Historical Fantasy Hidden Gems

The emperor rules with a magic built of stolen children's memories. His palace is filled with constructs—part animal, part human—powered by bone shards from living subjects who weaken and die as the magic drains them. His daughter Lin must find the secrets of the bone shard magic before a rebellion tears their empire apart.

In the early 1900s, a young woman named January discovers a mysterious book that tells her about Doors—passages to other worlds—and her own impossible place in a world of secrets and power. A lyrical story about the magic of words, the pull of other worlds, and the cost of belonging.

Enter a world of dragon politics and missing librarians – in 1920s New York City. Immerse yourself in The Lost Plot, the fourth gripping instalment in the Invisible Library series from Genevieve Cogman. A covert mission. A royal demand. And a race against time. In a 1920s-style America, Prohibition is in force, fedoras and flapper dresses are in fashion – and intrepid librarians Irene and Kai find themselves caught in a fierce dragon duel. A demanding queen has ordered her heirs to find a rare book, and it seems a young librarian has become tangled in the conflict. If Irene and Kai can't extricate him, there could be grave political fallout for the library. This could even trigger war. Irene and Kai's quest: to outsmart gangsters, evade security, rescue the librarian and retrieve the book. If they can't, it could have dire consequences for Irene's job. And, incidentally, for her life . . . Continue the literary magic with The Mortal Word, the next step in this enchanting historical fantasy. Praise for the series: 'I absolutely loved this' – N. K. Jemisin, author of The Fifth Season 'Irene is a great heroine: fiery, resourceful and no one's fool' – The Guardian 'Cogman keeps upping the ante on this delightful series!' – Charles Stross, author of the Merchant Princes series

Collecting books can be a dangerous prospect in this fun, time-traveling, fantasy adventure—the first in the Invisible Library series! One thing any Librarian will tell you: the truth is much stranger than fiction... Irene is a professional spy for the mysterious Library, a shadowy organization that collects important works of fiction from all of the different realities. Most recently, she and her enigmatic assistant Kai have been sent to an alternative London. Their mission: Retrieve a particularly dangerous book. The problem: By the time they arrive, it's already been stolen. London's underground factions are prepared to fight to the death to find the tome before Irene and Kai do, a problem compounded by the fact that this world is chaos-infested—the laws of nature bent to allow supernatural creatures and unpredictable magic to run rampant. To make matters worse, Kai is hiding something—secrets that could be just as volatile as the chaos-filled world itself. Now Irene is caught in a puzzling web of deadly danger, conflicting clues, and sinister secret societies. And failure is not an option—because it isn’t just Irene’s reputation at stake, it’s the nature of reality itself... FEATURING BONUS MATERIAL: including an interview with the author, a legend from the Library, and more!

At Eleanor West's Home for Wayward Children, new arrival Rini faces a unique dilemma: she doesn't belong in this world. Born a princess in a fantastical realm of sugar and sweets, a twist of fate brought her here, and now she's slowly dissolving. To save her life, a courageous group of Wayward Children—including the quiet Nancy and the determined Kade—must embark on a desperate quest. They will journey through treacherous portals, facing bizarre landscapes and dark magic, to find a way back to Rini's sugary home beneath a fantastical sky. Their bond will be tested as they race against time, for if they fail, Rini will vanish forever.

Georgia Peach Award Nominee • Florida Teens Read Award Nominee • ABC Best Books for Young Readers • Bank Street College Best Children’s Books of the Year • A Junior Library Guild Selection • Hugo & Locus award finalist In Other Lands is an exhilarating novel from bestselling author Sarah Rees Brennan about surviving four years in the most unusual of schools - friendship, falling in love, diplomacy, and finding your own place in the world — even if it means giving up your phone. Excerpt: The Borderlands aren’t like anywhere else. Don’t try to smuggle a phone or any other piece of technology over the wall that marks the Border — unless you enjoy a fireworks display in your backpack. (Ballpoint pens are okay.) There are elves, harpies, and — best of all as far as Elliot is concerned — mermaids. "What’s your name?" "Serene." "Serena?" Elliot asked. "Serene," said Serene. "My full name is Serene-Heart-in-the-Chaos-of-Battle." Elliot’s mouth fell open. "That is badass." Elliot? Who’s Elliot? Elliot is thirteen years old. He’s smart and just a tiny bit obnoxious. Sometimes more than a tiny bit. When his class goes on a field trip and he can see a wall that no one else can see, he is given the chance to go to school in the Borderlands. It turns out that on the other side of the wall, classes involve a lot more weaponry and fitness training and fewer mermaids than he expected. On the other hand, there’s Serene-Heart-in-the-Chaos-of-Battle, an elven warrior who is more beautiful than anyone Elliot has ever seen, and then there’s her human friend Luke: sunny, blond, and annoyingly likeable. There are lots of interesting books. There’s even the chance Elliot might be able to change the world. Chapter illustrations by Casey Nowak.

For the first time in one volume, the unforgettable epic fantasy The Long Price Quartet by Daniel Abraham, award-winning coauthor of The Expanse series. In a world of ancient empires and immortal magics, one man stands at the crossroads of history. The aggressively expansionist Galt empire has already conquered lands across a huge continent. But the cities of the Khaiem resist Galt's power with the andat creatures of magic with godlike powers. But magic and treacherous politics have brought a bitter harvest of violence and sorrow. Otah Machi, caught between ancient wonders and a modern empire, has survived more than most men endure in two lifetimes. He is the culmination of a complex inheritance, and his own existence is the fulcrum around which the wheels of epic history rotate through achingly poignant cycles of life and death, love and betrayal. Now, when the world seems utterly lost, all depends on Otah, and the lost loves and found family he has desperately hoped to protect from the tragedy that beckons. If they can summon the courage and power to forgive and resist darkness, all their hopes could be salvaged—along with their world. "There is much to love in The Long Price Quartet. It is epic in scope but character centered, with a setting both unique and utterly believable. The storytelling is smooth, careful, and—best of all—unpredictable."—New York Times Bestselling Author Patrick Rothfuss The Long Price Quartet includes: 1. A Shadow in Summer 2. A Betrayal in Winter 3. An Autumn War 4. The Price of Spring

'The greatest living author of epic fantasy' - Brandon Sanderson 'The finest in his field' - Tor.com 'Guy Gavriel Kay's A Brightness Long Ago is a masterpiece; perhaps the finest work of one of the world's greatest living storytellers' - Fantasy Book Review ***One of Goodreads' Most Anticipated SFF Books of 2019*** Internationally bestselling author Guy Gavriel Kay's latest work is set in a world evoking early Renaissance Italy, with an extraordinary cast of characters. In a chamber overlooking the nighttime waterways of a maritime city, a man looks back on his youth and the people who shaped his life. Danio Cerra's intelligence won him entry to a renowned school, though he was only the son of a tailor. He took service at the court of a ruling count - and soon learned why that man was known as The Beast. Danio's fate changed the moment he recognized Adria Ripoli as she entered the count's chambers one night - intending to kill. Born to power, Adria had chosen a life of danger - and freedom - instead. Other vivid figures share the story: a healer determined to defy her expected lot; a charming, frivolous son of immense wealth; a religious leader more decadent than devout; and, affecting these lives and many more, two mercenary commanders, whose rivalry puts a world in the balance. Further praise for Guy Gavriel Kay 'Contemporary fiction's finest fantasist' Tor.com 'History and fantasy rarely come together as gracefully or readably as they do in the novels of Guy Gavriel Kay' Washington Post 'One of the (if not the) premiere fantasists of our time' The Financial Times 'Compulsively readable . . . Kay is a global phenomenon . . . a storyteller on the grandest scale' Time Magazine (Canada)