Mercenary Kate Daniels knows all too well that magic in post-Shift Atlanta is a dangerous business. But nothing she’s faced could have prepared her for what’s to come in this heart-stopping novel in the #1 New York Times bestselling series. Kate and the former Beast Lord Curran Lennart are finally making their relationship official. But there are some steep obstacles standing in the way of their walk to the altar. Kate’s father, Roland, has kidnapped the demigod Saiman and is slowly bleeding him dry in a never-ending bid for power. A Witch Oracle has predicted that if Kate marries the man she loves, Atlanta will burn and she will lose him forever. And the only person Kate can ask for help is long dead. The odds are impossible. The future is grim. But Kate Daniels has never been one to play by the rules...
NATIONAL BESTSELLER A NEW YORK TIMES BOOK REVIEW EDITORS' CHOICE Proclaimed as “truly spellbinding,” a “great fable” that “functions as transporting romance” by the Guardian, the runaway #1 international bestseller "A rich, gothic entertainment that explores what books have trapped inside them and reminds us of the power of storytelling. Spellbinding.” — TRACY CHEVALIER Imagine you could erase grief. Imagine you could remove pain. Imagine you could hide the darkest, most horrifying secret. Forever. Young Emmett Farmer is working in the fields when a strange letter arrives summoning him away from his family. He is to begin an apprenticeship as a Bookbinder—a vocation that arouses fear, superstition, and prejudice amongst their small community, but one neither he nor his parents can afford to refuse. For as long as he can recall, Emmett has been drawn to books, even though they are strictly forbidden. Bookbinding is a sacred calling, Seredith informs her new apprentice, and he is a binder born. Under the old woman’s watchful eye, Emmett learns to hand-craft the elegant leather-bound volumes. Within each one they will capture something unique and extraordinary: a memory. If there’s something you want to forget, a binder can help. If there’s something you need to erase, they can assist. Within the pages of the books they create, secrets are concealed and the past is locked away. In a vault under his mentor’s workshop rows upon rows of books are meticulously stored. But while Seredith is an artisan, there are others of their kind, avaricious and amoral tradesman who use their talents for dark ends—and just as Emmett begins to settle into his new circumstances, he makes an astonishing discovery: one of the books has his name on it. Soon, everything he thought he understood about his life will be dramatically rewritten. An unforgettable novel of enchantment, mystery, memory, and forbidden love, The Binding is a beautiful homage to the allure and life-changing power of books—and a reminder to us all that knowledge can be its own kind of magic.
After surviving being kidnapped by the Karume mage Berick, becoming a dragon rider, and discovering she was a mage, Tesa has a lot to adjust to. In between attending make-up magic classes, dragon training lessons, and simply learning her way around the big city of Areth, Tesa can't help but try to uncover the secret behind the symbol-engraved stones Berick used to enslave her. With all her new dragon rider friends away from the city searching for the stolen egg and kidnapped guard, Tesa must find new friends and allies as she searches for the answer to the spellstones. What she finds may put her--and the dragons--in more danger than ever before.
For the first time text from tablets have been translated into English with substantial translator's introduction revealing the cultural, social and historical context for these spells and tablets of the ancient world.
In the Middle Ages, textual amulets--short texts written on parchment or paper and worn on the body--were thought to protect the bearer against enemies, to heal afflictions caused by demonic invasions, and to bring the wearer good fortune. In Binding Words, Don C. Skemer provides the first book-length study of this once-common means of harnessing the magical power of words. Textual amulets were a unique source of empowerment, promising the believer safe passage through a precarious world by means of an ever-changing mix of scriptural quotations, divine names, common prayers, and liturgical formulas. Although theologians and canon lawyers frequently derided textual amulets as ignorant superstition, many literate clergy played a central role in producing and disseminating them. The texts were, in turn, embraced by a broad cross-section of Western Europe. Saints and parish priests, physicians and village healers, landowners and peasants alike believed in their efficacy. Skemer offers careful analysis of several dozen surviving textual amulets along with other contemporary medieval source materials. In the process, Binding Words enriches our understanding of popular religion and magic in everyday medieval life.
The greatest philosopher of all time is offering to sell his soul to the Devil. All he wants is twenty more years to complete his life’s work. After that, he really doesn’t care. But the assistant demon assigned to the case has his suspicions, because the philosopher is Saloninus–the greatest philosopher, yes, but also the greatest liar, trickster and cheat the world has yet known; the sort of man even the Father of Lies can’t trust. He’s almost certainly up to something; but what? "Parker generates a fair degree of suspense... an accomplished performance." -- Gary K. Wolfe (for Locus Magazine) At the Publisher's request, this title is being sold without Digital Rights Management Software (DRM) applied.
There are two rules: find a way to use your magic and never reveal it to anyone. Hunting lost books is more than a job; it's a way for Barbara to hide her powers in the mundane world of the university library. One misstep and she risks exposure to ruthless necromancers willing to destroy anything supernatural they cannot control. But the prickly new professor in charge of her latest assignment proves more than he seems, and rules are no match for her growing fascination. After years of battling to cage the beast within him, Tobias returns to Prague and the safety of his pack of brothers. But keeping his family safe means never revealing his dual nature, not even to the irresistible research assistant with a nose for rare books. When an enchanted book triggers unpredictable surges in Barbara's magic, unleashing his beast may be their only defense against the malevolent spell buried in its pages. Now, a 400-year-old witch's revenge threatens to reveal everything they've concealed. Trapped between a witch and a necromancer, Barbara and Tobias must choose: embrace the powers that could expose them or allow their secrets to destroy them. ******* Binding Shadows takes place in the same world as the Grace Bloods before Death's Dancer and can be read as a standalone.
The ancient Greeks commonly resorted to magic spells to attract and keep lovers. Surveying and analyzing various texts and artifacts, the author reveals that gender is the crucial factor in understanding love spells.
Spell-binding Spells is a book for everyone who loves cricket. It is about stunning spells—those few overs that occur rarely in cricket, when bowlers weave magic and batsmen are mesmerized. What did the stunning bowling spells of Anil Kumble, Narendra Hirwani, Ravichandran Ashwin, Padmakar Shivalkar, and Yuzvendra Chahal achieve that Kapil Dev’s career best spell could not? Curtly Ambrose and Sarfraz Nawaz, 14-years apart, bowled identical deadly spells against the same opposition taking 7 wickets for 1 run. Who were the hapless victims? Why did Gary Gilmour of Australia with an ODI bowling average of 10.31 and Clarrie Grimmett of Australia after taking 13 wickets in a Test in two magnificent spells, never play for their respective countries again? Spell-binding Spells looks at 50 of the most magnificent bowling spells in the history of cricket and answers some of these questions. VVS Laxman says: “This book is a tribute to bowlers, a breed that has never profited from the benefit of the doubt in a sport whose rules have historically always favoured batsmen. This nice little treatise is a reminder that we must ensure that the history of this game continues to get passed on from one generation to the next.”
