Books like 'The Chains That You Refuse'
Readers who enjoyed The Chains That You Refuse by Elizabeth Bear also liked the following books featuring the same tropes, story themes, relationship dynamics and character types.
historical fantasy horror urban fantasy post-apocalyptic cyberpunk dark
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The Land: Predators by Aleron Kong
Rated: 4.51 of 5 stars · 36 ratingsWelcome to Long Awaited seventh novel of the Best Selling LitRPG Saga, Chaos Seeds, by Aleron Kong.A mesmerizing tale reminiscent of the wonder of Ready Player One and the adventure of Game of Thrones#1 in Epic Fantasy || #1 in Cyberpunk || #1 in Video Game Fantasy In The Land:Predators, the Mist Village has harnessed its power... -
![Scamps & Scoundrels by Eric Ugland]()
Scamps & Scoundrels by Eric Ugland
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 24 ratingsJust yesterday, Ben was a neckbeard weeb with a weakness for Red Bull and tendies. Today, he's got a new name, a new face, and a new body, and he's watching the Glaton City Guard fight a twenty-foot-tall ooze that crawled forth from the sewers... -
![Apocalypse Redux, Book Four by Jakob H. Greif]()
Apocalypse Redux, Book Four by Jakob H. Greif
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsHumanity is circling the abyss, to reap or to ruin. Only one man can determine its fate.Monsters that can destroy cities have appeared. The most highly leveled humans begin to abuse their power. And as levels rise, individual people start to reach the kind of power where they can rival militaries all by themselves... -
![Trojan Nightmare by Blaise Corvin]()
Trojan Nightmare by Blaise Corvin
Rated: 4.42 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsThe Earth has been overrun with monsters... Post-Apocalypse America is unrecognizable from the past. Jake survives by working as the leader of a scavenging adventuring team. A former mage, now he follows the strange path of cultivation, taught to him by a mysterious traveler. As far as he knows, he is one of the only people on Earth with this power... -
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![A Long Spoon by Jonathan L. Howard]()
A Long Spoon by Jonathan L. Howard
Rated: 4.46 of 5 stars · 21 ratingsYou may have heard of Johannes Cabal; he is a necromancer and a little infamous. He is also very sensitive to attempts on his life. When a murder of crows tries to... well, murder him, and the contents of his bath are transmuted into hot nitric acid, he suspects someone may mean him harm. The trail leads to one of the less travelled parts of Hell itself, and there Cabal will need a guide... -
![The Land: Alliances by Aleron Kong]()
The Land: Alliances by Aleron Kong
Rated: 4.30 of 5 stars · 38 ratingsThe THIRD vivacious installment of Aleron Kong's, Chaos Seeds series. Everything is not well in The Land! Eaters, Bugbears, Evil Counts, Vicious Thieves and Carnies! (You know, circus folk... small hands... -
![Apocalypse Redux, Book One by Jakob H. Greif]()
Apocalypse Redux, Book One by Jakob H. Greif
Rated: 4.40 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsThe worst thing about the end of the world is we did it to ourselvesIsaac Thoma lived to see the last handful of survivors defeat the demonic champion. He is now alone, his past in ashes, the last and most powerful human on a blighted Earth. But what if he could go back?Hurled back in time, Isaac has one chance to change it all. A chance to warn humanity of their impending doom... -
![The Land: Catacombs by Aleron Kong, Nick Podehl]()
The Land: Catacombs by Aleron Kong, Nick Podehl
Rated: 4.26 of 5 stars · 38 ratings"What's that you say? You want more village growth? Well be careful where you stand, because the Mist Village just took a viagra-cialis sandwich and there is a stiff breeze blowing! (I can make some more references if you're still not getting the point... did you see what I did there?" Welcome back my friends! Welcome back.. -
![She Who Waits by Daniel Polansky]()
She Who Waits by Daniel Polansky
Rated: 4.29 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsThe third novel in the brilliant dark fantasy Low Town seriesLow Town: the worst ghetto in the worst city in the Thirteen Lands. Good only for depravity and death. And Warden, long ago a respected agent in the formidable Black House, is now the most depraved Low Town denizen of them all... -
![Chameleon Uncovered by B.R. Kingsolver]()
Chameleon Uncovered by B.R. Kingsolver
Rated: 4.29 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsThe dark sequel to the best-selling Chameleon Assassin.Libby has a chance to build a legitimate reputation when she’s hired by one of the world’s most prestigious museums to bolster their security. The gig is in Chicago, where her heartthrob lives, so she hopes for a little romance.She's on a first-name basis with larceny, mayhem, and death, but Libby's not used to being on the receiving end...Categorized as:
cyberpunk dark post-apocalyptic action-adventure adult assassinations assassins audiobook -
![The Gates of Guinée by Alys Arden]()
The Gates of Guinée by Alys Arden
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsA trip to the Afterworld might be the end of the supernatural world.As the Ghost Drinkers seep into the crevices of the Crescent City, leeching the French Quarter of magic, the local witches are consumed with a new fight for survival. Adele has one chance to save everyone she loves, but it will mean breaking away from her coven and trusting a vampire... -
![A Journey of Black and Red by Álex Gilbert]()
A Journey of Black and Red by Álex Gilbert
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsA conversation with a handsome stranger leaves Ariane chained in a cellar with a strange affliction. She soon discovers that the darkness of the nineteenth century’s Deep South hides many dangers. Mages, wolf shifters and the humans who hunt them play a risky game where to stumble is to die, all under the amused gaze of the apex predators of the supernatural world: vampires... -
![Corrupt Me by Everly Frost]()
Corrupt Me by Everly Frost
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsI am pure.He is pure temptation.There's no place for heart in a coven like mine. We are three witches, working from the shadows, weaving the fate of the new supernatural world. A world in which I know my place.I am The Maiden, pure as can be.Then, a raven shifter finds me.He is darkness and seduction. Danger and forbidden craving... -
![Power Mage 4 by Hondo Jinx]()
Power Mage 4 by Hondo Jinx
Rated: 4.38 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsUNLEASH THE BEAST! Deep in the heart of Texas, Brawley vows to build a base, explore Red Haven, and protect his women. Seven orders. Seven amazing powers. Seven beautiful teachers. He needs to work hard, crack strands, and avoid the attention of those hunting him. And oh yeah, his family and friends want to know why he’s shacking up with five gorgeous women and stockpiling a mountain of ammo... -
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![The Vengeance of the Vampire Bride by Rhiannon Frater]()
The Vengeance of the Vampire Bride by Rhiannon Frater
Rated: 4.38 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsI was born Lady Glynis Wright, the daughter of English aristocrats. When traveling in the Carpathian Mountains, my family met a tragic end. I was transformed into a creature of the night, and I suffered great horrors at the hands of my evil vampire master, Count Vlad Dracula. I vowed to one day escape him, and live a life free of his brutality... -
![Angel Fury by Ella Summers]()
Angel Fury by Ella Summers
Rated: 4.30 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsCadence Lightbringer, daughter of a legendary archangel, has always known her gods-endowed magic comes with a price. As an angel in the Legion of Angels, she lives where the Legion commands her to live, trains how the Legion tells her to train, and marries whom the Legion instructs her to marry. Somehow it all sounded simpler in her head...Categorized as:
dark post-apocalyptic action-adventure adult age-gap alpha-mc alternate-history angels -
![Illusion by S.M. Boyce]()
Illusion by S.M. Boyce
Rated: 4.30 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsThe final chapter in the war for Ourea ends with blood. Kara Magari is an icon. A hero. The people love her. The royalty tolerates her. She has everything—an army, allies, and a close circle of chosen family. They believe she will end the war, and they shouldn’t. She’s as scared as they are. She just can’t show it... -
![Twig by Wildbow]()
Twig by Wildbow
Rated: 4.30 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsThe year is 1921, and a little over a century has passed since a great mind unraveled the underpinnings of life itself. Every week, it seems, the papers announce great advances, solving the riddle of immortality, successfully reviving the dead, the cloning of living beings, or blending of two animals into one... -
![A Song of Sky and Sacrifice by Lana Pecherczyk]()
A Song of Sky and Sacrifice by Lana Pecherczyk
Rated: 4.25 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsWhen famous human musician Melody wakes two thousand years after a nuclear winter, she thinks she’s landed on the right side of a war. Fae are called the Tainted. They’re warped, mutated creatures who horde the bounty of the new magical land. It’s her job in the human city to sling propaganda in the form of daily songs performed to a select tower of elite... -
![Infamous Reign by Steve McHugh]()
Infamous Reign by Steve McHugh
Rated: 4.21 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsIn late 15th century England, two young princes are given over by Merlin to the protection of their uncle, King Richard III. They soon vanish from sight, igniting tales of their demise at Richard’s hand and breeding unrest throughout the land.Nathanial Garrett, also known as Hellequin, is sent to London to decipher fact from rumor and uncovers a plot to replace the king... -
![A Dance of Chaos by David Dalglish]()
A Dance of Chaos by David Dalglish
Rated: 4.21 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsFEAR COMES IN THE HANDS OF PROPHETS... The final installment of the Shadowdance series finds Haern the Watcher returning to his beloved city of Veldaren, only to find it has collapsed into chaos. The Sun Guild has conquered the former thief guilds, destroying the peace Haern fought so hard to obtain... -
![Eastern Expansion by Randi Darren]()
Eastern Expansion by Randi Darren
Rated: 4.26 of 5 stars · 26 ratings[Spoiler for the faint hearted at the bottom of the blurb. Please read all the way through.] Before world war two could reach its conclusion, the world suffered what could only be defined as a cataclysm. Now, Yosemite city stands as the gateway between two worlds. The empire of humanity to the west, and the wild wastes to the east...Categorized as:
dark post-apocalyptic action-adventure adult alternate-history apocalyptic audiobook book -
![A Vintage From Atlantis by Clark Ashton Smith]()
A Vintage From Atlantis by Clark Ashton Smith
Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsPublished in chronological order, with extensive story and bibliographic notes, this series not only provides access to stories that have been out of print for years, but gives them a historical and social context. Series editors Scott Conners and Ronald S... -
![The Great Pack by Chris Fox]()
The Great Pack by Chris Fox
Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsFive Years Later Set has been vanquished, but victory demanded a bitter price. The First Ark's detonation flung the new Ark Lords five years into the future. They emerge into a world ruled by deathless, demons, and old things that have awoken from the sleep of ages. Hades and the mysterious Grey Men have paved the way for the return of the Builders, slowly conquering the world...Categorized as:
post-apocalyptic action-adventure adult audiobook book epic fiction genetic-engineering -
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![We Won't Be Here Tomorrow and Other Stories by Margaret Killjoy]()
We Won't Be Here Tomorrow and Other Stories by Margaret Killjoy
Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsDeath cults, queer love, and the end of everything. Spaceships, man-eating lesbian mermaids, swords, spears, demons, ghouls, thieves, hitchhikers, and life in the margins. Margaret Killjoy’s stories have appeared for years in the science fiction and fantasy magazines both major and indie. Here, we have collected the best previously published work along with brand new material... -
![Blood Gifts by Becca Andre]()
Blood Gifts by Becca Andre
Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsSeventeen-year-old Ian is used to pressure. Born into a necromancer family, he and his twin brother Lex exhibited uncommon magical potential at an early age that led their father to expect great things—from them both. That is until Lex’s blood gift fails to manifest. Or so everyone believes. For the past five years, Ian has been keeping a secret... -
![White Wolf by Lauren Gilley]()
White Wolf by Lauren Gilley
Rated: 4.25 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsNYPD homicide detective Trina Baskin is having nightmares. Vivid ones. Full of blood, and snow, dead wolves…and a young man with pale hair who howls like an animal. She chalks them up to stress and an overactive imagination, too many Old Country stories from her Russian father who, when he’s had too much vodka, starts to rave about dark forces and things that look like men…but aren’t... -
![Thicker Than Blood by Shalini Boland]()
Thicker Than Blood by Shalini Boland
Rated: 4.25 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsChilling and fast-paced, Thicker Than Blood is the supernatural sequel to Hidden. It combines passion and drama with a historical twist.Aelia lives in 6th century Byzantium. She is sixteen years old and her life is about to change forever. She doesn't yet know it, but she holds the fate of thousands in her hands and her actions will echo across the centuries...Categorized as:
dark action-adventure ancient-civilization book dark-fantasy death fiction historical -
![Chameleon Assassin by B.R. Kingsolver]()
Chameleon Assassin by B.R. Kingsolver
Rated: 4.14 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsLibby is a mutant, one of the top burglars and assassins in the world. For a price, she caters to executives’ secret desires. Eliminate your corporate rival? Deliver a priceless art masterpiece or necklace? Hack into another corporation’s network? Libby’s your girl.Climate change met nuclear war, and humanity lost. The corporations stepped in, stripping governments of power... -
![A Forgery of Roses by Jessica S. Olson]()
A Forgery of Roses by Jessica S. Olson
Rated: 4.21 of 5 stars · 7 ratingsFrom the author of Sing Me Forgotten comes a lush new fantasy novel with an art-based magic system, romance, and murder… Myra has a gift many would kidnap, blackmail, and worse to control: she’s a portrait artist whose paintings alter people’s bodies. Guarding that secret is the only way to keep her younger sister safe now that their parents are gone... -
![Glitch Hunter by Skyler Grant]()
Glitch Hunter by Skyler Grant
Rated: 4.17 of 5 stars · 6 ratings"That which doesn't kill me is going to wish it had."A new adventure for fans of LitRPG and Gamelit.Do you love hunting monsters? Dark worlds? Swords and Sorcery?Alex is a Glitch Hunter, member of a house of monster hunters that possess mysterious bracers allowing them to see the world with the interface of a video game... -
![The Devil You Know by P.N. Elrod]()
The Devil You Know by P.N. Elrod
Rated: 4.17 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsPREVIEW AVAILABLE at vampwriter-dot-com/DevilYouKnowEXCERPT.htmVampire PI Jack Fleming travels to Long Island to attend a funeral.Problem: There's more than one body in the grave.Delving into his past, Jack follows clues leading to an old murder, new betrayals, and a hard look at the man he was vs. the vampire he's become... -
![Angel Fever by Ella Summers]()
Angel Fever by Ella Summers
Rated: 4.17 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsCadence Lightbringer has everything. The prestige and power that comes with being the Angel of Storm Castle. Her archangel husband and soulmate, Damiel Dragonsire, Master Interrogator in the Legion of Angels. And their son Nero, a miracle of magic, the first and only child of two angels.But the Legion’s mission to exterminate dark magic brings trouble to Cadence’s door...Categorized as:
dark post-apocalyptic action-adventure adult age-gap alpha-mc alternate-history angels -
![Ava's Revenge by Teyla Branton]()
Ava's Revenge by Teyla Branton
Rated: 4.17 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsTo Seek Revenge, The First Step is to Survive Ava O’Hare just wanted to love her child and live in peace, but a normal life was never her destiny. One stark day in 1745, everything she loved was taken from her, ripped away by the very man who should have protected her. Somehow, miraculously, Ava survived. Now it was time for revenge... -
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![Sword of Desire by Jennifer Anne Davis]()
Sword of Desire by Jennifer Anne Davis
Rated: 4.17 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsAckley has three goals—kill the traitorous king, put Owen on the throne, and reunite with Harley.Ackley’s tasks should be simple since he’s trained his entire life for this. However, with so many Marsden soldiers depending on him to make it home alive, his obligations weigh him down... -
![Banished by C.J. Archer]()
Banished by C.J. Archer
Rated: 4.13 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsAn infestation of evil ghosts is too much for spirit medium Cara to handle alone. She summons Quin, and together they attempt to discover where the ghosts came from, and why they refuse to leave this realm. To protect the residents, Cara and Quin must work closely together, leading to old feelings resurfacing between them... -
![Hardcore Dungeon Core by A.J. Markam]()
Hardcore Dungeon Core by A.J. Markam
Rated: 4.13 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsHe thought it was all a game… until he lost everything. Tragedy has struck, and now Ian must try to reverse it...Categorized as:
cyberpunk dark action-adventure adult ancient-china ancient-civilization audiobook book -
![Desire, Volume 2 by Cameron Milan]()
Desire, Volume 2 by Cameron Milan
Rated: 4.13 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsAce and Vincent spent day and night in the challenges; growing stronger at a breakneck speed. Through their crazy training, and lucky encounters, they have grown so strong that they stand above all others. The world watches their every move, and their actions shake the world. Through Ace's desire to help others grow stronger so that they may protect themselves, Northrock city was born...Categorized as:
dark action-adventure adult aliens ancient-china ancient-civilization apocalyptic audiobook -
![Song in the Dark by P.N. Elrod]()
Song in the Dark by P.N. Elrod
Rated: 4.13 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsP. N. Elrod's novels of "The Vampire Files" blend the seductive shadows of classic noir into a sanctuary for a most unusual private investigator-vampire Jack Fleming. In Elrod's newest novel, Jack is under the gun when the New York mafia wants his hide, and the love of his life is wanted for murder... -
![The Immortal Conquistador by Carrie Vaughn]()
The Immortal Conquistador by Carrie Vaughn
Rated: 4.11 of 5 stars · 9 ratingsFrom Carrie Vaughn, author of the beloved Kitty Norville werewolf talk-show host series, comes the vampire origin story of Kitty's famed ally, Rick--and his sudden turn to darkness in the seventeenth century. More than 500 years before his friendship with Kitty, noble Ricardo de Avila's life met a fate-changing twist, and his morally-complex, blood-soaked existence as an immortal began... -
![The Revenge of Lord Oda by Nick Lake]()
The Revenge of Lord Oda by Nick Lake
Rated: 4.10 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsNow that the vile Lord Oda is dead, Taro and his friends are safe in the mountain lair of the ninjas. Or so they think. When a homing pigeon arrives with news of Taro's mother's whereabouts, Taro sets out for the Tendai monastery - without stopping to consider why the pigeon, which was given to his mother months ago, took so long to arrive...Categorized as:
dark action-adventure book children-books dark-fantasy fiction high-school historical -
![Ghost Girl by C.J. Archer]()
Ghost Girl by C.J. Archer
Rated: 4.10 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsCara Moreau is dying from a supernatural curse. Her only chance of survival lies with the warrior, an enigmatic man who comes from a realm "in between." Quin St. Clair lived hundreds of years ago, but now exists solely to protect the world he once called home. That's all he will tell Cara, the woman he must keep alive by remaining close to her. Very close... -
![Cold Streets by P.N. Elrod]()
Cold Streets by P.N. Elrod
Rated: 4.10 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsVampire detective Jack Fleming's latest venture-the Lady Crymsyn nightclub-has become the favorite haunt for Chicago's elite. But amongst his patrons lurk a smarmy blackmailer and a dangerous up-and-coming mobster from New York-both unaware how deadly Jack can be when blood is spilled.. -
![Zero Saints by Gabino Iglesias]()
Zero Saints by Gabino Iglesias
Rated: 4.10 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsEnforcer and drug dealer Fernando has seen better days. On his way home from work, some heavily-tattooed gangsters throw him in the back of a car and take him to an abandoned house, where they saw off his friend's head and feed the kid's fingers to...something. Their message is clear: this is their territory, now.But Fernando isn't put down that easily... -
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![Bubba Ho-Tep by Joe R. Lansdale, Don Coscarelli]()
Bubba Ho-Tep by Joe R. Lansdale, Don Coscarelli
Rated: 4.08 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsThe companion book to the popular movie starring Bruce Campbell as Elvis and Ossie Davis as JFK. Stuck in an East Texas old folks home, they must face off against a redneck mummy... -
![The Order of Chaos by Lyra Wolf]()
The Order of Chaos by Lyra Wolf
Rated: 4.27 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsLet’s start Ragnarok, they said. It’ll be fun, they said.Nothing pisses off a trickster god more than being imprisoned for five hundred years and not being able to annoy Thor. There are other reasons, secrets, and promises behind Loki’s rage, but that’s for Loki to know and the gods to find out—preferably painfully... -
![The Tale Of The Vampire Bride by Rhiannon Frater]()
The Tale Of The Vampire Bride by Rhiannon Frater
Rated: 4.00 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsAll I ever wanted was the freedom to live life as I pleased, despite my aristocratic parents’ hopes I’d secure a prestigious husband. But my fate was far more terrible than an arranged marriage when my family became prisoners to one of the most fearsome and powerful vampires of all time, Count Vlad Dracula... -
![Lady Crymsyn by P.N. Elrod]()
Lady Crymsyn by P.N. Elrod
Rated: 4.00 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsVampire detective Jack Fleming made a good bit of money cleaning up the streets of post-prohibition Chicago--enough to realize his dream of owning a nightclub. During renovations, workmen discover the remains of a woman, clad in a distinctive red dress... -
![Moon Bayou by J.R. Rain, Rod Kierkegaard Jr.]()
Moon Bayou by J.R. Rain, Rod Kierkegaard Jr.
Rated: 4.00 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsMother, wife, private investigator, vampire - Sam Moon's been around the block. Now, unlife brings her to New Orleans to test her mettle against a new kind of lurking evil...From the author of the Vampire for Hire Series, J.R. Rain, comes a brand new Samantha Moon spin-off story co-written by bestselling author of The Dead Detective and The Department of Magic, Rod Kierkegaard Jr... -
![The Passion by Donna Boyd]()
The Passion by Donna Boyd
Rated: 4.00 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsIn finely crafted prose and lush detail, Donna Boyd weaves a spell-binding tapestry of romance and suspense set against richly imagined landscapes of sensuousness. An intense saga of love and betrayal, The Passion is a story of those who walk the fine line between man beast...
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