Book picks similar to
The Empress of Beasts and Mist by Ginevra Mancinelli
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Dreams of the Dying
Nicolas Lietzau - 2020
It's a lonely existence, but, barring the occasional bout of melancholia, he has found the closest thing to peace a man like him deserves. Life is "all right."Or so he believes. Hoping to turn the page, Jespar accepts a mysterious invitation into the beautiful but dangerous archipelago of Kilay-and everything changes.Plagued by explosive social tensions and terrorism, the tropical empire is edging ever closer to civil war. Kilay's merchant king is the only person able to prevent this catastrophe, but he has fallen into a preternatural coma-and it's Jespar's task to figure out what or who caused it. As the investigation takes him across the archipelago and into the king's nightmares, unexpected events not only tie Jespar's own life to the mystery but also unearth inner demons he believed to be long exorcised.Battling old trauma while fighting for his life, his sanity, and the fate of Kilay, the line between dream and reality blurs until only one question remains: If your mind is the enemy, where do you run?
The TruthSeer Archives: Complete series
Mike Shelton - 2018
While struggling to control her new power and curb the pain she learns a powerful truth that could thrust an entire continent into civil war.The stones of power protect the five kingdoms of Wayland - and have done so for two hundred years. Now those stones are failing and a dark power threatens to take control. With the help of her brother, and a young thief, Shaeleen sets out on a dangerous journey to gather and restore the power of all the stones.Will she succeed before the endless lies destroy her?
Readers of YA fantasy, unique magic, mighty wizards, reluctant heroes, coming of age, and sword and sorcery will thoroughly enjoy the TruthSeer Archives!
Ella
Samantha Evans - 2019
King Breen, Liam's father, and Cullen, Liam's brother, believe that true honor is achieved once they slay a dragon. Liam believes that dragons are majestic and do not deserve to die. King Breen, Liam’s father, brings Liam along on an expedition to slay a dragon. On one of the nights of the expedition, Liam rescued a dragon’s egg. Liam decides to care for it, and it hatches on Liam’s birthday. Tragedy strikes, which leads to Liam having to leave Derzeli, and Liam goes on the run with the help of Ella the dragon. Ella helps him escape, and runs to a barren wasteland where he saw himself to becoming a hermit for the rest of his life. But due to an event happening with the help of a new friend, and a childhood friend he has no choice but to return home. Having to make the decision to run away from his destiny, or embrace it, the destiny of a king.
Seraphina's Lament
Sarah Chorn - 2019
The Sunset Lands are broken, torn apart by a war of ideology paid for with the lives of the peasants. Drought holds the east as famine ravages the farmlands. In the west, borders slam shut in the face of waves of refugees, dooming all of those trying to flee to slow starvation, or a future in forced labor camps. There is no salvation.In the city of Lord’s Reach, Seraphina, a slave with unique talents, sets in motion a series of events that will change everything. In a fight for the soul of the nation, everyone is a player. But something ominous is calling people to Lord’s Reach and the very nature of magic itself is changing. Paths will converge, the battle for the Sunset Lands has shifted, and now humanity itself is at stake. First, you must break before you can become.
We Men of Ash and Shadow
H.L.Tinsley - 2020
Shamed by his deserter past and seeking to make amends for his many misdeeds, a chance encounter with Tarryn Leersac – a skilled young would-be-assassin fallen from the graces of high society – leads Vanguard to become an unlikely mentor.Charged with hunting down the killer of two guards left washed up on the banks of the canal, the further Vanguard delves into the underbelly of the city the more he finds himself entangled in a web of secrets and lies. A prominent aristocrat is missing. Crime lords, con men and harlots run amok and the city teeters on the brink of another revolution.With his already precarious reputation hanging by a thread, Vanguard must piece together how and why the last war came to pass, find a way to earn redemption for his mistakes and come to terms with the past in a city where few survive, and even fewer can be trusted.A Grimdark novel with elements of adventure and gaslight fantasy, ‘We Men of Ash and Shadow’ explores themes of redemption, loyalty, and betrayal against the backdrop of a world where survival often means compromising your values.‘We Men of Ash and Shadow’ is an adult fantasy novel and as such, contains adult themes and language.
Kings and Daemons
Marcus Lee - 2020
Gifted with eternal youth, his vampiric power is responsible for the decay that afflicts his realm, and now other kingdoms must fall to quench his never-ending thirst for life.However, on the cusp of the invasion, Maya, a peasant huntress, is arrested, Daleth’s soldiers kill an old farmer’s wife, and a young outcast is reluctantly enlisted into the Witch-King’s army. Three seemingly innocuous events that nonetheless have the potential to alter the destiny of generations to come.For Maya is gifted with the ability to heal and can influence the hearts and minds of men if she but finds the strength to do so. The young recruit carries a gift of reading thoughts and has no love for the king he serves. As for the vengeful farmer … he’s an ancient warrior gifted in reaping souls who now seeks to fulfil a long-forgotten oath against unbeatable odds.The world will soon be soaked by the blood of war, but with these three individuals’ lives inescapably entwined, the faint light of hope begins to shine. Alliances will have to be forged, enemies convinced to become friends, and a flicker of love given a chance to become a flame for there to be a chance to fight the encroaching darkness of the Witch-King's evil.-----The Gifted and the Cursed. A dark fantasy trilogy set in a dystopian land, with heroes that are at times more demonic than the evil they face. The bloody battles, quests for revenge and fights for survival are artfully balanced with a light romance, tales of redemption, and the breath-taking beauty of Maya’s gift
First Chosen
M. Todd Gallowglas - 2011
In his "gratitude," the god names her his high priest and commands her to lead his people to greatness once again. However, it is now a capital crime for any of Julianna's people to worship one of the five ancient gods - the punishment is the destruction of the offender's soul. And so begins TEARS OF RAGE, a dark, epic fantasy saga about the power of faith and belief, where even though the gods can inspire these qualities in mortals, it is those same mortals that truly control the religions that form from any god's divine inspiration. It is also a swashbuckling tale of political intrigue where men scheme against each other and the gods, and how friendship, loyalty, and faith can help people persevere through the darkest times.
Winter's Reach
Craig Schaefer - 2014
Conspiracies swirl like shadows around Livia, the pope's daughter, who refuses to be anyone's pawn: chasing the whispers of a deadly coup, she vows to expose the truth and save her church from disaster. Livia has secrets of her own, though, and one wrong move could cost her life and her soul. Felix is the scion of a dying merchant house, a man with just one chance to save his family and the woman he loves. His last hope lies in the snowbound hell of Winter's Reach, a former prison colony turned "free city" under a brutal tyrant's reign. Livia and Felix have never crossed paths, but they've both been snared in a far greater web than they can imagine. They -- along with a pair of veteran bounty hunters, an exiled politician, and a sadistic coven of witches -- are cogs in one man's apocalyptic plan for revenge. A plan which, if it succeeds, will leave an entire nation in flames.
A Man of His Word: The Complete Series
Dave Duncan - 2017
These four fantasy novels of love and adventure follow the exploits of childhood friends Inos and Rap as their feelings are tested by the direst of circumstances. But while abduction, magic, and imprisonment conspire to separate them, the two remain steadfast in their determination to be together. Magic Casement: Inos enjoys an idyllic childhood with her friend Rap, but friendship between a princess and a stable boy can never be simple. Soon, they are thrust into adulthood and a magical world full of infinite surprises. Faery Lands Forlorn: When Inos is abducted through the magic casement and Rap tries to follow her, they arrive in two very strange new lands. With Rap in Faerie and Inos in Zark, they are at opposite ends of the world, but that doesn’t stop the young stable boy from heading to Zark to rescue his princess. And Inos is equally determined to head home to Krasnegar to claim her kingdom. Perilous Seas: Hunted by the fearsome warlock wardens who rule the world, Inos is convinced that Rap has died. Little does she know, he is alive and, with the aid of his magic wand, trying to bring happiness to his beloved queen. But when the evil Nordland raider, Kalkor, arrives in port, Rap’s plans begin to fall apart. Emperor and Clown: With Inos married to the wrong man and Rap dying in a dungeon, their cause seems hopeless. Only Aunt Kade refuses to admit defeat. Taking events into her own hands, she knows exactly the five men she can coerce into helping her . . .
Salvation's Dawn
Joe Jackson - 2015
Only a few days passed before a new evil surfaced. Now, rumors have begun to circulate of a civil war, one with a demonic taint beneath it that hints at an underworld invasion. It is a situation that demands investigation by one of the world’s greatest demonhunters.Still reeling from her unprecedented resurrection and eight years of fighting, Karian Vanador is called upon to look into the threat. Why was the remote island of Tsalbrin chosen? And who – or what – is truly behind the unrest? Assigned to an unlikely group of young heroes, Kari must learn to rely on more than just her legendary prowess. She will need their strength to battle her internal demons, just as these young heroes need her strength to battle their physical foes.Together, they must unravel an underworld plot before Citaria is plunged into worldwide war…again.Salvation's Dawn is the opening volume of the Eve of Redemption series. If you love epic fantasy in the vein of Terry Brooks, RA Salvatore, Raymond E. Feist, Ursula K Le Guin, and similar authors, you'll love the depth, complexity, and far-reaching worlds of this series.
Inborn
John LeViness - 2012
He never meant to awaken any magic. Now the Ontar wants to use him to call monsters down out of the sky. Nothing will ever be the same. Little does he know that a larger and even more dangerous world is closing in. Everyone has plans for his newly discovered Inborn abilities. All Thaniel wanted was the girl. He never meant to hurt anyone. Join Thaniel and friends as he discovers that monsters are not just born... They are Inborn.
The Exercise Of Vital Powers
Ian Gregoire - 2017
For seven decades this mandate has guaranteed peace and stability throughout The Nine Kingdoms. But a potential threat to the peace has emerged, and its source is much closer to home than the leadership of The Order may realise.Arrogant, manipulative, confrontational and angry. Undesirable qualities in a person at the best of times, but more so in a young woman born with the power to bring kingdoms to their knees. Kayden Jayta, precocious apprentice of The Order, is all these things and more, yet wholly unwilling to acknowledge and rectify her many troubling traits.Unbeknown to anyone, Kayden’s resolute determination to join the ranks of The Order is born of a secret that puts her priorities at odds with the precepts of the organisation, setting her inexorably on a collision course with the most powerful institution in The Nine Kingdoms.If Kayden is to be dissuaded from walking the path she has chosen, averting tragic consequences in the process, two unanswered questions must be answered: What is the dark secret guiding Kayden’s actions? And, why has a legendary figure within The Order, with a secret of her own, taken undue interest in Kayden’s future?
Games of Thrones: A Storm of Swords: Book Three of a Song of Ice and Fire Vol. 3c
George R.R. Martin - 2013
R. Martin's Game of Thrones: A song of Fire and Ice. This is book 3C. Includes a summary of the dynasties. Vietnamese translation by Khanh Thuy. In Vietnamese. Annotation copyright Tsai Fong Books, Inc. Distributed by Tsai Fong Books, Inc.
Shattered Dreams
Ulff Lehmann - 2016
Drangar Ralgon has been avoiding the abyss's gaze for far too long and now he turns to face it. For a hundred years the young kingdom of Danastaer has thrived in peace. Now their northern neighbor, mighty Chanastardh, has begun a cunning invasion. Thrust into events far beyond his control, the mercenary Drangar Ralgon flees his solitary life as a shepherd to evade the coming war and take responsibility for his crimes. In Dunthiochagh, Danastaer's oldest city, the holy warrior Kildanor uncovers the enemy's plans for invasion. As ancient forces reach forth to shape the world once more, the sorceress Ealisaid wakes from a century of hibernation only to realize the Dunthiochagh she knew is no more. Magic, believed long gone, returns, and with it comes an elven wizard sent to recover a dangerous secret.
Prince of Shadow and Ash
Selina R. Gonzalez - 2020
If his darkness doesn’t destroy them both.Bastard and former mercenary Lord Regulus Hargreaves' resolve is crumbling. He's desperate to pay off his debt to the sorcerer who enslaved him, but after two years, he fears he'll never be free of the cursed mark that won't even let him die. Then Lady Adelaide sees past his scarred face and shadowed past, and Regulus’ fading hope rekindles.But will loving Adelaide while serving the Prince of Shadow and Ash put her in danger?Adelaide Belanger yearns to use the magical energy within her, but revealing her power could get her killed--like every other mage in the kingdom. When she meets kind and rugged Regulus, she wonders if she has finally found someone to trust with her secret—and her heart. Regulus and Adelaide struggle to protect their romance and keep their secrets from predatory nobles and the devious sorcerer.By the time their secrets are revealed, it may be too late for them both...and possibly for the kingdom.
The first book in a character-driven sword and sorcery romantic fantasy duology with found family, despicable villains, magic, and hope!
(Content note: Fade-to-black romance. Minimal language.Possible triggers: Series is equivalent to mid to upper PG-13-level; contains violence, torture, depression, reference to SH and a su*c*de attempt, & a SA in book two.)