Review

Lackey's story of a young turn of the century female who is brought to the wilds of San Francisco to read books for a reclusive alchemist recreates the fable of the monster who wins the heart of a young woman yet forbids her to view him. For the monster here is a magician caught in a werewolf spell, and the young girl is a destitute young woman with no other choices. -- Midwest Book Review

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As a physician operating among London's poor in the early years of the 20th century, Dr. Maya Witherspoon has two strikes against her her gender and her status as the half-breed daughter of an Englishman and a Hindu woman. The magic she possesses, however, assists her not only in her work but also in fighting off an assassin bent on destroying her through the use of dark powers. The author of the popular "Valdemar" series turns her hand to historical fantasy in this intriguing and compelling re-creation of England in the waning days of its imperial glory. (This is also the first volume in a new three-book series inspired by classic fairy tales.) A good choice for Lackey's large readership as well as fans of period fiction. 


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Adult/High School-Fanciful and winsome, Sleep is a fantastical version of "Sleeping Beauty" set in England at the turn of the 20th century. Taken care of by family friends since infancy and surrounded by mages, Marina lives a charmed life. Befriended by water sprites, nymphs, and the like, she slowly comes to know why her loving parents sent her away. Tragically, just before her 18th birthday, they die in an "accident," and Marina is ripped from her idyllic country home by her coldly beautiful Aunt Arachne. The woman is controlling and harsh, yet even to the magically gifted she doesn't appear evil. Despite the lack of evidence, Marina's instincts gnaw at her, and fortunately she listens. A visit to one of her aunt's pottery factories provides unpleasant revelations both physical and metaphysical. Old-fashioned manners, dress, and speech set the tone in this pleasantly escapist novel. Mixed in are light touches of modern issues such as feminism and eco-awareness. YAs who liked fairy tales as kids will enjoy Lackey's spin on an old favorite.

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Following her acclaimed novels The Serpent's Shadow and The Gates of Sleep, Mercedes Lackey reinvents a classic fairy tale-and gives it a new twist. In a dark and atmospheric retelling of Cinderella, she sets her story in London during the first World War.

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The letter that introduced twelve-year-old Sarah Jane Lyon-White to Isabelle Harton, who ran the Harton School in central London, seemed quite simple and straightforward. But it was what was not written in the letter that resonated to Isabelle's own finely turned 'extra' senses - 'Sarah has gifts we cannot train,' the letter whispered to her, 'nor can anyone we know. Those we trust tell us that you can...'. And it was true, for the Harton School was far from ordinary. It was Isabelle's job to train children who possessed the odd types of magic that could not be trained by London's powerful Elemental Masters - clairvoyants, telepaths, those with the ability to sense hidden danger, the vision to see into the past, and even that rarest of all talents - the ability to see and communicate with the dead. But Isabelle was uneasy, for though she knew that Sarah Jane had a touch of telepathy, there seemed to be something else about the girl - something that had not yet manifested. And Isabelle was right to be worried, for as soon as Sarah's full talents became evident, there was an attempt made on her life. For Sarah was that rarest of magicians - a true medium, and for some reason, a powerful Elemental Master wanted her dead. Isabelle knew that to protect her ward she would have to seek help from the Elemental Masters of the city. That meant she would also see Lord David Alderscroft, the man she had once loved, but who had inexplicably chilled toward her and broken her heart long ago - for he was the leader of the city's Elemental Masters, the man who was now called the Wizard of London.

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Product Description

A brand-new Elemental Masters novel from the national bestselling author Mercedes Lackey.

Richard Whitestone is an Elemental Earth Master. Blaming himself for the death of his beloved wife in childbirth, he has sworn never to set eyes on his daughter, Suzanne. But when he finally sees her, a dark plan takes shape in his twisted mind-to use his daughter's body to bring back the spirit of his long-dead wife.

About the Author

Mercedes Lackey is one of the most prolific and well-loved writers in fantasy today. She lives in Claremore, Oklahoma.

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Deep within the forests of the Pacific Northwest, two vampire coalitions battle for supremacy—Guardian enforcers who safeguard humanity, and Darkbloods, rogues who kill like their ancient ancestors.

Alfonso Serrano is a hunted man. For months he's managed to elude the Darkbloods, vengeful foes who won't rest until he's dead. But he still craves one dangerous temptation: Lily DeGraff, the sexy Guardian agent he'll risk anything to protect.

Lily is a wanted woman. Her talent for tracking Sweet—a rare blood type that's addictive to vampires—makes her a prime target for enemy capture. Her only hope is the stealthy vampire operative who stole into her bed...then left her in despair. Danger aside, Lily won't let Alfonso near her heart again—until an irresistible hunger threatens to draw them back together...and into an assassin's snare.<

If you were born in 1560 in Ireland, what would you have witnessed if you were to live for 80 years?
This book is the first of the second series of historical novels of very fine quality - two novels in every book - about the time between 1560 and 1640 in different parts of the world, giving a panoramic view of society and human life. We continue with Ireland …
“Maelcho” by Emily Lawless (1895; revised and abridged.)
The great and famous Irish bard and storyteller Maelcho is at the same time the nursing-maid for the children of the noble household of Sir James Fitzmaurice, the head of the Desmond rebellion. Maelcho is endowed by Nature with a powerful imagination, which helps him to foresee the future and protect those belonging to him. He is resourceful and unconquerable in any thinkable situation, as long as he has somebody to love and protect. The English orphan boy Hugh Gaynard is forced by circumstances to live some years amidst the Irish clans. Hugh is placed against his will in an Irish village and for a time completely cut off from the outside world. He is of a sound mind, sensible but not creative, sober and pragmatical. Hugh dreams of escape from the Irish and of a career in the English army. Both men must go trough the horrors of the Desmond rebellion and live with its consequences.
“The Charming of Estercel” by Grace Little Rhys (1913; revised and abridged.)
“Two old spells almost opposite in kind, one of love, the other of love and hate, are woven into this tale. According to the first, if a ring is put into a bird's nest in the spring-time and removed only when the young are ready to fly, it will be so impregnated with the spirit of love as to cast a charm on whoever wears it. According to the other, if a young girl uses the mirror of a wanton, she inherits the spirit of guile left behind there.” (Grace L. Rhys)
During the Nine Years War, Estercel of the O'Neills – a very handsome Irish young man – rides to Dublin as a messenger of the Irish forces of the north to the Earl Lieutenant of Ireland, Essex, the cousin of Queen Elizabeth I. Estercel is a peace-bearer, and his message is very welcome to Essex, but Essex has many enemies in his own circle. Those high-born schemers trap Estercel on his way back and put him into the torture chamber of Dublin, where he must give away to them his message for Essex or die, if no one interferes … But then, Estercel is loved by two young and energetic women …

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Review

"Tim LaHaye's books always entertain, educate and thrill but THUNDER OF HEAVEN takes it to a new level. I never thought the End of Days would cost me so much sleep!" ---#1 NYT bestselling author Glenn Beck

"Dr. Tim LaHaye writes about the future with the kind of gripping detail that others would use to describe the past. I've been reading Tim LaHaye's books for over thirty years, but Thunder of Heaven may be his best yet!" --Mike Huckabee, Former Governor of Arkansas

"Tim LaHaye writes about the prophetic future with such accuracy and passion that once you get started reading what he has written, you do not put the book away until it is finished! In our generation, he has led the way back to a proper appreciation of the prophetic writings of Scripture. Everywhere I go, I meet someone who has read one of Tim's books and been blessed by it. This book will continue that tradition!" --Dr. David Jeremiah, senior pastor, Shadow Mountain Community Church, founder & CEO, Turning Point

Product Description

The End Series by New York Times bestselling author Tim LaHaye and Craig Parshall is an epic thrill ride ripped from today's headlines and filtered through Scriptural prophecy. As world events begin setting the stage for the 'end of days' foretold in Revelation, Joshua Jordan must weigh the personal price he must pay to save the nation he loves.This eBook will appeal to the tens of millions of fans who have already made Tim LaHaye a household name and one of the best selling authors of all time. Thunder of Heaven is a return to form for Tim LaHaye, whose previous prophetic fiction series, Left Behind, has sold roughly 70 million copies.Those who have read Left Behind and who are eager for more highly charged fiction based on biblical prophesies will embrace Thunder of Heaven for the same reasons that turned Left Behind into the world's most celebrated publishing phenomenons of the last two decades.

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In the tradition of Amy Tan and Jhumpa Lahiri, a moving portrait of three generations of family living in Vancouver's Chinatown From Knopf Canada's New Face of Fiction program--launching grounds for Yann Martel's Life of Piand Ann-Marie MacDonald's Fall on Your Knees--comes this powerfully evocative novel. At age eighteen, Seid Quan is the first in the Chan family to emigrate from China to Vancover in 1913. Paving the way for a wife and son, he is profoundly lonely, even as he joins the Chinatown community. Weaving in and out of the past and the present, The End of Eastpieces together the spellbinding tale of Seid Quan's family: his wife Shew Lin, whose hope for her family are threatened by her own misguided actions; his son Pon Man, who struggles with obligation and desire; his daughter-in-law Siu Sang, who tries to be the caregiver everyone expects, even as she feels herself unraveling; and his granddaughter Sammy, who finds herself embroiled in a volatile mixture of seduction, grief, and duty. An exquisite debut of isolation, immigration, romance, and insanity, The End of Eastsets family conflicts against the backdrop of Vancouver's Chinatown--a city within a city where dreams are shattered as quickly as they're built, and where history repeats itself through the generations. It is a bold and accomplished debut from one of Canada's brightest new literary stars.<

A love that would not die . . . A city that would not surrender . . . A war that knew no bounds . . . On June 21st, 1941, Nazi Germany embarks on what would become one of the bloodiest, most barbaric wars the world would ever know. Follow several memorable characters - some real-to-life - as they struggle through one of the most horrific human dramas ever created. For 900 days, the people of Leningrad, Russia endured one of the worst sieges in the history of mankind. Some would find the inner strength that would make them a light unto the darkness. Others would descend into madness. www.EndOfSorrow.com<

From Publishers Weekly

This entertaining series opener takes place more than 1,000 years after events depicted in the Obsidian Trilogy. The city of Armethalieh is no longer ruled by mages, and High Magick itself is forgotten. Elves and dragons are known to exist, but live in distant lands and are never seen. Wielders of Wild Magic are extremely rare. Characters familiar from earlier books have become legends from a dim past. Then Tiercel Rolfort, the scholarly son of lower nobility, rediscovers High Magick. Beset with visions and physically weakening, Tiercel decides his best hope is to take a journey to find a Wild Mage. Meanwhile, Wild Mage Bisochim has become convinced of his calling to set the balance aright by bringing darkness back into the world. Having found and bonded with the dragon Saravasse, he plans to draw on her power to further his dark goals. This beguiling beginning promises a highly readable epic combining vivid characterization with an interesting exploration of how past heroics are twisted over centuries into something both more and less than they were.
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Review

“High fantasy fans should appreciate the intelligent storytelling with an unmistakable flavor of Andre Norton at her best.”
—Publisher's Weekly  on When Darkness Falls “Plenty of good-versus-evil action…. A rich reading experience. The overriding message in this trilogy is that all power comes with a cost, and every action has a consequence, an important lesson for readers of all ages.”
—VOYA on When Darkness Falls

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SUMMARY: In The Phoenix Endangered, second in The Enduring Flame, Tiercel, a budding High Mage, and Harrier, a reluctant Knight-Mage, develop greater power—and learn of the evils of war when they see the devastation caused by the fanatical armies of the Wild Mage Bisochim.The desert tribespeople led by young Shaiara flee Bisochim’s evil, seeking a legendary oasis deep in the desert—a refuge that may hold the key to stopping Bisochim and preserving the Balance between Light and Darkness . . . or that may be the cause of Light’s ultimate downfall.<

In The Enduring Flame trilogy, Mercedes Lackey and James Mallory have given readers a new view of the complex and fascinating world they originally created for The Obsidian Trilogy.  Jumping one thousand years in time, Lackey and Mallory have told the compelling story of Harrier Gillain, the first Knight-Mage in a thousand years; Tiercel Rolfort, the first High Mage in hundreds of years; and Shaiara, the young leader of a desert tribe who takes both boys under her wing but finds that she has a special affection for Harrier.  These three young people are their world’s main defense against the evil called up by the rogue Wild Mage, Bisochim. Bisochim’s conviction that he was restoring the balance was shattered the moment Ahairan took her first breath.  Now, in The Phoenix Transformed, Bisochim joins forces with Harrier and Tiercel and the three mages search desperately for a way to destroy Ahairan as she sends her magical forces against them and the desert nomads under their protection.  With more than one twist in the telling, centering on a magic-plagued journey across a blistering desert, The Phoenix Transformed is the stunning conclusion to The Enduring Flame.<

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