Citadel is the only human city on the alien planet Edalide, ruled by the biweekly tides that bring both deadly danger and much-needed resources. But the drowning waters, constant threat of starvation, and eternal cold aren’t the most dangerous challenge. For the Flooded Forest is ruled by demons: monsters from Hell sent by their vengeful god as penance for their ancestors’ rebellion. To save their souls and return to their former glory, Citadel must kill every single one. Or so they believe.

Lily isn’t exactly thrilled with her arrival in the Afterlife, but what awaits her there is more fantastical than she ever could have imagined: Deities wait in line at the coffee shop. Fae flit between realms. Souls find ways to make death a beginning. As she explores the many corners of the Afterlife, Lily finds herself surprisingly drawn to a place most people would avoid at all costs: Hell. Armed with years of customer service experience and pent-up sarcasm, Lily carves a job out for herself amongst Hell’s demons, sending souls to their rightful circles with more than a hint of sass.

Evie Sage didn't mean to become the right-hand woman to the kingdom's most terrifying villain. One minute, she was applying for an entry-level position that promised "light paperwork and occasional beheadings," and the next, she was knee-deep in magical mayhem, murder plots, and an entirely inappropriate crush on her brooding, sharp-jawed, walking disaster of a boss.

Violet Zennor was raised fighting in underground arenas. Ruthless and skilled, she becomes an heiress after her father's death. But her freedom is short-lived. Her father planned to send her to the Darklands, where her stillborn brother was sold. Despite pressure, Violet refuses. After an assassination attempt, she realizes she must confront her father's legacy. Seeking help from Miren, Ellie, and Asher, she prepares for the ultimate journey: into the Darklands, to the Anchorhold. This gripping tale explores a sinister fantasy world where blood is power and magic is a weapon.

Fresh out of prison, Jennifer Charles (JC) is desperately trying to turn their life around and make things right, and seems to find a golden opportunity in CaFae Latte as an under-qualified but talented baker. However, they soon learn that, as dark and unfortunate as their own history is, it pales in comparison to their kind Fae boss, Violet. Old enemies come to Blackwater and kidnap her, intent on dragging her back to the Fae Realm for capital punishment. And to add insult to injury, they frame JC for the crime.

Everyone in Foss Butcher’s village knows what happens when the magic-workers come; they harvest human hearts to use in their spells. That’s just how life in her kingdom works. But Foss, plain, clumsy, and practical as a boot, never expected anyone would want hers. When a sorcerer snags a piece of Foss’s heart without meaning to, she is furious. For once a heart is snagged, the experience is . . . well, unpleasant. So, Foss finds herself stomping toward the grand City to keep his enchanted House and demands that he fixes her before she keels over and dies.

Naia, the daughter of the High Sea Goddess, is an embarrassment. She holds no title and no power but is the key to a curse placed centuries ago on her mother: Naia must form a union with a god from an opposing family. When the day arrives for her arranged marriage, she turns to the High God of Death and Curses for help. He assists Naia under one condition—she must accept a curse, blindly. Willing to do whatever it takes to escape her mother’s kingdom beneath the sea, Naia agrees and flees to the Mortal Land.

I made a deal with the devil. Now he claims I'm his fated mate. When my best friend goes missing in Las Vegas, there’s only one man I can turn to for help. Lucas Ifer. Billionaire playboy. CEO of Abaddon Inc. King of Sin City. And…the devil himself? Lucas—aka Lucifer—agrees to help me, but in exchange he wants one thing: me. He’s dark, dangerous, and wickedly handsome. Oh, and evil incarnate. I should say no, but I can’t. I’m that desperate. But when you make a deal with the devil, there's no escaping it. Now he owns my body for seven nights of sin.

In the depths of the Finnish wilderness, more than wolves roam the dark woods. When a death goddess attacks their village, best friends Siiri and Aina prove helpless to stop her from dragging Aina into Tuonela, the mythical underworld. Determined to save her beloved Aina, Siiri braves a dangerous journey north, seeking help from the greatest shaman of legend—the only person ever to venture into Tuonela and return alive. There’s only one problem … the stories say he’s dead. In Tuonela, the cruel Witch Queen turns Aina’s every waking moment into a living nightmare.

Walden is good at her job—no, Walden is great at her job. But demons are masters of manipulation. It’s her responsibility to keep her school with its six hundred students and centuries-old legacy safe. And it’s possible the entity Walden most needs to keep her school safe from—is herself.

Niger, West Africa, 2074. When fifteen-year old Ejii witnesses her father's beheading, her world shatters. In a time of mind-blowing technology and seductive mysticism, Ejii embarks on a journey to track down her father's killer. With a newfound friend by her side, Ejii comes face to face with an earth turned inside out—and with her own mystical ability. And then she discovers that her travels across the sands of the Sahara have a deeper purpose.

Marlow needs to believe she's crazy. The alternative would mean embracing the gift—or curse—shared by her mother and grandmother: she can see angels and demons, including a dark and haunting entity who's been with Marlow her entire life. At least, she believes that's all he is until a fae from the Nordic pantheon strolls into her life and informs her that she's been sharing a bed with the Prince of Hell.

Bayr of Saylok, bastard son of a powerful and jealous chieftain, is haunted by the curse once leveled by his dying mother. Bartered, abandoned, and rarely loved, she plagued the land with her words: From this day forward, there will be no daughters in Saylok. Raised among the Keepers at Temple Hill, Bayr is gifted with inhuman strength. But he’s also blessed with an all-too-human heart that beats with one purpose: to protect Alba, the first girl child born in nearly two decades and the salvation for a country at risk.

My closest friend has lost his mind. He killed my father, took over my kingdom, and despite the blood that now stains his hands, claims that we’re fated to be together. My salvation comes from the most unlikely of sources. To reclaim my throne, I’ll have to rely on the one man I’ve hated my entire life for survival. Solomon Winett is the noble descendant of barbarian warriors and the bane of my existence. He’s obnoxious, stubborn, and the only one who rescued me from a fate worse than death.

It takes a lot of commitment to make a marriage between a modern ceremonial magician and a chaos witch work, but when a malevolent entity takes up residence in Rhys and Moira's home, their love will be pushed to the limits. Brewing up a solution is easier said than done when your magical styles are polar opposites; throw a psychic ex and a secret society in the mix, and things are bound to get messy.

Citadel is the only human city on the alien planet Edalide, ruled by the biweekly tides that bring both deadly danger and much-needed resources. But the drowning waters, constant threat of starvation, and eternal cold aren’t the most dangerous challenge. For the Flooded Forest is ruled by demons: monsters from Hell sent by their vengeful god as penance for their ancestors’ rebellion. To save their souls and return to their former glory, Citadel must kill every single one. Or so they believe.

Fresh out of prison, Jennifer Charles (JC) is desperately trying to turn their life around and make things right, and seems to find a golden opportunity in CaFae Latte as an under-qualified but talented baker. However, they soon learn that, as dark and unfortunate as their own history is, it pales in comparison to their kind Fae boss, Violet. Old enemies come to Blackwater and kidnap her, intent on dragging her back to the Fae Realm for capital punishment. And to add insult to injury, they frame JC for the crime.

Lily isn’t exactly thrilled with her arrival in the Afterlife, but what awaits her there is more fantastical than she ever could have imagined: Deities wait in line at the coffee shop. Fae flit between realms. Souls find ways to make death a beginning. As she explores the many corners of the Afterlife, Lily finds herself surprisingly drawn to a place most people would avoid at all costs: Hell. Armed with years of customer service experience and pent-up sarcasm, Lily carves a job out for herself amongst Hell’s demons, sending souls to their rightful circles with more than a hint of sass.

Cailleach, goddess of winter, was not born to be a blight on humanity, but she became one. She would say with scorn that it was their own fault: mortals were selfish, thoughtless, and destructive, bringing harm to each other and the earth without cause or qualms. One day, Cailleach goes too far. Thousands die, lost to her brutal winter. In punishment, her mother Danu, queen of the gods, strips the goddess of her powers and sends Cailleach to earth, to live and die as the mortals she so despises, until she understands what it is to be one of them.

At high noon on a hot summer’s day, a beautiful young woman shoots the mayor dead. So begins a story of passion and betrayal in a quiet Tuscan village, leading to a sensational trial. The defence team, headed by the brilliant but unhappy Carlo Rienzi, uncovers a sinister conspiracy of silence that threatens to split the community. Can Carlo persuade the judge to grant clemency in what appears to be an open-and-shut case? Can the law intervene in the brutal tradition of vendetta?

For centuries, the people of remote Ballybrine have kept the peace with their gods by sacrificing a Red Maiden to ferry souls from the Mother’s realm of the living, through the Dark Wood, to the Wolf’s realm of the dead. Soon it will be Rowan’s turn. Ripped from her family as a young girl, Rowan Cleary has been forced into a cloistered life learning to please the wolf and wield her spirit-enchanting voice. Though none of the previous maidens have survived their five-year term, Rowan is determined to beat the odds and protect the women who have become family to her.

Cassie Harper anticipates a week of prenuptial celebrations when she agrees to spend the week before her best friend Emily’s wedding at the remote and foreboding Hideaway House. Nestled deep in the heart of a secluded forest, the estate is the perfect backdrop for a series of lavish parties. But as Cassie arrives, she feels nothing but a growing sense of dread. As the days tick by in the eerie isolation of the estate, it becomes clear that there’s more to this place than meets the eye. Surrounded by sprawling woods, she finds herself entangled in the estate’s unsettling past.

If you love magic and witches, you’ll love the mysteries of Samhain, the horror of vampires, and the earthy wonder of the Green Man and the Raven King!

When Alyssa inherits her late grandmother's house in the quiet town of Kotahi Bay, she hopes for a fresh start. But as she settles into her new home, Alyssa quickly learns that her family legacy is more than just property—it's a powerful magic and a centuries-old ghost desperate to break free. The townspeople expect her to step into the role of local witch, but haunting memories of a night filled with fire and loss make that impossible. Torn between a restless spirit and mounting pressure from the town, Alyssa faces an impossible choice.

Polina Pankova presents Book 1 in the Into the Deep Wood series.

Every Fairy Tale Comes From A Very Real Story. Fairy tales are just that—tales. Stories. At least that’s what nineteen-year-old Vera and her brother Lieve believed until dangerous characters from their childhood stories turn their world upside down. Running for their lives, the twins discover they’ve entered the realm of their favorite legends, but that’s only the beginning of their problems because: they don’t land together. Separated by ten years of time, they must now navigate this treacherous kingdom full of power-hungry nobles and hidden agendas, all on their own.

Eleven years of Parker Stevens' life have gone by in the mental institution due to the murders he’d committed when he was 15. He is finally released and meets her. She awakens a power within his very being. Luna is trapped. She lives with the man who kidnapped her as a child and subsequently raised her. Now, she’s his lover, a role she is forced to portray and to accept. However, it doesn’t stop her from hating his guts. She remains because she is indebted; but then she meets Parker, the man’s nephew, and starts to want something...for herself...for once.

Something wicked is going on in the village of Ascension. A mother wasting away from cancer is suddenly up and about. A boy trampled by a milk cart walks away from the accident. A hanged man can still speak, broken neck and all. The dead are not dying. When Rabbit and Sadie Grace accompany their friend Rose to Ascension to help take care of her ailing cousin, they immediately notice that their new house, Bethany Hall, is occupied by dozens of ghosts. And something is waiting for them in the attic.

Let us fly now to the empire of Orrun, where after twenty-four years of peace, Bersun the Brusque must end his reign. In the dizzying heat of mid-summer, seven contenders compete to replace him. They are exceptional warriors, thinkers, strategists—the best of the best. Then one of them is murdered. We know who did it. We saw it happen. No one else did.

From creation myths and foundation legends to fascinating stories of human relationships and animal tales, these stories provide a diverse look at the countries and cultures across the African continent. Noted folklorist Helen Nde provides context for history and colonial influences for the stories.