Born Of Aether

They say if you tell a lie long enough you'll start to believe it. But Akiko will never forget who she truly is. Akiko Susumu is not what she seems. Her life as a normal teen living in a coastal Canadian town is a complete sham. The old man she lives with is not her grandfather, he's her captor. And Akiko isn't a teen. In fact, she isn't even human. But Akiko isn't allowed to share the reality of her true nature with a single soul. Not even her three best friends know of the power she could wield, given the chance. So, when she's sent back to her homeland to steal an ancient samurai sword, she jumps at the chance to secure her freedom, only to get caught in a deadly game of cat and mouse with the most dangerous crime syndicate in Japan. Can Akiko escape with her life and her soul, or is true freedom as elusive as the Aether she was born from? Born of Aether is the fourth book in The Elemental Origins, a series of captivating YA urban fantasy novels that can be read out of order. If you like new twists on ethnic folklore, simmering romance, and strong female characters, then you'll love A.L. Knorr's urban fantasy adventure. Embark on a deeper dive into the story's lore with The Wreck of Sybellen, a companion novel included with the book. Buy Born of Aether to lose submerge yourself in an enchanting coming-of-age tale today. Don't wait!

A mysterious shipwreck could unlock ancient powers... or send her to a watery grave. Targa MacAuley feels more at home on dry land than in the watery realm of her mermaid ancestors. After 17 years on solid ground, she fears she'll never grow into the creature her mother hoped she'd become. To keep her mom's homesickness and true identity under wraps, Targa signs on for a mysterious salvage dive in the Baltic Sea. Her plan to blend in with the rest of the crew is spoiled when she catches the eye of a handsome local. A freak accident and a strange connection to the ancient shipwreck below attract even more unwanted attention. With both her mom's secret-and her life-in danger, Targa must finally find the courage to unleash the currents surging deep within. Born of Water is a Readers Favorite Gold Medal Winner and the first book in The Elemental Origins, a captivating nonlinear series of YA urban fantasy novels, now updated in celebration of its 5th anniversary. If you like new twists on mermaid lore, simmering romance, and close-knit mother-daughter bonds, then you'll love A.L. Knorr's nautical adventure. Embark on a deeper dive into the story's lore with The Wreck of Sybellen, a companion novel included with the book.

An Instant New York Times Bestseller! Winner of the Coretta Scott King - John Steptoe for New Talent Author Award Filled with mystery and an intriguingly rich magic system, Tracy Deonn’s YA contemporary fantasy reinvents the King Arthur legend and “braids together Southern folk traditions and Black Girl Magic into a searing modern tale of grief, power, and self-discovery” (Dhonielle Clayton, New York Times bestselling author of The Belles). After her mother dies in an accident, sixteen-year-old Bree Matthews wants nothing to do with her family memories or childhood home. A residential program for bright high schoolers at UNC–Chapel Hill seems like the perfect escape—until Bree witnesses a magical attack her very first night on campus. A flying demon feeding on human energies. A secret society of so called “Legendborn” students that hunt the creatures down. And a mysterious teenage mage who calls himself a “Merlin” and who attempts—and fails—to wipe Bree’s memory of everything she saw. The mage’s failure unlocks Bree’s own unique magic and a buried memory with a hidden connection: the night her mother died, another Merlin was at the hospital. Now that Bree knows there’s more to her mother’s death than what’s on the police report, she’ll do whatever it takes to find out the truth, even if that means infiltrating the Legendborn as one of their initiates. She recruits Nick, a self-exiled Legendborn with his own grudge against the group, and their reluctant partnership pulls them deeper into the society’s secrets—and closer to each other. But when the Legendborn reveal themselves as the descendants of King Arthur’s knights and explain that a magical war is coming, Bree has to decide how far she’ll go for the truth and whether she should use her magic to take the society down—or join the fight.

Welcome to the world of fire magi, where what doesn't kill you (literally) makes you stronger.

Abomination. Curse. Murderer. All names hurled at eighteen-year-old Seraphina Dovetail. As the seventh-born daughter to a witch, she's the cause of her mother losing her powers and, in turn, her life. Abandoned as a child, Sera dreams of becoming an inspector and finding her family. To do that, she must be referred into the Advanced Studies Program at the Aetherium's Witchling Academy. Her birth order, quick temper, and tendency to set things on fire, however, have left her an outcast with failing marks...and just what Professor Nikolai Barrington is looking for. The tall, brooding, yet exceedingly handsome young professor makes her a proposition: become his assistant and he'll give her the referral she needs. Sera is quickly thrust into a world where witches are being kidnapped, bodies are raised from the dead, and someone is burning seventhborns alive. As Sera and Barrington grow ever closer, she'll discover that some secrets are best left buried...and fire isn't the only thing that makes a witch burn. The Witchling Academy series is best enjoyed in order. Reading Order: Book #1 Seventh Born Book #2 Mirror Bound

From a USA Today Bestselling author comes a supernatural unlike any other... She is not what you are expecting. She's not what they are expecting, either.

“MacLeod is set to become a writer of the magnitude of Dickens or Tolkien.” —The Guardian Aether is industry, industry is magic and the Great Guilds rule the known world. Raised amid the smokestakes, terraced houses and endless subterranean pounding of the aether engines of the Yorkshire town of Bracebridge, Robert Borrows is nevertheless convinced that life holds a greater destiny than merely working endless shifts for one of the Lesser Guilds. Then, on a day out with his mother to the strange gardens and weirdly encrusted towers of a remote mansion, he encounters a wizened changeling, and the young girl in her charge called Anna, and glimpses a world of wonder, mystery and surprise. From then on, as he flees to London in the hope of escape and advancement, and explores its wide streets and dark alleys, and all the tiers of society from the lowest to the highest, he comes to realize that he holds the keys to secrets far bigger than even he imagined. A dazzling melange of Dickens and Peake, flavored with steampunk and magical realism, yet seen through a kaleidoscopically individual gaze, in The Light Ages, double World Fantasy Award winner Ian R MacLeod has created a novel for this and every age. Praise for The Light Ages: “MacLeod's descriptive powers are so effective that you can visualize every detail... [He] skillfully incorporates literary influences ranging from William Blake to Dickens to 1984 and the working class novels of the 1950s—and arrives at something original. Magical, visionary and enthralling, The Light Ages is award-winning stuff.” —SFX “Totally convincing and vividly written, this book invests the dark streets of London with a magic the reader will never forget... a brilliant writer.” —Tim Powers “A haunting fantasy version of Victorian England... brought to life with compassionate characters and lyrical writing.” —The Denver Post “The novel's industrial alternative London echoes Dickens in its rich bleakness and M. John Harrison's Viriconium in its inventive Gothic complexity. A gripping page-turner. A hearty read. Rising star Ian R MacLeod offers an original political fable rivaling in ambition and execution the very best of today's new science fantasies.” —Michael Moorcock

“A science fiction mystery with political upheaval and dangerous secrets. It’s got a kick-butt female lead and lots of really neat alien races.” —The Bookwyrm’s Den Long ago, the Great Sundering ripped the universe apart, creating two separate realities. The kuldain realm developed advanced technology, and its inhabitants travel the universe on massive ships to colonize and expand their empire. The aether realm, meanwhile, harnessed the magic of the massively powerful eldrich energy that connects everything within their realm. Now, a tentative peace reigns between the two realms, maintained by a treaty and by the Imperial Investigative Service—a force designed to monitor interactions between the realms and ensure that most kuldain inhabitants don’t even know aether space exists. Leilani Falconi, a talented agent of the IIS, polices the galaxy with quick sarcasm and a quicker temper. When a series of suspicious deaths in kuldain space threatens the secrecy and peace, Lei must solve the mystery—fast—before both her realities change forever. “Impressive and original world building . . . an entertaining read and a book which transported me to a fascinating and vivid universe.” —Facing the Story “Aether Ones with its incredible protagonist and refreshing take on a science fiction slash fantasy genre is a very engaging, fast-paced read.” —Lili’s Blissful Pages