Books like 'Penric’s Mission'
Readers who enjoyed Penric’s Mission by Lois McMaster Bujold also liked the following books featuring the same tropes, story themes, relationship dynamics and character types.
historical fantasy romance high fantasy action / adventure supernatural magic paranormal demons epic
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The Crimson Crown by Cinda Williams Chima
Rated: 4.47 of 5 stars · 51 ratingsA thousand years ago, two young lovers were betrayed—Alger Waterlow to his death, and Hanalea, Queen of the Fells, to a life without love.Now, once again, the Queendom of the Fells seems likely to shatter apart. For young queen Raisa ana’Marianna, maintaining peace even within her own castle walls is nearly impossible; tension between wizards and Clan has reached a fevered pitch...Categorized as:
epic female-mc magic male-mc paranormal political-intrigue witches-wizards action-adventure -
![Frigid Magic by Bruce Sentar]()
Frigid Magic by Bruce Sentar
Rated: 4.67 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsArd is hunkering down in the mountains for the winter as the war cools with the snow.That means it’s time to practice his magic and stay out of trouble. Well… Ard might not be entirely proficient at the last one. At the very least, he’s staying away from the city and his penchant for annoying other people... -
![Memories of Prophecies by Davis Ashura]()
Memories of Prophecies by Davis Ashura
Rated: 4.57 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsThe memories of the past may be forgotten, but prophecies linger.Cinder Shade and his fellow cadets have survived a brutal mission in the vast wilds of the Dagger Mountains. Laying to rest many of their brother warriors, they return to the Third Directorate, battered, bruised, and weary of soul.But the world turns, and new challenges press... -
![Return of the Thief by Megan Whalen Turner]()
Return of the Thief by Megan Whalen Turner
Rated: 4.52 of 5 stars · 31 ratingsThe thrilling, twenty-years-in-the-making, conclusion to the New York Times–bestselling Queen’s Thief series, by Megan Whalen Turner. This beloved and award-winning series began with the acclaimed novel The Thief... -
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![The Gray Wolf Throne by Cinda Williams Chima]()
The Gray Wolf Throne by Cinda Williams Chima
Rated: 4.38 of 5 stars · 50 ratingsHan Alister thought he had already lost everyone he loved. But when he finds his friend Rebecca Morley near death in the Spirit Mountains, Han knows that nothing matters more than saving her...Categorized as:
epic female-mc magic male-mc paranormal political-intrigue witches-wizards action-adventure -
![The King of Attolia by Megan Whalen Turner]()
The King of Attolia by Megan Whalen Turner
Rated: 4.40 of 5 stars · 45 ratingsBy scheming and theft, the Thief of Eddis has become King of Attolia. Eugenides wanted the queen, not the crown, but he finds himself trapped in a web of his own making.Then he drags a naive young guard into the center of the political maelstrom. Poor Costis knows he is the victim of the king's caprice, but his contempt for Eugenides slowly turns to grudging respect... -
![The King's Traitor by Jeff Wheeler]()
The King's Traitor by Jeff Wheeler
Rated: 4.42 of 5 stars · 39 ratingsAgainst all odds, Owen Kiskaddon grew from frightened boy to confident youth to trusted officer in the court of Kingfountain—and watched its regent, Severn Argentine, grow ever more ruthless and power-mad. Robbed of his beloved protector, his noble mentor, and his true love, Owen has anticipated the day when the king he fears and reviles, yet loyally serves, will be toppled... -
![Secrets and Spellcraft by Michael G. Manning]()
Secrets and Spellcraft by Michael G. Manning
Rated: 4.44 of 5 stars · 29 ratingsNow a student at Wurthaven, Will is confronted with the truth of the present. The powerful magic embodied by wizards like his grandfather is but a distant memory, while the practice of the current day is timid and uninspired, and yet he needs the knowledge still preserved and managed by the college... -
![The Reckoning by Vanessa Nelson]()
The Reckoning by Vanessa Nelson
Rated: 4.63 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsMissing girls. A plea for help she can’t ignore. An ancient enemy with plans of his own. Nine-year-old girls are missing from across the lands. Yvonne has promised to find them, and she always keeps her promises. Even when she doesn’t know where to start looking. There’s more trouble around. Mercenaries are disappearing... -
![The Assassin and the Desert by Sarah J. Maas]()
The Assassin and the Desert by Sarah J. Maas
Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars · 43 ratingsThe Silent Assassins of the Red Desert aren’t much for conversation, and Celaena Sardothien wouldn’t have it any other way. She’s not there to chatter, she’s there to hone her craft as the world’s most feared killer for hire. When the quiet is shattered by forces who want to destroy the Silent Assassins, Celaena must find a way to stop them, or she’ll be lucky to leave the desert alive...Categorized as:
epic female-mc humor magic paranormal political-intrigue witches-wizards action-adventure -
![Trickster's Queen by Tamora Pierce]()
Trickster's Queen by Tamora Pierce
Rated: 4.28 of 5 stars · 54 ratingsAly’s adventure continues…. No longer a slave, Alanna’s daughter is now spying as part of an underground rebellion against the colonial rulers of the Copper Isles. The people in the rebellion believe that a prophecy in which a new queen will rise up to take the throne is about to be realized... -
![Trickster's Choice by Tamora Pierce]()
Trickster's Choice by Tamora Pierce
Rated: 4.26 of 5 stars · 54 ratingsAlianne is the teenage daughter of the famed Alanna, the first lady knight in Tortall. Young Aly follows in the quieter footsteps of her father, however, delighting in the art of spying... -
![Revelations by Lindsay Buroker]()
Revelations by Lindsay Buroker
Rated: 4.40 of 5 stars · 26 ratingsPower that’s growing ever more impossible to hide… Captain Telryn “Trip” Yert is on the most important mission of his life. Accompanied by Captain Kaika, the sentient soulblade Jaxi, and Rysha Ravenwood—the noble-born scholar and officer he definitely shouldn’t be developing feelings for—he must find a way to close a portal that’s allowing more and more dragons into the world... -
![Kushiel's Chosen by Jacqueline Carey]()
Kushiel's Chosen by Jacqueline Carey
Rated: 4.28 of 5 stars · 43 ratingsMighty Kushiel, of rod and wealLate of the brazen portalsWith blood-tipp'd dart a wound unhealedPricks the eyen of chosen mortalsThe land of Terre d'Ange is a place of unsurpassed beauty and grace. The inhabiting race rose from the seed of angels and men, and they live by one simple rule: Love as thou wilt.Phèdre nó Delaunay was sold into indentured servitude as a child... -
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![Origins by Lindsay Buroker]()
Origins by Lindsay Buroker
Rated: 4.31 of 5 stars · 16 ratingsAre you still human if your father was a dragon? Even though Captain Trip always knew he was a little odd, he’s still shocked by the revelation that the elder gold dragon, Agarrenon Shivar, sired him. It’s time, however, to accept reality and learn to use his power, even if it alienates him from his magic-fearing friends—and the woman he’s come to care about... -
![Little Thieves by Margaret Owen]()
Little Thieves by Margaret Owen
Rated: 4.28 of 5 stars · 18 ratingsOnce upon a time, there was a horrible girl... Vanja Schmidt knows that no gift is freely given, not even a mother's love--and she's on the hook for one hell of a debt. Vanja, the adopted goddaughter of Death and Fortune, was Princess Gisele's dutiful servant up until a year ago... -
![The Ciphers of Muirwood by Jeff Wheeler]()
The Ciphers of Muirwood by Jeff Wheeler
Rated: 4.32 of 5 stars · 32 ratingsFrom the moment she was banished by her father, the king, Princess Maia journeyed to seek sanctuary at Muirwood Abbey, the epicenter of magic and good in the land. Now safe for the first time since her cruel abandonment, Maia must foster uneasy friendships with other girls training to be Ciphers: women who learn to read and engrave tomes of ancient power, despite the laws forbidding them to do so... -
![By the Sword by Mercedes Lackey]()
By the Sword by Mercedes Lackey
Rated: 4.28 of 5 stars · 39 ratingsGranddaughter of the sorceress Kethry, daughter of a noble house, Kerowyn had been forced to run the family keep since her mother’s untimely death. Yet now at last her brother was preparing to wed, and when his bride became the lady of the keep, Kerowyn could return to her true enjoyments—training horses and hunting...Categorized as:
demons epic female-mc magic paranormal sword-sorcery witches-wizards action-adventure -
![Light My Fire by G.A. Aiken]()
Light My Fire by G.A. Aiken
Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars · 30 ratingsThe trouble with humans is that they're far too sensitive. Forget you put a woman in the local jail for a few months - and she takes it so personally! And yet she is the one trying to assassinate the queen. And now I'm trapped with Elina Shestakova of the Black Bear Riders of the Midnight..Categorized as:
female-mc gods humor magic paranormal political-intrigue witches-wizards action-adventure -
![Kushiel's Justice by Jacqueline Carey]()
Kushiel's Justice by Jacqueline Carey
Rated: 4.28 of 5 stars · 37 ratingsMy blood beat hard in my veins and hammered in my ears, like the sound of bronze wings clashing. And I understand for the first time what it meant that Kushiel, the One God's punisher, had loved his charges too well...Imriel de la Courcel's blood parents are history's most reviled traitors, while his adoptive parents, Phèdre and Joscelin, are Terre d'Ange's greatest champions... -
![The Wonder Engine by T. Kingfisher]()
The Wonder Engine by T. Kingfisher
Rated: 4.27 of 5 stars · 37 ratingsPull three people out of prison--a disgraced paladin, a convicted forger, and a heartless assassin. Give them weapons, carnivorous tattoos, and each other. Point them at the enemy. What could possibly go wrong? In the sequel to CLOCKWORK BOYS, Slate, Brenner, Caliban and Learned Edmund have arrived in Anuket City, the source of the mysterious Clockwork Boys... -
![Clockwork Boys by T. Kingfisher]()
Clockwork Boys by T. Kingfisher
Rated: 4.26 of 5 stars · 38 ratingsA paladin, an assassin, a forger, and a scholar ride out of town. It’s not the start of a joke, but rather an espionage mission with deadly serious stakes. T... -
![Black Coven by E. William Brown]()
Black Coven by E. William Brown
Rated: 4.31 of 5 stars · 29 ratingsSurviving Ragnarok is challenge no matter what powers you have, and new problems keep cropping up. Demanding witches, genocidal monsters, divine feuds and local politics will all keep Daniel on his toes. But his enemies have made one crucial mistake. They've given an engineer who understands the nature of magic time to build things.. -
![Night of the Dragon by Julie Kagawa]()
Night of the Dragon by Julie Kagawa
Rated: 4.31 of 5 stars · 29 ratingsMaster storyteller Julie Kagawa concludes the enthralling journey into the heart of the fantastical Empire of Iwagoto in the third book of the Shadow of the Fox trilogy. As darkness rises and chaos reigns, a fierce kitsune and her shadowy protector will face down the greatest evil of all. A captivating fantasy for fans of Sabaa Tahir, Sarah J. Maas and Marie Lu... -
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![Court Duel by Sherwood Smith]()
Court Duel by Sherwood Smith
Rated: 4.20 of 5 stars · 22 ratingsThe evil king is dead, the war is over, and Meliara -- barefoot countess and reluctant heroine -- has been swept up into a different kind of battle in the dance halls and drawing rooms of the royal palace. Physical warfare is easy compared to the genteel skirmishes of the royal court...Categorized as:
epic female-mc humor magic paranormal political-intrigue sword-sorcery action-adventure -
![The Fathomless Caves by Kate Forsyth]()
The Fathomless Caves by Kate Forsyth
Rated: 4.25 of 5 stars · 16 ratingsIn Eileanan, victory has finally been won, and those of faery kind--from the mighty dragons to the mysterious nyx--have sworn their friendship and aid. Only the sea-dwelling Fairgean have refused to sign the Pact of Peace. Driven by ancient hatreds, they have devoted themselves to destroying all who dwell upon the land... -
![The Raven and the Reindeer by T. Kingfisher]()
The Raven and the Reindeer by T. Kingfisher
Rated: 4.25 of 5 stars · 16 ratingsWhen Gerta’s friend Kay is stolen away by the mysterious Snow Queen, it’s up to Gerta to find him. Her journey will take her through a dangerous land of snow and witchcraft, accompanied only by a bandit and a talking raven. Can she win her friend’s release, or will following her heart take her to unexpected places? A strange, sly retelling of Hans Christian Andersen’s "Snow Queen," by T... -
![Unraveled by Lindsay Buroker]()
Unraveled by Lindsay Buroker
Rated: 4.25 of 5 stars · 16 ratingsA mission to a foreign land has left Captain Trip Yert with a responsibility he never anticipated: watching over two dozen magical stasis chambers containing half-dragon young, including eight that are half-human. As bewildering as he finds it, all of them are related to him... -
![The Princess Knight by G.A. Aiken]()
The Princess Knight by G.A. Aiken
Rated: 4.32 of 5 stars · 27 ratingsGemma Smythe dedicated her life to the glory of battle. With her fellow War Monks, she worshipped the war gods, rained destruction on her enemies, and raised the dead when the fancy took her. Until her sister Keeley became the prophesied Blacksmith Queen, and Gemma broke faith with her order to journey to the Amichai Mountain and fight by Keeley’s side... -
![Bonded Fate by Beck Michaels]()
Bonded Fate by Beck Michaels
Rated: 4.36 of 5 stars · 23 ratingsThe stakes are higher, new questions will surface, and more blood will spill in the thrilling sequel of the Guardians of the Maiden fantasy series.Reeling from Cassiel's confession, Dyna struggles to understand what the Blood Bond means for them both, all the while trying to stay one step ahead of a newfound enemy... -
![The Prisoner of Limnos by Lois McMaster Bujold]()
The Prisoner of Limnos by Lois McMaster Bujold
Rated: 4.31 of 5 stars · 28 ratingsIn this sequel novella to “Mira’s Last Dance”, Temple sorcerer Penric and the widow Nikys have reached safety in the duchy of Orbas when a secret letter from a friend brings frightening news: Nikys’s mother has been taken hostage by her brother’s enemies at the Cedonian imperial court, and confined in a precarious island sanctuary... -
![Viper's Creed by T.L. Shreffler]()
Viper's Creed by T.L. Shreffler
Rated: 4.24 of 5 stars · 17 ratingsSora is having visions. Strange, terrifying visions brought on by her Cat's Eye necklace, an ancient and magical device. Spurred to action, she leaves her mother's cabin to find Crash, the mysterious assassin who once changed her life. She is certain that together, they can discover what the necklace is trying to tell her... -
![Gathering Darkness by Morgan Rhodes, Michelle Rowen]()
Gathering Darkness by Morgan Rhodes, Michelle Rowen
Rated: 4.23 of 5 stars · 40 ratingsIn GATHERING DARKNESS, book three of the New York Times bestselling Falling Kingdoms series, the stakes have never been higher as three teams push forward on a race to find the Kindred, the four elemental crystals possessing ancient all-powerful magic, first:Prince Magnus has just witnessed torture, death, and miracles during the bloody confrontation that decimated the rebel forces... -
![Dragon on Top by G.A. Aiken]()
Dragon on Top by G.A. Aiken
Rated: 4.32 of 5 stars · 26 ratingsTry a little dragon tenderness. I am Glheanna the Decimator. I am a warrior. A soldier. I know no fear. No pain. No mercy. I do, however, know acute embarrassment! How could I not after getting dumped by a bastard dragon in front of my own troops? So I tuck tail and return to my cave, drowning my sorrows in ale—as is my family’s way... -
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![Followed by Frost by Charlie N. Holmberg]()
Followed by Frost by Charlie N. Holmberg
Rated: 4.20 of 5 stars · 20 ratingsSeventeen-year-old Smitha has the wealth, status, and beauty that make her the envy of her town—until she rejects a strange man’s marriage proposal and disastrous consequences follow. Smitha becomes cursed, and frost begins to encompass everything she touches...Categorized as:
epic female-mc magic paranormal sword-sorcery witches-wizards 21st-century action-adventure -
![A Tale of Two Dragons by G.A. Aiken]()
A Tale of Two Dragons by G.A. Aiken
Rated: 4.27 of 5 stars · 30 ratingsBraith of the Darkness likes going through life unnoticed. Not an easy task for a She-dragon of royal descent. But the evil plots of her father are turning her quiet, boring life upside down, and she has now become the enemy of the most vicious queen her kind has ever known. But for once, Braith won't have to fight alone... -
![The High King's Tomb by Kristen Britain]()
The High King's Tomb by Kristen Britain
Rated: 4.24 of 5 stars · 35 ratingsFor Karigan G'ladheon, the call of magic in her blood is too strong to resist. Karigan returns to the Green Riders, the magical messengers of the king, to find she's badly needed. Rider magic has become unstable, many Riders have been lost, and the Rider corps is seriously threatened. The timing couldn't be worse. An ancient evil, long dormant, has reawakened, and the world is in peril...Categorized as:
epic female-mc gods magic paranormal political-intrigue witches-wizards action-adventure -
![Dynami's Wrath by Kelly St. Clare]()
Dynami's Wrath by Kelly St. Clare
Rated: 4.38 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsOily taint suffocates the realm. Experiencing the taint firsthand has convinced me to join an impossible fight to save what remains of the realm. I can hardly do otherwise with the light show occurring each time I touch Caspian and Jagger. But there’s just one problem. Saving the realm means embarking on a quest into the Dynami Sea – a place no pirate enters because no pirate leaves...Categorized as:
demons female-mc humor magic paranormal sword-sorcery action-adventure alternate-universe -
![Shards of Time by Lynn Flewelling]()
Shards of Time by Lynn Flewelling
Rated: 4.29 of 5 stars · 27 ratingsAcclaimed author Lynn Flewelling brings her beloved Nightrunners series to a close—at least for now—with a thrilling novel of murder, mystery, and magic. The governor of the sacred island of Korous and his mistress have been killed inside a locked and guarded room... -
![The Plan Commences by Kristen Ashley]()
The Plan Commences by Kristen Ashley
Rated: 4.29 of 5 stars · 27 ratingsOnce upon a time, in a parallel universe, there existed the continent of Triton. The land was filled with beauty, but it was also splintered by war. Out of the chaos grew a conspiracy to reawaken the Beast, a fearsome creature who wrought only tragedy and devastation... -
![Last Dragon Standing by G.A. Aiken]()
Last Dragon Standing by G.A. Aiken
Rated: 4.23 of 5 stars · 36 ratingsHe’s not the only flame in town…I know what they see when they look at me. The charming, soft-spoken dragoness bred from the most powerful of royal bloodlines. A disguise stronger than any battle shield that allows me to keep all suitors at tail’s length. A technique that’s worked until him. Until Ragnar the Cunning, handsome barbarian warlord and warrior mage from the desolate Northlands...Categorized as:
female-mc gods humor magic paranormal political-intrigue witches-wizards action-adventure -
![Frostbite by Adrienne Woods]()
Frostbite by Adrienne Woods
Rated: 4.25 of 5 stars · 32 ratingsLosing Lucian McKenzie, the Prince of her heart and discovering her true identity has made Elena Watkins' life almost unbearable. However, new trials will test the 17 year-old's strength and push her to limits she didn’t think were possible.Only a mysterious offer from Blake Leaf, the Rubicon and a dragon predestined for evil, reveals there may be a light at the end of Elena’s dark tunnel...Categorized as:
epic female-mc magic myths paranormal sword-sorcery witches-wizards action-adventure -
![Naamah's Blessing by Jacqueline Carey]()
Naamah's Blessing by Jacqueline Carey
Rated: 4.24 of 5 stars · 33 ratingsReturning to Terre d'Ange, Moirin finds the royal family broken. Wracked by unrelenting grief at the loss of his wife, Queen Jehanne, King Daniel is unable to rule. Prince Thierry, leading an expedition to explore the deadly jungles of Terra Nova, is halfway across the world... -
![The Well of Shades by Juliet Marillier]()
The Well of Shades by Juliet Marillier
Rated: 4.26 of 5 stars · 29 ratingsJuliet Marillier continues the epic fantasy begun with" The Dark Mirror, " which" Interzone" called: "A fascinating evocation of life in Pictish England and an emotional roller coaster of a story." King Bridei is a man with a mission. His wish to unite his kingdom seems almost within his grasp but there are forces working to undo his dream... -
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![First of Tomes by Honor Raconteur]()
First of Tomes by Honor Raconteur
Rated: 4.54 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsApparently, time-travel spells have a sense of humor and don’t take direction well. Mei Li could’ve done with knowing that beforehand, and fully blames Shunlei for not forewarning her.Instead of going back a few years to rescue the missing tomes, Mei Li finds herself thousands of years in the past, with the original events she needs to learn about still ten years into the future... -
![As the Shadow Rises by Katy Rose Pool]()
As the Shadow Rises by Katy Rose Pool
Rated: 4.21 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsIn this sequel to the critically-acclaimed There Will Come a Darkness, kingdoms have begun to fall to a doomsday cult, the magical Graced are being persecuted, and an ancient power threatens to break free. But with the world hurtling toward its prophesized end, Anton’s haunting vision reveals the dangerous beginnings of a plan to stop the Age of Darkness...Categorized as:
epic gods magic paranormal political-intrigue sword-sorcery witches-wizards action-adventure -
![Rise by Andrea Cremer]()
Rise by Andrea Cremer
Rated: 4.17 of 5 stars · 18 ratingsThe sequel to Rift and the prequel to the New York Times bestselling novel Nightshade.Everything Conatus stands for is at risk. Hoping to gather enough resistance to save their order, Ember and Barrow attempt a desperate escape. But fate offers little mercy... -
![Mira's Last Dance by Lois McMaster Bujold]()
Mira's Last Dance by Lois McMaster Bujold
Rated: 4.22 of 5 stars · 31 ratingsIn this sequel to the novella “Penric’s Mission”, the injured Penric, a Temple sorcerer and learned divine, tries to guide the betrayed General Arisaydia and his widowed sister Nikys across the last hundred miles of hostile Cedonia to safety in the Duchy of Orbas... -
![Mysteries of Thorn Manor by Margaret Rogerson]()
Mysteries of Thorn Manor by Margaret Rogerson
Rated: 4.15 of 5 stars · 20 ratingsIn this sequel novella to Sorcery of Thorns, Elisabeth, Nathaniel, and Silas must unravel the magical trap keeping them inside Thorn Manor in time for their Midwinter Ball!Elisabeth Scrivener is finally settling into her new life with sorcerer Nathaniel Thorn... -
![Paladin of Souls by Lois McMaster Bujold]()
Paladin of Souls by Lois McMaster Bujold
Rated: 4.18 of 5 stars · 40 ratingsIn a land threatened by treacherous war and beset by demons, royal dowager Ista, released from the curse of madness and manipulated by an untrustworthy god, is plunged into a desperate struggle to preserve the endangered souls of a realm...
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