Book picks similar to
Gauntlet Fall (The Gauntlet #1) by Maddy Edwards
fantasy
young-adult
sci-fi
science-fiction
The Influencer: Speed Must Have a Limit
Abhaidev - 2021
He is instead what some people call an Influencer. Yes! Literally! He is one of the few fortunate men who with the power of their minds can make other people agreeable and servile.To the outside world, Aditya is just another employee on the government’s payroll. But secretly, he is part of a shadow organization called WIS. With his special abilities, Aditya helps the most powerful man in his country, the PM, to have the better end of the deal.Life for Aditya had been smooth until one careless mistake precipitates into his wife knowing his big secret. WIS can tolerate anything but not a defector. It takes WIS some time but eventually they find out Aditya’s big goof up. It, therefore, declares war on the renegade. Aditya’s death is what they want.What will Aditya do? How will he fight this decree of the behemoth that once nurtured him?The Influencer is a story of a man who has never taken no for an answer. It’s a thrilling account of a single man who is facing the wrath of a powerful but dubious organization with highly-skilled, super assassins at its disposal.Will Aditya succeed in dodging WIS? Or will the evil organization get what it wants? How far will this fugitive go to protect everything he cherishes?
Broken Skies
Theresa Kay - 2014
A disillusioned alien boy. They were never meant to meet…When Jax Mitchell’s twin is kidnapped by Earth's alien settlers, the E'rikon, she'll do anything to get him back—even form an alliance with a teenage E'rikon left behind by the same ship that took her brother.Jax agrees to act as a guide, and in return, the alien agrees to sneak her past the human-proof barrier surrounding the E'rikon city. Too bad it's not that simple. Jax soon finds that she's drawn to the alien boy with bright green hair and jewel-like scales on his back—and he's equally affected by her, the courageous redhead with haunted eyes. But she doesn't know the alien's true motives, and he has no idea that she is much more than she seems.With the aliens and the humans at odds, the connection forming between the two teens has consequences. What started off as a rescue mission sets in motion a chain of events that threatens not only the remaining humans and the growing alien society, but Earth itself.
H-17 The Morningstar Abduction
Jake Vickers - 2017
The class of child genius Gabby Morningstar is interrupted by the news that her parents have been murdered. The detective assigned to the homicide then abducts her. Before Gabby can piece together her situation, she's sold to a mysterious group of individuals lurking off of an unmarked highway exit. Gabby's feral runaway sister, Nikki, will stop at nothing to find her.
Athena's Choice
Adam Boostrom - 2018
She watches reality shows with her friends, eats well, and occasionally wonders to herself: what would life be like if men were still alive?It has been almost 50 years since an experimental virus accidentally killed all the men on earth. However, a controversial project is currently underway to bring men back. There's just one catch. The project has been sabotaged.So begins Athena's Choice. When the police of 2099 are tasked with finding the saboteur, they receive a mysterious command to investigate the otherwise innocuous Athena Vosh. After it becomes clear that the young girl might know more than she lets on, Athena is brought in to participate in the official investigation. Simultaneously, the girl begins to experience a series of cryptic dreams featuring a ruined library and an old book containing the saboteur’s true identity. As the police close in on their prize, Athena finds herself on a journey of her own. Her clue-filled dreams and incorruptible spirit bring her face-to-face with a pair of forgotten truths about happiness and gender. The world waits to see if men will return as Athena fights a separate battle, culminating in the choice that will define her and others' lives forever.
Tabula Rasa
Filip Forsberg - 2018
An alien discovery in space with global repercussions.In a dystopian future, the earth is under strain due to natural disasters and accelerating pollution of the environment. On the coast of Madagascar, a ruthless corporate leader creates his own vision of the future in the shape of Tabula Rasa, a mega-complex inhabited by over a million people. Jonathan Jarl, a rookie agent for the Amber group, is on his first assignment and is assigned to retrieve the famous Nebra Sky disc that has been stolen. During the mission, he is faced with some of Tabula Rasas darkest secrets. Meanwhile, in orbit around the moon, a discovery is made that has potential implications for the entire human race but Tabula Rasa is doing everything in its powers to keep the discovery secret. In a lab within Tabula Rasa, an idealistic scientist decides to share the discovery with the world. She takes a fateful decision that puts her life on the line. Jonathan is thrown into a breakneck race for time and Tabula Rasa is the first thrilling installment about Jonathan Jarl and the Amber group.
Royal Factions Box Set Books #1-3
W.J. May - 2021
She should be happy to have escaped the poverty of her former life. But she knows a dark truth.The palace is a dream on the surface, but a nightmare underneath.With a dwindling population, the royals have imprisoned the teenagers to marry and breed. Only seven days remain of freedom before they will be selected by a courtier and forever claimed.Danger lurks around every corner. The only chance of escape is death.But when the day of the claiming finally arrives…the world will never be the same.Book 2 - The Cost for SurvivingIs it really living when you spend your life in a cage…The wait is over, the dust has settled, and the captives have finally been claimed. Elise thought the deadly game was finished, but the more time she spends in the palace, the more she begins to fear the real game has only just begun.In the aftermath of the ceremony, each of the friends try to adjust to their new life. But some are having more trouble than others. Will's perpetual defiance lands him in trouble with the queen herself, while Elise is playing a dangerous balancing act, trying to understand the affections of the prince. The man can be sweet, but also psychotic. At times, he seems to truly care—but with a snap of his fingers, she'd be sentenced to death.Danger is brewing. In the royal court, nothing is as it seems. They are told repeatedly to content themselves with the life for which they've been chosen. But how can you live with monsters without becoming a monster yourself? Is it really a life, or just going through the motions?The more time they spend in the palace, the longer the days drag on, the more a single word keeps rising in each of their minds…escape.Book 3 - The Punishment for DeceptionHow can you move on with the future without surrendering the past?When an escape attempt goes desperately awry, Elise and Will find themselves at the mercy of the very people who have imprisoned them all this time. Tensions sharpen, punishments are severe, and they soon discover what terrible things are required if they wish to survive.But such wild spirits were never meant to be tamed.While appearing to submit, the future princess still dreams of freedom. And as the day of her wedding approaches, those dreams begin to turn into something more.With so many eyes upon her, can she maintain the illusion? Is the crown prince really such a monster, or is there more to him than meets the eye?Time is running out. All that's left are choices.But will she have the strength to decide?Royal FactionsThe Price for Peace – Book 1The Cost for Surviving – Book 2The Punishment for Deception – Book 3Faking Perfection – Book 4The Most Cherished – Book 5The Strength to Endure – Book 6
Rooked
Caitlin Sara - 2018
. . Despite her desire for control, Ara Hopkins has always felt like a pawn—constantly being maneuvered by those surrounding her. Carrying a riddled past of abandonment by her mother, a jealous step-sister and exploitation by men she was supposed to be able to trust, Ara craves a social media certified life. So, when she meets her husband, a New York congressman’s son, she believes she’s finally won her game. Secure in a life her mother would approve of—and having firmly shut the door on her chaotic and miscalculated past—Ara feels she’s thriving. Until the night her husband is murdered. Thrust into a game of deceit and lies, Ara realizes that nothing is as it seems and that the past can quickly return to the present. The facade crumbles as relationships are tested and family boundaries crossed. Faced with losing it all, she discovers what a person is really capable of. Because in this game of life, it's either rook or be rooked. An intricately braided plot with unforeseeable twists and a sucker-punch ending, Rooked is a captivating thriller that shatters all perceptions.
The Green Door
Heather Kindt - 2020
Her dad keeps a roof over her head, but college is out of the question. Her best friend, Brek, will leave for school, and she’ll be trapped in her hometown—that is until Meg discovers the flyer for Rosenbaum’s game hanging in the entryway of the record store.Within the basement of the mansion lies the white passage, a hallway lined with colorful doors. When each door turns out to be a portal to another world, things get complicated quickly. If they find the object within the world, Meg will take her first step towards freedom. But is it really just a game, or a one-way ticket to something much more dangerous? The Green Door is the first book in Heather Kindt’s young adult fantasy series. If you like strong female leads, adventure, snarky attitudes, and sexy sirens, then you’ll love the first installment in the Eternal Artifacts series.
Outview
Brandt Legg - 2013
For thousands of years, humans have sought to lift it. Imagine the secrets waiting for discovery, insights into the unknown, and powers beyond the possible.Nate wondered.After the death of his father, the loss of his brother, and mysterious messages, he finds himself enmeshed in a centuries-old conspiracy to hide the truth about what lies beyond that veil. He must juggle prophecies and mystic knowledge, trace a quest across countless lifetimes, and grasp a complex destiny, before he can unravel the ancient puzzle. Scores have died to protect the secrets. The "trusted"few whispered clues, guarded locations, and hid keys to what humanity was not yet ready for.Until Nate found a way.Those protecting the “veil” know he did. And so do the ones who have been searching since before he was born. At the same time, a clandestine group, wielding overwhelming power, wants him silenced.Nate is running.
Before the Broken Star
Emily R. King - 2019
The lone survivor of her family’s unexplained assassination, she was saved by an ingeniously crafted clockwork heart. But the time she was given won’t last forever. Now, every tick-tock reminds her how fragile her existence is and hastens her quest to expose Killian Markham, the navy admiral who shattered her world and left her for dead. But Everley’s hunt for justice will be a long and hard-won voyage.Her journey takes her to a penal colony on a cursed isle, where she will be married off and charged to build the new world. It is here, and beyond, that hidden realms hide, treasures are unearthed, her family secrets are buried, and young love will test the strength of her makeshift heart. When Everley discovers Markham may not be who he seems, her pursuit for truth is bound to his redemption, her tragic history, and her astonishing destiny.
Scarlet Odyssey
C.T. Rwizi - 2020
But in the coming battle, none of that will matter.Men do not become mystics. They become warriors. But eighteen-year-old Salo has never been good at conforming to his tribe’s expectations. For as long as he can remember, he has loved books and magic in a culture where such things are considered unmanly. Despite it being sacrilege, Salo has worked on a magical device in secret that will awaken his latent magical powers. And when his village is attacked by a cruel enchantress, Salo knows that it is time to take action.Salo’s queen is surprisingly accepting of his desire to be a mystic, but she will not allow him to stay in the tribe. Instead, she sends Salo on a quest. The quest will take him thousands of miles north to the Jungle City, the political heart of the continent. There he must gather information on a growing threat to his tribe.On the way to the city, he is joined by three fellow outcasts: a shunned female warrior, a mysterious nomad, and a deadly assassin. But they’re being hunted by the same enchantress who attacked Salo’s village. She may hold the key to Salo’s awakening—and his redemption.
Vestige
Deb Hanrahan - 2012
His mother tried to prepare him for the Apocalypse, but she disappeared without telling him about the family legacy, his legacy. And as civilization slips into chaos and the line between dreams and reality blurs, Micah must uncover his mother’s secret before the souls of humanity are lost forever.The Vestige Series is a two-book Horror/Apocalyptic series.
The Narrowing Path
David J. Normoyle - 2013
In Arcandis, those who want to live must claim the limited places in the Refuge, a series of underground caverns cooled by the sea.The teenage boys of noble birth are sent out into the city to demonstrate their wits and strength. Some prove themselves in combat, others display their empire building skills, still others attempt to kill off their rivals. Out of over a hundred, only six will be selected by the leaders of the great families and allowed a place in the Refuge. The rest will perish, one way or another.Not only is thirteen-year-old Bowe younger and weaker than most of the other boys, he has no family to support him. He is expected to die on the very first day of the narrowing path. Instead he begins a journey no one could have anticipated.
Rock Heaven
Jamie Thornton - 2017
THREE WORLDS. ONE RULE. SHE MUST NEVER OPEN A DOOR. Since before Maella can remember, one family rule has shaped her life: never open a door. Maella comes from a family of doormakers—people who unleash otherworldly violence when they open something even as simple as a cabinet door. Maella didn’t mean to open a door. Maella tried NOT to open a door. She just wanted to save her friend. Pushed through a portal of her own making, Maella discovers worlds of nightmarish flying monsters, magical drug deals, political prisoners, religious cults, and a terrifying prediction: Maella will die upon opening her seventh door. In order to survive, Maella must uncover her family’s secrets, all while hiding her identity and outrunning the prediction of her death. But what do you do when the truth you need could destroy the universe?