Book picks similar to
Beyond the Shadows by Angel Haze
fantasy
indie
dark-fantasy
next
Circus of the Dead Chronicles Book 1
Kimberly Loth - 2021
She’s not sure about the whole island thing, but figures the world is only big enough for one ghost island.Boy was she wrong.She finds that the supernatural has followed her and Samuel—the old circus ringmaster, who she thought was dead—is right in the middle of it all.The Circus of the Dead Chronicles will be short novella length adventures that will be released every two weeks until the end of the first set. I’ll be releasing 10 novellas in this series in 2021.
Dark Summoner
D.D. Miers - 2015
Ignore my impulses. Look, but never—under any circumstances—See. These are the rules I live by.For ten years, I’ve been able to keep my secrets buried. Or at least I had, until a foul, half-human creature showed up and tried to kill me. Now my entire world has been thrown upside down. They say I’m the Keeper. A sentinel, destined to battle a newly risen sorceress who’s dead-set on claiming dominion over both the supernatural realm and ours. To succeed, I must learn how to fight like a warrior, harness the powers I’ve always run from, and locate an ancient relic that’s been missing for two-thousand years. Yeah, no pressure.In a world filled with seductive immortals, deadly magic, and forbidden desires, there’s no time for second guessing. Not when the fate of everything I’ve ever cared about is at stake.The first of a series, Dark Summoner is a New Adult urban fantasy filled with twists and gripped by a complicated, butterfly-inducing romance. Fans of Shannon Mayer, Ella Summers, Dannika Dark and Rebecca Hamilton will love this series!*FIRST PLACE WINNER, 2015 IDA Awards for Paranormal Romance** Nerdy Girl Book Reviews HOT READS FEATURE, RomCon Magazine August 2015*
Perfect Shadow
Brent Weeks - 2011
"Not enough to be useful, you know. Just glimpses. My wife dead, things like that to keep me up late at night. I had this vision that I was going to be killed by forty men, all at once. But now that you're here, I see they're all you. Durzo Blint."Durzo Blint? Gaelan had never even heard the name.***Gaelan Starfire is a farmer, happy to be a husband and a father; a careful, quiet, simple man. He's also an immortal, peerless in the arts of war. Over the centuries, he's worn many faces to hide his gift, but he is a man ill-fit for obscurity, and all too often he's become a hero, his very names passing into legend: Acaelus Thorne, Yric the Black, Hrothan Steelbender, Tal Drakkan, Rebus Nimble.But when Gaelan must take a job hunting down the world's finest assassins for the beautiful courtesan-and-crimelord Gwinvere Kirena, what he finds may destroy everything he's ever believed in.Word count: ~17,000
The Revelation of Light and Dark
Sawyer Bennett - 2021
Some hauntingly beautiful, others completely terrifying. Never knowing if these visions were real or just hallucinations, I learned how to lock them down and ignore them. I learned to take solace in the relative anonymity of city life and find peace in the rainy days my city of Seattle is known for.But just when I think my life is getting on track and my dreams are achievable, a moment of weakness causes me to learn a hard and fast lesson.My entire existence has been a lie.Now I’m faced with a new reality that’s as implausible as it is fantastical. Filled with realms and veils, light and dark, fae and daemons, gods and angels—things I don’t understand but am forced to acknowledge. It doesn’t help that the man teaching me about my unique gifts is the gorgeously handsome Carrick Byrne, one of Seattle’s richest and most powerful men. He intimidates, annoys, and intrigues me all at the same time. I don’t trust him and yet there’s no one else to help me.No longer certain who to put my faith in, what to believe, or how I fit into it all, one revelation is clear…The world as I know it will never be the same again.The Revelation of Light and Dark is book one of the Chronicles of the Stone Veil series and is best enjoyed if read in series order.
The Destroyer
Michael-Scott Earle - 2016
Their magic appears unstoppable and their hunger for conquest is insatiable. To protect the country of Nia, Duchess Nadea and Scholar Paug make a desperate journey to find a human legend: A man known to have destroyed these Ancient foes with a powerful army. But legends can lie. When Paug and Nadea revive their hero from sleep, his virtue is far from clear. Is he really their Savior or their Destroyer?
Bound
Mark Lawrence - 2018
It should be read between Grey Sister and Holy Sister. Again, I stress SHORT STORY.
Shadowed Souls
Jim ButcherAnton Strout - 2016
Anderson, and Rob Thurman—nothing is as simple as black and white, light and dark, good and evil..Unfortunately, that’s exactly what makes it so easy to cross the line.In #1 New York Times bestselling author Jim Butcher’s Cold Case, Molly Carpenter—Harry Dresden’s apprentice-turned-Winter Lady—must collect a tribute from a remote Fae colony and discovers that even if you’re a good girl, sometimes you have to be bad...New York Times bestselling author Seanan McGuire’s Sleepover finds half-succubus Elsie Harrington kidnapped by a group of desperate teenage boys. Not for anything “weird.” They just need her to rescue a little girl from the boogeyman. No biggie.In New York Times bestselling Kevin J. Anderson’s Eye of Newt, Zombie P.I. Dan Shamble’s latest client is a panicky lizard missing an eye who thinks someone wants him dead. But the truth is that someone only wants him for a very special dinner...And New York Times bestselling author Rob Thurman’s infernally heroic Caliban Leandros takes a trip down memory lane as he deals wih some overdue—and nightmarish—vengeance involving some quite nasty
Impossible Monsters
.ALSO INCLUDES STORIES BYTanya Huff * Kat Richardson * Jim C. Hines * Anton Strout * Lucy A. Snyder * Kristine Kathryn Rusch * Erik Scott de Bie *From the Trade Paperback edition.
Once Upon A Curse
Yasmine GalenornC. Gockel - 2016
More Grimm than Disney, in this collection you’ll find twists on Snow White, Hansel & Gretel, Rumplestilstskin, The Snow Queen, Cinderella, The Pied Piper, Alice in Wonderland, and Red Riding Hood, plus new tales paying homage to the old traditions. Shadows cannot exist without light, however, and you’ll find enough happily-ever-afters to lift your spirits in this anthology full of adventure, dark powers, and ultimately the enduring power of true love. YARROW, STURDY AND BRIGHT by Devon Monk – Sweet music cannot hide a wicked heart… FAE HORSE by Anthea Sharp – Faerie bargains can grant any desire, but be careful what you wish for. THE QUEEN OF FROST AND DARKNESS by Christine Pope - Her heart is the only thing colder than a Russian winter…. BONES by Yasmine Galenorn - Sometimes, your most cherished dream can turn out to be a nightmare. MAGIC AFTER MIDNIGHT by C. Gockel – The Wicked Stepmother is about to meet her match… DANCE WITH THE DEVIL by Donna Augustine - When the devil makes a deal with a dancer, he gets more than he bargained for. NO GIFT OF WORDS by Annie Bellet - Never steal from a witch... THE GRIM BROTHER by Audrey Faye – Not all walks in the wood end well… BEAUTY INSIDE BEAST by Danielle Monsch - Happily Ever After ain't guaranteed when Once Upon a Time is here. FAESCORNED by Jenna Elizabeth Johnson - The Morrigan, Celtic goddess of war and strife, must relive a painful memory that reminds her of what she can never have. DRAWN TO THE BRINK by Tara Maya - Sajiana's job is to hunt down monsters brought alive from paintings. She never expected to meet one so handsome... or to need his help. THE VARIANCE COURT by Alexia Purdy - Anna, a struggling college student, discovers a mysterious ring that turns her quiet life chaotic when the ring's magic doesn't do what it's told. THE MORRIGAN by Phaedra Weldon – A young man discovers he has leprechaun blood – and is wanted by dark faerie forces. ALICE by Julia Crane - A twisted tale of Alice and Wonderland. Facing madness and an ominous prophecy, Alice chooses to follow her heart despite knowing her world is about to change forever. STILL RED by Sabrina Locke – When the Hunters come, can there be any escape? THE FINAL STRAW by Jennifer Blackstream - To banish a gold-spinning demon, first you must guess his name... THE UNICORN HUNTER by Alethea Kontis – Only Snow White knows what really happened in the forest…
Flash Gold
Lindsay Buroker - 2011
The problem? Fortune seekers and airship pirates are after her for the secret to flash gold, her late father's alchemical masterpiece. With her modified rifle and a pocketful of home-made smoke bombs, Kali wouldn't normally hide from a confrontation, but taking on a whole airship single-handedly is a daunting task. Unfortunately, the other racers won't assist her--they're too busy scheming ways to sabotage her unorthodox sled.When a sword-slinging stranger shows up, wanting to hire on as her protector, she's sure he has ulterior motives, but he's the only one interested in helping her. The question is...why?Details: an 18,000-word (75 page) steampunk novella set in the Yukon during the gold rush era.
Black Dog
Neil Gaiman - 2016
This American Gods world novella will thrill Games of Thrones devotees and Terry Pratchett fans alike. Illustrations by celebrated artist Daniel Egnéus.'It followed me home,' he said, conversationally.In a rural northern village, legend tells of a ghostly black dog that appears from the darkness before you die.Shadow Moon has been on the road a while now but he can't walk any further tonight, not with the rain lashing down. Gratefully, he heads home with a nice English couple, who offer a box room, hot whisky and local tales.But when the man collapses en route, Shadow realises that something about this place has been left untold.Something ancient, something within the very walls of the village.Something shadowing them all.
Prelude to Insurrection
J.C. Kang - 2017
Now, as the adopted daughter of the Black Lotus Clanmaster, she wants to prove her pointed ears aren’t a liability when she’s tasked to infiltrate a rebel lord’s castle.In this prequel novelette to Songs of Insurrection, Jie must decide between her duty to the emperor and her sense of compassion toward the downtrodden. No matter her choice, it will have explosive consequences for her, the realm, and the upcoming war.
Dawn of Mist
Helen Scheuerer - 2020
Discover where The Oremere Chronicles journey began in this epic bind-up of all 16 prequel short stories from bestselling author, Helen Scheuerer.Before their fight to save the realm from mad tyrants and toxic mist, Bleak, Henri and Swinton led separate lives.Delve into the secrets, the triumphs and tragedies of their earlier years, and the defining moments that made these much-loved characters who they are. Teenage Bleak sails across the seas, seeking adventure with her best friend, Bren, and guardian, Senior – only to discover that trouble often finds her first.Fiercely loyal Henri and her sister, Sahara, train relentlessly to become elite warriors, but soon learn that the Valian Way can be crueller than they ever thought.A young and ambitious Commander Swinton struggles to prove himself worthy of knighthood, but an encounter with a beautiful stranger shows him that there are things in life more important than titles.Dawn of Mist is the companion prequel story collection to Helen Scheuerer’s bestselling trilogy, The Oremere Chronicles.
Come Forth in Thaw: A Dark Fantasy Horror Novella about Trauma and Mental Illness
Jayson Robert Ducharme - 2021
It is a popular destination for tourists, painters, hikers and even weddings.Yet the forest is also a place of great pain and torment, and is an equally popular destination to end your own life.The only thing young mother Eleanor Jackson has left in her life is her son Alan-a troubled teenager who has gone to the forest to commit the unthinkable.As Eleanor goes to find him in the forest, she witnesses bizarre and fantastical happenings that try to manipulate and distract her from rescuing her child.When the sun goes down, the specters of the tormented emerge.She will come to discover so much more than just her son.
Dragon Orb
Shanlynn Walker - 2015
They have settled in the city of Goldenspine and allowed the rest of the world to forget them. At 16 years old, Daxon knew he was too old to be chosen to be a dragonrider. On his way home one night he was surprised when a wild dragon's egg was left in his care by the largest dragon he had ever seen. Agreeing to raise and protect the as yet unhatched egg, his hopes to become a dragonrider once more blossom, but again, fate intervenes. When the young dragon hatches, Daxon's world is turned upside down and thrown into chaos. After learning of a mysterious orb and the possibility that it might hold all the dragonrider's dragons in thrall, he is determined to not let the same fate befall his young charge. He must find a way to protect the hatchling from the fate of the other dragons and a way off of Daegonlot before it's too late.
Toad Words And Other Stories
T. Kingfisher - 2014
Kingfisher comes a collection of fairy-tale retellings for adults. By turns funny and dark, sad and lyrical, this anthology draws together in one volume such stories as "The Wolf and the Woodsman," "Loathly," and "Bluebeard's Wife," along with an all-new novella, "Boar & Apples."Author's Note: Many of these stories have appeared in various forms on the author's blog.