Books like 'Second Son'
Readers who enjoyed Second Son by Pamela Taylor also liked the following books featuring the same tropes, story themes, relationship dynamics and character types.
historical fantasy action / adventure mystery military, war & conflict historical-fiction medieval early-modern industrial-era regency
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A Clash of Kings by George R.R. Martin
Rated: 4.38 of 5 stars · 96 ratingsA comet the color of blood and flame cuts across the sky. Two great leaders—Lord Eddard Stark and Robert Baratheon—who hold sway over an age of enforced peace are dead, victims of royal treachery. Now, from the ancient citadel of Dragonstone to the forbidding shores of Winterfell, chaos reigns...Categorized as:
classics historical-fiction medieval action-adventure audiobook book conspiracies dark -
Sword of Kings by Bernard Cornwell
Rated: 4.44 of 5 stars · 25 ratingsAn oath of loyalty.Two warring kings.A destiny he didn’t choose…England is in turmoil as Vikings and Saxons battle for territory. Rumours build about the fatal sickness of the King, and the country awaits an heir.A violent clash at sea forces the warrior lord Uhtred to lead his men from his Northumbrian fortress to London and plunge into the eye of the storm...Categorized as:
historical-fiction medieval military action-adventure adult audiobook book british-isles -
Blood Song by Anthony Ryan
Rated: 4.38 of 5 stars · 58 ratingsThe Sixth Order wields the sword of justice and smites the enemies of the Faith and the Realm.” Vaelin Al Sorna was only a child of ten when his father left him at the iron gate of the Sixth Order. The Brothers of the Sixth Order are devoted to battle, and Vaelin will be trained and hardened to the austere, celibate, and dangerous life of a Warrior of the Faith...Categorized as:
coming-of-age historical-fiction medieval military action-adventure assassins audiobook book -
The Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafón
Rated: 4.30 of 5 stars · 91 ratingsBarcelona, 1945: A city slowly heals from its war wounds, and Daniel, an antiquarian book dealer's son who mourns the loss of his mother, finds solace in a mysterious book entitled The Shadow of the Wind, by one Julian Carax. But when he sets out to find the author's other works, he makes a shocking discovery: someone has been systematically destroying every copy of every book Carax has written...Categorized as:
classics coming-of-age historical-fiction 20th-century 21st-century action-adventure audiobook book -
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First Lord's Fury by Jim Butcher
Rated: 4.39 of 5 stars · 50 ratingsFor Gaius Octavian, life has been one long battle. Now, the end of all he fought for is close at hand. The brutal, dreaded Vord are on the march against Alera. And perhaps for the final time, Gaius Octavian and his legions must stand against the enemies of his people. And it will take all his intelligence, ingenuity, and furycraft to save their world from eternal darkness... -
The Emperor of Nihon-Ja by John Flanagan
Rated: 4.42 of 5 stars · 44 ratingsWhen Horace travels to the exotic land of Nihon- Ja, it isn't long before he finds himself pulled into a battle that is not his - but one he knows in his heart he must wage. A kingdom teeters on the edge of chaos when the Nihon-Ja emperor, a defender of the common man, is forcibly overthrown, and only Horace, Will, and his Araluen companions can restore the emperor to the throne...Categorized as:
coming-of-age historical-fiction medieval military action-adventure audiobook book children -
The Battle for Skandia by John Flanagan
Rated: 4.35 of 5 stars · 61 ratingsFor Will and Evanlyn, freedom has never felt so fleeing.Still far from their homeland after escaping slavery in the icebound land of Skandia, the Ranger's apprentice and the princess's plan to return to Araluen is spoiled when Evanlyn is taken captive by a Temujai warrior...Categorized as:
coming-of-age historical-fiction medieval military action-adventure assassins audiobook book -
Halt's Peril by John Flanagan
Rated: 4.39 of 5 stars · 49 ratingsThe renegade outlaw group known as the Outsiders has journeyed from kingdom to kingdom, conning the innocent out of their few valuables. Will and Halt, his mentor, are ambushed by the cult's deadly assassins when Halt is pierced by a poisoned arrow. Now Will must travel day and night in search of the one person with the power to cure Halt: Malkallam the Sorcerer...Categorized as:
coming-of-age historical-fiction medieval action-adventure assassins audiobook book children -
Genghis: Bones of the Hills by Conn Iggulden, Richard Ferrone
Rated: 4.38 of 5 stars · 24 ratingsYes, you do recognize the author's name. Conn Iggulden is the coauthor of the bestselling Dangerous Book for Boys. He's also responsible for a magnificent trilogy of historical epics on Mongol empire maker Genghis Khan (1162-1227)...Categorized as:
historical-fiction medieval military action-adventure adult ancient-civilization audiobook book -
Captain's Fury by Jim Butcher
Rated: 4.36 of 5 stars · 55 ratingsIn his acclaimed Codex Alera novels, bestselling author Jim Butcher has created a fascinating world in which the powerful forces of nature take physical form. For millennia, the people of Alera have used their unique bond with these elementals for protection. Now, as enemies become allies, and friends become bitter foes, a danger beyond reckoning looms. . .Categorized as:
coming-of-age medieval military action-adventure alternate-history audiobook book epic -
Cursor's Fury by Jim Butcher
Rated: 4.36 of 5 stars · 54 ratingsThe power-hungry High Lord of Kalare has launched a rebellion against the aging First Lord, Gaius Sextus, who with the loyal forces of Alera must fight beside the unlikeliest of allies-the equally contentious High Lord of Aquitaine...Categorized as:
coming-of-age medieval military action-adventure alternate-history audiobook book epic -
The Burning Bridge by John Flanagan
Rated: 4.32 of 5 stars · 66 ratingsBracing for a final clash with the evil warlord Morgarath, the Rangers rally the kingdom's allies, and Will is chosen, along with his friend Horace, as special envoys to nearby Celtica. But the simple mission soon takes an unsettling turn - the Celticans have disappeared, their town abandoned. The scheming hand of Morgarath, it seems, has been far from idle...Categorized as:
coming-of-age historical-fiction medieval military action-adventure audiobook book children -
The Siege of Macindaw by John Flanagan
Rated: 4.34 of 5 stars · 53 ratingsThe international bestselling series with over 5 million copies sold in the U.S. alone! After years as a Ranger's apprentice, Will is now the protector of his first fief...Categorized as:
coming-of-age historical-fiction medieval military action-adventure assassins audiobook book -
The Last Kingdom by Bernard Cornwell
Rated: 4.29 of 5 stars · 69 ratingsThis is the story of the making of England in the 9th and 10th centuries, the years in which King Alfred the Great, his son and grandson defeated the Danish Vikings who had invaded and occupied three of England’s four kingdoms...Categorized as:
classics historical-fiction medieval military 21st-century action-adventure arthurian audiobook -
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Genghis: Birth of an Empire by Conn Iggulden
Rated: 4.35 of 5 stars · 43 ratingsHe was born Temujin, the son of a khan, raised in a clan of hunters migrating across the rugged steppe. Temujin's young life was shaped by a series of brutal acts: the betrayal of his father by a neighboring tribe and the abandonment of his entire family, cruelly left to die on the harsh plain... -
The Shadow Rising by Robert Jordan
Rated: 4.24 of 5 stars · 69 ratingsThe seals of Shayol Ghul are weak now, and the Dark One reaches out. The Shadow is rising to cover humankind.In Tar Valon, Min sees portents of hideous doom. Will the White Tower itself be broken?In the Two Rivers, the Whitecloaks ride in pursuit of a man with golden eyes, and in pursuit of the Dragon Reborn...Categorized as:
classics medieval military 20th-century action-adventure audiobook book dark-fantasy -
Academ's Fury by Jim Butcher
Rated: 4.28 of 5 stars · 54 ratingsFor centuries, the people of Alera have relied on the power of the furies to protect them from outside invaders. But the gravest threat might be closer than they think.Tavi has escaped the Calderon Valley and the mysterious attack of the Marat on his homeland...Categorized as:
coming-of-age historical-fiction medieval military action-adventure audiobook book drama -
The Hollow Hills by Mary Stewart
Rated: 4.26 of 5 stars · 27 ratingsKeeping watch over the young Arthur Pendragon, the prince and prophet Merlin Ambrosius is haunted by dreams of the magical sword Caliburn, which has been hidden for centuries. When Uther Pendragon is killed in battle, the time of destiny is at hand, and Arthur must claim the fabled sword to become the true High King of Britain... -
The Grail Quest Trilogy (The Archers Tale, Vagabond, Heretic) by Bernard Cornwell
Rated: 4.46 of 5 stars · 24 ratingsCornwell's Thomas of Hookton Three-Book For a limited time get three of Bernard Cornwell's works of historical fiction in one easy-to-order package, including Cornwell's latest, Heretic... -
The Sorcerer of the North by John Flanagan
Rated: 4.27 of 5 stars · 53 ratingsThe international bestselling series with over 5 million copies sold in the U.S. alone!Several years have passed since the apprentice and his master, Will and Halt, first met, and Will is finally a full-fledged Ranger with his own fief to look after. The fief seems sleepy?boring, even?until Lord Syron, master of a castle far in the north, is struck down by a mysterious illness...Categorized as:
coming-of-age historical-fiction medieval action-adventure audiobook book children epic -
The Lord John Series by Diana Gabaldon
Rated: 4.42 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsDiana Gabaldon, #1 New York Times bestselling author of the Outlander series, delivers captivating tales of history, intrigue, and suspense that feature one of her most popular characters: Lord John Grey. This thrilling eBook collection—featuring three novels and one collection of novellas—follows Lord John as he defends his country, ferrets out spies, and unravels a haunting family mystery... -
The Legend of Deathwalker by David Gemmell
Rated: 4.29 of 5 stars · 21 ratingsEnter a powerful realm of legend, dark sorcery, and conquest, where the mighty Drenai warrior Druss faces his most deadly opponent . . .Druss the Legend, the dark axman known as the Deathwalker, must join the warrior Talisman on a mission of blood and glory... -
The Ruins of Gorlan by John Flanagan
Rated: 4.23 of 5 stars · 66 ratingsThey have always scared him in the past — the Rangers, with their dark cloaks and shadowy ways. The villagers believe the Rangers practice magic that makes them invisible to ordinary people. And now 15-year-old Will, always small for his age, has been chosen as a Ranger's apprentice. What he doesn't yet realize is that the Rangers are the protectors of the kingdom...Categorized as:
coming-of-age historical-fiction medieval action-adventure audiobook book children epic -
Magician: Master by Raymond E. Feist
Rated: 4.25 of 5 stars · 54 ratingsHe held the fate of two worlds in his hands... Once he was an orphan called Pug, apprenticed to a sorcerer of the enchanted land of Midkemia.. Then he was captured and enslaved by the Tsurani, a strange, warlike race of invaders from another world.There, in the exotic Empire of Kelewan, he earned a new name--Milamber. He learned to tame the unnimagined powers that lay withing him... -
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The Icebound Land by John Flanagan
Rated: 4.24 of 5 stars · 56 ratingsKidnapped after the fierce battle with Lord Morgarath, Will and Evanlyn are bound for Skandia as captives aboard a fearsome wolfship. Halt has sworn to rescue Will, and he will do anything to keep his promise–even defy his King. Expelled from the Rangers he has served so loyally, Halt is joined by Will's friend Horace as he travels toward Skandia...Categorized as:
coming-of-age historical-fiction medieval action-adventure audiobook book children epic -
The Ring of Water by Chris Bradford
Rated: 4.31 of 5 stars · 16 ratingsYoung Samurai: The Ring of Water is the fifth book in this blockbuster series by Chris Bradford. Jack Fletcher has been left for dead. Bruised and battered, Jack wakes up in a roadside inn wrapped only in a dirty kimono. He has lost everything, including his memory of what happened...Categorized as:
historical-fiction medieval action-adventure book fiction historical middle-grade mystery -
The Runaway King by Jennifer A. Nielsen
Rated: 4.26 of 5 stars · 46 ratingsA kingdom teetering on the brink of destruction. A king gone missing. Who will survive? Just weeks after Jaron has taken the throne, an assassination attempt forces him into a deadly situation. Rumors of a coming war are winding their way between the castle walls, and Jaron feels the pressure quietly mounting within Carthya...Categorized as:
coming-of-age historical-fiction medieval action-adventure audiobook book children dystopia -
Here Be Dragons by Sharon Kay Penman
Rated: 4.28 of 5 stars · 39 ratingsThirteenth-century Wales is a divided country, ever at the mercy of England's ruthless, power-hungry King John. Then Llewelyn, Prince of North Wales, secures an uneasy truce with England by marrying the English king's beloved, illegitimate daughter, Joanna. Reluctant to wed her father's bitter enemy, Joanna slowly grows to love her charismatic and courageous husband who dreams of uniting Wales...Categorized as:
classics historical-fiction medieval 20th-century action-adventure adult book british-isles -
The Falling Sword: Clash of Empires Book 2 by Ben Kane
Rated: 4.40 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsCAN GREECE RESIST THE MIGHT OF ROME? Get ready for the climax of the Roman invasion of Greece in Sunday Times bestseller Ben Kane's latest historical adventure. ONE FINAL CLASHReeling from his defeat at the hands of the Macedonians, Rome's furious General Flamininus gathers his legions for the final strike on King Philip's mighty phalanx...Categorized as:
historical-fiction military action-adventure adult ancient-civilization audiobook book fiction -
A Leaf on the Wind of All Hallows by Diana Gabaldon
Rated: 4.27 of 5 stars · 39 ratingsAvailable for the first time as an exclusive eBook in this original Outlander novella, Diana Gabaldon reveals what really happened to Roger MacKenzie Wakefield’s parents. Orphaned during World War II, Roger believed that his mother died during the London Blitz, and that his father, an RAF pilot, was killed in combat. But in An Echo in the Bone, Roger discovers that this may not be the whole story...Categorized as:
historical-fiction industrial-era military 20th-century action-adventure adult audiobook book -
A Prince Without a Kingdom by Timothée de Fombelle
Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsThis was the only treasure that Vango was after: the secret of his life.Vango has been in danger for as long as he can remember. He has spent his life running along rooftops, fleeing to mysterious islands, and abandoning those he loves in order to protect them from the demons of his past. But Vango will not run for much longer...Categorized as:
coming-of-age historical-fiction military 20th-century 21st-century action-adventure book children -
The False Prince by Jennifer A. Nielsen
Rated: 4.20 of 5 stars · 61 ratingsIn a discontent kingdom, civil war is brewing. To unify the divided people, Conner, a nobleman of the court, devises a cunning plan to find an impersonator of the king's long-lost son and install him as a puppet prince. Four orphans are recruited to compete for the role, including a defiant boy named Sage...Categorized as:
coming-of-age historical-fiction medieval action-adventure audiobook book children drama -
Waylander by David Gemmell
Rated: 4.27 of 5 stars · 37 ratingsAll of Waylander's instincts had screamed at him to spurn the contract from Kaem the cruel, the killer of nations. But he had ignored them. He had made his kill. And even as he went to collect his gold, he knew that he had been betrayed...Categorized as:
historical-fiction medieval military action-adventure adult anti-hero assassins audiobook -
The Last Enchantment by Mary Stewart
Rated: 4.20 of 5 stars · 25 ratingsArthur Pendragon is King! Unchallenged on the battlefield, he melds the country together in a time of promise. But sinister powers plot to destroy Camelot, and when the witch-queen Morgause -- Arthur's own half sister -- ensnares him in an incestuous liaison, a fatal web of love, betrayal, and bloody vengeance is woven...Categorized as:
classics historical-fiction medieval 20th-century action-adventure arthurian audiobook book -
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Aztec by Gary Jennings
Rated: 4.20 of 5 stars · 25 ratingsAztec is the extraordinary story of the last and greatest native civilization of North America... -
The Crystal Cave by Mary Stewart
Rated: 4.17 of 5 stars · 32 ratingsFifth century Britain is a country of chaos and division after the Roman withdrawal. This is the world of young Merlin, the illegitimate child of a South Wales princess who will not reveal to her son his father's true identity. Yet Merlin is an extraordinary child, aware at the earliest age that he possesses a great natural gift - the Sight... -
An Echo of Things to Come by James Islington
Rated: 4.26 of 5 stars · 36 ratingsThe second book in a glorious new fantasy trilogy by the next major force in commercial epic fantasy. In the wake of the devastating attack on Ilin Illan, an amnesty has been declared for all Augurs - finally allowing them to emerge from hiding and openly oppose the dark forces massing against Andarra... -
The Shadow Throne by Jennifer A. Nielsen
Rated: 4.25 of 5 stars · 38 ratingsOne war.Too many deadly battles.Can a king save his kingdom, when his own survival seems unlikely?War has come to Carthya. It knocks at every door and window in the land. And when Jaron learns that King Vargan of Avenia has kidnapped Imogen in a plot to bring Carthya to its knees, Jaron knows it is up to him to embark on a daring rescue mission. But everything that can go wrong does...Categorized as:
coming-of-age historical-fiction medieval military action-adventure audiobook book children -
A Darkness At Sethanon by Raymond E. Feist
Rated: 4.20 of 5 stars · 54 ratingsA Darkness at Sethanon is the stunning climax to Raymond E. Feist's brilliant epic fantasy trilogy, the Riftwar Saga. Here be dragons and sorcery, swordplay, quests, pursuits, intrigues, stratagems, journeys to the darkest realms of the dead and titanic battles between the forces of good and darkest evil... -
Smoke and Iron by Rachel Caine
Rated: 4.22 of 5 stars · 18 ratingsFor the US hardback, see ISBN13: 9780451489210.To save the Great Library, the unforgettable characters from Ink and Bone, Paper and Fire, and Ash and Quill put themselves in danger in the next thrilling adventure in the New York Times bestselling series.The opening moves of a deadly game have begun... -
Stormrider by David Gemmell
Rated: 4.21 of 5 stars · 19 ratingsOne glorious spark, one moment of Rigante rebellion has ignited a revolution and forged a legend. In the mountains of the north, the outlaw leader known as Ravenheart waits, knowing the forces of the blackhearted Moidart will come, led by the brutal ruler’s only son, Stormrider... -
The Forgotten Sisters by Shannon Hale
Rated: 4.19 of 5 stars · 21 ratingsAfter a year at the king's palace, Miri has learned all about being a proper princess. But the tables turn when the student must become the teacher!Instead of returning to her beloved Mount Eskel, Miri is ordered to journey to a distant swamp and start a princess academy for three sisters, cousins of the royal family...Categorized as:
coming-of-age historical-fiction medieval action-adventure audiobook book children drama -
Odin's Wolves by Giles Kristian, Джайлc Кристиан
Rated: 4.32 of 5 stars · 24 ratingsThey came from the North and fought their way through France and Spain. Now this fearless band of brothers sets sail for the greatest city in the world... -
Fallen Ward by Honor Raconteur
Rated: 4.38 of 5 stars · 8 ratings“Siobhian-jia. Something is amiss?” “I don’t know. That’s the problem. Ryu Jin Ho-zhi. I need you to think like a strategist for a moment. If someone were to tell you about the situation in Fallen Ward, all the facts that we heard yesterday, what would you do?” Ryu Jin Ho’s dark eyes focused on her face in a penetrating way. “Is this question purely academic?” “No...Categorized as:
coming-of-age historical-fiction military action-adventure alpha-mc book epic female-mc -
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The Eye of the World by Robert Jordan
Rated: 4.14 of 5 stars · 81 ratingsThe Wheel of Time turns and Ages come and pass. What was, what will be, and what is, may yet fall under the Shadow.Let the Dragon ride again on the winds of time.The Wheel of Time turns and Ages come and go, leaving memories that become legend. Legend fades to myth, and even myth is long forgotten when the Age that gave it birth returns again... -
The Blood of Gods by Conn Iggulden
Rated: 4.26 of 5 stars · 30 ratingsThis eBook edition features exclusive bonus content, Conn Iggulden’s original short story “Fig Tree.”One of history’s most notorious assassinations sets the stage for a riveting tale of political intrigue, epic battle, and righteous retribution in a new novel of ancient Rome from #1 New York Times bestselling author Conn Iggulden. THE BLOOD OF GODS Julius Caesar has been cut down...Categorized as:
historical-fiction military action-adventure adult ancient-civilization audiobook book drama -
Exile's Honor by Mercedes Lackey
Rated: 4.22 of 5 stars · 36 ratingsAlberich had spent most of his youth in the Karsite military schools training to be an officer. As the son of an impoverished mother, he had no other career choice open to him. And Alberich had risen in the ranks with almost unnatural speed. He developed expertise with many weapons and excelled in academic subjects with an ease that was the envy of his classmates...Categorized as:
classics coming-of-age industrial-era medieval action-adventure animals audiobook book -
The Ballad of the White Horse by G.K. Chesterton
Rated: 4.25 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsThe Ballad of the White Horse is one of the last great epic poems in the English language. On the one hand it describes King Alfred's battle against the Danes in 878. On the other hand it is a timeless allegory about the ongoing battle between Christianity and the forces of nihilistic heathenism...Categorized as:
classics historical-fiction medieval 20th-century action-adventure adult animals audiobook -
Odin's Game by Tim Hodkinson
Rated: 4.25 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsAD 915.In the Orkney Isles, a young woman flees her home to save the life of her unborn child. Eighteen years later, a witch foretells that evil from her past is reaching out again to threaten her son.Outlawed from his home in Iceland, Einar Unnsson is thrown on the mercy of his Uncle, the infamous Jarl Thorfinn 'Skull Cleaver' of Orkney...Categorized as:
historical-fiction medieval military action-adventure adult audiobook book british-isles -
Son of Mercia by M.J. Porter
Rated: 4.21 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsThe start of a brand new series from bestselling author MJ Porter.Tamworth, Mercia AD825.The once-mighty kingdom of Mercia is in perilous danger.Their King, Beornwulf lies dead and years of bitter in-fighting between the nobles, and cross border wars have left Mercia exposed to her enemies...Categorized as:
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