Your Science Fiction and Fantasy Book Bargains for May 25, 2023

Magic, adventure, and romance abound in this spellbinding box set! An engrossing collection of first-in-a-series fantasy novels filled with epic battles, dark secrets, forbidden love, and more.
When Worlds Begin includes Ember and Stone, Girl of Glass, The Tethering, and The Girl Without Magic.

The princes of Minalorea have vanished, and the queen is trapped in an enchanted sleep.
But in Rose’s small mountain town, no one can talk of anything but the monstrous, wild Spirit Bear that haunts the surrounding forest.
Once she is bound to him, Rose learns that there is more to him than meets the eye; his name is Tomas, and he carries secrets from his past, hidden by a dark and powerful curse.
As Tomas and Rose discover ancient mysteries and dark threats that loom over the kingdom beyond the forest, she discovers a secret of her own: one of powerful, wild magic. But as her abilities grow stronger, so do her feelings for Tomas.
Will she be able to break his curse in time to save him —and their kingdom— from the enemies trying to shatter their world?
A Spell of Thorns is a cozy cottage-core retelling of Snow White and Rose Red. It ends on a cliffhanger.

Category: Fantasy – Fairy Tales

Fifty years ago, civil war fractured the United States. Ever since, Harmony “Bibi” Cain has isolated himself: from society, from technology, from family. A powerful empath weary from the intrusion of others’ emotions, he’s cloistered in his rural Wisconsin retirement community. He hopes to find, if not peace, then at least a little quiet.

But when four impossible-seeming killings shake North America, Bibi is drawn into an investigation he wants nothing to do with. The victims were killed by motes—unstoppable drones only an empath can control—and decades ago, Bibi was part of the program that created them: the program that weaponized empathy.

With his friends at risk, and tensions between countries of the former United States reawakening, everything may depend on Bibi’s lifelong struggle with his own extraordinary ability.

Other Retailers
Apple Books | Nook | Kobo

Category: Science Fiction – Cyberpunk

Noemi never wanted to be a rebel leader…
…but like any spacer, she rarely gets what she wants.

It’s hard enough being the only female cargo foreman on Aikkan Station. Sure, Noemi can pilot a mech with the best of them, and her team is made up of the finest mech pilots she could find. But when their boss runs afoul of the most ambitious Council Prince in the system, the repercussions are deadly—and they land squarely on Noemi’s shoulders.

Accused of murder and in possession of an impenetrable secret, Noemi and her team are suddenly rebels on the run. Their only hope is to plan a daring rescue right into the heart of enemy territory: the planet Aquitania. With only their mechs as weapons, they must stage a daring rescue. If they fail, they’re as good as dead. If they succeed, they could alter the balance of power throughout the system… and maybe even the entire Empire.

Category: Science Fiction – Space Opera

Freelance mage Opal Yong-ae has never let little things like impossibility stop her. She’s puts her overpriced magical art history degree to use as a Cleaner: a contract municipal employee who empties out abandoned apartments and resells the unusual treasures she finds inside for a profit. It’s not a safe job–there’s a reason she wears bite-proof gloves–but when you owe a dragon money, you can’t be picky.

Even Opal’s low standards are put to the test when the only thing of value in her latest apartment is the body of the renter. The dead aren’t part of her job, but this mage died hiding a secret that could be worth a fortune. With debts she can’t pay due at the end of the week, this could be the big break she’s been waiting for, but in a city of runaway magic where getting in over your head generally means losing it, the cost of chasing this chance might be more than Opal can handle

Category: Fantasy – Paranormal & Urban

There is no God waiting for you in paradise. No afterlife where friendships severed by death are reformed and family members reunited. There is only the Aether, a dimension of insatiable hunger that will possess you no matter your beliefs or the life you led.

Yet there is hope for a lucky few. Archivists, existing between the world of the living and the world of the dead, can offer salvation… for a price. Taking your essence in the final moments before death, they tether you to the physical world. They become your afterlife, linking you with the living while your body rots.

17-year-old Sun-young Kang lives with an abusive man and will do anything to protect her 12-year-old sister, Laure. After a chance meeting with a young archivist, Sun-young hatches a plan to dispose of her abuser for good.

Category: Fantasy – Paranormal & Urban

In a world of power, Jasmine is the outcast.

No matter how long she meditates, breathing in the vital aura of the world, her soul refuses to cultivate. Her betters say the Heavens forbid it, but Jasmine isn’t so sure. She can’t be destined to live the quiet life of a nun. She is tired of being pushed around and watching others treat her friends like trash. She’ll do anything, even break the peace of the valley, to fix her condition and protect those she loves.

Meanwhile, Ti’Lee is trapped by tradition. His father expects him to become an imperial scholar, but his true passion lies in spiritsmithing—a career that would blacken his family’s name. As the entrance exam for the School of Rising Sun approaches, Ti’Lee must make a choice that will change his destiny forever.

Category: Fantasy – Epic

Please join 8 authors as they take you through a Portal to the Other Side. This anthology includes 8 different adventurous sci fi stories of Portals.

Other Retailers
Apple Books | Nook | Smashwords | Kobo

Category: Science Fiction – Adventure