Deep in the Oakwood, a boy is born without magic. In a land where powers flow through one's veins as naturally as water down a mountain stream, Micah is an aberration detested by everyone-everyone except Alekka, a gifted but solitary mage who understands the price of isolation. Her sensitivity to the thoughts of others drives her to seek solace in the forests surrounding Aclay, a small village that has been living under a malevolent shadow for hundreds of years. As fear and loss ravage the countryside, the two outcasts form an unlikely bond forged in loneliness and surrounded by the flickering silhouettes of destiny. When their home is destroyed, the outcasts must join a volatile group of their peers on a journey that threatens to strip them of everything they cherish, imperil everything they've ever known, even force them to question the nature of reality itself. Can they find the key to stemming the tide of darkness without losing themselves along the way?

Never blackmail a sorcerer Sorcery pays no bills. Fair-weather friends dropped Marta after her divorce—a major no-no in 1950s small town Ohio—some even forbade their children to play with hers. Her ex-husband regularly forgets to pay support. Only her job as a nurse keeps her family clothed and fed—barely. Until the night Bettina, an influential former friend, appears at Marta's kitchen door. Bettina’s daughter’s shoes mysteriously end up covered in mud time after time despite the daughter being locked in her room overnight. Bettina demands Marta find the answer—or lose her job. But the more Marta investigates the shoes and the spell behind them, the more the sorcerous power seduces her with dreams of peace, joy, . . . and retribution. Engaging and powerful, How Full of Briars offers intricately plotted, page-turning pleasure.

When a Witch's World Goes to the Dogs. Enter the world of Raen, turn left at the land of dragons, and you’ll find yourself in the country of Aeristria. A place overflowing with magic and creatures that were once only heard of in fairy tales. In the heart of Aeristria is the capital city, Tolvade. Here you will find shops and taverns, laughter and fun, runesmiths looking for their next job, and sneaky pickpocketing imps. Steer clear of the galloping gang of centaurs and you will see the headquarters of the prestigious Coven. Within the Coven’s lower ranks, you’ll find Vanessa, a third-year Hunter itching to become a Spellweaver. She and her trusted demon partner, Botobolbilian, must investigate an explosion at the academy and bring the culprit responsible in. Easy job, right? Wrong. Vanessa and her partner find that this investigation runs deep in black magic and sprinkled with feral demon summonings. With countless lives on the line, Vanessa struggles with self-doubt and following her heart (and laws) as she tries to right the wrongs of these heinous criminals and bring them to justice before they do any more harm. But, with an oncoming yearly blizzard just days away, is it too late? Even with all the magic, spells, and power on Raen, this job might be the last that this duo ever faces…

Rhetoric and Religious Identity in Late Antiquity takes an interdisciplinary approach to the question of how individuals and groups ascribed religious categories during late antiquity. Particular focus is given to the role of rhetoric in the expression of religious identity, in order to give mutual illumination to both phenomena in this period.

★★★ The Coven Chronicles is part of a serial. All books end with cliffhangers! ★★★ When Hell Refuses to Freeze Over Thea Bauer has earned her way to being a highly skilled member of the Coven. Ranked as a Spellweaver, she’s assigned the more dangerous missions. Corralling a herd of wild unicorns? No problem. Taking down a witch riding the high of black magic? Piece of cake. Finding out why magic-based creatures are suddenly flooding the local sanctuary, protected by a powerful sorceress with a hatred for the Coven? Thea might need more than her tethered demonic partner to see this mission through. She calls upon Summoner Rafe MacBain, a trusted colleague she’s known for years whose dreamy eyes might keep her up at night—but she’s not admitting that to anyone. He’s got his own demonic companion, and altogether they’re a force to be reckoned with. But, even with their combined strength, it might not be enough against feral demons escaping some of the farthest reaches of Hell. As if that weren’t bad enough, Thea must conquer her own demons residing within herself that conjure up a painful past. Will she be able to overcome herself, or will the memories she’s tried to stray from keep her from fighting enemies in the physical realm? Thea is starting to wonder if the sorceress may be one of those enemies too. What secret is she hiding at the bottom of the sanctuary, and how will it affect everything Thea has come to know?

Serephione Granzeus is your average three-year-old girl...or so she thinks, until she meets Lou, the super-fluffy Holy Guardian White Tiger. Memories of her past life as a Japanese businesswoman come flooding back to her, and she realizes she’s part of a fantasy book she read before, but as the villainess. Yet her past life isn’t all that she remembers; she can recall her life as the original Serephione, and her sadness, and her pain... After making a contract with Lou, she comes up with a plan to change the plot and avoid the villainess’s dark fate: become an adventurer and avoid everyone from the book! But the more she diverges from the plot, the more unpredictable the other characters become. How will she keep everyone from learning her secrets and spoiling her plans?

A swan turns into a naked man. A museum formed of everything ever lost and forgotten, from treasures to torment. A web containing past, present, and future. Three otherwise ordinary sisters encounter magic. Viola dives into a twisted version of Swan Lake plus The Magic Flute at college in Swan & Shadow. Bea explores the depths of loss and remembrance in The Museum of All Things Lost & Forgotten. Rose lacks magic, but manages to make a difference in The Webmasters of Fate. Contains previously published works.

Half god and half human, Rue has made a vow to restore the magic that the Chancellor and the Grays have stolen from the Ghizoni and take back their land; she has more fully embraced her identity among the people of Yiyo Peak, but she is also from East Row in Houston, and girls from East Row do not give in to oppressors.

Alice has been in the mental hospital in Old Town for years. She doesn't remember why. All she can remember is a tea party long ago. Long ears and blood. Until one night she escapes, free to uncover the truth about what happened to her all those years ago. When Alice escapes, something escapes with her. And the truth she so desperately seeks is so much stranger than any madman's ranting. From the author of the Black Wings novels, the first in a dazzling and mind-bending new series, inspired by the twisted and wondrous works of Lewis Carroll.