Dark Fantasy

Walking home late one night, burned-out barista Nell accidentally incinerates someone. Whoopsie! Now, if this tale began in a fantastic far-away land, or Nell was, perhaps, a wizard, such a mishap might make some kind of sense. But this is not a wondrous fantasy world. This is real life, and Nell just wanted to go home and eat macaroni. As Nell stares at the smoldering corpse, she realizes something with horrifying certainty: She's magic. And not the cute pulling-a-rabbit-from-a-hat kind of magic.

Una Hartstone, Princess of Issos, learns the price the Wraith King demands to end the war once and for all—Her. In exchange for the safety of her people, she agrees to give her life—and her body—to her greatest enemy. Gollaya Verbane is determined to fulfill his destiny and his god's prophecy. When his seer points to the Princess of Issos as the key to the rise of the dark fae, he demands her submission. But when she finally yields, he realizes Una is much more to him than a priceless weapon.

This short story collection will take you into the depths of Beck’s dark imagination: from what happens when the deepest bore hole on Earth has just passed nine miles and hits a strange open space – and it's hellishly hot down there; to an Antarctic research team examining fragments from a deep ice glacier and discovers a tiny seed that, once thawed, grows into something terrifyingly unexpected.

Intrigue and danger enter Brydie MacKay's life when Gage walks into her carefully controlled world. He brings news that her grandmother has died, and as her last living relative, Brydie has inherited her estate and must travel to Scotland to accept her legacy and all it entails. Brydie doesn't want the inheritance, not after the way she was treated, and when a series of actions unfold that illustrate her "legacy" is not just a physical entity but a turbulent birthright proclaiming she is the descendant of the Celtic winter goddess, Cailleach Bheur, she tries to run.

For centuries, vampires freely roamed the land until the Grays came out of nowhere, wiping out half the population in a night. The survivors fled to the last vampire city of First Light, where the rules are simple. If you’re poor, you drink weak blood. If you’re nobility, you get the good stuff. And you can never, ever leave. Palace maid Sam has had enough of these rules, and she’s definitely had enough of cleaning the bedpans of the lords who enforce them. When the son of the city’s ruler is murdered, she seizes the chance to blackmail her way into a better class and better blood.

Clara Woods is a killer—and perfectly fine with it, too. So what if she takes a couple of lives to make her own a little bit better? At the bottom of her garden is a flower bed, long overgrown, where her late husband rests in peace—or so she’s always thought. Then the girls arrive. Lily and Violet are her nieces, recently orphaned after their affluent parents died on an ill-fated anniversary trip. In accordance with their parents’ will, the sisters are to go to their closest relative—who happens to be Clara.

Born the forbidden child of two Aura, magical beings possessing god-gifted powers, she carries a burden of title. Prized a weapon of destruction by her father and hunted as a monster of carnage by others. The odds knew no favor to the wicked or kind in Numengarth, but Snowlin turned human, powerless, and a disappointment to the creator who intended to wield her in his claim for power over the continent. After twelve years disparaged into exile, she sets to return and claim what the realm owed her: revenge on both her father and the night king who hunted to take more than her life.

Gefangen zwischen einer Rebellion und der Herrschaft eines Tyrannen. Nyra ist auf der Flucht vor dem grausamen König von Marmoris – ihrem Vater! Dass sie dabei in ständiger Gefahr schwebt, nimmt sie in Kauf. Allerdings darf niemand erfahren, wer sie in Wahrheit ist. Vor allem nicht die Rebellen, die sie unterwegs aufgreifen und zwingen, sich ihrer Sache anzuschließen.

Tess Bellamy’s return home is anything but triumphant. She’s decided Hollywood isn’t for her, resigned to a normal life of caring for her ailing mother. Linna Severand would be a powerful sorceress…if she could escape her family’s mansion, and usurp their control of her magic. Gabriel Majeaux once tried to save the world from evil. Now he’s the last of his kind, moving from place to place to avoid detection. After a series of horrifying events, their lives collide…and if they aren’t prepared, it’s unlikely they’ll survive.

The Woods All Black is a story of passion, prejudice, and power—an Appalachian period piece that explores reproductive justice and bodily autonomy, the terrors of small-town religiosity, and the necessity of fighting tooth and claw to live as who you truly are.

"Ich bin Seth, Herr von Ombos, Sohn von Nut. Herrscher über Deshret, Erschaffer von Feuer und Chaos – und Barkeeper in Nevada. Zumindest war ich das, bevor ich am Arsch der Welt einem Wichser nachstellen musste, der mein Zeug geklaut hat." "Sie haben etwas, das dir gehört :( Hole es zurück, oder sie werden es benutzen!" Die Nachricht einer alten Feindin führt den gefallenen Chaosgott Seth nach Kanada. Fernab seiner Wahlheimat begibt Seth sich auf die Suche nach einem zerstörerischen Teil seiner Kräfte, von dem er sich vor Langem losgesagt hat.

Secrets of the Forsaken: Into the Depths of Dread plunges you into a realm of dark fantasy, supernatural terrors, and chilling horror. These tales of restless ghosts, vengeful poltergeists, and seductive, forbidden magic will leave you questioning what is real and what is ... otherworldly. From occult secrets and sinister rituals to haunting glimpses of the afterlife, and fearsome creatures of the forest, this collection captures the terrifying and the unexplainable.

Düster-romantische Fantasy in einer viktorianischen Welt - für Hörer*innen von Leigh Bardugo und Erin Morgensterns "Der Nachtzirkus": "Manchmal, wenn ich durch die Gitterstäbe in ihre Gesichter blicke, stelle ich mir vor, dass in Wirklichkeit sie diejenigen sind, die in einem Käfig sitzen. Dass ich mich an einem sehr kleinen Ort der Freiheit befinde und die Welt um mich herum ein sehr großer Käfig ist, in dem sie alle gefangen sind." Schattenmädchen. Dämonin. Scheusal ... Louise hat viele Namen. Eingesperrt in einen Käfig wird sie im Zirkus Ora als Monster ausgestellt.

Als Mary zum einundzwanzigsten Geburtstag ihrer jüngeren Schwester Moira nach Hause aufs Land fahren muss, ist sie nicht gerade begeistert. Nach dem Tod der Eltern sind die beiden Schwestern bei ihrer strengen Tante aufgewachsen, die Moira immer bevorzugt hat. Als diese zum Geburtstag nun auch noch die Kette ihrer verstorbenen Mutter bekommt, ist Mary zutiefst verletzt. Die Schwestern geraten in einen Streit, bei dem das Amulett in den Brunnen im Garten ihrer Tante fällt. Mary bleibt nichts anderes übrig, als hinterherzuklettern.

An ordinary night takes a terrifying turn for a young woman. A haunting figure emerges from the shadows as she navigates a treacherous part of town. With a smooth, unsettling charm and eyes like molten lava, he introduces himself.

Violent visions have haunted Meghan her entire life, but little does she know they have a reason and a purpose. When she arrives in the Afterworld, she learns her true identity: Megaera, one of the furies and goddess of envious wrath, cursed by Kronos, the Titan king himself. And if that wasn't bad enough, the gorgeous shapeshifter, Aaron, wants to deliver her to Hades, while the Olympian gods will stop at nothing to kill her for good. Can she break the curse without it breaking her first?

Newly promoted Watch Officer Thea March is assigned her very first death investigation. Someone has brutally killed a young woman and dumped her body in an empty warehouse. The only real clue left at the scene points to one of the elite—the Ageless—as being involved. The Watch might ignore one anonymous woman's death, but when more bodies appear, killed in the same way, the deaths attract the attention of the ruling elite, and Mage Niath is assigned to work with Thea to hunt down the killer.

Yet another village full of complaints. Daine listened, delivered all the justice she had power to give, and prepared to move on. All in a day's work for a Knight of the Road. Of course, some disliked her intrusion into their schemes, but they were of little concern. They had tried to stop her before and would doubtless try again. Things change when Daine is charged with the protection of a simple stable boy. Shadows gather around those like Daine who seek to bring light, and their eyes are fixed on the boy.

A wonderfully chilling collection of stories that includes a terrifying trip to Miskatonic University, a frightening forage into the jungles of Peru, an enlightening journey to end of the world, and other treks into the dark unknown.

After a painful reminder of a death close to home, Jonathan, a young nurse, finds himself in a depressive spiral. An accident leaves him fighting for his own life and he slips into a coma— only to awaken trapped inside it. With his life support on the verge of being switched off, he must confront his past and decide whether life is worth fighting for— or if it's time to let go.

Alyx was not born to be an assassin, but life is hard for orphaned children in the kingdom. With no other choice, she picks up the blade and forges herself into a weapon, becoming part of an infamous underworld gang, the Daggers. Years later, despite her cold-heartedness, she saves a man from a fate worse than death. That man turns out to be none other than the king. With his sights set on Alyx and the skills she possesses, he offers her a deal she cannot refuse—pretend to be his betrothed and discover who is plotting to kill him in return for everything she has ever desired.

For over thirty years, the city of Seboia has barricaded itself against the Gods Cursed kingdom of Brecca and its monstrous creations. Now, the Soulless' numbers are swelling, and their attacks are rising in frequency—an ominous prelude for the darkness sure to come. Captain of the Guard, Darius, must remain focused on his duty to protect his kingdom. But when a group of foreigners arrives in Seboia, their alluring leader becomes an unwanted distraction. A scarred beauty with a sharp mind and even sharper tongue, Lena rouses an all-consuming hunger within the Fire Immortal.

Kyla must trade her pen for a sword and fight to change her story's ending, but this isn’t a fantasy anymore. No happily-ever-after is guaranteed. And mental illness has robbed her of everything she needs to succeed: love, fighting spirit, hope. If Kyla can’t overcome the darkness inside her, she’ll die with her darlings.

Abused and neglected by her cruel parents, she seeks solace in the shadows, unaware of the darkness that lurks within her soul. When a sinister pact is forged with a dark witch, Caroline's fate is sealed, and she is thrust into a world of forbidden magic and unrelenting despair.

In this new collection, C.L. Phillips delves into the nature of relationships. A family of magic users faces their past. A witch tries to understand her executioners. A father and son share a traumatic bonding experience. A man makes his way home, crossing a strange, dark land while searching for the love he left behind.

A floating fortress occupied by warrior gnomes. A castle made of sand. A derelict submarine guarded by malfunctioning machines. A haunted crypt surrounded by lethal traps. It was supposed to be easy. One bubble. Four castles. Fifteen days. Capture each one, and the stairwell is unlocked.

Kullen is the emperor’s assassin. The sharp hand of justice. The Black Talon. Gifted a soul-forged bond with his dragon, Umbris, Kullen is tasked with hunting any and all who oppose the empire. But when the secretive Crimson Fang murders two noblemen before his very eyes, Kullen must discover the truth of who they are and what they want. What he uncovers is a web of lies and deceit spiraling into the depths of Dimvein.

The Grand Hotel is a horror novel by esteemed best-selling author Scott Kenemore ( Zombie, Ohio) that takes the reader on a thrilling ride through an interconnected series of stories narrated by the desk clerk and the residents of the hotel itself. And while it is not known whether or not the desk clerk is actually the devil incarnate, it is strange that so many visitors who come for a tour of the hotel have a way of never leaving.

Prepare to meet the wicked progeny of the master of modern horror. In Lovecraft's Monsters, H. P. Lovecraft's most famous creations--Cthulhu, Shoggoths, Deep Ones, Elder Things, Yog-Sothoth, and more--appear in all their terrifying glory. Each story is a gripping new take on a classic Lovecraftian creature. Contributors include such literary luminaries as Neil Gaiman, Joe R. Lansdale, Caitlin R. Kiernan, Karl Edward Wagner, Elizabeth Bear, and Nick Mamatas.

Pour la première fois, la Tour Blanche est désunie. Alors que les sœurs renégates se sont regroupées à Salidar, Elaida règne toujours sur Tar Valon. Mais les deux camps partagent les mêmes ambitions pour Rand, le Dragon réincarné qui représente un allié potentiel de la première importance.

She is the last hope of good in the war against the evil sorceress known as the Lady. From a secret base on the Plains of Fear, where even the Lady hesitates to go, the Black Company, once in service to the Lady, now fights to bring victory to the White Rose. But now an even greater evil threatens the world. All the great battles that have gone before will seem a skirmishes when the Dominator rises from the grave.