Epic Magic

Masks, the first novel in a mesmerizing new fantasy series, draws readers into a world in which cataclysmic events have left the Autarchy of Aygrima - the one land blessed with magical resources - cut off from its former trading partners across the waters, not knowing if any of those distant peoples still live. Yet under the rule of the Autarch, Aygrima survives. And thanks to the creation of the Masks and the vigilance of the Autarch’s Watchers, no one can threaten the security of the empire.

Velsa is Grau's wife and a free woman - thanks to a lie. And the High Sorcerer's Palace is no place for keeping a secret, with its bustling social life of parties and balls. The beautiful princess with coveted magic, the doll girl heiress, the Peacock General and the blood-sucking gentleman from another realm - are they friends or enemies? Velsa is torn between her old role as a concubine and her place in a strange new world.

Young Lerris yearns to find a place in the world better suited to his skills and temperament. In Recluce this means taking one of two options: permanent exile from Recluce or the dangergeld, a complex, rule-laden wanderjahr in the lands beyond. Many do not survive. Lerris chooses dangergeld. Lerris will need magic in the lands beyond, where the power of the Chaos Wizards reigns unchecked, and he must learn to use his powers in an orderly way before his wanderjahr, or fall prey to Chaos.

Dara and Siv flee through the treacherous snows of Vertigon, injured and defeated, with enemies in pursuit. They don't know when they'll return to the mountain they love. If they make it to safety, they'll have to figure how to challenge the Lantern Maker and retake Siv's throne. But when one of them disappears, the other must travel into the wild on a desperate rescue mission. Dangers abound in the Lands Below, and this journey is only the beginning. As rumors of war spread across the land, Dara and Siv will have to fight to be together again.

For Ning, the only thing worse than losing her mother is knowing that it's her own fault. She was the one who unknowingly brewed the poison tea that killed her - the poison tea that now threatens to also take her sister, Shu. When Ning hears of a competition to find the kingdom's greatest shennong-shi - masters of the ancient and magical art of tea-making - she travels to the imperial city to compete. The winner will receive a favor from the princess, which may be Ning's only chance to save her sister's life.

Londons fall and kingdoms rise while darkness sweeps the Maresh Empire, and the fraught balance of magic blossoms into dangerous territory while heroes struggle. The direct sequel to A Gathering of Shadows and the final book in the Shades of Magic epic fantasy series, A Conjuring of Light sees the newly minted New York Times best-selling author V. E. Schwab reach a thrilling conclusion concerning the fate of beloved protagonists - and old foes.

Kate Daniels cleans up the paranormal problems no one else wants to deal with - especially if they involve Atlanta's shapeshifting community. And now there's a new player in town - a foe that may be too much for even Kate and Curran, the Lord of the Beasts, to handle. Because this time, Kate will be taking on family.

Kinch Na Shannack owes the Takers Guild a small fortune for his education as a thief, which includes (but is not limited to) lock-picking, knife-fighting, wall-scaling, fall-breaking, lie-weaving, trap-making, plus a few small magics. His debt has driven him to lie in wait by the old forest road, planning to rob the next traveler that crosses his path. But today, Kinch Na Shannack has picked the wrong mark.

Robin Hobb's thrilling Soldier Son trilogy comes to its conclusion in Renegade's Magic. Nevare Burvelle stands accused of a host of heinous crimes, including murder. And he remains under the thrall of the Speck magic that twists his psyche into a ruthless alter-ego. But all is not lost. Perhaps if he asserts control of this other self, he will emerge transformed and triumphant.

Ava Richardson presents book three in the Upon Dragon's Breath series. Young Dragon Rider Saffron and her faithful comrade, the rightful king Bower, have survived their first battle, but the war for Torvald is far from over. As both dragons and Riders struggle to return to the ways of old, from before the land fell into darkness, the evil king undermines their every move with spies and sabotage.

In the wake of the disastrous attack on the Golden City, Lady Light Spinner has become Grand Sorceress and Elaine, the Bookworm, has been settling into her positions as Head Librarian and Privy Councillor. But any hope of vanishing into her books is negated when a new magician of staggering power appears in the city, one whose abilities seem to defy the known laws of magic.

Listeners first met Anna Marshall in The Soprano Sorceress, when she wished to be anything other than a music teacher and singer in Iowa - this was before she was pulled into the world of Erde, where her gift of song became a gift of magic. Her musical ability has since given Anna influence, control, and the potential to be an enormously powerful sorceress. Now, as the regent of Defalk, Anna must battle two men who would destroy her and claim Defalk for their own.

Dara Ruminor takes her new position as a castle guard for the King of Vertigon very seriously. She refuses to allow her feelings for Siv to get in the way of atoning for her parents' actions, no matter how hard it is to keep her distance. But she's keeping secrets from her king - and the one involving a fiery newfound ability is getting harder to hide.

The evil minions of the undead Sithi Storm King are beginning their final preparations for the kingdom-shattering culmination of their dark sorceries, drawing King Elias ever deeper into their nightmarish, spell-spun world. As the Storm King's power grows and the boundaries of time begin to blur, the loyal allies of Prince Josua struggle to rally their forces at the Stone of Farewell.

Sviska is a man of the shadows, an assassin without any one place to call his own. But in the Far North, he discovers a secret. Magic, long thought lost to the world, is alive. The genocide to destroy every elf, wizard, and sacred being of old is not yet complete. Sviska's masters work the strings of the world and he has been sent for a task he does not even fully understand yet. When at last he feels he has what he has always wanted, darkness falls upon the world.

Anna Marshal is regent of the kingdom of Defalk only a few months after a sorcerer pulled her from her boring life as a music teacher in Ames, Iowa, to the world of Erde. With her ability and her integrity, she saved Defalk from invasion and became its regent; now she must defend it against the greedy rulers of neighboring kingdoms who see a weakened state and a possible opportunity.

As the Empress ascends her throne and Numistar Winterborn plots to gain unstoppable power, it falls to a hatchling Star Dragoness to navigate the clash between two almighty forces. Upon her tiny shoulders rests the future of all Dragonkind. Yet, does a sinister mastermind lurk behind the war convulsing the Island-World? A supremely twisted, devious foe? Islands will be toppled from their roots. Nations will be ravaged by sword and talon. Legends will rise. And the courage of a girl born to dance, born to the flame of Dragon life, must withstand the ultimate test.

The Legend of Beka Cooper gives Tamora Pierce's fans exactly what they want - a smart and savvy heroine making a name for herself on the mean streets of Tortall's Lower City - while offering plenty of appeal for new readers as well. From the Hardcover edition.

The boy has lived his whole life trapped within a book-choked chamber older than empires and larger than cities. The girl has been plucked from the outskirts of civilization to be trained as a librarian, studying the mysteries of the great library at the heart of her kingdom. They were never supposed to meet. But in the library, they did. Their stories spiral around each other, across worlds and time. This is a tale of truth and lies and hearts, and the blurring of one into another.

Rune Jenkins has a long-standing infatuation with anything from the supernatural world, and she's trying to hide it. If she doesn't, she angers her reckless twin brother, Ryker, and starts feeling like her own sanity is slipping. But the closer she gets to Grey Malteer - an old friend who waves his fascination with fantasy like a flag - the harder it becomes to stifle her own interest. The supernatural suddenly invades their reality when otherworldly creatures come hunting for the three college students.