Book picks similar to
Games We Play by Toni Westbrooks


young-adult
sci-fi-futuristic
fantasy-sci-fi
favorite

Ice Study


Maria V. Snyder - 2009
    Ice Study tells a short story after Fire Study and another short story Power Study. After the events of Fire Study, Yelena and Valek's sabattical is cut short when they become entangled in a plot to prevent the Ice Moon from falling into the hands of a rogue magician.

Scales


Nicole Conway - 2019
    Koji Owens is the new kid … again. As the only son of an Air Force F-16 pilot, he’s learned to adapt and survive every time they move. It’s not easy starting over with new friends and schools every two years, but when the Owens family makes their final move to New York, Koji finally has hope for a normal high school life—that is, until he finds a strange bracelet in his locker. Transformed into a storm-summoning dragon warrior, Koji finds himself caught up in a world of ancient powers, secret identities, and colossal monsters threatening to destroy his new home. But these awesome powers come with strings attached, and revealing his true identity could mean losing everything he loves. With his family and friends now in mortal danger and New York City in flames, Koji must find the courage to become the hero they need and face down an enemy hiding in plain sight. A comic-obsessed teenage misfit embraces his inner hero in this action-packed adventure that will leave you ready to get your scales on!

Throne of Glass


Sarah J. Maas - 2012
    Deadly. Destined for greatness.In a land without magic, where the king rules with an iron hand, Celaena, an assassin, is summoned to the castle. She comes not to kill the king, but to win her freedom. If she defeats twenty-three killers, thieves, and warriors in a competition, she is released from prison to serve as the king’s champion. The Crown Prince will provoke her. The Captain of the Guard will protect her. But something evil dwells in the castle of glass—and it’s there to kill. When her competitors start dying one by one, Celaena’s fight for freedom becomes a fight for survival, and a desperate quest to root out the evil before it destroys her world.

Reprieve


C.R. Daems - 2021
    What price would you be willing to pay for a cure? Any price? Are you sure?Would it be worth agreeing to join an alien nation offering a cure but without any of the messy details?* who and what are the aliens,* proof they can cure you,* why they want people from Earth,* the alien's specific needs,* what they expect from those they cure,* but knowing they will never see Earth again.Kayla, a seventeen-year-old teenager, and others with an assortment of lethal medical conditions are about to find out the price of life.

Scythe


Neal Shusterman - 2016
    Humanity has conquered all those things, and has even conquered death. Now scythes are the only ones who can end life—and they are commanded to do so, in order to keep the size of the population under control.Citra and Rowan are chosen to apprentice to a scythe—a role that neither wants. These teens must master the “art” of taking life, knowing that the consequence of failure could mean losing their own.

The Wretched of Muirwood


Jeff Wheeler - 2011
    Labeled a “wretched,” an outcast unwanted and unworthy of respect, Lia is forbidden to realize her dream to read or write. All but doomed, her days are spent toiling away as a kitchen slave under the charge of the Aldermaston, the Abbey’s watchful overseer. But when an injured squire named Colvin is abandoned at the kitchen’s doorstep, an opportunity arises. The nefarious Sheriff Almaguer soon starts a manhunt for Colvin, and Lia conspires to hide Colvin and change her fate. In the midst of a land torn by a treacherous war between a ruthless king and a rebel army, Lia finds herself on an ominous journey that will push her to wonder if her own hidden magic is enough to set things right. At once captivating, mysterious, and magic-infused, The Wretched of Muirwood takes the classic fantasy adventure and paints it with a story instantly epic, and yet, all its own.

Star Warrior


Isaac Hooke - 2017
     Tane, a hydroponics farmer with some mad cereal crop gene-splicing skills, decides to get chipped. The operation gives him full control over his autonomic nervous and endocrine systems, plus the ability to install custom memories. All seems well until a couple of days later aliens come knocking at his door. And they aren't the friendly type. Soon Tane finds himself on a frenzied flight across the galaxy with a woman who can warp the very fabric of spacetime, her bodyguard--who’d just as soon kill Tane than protect him--and a starship that calls him snarky pet names. He's on the run not simply from the aliens but the whole damn human space navy. He only wished he knew why. Unfortunately for Tane, the answer might just destroy him. Not to mention the entire known universe.

Harley Merlin and the Secret Coven


Bella Forrest - 2018
    It’s how she snagged her first job pinpointing cheaters at a casino.But she has no clue where she got these freakish powers because she spent her childhood jumping from home to home in the foster system, and her father left her with nothing more than a cryptic note.Then she crosses paths with a terrifyingly real monster. Which is when a mysterious and annoyingly arrogant young warlock named Wade Crowley steps in, introducing her to a hidden world of beasts, magicals, and covens riddled with secrets—as well as clues about her murky past.Whether she likes it or not, this new world is where she belongs. But after a disturbing twist of events, Harley quickly realizes that her past is darker than she could ever have imagined.And that someone in the coven is out for her blood.With the help of Wade and her new friends, she must figure out who the traitor is and why they’re targeting her... Before the human and magical worlds dangerously collide.

The Novice


Taran Matharu - 2015
    There the gifted are trained in the art of summoning. Fletcher is put through grueling training as a battlemage to fight in the Hominum Empire’s war against orcs. He must tread carefully while training alongside children of powerful nobles. The power hungry, those seeking alliances, and the fear of betrayal surround him. Fletcher finds himself caught in the middle of powerful forces, with only his demon Ignatius for help.As the pieces on the board maneuver for supremacy, Fletcher must decide where his loyalties lie. The fate of an empire is in his hands. The Novice is the first in a trilogy about Fletcher, his demon Ignatius, and the war against the Orcs.

Let's Do It Again


Roslyn Hardy Holcomb - 2010
    They've been divorced for five. With a little more time on her hands, Dyanne realizes she still wants Jack. For sex at least. Jack just wants Dyanne. Let the games begin. But on whose terms?

Warchild: The Collected Edition (The Warchild Box Set)


Ernie Lindsey - 2014
    War will force her to make history.This bargain-priced edition contains all three novels in the Warchild series, over 600 pages of thrilling young adult suspense."Caroline [is a] strong yet vulnerable heroine who isn't afraid to do what must be done." -- Rysa Walker, author of Timebound and winner of the 2013 Amazon Breakthrough Novel Award Grand Prize.Warchild: Pawn (4.3 out of 5 stars - over 150 Amazon reviews)Rise up. Lead them. Be a hero....all before your fifteenth birthday.The United States collapsed long before Caroline Mathers was born. She's strong, mature beyond her age, but she knows nothing of cell phones, computers, or even hot showers--they're remnants of history, wistful stories told around campfires. Life as a dutiful scout has her patrolling the surrounding forests, hiding, observing, and warning the families of her tiny outpost when danger is near. They survive by sticking together. It's a quiet existence......until the day Caroline hears the terrifying beat of distant drums echoing throughout their peaceful valley. An army is marching. War is coming, and nothing less than the power of the Kinders could save her people now. But the Kinders are just legends, ghosts from long ago...aren't they?***As a quarter-finalist in Amazon's Breakthrough Novel Award contest, Lindsey's Warchild: Pawn, is a "...coming-of-age action-adventure dominated by a young girl just coming into her powers. A fine, durable, inaugural volume brimming with imagination and sparkling, inventive characters." --Publishers WeeklyThe first book of the Warchild trilogy is a young adult dystopian thriller full of fast-paced action, ideal for fans of The Hunger Games and Divergent.***READER NOTE : SPOILERS BELOW***Warchild: Judas (4.6 out of 5 stars - 49 Amazon reviews)Hope alone can not win the war.Caroline Mathers, Forward Scout of the People's Republic of Virginia, leads her people to safety after a harrowing escape through the Appalachian Mountains. But, the security of their capitol city won't last for long...maybe even less than a night. Old friends are left behind, while inside the walls, new alliances are formed and trust betrayed.Empowered by the strength of a massive army, their northern enemies suffocate the city outside the walls, preparing to take control of what they believe is rightfully theirs: citizen slaves.With the help of her fellow Kinder, Finn, and an ill-equipped group of volunteer soldiers, Caroline must defend her city to the last breath or watch her people marched away in chains.Warchild: Spirit (4.5 out of 5 stars - 35 Amazon reviews)For the citizens of the People's Republic of Virginia, their last hope of freedom has faded with their spirits. The eternal rains continue to fall. Tired, hungry, and soaked to fragile bones, there's nothing left to do but march toward the only fate they have left: a life in slavery.But not if Caroline can help it. She's out of options, but giving up was never one of them.Facing overwhelming new challenges and old enemies, Caroline soon learns that even when the bullets stop flying, the war is never over.

Chance Encounters


Ancelli - 2018
    One sexy text and a mix-up between two exes, end up being an explosive night filled with undeniable pleasure. Will this be the beginning of a beautiful love affair, or will their passion end as they exit The Cage? Adult content!

The Last of the Firedrakes


Farah Oomerbhoy - 2015
    Sixteen-year-old Aurora wishes she were anyone else. Mistreated by her adopted family and bullied at school, she believes things can’t get any worse. But when she’s kidnapped and dragged through an ancient tapestry into the magical world of Avalonia, she soon discovers that some dreams can easily turn into nightmares.Hunted by the evil tyrant Queen Morgana, who will stop at nothing to get rid of the last surviving heir to the powerful Firedrake dynasty, Aurora struggles to fit into her new life as a mage at the prestigious Academy of Evolon. Threatened by treachery at every turn and desperate to prove herself worthy, she uncovers a dark, complicated web of political intrigue that threatens the very existence of the seven kingdoms of Avalonia.Aided by the powerful Duke of Silverthorne, a fae friend, and a handsome but mysterious outlaw called the Black Wolf, Aurora struggles to master her magic and get her rare powers under control before it’s too late.If she fails, her new home and her family will be enslaved forever...The Last of the Firedrakes is the first novel in The Avalonia Chronicles series of enchanting YA fantasies. If you like resilient heroines, plentiful magic, immortal fae warriors, and sizzling romance you’ll love Farah Oomerbhoy’s enthralling story.

The 5th Wave


Rick Yancey - 2013
    After the 2nd, only the lucky escape. And after the 3rd, only the unlucky survive. After the 4th wave, only one rule applies: trust no one.Now, it's the dawn of the 5th wave, and on a lonely stretch of highway, Cassie runs from Them. The beings who only look human, who roam the countryside killing anyone they see. Who have scattered Earth's last survivors. To stay alone is to stay alive, Cassie believes, until she meets Evan Walker. Beguiling and mysterious, Evan Walker may be Cassie's only hope for rescuing her brother-or even saving herself. But Cassie must choose: between trust and despair, between defiance and surrender, between life and death. To give up or to get up.

Vicious


V.E. Schwab - 2013
    In their senior year, a shared research interest in adrenaline, near-death experiences, and seemingly supernatural events reveals an intriguing possibility: that under the right conditions, someone could develop extraordinary abilities. But when their thesis moves from the academic to the experimental, things go horribly wrong.Ten years later, Victor breaks out of prison, determined to catch up to his old friend (now foe), aided by a young girl whose reserved nature obscures a stunning ability. Meanwhile, Eli is on a mission to eradicate every other super-powered person that he can find—aside from his sidekick, an enigmatic woman with an unbreakable will. Armed with terrible power on both sides, driven by the memory of betrayal and loss, the archnemeses have set a course for revenge—but who will be left alive at the end?In Vicious, V. E. Schwab brings to life a gritty comic-book-style world in vivid prose: a world where gaining superpowers doesn't automatically lead to heroism, and a time when allegiances are called into question.