When royal assassins murder Thornal while trying to steal his powerful Book of Spells, Jena vows revenge on the man responsible—Prince Lothar, the next king of Ignisia.It’s a dangerous quest that will likely mean her life, but Jena has help in the form of her master’s familiar, an enormous raven, and also her own—completely forbidden—mage skills. If she can keep her secrets hidden, she might just get close enough to Lothar to obtain justice for Thornal’s death.Meanwhile failed mage Nate is a salt collector in the notoriously dangerous volcano mines, using his unique ability to call demons to keep himself alive. He emerges from his latest run to find everyone at the outpost dead, and royal assassins waiting to finish him off. He barely escapes with his life, but his elation is short-lived—Prince Lothar is convinced Nate is a threat to his claim to the Flame Throne of Ignisia, and will stop at nothing to eliminate him.When Nate and Jena meet, they’re literally heading in different directions. But destiny—and the prophecies of the last Fire Mage—throws them onto the same path. They must work together if they are to save the kingdom—and themselves—from the machinations of a ruthless royal prince. Two unlikely heroes, one unscrupulous prince, and a swathe of dark and mysterious beasts—who will survive this encounter?

    Get a look into the past that forged a brutal and brilliant leader.

    But when he rescues a boy from certain death, he find himself out of his league. The boy has a Majat-level talent for weapons. The Keepers send for a Diamond Majat to test him, and on arrival, Egey Bashi is thrown into events where his own resolve to be a Keeper will be sorely tested. "The Majat Testing" is a 7,000-word story set in the world of the Majat Code, a distant prequel to Anna Kashina's "Blades of the Old Empire".

    She’s tired of being a sheltered bird, protected in the Hanami. What Yumi really wants is to strike a blow against all the forces that control her life. The time has come.

    She’s been sent by the Assassin’s Guild to collect on a debt they are owed by the Lord of the Pirates. But when Celaena learns that the agreed payment is not in money, but in slaves, her mission suddenly changes—and she will risk everything to right the wrong she’s been sent to bring about.

    While the political landscape for this new world is yet to form, intrigues, conspiracy, daring raids, and sabotage are the main weapons of the Hounds, and his evaluation has just begun. To complete it successfully and become a full-fledged member of the clan, Stan will have to adapt to working side-by-side with the most unique people with shady backgrounds — even if he is not a team player by nature and has already failed at the very beginning by choosing the least suitable class for teamwork: Battle Monk. Stan is rebellious, free-spirited, and daring. He risks his life every day just to avoid getting bored of the daily grind. Normally, an expelled student has no hope of entering the virtual world of Artar, an expensive online VR project, but when a suspicious organization offers to pay all expenses to let Stan in for a special purpose, Mongoose gets his chance to become one of the select few. However, to successfully complete his trial, Stan will have to face his main enemy — himself, while finding peace and mastering all five styles of the Battle Monks of Artar. *** The Steel Hounds is the first book of the highly popular Russian LitRPG series The Chronicles of Artar by Vladimir Vasilenko. The brightest representative of a new wave of gamelit writers, Vladimir has created the story of Mongoose, a reckless teenager kicked out of college, who has to struggle with following strict discipline and finding inner harmony while traversing the difficult path of a Battle Monk.

    Poisoners. Naturalists. If an oracle queen is born, however, one with the gift of sight, she’s immediately drowned, extinguishing her chance at ever taking the throne.But that’s not how it always was. This cautionary practice started long ago, with Queen Elsabet—the legendary, and last, oracle queen—whose reign was tinged with blood and horror.Paranoid, ruthless, and utterly mad, Elsabet’s mistrust led to the senseless slaying of three entire houses of innocent people. At least, that’s the unchallenged tale carried down from generation to generation. But what really happened? Discover the true story behind the queen who, though born with the gift of sight, could not foresee her swift and sudden fall from power . . . until it was too late.Fans of the Three Dark Crowns series will be enthralled with Queen Elsabet’s genesis, riveted by her madness, and compelled by her tragic—and bloody—reign.

    There she would receive the gift of foretelling. But when that call never comes, Ryber finds herself the only Sister without the Sight.Years pass and Ryber’s misfit pain becomes a dull ache, until one day, Sisters who already possess the Sight are summoned into the mountain, never to return. Soon enough, Ryber is the only Sister left. Now, it is up to her to save her Sisters, though she does not have the Sight—and though she does not know what might await her inside the mountain.On her journey underground, she encounters a young captain named Kullen Ikray, who has no memory of who he is or how he got there. Together, the two journey ever deeper in search of answers, their road filled with horrors, and what they find at the end of that road will alter the fate of the Witchlands forever.Set a year before Truthwitch, Sightwitch is a companion novella that also serves as a set up to Bloodwitch, as well as an expansion of the Witchlands world.

    Her father’s dealings with the dark society known as the Trust cost Nim her freedom. There’s one way out of the contract on her life and that’s to bide her time and pay the tithes. But when the Trust assigns Nim to a task in the king’s own castle, her freedom is not the only thing she’ll risk.Warrick Spenser has a secret. As king’s seneschal, he should be the last soul in Inara to risk association with dark magic, but long-hidden ties to the Trust are harder to shed than simply cutting the threads. When the Trust sends a thief to his rooms, Warrick thinks he’s finally found a way to be rid of them for good. But Nimona Weston is hiding secrets of her own.Magical contracts, blood-debt accountants, and a deadly game. A dark and twisty fantasy that pits magic against kings, perfect for fans of Sorcery of Thorns and Serpent & Dove.

    The mercenary ship is commissioned to run missions on dangerous planets. To reap great rewards from unsuspecting alien races. To take minerals, precious metals and invaluable resources for Earths galactic expansion. They do the work that no other ship in Earths fleet would dare consider. Why? Because if they get found out, then Earth abandons them. Leaves them to rot in the middle of the universe, unaided and unheard of until the very end of time itself. For Captain Flynn, he never imagined that day would come. He and his crew were more than happy with the way things were going. That’s until one day they wake up from stasis not knowing how they got there. One minute they’re back on earth, relaxing after another hair-raising, highly-illegal mission, and the next, they’re waking up from a six-year slumber, in the middle of a galaxy they don’t recognise. But not all is as it seems. They are not alone. Aliens are aboard their ship. And unfortunately for Captain Flynn and his rag-tag group, they don’t come in peace. Earth has sold them down the river. Banished them from the blue planet with no return ticket home. Now the aliens have them. And they plan on using them against their enemies. They take them prisoner on their home planet. Shackled and bound, the crew fear that their fates are sealed. But unfortunately, it is just the beginning for them. The aliens that hold them captive have far greater plans for them than death. Plans that will undoubtedly shake earth to its molten core. Prepare yourself for a journey that leaps from star system, to star system, in a space opera filled to the brim with nail biting suspense throughout. Warning: This book contains some strong language and violence. Reader discretion is advised. Destroyer of Worlds, book two in the Alpha Ship One series releases February 2016.

    Seemingly a spontaneous event, teenager Elliot Goodwin knew better. His mother, a nurse of many years, told him of a diabolical illness that had swept through Idaho a few years before... not long after the potato growth hormone had been - somewhat mysteriously - approved for general use. The hormone meant larger potatoes which in turn meant more French Fries which ledto more profit. The greed of one man to control the fast food industry was seen as a catalyst by a decades old clandestine group that secretly controlled world affairs. When the outbreak occurred Elliot is forced to flee with his girlfriend, Cindy and a tough no-nonsense cop Mulhaven. Who bore more than a passing resemblance to Morgan Freeman. Their escape from Twin Falls is accompanied by danger at every turn from green puking zombies to out of control rogue cops and National Guard. They meet up with a tall stranger who is as mysterious as he is knowledgeable and adaptable. Together with gun store owner, rescued by the 'Tall Man' earlier, they make tracks for Canada and a safe haven in the form of Elliot's Aunt Kath.Along the way they discover the un-dead are not as a result of pollution, waste and chemicals in the food supply but a deliberate plan to reduce the worlds population by up to ninety percent. That plan, however, soon goes awry and leads the world to the brinkof destruction. Toward the Brink details the lead up to those event as seen through the eyes of a small group from Twin Falls as they attempt to make good their escape. Book 2 At the Brink to be released in June 2015. Sign up for the authors newsletter at craigamcdonough.com and keep up to date on this and other new releases.

    Campbell's Cove is a town steeped in a rich history of dragons, witches and brave warriors. History tells of one Viking warrior who rose above them all to claim the ultimate prize. Hundreds of years later strange things start happening in the town. Could the Viking stories be true? Has the evil returned? Who can protect the people? When school friends Peter and George take their summer holiday with Peter's Granddad it turns into an adventure that they will never forget. Peter must face a future he could never have dreamed of and learn of a past that has been kept secret for hundreds of years. A fight for friendship and survival and a struggle against an ancient evil that takes them into the Caves of Campbell's Cove and beyond.

    His life no longer in his hands, he fears an uncertain future where the only certainty is a life of servitude to the kingdom. Fortunately for Seth, he is not alone. His brother Garret too attends the choosing ceremony where their fates will be decided. Together the twins make their way to the castle city of Valdadore for the choosing ceremony but along the way Seth notices a strange new trend in his life. Time after time strange circumstances befall him in what others might call a coincidence, but Seth knows something else is amiss and begins mentally cataloging each new and strange event. Learning his past is all a lie, Seth begins to fear more for his future as a dark goddess vies for his service to her cause. Seths loyalties and responsibilities begin to stack up as he makes friends and allies and even falls in love, but with the choosing ceremony growing ever nearer will he be forced to flee the kingdom into a life of exile, or choose to serve the goddess who swears that only through her will he find peace.

    She has seen the noblemen coming to her home, sneaking off to the parlor with her father for hushed conversations. They were suitors, she knew, but it didn't matter. Her father had long ago decided to whom she would be betrothed. These meetings were nothing more than his pitiful attempt to increase the price for her hand in marriage. Kyra pretended not to notice them, turning instead to her book of spells that her mother had given her to practice before her inaugural year at Kuldiga Academy. She knew magic was the only way to take control of her life. Upon her birthday, Kyra's father would announce the chosen groom, and then she would have only four years at Kuldiga Academy before she would be delivered to the altar. Such was the way of noble-born girls. When she arrives at Kuldiga Academy, Kyra's world collapses when she discovers that her betrothed works there as an instructor. As if his presence wasn't suffocating enough, rumors abound and the other apprentices soon ostracize her. There were other girls in similar circumstances, but Kyra was different. She was the only one betrothed to an instructor at the Academy. At least the others were betrothed to young men closer to their own age. She would have to use her wits, in addition to her budding magic skills, in order to escape and create some semblance of freedom in a world ruled by noblemen. On one such adventure Kyra finds a dragon egg, something not seen for centuries in the Middle Kingdom. She knows to hide it is an offense against the crown. There is a dark danger with all dragons, and they are to be exterminated upon sight. Kyra, however, cannot bring herself to destroy it. In that oblong egg she sees not the monster others did, but a creature deserving of freedom and a life of its own making. She seeks advice from an outlawed wizard and enlists his help to care for the egg. As the dragon hatches and grows, Kyra fights to hide and protect the fledgling dragon, all the while dodging her betrothed and the others at the academy who would surely condemn the dragon to death. The bond between lady and dragon grows fierce and strong, but will it survive, or is the dark curse destined to conquer the beast?

    As she struggles to understand her special skills, her mysterious inner power, she realizes she is different than the others. But a secret is being kept from her about her birth and the prophecy surrounding her, leaving her to wonder who she really is.When Kyra comes of age and the local lord comes to take her away, her father wants to wed her off to save her. Kyra, though, refuses, and she journeys out on her own, into a dangerous wood, where she encounters a wounded dragon—and ignites a series of events that will change the kingdom forever. 15 year old Alec, meanwhile, sacrifices for his brother, taking his place in the draft, and is carted off to The Flames, a wall of flames a hundred feet high that wards off the army of Trolls to the east. On the far side of the kingdom, Merk, a mercenary striving to leave behind his dark past, quests through the wood to become a Watcher of the Towers and help guard the Sword of Fire, the magical source of the kingdom’s power. But the Trolls want the Sword, too—and they prepare for a massive invasion that could destroy the kingdoms forever.With its strong atmosphere and complex characters, RISE OF THE DRAGONS is a sweeping saga of knights and warriors, of kings and lords, of honor and valor, of magic, destiny, monsters and dragons. It is a story of love and broken hearts, of deception, of ambition and betrayal. It is fantasy at its finest, inviting us into a world that will live with us forever, one that will appeal to all ages and genders.