Book picks similar to
Mercenary by Catherine Banks


fantasy
ya
young-adult
genre-fantasy

Dissever


Colee Firman - 2012
    What could be worse than getting stuck with a destiny like that? Tanner Sutherland is about to show her.When a death in the Sanders Family leaves their power and secrets up for grabs, centuries old rumors begin surfacing. Far more sinister reasons for her family's involvement with the Akori than Addy ever could've imagined come to light. She learns the hard way that placing her trust in anyone could lead to disaster.Betrayed by old friends and leery of new ones--she's left to cut through the lies and deception to get to the truth.Find out why sometimes its better not knowing, and how much misery really does love company in Dissever - Book One of the Unbinding Fate Series. Now Available in the Kindle Store - Bonds are broken and new connections are forged in Sanctify (Unbinding Fate, #2) & Chasing Darkness (Unbinding Fate, #3)

Black Swan Rising


Lee Carroll - 2010
    John Dee, the enigmatic shopkeeper, commissions her to open a vintage silver box for a generous sum of money. Oddly, the symbol of a swan on the box exactly matches the ring given to her by her deceased mother. Garet can't believe her luck and this eerie coincidence until she opens the box and otherworldly things start happening. . . .That evening, the precious silver box is stolen. When Garet begins to investigate, she learns that she has been pulled into a prophecy that is hundreds of years old, and opening the box has unleashed an evil force onto the streets of Manhattan and the world at large. Gradually, Garet pieces together her true identity--one that her deceased mother desperately tried to protect her from. Generations of women in Garet's family, including her beloved mother, suffered and died at the hands of this prevailing evil. Does Garet possess the power to reclaim the box and defeat this devastating force?On her journey, she will meet the fey folk who walk unnoticed among humans and a sexy vampire who also happens to be a hedge fund manager that she can't stop thinking about. But the fairies reveal a desire to overpower mere humans and the seductive vampire has the power to steal the life from her body. Whom can Garet trust to guide her? Using her newfound powers and sharp wit, Garet will muster everything she's got to shut down the evil taking over her friends, family, New York City, and the world.

The Glass Wall


Madison Adler - 2011
    Athletic and with killer looks, he wears black eyeliner like a magician and seems to be watching Sydney's every move.What starts out as a light-hearted investigation with her gadget-happy foster father takes a serious turn when she discovers that Rafael isn't human. Add Jareth, the country's latest rock sensation, into the mix and Sydney is swept into a mysterious world of Tulpas, the Fae, and the Brotherhood of the Snake.Sydney doesn't know she's a Blue Thread of Fate. She doesn't know the fate of humanity depends on her choice of whom to trust--Jareth or Rafael. And she certainly doesn't know that she's taken the first step on the unexpected path of love.Ages 12+ [83,605 words - 352 pages of a 6X9 book ]Don't forget to read the free prequel short story "Behind the Mirror"!

Darkride


Laura Bradley Rede - 2011
    Now anything that makes his pulse race, even a kiss from his girlfriend Cicely, is enough to turn him into a monster. When he finally gets a chance to earn his cure by killing a vampire prince, he finds he has to choose between his own past and the future of the girl he loves. Can a guy who’s not even human learn what it means to be a man?Luke Marianez used to be an immortal vampire prince – until the witch he loved betrayed him and cursed him with the ability to die. Now he lives in the world of vampire blood bars, where the waitresses are the drinks, and dreams about killing the last of the witch’s line so he can live forever. But revenge doesn’t just mean breaking the curse. He wants to break the girl’s heart, too. Can Luke seduce Cicely without falling in love himself? Cicely Watson doesn’t believe in werewolves or vampires. She’s not even sure she believes in true love. But she’s about to discover what every werewolf knows:People change.

The One


Heather Self - 2012
    With her birth, the ancient prophecy could at last be fulfilled and the doorway between the worlds would open. Those who know the prophecy believe this event occurred almost eighteen years ago, and now, they’ll stop at nothing to find her.Seventeen-year-old Eveline has lived her entire life on the move and she hates it. She knows her parents believe she’s the One, and they’ve done whatever it takes to stay one step ahead of those who want her dead. But Eveline isn’t fully convinced that her parents’ beliefs match her own. What she does believe is that Leadville, Colorado may be the chance she’s been waiting for. The chance to be somewhere safe. The chance for her to make friends and have fun. The chance to finally date a guy. The chance to be a normal girl, at least as normal as possible for someone not human.

The Princess's Dragon


Susan Trombley - 2010
    In fact, she's an unconventional princess who spends her days trying to disprove the nonsensical ideas of magic and myth. As she stands on the edge of achieving the life she has only dreamed about, Sondra's handsome suitor, Derek, prepares to propose, and her poverty-stricken kingdom of Ariva uncovers a valuable resource that will change its future forever. Everything seems perfect in Sondra's life until she encounters a wizard who transforms her into a monstrous dragon. Forced to flee from the man she adores, Sondra blunders into the territory of Tolmac, a powerful and ancient black dragon. Instead of killing her as she anticipates, Tolmac takes her under his wing, unknowingly training the human princess in the fine art of being a dragon. As Sondra soon discovers, she must constantly sacrifice to make the right choices as she grows to love and admire her new mentor. With her homeland poised on the brink of war, Sondra finds herself facing an unbearable decision; she must choose between her heart and her duty to her country.

Heart of the Fae


Emma Hamm - 2017
    To save her people, Sorcha makes a deal with a dangerous Fae. She must travel across the sea, through merrow and kelpie lands, to find a forgotten king on a crumbling throne. Born king of the Seelie Fae, Eamonn fought battles unnumbered to uphold honor, duty, and freedom… until his twin brother sank a blade between his shoulders. Crystals grew from the wound, splitting open skin and bone. His people banished him to a cursed isle for his disfigurement, now king of criminals and fools. With the help of brownies, pixies, and will-o’-the-wisps, Sorcha battles to break through his crystalline shell and persuade him to take back his stolen throne. This determined beauty could come dangerously close to stealing his beastly heart.

The Broken Destiny


Carlyle Labuschagne - 2012
    Upon meeting a boy from a different sector, her life turns into a beautiful chaos. She begins to feel things she isn't allowed to, thus motivating her to find out the truth about why her kind are so different, and why the Council are so interested in her. Once her mind is freed, with it comes a terrible power that could either save her kind, or destroy them all. But Ava is not the perfect heroine. She will become what she hates to save the ones she loves, and the cost of such a burden is deadly at best.

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 Pages of the Mind


Jeffe Kennedy - 2016
    The population is beset by shapeshifters and portents, landscapes that migrate, uncanny allies who are not quite human…and enemies eager to take advantage of the chaos. Dafne Mailloux is no adventurer--she's a librarian. But the High Queen trusts Dafne's ability with languages, her way of winnowing the useful facts from a dusty scroll, and even more important, the subtlety and guile that three decades under the thumb of a tyrant taught her. Dafne never thought to need those skills again. But she accepts her duty. Until her journey drops her into the arms of a barbarian king. He speaks no tongue she knows but that of power, yet he recognizes his captive as a valuable pawn. Dafne must submit to a wedding of alliance, becoming a prisoner-queen in a court she does not understand. If she is to save herself and her country, she will have to learn to read the heart of a wild stranger. And there are more secrets written there than even Dafne could suspect…

Ember


Carol Oates - 2011
    Candra is exposed to a world of rivalry and sacrifice she never knew existed, and the aftermath of a war to save humanity thousands of years ago. Soon she finds herself relentlessly stalked by Sebastian, a beautiful and arrogant Watcher Angel and romantically pursued by his darkly seductive rival, Draven. Ultimately, dubious about her own goodness, Candra’s very existence compromises a tentative peace in the city of Acheron.

Scintillate


Tracy Clark - 2014
    Mostly, she blames her dad. Her mother disappeared from Ireland when she was five and he’s been a human handcuff ever since. Cora’s life suddenly propels into the extraordinary when she begins to see colorful lights around people. Everyone, that is, except herself—instead, she glows only a brilliant, luminous silver. Cora has reason to believe that someone is hunting and killing people like her—if there are any others like her who are still alive…While investigating the danger associated with these auras, Cora is inexplicably drawn to Finn, a gorgeous Irish exchange student. Their attraction is instant, magnetic, and primal—but her father disapproves, and Finn’s mother abruptly orders him back to Ireland. As mysteries add up, Cora realizes that the small life she’s always known was a lie. On the run from a supernatural killer, she flees to Ireland to look for her missing mother and learn the truth about herself. There she meets another silver-haloed person and, amidst threats and danger, discovers the meaning of her newfound powers and their role in a conspiracy spanning centuries—one that could change mankind forever…if it doesn’t kill her first.

Haunted Love


Cynthia Leitich Smith - 2011
    When a mysterious new girl comes to town and runs afoul of the ghost that lives in his theater, Cody’s caught in the middle and needs to figure out exactly who he can trust. HAUNTED LOVE is a short story by New York Times Bestseller Cynthia Leitich Smith -- set in the same dark universe as her novels TANTALIZE, ETERNAL, and BLESSED. This story includes a sneak preview of Cynthia Leitich Smith’s latest novel, DIABOLICAL, which unites characters from the previous three novels in the Tantalize Series along with a fascinating cast of all-new characters for a suspenseful, action-packed clash between the forces of heaven and hell.

Witch Song


Amber Argyle - 2011
    Her guardian. A stolen magic . . . When the witch hunters penetrate Brusenna's warded forest, she learns an impossible truth. She is the last witch. Now on the run, Brusenna finds an ally in her newly appointed guardian, Joshen, whose confidence and kindness threatens to break down the carefully constructed barriers around her heart. Together, they scramble to learn enough magic to defeat the evil the witch hunters serve. Because if that evil captures Brusenna, it will become unstoppable. If you love the unique magic, sweet romance, and daring adventure in books like THE BLACK WITCH and SERPENT & DOVE, you'll adore Witch Song. With nearly 1,500 five-star ratings on Goodreads, you don't want to miss this bewitching read that will keep you up all night. Get your copy today!"In WITCH SONG, Amber Argyle makes a riveting debut, creating a fresh new world full of wonder, peril, and splendor. I found WITCH SONG to be positively engrossing from the first page to the last." ~David Farland, New York Times Bestselling AuthorOTHER TITLES BY AMBER ARGYLEWitch Song SeriesWitch SongWitch BornWitch RisingWitch FallForbidden Forest SeriesLady of ShadowsStolen EnchantressPiper PrinceWraith KingCurse QueenFairy Queens SagaOf Ice and SnowWinter QueenOf Fire and AshSummer QueenOf Sand and StormDaughter of WinterWinter’s Heir

The Fallen Hunter


Izzy Shows - 2017
     I rebelled, and it was damn worth it. My fall from Heaven was worth every minute of pain. I loved my life, it was simple. Take what I want, when I want, and answer to no one. Or at least, that’s how it was before she arrived. She shot into my life like a shooting star, blinding in her brilliance, then left me in the dark. Now, I have to find my way back to the life I used to lead, because one thing’s clear: I’m never getting her back. I’d do anything to forget her, but nothing I do seems to work. That is, not until Cassiel showed up—my oldest friend, if you could call her that. The angel assigned by dear old dad to bring me back to the light. Hah. But she’s just the distraction I need, our game of cat and mouse is sure to take my mind off things. But life isn’t done kicking me, not yet. Because something’s wrong with my demons—they’re not acting like themselves, they’re killing without permission, and worst of all: they’re feeling. I swore to lead and protect them, but I let that human distract me, and now the world is in danger. If I can’t find myself, I’ll lose this fight. And Hell…Hell will be reborn into something far more terrifying than it’s ever been.