Book picks similar to
Granted by Michelle Merrill


fantasy
young-adult
urban-fantasy
ya

The Legend of the Blue Eyes


B. Kristin McMichael - 2013
    Why were her parents dead? Why did she not have family? Where was she raised until she was five? When someone offers to explain it all, Arianna thinks she’s just getting answers. Instead, she is thrown into a world of night humans who drink blood.On Arianna's sixteenth birthday, her world is thrown upside down when she changes into a vampire. Night humans, or demons, as some call them, live in normal society. Learning all of the new rules of a world she didn’t know existed might be hard enough, but it's further complicated by two former-friends that now want to help her take her role as the successor to her grandfather. There is a war going on between the night humans. Sides have been taken and lines are not crossed. Four main clans of night humans are struggling for control of the night. Divided into two sides, clans Baku and Tengu have been at war for centuries with the clans Dearg-dul and Lycan. That is, until Arianna Grace finds out the truth; she’s the bridge of peace between the two sides. But not everyone wants peace. With the night humans divided, Arianna is now a pawn in the war between them. She must choose a side—her mother’s family or her father’s—and for once in her life, decide her own fate.

Fateful


Cheri Schmidt - 2011
    Darcy when she leaves Colorado to attend art school in London. Of course she knows it’s silly to wish for that, naive even. But she’s met enough males who lacked respect for women, a growing trend it seemed. And at nineteen...well... However, on only her second night there she gets lost and is threatened by a stalker who proves to be immune to her martial arts training. Before she is completely overpowered, she is then saved by Ethan Deveroux. While Danielle does find the romance she seeks in Ethan, he’s no Mr. Darcy. Her hero is held by a spell which fractures their chance at a happy ending. During the day Ethan is closer to mortal than immortal and can date her like any other man. Yet, as the sun sets, the powerful magic of an ancient curse returns and the evil of that spell is revealed. When that magic begins, Danielle's fairytale romance ends because Ethan Deveroux is a vampire.Fateful is a clean, coming of age vampire romance that blends fantasy and paranormal with a healthy dose of romance and a dash of humor.

Dark Angel Series Books 1-3: Angelfire, Angelstone, Angelsong


Hanna Peach - 2014
    His angel Guardian. A love written in the stars.Forget everything you know about angels.You'll likely find Alyxandria slicing demons with her blades rather than plucking at harp strings. Whether it's with weapons, unarmed or with the "borrowed magics" of distilled angel-blood tattoos, she trains harder than any other Seraphim warrior to prove she is nothing like her parents who abandoned her to become Rogues. When Alyx starts displaying the signs of a strange new magic, most don't believe her and no one has answers for her. The web of lies she uncovers will shatter her world and she'll be forced to risk everything for Israel, a gifted mortal she barely knows. Alyx and Israel will soon realize that their destinies are inexplicably tied - and that their choices will determine the fate of Earth itself.It begins in Angelfire. The series is now complete! Angelblood (Dark Angel #4) and Angeldust (Dark Angel #5) and both out now (not included in this box set).

Call of the Herald


Brian Rathbone - 2008
    Echoes of the ancients' power are distant memories, tattered and faded by the passage of eons, but that is about to change. A new dawn has arrived. Latent abilities, harbored in mankind's deepest fibers, wait to be unleashed. Ancient evils awaken, and old fears ignite the fires of war.

The Grave Winner


Lindsey R. Loucks - 2013
    While the town goes beehive over the news, Leigh bikes to the local cemetery and buries some of her mom’s things in her grave to keep her there. When the hot and mysterious caretaker warns her not to give gifts to the dead, Leigh cranks up her punk music and keeps digging.She should have listened.Two dead sorceresses evicted the prom queen from her grave to bury someone who offered certain gifts. Bury them alive, that is, then resurrect them to create a trio of undead powerful enough to free the darkest sorceress ever from her prison inside the earth. With help from the caretaker and the dead prom queen, Leigh must find out what’s so special about the gifts she gave, and why the sorceresses are stalking her and her little sister. If she doesn’t, she’ll either lose another loved one or have to give the ultimate gift to the dead – herself.

The Shadow Rises


K.S. Marsden - 2013
    The Malleus Maleficarum Council have strict rules and practises for eradicating magic.Due to their work, witches have been almost forgotten, relegated to myth; but rumours are starting to emerge of a new power that will throw the world into chaos.As the only 7th generation witch-hunter, Hunter Astley is the best the MMC has to offer. With the help of his colleagues, it’s a race to track down this new threat and stop them… in any way he can. Part one of the Witch-Hunter trilogy.Free download from most ebook retailers.

Whispering Wind


Karin Reeve - 2014
    This gift must remain hidden, or her entire species will perceive her as a threat. Upon her move to Williams, Arizona the woods on the mountainside become a refuge, the place where she can let her power flow free. Skin Walker, Larkin Taylor has dreamt of the same girl since his twelfth birthday. While on a run in his wolf form, he catches the scent of something overwhelmingly powerful. When Larkin comes face-to-face with his dream girl, he is astounded to find that she is real. Desperate to be close to her, he joins her as the wolf where he witnesses first-hand the true depths of her gifts. Though he should destroy her for what she is, he finds himself struggling with a fierce need to protect her and the secrets she harbors. His own secrets are threatened when his former best friend bumps into Taryn at the local café. Keiryn Falcon is instantly smitten with the new girl in town when sparks, quite literally, fly between the two as she brushes past him. The moment she is out of sight he takes to the skies in hawk form to follow. When he spies Larkin jumping down from her bedroom window, Keiryn sees nothing but red, knowing what kind of a monster lurks within the black dog. Bearing the physical scars that Larkin inflicted on him five years ago, Keiryn pledges to keep Taryn from falling victim to the same fate.While her heart wages a constant war between the boy that is bound to protect her and the one she shares a deep, inexplicable connection with; who will she choose, and will that choice destroy them all?

Game of Gods


Staci Hart - 2013
    Just don’t ask her to figure out her own heart. Instead, she toys with the hearts of humans. It’s a little game the gods play, and this time it’s Aphrodite’s turn to defend the domain of love. The battleground is New York City, and the stakes are high—the winner receives a token, a favor the loser must fulfill. But every god has secrets. Every god lies. And no god can be trusted.Apollo is no exception. He killed Aphrodite’s love, and for that, he can never be forgiven. But Apollo is on a mission to win. For thousands of years, Aphrodite has kept him from the one he loves, but the wind has shifted, and now is his chance.God and goddess will choose their players. The clock will start. Two humans will fall in love, or they won’t—their fates are intertwined with the gods, their hearts slave to their circumstance, a slave to the game.And in this game of love, Aphrodite never loses.*Formerly titled Paper Fools

Muse


Erin McFadden - 2013
    Twenty-one year-old Daniel Lyoncourt has trained his entire life to join the Guardians. Daniel is prepared to risk his life in order to keep his Talent safe, but when he's assigned to nineteen year-old Anna Saint-James, he discovers that his life isn't the only thing he could lose. Anna has no idea how special she is and knows nothing about her abilities. He must teach her to control her gifts, keep her safe, and hope that he can find a place in her life as something more than just her bodyguard.All power comes at a price. Like all Talents, Anna must one day make a choice: lose all of her powers, or ascend to a higher plane, leaving behind everyone she loves.

Julian


Piper Shelly - 2012
    Thank God, in six weeks, I’ll be eighteen and free!Except, a certain stupid sweater in my backpack—okay, okay! I didn’t actually pay for it—lands me at court. And, look at that…my mother is back, too.I want to keel over dead when the judge sentences me to time in France with her. Actually, I take that back, I want her to keel over dead! And then somebody says she has cancer. Wow, I’ve never had a wish fulfilled this fast. But until that happens—or I turn eighteen, whichever comes first—I’m required to work in some unknown family’s vineyards. Yeah, right…France, however, holds another surprise for me. Julian.He doesn’t miss a chance to provoke me, and for some reason he seems to foresee each step of my brilliant escape plan. What the hell—?But then he makes a tiny mistake. And suddenly, I’m confronted with a secret that makes my blood run cold.

Wind Catcher


Jeff Altabef - 2015
    Juliet Wildfire Stone hears voices and sees visions, but she can’t make out what they mean. Her eccentric grandfather tells her stories about the Great Wind Spirit and Coyote, but he might as well be speaking another language. None of it makes any sense.When she stumbles upon a series of murders she can't help but worry her grandfather might be involved. To discover the truth, Juliet must choose between her new life at an elite private school and her Native American heritage. Once she uncovers an ancient secret society formed over two hundred years ago to keep her safe, she starts to wonder whether there’s some truth to those old stories her grandfather has been telling her. All she wants is to be an average sixteen-year-old girl, but she has never been average—could never be average. Betrayed by those she loves, she must decide whether to run or risk everything by fulfilling her destiny as the Chosen.

Sworn to Raise


Terah Edun - 2013
    But beneath her empire’s seemingly idyllic surface lies a hidden secret. Whispers of an inept crown Prince are growing ever louder—intensified by the five year anniversary of the soulbond initiations.Amidst scandalous whispers, Ciardis finds herself chosen to train for the Companion’s Guild. She leaves her home and sets off on a personal journey to become a Court Companion. A position she’d never thought possible for a lowly servant to obtain, she must prove that she has the skills to attract a Patron. But she must master those skills quickly. If the legends are true, only Ciardis can harness the power to raise a Prince in an Imperial Court sworn to bring him down.This sensational series debut melds intricate storylines with remarkable characters and unforgettable magic. Sworn To Raise is ideal for fans of Kristin Cashore, Michelle Sagara, and Maria Snyder.

Whispers in Autumn


Trisha Leigh - 2012
    They enslaved humanity not by force, but through an aggressive mind control that turned people into contented, unquestioning robots. Except sixteen-year-old Althea isn’t content at all, and she doesn’t need the mysterious note inside her locket to tell her she’s Something Else. It also warns her to trust no one, so she hides the pieces that make her different, even though it means being alone. Then she meets Lucas, everything changes. Althea and Lucas are immune to the alien mind control, and together they search for the reason why. What they uncover is a stunning truth the Others never anticipated, one with the potential to free the brainwashed human race. It’s not who they are that makes them special, but what.And what they are is a threat. One the Others are determined to eliminate for good.

The Marked Ones


S.K. Munt - 2013
    And yet she hasn’t known a day’s happiness since she came of age and was forced to abandon the human boy she loved, Lincoln Grey.Ivyanne has always known that she was to marry one of ‘The Marked Ones’ sons of a carefully cultivated bloodline created for the sole purpose of breeding with the royal family, and she had resigned herself to it. But now two betrothals have been severed in cruel twists of fate, leaving her untouched and lonely at twenty-eight, while being frozen both physically and emotionally, as a sixteen year old girl.When her parents declare that she can choose her next match, Ivyanne is overwhelmed by the weight of her decision, specifically because her best friend Ardhi, has put himself, and his heart, forward in an unprecedented declaration that cracks the foundation beneath her. Ivyanne begs permission to return to the Seaview Resort while she weighs her options, to live and work as a human, and gain some peace.But when she arrives, she is startled to learn that Lincoln has never left the Seaview. He is now the owner, and he has been waiting a decade for her return. The moment their eyes lock, Ivyanne knows that their chemistry hasn’t faded any more than her memories, and though she tries to push him away, the siren inside her draws him closer.But Ivyanne’s belief that her life couldn’t get any more complicated dissolves when Tristan Loveridge, the most arrogant and desired specimen of merman within the kingdom, arrives at the queens bidding, to lure the princess into a swift marriage. And Tristan Loveridge has never failed at anything. Only this time, he gets caught in his own magnificent net, because he has finally met a girl who's raw sexuality and brilliance, eclipses his own.And as Ivyanne is torn between what her heart wants, and what her body and kingdom demand, her best friend Ardhi is lurking in the shadows, growing angrier with each passing minute, and vowing to do whatever it takes to win the crown-with catastrophic consequences for all.

Breathless


Scott Prussing - 2010
    That’s when her mom started acting weird, refusing to go outside during the day and insisting the sunlight hurt her skin because she had been bitten by a one-fanged vampire…But fascinated doesn’t mean Leesa believes—any more than she believes in blue fire, people who live for centuries, and kisses that can kill. When her beloved older brother suddenly disappears, she is forced to confront all these and more.