Book picks similar to
Fableman by Brad Carsten
fantasy
middle-grade
tbr
waiting-at-home
Dragon Fairest
Amberlyn Holland - 2018
He's a dragon shifter on the run from the foster mother who wants him dead. Jack has three unbreakable rules of survival:One, never reveal his full dragon form. Two, steer clear of magic users at all costs. Three, always trust his instinct for trouble. And there's no doubt a princess accused of cursing her own family is exactly the kind of trouble he should avoid. Despite Jack's intention to keep Kynara at arm's length though, her intriguing mix of vulnerability and stubborn determination draws him like no one else ever has.A fugitive from her own people, exhausted and alone for the first time in her life, Kyn is running out of options. Asking for aid from a band of shady treasure hunters is a risk, but she has nothing left to lose. To save her family and her kingdom, she'll take any help she can get. Even from handsome, irritating Jack who despises her magic yet throws himself into danger to defend her.With the evil Grey Enchantress tightening her grip on the kingdom of Ardell, Jack and Kyn may have to sacrifice everything to stop her. If you're looking for a clean fantasy romance featuring dragon-shifters, fierce princesses, adventure, magic and happily-ever-after, don't miss the entire Dragon Ever After series of re-imagined fairy tales.
The Familiars
Adam Jay Epstein - 2010
Moments later Jack, a young wizard in training, comes in to choose a magical animal to be his familiar. Jack thinks his birthday pet is magical, and Aldwyn plays along.He just has to convince the other familiars -- know-it-all blue jay Skylar and unsure tree frog Gilbert that he's as powerful as he claims. Then the unthinkable happens. Jack and two other young wizards are captured by the evil queen of Vastia. The familiars face dangerous foes, unearth a shocking centuries-old secret, and discover a destiny that will change Vastia forever.
The Merchant of Death
D.J. MacHale - 2002
He has a family, a home, and even Marley, his beloved dog. But there is something very special about Bobby.He is going to save the world.And not just Earth as we know it. Bobby is slowly starting to realize that life in the cosmos isn't quite what he thought it was. And before he can object, he is swept off to an alternate dimension known as Denduron, a territory inhabited by strange beings, ruled by a magical tyrant, and plagued by dangerous revolution.If Bobby wants to see his family again, he's going to have to accept his role as savior, and accept it wholeheartedly. Because, as he is about to discover, Denduron is only the beginning....Cover illustration by Victor Lee
The Last Fallen Star
Graci Kim - 2021
Her sister, Hattie, will earn her Gi bracelet and finally be able to cast spells without adult supervision. Although Riley is desperate to follow in her sister's footsteps when she herself turns thirteen, she's a saram--a person without magic. Riley was adopted, and despite having memorized every healing spell she's ever heard, she often feels like the odd one out in her family and the gifted community.Then Hattie gets an idea: what if the two of them could cast a spell that would allow Riley to share Hattie's magic? Their sleuthing reveals a promising incantation in the family's old spell book, and the sisters decide to perform it at Hattie's initiation ceremony. If it works, no one will ever treat Riley as an outsider again. It's a perfect plan!Until it isn't. When the sisters attempt to violate the laws of the Godrealm, Hattie's life ends up hanging in the balance, and to save her Riley has to fulfill an impossible task: find the last fallen star. But what even is the star, and how can she find it?As Riley embarks on her search, she finds herself meeting fantastic creatures and collaborating with her worst enemies. And when she uncovers secrets that challenge everything she has been taught to believe, Riley must decide what it means to be a witch, what it means to be family, and what it really means to belong.
A Pinch of Magic
Michelle Harrison - 2019
All Betty Widdershins wants is an adventure--one that takes her far away from Crowstone, the gloomy island where she's always lived. But instead of an adventure, Betty and her sisters, Fliss and Charlie, are given of a set of magical objects, each with its own powers: a scruffy carpet bag, a set of wooden nesting dolls, and a gilt-framed mirror. And these magical objects come with their own terrible secret: the sisters' family is haunted by a generations-long curse that prevents them from ever leaving their island--at the cost of death. The sisters set out to break the curse and free their family forever. But after stumbling upon a mysterious prisoner who claims to be able to help them, they find themselves in great danger. And in order to break the curse--and stay alive--they must unravel a mystery that goes back centuries, one that involves shipwrecks, smugglers, and sorcery of the most perilous kind.
Grounded
Sarah Hualde - 2020
Dark roast with a side of Death Omens.It's just another workday for Penny Nicols.Penny is haunted by a secret.One that forces her, and her snarky cat, to move around in her tiny house on wheels.As Penny settles into a new town, she realizes something much darker is afoot.The Raven, her nemesis, has tracked her down once again.She finds herself in a race against time to vanquish the darkness and save those around her.This case is like nothing she has faced before.To solve it, she enlists the help of two Podcasters of the Paranormal.Will Penny ever be able to outrun her secret?What will she discover along the way?One thing is for sure; nothing will ever be the same again.★Jump into the first Paranormal Penny Mystery and hang on tight.★This fast-paced series will captivate you from start to finish.
The Spirit in the Crypt
Alexander Lound - 2019
To look at skeletons decaying in their graves.To hear the voice, screaming at him. Screaming into his mind. Commanding him to leave.For weeks afterwards, he is filled with dread, terror as to what the voice might have belonged to. A demon? A ghost? In his nightmares, skeletons strangle him. And when they clear, he has the mysterious nightmare of the girl from his school, making the long walk across the graveyard, and disappearing into the crypt. Never leaving before his waking.It's when something awful happens to this girl that his fear turns to panic. Panic which will force him to unravel the mystery of the crypt, and in doing so, many mysteries about himself.Book one in the chilling Jonny Roberts series! Follow everyone's favourite teen ghost-hunter in Lound's heart-stopping stories!
Vampire
Tamara Rose Blodgett - 2015
She runs the seedy side of her game, capturing criminals too dangerous for the local law enforcement. Using unorthodox methods, she finds herself in the crosshairs of the Magistrate for too many allowable kills for the quarter. And her head hurts like hell. Aeslin is part of an elite vampire squad of Turners. A rare sect of vampire scouts who possess the ability to find women with enough undead blood to be turned into full vampire. VAC2: Bounty enforcer, Narah Adrienne, has been served her sentence in the form of three lashes to be meted by a corrupt Magistrate. She's unable to acquire her target as instructed, while strange health issues force Narah to seek help in the dangerous medical underground. They might have answers—for a price. VAC3: Narah Adrienne is a scant twenty hours from her sentence of three lashes. But first she must meet Marc, her liaison with the illegal underground. He might have the fix for her mysterious medical condition. But Marc's solutions come with questions attached—and at a cost too high to pay. Now that Narah understands her bounty target is really a Hunter assigned to commit a part of her to death, she must make the best choice among terrible options. Worse of all, if Narah does not make her hearing the sentence will worsen. Either way, she could die. Only one man can save her and technically, he's not human. VAC4: Narah awakens in captivity. She's escaped the final lash from a sadistic Magistrate meant to teach her temperance, only to find that her sentence was not meant to be a lesson, but an execution. Matthews discovers the truth of Hunter leadership, and with an uncertain end goal he determines to follow his heart, though that decision might cost him his life. Aeslin has exposed his race by removing Narah in plain sight. With the blood clock ticking down the minutes of Narah's life; she turns or she will die. What will happen when both Matthews and Aeslin discover the real motive behind the lashes? VAC5: Being turned isn't everything it's cracked up to be. Narah's a vampire, yet not. Because of a twist of fate and circumstance, Narah finds she's tied to both Aeslin and Matthews. She's now wanted as a deserter from sentencing by the very people she fought beside. And Magistrate Oren still wants his final lash—at any cost. From opposing forces, Murphy and Marc find a common goal in helping Narah return to her former life. However, Aeslin and Matthews have other plans, ones that involve her soul—and her heart. When everyone is taken from Narah, and a sadist holds the reins to her sanity, can the males fulfill their promise to protect her, or will Narah be left to fight this battle alone? VAC6: Narah's been sold out by the most unlikely source, and faces a far graver punishment than her original sentence by Magistrate Oren. Marc and Murphy have now been caught in the crosshairs of her new life and face dire consequences as a result. Opposing forces and their hidden agendas continue to move Narah like a chess piece toward an inevitable stale mate. Can Narah return to her old life? Will she be hunted for an escape that was beyond her control—or will her tie to Aeslin and Matthews help her regain all that's she's lost—and more than she ever dreamed possible
Fire & Flood
Demitria Lunetta - 2019
That's why I decided to join the assassination class at Mount Olympus Academy. A monster killed my father and grandmother - and I'm going to make them pay.But first I have to learn how.I'm Edie. Once I was just a normal girl with asthma and a bad back. Now, though, I'm at a school taught by Greek gods. My classmates are vampires, witches, and shifters. We're all training to fight in the war between the gods and monsters.There's also...Val. He's a vampire, but he's different from the others. Plus, he's got secrets too.I get secrets. The wings that sprout from my back were hidden from me my entire life. I also sometimes breathe fire. But no one - including me - can figure out what I fully shift into. Honestly...a part of me doesn't want to know.But if I'm going to avenge my family, I need to figure it out before I flunk out.Fire & Flood is a young adult magic academy fantasy novel with non-stop action. It contains a spunky heroine, one best friend with the gift of sight...to see tomorrow's lunch menu, a mean-girl vampire roommate with a carnivorous plant, and a meet-cute with her roommate's hot twin brother that almost kills them both.
Blazing Magic
Ingrid Seymour - 2016
Faris, the Djinn, the breathtakingly beautiful creature of fire and magic. Now, he wants me, and against my will, I find myself trapped in his seduction, wanting to trust him.Except I can’t. He doesn’t care about me. He’s cursed, a slave, and he thinks I’m the key to his freedom. I’m just a means to an end.Then I find out that Faris has a brother, one who wants him to remain a Djinn slave for all eternity and believes that, by killing me, he will accomplish just that. But I will do anything to stay alive.
Artemis Fowl
Eoin Colfer - 2001
But even Artemis doesn't know what he's taken on when he kidnaps a fairy, Captain Holly Short of the LEPrecon Unit. These aren't the fairies of bedtime stories—they're dangerous! Full of unexpected twists and turns, Artemis Fowl is a riveting, magical adventure.
The Elvish Prophecy
Neil Port - 2012
They now remain only in scattered settlements in the Black Sea region of Anatole. The Eastern Elves hold the last of the elf cities, the magnificent mountain fortress of Elgard to the east and to the north of Anatole, but the Elves themselves are fading. The have lost almost all their magic, and they are hardly greater than the Humans they once ruled.The final destruction of the Elves has been foretold two thousand years before, and now the time is all but upon them. Only through an ancient prophecy can they be saved, but it will require every bit of love, sacrifice and courage that a group of extraordinary people have to give. An Elf Princess, an eleven year old gypsy orphan girl, and a mercenary tribesman are the first to be called. They must unite in a desperate search through Anatole for the key to the survival of the Elves, but first they have to stay alive!An epic fantasy set in Greek Turkey on the cusp of an invasion by the unbeatable Makedóne army from the west and the appearance of a new and far more dangerous barbarian far to the East. (realistic content)
Stranded
Rosalind Tate - 2020
Thankfully, she has her faithful dog Charlotte with her. Oh, and fellow student Hugo, annoying and charming in equal measure. Baffled by upper-class rules, courted by boring suitors, Sophie is desperate to get back to the twenty-first century, but the only way home is through a hidden portal — and she must work with Hugo to unlock its secrets. As one clue leads to another, Sophie and Hugo discover that history is unfolding differently. Mobs rule the streets. And when chaos turns into a deadly revolution, anyone in a grand house is fair game. Sophie and Hugo are running out of time…
Bait
K.C. Blake - 2012
One comes with a threat and the other with a warning. They know she's on her way to being the newest student at Van Helsing's school, where she will learn to be a great hunter like her father. Before she can reach her goal she will face wraiths, an angry boy with a dark prophecy hanging over his head, and her worst nightmare: werewolves. She's determined nothing will stop her, not even a pair of jungle green eyes. Her roommate is killed. Her mentor doesn't want to mentor her. A border monster tries to kill her. Nothing is the way she imagined it would be. Students whisper behind her back, saying she's cursed. They want her to go home, but Bay-Lee isn't going anywhere, not when she's this close to getting everything she's ever wanted. At Orientation, she learns she's been given the rank of Bait. Why? Because that is all new students are good for, to be used as bait to draw out monsters so the 'real' hunters can kill them. She realizes no one is going to take her seriously until she moves up to Hunter. With that in mind and a few friends at her side, Bay-Lee is going to tackle a dangerous mystery. Why are hunters dying on their birthdays? If she solves it, she will move up in rank. If she doesn't... her birthday is just around the corner.
A Tale of Magic...
Chris Colfer - 2019
Her only escape are books, but since it's illegal for women to read in her country, she has to find creative ways of acquiring them. Working as a maid at her local library gives her the perfect excuse to be near them and allows her to sneak a few titles home when no one is looking. But one day Brystal uncovers a secret section of the library and finds a book about magic that changes her life forever. Magic is despised and outlawed throughout the world--Brystal is well aware of the severe consequences the book may bring--but her curiosity gets the best of her. By reading some of the text aloud, strange phenomena begin to occur and Brystal discovers she is capable of magic! And the more she practices it, the harder it becomes to hide. After being caught and convicted, Brystal is saved by a mysterious woman named Madame Weatherberry. The woman takes Brystal to her Academy of Magic and teaches her to become a fairy. While Brystal studies magic and befriends the other students, Madame Weatherberry is suddenly called away on suspicious matters. When she doesn't return, Brystal and her friends work together to find and save their instructor. Along the way, the students discover Madame Weatherberry's true intentions for the academy are not what they seem, and they come face to face with a sinister plot that puts the fate of the world, and the fate of magic itself, in grave danger...