A young sword prodigy must impersonate a lost princess and throw her life into a deadly political game, in this kinetic epic fantasy novel by the author of the award-winning Majat Code seriesNaia dreams of becoming a Jaihar Blademaster, but after assaulting a teacher, her future seems ruined. The timely intervention of a powerful stranger suddenly elevates her into elite Upper Grounds training. She has no idea that the stranger is Dal Gassan, head of the Daljeer Circle. Seventeen years ago he witnessed the massacre of Challimar's court and rescued its sole survivor, a baby girl. Gassan plans to thrust a blade into the machinations of imperial succession: Naia. Disguised as the legendary Princess Xarimet of Challimar, Naia must challenge the imperial family, and win. Naia is no princess, but with her desert-kissed eyes and sword skills she might be close enough...File Under: Fantasy [ Warrior Foretold | Royal Massacre | Wrongful Heir | Forbidden Kingdom ] Views: 344
All Daniel's ever wanted is to sing. Being a siren has always made that a dangerous undertaking, but he's never needed magic to make people like his songs. His bandmates, however, are more than willing to use his siren talents to get what they want—even if they do it against Daniel's will.Betrayed and distraught, Daniel flees in the dead of night, bound for anywhere that will keep him out of sight until his contract with the band expires. Exhausted after hours of driving, he decides to stop for the night, and winds up stopping in a strange town known as Midsummer's Night.He's soon pointed to a bed & breakfast run by the world's most adorable brownie—who also happens to be a huge fan, reminding Daniel viscerally that whatever Daniel wants comes second to what he is and all the people trying to hunt him down. Views: 344
The True Deceiver by Tove Jansson
Translated from the Swedish by Thomas Teal
Introduced by Ali Smith
A book of haunting suspense, a dark companion to The Summer Book, introduced by Ali Smith. In the deep winter snows of a Swedish hamlet, a strange young woman fakes a break-in at the house of an elderly artist in order to persuade her that she needs companionship. But what does she hope to gain by doing this? And who ultimately is deceiving whom? In this portrayal of two women encircling each other with truth and lies, nothing can be taken for granted. By the time the snow thaws, both their lives will have changed irrevocably. First ever publication in English, in a translation by Thomas Teal. Views: 344
A story of love between a dragon and a human.After struggling with the death of her mate of over a century, Tara sees a dragon intruder attack a shepherd. She intervenes and saves the young man from certain death. Breaking a two hundred year old pact between man and dragon forbidding contact, a powerful bond grows between the dragon and her boy.A short story. Stories two and three out soon!A story of love between a dragon and a human.After struggling with the death of her lifemate of over a century, Tara spends what the leaders of her clan considers an unreasonable amount of time in finding another. The clan needs offspring, they insist.While soaring over a meadow, Tara sees a dragon intruder attack a shepherd. Outraged, she intervenes and saves the young man from certain death. Breaking a two hundred year old pact between man and dragon forbidding any contact between the two, a powerful yet dangerous bond slowly grows between the dragon and her boy.A short story/episode. Stories two and three of Dragon and Her Boy will be available shortly! Views: 344
Everyone has to live through an event which, whether they like it or not, defines who they are. This event may result in an extraordinary action or reveal an internal demon that has to be dealt with. Each story in this collection says, "this is who I really am" and asks, "what do I do now?"Runaways Jai and Ceder set sail in a boat full of holes, with a plan full of holes, searching for anything to hold onto in a world where nothing is what it seems. Never did they imagine their desperate voyage would ignite a maelstrom of primeval forces roiling to the surface at every turn, churning the fate and free will of every friend and foe they meet into a proper froth. Following a boy and girl who have never met before the night they flee a life of slavery and begin their journey across the open sea, Riverlilly is at heart a simple tale of young love struggling to stay afloat. Steered by waves they set in motion centuries past, leaving in their wake ripples that will rock their trusty boat a thousand years hence, together Jai and Ceder struggle to hold course against the tide of an inescapable truth: the farther away they try to run, the faster they will be reeled back to the beginning.Riverlilly is a YA Fantasy. Jai and Ceder's adventure takes place in a world not unlike Oz or Wonderland, with a wide cast of colorful characters that can be as startlingly wise as they are whimsical. There is an almost fairy-tale form of logic that underpins this world, and Jai and Ceder are as new to its quirks and Quixotisms as the reader, although most fantasy fans will get a fuzzy tinkling of familiarity throughout. Mind you, this is not an Epic, End-All Battle Between Good and Evil; there are no knights in white armor or damsels in distress, no wizards, no elves, no dwarves, no dragons (at least not in the traditional sense.) This is a smaller, more personal story, yet the pages are absolutely dripping with magic that drives the story forward at every turn, but as a powerful a narrative force as it can be, most often the existence and influence of the supernatural remains out of sight and out of mind, like the invisible currents below the surface of the sea that carry Jai and Ceder's little skiff from one shore to the other. Mystery, humor, and suspense abound, but at its core this is the adventure of a lifetime for two wide-eyed kids who have never so much as dipped a toe in the ocean but find themselves stranded on a boat full of holes by the end of the first chapter. Are you ready to set sail? Views: 343
Eustace has always focused more on his job as a doctor than his role in the shifter community, especially when it comes to the witch distracting him at every turn. Being able to see the future has made it hard for Reagan to connect with anyone, especially when all people want is to find out what it has in store for them. But when she sees a disaster at a charity ball, she knows she has to do everything she can to stop it, even if it means turning to the man she's trying to stay away from. Can the two of them work together to save the party? And will they give in to what's growing between them in the process? - The Reindeer's Spell is part of the Paranormal Council series and is Reagan and Eustace's complete story. Views: 343
A zombie murder mystery.When Vivia Brisk's colleague Malcolm zombifies and his teenage son Ben goes missing, Vivia is roped in to help find them. At first what happened seems simple, but then the police find decades-old corpses hidden near Malcolm’s house, and Vivia begins to realise Malcolm’s missing son is in a lot more danger than from just a single zombie on the loose…Vivia Brisk knows about the dead. She should. She’s died enough times. Vivia is a hag – or death witch – one of the last of her race, and can die, visit the underworld and return at will. As a consultant with charity The Lipscombe Trust, she has a job she loves – helping London’s most vulnerable supernaturals, even if her colleague Malcolm drives her round the bend on a daily basis. Vivia thinks she’s got Malcolm’s measure – sexist, not too bright and generally a pain in the ass, but then Malcolm zombifies and, along with his fourteen year old son Ben, flees the police. With a zombie on the loose, London goes into lock down and Vivia is roped in into find them. After all, Malcolm can only keep control so long without fresh flesh, and the risk of the zompocalypse increases the longer he’s on the lam. At first what happened seems simple, but then the police find decades-old corpses hidden near Malcolm’s house, and Vivia begins to realise Malcolm’s missing son is in a lot more danger than from just a single zombie on the loose… Views: 343
There was a rumor about a supposedly haunted house filled with life sized dolls. The doors to the house were never locked. Amberose Brookenwise is investigating the apparently abandoned house...PI Charlie Hampton dodges bullets trying to clear his client, Jack, of a murder rap. But might shady Jack be in jail for just cause? Fresh from Beijing come the Triad lads led by Richard the Cleaver Chang. Richard has landed his private jet on the tarmac to avenge the theft of a heroin shipment, also the murder of his underboss with whom Jack is embroiled in a business takeover battle. Fingers point to Jack. As Charlie races to clear Jack of a murder rap, Jack refuses to help. No, Jack buddies up to the Triad for his own safety, he thinks. He seems determined to marry off his beautiful daughter, Jillian (the girl of Charlie’s dreams) to Richard, to cement his new relationship with serious crime. But it doesn’t work out so well as we’re soon to learn. Richard is not a nice guy and Charlie isn’t finished saving Jack yet. Not by a long shot. Mayhem and madness? Absolutely. Scenic, coastal Vancouver is about to be rocked by an earthquake, although not the geological kind. Views: 343
In this enthralling historical epic, set in New York City and the Middle East in the years leading to World War I— the long-awaited follow-up to the acclaimed New York Times bestseller The Golem and the Jinni—Helene Wecker revisits her beloved characters Chava and Ahmad as they confront unexpected new challenges in a rapidly changing human world.Chava is a golem, a woman made of clay, able to hear the thoughts and longings of the people around her and compelled by her nature to help them. Ahmad is a jinni, a perpetually restless and free-spirited creature of fire, imprisoned in the shape of a man. Fearing they'll be exposed as monsters, these magical beings hide their true selves and pretend to be human—just two more immigrants in the bustling world of 1900s Manhattan. Having encountered each other under calamitous circumstances, Chava and Ahmad's lives are now entwined—but they're not yet certain of what they mean to each other.... Views: 343
A kiss that came too late. A month that slipped away while he waited for the end of the world.There are only old men and boys left to defend the city. All the others have gone. In the quiet moments before the final battle, it's too late to worry about what might have been. Views: 343
