"The Shadows of Fate" by Nick Blade

When the World Broke Him, He Broke the World

They called him lowborn.
Kitchen rat.
Freak.
They beat him, branded him, made him bleed for dreaming.
They said magic belonged to bloodlines.
They said power was not for people like him.

They were wrong.

Arnold Bennett was never meant to rise.
But he did.
In shadow. In silence. In ruin.

He stole a name from the mouths of kings.
He carved magic into his bones with fire and grief.
He shattered thrones, outwitted gods, and stood at the edge of unmaking—
Not to rule.
But to ask the one question no one in power dares to face:

What if the world deserves to burn?

An Epic Fantasy Forged in Rage, Runes, and Ruin

• A story for the cast-offs, the overlooked, the ones told they’d never matter.
• A myth of rebellion wrapped in blood-magic, betrayal, and impossible choices.
• A villain’s origin or a god’s awakening?
• A story that begins in ruin and dares to go deeper

"Fate leads to ruin. Free will leads to chaos. I choose chaos."

WHAT YOU’LL FIND WITHIN

A Hero Who Isn’t
Arnold is no chosen one. He’s a weapon honed by cruelty, wielded by no one. His scars are real, his power earned, and his path terrifyingly free.

A World on the Brink
Kingdoms rot from within. Magic is hoarded like gold. Gods play with lives like dice. The system is rigged and Arnold is here to burn it clean.

Magic That Cuts Deep
Runes etched in bone and pain. Keeper hearts pulsing with stolen power. Telepathy, summoning, time-warping ruin. This is not cozy magic, this is magic as war.

Fate vs. Free Will
At the core: a battle older than gods. Can you truly choose who you are, or are you always what they made you? When Fate falls, who decides what rises?

The Shadows of Fate may break you, or they may make you.

"The Cruelty of Magic" by Shawn Amick

A warlord seeks the destruction of Runefall, and the end of magic, as a prophecy is met with doubt.

Kyra, a young woman capable of wielding rune magic, is called from her hidden city to a temple no one knows about. As Kyra wrestles with a prophecy, and wanting to save her city, a dwarven king leads his people to carve a new home for themselves but instead finds himself approaching divinity.

On the other side of the world, a dark sewer hosts a father and daughter who escaped a tyrannical attack. They now hide and attempt to summon a golem for protection but learn something about magic that might change the world.

Intricate stories and deep lies connect people from all across the land. The actions of one may very well condemn the lives of another, even if they never meet.

Such is the cruel way of the world and the unforgiving cost of magic.

The Cruelty of Magic is the first of a series by Shawn Amick.

 

"Haven in Reverie" by Rachel Vickers

The existence of the supernatural is kept secret.

Evil demon parasites possess unsuspecting humans – seizing control and wielding the hosts as demonic instruments against one another. 

Dragonfire is the only weapon against demons. Alas, dragon slayers have hunted dragon shifters nearly to extinction. 

And humanity is none the wiser.


Stassi Shade has been sheltered – kept safely hidden in a picturesque lie. But her haven in the town of Reverie is nothing more than a façade. When scorched demon remains wash ashore, Stassi is thrust into a harsh reality – she is a dragon shifter and the killer. Her powers have been intentionally suppressed by dragonbane. However, she’s developing a tolerance to the poison and has been triggered into her first shift. Now she must embrace her birthright and master her powers – not to eradicate demons, but to maintain the illusion of her vanilla life. To stay alive, she must continue to hide from those hunting her.

Emerson Caballero is a prominent member of the Knights Dracslaga, a prolific faction dedicated to slaying dragons. With trouble in Reverie, Emerson and his fellow knights must risk life and limb to defend and protect the innocent residents of their town.

Stassi and Emerson are close friends and unwitting enemies. As their relationship blossoms and their ancestral secrets are revealed – Emerson questions what the Knights Dracslaga have ingrained into him, while Stassi battles with the consequences of being exposed.

Haven in Reverie is a standalone fantasy by Rachel Vickers. 

 

"Where Memories Lie" by Irene Lee

Memory is the crime scene.
Magic is the weapon.

One fractured partnership stands in the way of a magical conspiracy that threatens the system holding society together.

Special Agent Elias Sinclair is a memory magic specialist with the FBI. Eighteen months ago he made a tragic mistake and seven agents died. His partnership with Alexander Sutton was destroyed, and ever since he has blamed himself and questioned his own magic.

Special Agent Alexander Sutton, a combat magic specialist, was injured the same night. He went back to the job without the partner he once called his best friend.

Now a wave of magical terrorism in Chicago forces them back together. The hunt for a terrorist reveals something much older and far more dangerous than anyone expected. As the city teeters on the edge of panic and secrets long buried are uncovered, survival may depend on whether they can learn to trust each other—and their magic—again.

Where Memories Lie is an urban fantasy thriller about broken friendships, weaponized memory, and the dangerous ties between magic and power.

Perfect for fans of Ben Aaronovitch’s Rivers of London and HBO’s True Detective.

 

"Of Spies and Shadows" by K. L. Ziggler

For months, Tove has been running for her life, from home, and before anyone can betray her again.

Fleeing meant going to a new continent, far from anyone who fears her magic as a shadow-wielder—including those who want her dead. Her only desire is a fresh start.

But her chance at a new life is thwarted when she’s captured by the sultan for a dangerous task: becoming his informant during treaty negotiations. Her magic and background make her the perfect tool against visitors from her homeland, putting her in proximity to her people who’d gut her if they discovered her magic.

Trapped and posing as a courtesan for the commander of the guard, Tove discovers things in her new kingdom are not what they seem: not the sultan, not the court, not the motivations for the treaty, and not the loyal commander Kaolum she’s supposed to be spying on. As dangerous attacks occur within the palace, it isn’t only Tove’s fresh start on the line, but her life, too.

To survive the palace and earn her freedom, Tove will have to decide who and what she can trust: her connections within the court, the powers that put her on the run in the first place, and the passion and desire Kaolum ignites within her.

Or, most importantly, whether she’s willing to trust anyone ever again.

Note: Of Spies and Shadows can be read as a prequel to the rest of the books in the Magic and Monsters series. It does not have to be read to enjoy the rest of the books in the series!