Book picks similar to
Mud by E.J. Wenstrom
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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…
Find Me
Francesca Riley - 2018
What will it cost her to cross the distance? Seventeen-year-old Skye Sebastian knows that love hurts; her broken father is a constant reminder. And she doesn't believe in happy ever after. But when she returns to the seaside village where her mother drowned, she meets Hunter, a mysterious, compelling swimmer who never seems to leave the water. Beautiful and mesmerizing, he is like no one she has ever known.But Hunter is cursed. And Skye shouldn't be able to see him at all.Does Hunter hide the answer to her mother’s death? And what IS he, really? Skye will risk everything to find out, but the truth might cost her more than she bargained for. As she uncovers his secrets and learns of his cursed clan, the danger grows. It might already be too late for her. Because once you're in too deep, there is no going back.Inspired by The Little Mermaid, this addictive, mythical love story will leave you breathless.Fans of Erin A Craig, A. L. Knorr, Amanda Hocking and Stephenie Meyer will love the Immersed series
The Waking Fire
Anthony Ryan - 2016
R. Martin’s Song of Ice and Fire novels.”* Now, Anthony Ryan begins a new saga, The Draconis Memoria...Throughout the vast lands controlled by the Ironship Syndicate, nothing is more prized than the blood of drakes. Harvested from the veins of captive or hunted Reds, Green, Blues and Blacks, it can be distilled into elixirs that give fearsome powers to the rare men and women who have the ability harness them—known as the blood-blessed. But not many know the truth: that the lines of drakes are weakening. If they fail, war with the neighboring Corvantine Empire will follow swiftly. The Syndicate's last hope resides in whispers of the existence of another breed of drake, far more powerful than the rest, and the few who have been chosen by fate to seek it. Claydon Torcreek is a petty thief and an unregistered blood-blessed, who finds himself pressed into service by the protectorate and sent to wild, uncharted territories in search of a creature he believes is little more than legend. Lizanne Lethridge is a formidable spy and assassin, facing gravest danger on an espionage mission deep into the heart of enemy territory. And Corrick Hilemore is the second lieutenant of an ironship, whose pursuit of ruthless brigands leads him to a far greater threat at the edge of the world. As lives and empires clash and intertwine, as the unknown and the known collide, all three must fight to turn the tide of a coming war, or drown in its wake. *Library Journal
The Gameshouse
Claire North - 2019
But few know all its secrets...It is the place where fortunes can be made and lost through chess, backgammon - every game under the sun.But those whom fortune favors may be invited to compete in the higher league... a league where the games played are of politics and empires, of economics and kings. It is a league where Capture the Castle involves real castles, where hide and seek takes place on the scale of a continent.Among those worthy of competing in the higher league, three unusually talented contestants play for the highest stakes of all...This novel was originally published as three digital-only novellas: The Serpent, The Thief, and The Master. Previous books by Claire North:The First Fifteen Lives of Harry AugustTouchThe Sudden Appearance of HopeThe End of the Day84KBy the same author, writing as Kate Griffin:A Madness of AngelsThe Midnight MayorThe Neon CourtThe Minority CouncilThe Glass GodStray Souls
The More or Less Definitive Guide to Self-Care: From A to Z
Anna Borges - 2019
“For most of us,” writes Anna Borges, “self-care is a wide spectrum of decisions and actions that soothe and fortify us against all the shit we deal with.” You may already practice some form of self-care, whether it’s taking an extra-long shower after a stressful day, splurging on a ~fancy~ dinner, or choosing Netflix over that friend-of-a-friend’s birthday party. But when life gets so overwhelming that you want to stay in bed, some more radical care is crucial to maintain your sanity.The More or Less Definitive Guide to Self-Care is here to help you exist in the world. Borges gathers over 200 tips, activities, and stories (from experts and everyday people alike) into an A-to-Z list—from asking for help and burning negative thoughts to the importance of touch and catching some Zzz’s. Make any day a little more OK with new skills in your self-care toolkit—and energy to show up for yourself.
The Book of Dragons
Jonathan StrahanBeth Cato - 2020
. . From China to Europe, Africa to North America, dragons have long captured our imagination in myth and legend. Whether they are rampaging beasts awaiting a brave hero to slay or benevolent sages who have much to teach humanity, dragons are intrinsically connected to stories of creation, adventure, and struggle beloved for generations.Bringing together nearly thirty stories and poems from some of the greatest science fiction and fantasy writers working today— Garth Nix, Scott Lynch, R.F. Kuang, Ann Leckie & Rachel Swirsky, Daniel Abraham, Peter S. Beagle, Beth Cato, Zen Cho, C. S. E Cooney, Aliette de Bodard, Kate Elliott, Theodora Goss, Ellen Klages, Ken Liu, Patricia A McKillip, K. J. Parker, Kelly Robson, Michael Swanwick, Jo Walton, Elle Katharine White, Jane Yolen, Kelly Barnhill, Brooke Bolander, Sarah Gailey, and J. Y. Yang—and illustrated by award-nominated artist Rovina Cai with black-and-white line drawings specific to each entry throughout, this extraordinary collection vividly breathes fire and life into one of our most captivating and feared magical creatures as never before and is sure to become a treasured keepsake for fans of fantasy, science fiction, and fairy tales.
The Aura
Carrie Bedford - 2014
SHE KNOWS WHO'S GOING TO DIE! BUT NO ONE WILL BELIEVE HER... Life spins out of control for London architect Kate Benedict when she sees a dancing aura above certain people’s heads that seems to signal death. Suddenly she’s psychic. But that can't be! Psychic’s not acceptable in her circle, where the supernatural is strictly for the superstitious. And yet…people are dying. People close to her. Kate's tentative attempts to talk about her new-found metaphysical gift are met with eye rolls, so much so that she can’t even tell the nice Scotland Yard detective who's investigating the death of a close friend, Rebecca Williams. And now Rebecca’s neighbor has an aura. So what's Kate to do but try to save him by turning detective herself? A break-in and attack on her boyfriend confirm that the murderer’s catching on that Kate knows too much. But he (or maybe she) has no idea that what Kate knows is a little on the paranormal side.
The Seer's Secret
Brittany Fichter - 2021
But this reality will soon shatter. For among the cursed ashes of Solevar, a Seer has been found.Eirin, the king's favored warrior-in-training, is going to fail her combat test. She knows this, as does everyone around her. This comes as no surprise, though. Eirin never understood why the king chose to train her alongside the Walled City's most promising fighters. She's always been too slow, too weak, never enough for what a true Sgaeth is meant to be. And now that it's nearly over, she dreams only of returning to the home where she's loved and she belongs.For years, Drystan, the king's Heir, chosen for his strength and prowess in combat, has watched Eirin fight only to fall again and again. And though he's only the king's Heir, his patience with the situation grows thin. Anyone can see that Eirin was never meant to be a Sgaeth, but the king refuses to listen. As if his worry over Eirin's safety isn't enough, the ever-present pain in Drystan's chest is reaching nearly crippling levels. If he can't get it under control, his suffering will soon begin to affect those he should be keeping safe.Both Eirin and Drystan's plans and ambitions are brought to a halt, however, when just before Eirin's combat trial, the Walled City is attacked by an army of monstrous shifters. And Eirin and Drystan hear a word uttered that changes the course of the battle and their lives.Seer.Upon hearing mention of this word, the king sends Eirin, Drystan, and a small party of companions out of the Walled City, out of the mountain, into the ancient, dying land of Solevar. There, he promises, they will find the answers they've been seeking. But no matter what happens, Drystan must protect Eirin at all costs. The Walled City's survival depends on it.As they make their way into the dangerous world of the Atharrach shifters, far from the safety of their city's walls, Drystan and Eirin begin to see that perhaps the world is not exactly as they've been told. Even more importantly, though, they learn world-altering secrets about their own selves. And if they can't learn to embrace their true natures...and trust one another along the way, the world as they know it might fall.
Galdoni
Cheree Alsop - 2011
Kale, rescued by three high school students and nursed back from the brink of death, is given the chance to experience life as a human. When he is captured, he has to use what he learned in the world outside the Academy in order to free the other Galdoni and return to the human girl he loves. Dark and exciting, Galdoni pushes the boundaries of love in a world of violence.
An Accident of Stars
Foz Meadows - 2016
But Leoden has allies, too, chief among them the Vex’Mara Kadeja, a dangerous ex-priestess who shares his dreams of conquest.Pursued by Leoden and aided by the Shavaktiin, a secretive order of storytellers and mystics, the rebels flee to Veksh, a neighboring matriarchy ruled by the fearsome Council of Queens. Saffron is out of her world and out of her depth, but the further she travels, the more she finds herself bound to her friends with ties of blood and magic.Can one girl – an accidental worldwalker – really be the key to saving Kena? Or will she just die trying?
Imager
L.E. Modesitt Jr. - 2009
Although Rhennthyl is the son of a leading wool merchant in L’Excelsis, the capital of Solidar, the most powerful nation on Terahnar, he has spent years becoming a journeyman artist and is skilled and diligent enough to be considered for the status of master artisan—in another two years. Then, in a single moment, his entire life is transformed when his master patron is killed in a flash fire, and Rhenn discovers he is an imager—one of the few in the entire world of Terahnar who can visualize things and make them real.He must leave his family and join the Collegium of Imagisle. Imagers live separately from the rest of society because of their abilities (they can do accidental magic even while asleep), and because they are both feared and vulnerable. In this new life, Rhenn discovers that all too many of the “truths” he knew were nothing of the sort. Every day brings a new threat to his life. He makes a powerful enemy while righting a wrong, and begins to learn to do magic in secret. Imager is the innovative and enchanting opening of an involving new fantasy story.
Eve of Snows
L. James RiceL. James Rice - 2018
Great for fans of George R.R. Martin’s A Song of Ice and Fire series, R. Scott Bakker’s Prince of Nothing series." - Booklife ReviewsFive hundred years ago the world shattered, banishing the gods from the Sister Continents and stealing the memories of the mortal peoples in an event known as the Great Forgetting. In 17 days the stars will align, and a religious cabal will summon the gods back to the realms of men. In the northern tundra priests search the Steaming Lakes, a place tormented by the Wakened Dead. Deep in the mountains, demonic shadows assail priests at a holy shrine. In the south, the clans know something foul is afoot, and dispatch warriors to seek answers, but instead they find horrors. A young priestess named Eliles stands in the heart of this conspiracy; on her shoulders rest decisions which could prevent a holy war or demonic genocide. Through lies, manipulation, and murder, everyone is on a 17-day march to fulfill or defy prophecy; the world will end or begin anew, come the Eve of Snows.
The Girl In Between
Laekan Zea Kemp - 2012
Afflicted with Klein-Levin Syndrome, she suffers episodes of prolonged sleep that steal weeks, and sometimes even months, from her life. But unlike most KLS patients, she doesn’t spend each episode in a catatonic state or wake up with no recollection of the time she’s missed. Instead, Bryn spends half her life in an alternate reality made up of her memories. For Bryn, the past is a place, until one day a boy she’s never met before washes up on the illusory beach of her dreams with no memory of who he is.But the appearance of this strange boy isn’t the only thing that’s changed. Bryn’s symptoms are worsening, her body weakening as she’s plagued by hallucinations even while awake. Her only hope of finding a cure is to undergo experimental treatment created by a German specialist. But when Dr. Banz reveals that he knows more about her strange symptoms than he originally let on, Bryn learns that the boy in her head might actually be the key to understanding what’s happening to her, and worse, that if she doesn’t find out his identity before it’s too late, they both may not survive.
The Garbage Man: A Kate Holland Suspense: 1
Candace IrvingCandace Irving - 2020
Now a small-town cop, the past catches up with Kate when the body of a fellow Army veteran is left along a backcountry road...in meticulously severed pieces. Four years earlier, Kate spent eleven hours as a prisoner of war in Afghanistan. According to her Silver Star write-up, she singlehandedly took down eleven terrorists to avoid staying longer.But Kate has no memory of the deaths, or the events that led up to them. And now, bizarre clues are cropping up in and around that crime scene—and others. Clues that appear to connect to that fateful day. Is the killer trying to tell her something?Or is Kate finally losing her grip on reality?As the body count rises, Kate is forced to confront the guilt that caused her to bolt from the Army...along with the realization that, if she'd faced her demons sooner, her fellow vets might still be alive—and she wouldn't be in the killer's crosshairs.The Garbage Man is Book 1 in the Hidden Valor Military Psychological Suspense Series. If you like strong, female protagonists with gripping, complex suspense that twists and turns all the way to The End, you'll love Candace Irving's 107,000-word military mystery/suspense featuring Braxton Police Deputy Kate Holland.Grab your copy of The Garbage Man today and find out what happened to Kate during those eleven hours she spent as a POW...and why she must remember.
Sword Fight
Nathan Van Coops - 2019
But when a tragic murder casts her out of the noble society she’s relied on to protect her, she has to master the way of the sword to fight her way back.The king is searching for the next knight to sit at the Round Table, but Valerie only wants justice. To get it, she’ll enter his tournament and face road warriors from all over the kingdom.Outmatched and unknown, her only hope for survival is a brooding swordsman mentor, a blade with no name, and one legendary car.If you like epic tales of bravery, romance, and revenge, you'll love this high-octane, swashbuckling adventure.