Books like 'Patterns in the Dark'
Readers who enjoyed Patterns in the Dark by Lindsay Buroker also liked the following books featuring the same tropes, story themes, relationship dynamics and character types.
historical fantasy romance action / adventure mystery high fantasy steampunk industrial-era dragons magic
-
The Missing of Clairdelune by Christelle Dabos
Rated: 4.48 of 5 stars · 29 ratingsBook Two in the Internationally Bestselling Mirror Visitor QuartetWhen our heroine Ophelia is promoted to Vice-storyteller by Farouk, the ancestral Spirit of Pole, she finds herself unexpectedly thrust into the public spotlight and her special gift is revealed to all... -
How I Stole the Princess's White Knight and Turned Him to Villainy: Miracle 3 by A.J. Sherwood
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsWhat’s Tan to do when he has to reclaim a holy sword he can’t touch? Call upon his White Knight to save him.What’s Devan to do when he learns the sword was stolen in order to defeat Tan? Save the poor fools from utter annihilation.Tan is not amused by this quest line. Devan can’t stop laughing... -
How I Stole the Princess's White Knight and Turned Him to Villainy: Miracle 5 by A.J. Sherwood
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsWhat’s Tan to do when an experiment goes wrong? Nothing. He’s unconscious and captured.What’s Devan to do when his lover shows up in the palace prison? Keep calm and smuggle on.Tan would say don’t put him into a box, but he actually does fit. Devan despairs...Categorized as:
humor magic military paranormal sword-sorcery witches-wizards action-adventure adult -
The Twelve Dancing Princesses by K.M. Shea
Rated: 4.56 of 5 stars · 24 ratingsQuinn is a loyal soldier of Farset, willing to risk her life on behalf of her country and squad. So, when a fellow soldier volunteers for a dangerous mission, Quinn joins him. Their assignment is to investigate the nightly disappearance of the twelve royal princesses, a mystery none have solved as those who attempt it vanish...Categorized as:
alpha-mc female-mc magic military paranormal sword-sorcery witches-wizards action-adventure -
-
How I stole the Princess's White Knight and Turned Him to Villainy: Miracle 4 by A.J. Sherwood
Rated: 4.48 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsWhat’s Devan to do when his cousin’s ships and the crew go missing? Set sail with Tan to figure it out.What’s Tan to do when Devan finally makes a move? N.S.F.W. Many times. On many surfaces.Damn creatures are trying to interrupt them. Murder ensues...Categorized as:
humor magic military paranormal sword-sorcery witches-wizards action-adventure adult -
Howl’s Moving Castle by Diana Wynne Jones
Rated: 4.26 of 5 stars · 80 ratingsAn alternative cover for this ISBN can be found hereSophie has the great misfortune of being the eldest of three daughters, destined to fail miserably should she ever leave home to seek her fate. But when she unwittingly attracts the ire of the Witch of the Waste, Sophie finds herself under a horrid spell that transforms her into an old lady...Categorized as:
female-mc humor industrial-era magic paranormal steampunk witches-wizards 20th-century -
The Emperor's Bone Palace by Hailey Turner
Rated: 4.83 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsEvery heart is meant to break.THE NAMELESS. As a warden, Soren’s duty is to guard against the dead, but he was never trained to guard against his heart. Drawn into a web of Solarian politics, Soren finds himself at the center of a storm of his own making, unwilling to break free if it means losing the man he loves... -
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
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... -
The Assassin and the Underworld by Sarah J. Maas
Rated: 4.29 of 5 stars · 51 ratingsWhen the King of the Assassins gives Celaena Sardothien a special assignment that will help fight slavery in the kingdom, she jumps at the chance to strike a blow against an evil practice. The mission is a dark and deadly affair which takes Celaena from the rooftops of the city to the bottom of the sewer--and she doesn't like what she finds there... -
Mastiff by Tamora Pierce
Rated: 4.27 of 5 stars · 40 ratingsThe Hunt is on!Three years have passed since Beka Cooper almost died in the sewers of Port Caynn, and she is now a respected member of the Provost's Guard. But her life takes an unexpected turn when her fiancé is killed on a slave raid. Beka is faced with a mixture of emotions as, unbeknownst to many, she was about to call the engagement off... -
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.. -
Wildwood Larkwing by Shari L. Tapscott
Rated: 4.40 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsThis is a previously-published edition - ASIN: B072MRYC3W“Till death do us part” might come sooner than Lucia imagined. After living her entire life on the outside looking in, Lucia has finally ventured into the world of Kalae’s nobility... -
The Blade's Memory by Lindsay Buroker
Rated: 4.32 of 5 stars · 31 ratingsThe king is missing.A secret organization is hunting sorcerers.The enemy has powerful new weapons to deploy, and the capital is more vulnerable than it's ever been.Worst of all, at least in Ridge Zirkander's view, someone put that jackass Colonel Therrik in charge of the flier battalion... -
-
Dragon Tear by Lindsay Buroker
Rated: 4.39 of 5 stars · 23 ratingsNow that Jev is no longer obligated to marry a manipulative noblewoman, Zenia can finally pursue a relationship with him. But there’s something else she must deal with first. She’s learned that the magical dragon-tear gem she wears around her neck is linked to a living dragon, one that is being held prisoner and tortured. Zenia owes her life several times over to the creature...Categorized as:
dragons epic industrial-era magic paranormal steampunk sword-sorcery action-adventure -
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
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... -
Queen of Song and Souls by C.L. Wilson
Rated: 4.29 of 5 stars · 32 ratingsTwo lovers, two hearts, one soul.Only joined can they be truly complete.Only joined can they survive the darkness.The Fey King Rain and his truemate Ellysetta share a passionate love unrivaled in the history of their world—and a forbidden power that made them outcasts from the Fading Lands... -
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... -
Dragon Slippers by Jessica Day George
Rated: 4.25 of 5 stars · 38 ratingsPoor Creel. She can't believe her aunt wants to sacrifice her to the local dragon. It's a ploy to lure a heroic knight so that he will fight the dragon, marry Creel out of chivalrous obligation, and lift the entire family out of poverty. Creel isn't worried. After all, nobody has seen a dragon in centuries... -
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... -
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... -
Grave Situation by Louisa Masters
Rated: 4.70 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsAre you looking for......a snarky mage who’s forced to go on a quest to save the world with his twin sister (the dragon rider), and that one really hot healer who saved his life when he did something phenomenally stupid? Oh, and he's at war with his horse. She's winning.Meet Talon Silverbright. He's in a Grave Situation.He’s not the hero they deserve, but he’s the hero they’ve got. No, seriously... -
The Searching by Vanessa Nelson
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsOath-sworn to help those in need, Yvonne has been framed for murder.Tracking down those responsible for the destruction of the Stone Walls was a difficult enough task, but someone has made it much harder. The King is dead, and Yvonne is accused of his murder... -
-
Herald of the Witch's Mark by Kellen Graves
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsSaffron finally has the one thing he's always wanted: a chance to attend school. To be able to do so alongside Prince Cylvan, even while glamoured as a high fey and pretending not to know one another, Saffron is eager to finally experience the education he's always dreamed of... -
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... -
The Assassin's Dragon by W.M. Fawkes, Sam Burns
Rated: 4.38 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsIn Atheldinas, everyone’s secrets have been uncovered. Tristram is a half-dragon, Nicholas is a villain scheming to take the throne from his cousin Roland, and eternally sharp Bet is nothing less than a hero.The cost has been high, and now Tristram is forced to amass the armies of Llangard to save his king from Jarl Vidar, the mysterious figure who’s hellbent on tearing Llangard in two... -
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... -
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... -
First Rider's Call by Kristen Britain
Rated: 4.21 of 5 stars · 39 ratingsGHOSTLY RIDERSKarigan G'ladheon had been a Green Rider, one of the king of Sacoridia's elite magical messengers... -
Elven Fury by Lindsay Buroker
Rated: 4.32 of 5 stars · 23 ratingsJev Dharrow is trying to convince his father to cancel his arranged marriage so he can wed Zenia, the woman he loves. But when elven assassins arrive in the city, all his personal problems must be set aside. They are after his good friend, Lornysh, an elf who has saved Jev's life a dozen times over the years...Categorized as:
dragons epic industrial-era magic paranormal steampunk sword-sorcery action-adventure -
Remnants by Honor Raconteur
Rated: 4.30 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsFinally over with the wedding, managed to escape the parents, signed up with the MISD, yay! Got assigned a permanent team with Chi, Vee, and Maksohm, double yay! Toh’sellor has been stolen. Yeah, this is not going to be fun. It is, in fact, anti-fun. Oh, and monkeys. Poor Chi... -
Touch of Power by Maria V. Snyder
Rated: 4.14 of 5 stars · 31 ratingsLaying hands upon the injured and dying, Avry of Kazan assumes their wounds and diseases into herself. But rather than being honoured for her skills, she is hunted. Healers like Avry are accused of spreading the plague that has decimated the Territories, leaving the survivors in a state of chaos... -
The Assassin and the Healer by Sarah J. Maas
Rated: 4.14 of 5 stars · 28 ratingsMeet the Assassin: beautiful, defiant, destined for greatness. Celaena Sardothien has challenged her master. Now she must pay the price. Her journey to the Red Desert will be an arduous one, but it may change the fate of her cursed world forever.. -
-
Masque by W.R. Gingell
Rated: 4.25 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsBeauty met the Beast and there was . . . Bloody murder? It’s the Annual Ambassadorial Ball in Glause, and Lady Isabella Farrah, the daughter of New Civet’s Ambassador, is feeling pleasantly scintillated. In the library is Lord Pecus, a charming gentleman whose double mask hides a beastly face, and who has decided that Isabella is the very person to break the Pecus curse... -
I Went on an Adventure and All I Got Was This Barbarian Orc by Jennifer Cody
Rated: 4.25 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsBerklak:Being a half-orc is fun most of the time. Most people think I’m all orc, and that usually slicks things up so I can glide in and out of town without much fuss. Most of the time things go really smoothly for me... -
Paladin's Grace by T. Kingfisher
Rated: 4.23 of 5 stars · 34 ratingsStephen's god died on the longest day of the year…Three years later, Stephen is a broken paladin, living only for the chance to be useful before he dies. But all that changes when he encounters a fugitive named Grace in an alley and witnesses an assassination attempt gone wrong... -
The Siren Depths by Martha Wells
Rated: 4.25 of 5 stars · 30 ratingsAll his life, Moon roamed the Three Worlds, a solitary wanderer forced to hide his true nature--until he was reunited with his own kind, the Raksura, and found a new life as consort to Jade, sister queen of the Indigo Cloud court.But now a rival court has laid claim to Moon, and Jade may or may not be willing to fight for him...Categorized as:
dragons epic industrial-era magic paranormal steampunk sword-sorcery action-adventure -
Magic's Promise by Mercedes Lackey
Rated: 4.20 of 5 stars · 39 ratingsThe wild magic is taking its toll on the land, and even Vanyel, the most powerful Herald-Mage to ever walk the world, is almost at the end of his strength. But when his Companion, Yfandes, receives a call for help from neighboring Lineas, both Herald-Mage and Companion are drawn into a holocaust of dark magic that could be the end of them both... -
Oathbreakers by Mercedes Lackey
Rated: 4.20 of 5 stars · 38 ratingsWhen Idra, leader of the crack mercenaries known as the Sunhawks, failed to return from a journey to her home kingdom of Rethwellan, Tarma and Kethry, warrior and mage, set out in search of their vanished leader. Sisters of sword and spell, their fates bound together by Goddess-sworn oath, they were eternally pledged to fight the forces of evil...Categorized as:
epic female-mc magic military paranormal sword-sorcery witches-wizards action-adventure -
The High Lord by Trudi Canavan
Rated: 4.16 of 5 stars · 53 ratingsIn the city of Imardin, where those who wield magic wield power, a young street-girl, adopted by the Magician's Guild, finds herself at the centre of a terrible plot that may destroy the entire world...Sonea has learned much at the magicians' guild and the other novices now treat her with a grudging respect... -
Find Me Their Bones by Sara Wolf
Rated: 4.17 of 5 stars · 18 ratingsNo one can save her.In order to protect Prince Lucien d’Malvane’s heart, Zera had to betray him. Now, he hates the sight of her. Trapped in Cavanos as a prisoner of the king, she awaits the inevitable moment her witch severs their magical connection and finally ends her life.But fate isn't ready to give her up just yet... -
Garden of the Cursed by Katy Rose Pool
Rated: 4.28 of 5 stars · 9 ratingsIn this thrilling YA fantasy/mystery duology from award-winning author Katy Pool, cursebreaker Marlow Briggs reluctantly pretends to be in love with one of the most powerful nobles in Caraza City to gain entry into an illustrious—and deadly—society that holds clues to her mother's disappearance. Perfect for fans of Veronica Mars, These Violent Delights, and Chain of Iron... -
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...Categorized as:
epic humor magic paranormal sword-sorcery witches-wizards action-adventure audiobook -
-
Dragon Flight by Jessica Day George
Rated: 4.20 of 5 stars · 35 ratingsWith the Dragon Wars over, Creel finds herself bored with life as a seamstress. Then word comes that a bordering country has been breeding dragons in preparation for an invasion...Categorized as:
dragons female-mc humor magic mythical-creatures paranormal action-adventure alchemy -
Champion of the Scarlet Wolf, Book One by Ginn Hale
Rated: 4.36 of 5 stars · 17 ratingsFive years after abandoning the Sagrada Acedemy, Elezar Grunito has become infamous in the sanctified circles of noble dueling rings for his brutal temper and lethal blade. Men and women of all ranks gather to cheer and jeer, none of them knowing Elezar’s true purpose. But a violent death outside the ring marks Elezar as a wanted man and sends him into hiding in the far northern wilds of Labara...Categorized as:
epic industrial-era magic military paranormal steampunk witches-wizards action-adventure -
Blackveil by Kristen Britain
Rated: 4.19 of 5 stars · 36 ratingsRead Kristen Britain's blogs and other content on the Penguin Community. The long-awaited sequel to Green Rider, First Rider's Call, and The High King's Tomb. Once a simple student, Karigan G'ladheon finds herself in a world of deadly danger and complex magic, compelled by forces she cannot understand when she becomes a legendary Green Rider-one of the magical messengers of the king... -
Fantasy of Frost by Kelly St. Clare
Rated: 4.19 of 5 stars · 35 ratingsSometimes it takes death to show you how to live.I know many things. What I am capable of, what I will change, what I will become. But there is one thing I will never know...The veil I've worn from birth carries with it a terrible loneliness; a suppression I cannot imagine being free of.Some things never change...My mother will always hate me. Her court will always shun me....Until they do... -
Scent of Magic by Maria V. Snyder
Rated: 4.12 of 5 stars · 26 ratingsHunted, Killed—Survived?As the last Healer in the Fifteen Realms, Avry of Kazan is in a unique position: in the minds of her friends and foes alike, she no longer exists. Despite her need to prevent the megalomanical King Tohon from winning control of the Realms, Avry is also determined to find her sister and repair their estrangement... -
Tomes Apprentice by Honor Raconteur
Rated: 4.45 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsIt’s like the start of a bad joke: a Master of Tomes, his apprentice, and ninety world-saving records get lost at sea. Mei Li really wishes the joke wasn’t her life. For two years she’s been stranded in a remote village with no knowledge of where her master is or what’s going on in the world...
Or - use our amazing romance book finder to get recommendations based on your favorite content tropes and themes. Mix and match at will.