As a kid, I was consistently described as one who had her head in the clouds. I was far away imagining all sorts of fantastical things; dragons soaring in the sky, a witch blasting a fireball in the grocery store, a werewolf coming to eat the gym teacher, the coffee barista is actually a vampire, etc. There is something alluring about supernatural beings existing in our often mundane world; whether they are being subjected to the same life we are or are wreaking havoc for any reason.
Tired of their existence being boiled down to myth and legend, supernatural beings start a revolution that threatens human existence and life as we know it. Follow the plight of three souls trying to survive in a world ravaged by supernatural war.
Alexa struggles to choose between her vampire boyfriend and her humanity while figuring out how best to survive with her young niece. Nikki embraces denial and disbelief until she grasps for her old life. Partying while waiting for rescue to come may prove disastrous. Jaiden is thrust between humans and supernaturals. The nightmares that plague her only show a glimpse of what is to come.
Nanette reignites storytelling when magic and storytelling are forbidden while walking a dangerous line with her sister.
E.S. Barrison weaves a story of relationships in times of suppression of truth and how destructive state-sanctioned propaganda can be.
This story rang hard on familiar stories of real-world issues placed in a magical world, and the danger of being someone willing to go against the religious state; touching on trauma, police brutality, and the rising cost of medicine.
This novella has a lot of interesting points on the power of stories.
Immerse yourself in a cozy coffee shop filled with fantasy ambience run by an orc.
Viv hangs up her sword to start a coffee shop in a magical world where coffee shops don’t entirely exist. Going from barbarian to coffee slinger with a loyal customer base is no small task.
The coffee shop setting is familiar to us all, as are the characters we visit. There is something comforting in reading about the mundane aspects of supernatural beings, and their similarities to us, while in a low-stakes environment.
High fantasy, low stakes - with a double-shot of coffee.
After decades of adventuring, Viv the orc barbarian is finally hanging up her sword for good. Now she sets her sights on a new dream - for she plans to open the first coffee shop in the city of Thune. Even though no one there knows what coffee actually is.
If Viv wants to put the past behind her, she can't go it alone. And help might arrive from unexpected quarters. Yet old rivals and new stand in the way of success. And Thune's shady underbelly could make it all…
Rose and Lissa are dragged back to a school for vampires; though it’s a fair bit more complicated than that, with vampires of different sorts and being able to wield magic.
Rose is Lissa’s bodyguard and the school trains their powers, so that Rose will be able to protect Lissa (who is a princess) when the time comes. Their lessons don’t stop them from getting into a whole swath of familiar teenage drama.
ONLY A TRUE BEST FRIEND CAN PROTECT YOU FROM IMMORTAL ENEMIES . . .
Lissa Dragomir is a mortal vampire. She must be protected at all times from the fiercest and most dangerous vampires of all - the ones who will never die.
Rose Hathaway is Lissa's best friend - and her bodyguard.
Now, after two years of illicit freedom, they've been dragged back inside the iron gates of St. Vladimir's Academy. The girls must survive a world of forbidden romances, a ruthless social scene and terrifying night-time rituals. But above…
Who hasn’t imagined the books they read coming to life in their living room or being able to dive into the fictional world? A father and daughter have a magical ability to do just that.
Unfortunately, the villain of one story was released and this sets them off on an adventure typically only available in books.
Meggie and Mo are an endearing father/daughter team while they navigate the consequences and reaches of their magic.
The first book in Cornelia Funke's internationally celebrated trilogy - magical, thrilling and mesmerising.
'I don't think I've ever read anything that conveys so well the joys, terrors and pitfalls of reading' Diana Wynne Jones
Meggie loves books. So does her father, Mo, a bookbinder, although he has never read aloud to her since her mother mysteriously disappeared. They live quietly until the night a stranger knocks at their door. He has come with a warning that forces Mo to reveal an extraordinary secret - a storytelling secret that will change their lives for ever.
Bella moves to Forks and befriends vampires and werewolves.
Things take a terrifying turn when she starts a romance with a vampire named Edward while a werewolf named Jacob also vies for her attention.
Twilight will always keep a special place as the first urban fantasy novel I read, that struck home the premise of supernaturals living in secret amoungst us.
When 17 year old Isabella Swan moves to Forks, Washington to live with her father she expects that her new life will be as dull as the town.
But in spite of her awkward manner and low expectations, she finds that her new classmates are drawn to this pale, dark-haired new girl in town. But not, it seems, the Cullen family. These five adopted brothers and sisters obviously prefer their own company and will make no exception for Bella.
Bella is convinced that Edward Cullen in particular hates her, but she feels a strange attraction to him, although his hostility…
The Hunt for the Peggy C is best described as Casablanca meets Das Boot. It is about an American smuggler who struggles to rescue a Jewish family on his rusty cargo ship, outraging his mutinous crew of misfits and provoking a hair-raising chase by a brutal Nazi U-boat captain bent on revenge.
During the nerve-wracking 3,000-mile escape, Rogers falls in love with the family’s eldest daughter, Miriam, a sweet medical student with a militant streak. Everything seems hopeless when Jake is badly wounded, and Miriam must prove she’s as tough as her rhetoric to put down a mutiny by some of Jake’s fed-up crew–just as the U-boat closes in for the kill.
The Hunt for the Peggy C: A World War II Maritime Thriller
John Winn Miller's THE HUNT FOR THE PEGGY C, a semifinalist in the Clive Cussler Adventure Writers Competition, captures the breathless suspense of early World War II in the North Atlantic. Captain Jake Rogers, experienced in running his tramp steamer through U-boat-infested waters to transport vital supplies and contraband to the highest bidder, takes on his most dangerous cargo yet after witnessing the oppression of Jews in Amsterdam: a Jewish family fleeing Nazi persecution.
The normally aloof Rogers finds himself drawn in by the family's warmth and faith, but he can't afford to let his guard down when Oberleutnant Viktor…
