magic

Eden at the Edge of Midnight

Eden at the Edge of Midnight
Title: Eden at the Edge of Midnight
ASIN: B009WG274A
Published: October 19, 2012
Author:
Author's Twitter: @JohnEKerry
The Vara of Yima, the original Garden of Eden, sealed from the rest of the world and populated with the fittest of men and women. A secret paradise that 150 years ago became ravaged by smog that choked out the skies.   All good stories have a hero. “The One” who arrives to save the realm from darkness and evil. But what if the wrong person takes their place by accident? Now the Vara exists in a permanent state of darkness and its people need a champion, a chosen one to save them from the smog that threatens to fill the realm and poison its inhabitants. That’s what they needed. They got Sammy Ellis instead. She isn’t important enough for her dad to stick around for, never mind saving a realm or junk like that. Her only responsibility was to help the chosen one open the gateway into the Vara, but not only has she entered the realm in their place, she’s also locked them out in the process. Stuck in a twilight land of giant mushrooms, pursued by dark forces and still in her pyjamas, being unimportant back in the real world is starting to seem way more attractive.  

Assessed 

The Sundered

The Sundered
Title: The Sundered
ASIN: B0082D9D3M
Publisher:
Published: November 26, 2013
Author's Twitter: @ruthannereid
In a world where the water kills, he must decide who lives or dies – humanity, or humanity’s broken slaves. Don’t touch the water, or it will pull you under. Conserve food, because there’s no arable land. Use Sundered slaves gently, or they die too quickly to be worthwhile. With extinction on the horizon and a world lost to deadly flood, Harry searches for a cure: the Hope of Humanity, the mysterious artifact that gave humans control over the Sundered centuries ago. According to legend, the Hope can fix the planet. But the Hope holds more secrets than Harry knows. Powerful Sundered Ones willingly bow to him just to get near it. Ambitious enemies pursue him, sure that the Hope is a weapon. Friends turn their backs, afraid Harry will choose wrong. And Harry has a choice to make. The time for sharing the Earth is done. Either the Sundered survive and humanity ends, or humanity lives for a while, but the Sundered are wiped out. He never wanted this choice. He still has to make it. In his broken, flooded world, Hope comes with a price.

Assessed 

Eternal Destiny

Eternal Destiny
Title: Eternal Destiny
ASIN: B00FL8LVG8
Series:
Publisher:
Published: 2 Oct. 2013
Author's Twitter: @TahliaNewland
Ariel and Nick face their deepest fears and their greatest challenge as they search for the Master Demon who holds the key to the future of mankind. Slay him and the world goes free; fail, and it falls irrevocably into violence and chaos. Guided by a wisdom master of a mystical tradition that uses mind power as the basis of powerful magic, the assault party travels from the ancient granite walls of the Hermitage, up the Steps of Death, and through a labyrinth of shifting gorges to the Palace of Skulls. Even if Nick wins his struggle with the scars of his past and defeats the green-eyed head of the Cogin clan, they still must cross the scree slope, where the bones of Ariel’s father lie, to get to the ice caves beneath the summit where the Master Demon awaits. The journey is extraordinary, the enemies are deadly and the ending is mind-blowing.

Assessed 

 

Mystical Mountain Magic – Deceiver

Mystical Mountain Magic – Deceiver
Title: Mystical Mountain Magic – Deceiver
ASIN: B00QFK4JKG
Published: November 30, 2014
Author:
An infant girl is rescued and raised by giant eagles and is commissioned by a living volcano to restore Hope back into the world before the Deceiver can assassinate her. Set in early North America, evil fell from the stars and exploded against the mountain. Enticed by this three-legged master musician – the Deceiver – treasure seekers from all over the world come to this unspoiled country in search of their lust’s desire. As they create mayhem on this continent, an infant girl – Mariah – is rescued and raised by giant eagles that nest high on the cliffs of Elysium where she is commissioned by the mountain to restore Hope to a world without hope and save mankind from its disastrous effects before the Deceiver can assassinate her.

Assessed 

A Matter of Perception

A Matter of Perception
Title: A Matter of Perception
ASIN: B0061V4H9C
Publisher:
Published: October 31, 2011
Author's Twitter: @TahliaNewland
This collection of imaginative and entertaining stories about ghosts, sirens, light spectrum mages, realm-hopping gods, alien monsters and ordinary people will warm your heart and make you smile, shiver, and maybe even wonder about the nature of reality itself. The theme of individual perception as a result of our assumptions, beliefs and emotional experience bind these otherwise diverse stories into a unified whole.

Assessed for Awesome Indies

Demon’s Grip

Demon's Grip
Title: Demon's Grip
ASIN: B00DLPJAIO
Series:
Publisher:
Published: November 13, 2013
Author's Twitter: @TahliaNewland
At the University of Sheldra, Ariel discovers that her travelling companion, Nick, is a respected translator with little time to spare. Now that he isn’t at her side all the time, she wishes he was, and when she finally admits her love, powerful emotions sweep her away. The demon lord Emot takes advantage of her inexperience in matters of the heart and preys on her desire, setting off a struggle with addiction that threatens to break Nick’s heart and turn Ariel into the demon’s mindless slave. She must reach deep into her soul and find the mystical power she needs to kill the one who promises pleasure but delivers only pain. Fail, and she will lose the one she loves and spend an eternity in the demon’s grip.

Assessed for Awesome Indies

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Stalking Shadows

Stalking Shadows
Title: Stalking Shadows
ASIN: B00BUYT6AA
Series:
Publisher:
Published: 11 Dec. 2013
Author's Twitter: @TahliaNewland
In order to find the key to her mother’s release, Ariel must negotiate a forest of evil spirits, escape a mind-numbing city of sparkling towers, travel through the treacherous gullies of Minion Hills, and avoid an attack by a demon lord intent on killing her. Ariel hopes that the great library at Sheldra holds the key to rescuing her mother. But in order to get there, she must negotiate a forest of evil spirits, escape a mind-numbing city of sparkling towers, travel through the treacherous gullies of Minion Hills, and avoid an attack by a demon lord intent on killing her. At the same time, a battle rages between her heart and her mind. A relationship with her travelling companion, the enigmatic Nick, is just too tempting, but can they be together without Ariel losing her focus and falling to the demons? Her life is at stake, but also her heart. She risks encasing it in stone and denying herself the very sustenance she needs. Will they make it to the safe haven of Sheldra, or will Ariel die at the hands of the yellow-eyed demon?  

Assessed for Awesome Indies

The Christmas Dragon

The Christmas Dragon
Title: The Christmas Dragon
ASIN: B00IG0BFZA
Published: February 13, 2014
Author's Twitter: @ruthannereid
All Katie Lin wants is to get away from her family: from the magic, from the mayhem, and from the never-ending war. Unfortunately, running away doesn’t always work as planned.   Katie Lin is special, but she really doesn’t want to be. Descendent of one of the few families of “humans” who can use magic, Katie long ago grew tired of the constant fight over magical heritage, land rights, and power struggles with other members of the magical Mythos.  Unfortunately, she didn’t run far enough: one day, a box appears on her doorstep. A box with a just-hatched baby dragon.  The baby dragon inside is a magical mess, and Katie flees to the only family member she trusts: the only and only legendary Merlin. It figures he’s gone missing, and with the Wild Hunt on the baby dragon’s trail, Katie runs amuck of dragon royalty, the Crow King, and at least one reluctant elf prince.  So much for escape. Sometimes, running away just doesn’t work as planned.    

Assessed for Awesome Indies

Don’t Judge A Book By Its Magic

Don’t Judge A Book By Its Magic
Title: Don’t Judge A Book By Its Magic
ASIN: B009VKE8IA
Published: October 10, 2012
Author's Twitter: @KatePolicani
Colleen is a normal girl. She loves shoes, chick flicks, and cute clothes. The only thing abnormal about her is that she’s just become a magician; not the disappearing bunny kind, but the power-shooting-out-of-your-hands kind of magician. Her problem now is that she doesn’t believe in magic. Well, she believes in it. She’s seen it shoot out of her own hands, but she opposes it in a moral sense; no hexes, no spells, no incantations, no potions, no amulets, no tomes, no casting circles, no eye of newt, none of that. She has to be very clear because people pressure her about it. Whatever they say about “how it’s done,” this is a morality issue for her and she will not cave in to their pressure. Join Colleen at Seattle Pacific Regional University, where she becomes a part of The Convergence. She’ll learn the freaky side of Work Study, Financial Aid, and Vyxhepiocht. Seriously, she’s never seen so many hot guys. It’s going to be wild!

Assessed for Awesome Indies