shop owner's death, it appears her ghost holds the key to solving the murder. In between stolen kisses, Pyper will need to get to the bottom of all of his secrets if she wants to stay alive and out of jail...and maybe finally get that date he keeps promising her.Whiskey, Vamps, and Thieves - Selene CharlesMeet Scarlett Smith, Southern Vampire Detective...Not too long ago she was just a regular Southern Belle in love with her soldier, dreaming of a life full of babies and white picket fences.Now she solves murders and drinks a little type-O on the side. No big deal, she's certainly nothing special or amazing...right? Except every once in a while she senses something stirring inside of her. Something dark. Something ancient. And something very, very powerful. But for now it's just easier to pretend she's nothing more than a vampire with a badge and a gun who just so happens to have the hots for not one, but two different shifters one of whom is her step-brother.Sterling - Dannika DarkZoë Merrick knew nothing about immortals until she was brutally attacked by one and left for dead. When she awakens, a strange power is coursing through her veins. It's not until a warrior named Justus De Gradi walks into her life that she discovers she's a Mage--able to manipulate energy and use it as a weapon. Justus vows to serve as her protector and teacher, but she's still struggling with letting go of her past. Will Zoë learn to accept her fate and trust those around her, or will she fall victim to the predators in the Breed world?A Spirited Manor - Kate DanleyGrieving widow Clara O'Hare accepts an invitation to a séance in the remote country home of Lord Horace Oroberg. Joining her around the table are Oroberg's cad of a son and his mousy fiancée; her overbearing mother; a renowned scientist; a lovely suffragette; and the dashing young medium, Wesley Lowenherz.  But before long, the group's fascination with the spirit world calls up something sinister, and Clara and Wesley are pulled together to solve a murder most foul.Cast in Angelfire - SM ReineAs a half-angel, half-human mage, Marion Garin is the most powerful witch in the world.  Or so she's been told.Unfortunately, she's lost her memory, and now Marion doesn't know much of anything. Casting magic? Forget about it. It's not an accident, either. Someone powerful wanted to take Marion out of preternatural politics, and they succeeded.She's told that a man named Seth Wilder could help, but she'll have to find him first. He's been missing for years.

Brood of Bones


A.E. Marling - 2011
    From virgin to grandmother, all the women in her city are in their last trimester, power drained by a lurking sorcerer. Only the Lord of the Feast, a dangerous yet charming illusionist, is uncivilized enough to help.

The Institute


Kayla Howarth - 2015
    Always looking over your shoulder. The source of your fear? The Institute.Allira Daniels will do anything to keep her Defective brother safe from the Institute. They claim to protect Defectives, but it’s human nature to fear the unknown. Defectives are dangerous, they possess abilities that no human should be able to. To Allira and the rest of her family, the Institute seems more like a prison than the safe-haven they promote themselves to be. Protecting Shilah from that fate is their number one priority.When Allira stumbles across a car crash involving two of her school classmates, she ignores all of her father’s warnings of laying low and not drawing attention to herself. By doing so, she may have just caught the eye of the Institute. She’s not Defective, but what seventeen-year-old girl has the ability to pull two teenage boys away from a fiery rubble and walk away without a scratch? It would definitely be seen as suspicious.Allira and her family need to make decisions. Do they stay, or do they flee again? Will they be coming for her? Will her whole family come under investigation? Will they discover Shilah and his ability to predict the future?Are you Defective? The Institute is coming for you.

Blades of Magic


Terah Edun - 2014
    War is raging between the mages and seventeen-year-old Sara Fairchild will be right in the middle of it.She just doesn't know it yet.Sara is the daughter of a disgraced imperial commander, executed for desertion. Sara is also the best duelist and hand-to-hand combatant in Sandrin. She lives quietly with her family’s shame but when challenged about her family’s honor, her opponent inevitably loses.On the night she finds out her father’s true last actions, she takes the Mercenary Guilds’ vows to serve in the emperor’s army. Using her quick wits and fierce fighting skills, she earns a spot in the first division. There she discovers secrets the mages on both sides would prefer stay hidden. Dark enemies hunt her and soon it's not just Sara questioning the motivation behind this war.While fighting mages, blackmailing merchants and discovering new friends, Sara comes across something she’s never had before - passion. The question is - can she fight for her empress against a mage who might unwittingly claim her heart?This is year one of the Initiate Wars. Sara is hoping it doesn't become the year she dies.

Tigana


Guy Gavriel Kay - 1990
    It is the tale of a people so cursed by the black sorcery of a cruel despotic king that even the name of their once-beautiful homeland cannot be spoken or remembered... But years after the devastation, a handful of courageous men and women embark upon a dangerous crusade to overthrow their conquerors and bring back to the dark world the brilliance of a long-lost name...Tigana. Against the magnificently rendered background of a world both sensuous and barbaric, this sweeping epic of a passionate people pursuing their dream is breathtaking in its vision, changing forever the boundaries of fantasy fiction.

A Thread in the Tangle


Sabrina Flynn - 2013
    Isiilde knows this more than most. She is a nymph - a faerie in a realm of humans. Coveted by men and gods alike, she is destined to be sold when she comes of age. Threatened with imprisonment, her formidable guardian, Oenghus Saevaldr, flees with her to the Isle of Wise Ones to beseech a mad seer for refuge.A secret sways the seer, but his choice comes at a cost. A thousand wars have been fought over possession of a single nymph, and this one's mere presence proves disastrous. Isiilde's strange affinity with fire, stemming from Chaos itself, makes her a dangerous prize.As Oenghus strives to carve a future for the nymph, Isiilde trembles on a precipice, caught between the lust of men, the greed of kings, and an eternal struggle for dominance. As three powerful kingdoms vie to own her, the fire in her blood awakens, sparking a cataclysm that spirals into disaster."Storytelling at its finest.""Riveting and epic!""An extremely original tale."

Thinblade


David A. Wells - 2011
    Seven were forged by the first Sovereign of the Seven Isles and bound to the bloodline of each of the seven Island Kings in exchange for their loyalty to the Old Law. Each sword is as long as a man’s arm, as wide as a man’s thumb and so thin it can’t be seen when viewed from the edge. Thinblade is the story of Alexander’s quest to find the ancient sword, claim the throne of Ruatha and raise an army to stand against the enemy that has awoken to claim dominion over all of the Seven Isles.

The Aeronaut's Windlass


Jim Butcher - 2015
    Within their halls, aristocratic houses have ruled for generations, developing scientific marvels, fostering trade alliances, and building fleets of airships to keep the peace.Captain Grimm commands the merchant ship, Predator. Fiercely loyal to Spire Albion, he has taken their side in the cold war with Spire Aurora, disrupting the enemy’s shipping lines by attacking their cargo vessels. But when the Predator is severely damaged in combat, leaving captain and crew grounded, Grimm is offered a proposition from the Spirearch of Albion—to join a team of agents on a vital mission in exchange for fully restoring Predator to its fighting glory.And even as Grimm undertakes this dangerous task, he will learn that the conflict between the Spires is merely a premonition of things to come. Humanity’s ancient enemy, silent for more than ten thousand years, has begun to stir once more. And death will follow in its wake…

Child of the Ghosts


Jonathan Moeller - 2011
    She learns the secrets of disguise and stealth, of assassination and infiltration.But even that might not be enough to save her.For the evil that destroyed her family seeks to devour the entire world...