The Mantle that separates the kingdoms of Elsira and Lagrimar is about to fall. And life will drastically change for both kingdoms. Born with a deadly magic she cannot control, Kyara is forced to become an assassin. Known as the Poison Flame in the kingdom of Lagrimar, she is notorious and lethal, but secretly seeks freedom from both her untamed power and the blood spell that commands her. She is tasked with capturing the legendary rebel called the Shadowfox, but everything changes when she learns her target’s true identity. Darvyn ol-Tahlyro may be the most powerful Earthsinger in generations, but guilt over those he couldn’t save tortures him daily. He isn’t sure he can trust the mysterious young woman who claims to need his help, but when he discovers Kyara can unlock the secrets of his past, he can’t stay away. Kyara and Darvyn grapple with betrayal, old promises, and older prophecies—all while trying to stop a war. And when a new threat emerges, they must beat the odds to save both kingdoms.
A TIME 100 Best Fantasy Books of All Time A Time Magazine Best Fantasy Book of 2018 L. Penelope's Song of Blood & Stone is a treacherous, thrilling, epic fantasy about an outcast drawn into a war between two powerful rulers. The kingdoms of Elsira and Lagrimar have been separated for centuries by the Mantle, a magical veil that has enforced a tremulous peace between the two lands. But now, the Mantle is cracking and the True Father, ruler of Lagrimar and the most powerful Earthsinger in the world, finally sees a way into Elsira to seize power. All Jasminda ever wanted was to live quietly on her farm, away from the prying eyes of those in the nearby town. Branded an outcast by the color of her skin and her gift of Earthsong, she’s been shunned all her life and has learned to steer clear from the townsfolk...until a group of Lagrimari soldiers wander into her valley with an Elsiran spy, believing they are still in Lagrimar. Through Jack, the spy, Jasminda learns that the Mantle is weakening, allowing people to slip through without notice. And even more troubling: Lagrimar is mobilizing, and if no one finds a way to restore the Mantle, it might be too late for Elsira. Their only hope lies in uncovering the secrets of the Queen Who Sleeps and Jasminda’s Earthsong is the key to unravel them. Thrust into a hostile society and a world she doesn’t know, Jasminda and Jack race to unveil an ancient mystery that might offer salvation.
"Vivid characters, terrifying monsters, and world building as deep and dark as the ocean." --Victoria Aveyard, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Red Queen I am Henrietta Howel. The first female sorcerer in hundreds of years. The prophesied one. Or am I? Henrietta Howel can burst into flames. Forced to reveal her power to save a friend, she's shocked when instead of being executed, she's invited to train as one of Her Majesty's royal sorcerers. Thrust into the glamour of Victorian London, Henrietta is declared the chosen one, the girl who will defeat the Ancients, bloodthirsty demons terrorizing humanity. She also meets her fellow sorcerer trainees, handsome young men eager to test her power and her heart. One will challenge her. One will fight for her. One will betray her. But Henrietta Howel is not the chosen one. As she plays a dangerous game of deception, she discovers that the sorcerers have their own secrets to protect. With battle looming, what does it mean to not be the one? And how much will she risk to save the city—and the one she loves? Exhilarating and gripping, Jessica Cluess's spellbinding fantasy introduces a powerful, unforgettably heroine, and a world filled with magic, romance, and betrayal. Hand to fans of Libba Bray, Sarah J. Maas, and Cassandra Clare. "The magic! The intrigue! The guys! We were sucked into this monster-ridden, alternative England from page one. Henrietta is literally a 'girl on fire' and this team of sorcerers training for battle had a pinch of Potter blended with a drop of [Cassandra Clare's] Infernal Devices." --Justine Magazine "Cluess gamely turns the chosen-one trope upside down in this smashing dark fantasy." --Publishers Weekly, Starred Review "Unputdownable. I loved the monsters, the magic, and the teen warriors who are their world's best hope! Jessica Cluess is an awesome storyteller!" --Tamora Pierce, #1 New York Times bestselling author "A fun, inventive fantasy. I totally have a book crush on Rook." --Sarah Rees Brennan, New York Times bestselling author "Pure enchantment. I love how Cluess turned the 'chosen one' archetype on its head. With the emotional intensity of my favorite fantasy books, this is the kind of story that makes you forget yourself." --Roshani Chokshi, New York Times bestselling author of The Star-Touched Queen "A glorious, fast-paced romp of an adventure. Jessica Cluess has built her story out of my favorite ingredients: sorcery, demons, romance, and danger." --Kelly Link, author of Pretty Monsters
There's no place like home...and no end to the nightmare... Samantha is in her last year of high school at a very exclusive all-girls school in upstate New York. It has been four years since she gave birth to her daughter and since the death of her sister, Cassie. One day, Samantha’s roommate, Ellie, convinces her to attend a fraternity party. There Samantha meets a handsome young man named Ethan. The two develop a romantic relationship, but Samantha’s memories of her rape prevent her from consummating their union, and she confesses to Ethan that she has a daughter. He is surprised, but promises to attend her graduation and meet her father and uncle. But when Ethan brings her back, Samantha discovers a wild party going on in her room, and her girlfriends, including her roommate, Ellie, mock Samantha. Thinking she’s also lost Ethan, Samantha walks out, unaware that circumstances will soon culminate in a shocking series of events—including madness, betrayal, and murder.
In the vein of K. Arsenault Rivera and V.E. Schwab comes L. Penelope's Requiem of Silence, the epic conclusion in the stunning Earthsinger Chronicles. Civil unrest plagues the nation of Elsira as refugees from their old enemy, Lagrimar, seek new lives in their land. Queen Jasminda is determined to push the unification forward, against growing opposition and economic strife. But the True Father is not finished with Elsira and he may not be acting alone. He has built a powerful army. An army that cannot be killed. An army that can only be stopped by Nethersong and the help of friends and foes of Elsira alike to stop it. Former assassin Kyara will discover that she is not the only Nethersinger. She will need to join the others to harness a power that can save or end Elsira. But time is of the essence and they may not be ready by the time the True Father strikes. Sisterhood novitiate Zeli will go to the reaches of the Living World to unlock a secret that could save the kingdoms. When armies meet in the battlefield, a new world will be forged--whether by the hands of gods or men, remains to be seen.
Set in an alternate nineteenth century, muskets and magic are weapons to be feared in the first “spectacular epic” (Fantasy Book Critic) in Django Wexler’s Shadow Campaigns series. Captain Marcus d’Ivoire, commander of one of the Vordanai empire’s colonial garrisons, was serving out his days in a sleepy, remote outpost—until a rebellion left him in charge of a demoralized force clinging to a small fortress at the edge of the desert. To flee from her past, Winter Ihernglass masqueraded as a man and enlisted as a ranker in the Vordanai Colonials, hoping only to avoid notice. But when chance sees her promoted to command, she must lead her men into battle against impossible odds. Their fate depends on Colonel Janus bet Vhalnich. Under his command, Marcus and Winter feel the tide turning and their allegiance being tested. For Janus’s ambitions extend beyond the battlefield and into the realm of the supernatural—a realm with the power to reshape the known world and change the lives of everyone in its path.
L. Penelope's stunning epic fantasy Earthsinger Chronicles continues with Cry of Metal & Bone. The Mantle dividing Elsira and Lagrimar has fallen. As the two kingdoms struggle to unify, one threat stands above them all. As desperate Lagrimari flee their barren land for a chance at a better life in Elsira, a shadowy group with ties to the Elsiran government launches an attack on their own soil. With threats of more violence, an unlikely crew is assembled to investigate. Among them are Lizvette Nirall, a disgraced socialite seeking redemption for past mistakes, and Tai Summerhawk, a foreign smuggler determined to keep a promise he made to a dead man. It’s a race against time in this world of deadly magic, secret agendas and court intrigue to discover those responsible before the next assault. And in another land a new enemy awakens—one that will strike terror into the hearts of gods and men.
Struggling for answers about her heritage and newfound powers, Kylie wonders about half-Fae Derek's declaration of love and the priorities of werewolf boyfriend Lucas.
New York Times bestselling author Yasmine Galenorn invites readers to Whisper Hollow, where spirits walk among the living and the lake never gives up her dead… Fifteen years ago, I ran away from Whisper Hollow, Washington, a small town on Lake Crescent in the Olympic Peninsula. But truth is, if you were born here, you can never really leave. I'm Kerris Fellwater, and I'm a spirit shaman. It's my responsibility to drive the dead back to their graves, because around Whisper Hollow, people—and secrets—don't always stay buried. My best friend Peggin finds herself under a curse after she is almost taken by the Lady of the Lake, and the Unliving are determined to drag her back to the hungry waters. As Bryan—my guardian and mate—and I work to break the hex, we uncover a dark and violent mystery from the past. One the Hounds of Cú Chulainn will do anything to guard—even if they must summon a legion of the dead to destroy Whisper Hollow. From the Paperback edition.
Epic in scope, Between the Shadow and the Flame is the allegorical retelling of the history of philosophy, seen through the journey of its three main characters. When a pandemic and ensuing nuclear war all but destroy civilization, and conspiracy theorists whisper of a plot to wipe out humanity, armchair philosopher Sophia Xiao is caught up in a quest to find the truth. Shadowed by a mysterious figure, she travels across a devastated land with Newman, a former theology student, and Hyle, a snarky young science writer, as they evade paramilitary death squads, encounter pockets of survivors, and match wits with the charismatic cult leader who has prophesied her role in the coming battle at the end of days. Between the Shadow and the Flame skillfully integrates a suspenseful mystery plot with a serious inquiry into the structure of reality and knowledge, developing the main themes of philosophy, theology and science through a series of dialogues between the protagonists. This unique, thought-provoking novel introduces the reader to more than two millennia of ideas from over one hundred thinkers who helped shape our modern view of the world, including Plato, Aristotle, Augustine, Avicenna, Aquinas, Luther, Galileo, Descartes, Spinoza, Leibniz, Locke, Newton, Hume, Kant, Hegel, Schopenhauer, Kierkegaard, Nietzsche, James, Freud, Einstein, Russell, Wittgenstein, Heidegger, Sartre, and Kuhn, and delves into topics such as determinism, metaphysics, quantum physics and relativity, humanism and spirituality, epistemology and the philosophy of science, and the limitations of mathematics, logic and language. As they investigate the causes of the war, Sophia, Hyle and Newman draw on their diverse backgrounds and collective knowledge to examine age-old questions: Does God exist, or is the material world all there is? Can religion coexist with science? Do we have free will? Is certain knowledge possible? What is the structure of reality? An entertaining introduction to philosophy and a compelling examination of philosophy's role in the world, Between the Shadow and the Flame will challenge your beliefs and keep you turning pages until the full impact of these questions is revealed in the provocative conclusion.
