Valerie's bookshelf: all en-US Sun, 23 Feb 2025 18:05:48 -0800 60 Valerie's bookshelf: all 144 41 /images/layout/goodreads_logo_144.jpg <![CDATA[Blood of Ancients (A Study in Shadows #4)]]> 134643850
Only, not everything is as it seems. She had thought the Ivangard witches villains, not victims. When acolytes start dying in mysterious ways, Lyss is torn between helping them, or taking advantage of their weaknesses. Only one thing is for the truth will come to light, shining itself not only on the killers, but on another dark secret hidden in Lyssandra’s blood. A secret that could bring ruin to the one she loves the most.

Blood of Ancients is the epic conclusion of A Study in Shadows.]]>
436 Sara C. Roethle Valerie 0 currently-reading 4.48 Blood of Ancients (A Study in Shadows #4)
author: Sara C. Roethle
name: Valerie
average rating: 4.48
book published:
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/02/23
shelves: currently-reading
review:

]]>
<![CDATA[Heir of Shadow (A Study in Shadows #3)]]> 69705173
Because someone is stealing their skins.

In danger once again, Lyss must solve the mystery of the skin-stealer, all while balancing her growing relationship with Asher, and her new role as her great uncle’s keeper.

Time is short. Eiric is free, and he has plans for Lyssandra. Plans that will mean the death of her vampire, and ruin for all.]]>
356 Sara C. Roethle Valerie 0 currently-reading 4.40 Heir of Shadow (A Study in Shadows #3)
author: Sara C. Roethle
name: Valerie
average rating: 4.40
book published:
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/02/23
shelves: currently-reading
review:

]]>
<![CDATA[Taken by the Vampire King (Baton Rouge Vampire #1-3)]]> 214386248 Never make a deal with a billionaire, particularly one who’s a vampire...

The deal is spend a month with a mysterious billionaire who is the owner of Louisiana’s La Petite Mort Casino, and he’ll forget my father’s gambling debts. If it means saving our family home and business, I’ll do anything.

With his strong, sexy, take charge arrogance, Nicolas Dupont is a mystery to me. But it doesn’t matter how hot he is. This is purely a business arrangement. Nic can have any woman he wants and it makes no sense that he'd be interested in a virgin like me. I’m certainly not about to fall for a guy who thinks he can own me.

So I go hunting for a way to free myself. When I discover I’m the hunted, and there are those who want my blood, Nic claims he can protect me. But can I trust one of his kind?

When this began, I thought I might lose everything. Now I’m not sure if I’ll make it out alive . . .

This is the complete Baton Rogue Vampire trilogy in one book!]]>
720 Roxie Ray Valerie 0 currently-reading 4.15 Taken by the Vampire King (Baton Rouge Vampire #1-3)
author: Roxie Ray
name: Valerie
average rating: 4.15
book published:
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/02/23
shelves: currently-reading
review:

]]>
<![CDATA[Reign of Night (A Study in Shadows, #1)]]> 61426434 Fans of Sarah J. Maas and The Witcher will eat up this enemies to lovers dark fantasy about a huntress bonded to an ancient vampire.

She has hunted him for years. Now if she could only kill him.

Lyssandra’s life is a lie. As a hunter of the Helius Order, she’s dedicated to slaying vampires and protecting the innocent. But she’s also a vampire’s human servant.

If her secret comes out, her own order will execute her.

When she finds Asher, she’ll cut out his heart for tying her to him, even if he only did it to save her. Even if it kills her too. But when a young girl is found dead, Lyssandra’s mission is derailed. In the gaping hole where the girl’s heart once was, lies single red rose. Lyssandra has seen the signature before, left by the vampire who took her uncle’s life.

Karpov is one of the ancients, and his death is the only one Lyssandra wants more than Asher’s. Unfortunately, Karpov is also the only being—dead or undead—who holds the key to Asher’s whereabouts. If Lyssandra ever wants to find him, she’ll have to work with her uncle’s murderer.

Asher’s death could finally bring her peace, but can she accept it when it means leaving her uncle’s killer alive? Or will she fall into his waiting arms, unable to fight the pull of the master and servant bond . . .

Find out in Reign of Night, a first person Epic Fantasy packed full of murder and intrigue, with a slow burn, steamy enemies to lovers romance.]]>
381 Sara C. Roethle Valerie 5 4.01 Reign of Night (A Study in Shadows, #1)
author: Sara C. Roethle
name: Valerie
average rating: 4.01
book published:
rating: 5
read at: 2025/02/07
date added: 2025/02/07
shelves:
review:

]]>
<![CDATA[Blade of Demons (A Study in Shadows, #2)]]> 61937338
But the murder isn’t the only problem. Mysterious shadows stalk a nearby village, and ghouls are roaming free. When a villager is killed, Lyssandra and Asher must unravel this new mystery, all while fighting their growing attraction for one another. That attraction becomes Lyssandra’s primary issue when she is offered a way out of her partnership with the vampire . . . for a price.

Lyss will soon find out where her loyalties truly lie, for with the possibility of Asher’s demise, comes a chance to regain the life she knew before.]]>
350 Sara C. Roethle Valerie 0 currently-reading 4.32 Blade of Demons (A Study in Shadows, #2)
author: Sara C. Roethle
name: Valerie
average rating: 4.32
book published:
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/02/07
shelves: currently-reading
review:

]]>
<![CDATA[Juniper Unraveling (Juniper Unraveling #1)]]> 36484320
Papa says everyone has a story that deserves to be told.

Most begin years ago, after the second bomb hit, unearthing a deadly contagion that divided the population into the pure, the infected, and the Ragers.

Many recount the moment we rose up from the ashes and started anew.

Others tell of the day we built a wall to keep them out.

For some, they’re nothing more than the vestiges left behind—a simple name carved into the knotty bark of a Juniper tree.

My story begins with a boy. A mute, from the other side of the wall, known only as Six, who touched my heart in ways that words never could, and gave me the courage to face my darkest truth.

Juniper Unraveling is a full-length dystopian romance set in a post-apocalyptic world.

SERIES ORDER:
Juniper Unraveling
Calico Descending
Kings of Carrion]]>
464 Keri Lake Valerie 0 currently-reading 4.14 2017 Juniper Unraveling (Juniper Unraveling #1)
author: Keri Lake
name: Valerie
average rating: 4.14
book published: 2017
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/02/07
shelves: currently-reading
review:

]]>
Infernium (Nightshade, #2) 61371039
Pain is an abyss.

How naive of me to think I’d already reached the very depths of it when fate shook my world with a crushing blow. It turns out, there are fathomless levels of pain, like a winding labyrinth of doors leading to shadowy figures and long-forgotten secrets. The kind of inescapable descent into madness that twists nightmares into reality.

What lies at the end of this obscure path I have yet to discover, but where it begins, is a place called Infernium. An asylum, feared by those in Nightshade and untrodden by the angels who’ve forsaken its many lost souls.

Some say it’s the gateway to hell.

Others believe it’s where you go when the last flicker of hope dies out.

For me, it’s where I’ve damned myself for eternity–my penance for a crime against the heavens, and home to the demons that claw at my mind.

Yet, not even they stand a chance against my dark angel, Jericho. He fears nothing. Except losing me.

The longer I remain trapped, though, the stronger this darkness inside of me grows. A duality dividing my heart between love and revenge.]]>
688 Keri Lake Valerie 5 4.14 2022 Infernium (Nightshade, #2)
author: Keri Lake
name: Valerie
average rating: 4.14
book published: 2022
rating: 5
read at: 2025/01/13
date added: 2025/01/13
shelves:
review:

]]>
<![CDATA[What Befalls the Children (Troop of Shadows Chronicles #4)]]> 55011568
The residents of Whitaker Holler, nestled in the Tennessee Smoky Mountains, possess the gene (engineered millennia ago) that saved them from perishing during a catastrophic global pandemic three years earlier. They’re lucky. They knew all about rustic living before the apocalypse.

Led by Serena Jo, a brilliant, determined woman who doesn’t hesitate when making impossible, even ruthless decisions about their survival, the Mountain People thrive in this newly primitive world.

Two diverse residents of a secret government warehouse (one of the nation’s seven ‘Strategic National Stockpiles�) camouflaged within a self-storage complex a few miles from Whitaker Holler also survived the pandemic.

Ray, the facility’s former brainy but phobia-plagued supervisor must accommodate his captive, a malevolent psychopath bent on murdering every human she encounters. Ray knows keeping the survivors safe from Lizzy, despite the toll she takes on his peace of mind, is the most important and dangerous job left in the world.

What if he fails?]]>
286 Nicki Huntsman Smith Valerie 0 4.57 2020 What Befalls the Children (Troop of Shadows Chronicles #4)
author: Nicki Huntsman Smith
name: Valerie
average rating: 4.57
book published: 2020
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/01/04
shelves:
review:

]]>
<![CDATA[Moving With the Sun (The Troop of Shadows Chronicles #3)]]> 39074007
Now it’s two years later...and you’re still alive.

So are two intriguing groups of survivors living in close proximity on the Florida coast. The first, a harmonious community of highly intelligent people who reside on a former island paradise; they are determined to create sustainable quality of life. The other, camping in a Costco warehouse on the nearby mainland, a ruthless tribe of organized raiders who will stop at nothing to provide for their own.

Not only must they endure hardships and hunger in their ravaged world, fate seems hell bent to crush them all as a monster hurricane seethes in the Atlantic.]]>
314 Nicki Huntsman Smith Valerie 0 4.47 Moving With the Sun (The Troop of Shadows Chronicles #3)
author: Nicki Huntsman Smith
name: Valerie
average rating: 4.47
book published:
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/01/04
shelves:
review:

]]>
<![CDATA[Those Who Come the Last (The Troop of Shadows Chronicles #5)]]> 60647660
Will the help of a few outsiders offset the disparity in numbers? Can the Whitakers prevail against the brutality of the former crime-syndicate family and its malevolent leader?

How many lives will be lost if they fail? Or worse, how many prisoners of war will be brutalized if the Murdocks triumph?]]>
281 Nicki Huntsman Smith Valerie 0 4.65 Those Who Come the Last (The Troop of Shadows Chronicles #5)
author: Nicki Huntsman Smith
name: Valerie
average rating: 4.65
book published:
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/01/04
shelves:
review:

]]>
<![CDATA[Beauty and Dread (The Troop of Shadows Chronicles #2)]]> 32862597
The tiny population of Liberty, Kansas, has weathered disease, starvation, marauders from without, and dissension from within. Still, it is a shining star of hope in an otherwise bleak and desolate land. But a madman approaches with an army at his heels, spurred by blood-lust and fantasies of revenge. Will he prevail, usurping the town and murdering its citizens? How will this eclectic group of geniuses and misfits fight back?

Intricately plotted, superbly paced, and brought to life by fully-developed protagonists, quirky supporting characters, and charming villains, the Troop of Shadows Chronicles is a tour de force. It is the unfolding story of the greatest threat humankind has ever faced and is populated with some of the most entertaining people you will ever meet.]]>
366 Nicki Huntsman Smith Valerie 0 4.47 Beauty and Dread (The Troop of Shadows Chronicles #2)
author: Nicki Huntsman Smith
name: Valerie
average rating: 4.47
book published:
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/01/04
shelves:
review:

]]>
<![CDATA[Troop of Shadows (The Troop of Shadows Chronicles #1)]]> 29892182
They realize that not dying was the easy part.

Now a year later, they navigate a bleak world...one without technology, without modern medicine, and without law and order. They must unify their diverse strengths not only to rebuild civilization, but to battle those who would forge empires through brutality and oppression.

“There is one who would rule the world or see it burn.�


Fans of Stephen King’s “The Stand� will love this novel. Intricately plotted, superbly paced, and brought to life by fully-developed protagonists, quirky supporting characters, and charming villains, the Troop of Shadows Chronicles is a tour de force. It is the unfolding story of the greatest threat humanity has ever faced, and is populated with some of the most entertaining people you will ever meet.]]>
370 Nicki Huntsman Smith Valerie 0 4.23 2016 Troop of Shadows (The Troop of Shadows Chronicles #1)
author: Nicki Huntsman Smith
name: Valerie
average rating: 4.23
book published: 2016
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/01/04
shelves:
review:

]]>
<![CDATA[A Different Kind of Monster (A Monstrous Dread #3)]]> 205260487
But as Jillian tries to settle into her new life, she can't shake the feeling that something is off. It's not just the strange noises she hears at night or the eerie stillness of the forest, it's the lingering presence of something sinister. And as local young women start to go missing, Jillian suspects she may have stumbled upon a different kind of monster.

Desperate to protect herself and those around her, Jillian must use her unique ability to see the paranormal to unravel the mystery of the missing girls. But as she delves deeper into the dark underbelly of the Catskills, she realizes that she may have met her match. And if she can't stop the abductions, she may become the next victim.]]>
247 Nicki Huntsman Smith Valerie 5 4.64 A Different Kind of Monster  (A Monstrous Dread #3)
author: Nicki Huntsman Smith
name: Valerie
average rating: 4.64
book published:
rating: 5
read at:
date added: 2025/01/04
shelves:
review:

]]>
<![CDATA[Arena 1 (The Survival Trilogy, #1)]]> 56506143
Deep in the wilderness, high up in the Catskill Mountains, 17 year old Brooke Moore manages to survive, hiding out with her younger sister, Bree. They are careful to avoid the gangs of slaverunners who patrol the countryside. But one day, Brooke is not as careful as she can be, and Bree is captured. The slaverunners take her away, heading to the city, and to what will be a certain death.

Brooke, a Marine’s daughter, was raised to be tough, to never back down from a fight. When her sister is taken, Brooke mobilizes, uses everything at her disposal to chase down the slaverunners and get her sister back. Along the way she runs into Ben, 17, another survivor like her, whose brother was taken. Together, they team up on their rescue mission.

What follows is a post-apocalyptic, action-packed thriller, as the two of them pursue the slaverunners on the most dangerous ride of their lives, following them deep into the heart of New York. Along the way, if they are to survive, they will have to make some of the hardest choices and sacrifices of their lives, encountering obstacles neither of them had expected—including their unexpected feelings for each other. Will they rescue their siblings? Will they make it back? And will they, themselves, have to fight in the arena?

ARENA 2 (Book #2) is now also available, and ARENA 3 (Book #3) is now available for pre-order!

"Addicting...ARENA ONE was one of those books that you read late into the night until your eyes start to cross because you don’t want to put it down."
–Dallas Examiner]]>
243 Morgan Rice 1632915669 Valerie 0 currently-reading 3.60 2012 Arena 1 (The Survival Trilogy, #1)
author: Morgan Rice
name: Valerie
average rating: 3.60
book published: 2012
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/01/04
shelves: currently-reading
review:

]]>
Nightshade (Nightshade, #1) 59463559 A love so forbidden, it would shake the heavens.

My father called them messengers.
He once told me they walked among us, and that somewhere in this dark and godless city, there shined a faint sliver of hope. I had only to look for the signs.

Well, I’ve spent my whole life investigating the inexplicable, and all I've found are the unsettling vestiges of iniquity - the evidence of another world shrouded by the obscure. Purgatory to some, where depravity hides in shadows, and girls like me are little more than delicious bites of temptation.

Others call it Nightshade.

This peculiar place is where I first met the cold and callous recluse living in a decaying cliffside cathedral. Jericho Van Croix is the epitome of everything I’ve been told to fear. A raven-winged harbinger who wears intrigue like a warm black cloak. An enigma that I’m determined to unravel � even if it means getting closer than I should.

One touch is forbidden. Even so much as a kiss would be my demise. But the sin on his lips burns me up like a wild flame, and his growing infatuation weakens my resolve.

Giving him what he wants, though, will mean no chance for redemption, or escape. What's worse is, the signs I’ve followed yet failed to see all these years begin to unmask a terrifying reality:

That falling may be my only saving grace.]]>
666 Keri Lake Valerie 0 currently-reading 4.17 2021 Nightshade (Nightshade, #1)
author: Keri Lake
name: Valerie
average rating: 4.17
book published: 2021
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/12/24
shelves: currently-reading
review:

]]>
<![CDATA[Anathema (The Eating Woods, #1)]]> 218656357 From the author of Nocticadia comes a spellbinding gothic dark fantasy about a shunned woman who is forced beyond the mortal realm's forbidden boundary, into a terrifying world of cursed souls and grotesque creatures.

Only the banished know what lies beyond the woods ...

There are whispers about what lurks in Witch Knell—the forest where sinners go to die. The villagers call it The Eating Woods because what’s taken is never given back. Only those who’ve lost their senses would dare to go near it.

Or the banished.

Maevyth Bronwick knows better than to breach the misty labyrinth of trees, but a tragic turn of events compels her beyond the archway of bones, to a boundary no mortal has crossed before. One that cloaks a dark and fantastical world that’s as dangerous as it is alluring.

It’s there that he dwells, the cursed lord of Eidolon. The one tasked to keep her hidden from the magehood that seeks to crucify her in the name of an arcane prophesy. Zevander Rydainn, known to his prey as The Scorpion, is the coldest, most calculated assassin in all of Aethyria and he’d sooner toss his feisty ward to a pack of vicious fyredrakes than keep her safe.

If only he could.

Maevyth’s blood is the key to breaking his despised curse and vanquishing the slumbering evil in Witch Knell. Unfortunately for Lord Rydainn, fate has other plans for the irresistible little enchantress. And his growing obsession with her threatens to destroy everything.

Including himself.

Anathema is a full-length, gothic dark fantasy, the first book in The Eating Woods duology. Perfect for readers who enjoy a plot-heavy and atmospheric story with a unique magic system, a slow-burn romance and a touch of horror.]]>
690 Keri Lake Valerie 5 4.33 2024 Anathema (The Eating Woods, #1)
author: Keri Lake
name: Valerie
average rating: 4.33
book published: 2024
rating: 5
read at: 2024/12/24
date added: 2024/12/24
shelves:
review:

]]>
<![CDATA[Revelations (Extinction Point, #3)]]> 18901409
She is wrong.

The next volume in the thrilling Extinction Point series, Revelations takes a humanity on the brink of devastation…and throws it over the edge!]]>
305 Paul Antony Jones 147786783X Valerie 0 currently-reading 3.95 2014 Revelations (Extinction Point, #3)
author: Paul Antony Jones
name: Valerie
average rating: 3.95
book published: 2014
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/11/29
shelves: currently-reading
review:

]]>
The Cruel Dark 195031414
Not by ghosts, but by the anguish of her past and the uncertainty of her future. After all, even in the progressive year of 1928, most people would balk at hiring a woman who’d spent two months in a mental ward for traumatic amnesia. So when an uncommon assistantship to a reclusive Professor of mythology falls into her lap with an ungodly salary attached, her desperation for stability overrides her cautious nature.

To Millie’s dismay, the widowed Professor Callum Hughes and his estate, Willowfield, are more than she bargained for. The once magnificent home, known for its sprawling gardens and dazzling parties, is falling to pieces after the death of the professor’s fragile wife. What’s more, the staff has been reduced to the only three people not frightened away by rumors of ghosts, leaving the halls empty and languishing in bitter memories.

The professor himself is a grim, intense man with unclear expectations, unpredictable moods, and hungry eyes that ignite Millie’s own dormant passions. The closer she finds herself drawn to Professor Hughes and his strange world of flowers and folklore, the more the house closes in, threatening to reveal her secrets. But the professor is keeping secrets of his own and the most dangerous of all is hers to discover.]]>
255 Bea Northwick Valerie 0 currently-reading 4.19 2023 The Cruel Dark
author: Bea Northwick
name: Valerie
average rating: 4.19
book published: 2023
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/11/25
shelves: currently-reading
review:

]]>
<![CDATA[Troubled Spirits (A Monstrous Dread #2)]]> 174712431
What has she stumbled upon in the Wind River Range? What happened here generations ago that resonates so powerfully in the region and compels the residents to behave in bizarre and alarming ways?

Should she leave now while there’s still time? Or stick it out and learn more about the dangerous and mystical supernatural world that upended her life a year ago?

Jillian Beaufort is not quitter. You can bet your last bottle of Sam Adams she’ll find some answers…or die trying.

*
Jackson, no longer a prisoner of the Rosalind Project, but rather a willing ally, joins forces with Dr. Walter Richter and his beautiful and brilliant daughter, Dr. Stacey Richter. Utilizing resources Jillian can only dream about, Jackson and his new partners embark on a quest to identify monsters and unmask demons. The scientists want to study them, but Jackson has different plans.

He has been grappling with monsters far longer than anyone else, and he knows one truth better than The only good monster is a dead monster.

*

Troubled Spirits, Book Two in A Monstrous Dread series, is a white-knuckled thrill ride that will take you deeper into the terrifying world of Jillian and Jackson Beaufort. Don’t get left behind!]]>
278 Nicki Huntsman Smith Valerie 4 4.66 Troubled Spirits (A Monstrous Dread #2)
author: Nicki Huntsman Smith
name: Valerie
average rating: 4.66
book published:
rating: 4
read at: 2024/11/18
date added: 2024/11/18
shelves:
review:

]]>
Exodus (Extinction Point, #2) 17339290
With a terrifying new form of life emerging from the mutated landscape, Emily’s only hope is to flee toward distant Alaska where she can unite with the survivors who have reached out to her from a remote science facility. The journey from New York will be long and painstaking, and Emily has only her faithful dog and whatever she can carry. But, after discovering a small family of refugees along the way, Emily’s determination to escape the unfolding catastrophe and carve out a new future is renewed. Standing in their way are Earth’s new masters, equally determined to survive and thrive, and possessed of monstrous capabilities Emily and her allies can’t begin to imagine…until they’re face to face with the hideous reality.

In the battle about to begin, there will be no room for mistakes or mercy—only the most ruthless instincts to survive.]]>
302 Paul Antony Jones 1477855068 Valerie 5 3.93 2013 Exodus (Extinction Point, #2)
author: Paul Antony Jones
name: Valerie
average rating: 3.93
book published: 2013
rating: 5
read at: 2024/11/03
date added: 2024/11/03
shelves:
review:

]]>
<![CDATA[Extinction Point (Extinction Point, #1)]]> 17673661 First comes the red a strange, scarlet downpour from a cloudless sky that spreads across cities, nations, and the entire globe. In a matter of panicked hours, every living thing on earth succumbs to swift, bloody death. Yet Emily Baxter, a young newspaper reporter, is mysteriously spared—and now she’s all alone.

But watching the happy life she built for herself in New York City slip away in the wake of a monstrous, inexplicable plague is just the beginning of Emily’s waking nightmare. The world isn’t ending; it’s only changing. And the race that once ruled the earth has now become raw material for use by a new form of life never before seen…on this planet.

With only wits, weapons, and a bicycle, Emily must undertake a grueling journey across a country that’s turning increasingly alien. For though she fears she’s been left to inherit the earth, the truth is far more terrifying than a lifetime of solitude.

]]>
308 Paul Antony Jones 1611092795 Valerie 4 3.77 2012 Extinction Point (Extinction Point, #1)
author: Paul Antony Jones
name: Valerie
average rating: 3.77
book published: 2012
rating: 4
read at: 2024/10/24
date added: 2024/10/24
shelves:
review:

]]>
<![CDATA[The Mountain of Souls (The Chosen, #1)]]> 77268392 Only the strong survive!

When Malina is sold at an auction block, she fears life will take a turn for the worse.

But even her darkest nightmares are nothing compared to the reality of what she faces when she's delivered to the Mountain of Souls.

Thrust into a brutal selection process where failure means death, Malina must train and fight not only to survive but to prove herself worthy to serve.

The risks are deadly, but if she succeeds, the rewards are beyond measure, and a destiny unlike any other awaits as one of The Chosen.

The Chosen. A thrilling and intricately spun Epic Fantasy that weaves a relentless fight for survival into a tapestry full of conquest, deception, magic, and an ancient prophecy that will determine the fate of the human race. ]]>
450 Marcus Lee Valerie 0 currently-reading 4.16 The Mountain of Souls (The Chosen, #1)
author: Marcus Lee
name: Valerie
average rating: 4.16
book published:
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/10/20
shelves: currently-reading
review:

]]>
<![CDATA[Ruined Wings (Severed Flames #1)]]> 212473639 A Luxa will wake the Beast�
A Luxa will unbind him�
A Luxa will destroy us all�

Vale Tenebris has a big problem–she needs to get her and her sister out of the Perder Lucem like yesterday. Living with a bunch of cave-dwelling magic hunters wouldn’t be so bad if she wasn’t hiding what she is from the very people sworn to kill her.

Her escape plans crumble to dust when she has to choose between the freedom she longs for and saving her sister from the clan leader’s son. Forced to use the unruly magic, she exposes the one thing that would mean her execution.

Being put to death isn’t the worst part, either. No, that comes in the form of two dragon shifters who come to her rescue, claiming that she is the key to unbinding their king and saving the realm from extinction.

Betrothed to the Beast and thrust into an unknown world filled with daggers at every turn, Vale needs to learn how to use her magic–and fast. Because that ring on her finger won’t save her if she can’t figure out how to help the king, nor will it stop her attraction to the shifters who pulled her from the brink of death.

And the magic brewing under her skin could very well be the end to them all.

**Ruined Wings is a spicy dragon romantasy set in the Severed Flames universe. You can expect three sinfully hot, super growly shifters who will do anything to keep their woman alive. Mature themes will be present. Reader discretion is advised. **]]>
460 Annie Anderson Valerie 0 currently-reading 4.26 2024 Ruined Wings (Severed Flames #1)
author: Annie Anderson
name: Valerie
average rating: 4.26
book published: 2024
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/10/15
shelves: currently-reading
review:

]]>
Dark Fae (Fae Series Book 1) 56016042

The light fae warrior, Princess Rella, has sought the help of the Dark Emperor to rescue her brother, but the emperor demands a price she can never pay. Thus starts a series of events that will lead to love, betrayal, a resurgence of dragons, and a world at war.


Dagstyrr of Halfenhaw refuses to return home without rescuing his three light fae brothers from an impregnable citadel. Born of a light fae mother and human father, he is the only brother with no magic—Dagstyrr is human.


When hope of a way into the citadel comes from an unlikely source, he jumps at the chance. He has no idea that they are now addicted to dragon’s blood—and that’s not the only surprise in store for him.]]>
273 Jane Armor 1999008901 Valerie 0 currently-reading 3.81 2020 Dark Fae (Fae Series Book 1)
author: Jane Armor
name: Valerie
average rating: 3.81
book published: 2020
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/10/15
shelves: currently-reading
review:

]]>
<![CDATA[The Pale Blade (Empire of Flame & Fang #1)]]> 202787790 452 Alec Hutson 1734257482 Valerie 5 4.32 The Pale Blade (Empire of Flame & Fang #1)
author: Alec Hutson
name: Valerie
average rating: 4.32
book published:
rating: 5
read at: 2024/09/18
date added: 2024/09/18
shelves:
review:

]]>
<![CDATA[The House Book: Part I in the Trilogy]]> 40969739 311 Susan Greenwood Valerie 0 to-read 4.32 The House Book: Part I in the Trilogy
author: Susan Greenwood
name: Valerie
average rating: 4.32
book published:
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/08/26
shelves: to-read
review:

]]>
<![CDATA[The North Star (Wilde Grove Book 5)]]> 203057856 The light of the beacons must be lit. The Season of Strife is upon us.

In Wilde Grove, Morghan knows that things must change to meet the challenges laid down by the Goddess and the Queen of the Fae. The threats to the earth, with war and climate change, are such that they now reverberate through all the worlds and are stirring more than the inhabitants of Wellsford and their allies to action.

For Erin, this comes at a personal cost, when everything that she thought about herself is challenged in one damning incident.

Lines must be drawn; forces must be opposed. The ancient priestesses of the Grove are stirring once more, coming together to stand with their modern counterparts, if they are strong enough. If dissention can be overcome.

If they can put aside past prejudices.

For so the Wheel turns, so must all the worlds be protected, and the light of the beacons must shine brighter than ever.]]>
517 Katherine Genet 1738603083 Valerie 5 4.75 The North Star (Wilde Grove Book 5)
author: Katherine Genet
name: Valerie
average rating: 4.75
book published:
rating: 5
read at:
date added: 2024/08/26
shelves:
review:

]]>
<![CDATA[The Gathering (Wilde Grove #1)]]> 55503493 The veil between the worlds is shredding. The old goddesses are calling.

Erin inherits a cottage in a remote village from a grandmother she's never met. Considering how much she longs to get away from the unexciting life stretching out in front of her, this might be a dream come true.

Except that it's a village full of witches and Druids practising an ancient religion passed down through the centuries, and the priestess leading it is the calm, uncanny death worker Morghan Wilde.

Life is different in Wilde Grove, with ownership of the cottage coming with a non-negotiable condition, and it's one Erin's not sure she can meet, or even if she should. She must choose to believe in the unbelievable - and then learn how to do magic too. Only then will she be able to claim her inheritance.

It's an inheritance that is so much more than a cottage in the woods.

Coming from a world that doesn't believe in magic, can she change her mind in time to claim her true identity and begin walking the path of her ancient ancestors?



The Gathering is the first book in Katherine Genet's new Wilde Grove mythic fiction series. If you like mythology, real-life witchcraft, and have ever wondered what's behind the veil to the Otherworld, you'll love the Wilde Grove books.

Step into a world of magic today!]]>
584 Katherine Genet 047354198X Valerie 5 4.39 The Gathering (Wilde Grove #1)
author: Katherine Genet
name: Valerie
average rating: 4.39
book published:
rating: 5
read at:
date added: 2024/08/26
shelves:
review:

]]>
<![CDATA[The Heart of Stars (Rhiannon's Ride #3)]]> 28797 448 Kate Forsyth 0451461444 Valerie 5 4.07 2006 The Heart of Stars (Rhiannon's Ride #3)
author: Kate Forsyth
name: Valerie
average rating: 4.07
book published: 2006
rating: 5
read at:
date added: 2024/08/26
shelves:
review:

]]>
The Dawn Stag (Dalriada, #2) 2723956 672 Jules Watson 0752877615 Valerie 5 4.00 2005 The Dawn Stag (Dalriada, #2)
author: Jules Watson
name: Valerie
average rating: 4.00
book published: 2005
rating: 5
read at:
date added: 2024/08/26
shelves:
review:

]]>
<![CDATA[The Tower of Ravens (Rhiannon's Ride, #1)]]> 28799
So this strange, feral girl begins a dangerous journey of love, death, and betrayal that will earn her a new name: Rhiannon, the rider no one can catch.

Rescued and taken to the home of Lewen, a young man just beginning to understand his own magical potential, Rhiannon is fascinated by the human world and by Lewen. Together they travel through a land where the dead walk and ghosts haunt the living, a place where Rhiannon encounters dark forces that endanger all of Eileanan. But to save the land, she must convince Lewen and the other apprentice-witches to trust the word of a wild half-human girl.]]>
439 Kate Forsyth 0451460324 Valerie 5 4.00 2004 The Tower of Ravens (Rhiannon's Ride, #1)
author: Kate Forsyth
name: Valerie
average rating: 4.00
book published: 2004
rating: 5
read at:
date added: 2024/08/26
shelves:
review:

]]>
<![CDATA[Bones of Faerie (Bones of Faerie, #1)]]> 53404310
Nothing has been seen or heard from Faerie since, and Liza's world bears the scars of its encounter with magic. Trees move with sinister intention, and the town Liza calls home is surrounded by a forest that threatens to harm all those who wander into it. Then Liza discovers she has the Faerie ability to see into the past, into the future and she has no choice but to flee her town.

Liza's quest will take her into Faerie and back again, and what she finds along the way may be the key to healing both worlds.]]>
285 Janni Lee Simner Valerie 5 4.03 2008 Bones of Faerie (Bones of Faerie, #1)
author: Janni Lee Simner
name: Valerie
average rating: 4.03
book published: 2008
rating: 5
read at:
date added: 2024/08/26
shelves:
review:

]]>
<![CDATA[The D'Karon Apprentice (The Book of Deacon, #4)]]> 26212791 355 Joseph R. Lallo Valerie 5 4.28 2015 The D'Karon Apprentice (The Book of Deacon, #4)
author: Joseph R. Lallo
name: Valerie
average rating: 4.28
book published: 2015
rating: 5
read at:
date added: 2024/08/26
shelves:
review:

]]>
<![CDATA[Faerie Winter: Book 2 of the Bones of Faerie Trilogy]]> 45448510 Bones of Faerie.


Liza is a summoner. She can draw life to herself, even from beyond the grave. And because magic works both ways, she can drive life away. Months ago, she used her powers to banish her dangerous father and to rescue her mother, lost in dreams, from the ruined land of Faerie.


Born in the wake of the war between humanity and Faerie, Liza lived in a world where green things never slept, where trees sought to root in living flesh and bone. But now the forests have fallen silent. Even the evergreens' branches are bare. Winter crops won't grow, and the threat of starvation looms. And deep in the forest a dark, malevolent will is at work. To face it, Liza will have to find within herself something more powerful than magic alone.


Here at last is the sequel to Bones of Faerie, for all those fans of dark fantasy and dystopian adventure who thrilled to Janni Lee Simner's unique vision of a postapocalyptic world infused with magic.

]]>
309 Janni Lee Simner Valerie 5 4.31 2011 Faerie Winter: Book 2 of the Bones of Faerie Trilogy
author: Janni Lee Simner
name: Valerie
average rating: 4.31
book published: 2011
rating: 5
read at:
date added: 2024/08/26
shelves:
review:

]]>
<![CDATA[Faerie After: Book 3 of the Bones of Faerie Trilogy]]> 46140682 Will magic save the human world—or destroy it?


After a devastating war between humanity and Faerie, Liza's world was forever changed. Plants and trees became aggressive, seeking to root in living flesh and bone, and newborn children were discovered to have magical powers. Liza was one of these children, and with her abilities she brought her mother back from the ruined Faerie realm and restored the seasons to her own world.


Now there are signs of a new sickness in the forest. Piles of ash are found where living creatures once stood. Liza investigates and discovers that the Faerie realm continues to deteriorate, slowly turning to dust, and that its fate is inexorably linked to that of the human realm. To find a solution, Liza must cross over to Faerie once more, though doing so puts herself and all she cares about at risk. Will Liza be forced to sacrifice her life and the lives of her friends in order to save both worlds?


Fans of dark fantasy and dystopian adventure who were entranced by Janni Lee Simner's Bones of Faerie and Faerie Winter won’t want to miss this stunning conclusion to the Bones of Faerie trilogy.



The stunning conclusion to the Bones of Faerie trilogy is here!

After a devastating war between humanity and Faerie, Liza’s world was forever changed. Plants and trees became aggressive, seeking to root in living flesh and bone, and newborn children were discovered to have magical powers. Liza was one of these children, and with her abilities she brought her mother back from the ruined Faerie realm and restored the seasons to her own.

Now there are signs of a new sickness in the forest. Piles of ash are found where living creatures once stood. Liza investigates and discovers that the Faerie realm has continued to deteriorate, slowly turning to dust, and that its fate is inexorably linked to that of the human realm. To find a solution, Liza must risk crossing over, putting herself and all she cares about at risk. Will Liza be forced to sacrifice her life and the lives of her friends in order to save both worlds?

Fans of dark fantasy and dystopian adventure were entranced by Janni Lee Simner's Bones of Faerie and Faerie Winter. Now readers of Holly Black, Melissa Marr, and Cassandra Clare can return to Janni's unique vision of a magic-infused postapocalyptic world.


Praise for Faerie Winter


“An incredible sequel to one of my very favorite books.� —Aprilynne Pike, New York Times bestselling author of Wings


“I have been waiting for this book for over two years now, since the day I finished reading Bones of Faerie. Let me tell you, I was NOT disappointed. Janni knows how to write a strong female character, and the romance is sweet and slow and lovely.� —Eve’s Fan Garden


“A hauntingly exquisite portrait of a postapocalyptic world. Fans of both fantasy and dystopian fiction will devour this one.� —School Library Journal


“A high-appeal blend of unsettling speculative fiction.� —Booklist


“An intriguing mix of post-apocalyptic fiction with a heavy dose of fantasy. All readers will find something to enjoy.� —Voice of Youth Advocates


“Entertaining. For those impatiently awaiting the next, heftier entry by Cassandra Clare or Julie Kagawa.� —Kirkus Reviews


Praise for Bones of Faerie


“If you love authors Melissa Marr or Holly Black, this is your next

]]>
274 Janni Lee Simner Valerie 5 4.37 2013 Faerie After: Book 3 of the Bones of Faerie Trilogy
author: Janni Lee Simner
name: Valerie
average rating: 4.37
book published: 2013
rating: 5
read at:
date added: 2024/08/26
shelves:
review:

]]>
<![CDATA[The Belonging: Wilde Grove Book 2]]> 57062635 A month to decide whether to follow the ancient path.

In Wilde Grove, the wheel is turning, and the veil between the worlds is thinning.

Having had just a few weeks to decide whether to take up the mantle of her inheritance in Wilde Grove, Erin is now beginning her training in the ways of magic and walking the path of the old gods.

Her family thinks she’s crazy. Her family thinks Wilde Grove is a cult.

But Erin is discovering that magic is real, and learning to control it will be the difference between rescuing her own past self stuck in a desperate initiation, or being doomed to live there too.

And then there’s the mess the present world is in � where does magic fit there?

Can something so ancient and wild actually be the answer?

The Belonging is the second book in the Wilde Grove series, following on from The Gathering. Like stories about the Otherworld and magic? You’ll love this series written by real-life Spiritworker and Druid Katherine Genet.]]>
486 Katherine Genet 0473544504 Valerie 5 4.45 The Belonging: Wilde Grove Book 2
author: Katherine Genet
name: Valerie
average rating: 4.45
book published:
rating: 5
read at:
date added: 2024/08/26
shelves:
review:

]]>
<![CDATA[Follow The Wind (Wilde Grove: Selena Wilde Book 1)]]> 60690310 The flow of life's purpose twists and turns.

Selena Wilde has been Lady of the Grove for many years, successfully keeping and passing on the knowledge, wisdom, and practices of the Ancient Way. She's trained Morghan Wilde to take her place when the time comes, and is living her life's purpose with gratitude and joy.

Until, that is, the wind brings on its wings the cries of a child, and her dreams take her places she'd never expected to go. The message is clear - she is needed, there is someone who needs her to hear them, and come to their aid.

A simple enough thing, perhaps, Selena thinks, but the call comes from far away and she must do the unthinkable - leave Wilde Grove. For the flow of her purpose must be followed wherever it leads and the wind's message must be heeded.

Includes the new Wilde Grove novella The Threading!

Follow The Wind is the first book in the second Wilde Grove series. It can be read before the first series or afterward. ]]>
460 Katherine Genet 0473621797 Valerie 5 4.70 Follow The Wind (Wilde Grove: Selena Wilde Book 1)
author: Katherine Genet
name: Valerie
average rating: 4.70
book published:
rating: 5
read at:
date added: 2024/08/26
shelves:
review:

]]>
<![CDATA[The Queen's Price (Black Jewels, #12)]]> 61368348 544 Anne Bishop 0593337387 Valerie 4 4.63 2023 The Queen's Price (Black Jewels, #12)
author: Anne Bishop
name: Valerie
average rating: 4.63
book published: 2023
rating: 4
read at: 2024/08/10
date added: 2024/08/10
shelves:
review:

]]>
<![CDATA[The Queen's Weapons (The Black Jewels #11)]]> 54366540 Enter the dark and sensual realms of the Black Jewels, a world where power always has a price, in this sweeping story in the New York Times bestselling fantasy saga.   They are Warlord Princes, men born to serve and protect. They are the Queen's Weapons, men born to destroy the Queen's enemies--no matter what face that enemy wears.   Daemonar Yaslana knows how to be bossy yet supportive--traits he shares with his father, the Demon Prince, and his uncle, the High Lord of Hell. Within his generation of the family, he assumes the role of protector, supporting his sister Titian’s artistic efforts and curbing his cousin Jaenelle Saetien’s more adventurous ideas. But when a young Eyrien Queen, someone Titian thought was a friend, inflicts an emotional wound, Daemonar's counterattack brings him under the tutelage of Witch, the Queen whose continued existence is known only to a select few.   As Daemonar is confronted by troubling changes within and around the family, he sees warnings that a taint in the Blood might be reappearing.  Daemonar, along with his father and uncle, must uncover the source of a familiar evil--and Daemon Sadi, the High Lord of Hell, may be forced into making a terrible choice.]]> 544 Anne Bishop 198480667X Valerie 5 4.58 2021 The Queen's Weapons (The Black Jewels #11)
author: Anne Bishop
name: Valerie
average rating: 4.58
book published: 2021
rating: 5
read at: 2024/07/04
date added: 2024/07/04
shelves:
review:

]]>
<![CDATA[Edge of Survival (Edge of Collapse, #6)]]> 55378391 The nation is crumbling. The world is unraveling. The EMP is only the beginning...

Three months after an EMP attack destroys the U.S. power grid, starvation, disease, and the brutal cold have killed millions. With the end of winter finally in sight, the town of Fall Creek, Michigan balances on the precipice of collapse.

They have suffered and sacrificed. But to forge a future worth living, they will have to face the darkness within themselves. Each must decide--will they retain their humanity or choose survival at any cost?

Preorder the riveting sixth installment in the Edge of Collapse survival series now!

When the country goes dark, ordinary people find themselves facing the end of the world as they know it. With society collapsing before their eyes, they'll have to risk everything to protect their home and the people they love.

From USA Today Bestselling author Kyla Stone comes Edge of Collapse, a riveting EMP survival series featuring flawed, complex characters and high-octane action adventure. Perfect for fans of Ryan Schow, Grace Hamilton, Harley Tate, Jack Hunt, and Boyd Craven.]]>
398 Kyla Stone 1945410620 Valerie 5 4.45 2021 Edge of Survival (Edge of Collapse, #6)
author: Kyla Stone
name: Valerie
average rating: 4.45
book published: 2021
rating: 5
read at: 2024/05/03
date added: 2024/05/03
shelves:
review:

]]>
<![CDATA[Edge of Collapse: Box Set Books 1-3: A Post-Apocalyptic Survival Thriller]]> 75289554 "One of the best apocalyptic series of the year! Unputdownable!" -Book Riot

*Top 50 Amazon bestseller* *Kindle All-Star Award Winner*

Don't miss the first four-book box set in the acclaimed Edge of Collapse series from USA Today Bestselling Author Kyla Stone.

In the dead of winter, a terrorist attack destroys the U.S. power grid.

Reclusive former soldier Liam Coleman doesn't want to be anywhere near bustling downtown Chicago, but his twin brother and pregnant sister-in-law need him. Mere minutes after leaving O'Hare, their car crashes along with hundreds of other vehicles. When Liam's phone stops working, he knows something is very wrong.

Then the first plane falls from the sky.

The country is plunged into instant chaos. No phones, no cars, no power. And no way to call for help.

But for Hannah Sheridan, it's the best day of her life. For the last five years, she's been the captive of a sadistic psychopathuntil the EMP releases the lock of her prison.

Battered but not broken, she emerges from her underground cell into a hostile winter wilderness with nothing but her determination to survive.

Two hundred frozen, perilous miles stand between Hannah and Liam and their final destination in rural Michigan. But the killing cold isn't the only threat, for Hannah's captor isn't about to let her go...

When the country goes dark, ordinary people find themselves facing the end of the world as they know it. With society collapsing before their eyes, they'll have to risk everything to protect their home and the people they love.

From USA Today Bestselling Author Kyla Stone comes the bestselling Edge of Collapse survival series, featuring complex characters, nerve-shredding thrills, and high-octane action adventure. Perfect for fans of The Last of Us, SILO, Station 11, and The Walking Dead.

This box set contains the first four
Chaos Rising
Edge of Collapse
Edge of Madness
Edge of Darkness


The final books in the series
Edge of Anarchy
Edge of Defiance
Edge of Survival
Edge of Valor


What readers are saying about the Edge of Collapse
"I started reading an EMP Apocalypse book and came out with so much more than I ever could have imagined! I'm pretty sure I read the majority of this book with my mouth hanging open in shock. Five stars!" -Amazon reviewer

"Intense and spellbinding, and you won't want to put it down except to catch your breath!" -Amazon reviewer

"This one kept me on the edge of my seat, up past my bedtime with nonstop tension. I love post-apocalyptic fiction, and Kyla Stone is one of the best in this genre." -Amazon reviewer

"I woke up at midnight to read this book when it released. Kyla, you have once again outdone yourself with this series which is like none other I've read!" -Amazon reviewer

"Wow! What a story! A nail-biting apocalyptic end of the world scenario. Five stars!" -Amazon reviewer "I absolutely loved the twist to the normal EMP story! What an action-packed and emotional story. I can't wait to see what happens next.]]>
1071 Kyla Stone 1945410949 Valerie 5 4.55 Edge of Collapse: Box Set Books 1-3: A Post-Apocalyptic Survival Thriller
author: Kyla Stone
name: Valerie
average rating: 4.55
book published:
rating: 5
read at: 2024/02/16
date added: 2024/02/16
shelves:
review:

]]>
<![CDATA[The Queen's Bargain (The Black Jewels #10)]]> 51547059 POWER HAS A PRICE. SO DOES LOVE.

Return to the dark, sensual, and powerful world of the Black Jewels in this long-awaited new story in the New York Times bestselling fantasy saga.

After a youthful mistake, Lord Dillon's reputation is in tatters, leaving him vulnerable to aristo girls looking for a bit of fun. To restore his reputation and honor, he needs a handfast--a one-year contract of marriage. He sets his sights on Jillian, a young Eyrien witch from Ebon Rih, who he believes has only a flimsy connection to the noble society that spurned him. Unfortunately for Dillon, he is unaware of Jillian's true connections until he finds himself facing Lucivar Yaslana, the volatile Warlord Prince of Ebon Rih.

Meanwhile, Surreal SaDiablo's marriage is crumbling. Daemon Sadi, the Warlord Prince of Dhemlan, recognizes there is something wrong between him and Surreal, but he doesn't realize that his attempt to suppress his own nature in order to spare his wife is causing his mind to splinter. To save Daemon, and the Realm of Kaeleer if he breaks, help must be sought from someone who no longer exists in any of the Realms--the only Queen powerful enough to control Daemon Sadi. The Queen known as Witch.

As Jillian rides the winds of first love with Dillon, Daemon and Surreal struggle to survive the wounds of a marriage turned stormy--and Lucivar has to find a way to keep everyone in his family safe...even from each other.]]>
448 Anne Bishop 1984806645 Valerie 5 4.45 2020 The Queen's Bargain (The Black Jewels #10)
author: Anne Bishop
name: Valerie
average rating: 4.45
book published: 2020
rating: 5
read at: 2023/11/04
date added: 2023/11/04
shelves:
review:

]]>
The Witch's Tree 60691225 'A wonderful book by a fabulous author, very highly recommended.� Louise Douglas A tale as old as time. A spirit that has never rested. Present day

As a love affair comes to an end, and with it her dreams for her future, artist Selena needs a retreat.  The picture-postcard Sloe Cottage in the Somerset village of Ashcombe promises to be the perfect place to forget her problems, and Selena settles into her new home as spring arrives.  But it isn’t long before Selena hears the past whispering to her. Sloe Cottage is keeping secrets which refuse to stay hidden.

1682

Grace Cotter longs for nothing more than a husband and family of her own. Content enough with her work on the farm, looking after her father, and learning the secrets of her grandmother Bett’s healing hands, nevertheless Grace still hopes for love. But these are dangerous times for dreamers, and rumours and gossip can be deadly. One mis-move and Grace’s fate looks set�

Separated by three hundred years, two women are drawn together by a home bathed in blood and magic. Grace Cotter’s spirit needs to rest, and only Selena can help her now.

USA Today bestselling author Judy Leigh writing as Elena Collins, brings you this unforgettable, heart-breaking, gripping timeslip novel set in a world when women were hung as witches, and fates could be sealed by a wrong word. Perfect for fans of Barbara Erskine, Diana Gabaldon and Louise Douglas.

Praise for Elena

'A profoundly moving, beautifully written and emotional story that skilfully combines two time frames into one unputdownable book. I was completely immersed in Grace’s story from the despite it taking place 400 years ago. The modern day storyline was also delightful with some wonderful characters. In short a wonderful book by a fabulous author, very highly recommended.' Louise Douglas]]>
366 Elena Collins 1802800123 Valerie 5 4.43 2022 The Witch's Tree
author: Elena Collins
name: Valerie
average rating: 4.43
book published: 2022
rating: 5
read at: 2023/10/13
date added: 2023/10/13
shelves:
review:

]]>
The Herbalist 60400992 334 Heather Morrison-Tapley Valerie 4 4.20 The Herbalist
author: Heather Morrison-Tapley
name: Valerie
average rating: 4.20
book published:
rating: 4
read at: 2023/08/14
date added: 2023/08/14
shelves:
review:

]]>
<![CDATA[Golden Heart (Wilde Grove: Selena Wilde Book 3)]]> 78674735 A new wind is blowing.

Selena makes the decision to take Rue to Wilde Grove, to get to the heart of her dreaming, for it is certain that Rue has lived before as a priestess of Wilde Grove. But what is the lesson Rue needs to learn?

With Morghan giving Rue a crash course in walking between the worlds, the story behind Rue's dreaming cannot remain a mystery for long. She will walk the same paths she did long ago, in another skin, and find out exactly what Bryn, one of the first priestesses of the Forest Grove wants from her.

Back in New Zealand, a loss is suffered, and a shock, one that brings Selena straight back home, for someone is screaming out to Clover from the spirit world for help that the child is too young and frightened to give.]]>
437 Katherine Genet 1991177933 Valerie 5 4.81 Golden Heart (Wilde Grove: Selena Wilde Book 3)
author: Katherine Genet
name: Valerie
average rating: 4.81
book published:
rating: 5
read at: 2023/07/13
date added: 2023/07/13
shelves:
review:

]]>
<![CDATA[The Otherworld (Wilde Grove: Selena Wilde Book 2)]]> 61135967
Selena must face the task of being where she is, of finding her path in the country that is her new home. But now that Rue and Clover are safe, what exactly is her purpose? She is used to walking the worlds, but has never before stepped foot in this one. Also, she's preoccupied with a particular house just up the hill that calls to her on her walks and in her dreams.

She has no idea who lives there, or what it may mean.

Rue is navigating her new life as well. She's back at school, when what she really wants is to train as a priestess, just like Selena. Surely Clover can't be the only one suited to learning magic?

Rue, Clover, Tara, Damien, and Dandy are all discovering that life with Selena means embracing a deeper way of living altogether.]]>
450 Katherine Genet 0473648024 Valerie 5 4.80 The Otherworld (Wilde Grove: Selena Wilde Book 2)
author: Katherine Genet
name: Valerie
average rating: 4.80
book published:
rating: 5
read at: 2023/06/25
date added: 2023/06/25
shelves:
review:

]]>
<![CDATA[The Return of the Elves Collection: Books 1-4]]> 51878447
A hidden conspiracy

When Arlyn journeys through the Veil from Earth to Moranaia to confront her elven father, Lord Lyr, she has no idea what to expect. Getting soulbonded her first day there and kickstarting a plot against the father she just met? Yeah, neither of those were on the list. As her magic awakens, Arlyn must learn to use her gifts to face the rising danger.

A threat that spans worlds

For the threat doesn’t end with Moranaia. Poisoned energy is flooding into the closely connected realms of the fae, causing sickness, and petitions for aid arrive from as far away as fabled Alfheim. With only Moranaia untouched, Lyr must rush to find the source of the threat.

An unexpected enemy

Mistakenly exiled to Earth, Delbin tries his best to keep a low profile. But when a rogue Moranaian prince tries to recruit Delbin, life takes a complicated turn. Now Delbin and the scout Inona must work together to hunt down Prince Kien before he unleashes his latest plot.

A fate long foretold

After more than three hundred years on Earth, Prince Ralan has finally returned to Moranaia. But with his wicked brother Kien on the loose, the homecoming is a short one. A dire vision sends Ralan back to Earth to save his soulbonded from his dark brother. The problem? Ralan’s Sight is broken—and stopping Kien will mean Ralan’s death.

Journey through the Return of the Elves series, where half-bloods, exiles, scouts, and seers must come together to prevent their worlds� destruction.

***Bonus A new prologue for Soulbound, a new epilogue for Exiled, a map of Moranaia, and name pronunciation guides.]]>
894 Bethany Adams 0999758756 Valerie 4 4.49 The Return of the Elves Collection: Books 1-4
author: Bethany Adams
name: Valerie
average rating: 4.49
book published:
rating: 4
read at: 2023/05/26
date added: 2023/05/26
shelves:
review:

]]>
<![CDATA[The Coin of Kenvard (The Book of Deacon #6)]]> 53621886 266 Joseph R. Lallo Valerie 4 4.33 2020 The Coin of Kenvard (The Book of Deacon #6)
author: Joseph R. Lallo
name: Valerie
average rating: 4.33
book published: 2020
rating: 4
read at: 2023/02/25
date added: 2023/02/25
shelves:
review:

]]>
<![CDATA[The Crescents (The Book of Deacon #5)]]> 36420740 283 Joseph R. Lallo Valerie 5 4.50 2017 The Crescents (The Book of Deacon #5)
author: Joseph R. Lallo
name: Valerie
average rating: 4.50
book published: 2017
rating: 5
read at: 2023/01/18
date added: 2023/01/18
shelves:
review:

]]>
<![CDATA[The Singing: Wilde Grove Book 4]]> 57679756 The Ancient Path leads us deep into the Wildwood.

The foundations of practice have been laid, and Erin is stepping into the rhythm and weaving of the worlds. But it is the spirits who now must lead her teaching, and prepare her for her initiation into the ways of those who walk the worlds. She's going to be asked to undertake her most personal journey yet - for herself, and those closest to her. Will she find her way along the Ancient Path?Winsome, her world and calling in pieces around her - what is she to do? After thinking she had found the place where she belonged, now she must decide whether to rebuild her life, or move on.

Continue the journey with the inhabitants of Wellsford and Wilde Grove as they venture down the ancient path and strive to bring their lives and community into harmony.

Because the world must be sung into balance and wild magic must be tapped into to keep the wheel turning.

Wild magic has many secrets � and many gifts, for those who would learn its ways.

The Singing is the fourth book in the Wilde Grove series, following on from The Rising. Continue the story with Wilde Grove Series 2 coming in April. Visit for details or preorder now!

]]>
536 Katherine Genet 0473563096 Valerie 5 4.69 The Singing: Wilde Grove Book 4
author: Katherine Genet
name: Valerie
average rating: 4.69
book published:
rating: 5
read at: 2022/10/26
date added: 2022/10/26
shelves:
review:

]]>
The Glassfire Serpent: Embers 58753898
When Robin’s great aunt Irene takes him and fellow Fae Jackalope on a trip to London, it triggers a series of events that will place at least one of them in deadly peril. For an unforeseen discovery in an art curator’s office connects them to many mysterious and magical deeds � both good and evil � and forces the maturing young Robin to face his own history.

As he moves between the worlds, Robin must face the challenges of the Grimms, tackle a spider-wielding maniac, navigate the waterfall city of the Panthea and explore the many deadly secrets of the Netherworlde’s darkest forests.

Meanwhile, he has growing up to do and friendships to nurture, including those with the brooding Jackalope, enigmatic Karya and irrepressible (and unforgettable) Woad.

The Glassfire Serpent, Part I: Embers is an intriguing, immersive and fantastic tale � As Book Four in James Fahy’s popular Changeling series, it will please those readers eagerly awaiting the next instalment of the saga, along with anyone else who loves wonderful fantasy tales, be they 10 or 110 years old.]]>
319 James Fahy Valerie 5 4.48 2021 The Glassfire Serpent: Embers
author: James Fahy
name: Valerie
average rating: 4.48
book published: 2021
rating: 5
read at: 2022/07/29
date added: 2022/07/29
shelves:
review:

]]>
<![CDATA[The Rising: Wilde Grove Book 3]]> 57679758 The ancient path twists and turns.In Wilde Grove, the initiation continues and those following the ancient path in and out of the Wildwood have much to learn.And come to terms with.Erin feels like a changed woman, but still there is more for her to do. The ancestors are never far from us, and sometimes they need healing as much as we do.It isn’t only Erin who discovers this fact, but Winsome and Morghan must struggle with the consequences of not only their own actions, but the actions of those who lived and died in Wilde Grove before their own time.But wild magic has many secrets � and many gifts, for those who would learn its ways.The Rising is the third book in the Wilde Grove series, following on from The Belonging.]]> 484 Katherine Genet 0473563053 Valerie 5 4.62 The Rising: Wilde Grove Book 3
author: Katherine Genet
name: Valerie
average rating: 4.62
book published:
rating: 5
read at: 2021/08/26
date added: 2021/08/26
shelves:
review:

]]>
<![CDATA[Shaper's Daughter: A Fantasy Fiction Series (World Whisperer Book 3)]]> 36528325 In the third book of the World Whisperer series, Isika must face her deepest fears and emerge with her true identity intact.Isika is growing into her life in the Royal city of Azariyah. Her pottery apprenticeship is going well and her friendship with Jabari is blossoming. She loves her life with her family and longs to be a normal Maweel girl, something that isn't possible with the Desert King in pursuit of her life.Evil forces want Isika captured or dead, and the threat of the Great Waste grows stronger daily. Why is the Desert King approaching Azariyah and why is he trying to burn Maween to the ground?As fires erupt all around Azariyah, the loyalty of the Maweel toward their World Whisperer is tested. Rumors follow Isika as she fights fire and suspicion to protect the city she loves and earn the trust of her people, ultimately standing before an evil so great, it will take everything within her to withstand and defeat it.]]> 322 Rachel Devenish Ford Valerie 0 currently-reading 4.54 Shaper's Daughter: A Fantasy Fiction Series (World Whisperer Book 3)
author: Rachel Devenish Ford
name: Valerie
average rating: 4.54
book published:
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2021/04/14
shelves: currently-reading
review:

]]>
<![CDATA[The Cleansing Flame (Swords and Saints, #1)]]> 54226751 Previously published as The Cleansing Flame by JA Hutson

A sword of green glass.

A key that opens passages between the worlds.

The nameless warrior has nothing else. No allies, no armor, not even the memory of how he came to be trapped within this dying land, pursued across a red waste by the monstrous Shriven.

But all hope is not lost. There are other survivors amidst the desolation, holding clues as to where he has come from and what he must do: Amara, the Red Sword of her tribe, a beautiful and fiery swordswoman obsessed with destroying the demons that plague her people, and Valyra, a young sorceress who can weave the broken threads of this reality into something whole once more.

Together they will try to resist the evil that stalks the wastes. But this world is only one among many, and in order to unravel his mysteries the warrior must find the doorways which will allow him to stride between the stars and pass into even stranger lands . . .]]>
243 J.A. Hutson Valerie 4 3.96 2019 The Cleansing Flame (Swords and Saints, #1)
author: J.A. Hutson
name: Valerie
average rating: 3.96
book published: 2019
rating: 4
read at: 2020/10/08
date added: 2021/03/16
shelves:
review:

]]>
<![CDATA[The Hollow God (Swords and Saints, #3)]]> 54508788
In a ruined temple on a dying world, a man without a past promised the Red Sword of her tribe that he would protect her daughter.

And then he had lost her. Flung into a very different world, Talin had been forced to navigate this strange new realm as he searched for the girl Valyra. His journey had taken him from Ysala to the Twilight Empire, from the golden grasslands where monsters prowled to the haunted undercity of Zim.

He had held true to his word, finally rescuing her from the Shriven who wished to use her sorcery to heal the paths between the worlds.

But after a betrayal by one of his companions, she is now in the clutches of the mysterious Contessa, and he must once again return to the City of Masks.

Only now the fate of the world hangs in the balance.

The epic conclusion to the Swords and Saints trilogy.]]>
250 J.A. Hutson Valerie 5 4.20 2020 The Hollow God (Swords and Saints, #3)
author: J.A. Hutson
name: Valerie
average rating: 4.20
book published: 2020
rating: 5
read at: 2020/11/27
date added: 2020/11/27
shelves:
review:

]]>
<![CDATA[The King of Crows (The Diviners, #4)]]> 46147164
While Memphis and Isaiah run for their lives from the mysterious Shadow Men, Isaiah receives a startling vision of a girl, Sarah Beth Olson, who could shift the balance in their struggle for peace. Sarah Beth says she knows how to stop the King of Crows-but, she will need the Diviners' help to do it.

Elsewhere, Jericho has returned after his escape from Jake Marlowe's estate, where he has learned the shocking truth behind the King of Crow's plans. Now, the Diviners must travel to Bountiful, Nebraska, in hopes of joining forces with Sarah Beth and to stop the King of Crows and his army of the dead forever.

But as rumors of towns becoming ghost towns and the dead developing unprecedented powers begin to surface, all hope seems to be lost.

In this sweeping finale, The Diviners will be forced to confront their greatest fears and learn to rely on one another if they hope to save the nation, and world from catastrophe...]]>
560 Libba Bray 0316532622 Valerie 5 4.05 2020 The King of Crows (The Diviners, #4)
author: Libba Bray
name: Valerie
average rating: 4.05
book published: 2020
rating: 5
read at: 2020/05/19
date added: 2020/05/19
shelves:
review:

]]>
<![CDATA[The Shadow King (The Raveling, #3)]]> 48914051
Scarred by what transpired on the island of the sorceress Niara, Keilan and his companions journey north, bearing a weapon forged to end the unnatural existence of the Chosen. But the sand is trickling through the hourglass, as the demon-children are laboring to bring about a second Raveling and end the age of man . . .

In the shattered city of Nes Vaneth, Cho Lin struggles to survive her imprisonment by the vicious Skein, while in Dymoria the Crimson Queen prepares to reveal her school of sorcerers by bringing them into the Frostlands to confront the Chosen and their allies . . .

Meanwhile, the immortal sorceress Alyanna schemes to restore her lost glory and destroy those who have wronged her . . .]]>
532 Alec Hutson 0998227692 Valerie 5 4.13 2019 The Shadow King (The Raveling, #3)
author: Alec Hutson
name: Valerie
average rating: 4.13
book published: 2019
rating: 5
read at: 2020/03/10
date added: 2020/03/10
shelves:
review:

]]>
<![CDATA[The Silver Sorceress (The Raveling, #2)]]> 42087520
Following the deadly assault on the Scholia by the kith’ketan, Keilan and Nel pursue the paladin Senacus south, hoping to catch him before he can vanish into the Gilded Cities. Nel desires vengeance for the death of her lover, while Keilan hopes to find answers about the immortal sorcerers who sought to challenge the Crimson Queen . . .

In the Empire of Swords and Flowers a young woman is called upon to avenge her father’s death and return honor to her family . . .

And after a millennia-long imprisonment, the monstrous Chosen are again free to work their dark will upon the world of man . . .]]>
498 Alec Hutson 0998227641 Valerie 5 4.03 2019 The Silver Sorceress (The Raveling, #2)
author: Alec Hutson
name: Valerie
average rating: 4.03
book published: 2019
rating: 5
read at:
date added: 2020/01/05
shelves:
review:

]]>
<![CDATA[The Crimson Queen (The Raveling, #1)]]> 41457149 2016 Ink and Insights Competition - Judges' Favorite
Winner 2017 Reader's Favorite Award for Epic Fantasy
2nd in the 2017 SPFBO 

Long ago the world fell into twilight, when the great empires of old consumed each other in sorcerous cataclysms. In the south the Star Towers fell, swallowed by the sea, while the black glaciers descended upon the northern holdfasts, entombing the cities of Min-Ceruth in ice and sorcery. Then from the ancient empire of Menekar the paladins of Ama came, putting every surviving sorcerer to the sword and cleansing their taint from the land for the radiant glory of their lord.

The pulse of magic slowed, fading like the heartbeat of a dying man.

But after a thousand years it has begun to quicken again.

In a small fishing village a boy with strange powers comes of age...

A young queen rises in the west, fanning the long-smoldering embers of magic into a blaze once more...

Something of great importance is stolen - or freed - from the mysterious Empire of Swords and Flowers...

And the immortals who survived the ancient cataclysms bestir themselves, casting about for why the world is suddenly changing...

The first book of The Raveling, a new epic fantasy saga]]>
423 Alec Hutson 0998227617 Valerie 5 4.23 2016 The Crimson Queen (The Raveling, #1)
author: Alec Hutson
name: Valerie
average rating: 4.23
book published: 2016
rating: 5
read at: 2019/08/18
date added: 2019/08/18
shelves:
review:

]]>
<![CDATA[Chains of Gaia (The Changeling #3)]]> 35226530
If you go down to the woods today�

Something dark and dangerous stirs deep in the Netherworlde. A violent, primal power, awoken from its slumber by the Shards of the Arcania.

A scourge lies on the great Everhart forest, a rampaging beast laying waste to the woods, and to the towns and villages that border it, bringing destruction.

It leaves none alive, and Robin Fellows, heir of Erlking and the world’s last Changeling, may be the only one who can stop it.

Pressed into service, Robin and his friends must navigate the deep and twisting secrets of the legendary woods, fighting to save the Netherworlde’s inhabitants from the ever-growing menace, while racing against dark enemies also searching for the source of the monster’s power � the Shard of Earth.

Troubled by a rising darkness from within, and a tendency for his magic to go haywire, before Robin can wander from the path and begin to unravel the truth beneath the trees, he must first find a way to come to terms with who � and what � he is.

Unexpected and unwelcome guests at Erlking, and uncertain guides in the wilderness, unsure what secrets are being hidden, even by his closest friends, Robin must decide who he can trust � in a world where it seems no one, friend or foe, is exactly as they appear.

Chains of Gaia is the thrilling third instalment of James Fahy’s bestselling Changeling series. Perfect for fans of High Fantasy storytelling and Fae mythology, this sequel to Isle of Winds and The Drowned Tomb delves even deeper into the magical Netherworlde, and into the mystery of Robin’s own past.


Praise for James Fahy:

'Fast-moving with surprises and mysteries galore' - Simon Clark, bestselling fantasy author

'A puzzle-solving, secret-tomb-discovering, magic-filled adventure that takes you deeper than ever before' - L. K. Smith, reviewer at Innate Plethora


James Fahy lives in the North of England, close to wild moors and adjacent to a haunted wind farm, with his extremely patient and long-suffering family and a very old cat named Gargoyle. When the cat dies, James plans to buy a raven and name it Quoth. He is the author of the Changeling fantasy series, following the adventures of Robin, a seemingly unremarkable boy who is swept up into a war between our world, and the Netherworlde, a shadowy realm which lies beyond our own. In addition to fantasy, James also writes Science Fiction, Urban Gothic and Steampunk, for people old enough to know better.]]>
451 James Fahy Valerie 5 4.55 2017 Chains of Gaia (The Changeling #3)
author: James Fahy
name: Valerie
average rating: 4.55
book published: 2017
rating: 5
read at: 2019/02/17
date added: 2019/02/17
shelves:
review:

]]>
<![CDATA[The Changeling Omnibus: Books 1-2]]> 33138778
Isle of Winds

Enter the Netherworlde�

Become the Changeling.

Robin Fellows lives with his grandmother and lives what appears to be a rather ordinary life for a normal twelve year old boy.

But when Robin’s Gran dies, his world is turned upside down. A long lost relative comes out of the woodwork and whisks him away to a mysterious new home, the quiet estate of Erlking Hall.

Suddenly Robin must adjust to his new reality. But reality is no longer what he thought it was�

Elrking has many secrets � there is more than meets the eye to this old mansion, and the people who inhabit it.

Little does he know that there is more than meets the eye to himself.

Robin is the world’s last Changeling. He is descended from a mystic race of Fae-people, whose homeland, the Netherworlde, is caught in the throes of a terrible civil war.

Not only this, but in this new world there is a magical force that has infiltrated the human realm.

And before he can master the arts of magic newly revealed to him, Robin is about to come face to face with the greatest evil this new world can Lady Eris, the tyrannical ruler of the Netherworlde.

He must search out the truth about himself and the ethereal Towers of Arcania before it is too late�

The Drowned Tomb

War is coming. Robin’s world has been turned upside down � the tutor he thought he could trust has been revealed to be an agent of his sworn enemy, Lady Eris.

All is not well at Erlking Hall. The Netherworlde must hasten to face the greatest threat it has ever known�

Agents of Lady Eris are hot on Robin’s tails, searching for him before he can find the Shard of Arcania for Water, another source of great power in this new world.

They will stop at nothing to find it.

Will Robin fulfill his journey to master these ancient magical arts?

Find out in The Changeling Omnibus .



'A puzzle-solving, secret-tomb-discovering, magic-filled adventure that takes you deeper than ever before.' L. K. Smith, reviewer at Innate Plethora

'Fast-moving with surprises and mysteries galore' Simon Clark, bestselling fantasy author

'One of my favorite books of 2016' Abbeybooksblog

James lives in the North of England, close to wild moors and adjacent to a haunted wind farm, with his extremely patient and long-suffering family and a very old cat named Gargoyle. When the cat dies, James plans to buy a raven and name it Quoth. He is the author of the Changeling fantasy series, following the adventures of Robin, a seemingly unremarkable boy who is swept up into a war between our world, and the Netherworlde, a shadowy realm which lies beyond our own. In addition to fantasy, James also writes Science Fiction, Urban Gothic and Steampunk, for people old enough to know]]>
788 James Fahy Valerie 5 4.39 The Changeling Omnibus: Books 1-2
author: James Fahy
name: Valerie
average rating: 4.39
book published:
rating: 5
read at: 2019/01/03
date added: 2019/01/03
shelves:
review:

]]>
<![CDATA[Lair of Dreams (The Diviners, #2)]]> 16060716 The longing of dreams draws the dead, and this city holds many dreams.

After a supernatural showdown with a serial killer, Evie O’Neill has outed herself as a Diviner. With her uncanny ability to read people’s secrets, she’s become a media darling, earning the title “America’s Sweetheart Seer.� Everyone’s in love with the city’s newest It Girl…everyone except the other Diviners.

Piano-playing Henry DuBois and Chinatown resident Ling Chan are two Diviners struggling to keep their powers a secret—for they can walk in dreams. And while Evie is living the high life, victims of a mysterious sleeping sickness are turning up across New York City.

As Henry searches for a lost love and Ling strives to succeed in a world that shuns her, a malevolent force infects their dreams. And at the edges of it all lurks a man in a stovepipe hat who has plans that extend farther than anyone can guess…As the sickness spreads, can the Diviners descend into the dreamworld to save the city?

In this heart-stopping sequel to The Diviners, Printz Award-winning and New York Times bestselling author Libba Bray takes readers deeper into the mystical underbelly of New York City.]]>
613 Libba Bray 0316126047 Valerie 4 4.10 2015 Lair of Dreams (The Diviners, #2)
author: Libba Bray
name: Valerie
average rating: 4.10
book published: 2015
rating: 4
read at:
date added: 2018/06/18
shelves:
review:

]]>
<![CDATA[The Sweet Far Thing (Gemma Doyle, #3)]]> 127459
Now, as Gemma approaches her London debut, the time has come to test these bonds. The Order - the mysterious group her mother was once part of - is grappling for control of the realms, as is the Rakshana. Spence's burned East Wing is being rebuilt, but why now? Gemma and her friends see Pippa, but she is not the same. And their friendship faces its gravest trial as Gemma must decide once and for all what role she is meant for.]]>
819 Libba Bray 0385730306 Valerie 5 3.98 2007 The Sweet Far Thing (Gemma Doyle, #3)
author: Libba Bray
name: Valerie
average rating: 3.98
book published: 2007
rating: 5
read at:
date added: 2018/06/18
shelves:
review:

]]>
<![CDATA[The Diviners (The Diviners, #1)]]> 7728889 578 Libba Bray Valerie 5 3.93 2012 The Diviners (The Diviners, #1)
author: Libba Bray
name: Valerie
average rating: 3.93
book published: 2012
rating: 5
read at:
date added: 2018/06/18
shelves:
review:

]]>
<![CDATA[Heir to the Shadows (The Black Jewels, #2)]]> 47957 Librarian's note: See alternate cover for this edition here.

Enough time has passed for the young girl Jaenelle, heir to the magical Darkness, for her physical wounds to heal, while amnesia keeps her frightening memories at bay. But with Saetan--a Black-Jewelled Warlord Prince and Jaenelle's foster-father--to protect her, she will continue to grow. Her magic will mature. Her memories will return. And Jaenelle will face her destiny when she remembers Daemon, Saetan's son, who made the ultimate sacrifice for her love....]]>
482 Anne Bishop 0451456726 Valerie 5 4.32 1999 Heir to the Shadows (The Black Jewels, #2)
author: Anne Bishop
name: Valerie
average rating: 4.32
book published: 1999
rating: 5
read at:
date added: 2018/05/17
shelves:
review:

]]>
<![CDATA[Before the Devil Breaks You (The Diviners, #3)]]> 25985241 New York City.
1927.
Lights are bright.
Jazz is king.
Parties are wild.
And the dead are coming...

After battling a supernatural sleeping sickness that claimed two of their own, the Diviners have had enough lies. They're more determined than ever to uncover the mystery behind their extraordinary powers, even as they face off against an all-new terror. Out on Ward's Island, far from the city's bustle, sits a mental hospital haunted by the lost souls of people long forgotten--ghosts who have unusual and dangerous ties to the man in the stovepipe hat, also known as the King of Crows.

With terrible accounts of murder and possession flooding in from all over and New York City on the verge of panic, the Diviners must band together and brave the sinister ghosts invading the asylum, a fight that will bring them face-to-face with the King of Crows. But as the explosive secrets of the past come to light, loyalties and friendships will be tested, love will hang in the balance, and the Diviners will question all that they've ever known. All the while, malevolent forces gather from every corner in a battle for the very soul of a nation--a fight that could claim the Diviners themselves.]]>
552 Libba Bray 0316126063 Valerie 4 4.26 2017 Before the Devil Breaks You (The Diviners, #3)
author: Libba Bray
name: Valerie
average rating: 4.26
book published: 2017
rating: 4
read at: 2018/02/01
date added: 2018/02/02
shelves:
review:

]]>
<![CDATA[Waging War (The Immortal Descendants, #4)]]> 27857843 War is being waged against the Descendants and Saira Elian is desperate to stop the Mongers� savage bid for power �

Saira’s search for kidnapped mixed-bloods draws her into the Mongers� stronghold, revealing the horrible truth behind the irresistible Monger ring and the vile plan to cleanse Family bloodlines � permanently.

Under threat of a brutal massacre, Saira and Ringo travel back to Bletchley Park during World War II where they team up with Archer from the past to crack a Nazi code and expose a Monger intent on changing the course of history. They join forces with a female commando from the French resistance to hunt down an elite unit of Monger soldiers � Hitler’s Werewolves � before the terror squad can strike a fatal blow at the heart of the Allied war effort.

Their manhunt drags Saira, Archer, and Ringo into the London Underground on the eve of a Nazi bombing raid where they come face-to-face with a Monger assassin on a suicide mission. With the lives of all mixed-bloods in peril, Saira must make a sacrifice that even Time may never forgive.]]>
384 April White Valerie 5 4.54 2016 Waging War (The Immortal Descendants, #4)
author: April White
name: Valerie
average rating: 4.54
book published: 2016
rating: 5
read at: 2018/02/01
date added: 2018/02/01
shelves:
review:

]]>
<![CDATA[The Immortal Descendants (The Immortal Descendants, #1-3)]]> 32368782
A limited edition boxed set of the first three books in the time travel fantasy series with over 1200 five-star reviews. Includes the exclusive short story "The Gift."

“A rich, satisfying mix of romance, horror, and time travel." - Kirkus Reviews (Marking Time)

Saira is a young woman who has no idea she’s “special�. No one has explained to her that she is descended from a unique family, and if she were to trace one of the strange spirals she finds, she could end up lost in time. So when her mother disappears, Saira survives as she always has � until one night she finds herself transported back to Whitechapel, London in 1888, on the night of Jack the Ripper's double murders.

And that's just the beginning...

"An enthralling mystery, wrapped in a thriller, tied with a romantic bow." LitBuzz Reviews

"April White is a consummate story teller who weaves historical events into a fast paced story through time. A great plot, intriguing characters that you'll instantly care about, and beautiful writing that is some of the best I've ever read." G. Elliot, Author]]>
1437 April White 1946161004 Valerie 5 4.52 2016 The Immortal Descendants (The Immortal Descendants, #1-3)
author: April White
name: Valerie
average rating: 4.52
book published: 2016
rating: 5
read at: 2017/10/05
date added: 2017/10/05
shelves:
review:

]]>
In the Light of What We See 28012440 Brighton, 1938: Grace Kemp is pushed away by the family she has shamed. Rejected and afraid, she begins a new life as a nurse. But danger stalks the hospital too, and she’ll need to be on her guard to avoid falling into familiar traps. And then there are the things she sees…Strange portents that have a way of becoming real.

Eighty years later, Mina Morgan is brought to the same hospital after a near-fatal car crash. She is in terrible pain but recalls nothing. She’s not even sure whom to trust. Mina too sees things that others cannot, but now, in hospital, her visions are clearer than ever�

Two women, separated by decades, are drawn together by a shared space and a common need to salvage their lives.

]]>
330 Sarah Painter 1477879609 Valerie 4 4.00 2016 In the Light of What We See
author: Sarah Painter
name: Valerie
average rating: 4.00
book published: 2016
rating: 4
read at: 2017/07/14
date added: 2017/07/14
shelves:
review:

]]>
The Escape 18718385
Three weeks of waiting to free their allies from an Emporium compound in New York City have Erin Radkey and her Renegade friends on edge. Frustrations run even higher when they uncover a new Emporium plot involving the nations� highest leaders, a plan full of more deceit than Erin imagined possible. With each passing day, the pendulum swings closer to world-wide Emporium rule and mortal servitude.

Making sense of her personal life is every bit as challenging as being a guardian of humanity. Erin fears that her increasing abilities will alienate everyone around her, including those who love her most. Her relationship with Ritter Langton has been on hold these past anxious weeks, and though their connection runs undeniably deep, the constant presence of the mortal Keene McIntyre adds to the tension between them. Choices loom before Erin that affect not only her personal life but how she does her job.

With political intrigue and non-stop action, the Escape adds satisfying dimension to the Unbounded world, whose characters and storyline have captured the imaginations of thousands of readers.]]>
275 Teyla Branton 1939203333 Valerie 4 4.27 2013 The Escape
author: Teyla Branton
name: Valerie
average rating: 4.27
book published: 2013
rating: 4
read at: 2017/06/21
date added: 2017/06/21
shelves:
review:

]]>
The Cure (Unbounded, #2) 18899385 Erin Radkey’s life has altered completely since her Change made her one of the Unbounded. Yet she has learned the hard way that some things never change.Greed. Over the centuries the long-lived Unbounded have divided into two groups, the Emporium who craves money and power and will do anything to achieve its ends, including experimenting on its own people, and the Renegades who protect humanity.Power. Now the Renegades are close to discovering a cure that will save many dying mortals, and the husband of Erin’s closest friend is first in line to receive the formula. But Emporium agents will stop at nothing to destroy the cure—until they realize the research might be exactly the weapon they’ve been searching for.Love. Erin’s new abilities are tested as she and fellow Renegades fight the Emporium in a struggle that soon becomes all too personal, and where lines of loyalty are blurred by relationships of the past. Everything is at risk, including the lives of her friends—and the love of Ritter Langton, the Renegade Unbounded who both infuriates and excites her.From the busy streets of Portland to the jungles of Mexico, The Cure is a page-turning urban fantasy that will keep you riveted until the end.Praise for the UNBOUNDED “Excellent and well written!”I recommend reading the entire series�"Thoroughly enjoyable”High action and adventure”“Teyla Branton belongs right alongside Patricia Briggs, Kim Harrison, Jennifer Estep, and Kelly Armstrong.�Unbounded Series1. The Change2. The Cure3. Protectors (which contains Ava's Revenge, Mortal Brother, and Set Ablaze)4. The Escape5. The Reckoning6. Lethal Engagement7. The Takeover8. The Avowed9. The Unsworn]]> 291 Teyla Branton 1939203317 Valerie 4 4.14 2013 The Cure (Unbounded, #2)
author: Teyla Branton
name: Valerie
average rating: 4.14
book published: 2013
rating: 4
read at: 2017/05/04
date added: 2017/05/04
shelves:
review:

]]>
The Change (Unbounded, #1) 17794220
Erin’s Change separates her from her loved ones and alters everything she believes to be true. A week earlier she was considering a marriage proposal; now she contemplates the best way to stay alive. Caught in a battle between two Unbounded groups, she is also hunted by a secret mortal society sworn to eradicate the Unbounded gene. Worse, a new identification software could mean death for all Unbounded � or enslavement for the entire mortal world.

As Erin plunges into this dangerous new life, she must carve out her own place in the madness, protect her mortal family, and decide which group she should join. Her powerful attraction to Ritter Langton, whose family was massacred by opposing Unbounded two hundred and forty years ago, complicates her choices. There are no second chances. Death, life, or love � Unbounded always play for keeps.

Non-stop action, terrifying consequences, and powerful romance make this an exciting addition to the world of urban fantasy.]]>
354 Teyla Branton Valerie 5 3.90 2013 The Change (Unbounded, #1)
author: Teyla Branton
name: Valerie
average rating: 3.90
book published: 2013
rating: 5
read at: 2017/04/12
date added: 2017/04/12
shelves:
review:

]]>
<![CDATA[The Tower (Psionic Pentalogy, #2)]]> 17673691 318 Adrian Howell Valerie 5 4.19 2012 The Tower (Psionic Pentalogy, #2)
author: Adrian Howell
name: Valerie
average rating: 4.19
book published: 2012
rating: 5
read at:
date added: 2017/04/02
shelves:
review:

]]>
<![CDATA[Wild-born (Psionic Pentalogy, #1)]]> 17317113 Alternate cover edition of ASIN B00AM1H5PK

When young Adrian Howell discovers he possesses powerful telekinetic abilities, he is plunged into a sinister world of warring paranormal factions and terrifying government organizations. Adrian must discover what really happened to his missing sister. But to do this, he will first have to find his place among fugitives like himself, and protect the life of a deeply scarred child who can speak only through her mind... a child who will change Adrian's life forever.]]>
268 Adrian Howell Valerie 5 3.97 2013 Wild-born (Psionic Pentalogy, #1)
author: Adrian Howell
name: Valerie
average rating: 3.97
book published: 2013
rating: 5
read at:
date added: 2017/03/19
shelves:
review:

]]>
<![CDATA[The Battle of Verril (The Book of Deacon, #3)]]> 16186590 322 Joseph R. Lallo 1477684751 Valerie 5 4.09 2011 The Battle of Verril (The Book of Deacon, #3)
author: Joseph R. Lallo
name: Valerie
average rating: 4.09
book published: 2011
rating: 5
read at: 2017/03/08
date added: 2017/03/08
shelves:
review:

]]>
<![CDATA[The Great Convergence (The Book of Deacon, #2)]]> 11296179 315 Joseph R. Lallo Valerie 5 3.97 2010 The Great Convergence (The Book of Deacon, #2)
author: Joseph R. Lallo
name: Valerie
average rating: 3.97
book published: 2010
rating: 5
read at:
date added: 2017/02/19
shelves:
review:

]]>
<![CDATA[The Book of Deacon (The Book of Deacon, #1)]]> 8535916 an alternate cover edition can be found here

The tale of Myranda Celeste, a young woman orphaned by a century long war, and her chance discovery of a fallen soldier's priceless cargo. The find will change her life, sending her on an adventure of soldiers and rebels, wizards and warriors, and beasts both noble and monstrous. Each step will bring her closer to the truth of her potential, of the war, and of the fate of her world.]]>
323 Joseph R. Lallo Valerie 5 3.87 2010 The Book of Deacon (The Book of Deacon, #1)
author: Joseph R. Lallo
name: Valerie
average rating: 3.87
book published: 2010
rating: 5
read at:
date added: 2017/02/15
shelves:
review:
I really enjoyed this book. I noticed some people saying that it was boring or slow - I personally think the pace is fine. I felt myself right in the book watching events as they unfold. There is one thing that kept bothering me though - perhaps people might find this totally dumb - but I noticed that there is no talk of washing or relieving oneself. Even typing this, I'm sure anyone reading it will be like, "wth"? But in all of the traveling, staying in an underground shelter with blades on the door, etc. Where did one wash, brush their teeth, and use the toilet? I like these little details in the book - I didn't realize I liked them until I they aren't there. There is no reference to what Myranda looks like (maybe in the beginning, but I totally forget now), and I find the story easier to relate to and picture in my mind when these small details are mentioned while telling the story.
]]>
<![CDATA[The Book of Deacon (The Book of Deacon, #1)]]> 8616554 323 Joseph R. Lallo Valerie 5 3.86 2010 The Book of Deacon (The Book of Deacon, #1)
author: Joseph R. Lallo
name: Valerie
average rating: 3.86
book published: 2010
rating: 5
read at: 2017/02/10
date added: 2017/02/10
shelves:
review:

]]>
<![CDATA[A Rite of Swords/A Sky of Spells/A Grant of Arms (The Sorcerer's Ring, #7-9)]]> 18841226 650 Morgan Rice Valerie 4 3.89 2013 A Rite of Swords/A Sky of Spells/A Grant of Arms (The Sorcerer's Ring, #7-9)
author: Morgan Rice
name: Valerie
average rating: 3.89
book published: 2013
rating: 4
read at:
date added: 2017/01/25
shelves:
review:

]]>
<![CDATA[A Charge of Valor/A Vow of Glory/A Cry of Honor (The Sorcerer's Ring, #4-6)]]> 18652369 695 Morgan Rice Valerie 5 3.84 2013 A Charge of Valor/A Vow of Glory/A Cry of Honor (The Sorcerer's Ring, #4-6)
author: Morgan Rice
name: Valerie
average rating: 3.84
book published: 2013
rating: 5
read at:
date added: 2017/01/11
shelves:
review:

]]>
<![CDATA[A Feast of Dragons (The Sorcerer's Ring, #3)]]> 17348771
A FATE OF DRAGONS (Book #3 in the Sorcerer's Ring) takes us deeper into Thor’s epic journey to becoming a warrior, as he journeys across the Sea of Fire to the dragon’s Isle of Mist. An unforgiving place, home to the most elite warriors of the world, Thor’s powers and abilities deepen as he trains. His friendships deepen, too, as they face adversities together, beyond what they could imagine. But as they find themselves up against unimaginable monsters , The Hundred quickly goes from training session to a matter of life or death. Not all will survive.

Along the way, Thor’s dreams, along with his mysterious encounters with Argon, will continue to plague him, to press him to try to learn more about who he is, who his mother is, and what the source of his powers are. What is his destiny?

Back in the Ring, matters are getting much worse. As Kendrick is imprisoned, Gwendolyn finds it landing on her to try to save him, to save the Ring by bringing down her brother Gareth. She hunts for clues for her father’s murderer along with her brother Godfrey, and along the way, the two of them will become much closer, united in their cause. But Gwendolyn finds herself in mortal danger as she presses too deep, and she may be in over her head.

Gareth attempts to wield the Dynasty Sword and learns what it means to be King, becoming drunk with the abuse of power. He rules ruthlessly, becoming paranoid. As the noose tightens on the king’s assassin, the McClouds attack deeper into the Ring, and King’s Court finds itself in an increasingly precarious position.

Gwendolyn pines for Thor’s return, for them to be together, for their love to blossom. But with powerful forces in their way, it is questionable if that chance will ever come.

Will Thor survive The Hundred? Will King’s Court collapse? Will MacGil’s murderer be found? Will Gwendolyn end up with Thor? And will Thor finally learn the secret of his destiny?

With its sophisticated world-building and characterization, A FATE OF DRAGONS is an epic tale of friends and lovers, of rivals and suitors, of knights and dragons, of intrigues and political machinations, of coming of age, of broken hearts, of deception, ambition and betrayal. It is a tale of honor and courage, of fate and destiny, of sorcery. It is a fantasy that brings us into a world we will never forget, and which will appeal to all ages and genders.

Books #3--#13 in the series are also available!]]>
288 Morgan Rice Valerie 5 3.68 2013 A Feast of Dragons (The Sorcerer's Ring, #3)
author: Morgan Rice
name: Valerie
average rating: 3.68
book published: 2013
rating: 5
read at: 2017/01/07
date added: 2017/01/07
shelves:
review:

]]>
<![CDATA[A March of Kings (The Sorcerer's Ring, #2)]]> 17348748
After he escapes from the dungeon, Thor is horrified to learn of another assassination attempt on King MacGil. When MacGil dies, the kingdom is set into turmoil. As everyone vies for the throne, King’s Court is more rife than ever with its family dramas, power struggles, ambitions, jealousy, violence and betrayal. An heir must be chosen from among the children, and the ancient Dynasty Sword, the source of all their power, will have a chance to be wielded by someone new. But all this might be upended: the murder weapon is recovered, and the noose tightens on finding the assassin. Simultaneously, the MacGils face a new threat by the McClouds, who are set to attack again from within the Ring.

Thor fights to win back Gwendolyn’s love, but there may not be time: he is told to pack up, to prepare with his brothers in arms for The Hundred, a hundred grueling days of hell that all Legion members must survive. The Legion will have to cross the Canyon, beyond the protection of the Ring, into the Wilds, and set sail across the Tartuvian Sea for the Isle of Mist, said to be patrolled by a dragon, for their initiation into manhood.

Will they make it back? Will the Ring survive in their absence? And will Thor finally learn the secret of his destiny?

With its sophisticated world-building and characterization, A MARCH OF KINGS is an epic tale of friends and lovers, of rivals and suitors, of knights and dragons, of intrigues and political machinations, of coming of age, of broken hearts, of deception, ambition and betrayal. It is a tale of honor and courage, of fate and destiny, of sorcery. It is a fantasy that brings us into a world we will never forget, and which will appeal to all ages and genders. It is 60,000 words.]]>
232 Morgan Rice Valerie 5 3.66 2013 A March of Kings (The Sorcerer's Ring, #2)
author: Morgan Rice
name: Valerie
average rating: 3.66
book published: 2013
rating: 5
read at: 2017/01/05
date added: 2017/01/05
shelves:
review:

]]>
<![CDATA[The Queen of the Tearling (The Queen of the Tearling, #1)]]> 18689428 A #1 Indie Next Pick and LibraryReads Selection

Magic, adventure, mystery, and romance combine in this epic debut in which a young princess must reclaim her dead mother’s throne, learn to be a ruler—and defeat the Red Queen, a powerful and malevolent sorceress determined to destroy her.

On her nineteenth birthday, Princess Kelsea Raleigh Glynn, raised in exile, sets out on a perilous journey back to the castle of her birth to ascend her rightful throne. Plain and serious, a girl who loves books and learning, Kelsea bears little resemblance to her mother, the vain and frivolous Queen Elyssa. But though she may be inexperienced and sheltered, Kelsea is not defenseless: Around her neck hangs the Tearling sapphire, a jewel of immense magical power; and accompanying her is the Queen’s Guard, a cadre of brave knights led by the enigmatic and dedicated Lazarus. Kelsea will need them all to survive a cabal of enemies who will use every weapon—from crimson-caped assassins to the darkest blood magic—to prevent her from wearing the crown.

Despite her royal blood, Kelsea feels like nothing so much as an insecure girl, a child called upon to lead a people and a kingdom about which she knows almost nothing. But what she discovers in the capital will change everything, confronting her with horrors she never imagined. An act of singular daring will throw Kelsea’s kingdom into tumult, unleashing the vengeance of the tyrannical ruler of neighboring Mortmesne: the Red Queen, a sorceress possessed of the darkest magic. Now Kelsea will begin to discover whom among the servants, aristocracy, and her own guard she can trust.

But the quest to save her kingdom and meet her destiny has only just begun—a wondrous journey of self-discovery and a trial by fire that will make her a legend . . . if she can survive.

This book will be a beautifully designed package with illustrated endpapers, a map of the Tearling, and a ribbon marker.]]>
643 Erika Johansen Valerie 5 4.12 2014 The Queen of the Tearling (The Queen of the Tearling, #1)
author: Erika Johansen
name: Valerie
average rating: 4.12
book published: 2014
rating: 5
read at: 2016/12/25
date added: 2016/12/25
shelves:
review:

]]>
<![CDATA[The Queen of the Tearling (The Queen of the Tearling, #1)]]> 18712886
Young Kelsea Raleigh was raised in hiding after the death of her mother, Queen Elyssa, far from the intrigues of the royal Keep and in the care of two devoted servants who pledged their lives to protect her. Growing up in a cottage deep in the woods, Kelsea knows little of her kingdom's haunted past . . . or that its fate will soon rest in her hands.

Long ago, Kelsea's forefathers sailed away from a decaying world to establish a new land free of modern technology. Three hundred years later, this feudal society has divided into three fearful nations who pay duties to a fourth: the powerful Mortmesne, ruled by the cunning Red Queen. Now, on Kelsea's nineteenth birthday, the tattered remnants of the Queen's Guard—loyal soldiers who protect the throne—have appeared to escort the princess on a perilous journey to the capital to ascend to her rightful place as the new Queen of the Tearling.

Though born of royal blood and in possession of the Tear sapphire, a jewel of immense power and magic, Kelsea has never felt more uncertain of her ability to rule. But the shocking evil she discovers in the heart of her realm will precipitate an act of immense daring, throwing the entire kingdom into turmoil—and unleashing the Red Queen's vengeance. A cabal of enemies with an array of deadly weapons, from crimson-caped assassins to the darkest blood magic, plots to destroy her. But Kelsea is growing in strength and stealth, her steely resolve earning her loyal allies, including the Queen's Guard, led by the enigmatic Lazarus, and the intriguing outlaw known simply as "the Fetch."

Kelsea's quest to save her kingdom and meet her destiny has only just begun. Riddled with mysteries, betrayals, and treacherous battles, Kelsea's journey is a trial by fire that will either forge a legend . . . or destroy her.]]>
434 Erika Johansen 0062290363 Valerie 4 4.00 2014 The Queen of the Tearling (The Queen of the Tearling, #1)
author: Erika Johansen
name: Valerie
average rating: 4.00
book published: 2014
rating: 4
read at:
date added: 2016/12/23
shelves:
review:

]]>
<![CDATA[The Scourge of Muirwood (Legends of Muirwood, #3)]]> 15954541
Upon discovering she is the lost heir of Pry-Ree, Lia is forced to leave the protection of Muirwood once again. She embarks upon a perilous journey across the kingdom where she avoids capture and begs passage on a ship bound to Dahomey. Lia's safety is in further jeopardy when she finally reaches Dochte Abbey and learns the hetaera have taken control. Lia must gather all her strength and muster the courage to defeat them, for if she fails, the consequence would be a world in ruin and the shattered lives of those she loves.]]>
368 Jeff Wheeler 1612187021 Valerie 5 4.12 2011 The Scourge of Muirwood (Legends of Muirwood, #3)
author: Jeff Wheeler
name: Valerie
average rating: 4.12
book published: 2011
rating: 5
read at: 2016/11/30
date added: 2016/11/30
shelves:
review:

]]>
<![CDATA[Truthwitch (The Witchlands, #1)]]> 21414439 In a continent on the edge of war, two witches hold its fate in their hands.

Young witches Safiya and Iseult have a habit of finding trouble. After clashing with a powerful Guildmaster and his ruthless Bloodwitch bodyguard, the friends are forced to flee their home.

Safi must avoid capture at all costs as she's a rare Truthwitch, able to discern truth from lies. Many would kill for her magic, so Safi must keep it hidden - lest she be used in the struggle between empires. And Iseult's true powers are hidden even from herself.

In a chance encounter at Court, Safi meets Prince Merik and makes him a reluctant ally. However, his help may not slow down the Bloodwitch now hot on the girls' heels. All Safi and Iseult want is their freedom, but danger lies ahead. With war coming, treaties breaking and a magical contagion sweeping the land, the friends will have to fight emperors and mercenaries alike. For some will stop at nothing to get their hands on a Truthwitch.]]>
416 Susan Dennard Valerie 0 to-read 3.85 2016 Truthwitch (The Witchlands, #1)
author: Susan Dennard
name: Valerie
average rating: 3.85
book published: 2016
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2016/11/17
shelves: to-read
review:

]]>
<![CDATA[The Thief's Daughter (Kingfountain, #2)]]> 29106936 Owen Kiskaddon first came to the court of the formidable King Severn as a prisoner, winning favor with the stormy monarch by masquerading as a boy truly blessed by the Fountain. Nine years hence, the once-fearful Owen has grown into a confident young man, mentored in battle and politics by Duke Horwath and deeply in love with his childhood friend, the duke’s granddaughter. But the blissful future Owen and Elysabeth Mortimer anticipate seems doomed by the king’s machinations.

A pretender to Severn’s throne has vowed to seize the crown of Kingfountain. But Severn means to combat the threat by using Elysabeth as bait to snare the imposter—and forcing Owen, as a pawn in the dangerous charade, to choose between duty and devotion. With poisoners and spies circling ominously, and war looming on the horizon, Owen must make painful sacrifices to beat back the advancing shadows of death and disaster. Will Owen’s conflicted heart follow the king’s path or will he risk everything for love?

]]>
368 Jeff Wheeler 1503990001 Valerie 5 4.39 2016 The Thief's Daughter (Kingfountain, #2)
author: Jeff Wheeler
name: Valerie
average rating: 4.39
book published: 2016
rating: 5
read at:
date added: 2016/11/08
shelves:
review:

]]>
<![CDATA[The King's Traitor (Kingfountain, #3)]]> 29386955 Against all odds, Owen Kiskaddon grew from frightened boy to confident youth to trusted officer in the court of Kingfountain—and watched its regent, Severn Argentine, grow ever more ruthless and power-mad. Robbed of his beloved protector, his noble mentor, and his true love, Owen has anticipated the day when the king he fears and reviles, yet loyally serves, will be toppled. Now, as Severn plots a campaign of conquest, the time has come to take action…and Owen’s destiny demands that he lead the strike.

Ordered to incite war with a neighboring kingdom, Owen discovers its beautiful, reclusive ruler, whose powerful magic might even exceed his own. Together they mount a daring plot to overthrow the corrupt monarch, crown the rightful heir, and defeat the prophesied curse threatening Kingfountain with wintry death. But Severn’s evil is as bottomless as the fabled Deep Fathoms. To keep his ill-gotten throne, he’ll gladly spill the blood of enemies and innocents alike.

]]>
386 Jeff Wheeler 1503992721 Valerie 5 4.48 2016 The King's Traitor (Kingfountain, #3)
author: Jeff Wheeler
name: Valerie
average rating: 4.48
book published: 2016
rating: 5
read at:
date added: 2016/11/08
shelves:
review:

]]>
<![CDATA[The Fifth Season (The Broken Earth, #1)]]> 19161852
Three terrible things happen in a single day. Essun, a woman living an ordinary life in a small town, comes home to find that her husband has brutally murdered their son and kidnapped their daughter. Meanwhile, mighty Sanze -- the world-spanning empire whose innovations have been civilization's bedrock for a thousand years -- collapses as most of its citizens are murdered to serve a madman's vengeance. And worst of all, across the heart of the vast continent known as the Stillness, a great red rift has been torn into the heart of the earth, spewing ash enough to darken the sky for years. Or centuries.

Now Essun must pursue the wreckage of her family through a deadly, dying land. Without sunlight, clean water, or arable land, and with limited stockpiles of supplies, there will be war all across the Stillness: a battle royale of nations not for power or territory, but simply for the basic resources necessary to get through the long dark night. Essun does not care if the world falls apart around her. She'll break it herself, if she must, to save her daughter.]]>
468 N.K. Jemisin Valerie 0 to-read 4.29 2015 The Fifth Season (The Broken Earth, #1)
author: N.K. Jemisin
name: Valerie
average rating: 4.29
book published: 2015
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2016/09/13
shelves: to-read
review:

]]>
Fated (Dark Protectors, #1) 10286746 Librarian Note: This is the original cover edition of ASIN: B004IWR36U. The alternate cover edition is here.

Marry Me

Cara Paulsen does not give up easily. A scientist and a single mother, she's used to fighting for what she wants, keeping a cool head, and doing whatever it takes to protect her daughter Janie. But "whatever it takes" has never before included a shotgun wedding to a dangerous-looking stranger with an attitude problem...

Or Else

Sure, the mysterious Talen says that he's there to protect Cara and Janie. He also says that he's a three-hundred-year-old vampire. Of course, the way he touches her, Cara might actually believe he's had that long to practice...]]>
337 Rebecca Zanetti Valerie 2
I'm determined to finish reading this because I purchased it online; but along with a few other readers on here, I'm having a problem with the over-dominant lead male and the squishy squashy submissive lead female. Throughout the book, I'm getting hints of some great magic and paranormal things... like the Earth speaking to her psychic daughter, tragic events of her past, a bit of history of the different races... but every time the lead female even so much as disagrees with her "mate" (that was forced on her with barely an argument), he throws her down and screws her til she "sees stars". I'm starting to skim through the frequent sex scenes just to get on with the story-line. I love passion and good sex, but I know personally that if someone impaled me *to the hilt*, and made me sensitive and sore every morning - annnd, referring to that as *taming* me when I so much as lifted my chin in defiance. I don't think I would like that very much... no matter how hot or "well endowed" the guy was. It's basically sugar-coated rape.

It's just not my thing, unfortunately.

PS: It's been 2 years since I wrote this review; I never finished the book after all.]]>
4.00 2011 Fated (Dark Protectors, #1)
author: Rebecca Zanetti
name: Valerie
average rating: 4.00
book published: 2011
rating: 2
read at:
date added: 2015/10/28
shelves:
review:
Oh my... I really hate putting down a negative review, as I can't imagine how much time and dedication it takes to write a novel.

I'm determined to finish reading this because I purchased it online; but along with a few other readers on here, I'm having a problem with the over-dominant lead male and the squishy squashy submissive lead female. Throughout the book, I'm getting hints of some great magic and paranormal things... like the Earth speaking to her psychic daughter, tragic events of her past, a bit of history of the different races... but every time the lead female even so much as disagrees with her "mate" (that was forced on her with barely an argument), he throws her down and screws her til she "sees stars". I'm starting to skim through the frequent sex scenes just to get on with the story-line. I love passion and good sex, but I know personally that if someone impaled me *to the hilt*, and made me sensitive and sore every morning - annnd, referring to that as *taming* me when I so much as lifted my chin in defiance. I don't think I would like that very much... no matter how hot or "well endowed" the guy was. It's basically sugar-coated rape.

It's just not my thing, unfortunately.

PS: It's been 2 years since I wrote this review; I never finished the book after all.
]]>
<![CDATA[The Blight of Muirwood (Legends of Muirwood, #2)]]> 16202167 453 Jeff Wheeler 1612187013 Valerie 5
PS: for those of you that are into paranormal romance - you won't find any sex in these books - just a good story.]]>
4.17 2011 The Blight of Muirwood (Legends of Muirwood, #2)
author: Jeff Wheeler
name: Valerie
average rating: 4.17
book published: 2011
rating: 5
read at: 2014/03/10
date added: 2015/03/18
shelves:
review:
Where do I begin?? I just love this series - it reminds me of Terry Brooks really - and that is a good thing! I love that it is so spiritual too - it makes me think and it makes me yearn. I don't want to get into what it's about (I'm lazy) - I just want to say that I love this series, and I love the world the author has created. Looking forward to many more stories! :)

PS: for those of you that are into paranormal romance - you won't find any sex in these books - just a good story.
]]>
<![CDATA[The Wretched of Muirwood (Legends of Muirwood, #1)]]> 15954540
All but doomed, her days are spent toiling away as a kitchen slave under the charge of the Aldermaston, the Abbey’s watchful overseer. But when an injured squire named Colvin is abandoned at the kitchen’s doorstep, an opportunity arises.

The nefarious Sheriff Almaguer soon starts a manhunt for Colvin, and Lia conspires to hide Colvin and change her fate. In the midst of a land torn by a treacherous war between a ruthless king and a rebel army, Lia finds herself on an ominous journey that will push her to wonder if her own hidden magic is enough to set things right.

At once captivating, mysterious, and magic-infused, The Wretched of Muirwood takes the classic fantasy adventure and paints it with a story instantly epic, and yet, all its own.]]>
302 Jeff Wheeler 1612187005 Valerie 5
PS: for those of you that are into paranormal romance - you won't find any sex in these books - just a good story.]]>
4.00 2011 The Wretched of Muirwood (Legends of Muirwood, #1)
author: Jeff Wheeler
name: Valerie
average rating: 4.00
book published: 2011
rating: 5
read at: 2015/03/05
date added: 2015/03/18
shelves:
review:
Where do I begin?? I just love this series - it reminds me of Terry Brooks really - and that is a good thing! I love that it is so spiritual too - it makes me think and it makes me yearn. I don't want to get into what it's about (I'm lazy) - I just want to say that I love this series and I love the world the author has created. Looking forward to many more stories! :)

PS: for those of you that are into paranormal romance - you won't find any sex in these books - just a good story.
]]>
<![CDATA[The Thinking Woman's Guide to Real Magic (The Thinking Woman's Guide to Real Magic, #1)]]> 16158565 The Thinking Woman’s Guide to Real Magic is sure to capture the imaginations of readers everywhere.

During a miserable weekend at a friend’s wedding, eager to forget about her disastrous breakup and stalled dissertation, Nora Fischer wanders off and somehow finds herself in another realm. There, she meets glamorous Ilissa—who introduces Nora to a decadent new world—and her gorgeous son Raclin. But when the elegant veneer of this dreamland shatters, Nora finds herself in a fairy tale gone incredibly wrong. And the only way she can survive is by learning real magic herself.]]>
563 Emily Croy Barker 0670023663 Valerie 5
I stumbled upon this book while visiting the new Halifax library with a friend - I loved the cover and the synopsis, so I sat down with the book to read the first few pages. I loved the author's writing style and checked the book out immediately.

First off - I know plenty about the legend and folklore of the Faeries... if you don't know your fables, then you might be scratching your head about how fast things evolve in the first few chapters... but you have to keep in mind that the character was under enchantments the minute she came upon the beautiful property during her morning walk. This sudden thirst comes over her, and conveniently, there's some juice on the table in the garden... she thinks that it's rude to take a drink, but her crazy thirst wins out - anyone who knows their faerie folklore, knows that drinking or eating something after entering their realm is a big no no!

Anyway.. Nora ends up in this other realm/world... is enchanted into marrying a handsome prince, gets preggo by him, then she peeves him off and he shows her the monster he really is - and nearly kills her in the process. She escapes (unfortunately loses the baby) and finds herself under the care of a magician who finally agrees to teach her how to use magic while she stays at (and works for) his household. This new world is very medieval; and just like medieval times in our world, women don't have too many rights. Magic is used everywhere for nearly everything - perhaps this is why the world remains so medieval - lots of magic, but no technology.

We follow her on this great adventure of learning magic and finding her way home. This book does have an ending... it does not leave you hanging like other reviewers have said. But it does end in a way that you know there's going to be a sequel.

There is not much, if any, sex either... so if you need explicit sexual context, you won't get it here. Anyway... I definitely recommend this book!
]]>
3.51 2013 The Thinking Woman's Guide to Real Magic (The Thinking Woman's Guide to Real Magic, #1)
author: Emily Croy Barker
name: Valerie
average rating: 3.51
book published: 2013
rating: 5
read at: 2015/02/06
date added: 2015/02/09
shelves:
review:
BIGGEST LESSON I've learned after reading this book is to never again judge a book completely by other reviews on a site... granted, there are some crappy books out there - but get a sample of the book before you just take other people's word as final.

I stumbled upon this book while visiting the new Halifax library with a friend - I loved the cover and the synopsis, so I sat down with the book to read the first few pages. I loved the author's writing style and checked the book out immediately.

First off - I know plenty about the legend and folklore of the Faeries... if you don't know your fables, then you might be scratching your head about how fast things evolve in the first few chapters... but you have to keep in mind that the character was under enchantments the minute she came upon the beautiful property during her morning walk. This sudden thirst comes over her, and conveniently, there's some juice on the table in the garden... she thinks that it's rude to take a drink, but her crazy thirst wins out - anyone who knows their faerie folklore, knows that drinking or eating something after entering their realm is a big no no!

Anyway.. Nora ends up in this other realm/world... is enchanted into marrying a handsome prince, gets preggo by him, then she peeves him off and he shows her the monster he really is - and nearly kills her in the process. She escapes (unfortunately loses the baby) and finds herself under the care of a magician who finally agrees to teach her how to use magic while she stays at (and works for) his household. This new world is very medieval; and just like medieval times in our world, women don't have too many rights. Magic is used everywhere for nearly everything - perhaps this is why the world remains so medieval - lots of magic, but no technology.

We follow her on this great adventure of learning magic and finding her way home. This book does have an ending... it does not leave you hanging like other reviewers have said. But it does end in a way that you know there's going to be a sequel.

There is not much, if any, sex either... so if you need explicit sexual context, you won't get it here. Anyway... I definitely recommend this book!

]]>
<![CDATA[First Bitten (Alexandra Jones, #1)]]> 13421819
Walking home after a night out drowning her sorrows with her best friend, Carrie, Alexandra Jones stupidly takes a phone call from her cheating ex-boyfriend, Eddie, and in her anger hurls her phone into the forest before her.

But when Alex goes to retrieve her phone from the undergrowth, she and Carrie come face-to-face with a monster they never even knew existed, a Vârcolac (a nightmarish vampire-werewolf hybrid) and he's in search of fresh blood. The next thing Alex knows, she is staring at the impossibly handsome but mysterious Nathan who has helped bring her back to life, but not to the life she left.

To her horror, she discovers she has now become a blood-drinking Vârcolac herself and she is the only female of her kind, with the potential for breeding a whole new army of Vârcolacs if they can only track her down and press her into service.

And while Alex gets to know Nathan and his shape-shifting family as they offer her the protection she so desperately needs, unbeknown to all of them, the Vârcolacs are getting closer …]]>
272 Samantha Towle Valerie 4
________________________________________________________

Ahhhh! Okay! I'm almost done this book - I'm very glad that I purchased the next one in this series so that I can read it ASAP!

I read a lot of great reviews that made me purchase this book; then, I saw a few negative reviews that made me wonder if I might not like it. I finally started reading it on a rainy day to get my own opinion! :)

Sooo... In my opinion, this book is a great introduction to the characters and the story that is about to unfold. In some of the negative reviews it was mentioned that the lead character was a "whiner", but I actually truly felt what she was feeling at the losses that she experiencing - not to mention that she's only a young woman. I cried with her at some points. I like Alex!

The book just kept getting better the more I read.

I'm looking forward to see what happens next!]]>
3.82 2012 First Bitten (Alexandra Jones, #1)
author: Samantha Towle
name: Valerie
average rating: 3.82
book published: 2012
rating: 4
read at:
date added: 2015/02/08
shelves:
review:
UPDATE: THE AUTHOR HAS NOT FINISHED THIS SERIES, nor does it seem that she plans to anytime soon; then I've just read that she's planning on wrapping the story up with a novella - I would not bother getting this because there is no ending.

________________________________________________________

Ahhhh! Okay! I'm almost done this book - I'm very glad that I purchased the next one in this series so that I can read it ASAP!

I read a lot of great reviews that made me purchase this book; then, I saw a few negative reviews that made me wonder if I might not like it. I finally started reading it on a rainy day to get my own opinion! :)

Sooo... In my opinion, this book is a great introduction to the characters and the story that is about to unfold. In some of the negative reviews it was mentioned that the lead character was a "whiner", but I actually truly felt what she was feeling at the losses that she experiencing - not to mention that she's only a young woman. I cried with her at some points. I like Alex!

The book just kept getting better the more I read.

I'm looking forward to see what happens next!
]]>
<![CDATA[The Angel Stone (Fairwick Chronicles, #3)]]> 17365139
For Callie McFay, a half-witch/half-fey professor of folklore and Gothic literature, the fight to save the enchanted town of Fairwick, New York, is far from over. After a hostile takeover by the Grove—a sinister group of witches and their cohorts—many of the local fey have been banished or killed, including Callie’s one true love. And in place of the spirit of tolerance and harmony, the new administration at Fairwick College has fostered an air of danger and distrust.

With her unique magical abilities, Callie is the only one who can rescue her friends from exile and restore order to the school—a task that requires her to find the Angel Stone, a legendary talisman of immense power. Propelled on an extraordinary quest back to seventeenth-century Scotland, Callie risks her life to obtain the stone. Yet when she encounters a sexy incarnation of her lost love, she finds the greater risk is to her heart. As the fate of Fairwick hangs in the balance, Callie must make a wrenching choice: reclaim a chance for eternal passion or save everything she holds dear.]]>
288 Juliet Dark 0345533402 Valerie 0 to-read 3.95 2013 The Angel Stone (Fairwick Chronicles, #3)
author: Juliet Dark
name: Valerie
average rating: 3.95
book published: 2013
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2015/02/05
shelves: to-read
review:

]]>
Refuge (Relentless, #2) 20883154
As the weeks pass, Sara builds new relationships, copes with her new trainers, and tries to manage her ever-changing powers, while keeping her unique heritage a secret. Looming in the background is the constant shadow of the Master who will do anything to find her.

Sara finds herself on a journey of self-discovery that uncovers her true strengths and awakens a part of her she never knew existed. She experiences the delight of new friendships, the sweetness and pain of first love, and a loss so deep it could be the thing that finally breaks her. At the end of it all, she discovers that the one place she was supposed to be safe might not be the refuge she thought it was.]]>
309 Karen Lynch Valerie 5
What can I say?? I truly loved it! I have a very vivid imagination and Ms. Lynch was able to take me through her world with her characters as if I were really there. If you love a world filled with magic and mysterious creatures; if you've ever walked through a forest or an old house and didn't feel quite alone; if you love to immerse yourself in a world where what "might be" actually *is* - this is a great story for you. :)

This is a YA book - so the characters and situations are typical of teenagers and new adults. Just add the fact that they live in a world full of demons, vampires, Fae, werewolves, etc. :) The main character - Sara - has a lovely maturity and compassion about her that allows me to relate to someone much younger then me.

To sum it up - I am very much looking forward to more stories from Ms. Lynch and am very excited to have found another amazing author!]]>
4.48 2014 Refuge (Relentless, #2)
author: Karen Lynch
name: Valerie
average rating: 4.48
book published: 2014
rating: 5
read at: 2014/12/09
date added: 2014/12/11
shelves:
review:
After reading the first book of this series last spring, I couldn't wait to read the second installment - I found the author's page on Facebook; and through that, I was able to get a review copy of the 2nd book.

What can I say?? I truly loved it! I have a very vivid imagination and Ms. Lynch was able to take me through her world with her characters as if I were really there. If you love a world filled with magic and mysterious creatures; if you've ever walked through a forest or an old house and didn't feel quite alone; if you love to immerse yourself in a world where what "might be" actually *is* - this is a great story for you. :)

This is a YA book - so the characters and situations are typical of teenagers and new adults. Just add the fact that they live in a world full of demons, vampires, Fae, werewolves, etc. :) The main character - Sara - has a lovely maturity and compassion about her that allows me to relate to someone much younger then me.

To sum it up - I am very much looking forward to more stories from Ms. Lynch and am very excited to have found another amazing author!
]]>
<![CDATA[Original Sin (Alexandra Jones, #2)]]> 13612975
Alex has run. Leaving everything she knows and loves � Nathan, behind. She’s a fugitive; hiding from the Original Vârcolacs who want to claim her for themselves.

Hiding in Italy, she has changed her identity and her appearance; working in a coffee shop in the quiet town of Sassano.

Then Zeff steps into her life. He’s solid, sturdy, but more so he’s human � he’s someone real, tangible, a friend throwing her a lifeline in a world of loneliness.

Believing she's safe from attack, nothing prepares Alex for what's lurking in the woods, on her doorstep, intoxicating her into a web of control and deceit.

Danger is closer than her shadow ... the hunt is on again, forcing Alex into the hardest dilemma yet.]]>
278 Samantha Towle 1479276278 Valerie 4 4.14 2012 Original Sin (Alexandra Jones, #2)
author: Samantha Towle
name: Valerie
average rating: 4.14
book published: 2012
rating: 4
read at:
date added: 2014/10/27
shelves:
review:

]]>
<![CDATA[Warrior's Angel (The Lost Angels, #4)]]> 22728349
Rhiannon Dante is a woman who has combatted the world’s villains her entire life. A beautiful orphan with a checkered past, a hot head, and a large dose of supernatural power, she spends her days rescuing innocents, and her nights preparing for her next dangerous, covert job. She’s careful, well connected, and determined. But no one is perfect. And one day, she slips up � and Detective Michael Salvatore comes knocking on her door, turning her world completely upside down.

While Michael struggles to control a curse that plagues him with newly acquired very dark and very dangerous powers, and Rhiannon contends with an entire species bent on enslaving her, the two fated lost angels face one another in a battle of wills and undeniable desire that will either bring them together forever � or destroy them once and for all.

Warrior’s Angel is book five in The Lost Angels series by New York Times bestselling author Heather Killough-Walden, and follows Always Angel, Avenger’s Angel, Messenger’s Angel, and Death’s Angel.]]>
Heather Killough-Walden 1311060391 Valerie 4 4.10 2014 Warrior's Angel (The Lost Angels, #4)
author: Heather Killough-Walden
name: Valerie
average rating: 4.10
book published: 2014
rating: 4
read at: 2014/10/27
date added: 2014/10/27
shelves:
review:

]]>
<![CDATA[Dark Skye (Immortals After Dark, #14)]]> 18775652 Immortals After Dark series, #1 New York Times bestselling author Kresley Cole spins a sultry tale of a mighty warrior scarred inside and out and the beguiling sorceress with the power to heal him—or vanquish him forever.

ETERNAL OBSESSION

As a boy, Thronos, prince of Skye Hall, loved Lanthe, a mischievous Sorceri girl who made him question everything about his Vrekener clan. But when the two got caught in the middle of their families� war, tragedy struck, leaving Thronos and Lanthe bitter enemies. Though centuries have passed, nothing can cool his seething need for the beautiful enchantress who scarred his body—and left an even deeper impression on his soul.

ENDLESS YEARNING

Lanthe, a once-formidable sorceress struggling to reclaim her gifts, searches for love and acceptance with all the wrong immortal suitors. But she’s never forgotten Thronos, the magnificent silver-eyed boy who protected her until she was ripped from the shelter of his arms. One harrowing night changed everything between them. Now he’s a notorious warlord with a blood vendetta against Lanthe, hunting her relentlessly.

CAN THE HEAT OF DESIRE BURN BRIGHTER THAN VENGEANCE?

With their families locked in conflict and battles raging all around them, will Thronos and Lanthe succumb to the brutal chaos that threatens everything they cherish? Or will the fragile bond they formed so long ago spark a passion strong enough to withstand even the darkest doubts?]]>
420 Kresley Cole 1451649940 Valerie 4 4.27 2014 Dark Skye (Immortals After Dark, #14)
author: Kresley Cole
name: Valerie
average rating: 4.27
book published: 2014
rating: 4
read at:
date added: 2014/09/05
shelves:
review:

]]>
<![CDATA[The Seelie King (The Kings #5)]]> 21796457
Thousands of years ago, the sovereigns of the Fae lands issued a decree: The Wishers would die. Powerful magics were called forth, and in an act never before or since accomplished, both light and dark, both Seelie and Unseelie gathered together in their courts and combined their powers. The Wishers were annihilated.

However... legends told how the strongest and most fortunate few managed to escape and hide themselves amongst humans in the mortal realm.

But thousands of years passed with no sign of these legendary Wishers.

They were declared extinct.

And in its rareness, in its extinctness, the lost, most powerful class of the fae, in fact became sacred.


There are a lot of things Selene Trystaine would change about the world if she could. Injustices press in, apathy reigns, and unkindness seems to have taken hold in the crevices of humanity. So when she learns that she is not who she has always believed herself to be and destiny presents her with her birthright, she must battle with her inner demons, even while the handsome and powerful king of those who’d once attempted to destroy her kind discovers her � and begins an all-out attack of seduction on her senses.

No one knows Avery’s true name. He’s the king of the Seelie Fae, a powerful and ancient man who has ruled a beautiful and dangerous world in solitude for longer than human history has been recorded. And he has no reason to believe this solitude will ever change�. Until the other sovereigns of the thirteen kingdoms begin finding their queens one after another. And suddenly, on a hot Spring day, Selene Trystaine appears beside the river Thames like a mirage made real.

A fiery soul, a gift of untold magic, and a Changeling without a clue as to who she is are about to turn the supernatural world upside down. But as a new and terrible war is sparked between good and evil, and the losses become insurmountable, Selene and Avery are going to learn that no matter who or what you are� you must be careful what you wish for.]]>
229 Heather Killough-Walden Valerie 4
When I was younger - and sometimes even now - I'll walk through a place and imagine things that I can not see or... and if it's an especially beautiful place - I'll feel a kind of magic there that seems so tangible but so untouchable too.

Having this kind of imagination and appreciation really makes me "get" it. Heather brings to life the things that we can only imagine or fantasize about! (I know I'd be wishing for all sorts of things! haha!)

I also enjoyed catching up with the other characters - I am confident that although there is so much evil and heart-break happening at the moment - that we'll get a happy ending. *crossing fingers*

Another great installment of the series!]]>
4.13 2014 The Seelie King (The Kings #5)
author: Heather Killough-Walden
name: Valerie
average rating: 4.13
book published: 2014
rating: 4
read at: 2014/06/24
date added: 2014/06/25
shelves:
review:
That's what people need to always keep in mind - that this is a modern-day fairy tale :)

When I was younger - and sometimes even now - I'll walk through a place and imagine things that I can not see or... and if it's an especially beautiful place - I'll feel a kind of magic there that seems so tangible but so untouchable too.

Having this kind of imagination and appreciation really makes me "get" it. Heather brings to life the things that we can only imagine or fantasize about! (I know I'd be wishing for all sorts of things! haha!)

I also enjoyed catching up with the other characters - I am confident that although there is so much evil and heart-break happening at the moment - that we'll get a happy ending. *crossing fingers*

Another great installment of the series!
]]>