Blood And Shadows

While working on a project translating letters from sixteenth-century Prague, high school senior Nora Kane discovers her best friend murdered with her boyfriend the apparent killer and is caught up in a dangerous web of secret societies and shadowy conspirators, all searching for a mysterious ancient device purported to allow direct communication with God.

On the site of an ancient burial ground sits a looming gray structure whose tenants each are haunted by dark secrets they can never reveal. Overwhelmed by guilt and grief, these people have been drawn by a nameless presence, and now they hide from society in their self-made hells. At the periphery of their awareness, an entity appear -- a guardian of blood and shadows who watches ... and waits. What does this entity know about each tenant, and what are his intentions for these hopeless outcasts?

Writer Joe R. Lansdale carves a tale of sheer terror when hard-boiled private detective Chet Daly is drawn into a grisly case of homicide and supernatural horror. Investigating the strange behavior of his girlfriend's brother, Daly follows a bloody trail of death to the God of the Razor, an inhuman, elemental force of mutilation and murder.

Blood of the Mantis is the third novel in Adrian Tchaikovsky's richly imagined Shadows of the Apt series, following Dragonfly Falling. Stenwold must rally his allies for battle against the Empire, even as it seeks a dangerous artifact of enormous power. A dread ritual casts a deadly shadow . . . Achaeos the seer has finally tracked down the stolen Shadow Box. But he has only days before this magical artefact will be lost to him forever. Meanwhile, the Empire's dread forces are mustering for their next great offensive. Stenwold and his followers have only a short time to gather allies, before the enemy's soldiers march again – to conquer everything in their path. If Stenwold cannot hold them back, the hated black and gold flag will fly over every city in the Lowlands before the year's end. Yet a more insidious threat awaits. Should the Shadow Box fall into the hands of the power-mad Emperor, nothing will save the world from his relentless ambition. Blood of the Mantis is followed by Salute the Dark, the fourth book in the Shadows of the Apt series.

Shadows stretch across the land as the denizens of the underworld unite under a single deadly leader and threaten to bathe the magical kingdom of Tar Ebon in blood, dooming mankind. To answer the threat comes Dawyn Darklance, the champion of the king and time bender. Along with his companions, the fierce druid Anwyn, the fiery mage Alivia and the flamboyant minstrel Favio he must travel across the terrified Kingdom to bring justice upon the leader of the assassins, Lord Garik, and his allies, the mysterious veiled assassin and arrogant mage. Along the way, Dawyn and his companions will encounter dangerous enemies, stout allies and uncover a secret threat that could yet doom the world. This novel, the first in a series by a talented novelist, introduces readers to the world of Tar Ebon, a place where magic pervades and dangerous creatures lurk in the far reaches of the world. This book will leave you entranced by the characters and begging for more.

Nachari Silivasi is a bright light in a Dark World. As the youngest vampire in a family of warriors, he has studied Magick for four hundred years and acquired a rare mastery of the universe around him. He is beloved by his family; legendary for his good looks; and known for his uncommon valor. Unfortunately, he has just made the ultimate sacrifice – he has traded his immortal life for the life of the Vampyr King. Deanna Dubois is as talented as she is independent, but she has developed a strange and terrifying habit: Night after night, day after day, she sketches one horrifying scene after another -- the body of a gorgeous male being tortured in hell by demons. Disturbed by her ever growing obsession, she sets out to Dark Moon Vale to uncover the truth. Only what she finds is a web of danger, destruction, and deceit. Separated by space and time, yet drawn together by fate, Nachari and Deanna find themselves in an epic battle against evil: Nachari is forced to forge a path in a world of shadows, where torture and lust rule the night, while Deanna struggles to decide between two polar opposites – to flee from the truth or trade her mortal soul for the possibility of a stranger’s salvation. The stakes could not be higher. The enemy could not be more lethal. And the only way to reach the light is to first enter the Blood Shadows.

#1 New York Times bestselling author Jennifer L. Armentrout returns with book one of the all-new, compelling Flesh and Fire series—set in the beloved Blood and Ash world. Born shrouded in the veil of the Primals, a Maiden as the Fates promised, Seraphena Mierel’s future has never been hers. Chosen before birth to uphold the desperate deal her ancestor struck to save his people, Sera must leave behind her life and offer herself to the Primal of Death as his Consort. However, Sera’s real destiny is the most closely guarded secret in all of Lasania—she’s not the well protected Maiden but an assassin with one mission—one target. Make the Primal of Death fall in love, become his weakness, and then…end him. If she fails, she dooms her kingdom to a slow demise at the hands of the Rot. Sera has always known what she is. Chosen. Consort. Assassin. Weapon. A specter never fully formed yet drenched in blood. A monster. Until him. Until the Primal of Death’s unexpected words and deeds chase away the darkness gathering inside her. And his seductive touch ignites a passion she’s never allowed herself to feel and cannot feel for him. But Sera has never had a choice. Either way, her life is forfeit—it always has been, as she has been forever touched by Life and Death.

The first in the “powerful” (SFFWorld.com) New York Times bestselling fantasy series. Vaelin Al Sorna was only a child of ten when his father left him at the iron gate of the Sixth Order to be trained and hardened to the austere, celibate and dangerous life of a warrior of the Faith. He has no family now save the Order. Vaelin’s father was Battle Lord to King Janus, ruler of the Unified Realm—and Vaelin’s rage at being deprived of his birthright knows no bounds. Even his cherished memories of his mother are soon challenged by what he learns within the Order. But one truth overpowers all the rest: Vaelin Al Sorna is destined for a future he has yet to comprehend. A future that will alter not only the Realm but the world.

Get ready for the journey of a lifetime in the first book of an all-new, captivating fantasy series from thrilling debut author Gillian Grant. A world without gods. A dangerous quest. And a secret that will shake Eith to its very core. As a hunter, Evren Hanali of Orenlion has probably seen it all and done even more, even though she likes to fade into the background. She prefers a solitary existence, doing the jobs she’s commissioned for and not much else. But fate has other plans. It seems she has a destiny—one she is only beginning to unravel. And unlikely companions and exotic places are only the beginning of her journey. When circumstances beyond her control—and gravity—send her plummeting to what she fears may be her death, walking away unscathed opens a world of possibilities. Somehow, she becomes the leader of a motley crew of allies with a shared mission. Only it’s not clear what anyone’s end goal is, and trust is hard-earned. Still, the merry band of adventurers finds solace and friendship along the way—not to mention dangers galore. In the instance of the Yawning Deep, as above is not as below. Add magic and mayhem to the mix, and Evren has the fight of her life on her hands. When one hard-fought win leads to revelations of lies, deceit, and murder, Evren and company must be willing to fight for what they believe—and each other. Or die trying.