Book picks similar to
The Rift by J.T. Stoll


fantasy
young-adult
ya-fantasy
ebook

Everwild


Kayla Jo - 2013
    What was supposed to be the best day of her life has now become a horrible nightmare after discovering she was born with a rare healing power, one that has caught the attention of Hekate, Queen of the Witches. Hekate can only take Willow’s power by extracting it from her, which will ultimately end her life. To make matters worse, Hekate has captured the sisters of her Coven and locked them in a box of souls. After visiting a Seeker, Willow learns that Hekate has hidden her talisman deep in the heart of the Everwild, a dark forest filled with evil and horrifying creatures, a place that no one should enter willingly. Thrust into the Everwild to search for her talisman, Willow must face horrors beyond imaginable and come to terms with who she is while suppressing feelings for the Head Warlock’s son, Declan, who was unwillingly sent to the Everwild with her. In order to become powerful enough to defeat Hekate and save her sisters, Willow must have her talisman, but will love and the will to survive the dangers of the Everwild truly be enough to conquer all things?

Awakenings


Hally Willmott - 2013
    Until now. When Jacey was two, her parents fled the protection of their birthplace, the mystical dimension of Nemele. Leaving was the only solution her parents believed might allow them to keep their family together and alive.The Adisons have been running from a sect of iniquitous beings from Nemele who covet Jacey. Her parents have repressed their adversaries’ relentless tracking efforts by not utilizing their own mystical powers. They have chosen to conceal themselves within the only realm they knew they’d be able to survive. They are living under their self-imposed powerless sanctions on Earth, which constitutes the nineteenth nation of Nemele. Her parents have never revealed their true identities to Jacey, consequently keeping her true lineage and unique birthright from her. Jacey’s family has pretended to be non-magical humans as a ploy to prevent an ancient omnipotent entity from killing more innocent beings in its relentless quest to possess Jacey.Born as an anomaly, Jacey possesses rare abilities that both virtuous and corrupt entities seek to use as their own. Should either side prevail, Jacey may be the saviour or downfall of every world within Nemele’s domains. Blindly thrust into life and death situations, Jacey learns of her true powers within her dreaming and conscious states.

Burning Justice


Helena Smrcek - 2015
    Nora’s future hangs in the balance of his past.Pacifist Mennonite social worker Nora Martin is on the verge of opening a residential facility for first-time offenders. After years of planning, she’ll finally be able to rescue young men from the violence of prison…or what has been their only other option, the violence of the military.But then a stranger in camouflage and combat boots marches through her front door and claims to own her house. And he’s not interested in letting Nora change it.Who is Petty Officer Jacob Schwartz, and why does no one in the close-knit town of French Lick, Indiana want to acknowledge that he exists? What are they hiding? What had seemed like a safe community is now full of secrets and old heartaches, and Nora is caught in the dangerous middle. Her only ally is her best friend, FBI agent Alicia Yu (who readers first met in Glitter and Sorrow), but even Alicia can’t protect her from the way Nora’s heart races every time Jacob’s in the room.Can she trust a man in uniform?Nora and Jacob’s choices have taken them down different paths, but God may still show them a safe way back.

Living Dead Girl


S.C. Reynolds - 2013
    But the nightmare has only just begun; she was buried in her own grave and has been resurrected on the one year anniversary of her death.Aurora immediately seeks the help of her best friend, Henry, who is no longer the awkward sixteen year old she remembers from a year ago. Henry is tall, muscular, with piercing blue eyes. But Henry isn't the only one who's captured Aurora's attention. Lucas, a sexy vampire, is watching her every move. He's been ordered to send her back to the grave, but he is immediately attracted to Aurora and can't bring himself to re-kill her. As Aurora struggles with her new un-dead body, she must make a decision between the boy next door and the vampire who has nothing to lose. And time is running out - plagued by blackouts she can't control, Aurora knows her days may be numbered. She was brought back for something epic, but will she get the chance to find out what?

BeSwitched


Molly Snow - 2004
    But there's one catch! The Black Cats' Curse states she will have to switch bodies with the first lonesome soul to cross her path.Painfully shy Cathy Phillips can't muster the courage to ask hot water polo player, Craig Nelson, on a date. Neither can she stand up to the three biggest snobs at Washington High. What's a girl to do? Could switching lives with a sassy, magical cat be the answer to her wishes?The "curse" of being "BeSwitched" may just be the most purr-fect secret these new best friends could ever have!

November Rain


Shannon A. Thompson - 2016
    She is a bad blood, and in the city of Vendona, bad bloods are executed. In the last moments before she faces imminent death, a prison guard aids her escape and sparks a revolt. Back on the streets determined to destroy her kind, Serena is spared by a fellow bad blood named Daniel. His past tragedies are as equally mysterious as her connection to them.Unbeknownst to the two, this connection is the key to winning the election for bad bloods’ rights to be seen as human again. But Serena is the only one who can secure Vendona’s vote. Now, Daniel must unite with her before all hope is lost and bad bloods are eradicated, even if it means exposing secrets worse than death itself. United or not, a city will fight, rain will fall, and all will be threatened by star-crossed love and political corruption.

Genesis Code


Eliza Green - 2012
    An alien dying to stop him. Could a government conspiracy put them both six feet under?Investigator Bill Taggart will stop at nothing to find his missing wife. But standing between him and the truth is a secretive alien species on a distant planet. When his government pushes him to observe the species ahead of plans to relocate Earth’s population, Bill veers off course and straight into the path of one alien.The surprising confrontation forces Bill to question whether the investigation into the savage species is needed. But when official government intel disagrees with the cold hard facts, he worries there might be another reason for the relocation plans.A snap government order leaves the investigator in limbo and facing off against a new enemy that is more dangerous than the first. Worse, this enemy appears to live close to home.A devastating set of plans is soon revealed that will destroy the lives on two worlds. And Bill is caught in the middle. Can he stop chasing ghosts long enough to save humanity from the real enemy?Genesis Code is the first novel in this dystopian society thriller. If you enjoy incredible world building, complex characters, and disturbing secrets, then you'll love Eliza Green's intricately woven dystopian series. Fans of Lindsay Buroker, Jasper T. Scott and Chris Fox have read and enjoyed this series.

Prayer for the Dead


Nicki Scalise - 2013
    Is it possible to find true love while condemned to purgatory until the end of days? Olivia Brennan isn't looking to find out. Her afterlife is nothing special — her days spent working for a division of Purgatory and Associates, her nights usually occupied with reruns or a good book. Everything changes when her best friend coaxes her into a girls' night out one fateful evening. The handsome stranger eyeing her from across the club seems too good to be true. Drake proves to be witty, charming, and considerate to a fault, despite the all-too-familiar sadness that lurks behind his eyes. It seems Fate has finally brought Olivia a kindred spirit, someone she can truly relate to. But can she move past her own dark regrets from the life she left behind? Or will falling for him demand the ultimate sacrifice—her soul?

Broken Realms


D.W. Moneypenny - 2014
    That's about to change.After a jetliner plunges into the Columbia River near Portland, Oregon, everyone survives. So why do crash investigators have a hangar full of bodies, one for each passenger except Mara? Before the plane goes down, she glimpses a new reality, one with scales and snouts, fangs and gills. She sees a boy running down the aisle carrying a ball of blue light, chased by a girl who could be her clone. By trying to help, she unwittingly unleashes dozens of creatures on an unsuspecting world and sparks a series of events that threatens her life, her family and everything she believes. To save them, she has to embrace a power she cannot comprehend.

The Boy who Lit up the Sky


J. Naomi Ay - 2012
    Duty comes before personal choice for a princess especially when her country has been at war for more than a thousand years. Lydia's pregnancy removes her brother and new husband from their respective lines of succession placing her yet unborn infant at the head of the both queues. No one is happy about this, especially Lydia who dies during childbirth from wounds caused by the talon-like toenails of her very strange newborn son.Grief stricken at the loss of his daughter, the Mishnese King hastily sends Senya, his infant grandson off to a decrepit inner city orphanage with the intent to retrieve him much later when things got sorted out. At the orphanage, Senya is protected by the invalid Sister Meri who instantly falls in love with the little fellow. She's not bothered at all by his strange telekinetic and telepathic powers, flickering pupil-less silver eyes or wicked clawed toenails. The House Father takes a shine to the lad too and when Senya is six years old, he is summoned to the Father's chamber. The Father ends up in flames forcing Meri and Senya out into a snow storm running for their lives. Thus begins the tale of Senya, a prince created to be king of a planet but then tossed aside until his twelfth birthday when Lt. Taner, a Royal Guard detective is sent to retrieve him. It is unclear to all whether Senya is the product of something good or something evil but in either case, it is very apparent that he is something more than just Lydia Kalila's son.Note to readers - This title contains graphic language, violence and sexual situations. It is not intended for children or young teens.

Shadow Born


Jamie Sedgwick - 2011
    when the end of the book arrived I was surprised." -Goodreads review5 Stars: "A superb start to a wonderful trilogy..." -Amazon ReviewDescription:Discovered wandering alone in the woods at night. Taken to a secretive mansion. 12-year-old Gabriel Frost has amnesia. He has no clue where he came from, how he received the scars on his back, or where he learned the assassin-like skills he seems to possess. His entire life is a mystery.Gabriel is about to find out the world is nothing like he believed: assassins, monsters, and new super technologies bridge the gap between our world and the shadow world. But what other sinister secrets are his new guardians hiding? Who are the shadowfriends, and what do they want? Can anyone he knows be trusted? What if Gabriel has a few secrets of his own?Gabriel must unravel the mystery of his past before the monsters of the present destroy him.

The Legacy of the Key


S.L. Morgan - 2012
     Discover today a new dimension that will remove you from reality as you know it. Welcome to the new book series: Ancient Guardians. Book One, The Legacy of the Key, promises to give you a fun, new, and thrilling reading experience!No matter where you are, facing your reality with passion and purpose will always lead down the path you were intended to go.Reece Bryant was able to pick up the pieces of her broken life after the sudden death of her father. Though emotionally draining, she found the courage to move on, which would have made her father proud.After finalizing the last of his estate, and returning to pursue her degree in medical school, she has never felt so confident. While making her way through this world on her own, she is suddenly confronted with the truth of her existence, and the reality of her future.It is when she encounters two alluring and mysterious men, that a series of extraordinary events takes place, putting Reece’s life in grave danger. With her life in the balance, Reece must blindly trust the two mysterious strangers; and when she does, she is brought into an enchanting world that is beyond her logical comprehension. This captivating land reveals new worlds and new dimensions to which her existence is paramount.But it is once she falls in love with the stunning Levi Oxley that everything will change, and Reece’s life will be in more danger than ever before. Forced to return to Earth and face a Council of Worlds, Reece discovers there is more to this enchanting dimension than she could have ever imagined.At a moment’s notice, even thru the fog of our denial, our journey can become crystal clear. And within the revelation, once our fear subsides, we can find contentment and purpose if we focus on the things that matter most. Trust—Courage—Love.

Last Train Home


Megan Nugen Isbell - 2013
    In fact, she is downright furious. Riley’s only visited Carver a handful of times. She barely knows her family that lives there and she has no desire to spend her senior year among the backward, simpleminded residents of Carver. Reluctantly though, her views begin to change, despite her encounters with Adrienne, a girl Riley quickly realizes is determined to make her life miserable, when she meets Alex Bettencourt. Alex is popular and gorgeous and Riley’s never seen brown eyes quite like his before. While Riley couldn’t be happier, she knows Jesse, her best friend in Carver, isn’t sure of her new relationship with Alex. She soon finds a balance between Alex and her friends though and life in Carver doesn’t seem so bad after all, even if her relationship with her mother is rocky at best. Just when Riley thinks she might be happy in Carver, a single decision changes it all, leaving her to find out who she really is and who matters most in her life before she loses everything.

Shrilugh


Myndi Shafer - 2012
    Why her left eye, instead of being blinded by the injuries she’d sustained, had simply turned a shocking shade of silver. And nothing can explain the fact that she can hear the Stranger speaking in her mind - or that she can answer him back without using her mouth.Nothing can explain it - unless he’s telling the truth.Nothing can explain the things the Stranger knows about her - things that she, until just a few hours ago, hadn’t known herself: that she’d healed faster from her injuries than was humanly possible. That the cruel family she’d been raised by isn’t biologically hers. That her stepfather is now hell-bent on bringing her to his own form of justice for a crime she didn’t commit.Nothing can explain it - unless he’s telling the truth.Nothing can explain why she so easily agreed to go with the Stranger. Why she didn’t find the notion of another world ludicrous and impossible. Why she didn’t cut and run the minute he explained where he wanted to take her.Nothing can explain it - unless she believes he’s telling the truth.Aydan knows she’s being intentionally naive. She knows her decision to follow the stranger is at best, reckless. At worst, deadly....unless he’s telling the truth.

The Unsuspecting Mage


Brian S. Pratt - 2005
    When on-the-job training entails battling demons, learning magic through trial and error, and living in a world without toilet paper, things could get rough. But to be dropped in the middle of a forest and having to do it on your own with no instruction…welcome to James’ world.It all gets started when his grandfather suggests to James, a young man on the verge of graduating high school, that he check out the following advertisement for a job. “Magic! Real Magic! Ever wanted to learn? We require someone with intelligence and a disciplined mind. Those well versed in fantasy novels and role playing games a plus. May need to travel.”Sounded like the perfect job for a veteran role-player and avid fantasy reader. James had no idea he’d be whisked to another world, completely cut off from friends and family. Arriving in a meadow in the middle of a forest, he’s greeted by a creature not entirely human. He was then told three things:Magic works here…Don’t try to go home…Get to the village of Trendle…Then the creature vanished.Which way was Trendle? Where was he? What might inhabit the forest that will seek his ruination? These were but a few of the questions needing to be unraveled. Alone with only his wits and knowledge gleaned from hundreds of books and dungeon campaigns, he started out just trying to survive. He soon learned that one mistake, one lapse in judgment could mean his death. Not long after arriving, he made the acquaintance of Miko, a street-wise kid who quickly became his friend and companion. Little did he know that the strength within this child from the streets of Bearn, a strength that would be tested again and again as they waded through battle after battle, delved in hidden passages deep beneath the earth, and faced off against an the might of an Empire, would be invaluable in the trials ahead.The Unsuspecting Mage is the first book of The Morcyth Saga, a seven book epic fantasy adventure. It follows James as he seeks first to master the art of magic then to uncover the reason why he had been brought to this strange new world where armies are on the move and gods meddle in the affairs of men.