Books like 'The Shadow’s Curse'
Readers who enjoyed The Shadow’s Curse by Mac Smith also liked the following books featuring the same tropes, story themes, relationship dynamics and character types.
fantasy urban fantasy dark fantasy action / adventure animals dystopia dark
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The Dungeon Anarchist's Cookbook: Dungeon Crawler Carl Book 3 by Matt Dinniman
Rated: 4.60 of 5 stars · 28 ratingsWelcome to the Gun Show! The top ten list is populated. The sponsorship program is open. The difficulty is ramping up. The first three floors were nothing compared to what Carl and Donut now face. The Iron Tangle. An impossibly-complicated subway system built out of the world's subterranean railway systems, all combined and then tied together into a knot. Up is down. Down is up. Close is far... -
Crowbones by Anne Bishop
Rated: 4.55 of 5 stars · 24 ratingsIn this engrossing and gripping fantasy set in the world of the New York Times bestselling Others series, an inn owner and her friends must find a killer-before it's too late... -
Empire of the Vampire by Jay Kristoff
Rated: 4.40 of 5 stars · 37 ratingsFrom holy cup comes holy light;The faithful hands sets world aright.And in the Seven Martyrs’ sight,Mere man shall end this endless night.It has been twenty-seven long years since the last sunrise. For nearly three decades, vampires have waged war against humanity; building their eternal empire even as they tear down our own. Now, only a few tiny sparks of light endure in a sea of darkness... -
Zero Hour by Will Hill
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsJamie Carpenter and the rest of Department 19 know when the world will end. It ends when Zero Hour comes. And Zero Hour…is here.As Dracula continues his rise, Department 19 is desperately trying to keep the forces of evil at bay. Then, an unexpected source brings a ray of hope, sending Jamie and Larissa on a dangerous mission to find the one thing that could turn back the darkness for good... -
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Magic Bleeds - Awake (Curran POV #9) by Ilona Andrews, Gordon Andrews
Rated: 4.29 of 5 stars · 24 ratingsPublished in Small Magics and included in Curran's POV.Infuriated by Kate’s treatment at the hands of the Pack, the Beast Lord demands an explanation. When words fail, claws and fangs must do the talking... -
Foretold by Jana Oliver
Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars · 18 ratingsIn FORETOLD, the fourth Demon Trappers novel by Jana Oliver, Riley faces the final battle for humanity and Beck's heart—and Hell is the least of her problemsNow that Riley’s managed to (just barely) fend off Armageddon, everything’s changed. Well . . . most things... -
Old World War by Melissa F. Olson
Rated: 4.42 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsOn a sunny summer morning, nulls all over the country are attacked at the same time.In Boulder, Allison "Lex" Luther barely gets her niece to safety. In Los Angeles, Scarlett Bernard is nearly shot in the back. It seems that a powerful enemy is unhappy with the Old World leaders' plans to form a government, and they've coordinated a strike against those rare individuals who can undo magic itself... -
Battle Lines by Will Hill
Rated: 4.36 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsIt's always darkest before dawn. Secret government unit Department 19 is recovering from evil vampire Valeri Rusmanov's deadly attack on their base. The Department’s newest member, teenage operator Jamie Carpenter, is tasked with training up a new squad, as his friends and colleagues desperately search for ways to try to stop what is coming... -
Eat Prey Love by Kerrelyn Sparks
Rated: 4.25 of 5 stars · 24 ratingsWanted: Bride. Must love children. Mortals need not apply.Carlos Panterra is looking for a mate, a woman who will love and care for the young orphans he's recently taken under his wing (or paw, as the case may be). When the shape shifter spies the beautiful Caitlyn, it's like sunshine amidst the darkness. At last, he's found the perfect woman, except...Caitlyn Whelan is mortal... -
Savage Nature by Christine Feehan
Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars · 30 ratingsWhen Saria Boudreaux finds a dead body in the Louisiana bayou near her home, her first instinct is to go to the police. But there's a problem: it looks like the victim may have been killed by a big cat - and her brothers are all shape-shifting leopards... -
Heritage by S.M. Boyce
Rated: 4.40 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsKara Magari isn't normal, even by Ourea's standards--and in a world of shape-shifters and soul stealers, that's saying something. To the royalty, she's a loose cannon. To the masses, she's a failure. But Kara doesn't have a home to go back to anymore. This war-torn world is all she has left, and she'll save it even if she dies trying... -
Wagga by Alex Kozlowski
Rated: 4.29 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsIn the apocalypse, the first weapon he’ll have to upgrade is himself.The end of the world as we know it couldn’t come at a worse time for Adrian.One minute, he’s an operations manager who’s overseeing a construction job in the wilderness. The next, an unknown energy force changes the very nature of life itself, from the smallest organism to the top of the food chain...Categorized as:
dystopia dark fantasy litrpg progression-fantasy audiobook apocalyptic action-adventure -
The Rising by Will Hill
Rated: 4.34 of 5 stars · 26 ratingsJames Bond meets Dracula in this epic saga of one boy and a ton of weapons versus the world's oldest evil--vampires as you've never seen them before! Sixteen-year-old Jamie Carpenter's life was violently upended when he was brought into Department 19, a classified government agency of vampire hunters that was formed to deal with a little problem . . . known as Dracula... -
Men of the Otherworld by Kelley Armstrong
Rated: 4.26 of 5 stars · 35 ratingsAs a curious six-year-old, Clayton didn’t resist the bite—he asked for it. But surviving as a lone child-werewolf was more than he could manage—until Jeremy came along and taught him how to straddle the human-werewolf worlds, gave him a home…and introduced him to the Pack...Categorized as:
animals dark action-adventure anthologies audiobook contemporary dark-fantasy demons -
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Matt Archer: Redemption by Kendra C. Highley
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 6 ratings“There’s more to me than you know…”When Matt Archer’s sister, Mamie, said those words to him three years ago, he had no idea how prophetic they were, or what this would mean for his family.Now, he knows. And it changes everything, bringing the war right to Matt’s doorstep.In the epic conclusion to the Matt Archer series, the endgame is near... -
Wild Country by Anne Bishop
Rated: 4.25 of 5 stars · 33 ratingsIn this powerful and exciting fantasy set in the world of the New York Times bestselling Others series, humans and the shape-shifting Others will see whether they can live side by side...without destroying one another.There are ghost towns in the world—places where the humans were annihilated in retaliation for the slaughter of the shape-shifting Others...Categorized as:
animals dark dystopia action-adventure adult alpha-mc alternate-history alternate-universe -
Land of Monsters by Stacey Marie Brown
Rated: 4.38 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsI am the monster they fear. And I bow to no one.The world is aware of Princess Raven Haley Scarlet Dragen—twin sister to her charismatic twin brother, Rook, the daughter of the Queen of the Unified Nations, and the offspring of a notorious dark dweller.Or so they think they know her.But she has been hiding a secret since she was born—the monsters within... -
Eternal Sin by Ariana Nash
Rated: 4.27 of 5 stars · 11 ratingsThe fate of the world hinges on their shattered love. But can it be saved? For as long as angels and demons have warred over London, battle lines have never been crossed and humans never hurt. Now, everything has changed. More powerful than ever, nothing can stop Mikhail's crusade of vengeance against the demon who betrayed him. Trapped as an angel, Severn is running out of time... -
Infernal Sin by Ariana Nash
Rated: 4.27 of 5 stars · 11 ratingsAn angel and a demon fell in love, and the world went to war...Branded a traitor by his own kind, Severn knows winning demons back will not be easy, but when High Lord Luxen steals Mikhail from his grasp, he has no choice. He’s going to need all the help he can get to find Mikhail, unseat Luxen as High Lord, and build a force to rival the vicious Guardian Angel Remiel’s... -
V Games: Fresh From the Grave by Caroline Peckham
Rated: 4.25 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsSelena Grey has faced death and won. Freedom awaits so long as she can let go of the last thing that ties her to the island where the V Games were held. But despite the fact surviving has always been her priority, suddenly, she finds herself torn between her head and her heart... -
Sponsored Apocalypse by Blaise Corvin
Rated: 4.43 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsHe's been preparing for the apocalypse his entire life. Is he ready?Miles "Shrug" Lindstrom received a quest years ago. He was the only person who could see the window, and in addition to the quest, he could also see a countdown to the end of the world.Part of him was hoping that he was just insane and had been hallucinating when he first started seeing the window...Categorized as:
dystopia dark fantasy post-apocalyptic audiobook urban-fantasy action-adventure fiction -
Imajica by Clive Barker
Rated: 4.17 of 5 stars · 39 ratingsImajica is an epic beyond compare: vast in conception, obsessively detailed in execution, and apocalyptic in its resolution. At its heart lies the sensualist and master art forger, Gentle, whose life unravels when he encounters Judith Odell, whose power to influence the destinies of men is vaster than she knows, and Pie 'oh' pah, an alien assassin who comes from a hidden dimension... -
Donn's Hill by Caryn Larrinaga
Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars · 6 ratings"Grief can change us... shift the way we look at the world..."Mackenzie Clair needs a fresh start. The death of her father and a broken relationship rendered her old life unlivable. What better place to build a new one than Donn's Hill, the most haunted town in America and her favorite childhood vacation spot?But returning to Donn's Hill awakens more than nostalgia... -
Dead Stars - Part One by Ben Galley
Rated: 4.25 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsThe sky is falling. The world trembles beneath it.Emaneska is crying out for a saviour. Somebody is hunting down the Written mages in the wilds. Murdering and skinning them alive. Who? A mere girl. A girl who was born to rip the stars from the sky and bring them crashing down to earth. The direst enemy Emaneska has ever faced.In the wake of the Battle of Krauslung, the world has changed... -
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Catalyst by H.M. Ward
Rated: 4.25 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsBlood is power. Since the world froze and the humans died off, blood has become scarce. There's barely enough to sustain the vampire population, even though their masses have dwindled. Many vampires are reduced to the measly few drops of blood rationed to them by the Regent, which is enough to keep them alive, barely. It's survival; an undesirable existence... -
Daughter of Ra by M. Sasinowski
Rated: 4.25 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsBook 2 in the Blood of Ra Trilogy In the heart-pounding sequel to M. Sasinowski's award-winning Heir of Ra, Alyssa's wit and resolve--and sanity--are put to the test once again. Alyssa thought her fight was over. She was wrong. The memories come unbidden.Plagued by visions from the past, Alyssa struggles to discern myth from reality...Categorized as:
dark action-adventure ancient-civilization book dark-fantasy exploration fiction historical -
The Minority Council by Kate Griffin
Rated: 4.21 of 5 stars · 26 ratingsMatthew Swift, sorcerer, Midnight Mayor, is in charge. Or so he'd like to think. London, being London, is having its issues. Drug use is rampant. Teenage vandalism is driving away business. Violent crimes are on the rise. Once upon a time, Matthew Swift wouldn't have cared. Now it's his mess to clean up... -
War Witch by Layla Nash
Rated: 4.17 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsHustling as a waitress is a far cry from being the most feared witch in the world. But after surviving ten years of war between humans and supernaturals, Lily finds anonymity a relief. Even a request for help from an old coven friend can’t bring Lily out of hiding -- until her friend disappears, along with the entire coven... -
Last Blood by Kristen Painter
Rated: 4.14 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsIn the final showdown between the forces of dark and light, Mal and Chrysabelle face not only Tatiana, but the ancient evil that now controls her: the Castus Sanguis. Chrysabelle gathers her friends and family around her, forming a plan to bring an end to the chaos surrounding them. But the Castus is the most powerful being they've ever come up against... -
A Map of Days by Ransom Riggs
Rated: 4.13 of 5 stars · 42 ratingsThe #1 bestselling series returns with a thrilling new story arc set in America!Vintage photographs reveal the never-before-seen world of peculiar America with a stunning addition—full-color images.Having defeated the monstrous threat that nearly destroyed the peculiar world, Jacob Portman is back where his story began, in Florida... -
Perdido Street Station: Tome 2 by China Miéville
Rated: 4.18 of 5 stars · 28 ratingsLors de ses recherches pour l'homme-oiseau, Isaac Dan der Grimnebulin a libéré des monstres volants, les Gorgones, sur Nouvelle-Crobuzon. Le gouvernement est vite dépassé par les événements et en appelle à la Fileuse, une araignée géante vivant sur plusieurs plans de réalité, pour l'aider à endiguer le péril... -
Sea of Silver Light by Tad Williams
Rated: 4.14 of 5 stars · 37 ratingsWith Sea of Silver Light, Tad Williams completes his massive Otherland quartet, one of SF's more intriguing explorations of the eroding boundaries of the human and the nonhuman, the living and the dead. Otherland is a sequence that contains many secrets, and Williams plays fair by unpacking all of them in the final book... -
Necropolis by Anthony Horowitz
Rated: 4.13 of 5 stars · 35 ratingsHong Kong has been taken over by the Old Ones and has become Necropolis, City of the Dead. Once in, there is no way out… Evil has been unleashed on the world and only five children – with special powers – can save it... -
1% Lifesteal: Book One by Robert Blaise
Rated: 4.25 of 5 stars · 16 ratingsAn action-packed LitRPG Apocalypse perfect for fans of The Primal Hunter, Road to Mastery, and The Ten Realms. In a world of countless enemies, Freddy's unique power will help him thrive.Freddy Stern, a twenty-one-year-old cashier, has lived a plain, albeit harsh life. Having been orphaned—twice—he's spent the last ten years working and staying out of trouble... -
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Armageddon's Children by Terry Brooks
Rated: 4.11 of 5 stars · 36 ratingsTerry Brooks is one of a handful of writers whose work defines modern fantasy fiction. His twenty-three international bestsellers have ranged from the beloved Shannara series to stories that tread a much darker path...Categorized as:
dark dystopia 21st-century action-adventure alternate-history apocalyptic audiobook book -
Pale Kings by Ben Galley
Rated: 4.10 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsEmaneska is crying out for a saviourThe only question is:Can they kill a child to save a world? While Farden the Written mage busies himself digging up his past in the strange deserts of Paraia, the storm-clouds begin to gather for Durnus, Elessi, Cheska, and Modren... -
The Culling of Man by Craig Kobayashi
Rated: 4.10 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsEarth becomes the full immersion experience litRPG readers fantasize about, but at what cost? Figuring out how to cast spells without the luxury of a controller or keyboard was the least of Garath's worries when The Culling got underway. Though some elements of the new interface were familiar to the lifelong gamer, there was a lot he didn't understand... -
Beyond the Blue Moon by Simon R. Green
Rated: 4.07 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsIt has been many years since the long night of the Blue Moon. King Harald is dead, and chaos reigns in the Forest Kingdom. The long-lost heroes of BLUE MOON RISING must return in order to save the nation of their birth--and it might already be too late... -
Bright Ruin by Vic James
Rated: 4.07 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsMagically gifted aristocrats rule--and commoners are doomed to serve. But a rebellion threatens the old order. The dystopian trilogy that began with Gilded Cage and Tarnished City concludes...Categorized as:
dark dystopia action-adventure alternate-history audiobook book coming-of-age dark-fantasy -
Blood-Kissed Sky by J.A. London
Rated: 4.06 of 5 stars · 18 ratingsThere's nowhere left to hide. I thought vampires were our enemies - they controlled our lives, isolated our cities, and demanded our blood - until I met Victor. With Victor taking over as the new Lord Valentine, things were supposed to get better. Instead, they're worse than ever. Day Walkers, a new breed of vampires who can walk in the sun, are terrorizing the city... -
Mountain of Black Glass by Tad Williams
Rated: 4.06 of 5 stars · 37 ratingsMountain of Black Glass is the third volume of Tad Williams' highly acclaimed four-book series, Otherland... -
Lost & Found by Ariana Nash
Rated: 4.24 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsWhat use is a blade without a war? After giving their lives to the Order, the Ashford assassins are in crisis. The battles are over, the war is no more, but assassins cannot retire from who they are. Trey knows this. He may not have been an Assassin of the Order for long, but it was long enough to leave him scarred... -
Blade of Tyshalle by Matthew Woodring Stover
Rated: 4.06 of 5 stars · 30 ratingsOn Earth, Hari Michaelson was a superstar. But on Overworld, he was the assassin Caine. Real monarchs lived and died at his hands and entire governments were overthrown-all for the entertainment of millions back on Earth... -
Tarnished City by Vic James
Rated: 4.00 of 5 stars · 16 ratingsA corrupted city. A dark dream of power.Luke is a prisoner, condemned for a murder he didn’t commit. Abi is a fugitive, desperate to free him before magic breaks his mind. But as the Jardines tighten their grip on a turbulent Britain, brother and sister face a fight greater than their own...Categorized as:
dark dystopia 21st-century action-adventure alternate-history audiobook book coming-of-age -
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Horizon by Alyson Noel
Rated: 4.00 of 5 stars · 16 ratingsFate has bound them together—and torn them apart. Now Daire and Dace face one final fight that will seal their destiny forever.Daire Santos is the last of the Soul Seekers, and the only thing standing between the Richters and the destruction of everyone she loves... -
Caine Black Knife by Matthew Woodring Stover
Rated: 4.07 of 5 stars · 26 ratingsIn Heroes Die and Blade of Tyshalle, Matthew Stover created a new kind of fantasy novel, and a new kind of hero to go with it: Caine, a street thug turned superstar, battling in a future where reality shows take place in another dimension, on a world where magic exists and gods are up close and personal... -
Crossed by Eliza Crewe
Rated: 4.00 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsWar is here. Full-scale war has erupted between the Crusaders and demons and even Chi has to admit isn’t going well. Like any sensible rat, Meda’s eager to abandon the sinking ship but, unfortunately, her friends aren't nearly as pragmatic. Instead, Meda’s forced to try to keep them all alive until the dust settles... -
Embrace the Night Eternal by Joss Ware, Colleen Gleason
Rated: 4.00 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsThe second book in the "electrifying" (Library Journal) new series by Colleen Gleason, writing as Joss Ware.Everything they knew is gone.From the raging fires, five men emerge with extraordinary new powers. They must learn how to survive this dark, ravaged world . . . but they cannot do it alone.Simon Japp will never forget his violent past... -
Caine's Law by Matthew Woodring Stover
Rated: 4.05 of 5 stars · 26 ratingsSOME LAWS YOU BREAK. SOME BREAK YOU.AND THEN THERE’S CAINE’S LAW. From the moment Caine first appeared in the pages of Heroes Die, two things were clear. First, that Matthew Stover was one of the most gifted fantasy writers of his generation. And second, that Caine was a hero whose peers go by such names as Conan and Elric... -
Towers Fall by Karina Sumner-Smith
Rated: 4.00 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsWar. Fire. Destruction. Xhea believed that the Lower City had weathered the worst of its troubles—that their only remaining fight would be the struggle to rebuild before winter. She was wrong.Now her home is under attack from an unexpected source. The Central Spire, the City’s greatest power, is intent on destroying the heart of the magical entity that resides beneath the Lower City’s streets...Categorized as:
dark dystopia action-adventure anthologies dark-fantasy fiction galactic-empire ghosts
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