The Assassin and the Empire

      Sarah J. Maas
     The Assassin and the Empire

Celaena Sardothien is the assassin with everything: a place to call her own, the love of handsome Sam, and, best of all, freedom. Yet, she won’t be truly free until she is far away from her old master, Arobynn Hamel; Celaena must take one last daring assignment that will liberate her forever. But having it all, means you have a lot to lose . . . This fourth fantastic e-novella gives readers an inside look at the characters who appear in the full-length novel Throne of Glass. Don’t miss out!

Read online

  • 1 376

    Blackbringer

      Laini Taylor
     Blackbringer

When the ancient evil of the Blackbringer rises to unmake the world, only one determined faerie stands in its way. However, Magpie Windwitch, granddaughter of the West Wind, is not like other faeries. While her kind live in seclusion deep in the forests of Dreamdark, she's devoted her life to tracking down and recapturing devils escaped from their ancient bottles, just as her hero, the legendary Bellatrix, did 25,000 years ago. With her faithful gang of crows, she travels the world fighting where others would choose to flee. But when a devil escapes from a bottle sealed by the ancient Djinn King himself, the creator of the world, she may be in over her head. How can a single faerie, even with the help of her friends, hope to defeat the impenetrable darkness of the Blackbringer? At a time when fantasy readers have an embarrassment of riches in choosing new worlds to fall in love with, this first novel by a fresh, original voice is sure to stand out.

Read online

  • 1 376

    Black Widow

      Jennifer Estep
     Black Widow

There’s nothing worse than a cruel, cunning enemy with time to kill—and my murder to plan. With wicked Fire elemental Mab Monroe long gone, you’d think I could finally catch a break. But someone’s always trying to take me down, either as Gin Blanco or my assassin alter-ago. Now along comes the Spider’s new arch-nemesis, the mysteriously named M. M. Monroe, who is gleefully working overtime to trap me in a sticky web of deceit. The thing is, I’m not the only target. I can see through the tangled threads enough to know that every bit of bad luck my friends have been having lately is no accident—and that each unfortunate “coincidence” is just one more arrow drawing ever closer to hitting the real bulls-eye. Though new to Ashland, this M. M. Monroe is no stranger to irony, trying to get me, an assassin, framed for murder. Yet, as my enemy’s master plan is slowly revealed, I have a sinking feeling that it will take more than my powerful Ice and Stone magic to stop my whole life from going up in flames.

Read online

  • 1 376

    Tales From Watership Down

      Richard Adams
     Tales From Watership Down

*Watership Down* was one of this century's best-loved works of imaginative literature. Now Richard Adams returns, to tell us what happened to the rabbits after their defeat of General Woundwort. *Tales From Watership Down* begins with some of the great folk stories well known to all rabbits. Then we listen in as Dandelion, the rabbits' master storyteller, relates the thrilling adventures experienced by El-ahrairah, the mythical rabbit hero, and his stalwart, Rabscuttle, during the long journey home after their terrible encounter with the Black Rabbit of Inlé (as narrated in *Watership Down*). Finally, in the principal part of the book, we are told eight enchanting stories about the rabbits of the Down - Hazel, Fiver, Bigwig, and their companions - including the impact on the warren of the obsessive doe Flyairth, and the appointment of Hyzenthlay as a female Chief Rabbit and partner to Hazel. All listeners - the millions who remember *Watership Down* with the deepest affection, and also those for whom this volume will be their first encounter with the rabbits - will find these nineteen tales utterly compelling, the fruit of Richard Adams spellbinding narrative power and ability to conjure up a world that is at the same time both real and unreal.

Read online

  • 1 375

    Rough Justice

      Kelley Armstrong
     Rough Justice

Mallt-y-Nos. Matilda of the Hunt. The lone woman who rides with the Wild Hunt, tasked with finding killers who've escaped justice and letting the hounds reap their souls. For Olivia Taylor-Jones, Matilda isn't just a legendary figure from Welsh lore. She is Olivia's past, and her future, one she's finally embraced. Having accepted her role as Matilda, Olivia must now lead her first Hunt. Seems simple enough. But when she questions their target's guilt, the Hunt is halted, her mission failed. Still, it's just a matter of getting Gabriel's help and investigating the man's past to reassure herself that he's guilty. He must be. Otherwise, he wouldn't be a target. But the deeper she digs, the more problems she finds, until she must question everything she knows about the Hunt and the choice she's made.

Read online

  • 1 375

    The Playground

      Ray Bradbury
     The Playground

"The Playground" was part of the first hardcover edition of Ray Bradbury's legendary work Fahrenheit 451, published in 1953. In the story, Charles Underhill is a widower who will do anything to protect his young son Jim from the horrors of the playground a playground which he and the boy pass by daily and the tumult of which, the activity, brings back to Charles the anguish of his own childhood. The playground, like childhood itself, is a nightmare of torment and vulnerability; Charles fears his sensitive son will be destroyed there just as he almost was so many years ago. Underhill's sister Carol, who has moved in to help raise the young boy after his mother passed away, feels differently. The playground, she believes, is preparation for life, Jim will survive the experience, she feels, and he will be the better for it and more equipped to deal with the rigor and obligation of adult existence. Underhill is caught between his own fear and his sister's invocation of reason and feels paralyzed. A mysterious boy calls out to him from the playground, and seems to know all too well why Underhill is there and what the source of his agony really is. A mysterious Manager also lurks to whom the strange boy directs Underhill. An agreement can be made perhaps this is what the boy tells Underhill. Perhaps Jim can be spared the playground, but of course, a substitute must be found.

Read online

  • 1 375

    Atlantia

      Ally Condie
     Atlantia

Can you hear Atlantia breathing? For as long as she can remember, Rio has dreamed of the sand and sky Above—of life beyond her underwater city of Atlantia. But in a single moment, all Rio’s hopes for the future are shattered when her twin sister, Bay, makes an unexpected choice, stranding Rio Below. Alone, ripped away from the last person who knew Rio’s true self—and the powerful siren voice she has long silenced—she has nothing left to lose. Guided by a dangerous and unlikely mentor, Rio formulates a plan that leads to increasingly treacherous questions about her mother’s death, her own destiny, and the corrupted system constructed to govern the Divide between land and sea. Her life and her city depend on Rio to listen to the voices of the past and to speak long-hidden truths.

Read online

  • 1 375

    Wolf of Stone

      Quinn Loftis
     Wolf of Stone

Dalton Black, a Canis lupis full of guilt and anger, never expected to find his true mate. Perhaps already slipping into madness, he had resigned himself to the fact that he would walk the earth without the other half of his soul. He was convinced that his sins were enough to keep the Great Luna from giving him such a blessing. He knew it was probably better that way. His past was as dark as his name and after three centuries of running from it, the memories were finally catching up to him. But all of those resignations evaporated when he saw her broken and bloodied body lying on that alter. Though the man didn’t recognize her, the wolf did. Through battle and bloodshed he was able to save her from the evil that held her captive, but now he would need her to save him from himself. Jewel Stone was wholly unaware of the ancient bloodlines of Gypsy Healers, mates to Canis lupis and protectors of the packs – much less that she carried that blood herself. But when a beautiful but deadly woman showed up in her home and ripped her from her realm, she knew her life would never be the same. Her mother, Gem, a fortune teller, had warned her that something was coming, that her life was about to change dramatically, but like everyone else, Jewel had dismissed her as a crazy person. Jewel was the laughing stock of her school simply because Gem was her mother. And up until now, her life was one big disappointment after another. Instead of heeding her mother’s warning, she hid in her books, burying herself behind knowledge, both fact and fiction. She escaped into worlds created by others and filled her mind with facts of every kind in an effort to push away the hurtful words that others bombarded her with. Despite all of her knowledge and all of her fantastical stories, she never dreamed her own future would be full of adventure, danger, passion, and the possibility of unconditional love. As she lay unconscious after her first bloody encounter in the fae realm, her only chance of survival lay in the hands of a man scarred by his past, disfigured both emotionally and physically, and beyond the reach of any who had tried to help him. Can two broken people, who carry the other half of each other’s souls, span the chasm between them and restore the innocence ripped from both their lives? Will they let the promise of healing love overcome the difference in age and experience, and the separation of species and realms? Or will they give in to the fear and doubt that would keep them from one another for eternity?

Read online

  • 1 375

    Kings Rising

      C. S. Pacat
     Kings Rising

Damianos of Akielos has returned. His identity now revealed, Damen must face his master Prince Laurent as Damianos of Akielos, the man Laurent has sworn to kill. On the brink of a momentous battle, the future of both their countries hangs in the balance. In the south, Kastor’s forces are massing. In the north, the Regent’s armies are mobilising for war. Damen’s only hope of reclaiming his throne is to fight together with Laurent against their usurpers. Forced into an uneasy alliance the two princes journey deep into Akielos, where they face their most dangerous opposition yet. But even if the fragile trust they have built survives the revelation of Damen’s identity—can it stand against the Regent's final, deadly play for the throne?

Read online

  • 1 375

    The Song of Troy

      Colleen McCullough
     The Song of Troy

It was a clash of arms that would echo through the millennia: a hard-fought conflict born of love, pride, greed and revenge; a decade-long siege of the ancient world's greatest city from which nobody will escape unscathed. As urgent and passionate as if told for the first time, international besteller Colleen McCullough breathes life into legend, swinging our sympathies from Greece to Troy and back again as they move inexorably towards a fate not even the gods themselves can avert. Here are Greek princess Helen, sensuous and self-indulgent, who deserts a dull husband for the sake of the equally self-indulgent Trojan prince Paris; the haunted warrior Achilles; the heroically noble Hektor; the subtle and brilliant Odysseus; Priam, King of Troy, doomed to make the wrong decisions for the right reasons; and Agamemnon, King of Kings, who consents to the unspeakable to launch his thousand ships, incurring the terrifying wrath of his wife, Klytemnestra. THE SONG OF TROY: A legend reborn.

Read online

  • 1 374

    Power of Five

      Alex Lidell
     Power of Five

Four elite fae warriors. One mortal female. A magical bond they can’t allow—or resist. Orphaned and sold to a harsh master, Lera’s life is about mucking stalls, avoiding her master’s advances, and steering clear of the mystical forest separating the mortal and fae worlds. Only fools venture into the immortal realms, and only dark rumors come out... Until four powerful fae warriors appear at Lera’s barn. River, Coal, Tye, and Shade have waited a decade for their new fifth to be chosen, the wounds from their quint brother’s loss still raw. But the magic has played a cruel trick, bonding the four immortal warriors to... a female. A mortal female. Distractingly beautiful and dangerously frail, Lera can only be one thing—a mistake. Yet as the males bring Lera back to the fae lands to sever the bond, they discover that she holds more power over their souls than is safe for anyone... especially for Lera herself. Power of Five *is a full-length reverse-harem fantasy novel. *

Read online

  • 1 374

    Celestra: Books 1-2

      Addison Moore
     Celestra: Books 1-2

Young Adult Paranormal Romance From the NEW YORK TIMES and USA TODAY bestselling author, Addison Moore This Boxed set includes the first 2 books in the Celestra Series. The Celestra Series has been optioned for film by 20th CENTURY FOX Praise for Ethereal… Most addictive book for me since Sookie! – Amazon Review Best Kindle read of the year – MissT Ethereal is a must read – Amelia Sweet The book is written beautifully and the plot unfolds delicately. It's a great story and I found the characters to be well thought through and impassioned. – Amazon Review It’s one of the best stories I’ve read recently and I would place it on the bestseller shelf with out hesitation. – Amy Jones Young Adult Fantasy Fiction Blog Wow oh wow is this book amazing! It has been a while since I read a book I absolutely couldn't put it down. – Book Escapes I LOVED this book ... I cannot wait to see what happens with the characters. I recommend this book to anyone who is tired of the same old paranormal romance book. This book has it all. –Love Thy Teen Author Blog Definite must read, and another new series I cant wait to read more of. – YA Lit Lovers ETHEREAL: Sixteen year-old, Skyla Messenger is a dead girl walking. When her newly remarried mother moves the family to Paragon Island, to a house that is rumored to be haunted, Skyla finds refuge in Logan Oliver, a boy who shares her unique ability to read minds. Skyla discovers Logan holds the answers to the questions she’s been looking for, but Logan’s reluctance to give her the knowledge she desires leaves her believing Logan has a few secrets of his own. Skyla’s bloodlines may just be connected to the most powerful angelic beings that roam the earth, and the more she knows, the more danger she seems to be in. Suddenly an entire faction of earthbound angels wants her dead, at least she still has Logan, or does she? TREMBLE (Celestra Series Book 2) Sixteen year-old, Skyla Messenger is determined to bring back the dead. For Skyla, being an angel from the coveted Celestra faction hasn’t been easy. An entire band of wicked angels is after her blood, a Sector is after something far more sinister, and her newfound powers lead her on a quest to save her dead father. Skyla and her boyfriend Logan try to piece together a plan to take down the Countenance in order to maintain their relationship, but will Skyla’s burgeoning feelings for Gage get in the way? And when Skyla decides to use her powerful blood to change the fate of another deceased soul, just who is going to stop her?

Read online

  • 1 374

    Druid's Sword

      Sara Douglass
     Druid's Sword

"The year is 1940. The skies above London are filled with German planes on nightly raids, a blitz that brings a barrage of bombs that pound the city into rubble. Each morning Londoners face the previous night's handiwork, and though they are faced with the possibility of sudden death, the people of London are determined to fight the evil that threatens to destroy their nation. They struggle to live normal lives amid the terror and chaos." "But is it only Hitler's Luftwaffe and the blitz that is responsible for all the death and destruction that the city is facing?" "Brutus, the Greek Kingman who brought the bands of power to the isle of Alba millennia ago, once again walks the streets of London, this time as an American major. The men and women who are his eternal companions (and sometimes lovers and enemies) have all been reborn in this time and place. They have come together for one last battle to finally complete the magical Labyrinth buried at the heart of the city. Half completed and resonating with an evil power, the Maze calls to them to complete the Game and possibly set all the players free. As Brutus works to find a solution that will end his age-old pain, he comes to realize that there is a new power that walks the land. It is strong and hungry, and it has its own agenda." And by its actions it could change the world forever. Druid's Sword is the fourth and concluding volume in Sara Douglass's Troy Game series, an historical fantasy series of love and revenge set against the very fabric of time itself.

Read online

  • 1 374

    The Black Dragon

      W. D. Newman
     The Black Dragon

Ben, Casey, and their Grandma must join forces once again with Amos, the shape shifter, to save Camelot from the dragon that's bent on destroying it. But first, they must rescue their friends, Gabriel and Hob, from Kahzidar and recover the staff of Merlin!With the witch defeated, the elves begin preparations to once again take up their vigil, guarding a black dragon from Crag named Zoltan. Merlin's last enchantment has kept the dragon asleep for centuries, but when Gabriel brings Hob along to inspect the dragon, the bumbling dwarf finds Merlin's staff and accidentally breaks the enchantment. Gabriel and Hob escape from the dragon into a cave that leads them into Kahzidar; the dreaded gnome mines, where they are captured by the mad gnome king Ringwald Stonebreaker. Ben, Casey, and their Grandma must join forces once again with Amos, the shape shifter, to save Camelot from the dragon that's bent on destroying it. But first, they must rescue their friends from Kahzidar!

Read online

  • 1 373