He's a fire mage who's lived his entire life on the wrong side of the King's law.She's a guard desperate to prove herself.Together, they will enter the legendary Demon Forest. Vethe Scarvian is a direct descendant of the man who almost destroyed humanity. And that plus a couple of coppers will buy him another beer. When his aunt reveals the existence of a long-lost betrothal agreement hidden somewhere in the ruins of the Demon Forest, Vethe is only interested in how much money the noblewoman betrothed to him would be willing to pay to escape that contract.He just has to find the contract first. Lyria Guardia let her family down and got her heart broken. Gods help her, that will never happen again. After a crushing betrayal by the man she'd built her life around, Lyria abandons her promising career with the Adventurer's Guild and returns, humiliated and heartbroken, to the Guard's Guild that her family has run for hundreds of years. Determined to regain her position and prove herself to her five brothers, Lyria is willing to accept any assignment.Even if that means she has to drag some spoiled noble brat through the Demon Forest in search of a mysterious missing contract. The Flame and The Blade is the first book in a new romantic fantasy adventure series. Fans of Miranda Honfleur and Sarah J. Maas will love this story of forbidden magic, dangerous adventure, and sizzling enemies-to-lovers romance.

The BookTok sensation from debut author Melissa Blair—now with exclusive bonus content! "Gripping and fierce. This is much-needed fantasy with its fangs honed sharp by the power of resistance. Melissa Blair has built a tremendous world."—Chloe Gong, #1 New York Times bestselling author of These Violent Delights My body is made of scars, some were done to me, but most I did to myself. Keera is a killer. As the King's Blade, she is the most talented spy in the kingdom. And the king’s favored assassin. When a mysterious figure moves against the Crown, Keera is called upon to hunt down the so-called Shadow. She tracks her target into the magical lands of the Fae, but Faeland is not what it seems . . . and neither is the Shadow. Keera is shocked by what she learns, and can't help but wonder who her enemy truly is: the King that destroyed her people or the Shadow that threatens the peace? As she searches for answers, Keera is haunted by a promise she made long ago, one that will test her in every way. To keep her word, Keera must not only save herself, but an entire kingdom. Fans of fast-paced high fantasy such as A Court of Thorns and Roses series, The Inadequate Heir, and From Blood and Ash author Jennifer L. Armentrout, will enjoy the fierce female characters, sapphic representation, and fantasy romance of A Broken Blade.

With innocent lives on the line, an assassin-priest wages war against the forces of evil in this high-octane Eberron novel Living in the war-ravaged realm of Eberron, assassin-turned-priest Diran Bastiaan and his half-orc sidekick, Ghaji, make an unlikely pair. One looks like the stuff of nightmares, while the other is "a conduit through which the holy force of Good could work its will in the physical world." Together, they have traveled throughout the archipelagic Lhazaar Principalities sharing numerous wild adventures—but none were as dangerous as the one they currently face. When a gang of bloodthirsty pirates kidnaps Diran's former lover, a beautiful ex-mercenary killer named Makala, the priest of the Silver Flame and his half-breed wingman vow to get her—and countless other abductees—back. But the seafaring raiders are no ordinary criminals. They are led by the infamous vampire Onkar, who in turn serves a being unfathomably more evil than himself.

Discover the dark world of Eberron as one assassin-turned-cleric searches for peace in a land that knows only blood Diran Bastiaan was once one of the most feared assassins in the land—one of the best money could buy. But after a life-altering spiritual experience, he has turned his back on murder, seeking the life of a wandering priest of the Silver Flame. All he wants is peace. But in a rough port town on the edge of the world, his past is about to catch up to him—and killing may be his only hope. When raiders known as the Black Fleet hit the town, capturing Diran’s former lover, he must risk everything to save her. Accompanied by a half-orc fighter named Ghaji, he races against the clock, knowing time is quickly running out. For these are no ordinary pirates bent on plunder, but minions of Erdis Cai, a warlord and servant of the Blood of Vol . . .

With swashbuckling action that recalls Dumas's Three Musketeers, Sebastien de Castell has created a dynamic new fantasy series. In Traitor's Blade, a disgraced swordsman struggles to redeem himself by protecting a young girl caught in the web of a royal conspiracy. The King is dead, the Greatcoats have been disbanded, and Falcio Val Mond and his fellow magistrates Kest and Brasti have been reduced to working as bodyguards for a nobleman who refuses to pay them. Things could be worse, of course. Their employer could be lying dead on the floor while they are forced to watch the killer plant evidence framing them for the murder. Oh wait, that's exactly what's happening. Now a royal conspiracy is about to unfold in the most corrupt city in the world. A carefully orchestrated series of murders that began with the overthrow of an idealistic young king will end with the death of an orphaned girl and the ruin of everything that Falcio, Kest, and Brasti have fought for. But if the trio want to foil the conspiracy, save the girl, and reunite the Greatcoats, they'll have to do it with nothing but the tattered coats on their backs and the swords in their hands, because these days every noble is a tyrant, every knight is a thug, and the only thing you can really trust is a traitor's blade.

'The Ember Blade is hands down the best fantasy novel I've ever read' Grimdark Magazine Empires rise, civilisations fall and one culture comes to subsume another. It's the way of the world . . . sometimes ways of life are improved, sometimes they are not. But the progression of change is huge and - usually - unstoppable. In this story, the Ossian way of life is fading and the Dachen way is taking its place and Aren is comfortable with that. Even when his parents are accused of treason he supports the establishment and maintains there's been some mistake . . . which is all it takes to get himself and his best friend arrested . . . Thrown into a prison mine they plan their escape - only to be overtaken by events when they're rescued, and promptly find themselves in the middle of an ambush. By the time they've escaped, they're unavoidably linked to Garric - their unwelcome saviour - and his quest to overturn to Dachen way of life. If they leave Garric now, they'll be arrested or killed by their pursuers. If they turn him in, Garric will kill them. If they stay with him, they'll be abetting a murderous quest they don't believe in. There are no good options - but Aren will still have to choose a path . . . Designed to return to classic fantasy adventures and values, from a modern perspective, this is a fast-moving coming-of-age trilogy featuring a strong cast of diverse characters, brilliant set-pieces and a strong character and plot driven story. Readers can't put down The Ember Blade: 'I am absolutely in love with this book! . . . I was on the edge of my seat a few times. I laughed and I cried . . . I loved the characters, loved the story' Goodreads reviewer, ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ 'One of the best in the genre for a very long time . . . a masterful balancing of new and old . . . a rather grand first instalment in a trilogy that could be one of the best epic fantasy has ever seen' Goodreads reviewer, ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ 'The island of goodness and hope for humanity in the sea of grimdark' Ed McDonald, author of The Daughter of Redwinter 'Clever and challenging, but also funny . . . The explosive finale has more than enough bang for anyone . . . a group forged in blood and betrayal, bonded by their oaths do what needs to be done against any and all odds' Goodreads reviewer, ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ 'One of the best fantasy books I've read in years. An instant classic!' Goodreads reviewer, ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ 'Strikes a magnificently fine balance between classic epic fantasy and grimdark fantasy, making this an amazing start to a new trilogy' Novel Notions 'What classic fantasy is all about - a slow build-up and an exciting pay-off - and I think this book as exactly that' Goodreads reviewer, ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ 'The world is big . . . Different cultures, magics, demons, politics - a whole new world to explore! . . . I was hooked from the start to the very last line' Goodreads reviewer, ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ 'Wooding is a master of worldbuilding . . . it's so rich and complex and I drank all of it in . . . refreshingly written, full of thought and provoking themes' The Fantasy Hive

Colonel Ridge Zirkander isn’t the model of military professionalism—he has a tendency to say exactly what’s on his mind, and his record has enough demerits to wallpaper the hull of an airship—but as the best fighter pilot in the Iskandian army, he’s used to a little leniency from his superiors. Until he punches the wrong diplomat in the nose and finds himself issued new orders: take command of a remote prison mine in the inhospitable Ice Blades Mountains. Ridge has never been in charge of anything larger than a flier squadron—what’s he supposed to do with a frozen fortress full of murderers and rapists? Not to mention the strange woman who shows up right before he arrives… Sardelle Terushan wakes from three hundred years in a mage stasis shelter, only to realize that she is the last of the Referatu, the sorcerers who once helped protect Iskandia from conquerors. Their subterranean mountain community was blown up in a treacherous sneak attack by soldiers who feared their power. Everyone Sardelle ever knew is dead, and the sentient soulblade she has been bonded to since her youth is buried in the core of the mountain. Further, what remains of her home has been infested by bloodthirsty miners commanded by the descendants of the very soldiers who destroyed her people. Sardelle needs help to reach her soulblade—her only link to her past and her last friend in the world. Her only hope is to pretend she’s one of the prisoners while trying to gain the commander’s trust. But lying isn’t her specialty, especially when the world has changed so much in the intervening centuries, and if Colonel Zirkander figures out who she truly is, he’ll be duty-bound to sentence her to the only acceptable punishment for sorcerers: death.

An Ignyte Award Winner 2020 A TIME Magazine Top 100 Fantasy Book of All Time A Paste Magazine Best YA Book of 2019 A PopSugar Best YA Book of 2019 A TeenVogue Book Club Pick for 2019 A Barnes & Noble Teen Book Club Pick for 2019 "Lyrical and spellbinding" —Marieke Njikamp, #1 New York Times Bestselling Author Set in a richly detailed world inspired by ancient Arabia, Hafsah Faizal's We Hunt the Flame—first in the Sands of Arawiya duology—is a gripping debut of discovery, conquering fear, and taking identity into your own hands. People lived because she killed. People died because he lived. Zafira is the Hunter, disguising herself as a man when she braves the cursed forest of the Arz to feed her people. Nasir is the Prince of Death, assassinating those foolish enough to defy his autocratic father, the sultan. If Zafira was exposed as a girl, all of her achievements would be rejected; if Nasir displayed his compassion, his father would punish him in the most brutal of ways. Both Zafira and Nasir are legends in the kingdom of Arawiya—but neither wants to be. War is brewing, and the Arz sweeps closer with each passing day, engulfing the land in shadow. When Zafira embarks on a quest to uncover a lost artifact that can restore magic to her suffering world and stop the Arz, Nasir is sent by the sultan on a similar mission: retrieve the artifact and kill the Hunter. But an ancient evil stirs as their journey unfolds—and the prize they seek may pose a threat greater than either can imagine.

Frustrated by his father's expectation to follow in his footsteps, Prince Corin prefers sewing to sword fighting. His cousin Elinor has the eagerness for skills at arms which he lacks and, by a stroke of luck, uncovers a plot to overthrow the crown. Both cousins are befriended by a marketplace magician, whom the queen suspects is a master of the black arts and the cause of their Luck Dragon's baffling illness. When their lives and the destiny of the kingdom are at stake, Corin must choose either to trust this mysterious old man or heed the warnings of his parents.

A multidisciplinary overview of current research into the enduringly fascinating martial artefact which is the sword.