Books like 'Return to Del'
Readers who enjoyed Return to Del by Emily Rodda also liked the following books featuring the same tropes, story themes, relationship dynamics and character types.
historical fantasy action / adventure high fantasy mystery dark fantasy horror supernatural other-world magic
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The Language of Thorns: Midnight Tales and Dangerous Magic by Leigh Bardugo
Rated: 4.28 of 5 stars · 53 ratingsLove speaks in flowers. Truth requires thorns. Travel to a world of dark bargains struck by moonlight, of haunted towns and hungry woods, of talking beasts and gingerbread golems, where a young mermaid's voice can summon deadly storms and where a river might do a lovestruck boy's bidding but only for a terrible price... -
![The Tower of the Swallow by Andrzej Sapkowski]()
The Tower of the Swallow by Andrzej Sapkowski
Rated: 4.26 of 5 stars · 54 ratingsThe world has fallen into war. Ciri, the child of prophecy, has vanished. Hunted by friends and foes alike, she has taken on the guise of a petty bandit and lives free for the first time in her life. But the net around her is closing. Geralt, the Witcher, has assembled a group of allies determined to rescue her. Both sides of the war have sent brutal mercenaries to hunt her down... -
![Magic's Price by Mercedes Lackey]()
Magic's Price by Mercedes Lackey
Rated: 4.27 of 5 stars · 41 ratingsThe final chapter in Mercedes Lackey's spellbinding fantasy trilogy! The Herald-Mage, Vanyel, and his Companion, Yfandes, are alone responsible for saving the once-peaceful kingdom of Valdemar from the forces of a master who wields a dark, forbidding magic. And if either Vanyel or Yfandes falters, both Valdemar and its Herald-Mage must pay the ultimate price... -
![King of Thorns by Mark Lawrence]()
King of Thorns by Mark Lawrence
Rated: 4.19 of 5 stars · 53 ratingsThe second book in the Broken Empire series, Lawrence takes his young anti-hero one step closer to his grand ambition.To reach greatness you must step on bodies, and many brothers lie trodden in my wake... -
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![The Time of Contempt by Andrzej Sapkowski]()
The Time of Contempt by Andrzej Sapkowski
Rated: 4.16 of 5 stars · 68 ratingsThe New York Times bestselling series that inspired the international hit video game: The Witcher Geralt is a witcher: guardian of the innocent; protector of those in need; a defender, in dark times, against some of the most frightening creatures of myth and legend. His task, now, is to protect Ciri... -
![Ghost in the Mask by Jonathan Moeller]()
Ghost in the Mask by Jonathan Moeller
Rated: 4.38 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsCaina Amalas is a nightfighter of the Ghosts, the spies and assassins of the Emperor of Nighmar, and through cunning and valor she has cast down both proud lords and mighty sorcerers. But a power darker than any she has ever faced is awakening... -
![Attack of the Fiend by Joseph Delaney]()
Attack of the Fiend by Joseph Delaney
Rated: 4.20 of 5 stars · 40 ratings"I see your future clearly. Your master will be dead, and you will be alone. It would be better if you had never been born."Thomas Ward is the apprentice for the local Spook, who banishes boggarts and drives away ghosts. But now a new danger is threatening Tom's world. The witches are rising and the three most powerful clans are uniting in order to conjure an unimaginable evil... -
![The Spook's Revenge by Joseph Delaney]()
The Spook's Revenge by Joseph Delaney
Rated: 4.17 of 5 stars · 18 ratings‘He’s the seventh son of a seventh son. His name is Thomas J. Ward and he’s my gift to the County. When he’s old enough we’ll send you word. Train him well. He’ll be the best apprentice you’ve ever had and he’ll also be your last.’These were the words of Tom's Mam to the county Spook some years ago... -
![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... -
![The Son of the Morning by Jacob Peppers]()
The Son of the Morning by Jacob Peppers
Rated: 4.20 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsFifty years ago, the nightwalkers appeared, creatures of shadow and darkness, thirsting for blood and death. Thousands died and the kingdom of Entarna was brought to its knees. Then the Chosen came, six men and women endowed with powers by Amedan, the God of Fire and Light. The Chosen joined with the kingdom’s armies and together they managed to defeat the night’s creatures. At least for a time... -
![The Pariah by Anthony Ryan]()
The Pariah by Anthony Ryan
Rated: 4.20 of 5 stars · 28 ratingsBorn into the troubled kingdom of Albermaine, Alwyn Scribe is raised as an outlaw. Quick of wit and deft with a blade, Alwyn is content with the freedom of the woods and the comradeship of his fellow thieves. But an act of betrayal sets him on a new path - one of blood and vengeance, which eventually leads him to a soldier's life in the king's army... -
![Night of the Soul Stealer by Joseph Delaney]()
Night of the Soul Stealer by Joseph Delaney
Rated: 4.14 of 5 stars · 42 ratingsIt's going to be a long, hard, cruel winter. And there couldn't be a worse place to spend it than up on Anglezarke.Thomas Ward is the apprentice for the local Spook, who captures witches and drives away ghosts. As the weather gets colder and the nights draw in, the Spook receives an unexpected visitor... -
![Curse of the Bane by Joseph Delaney]()
Curse of the Bane by Joseph Delaney
Rated: 4.12 of 5 stars · 42 ratingsNow it's the dark's turn to be afraid The Spook and his apprentice, Thomas Ward, deal with the dark. Together they rid the county of witches, ghosts, and boggarts. But now there's some unfinished business to attend to in Priestown... -
![Knights of Dark Renown by David Gemmell]()
Knights of Dark Renown by David Gemmell
Rated: 4.06 of 5 stars · 18 ratingsOnce the legendary knights of the Gabala defended the nine duchies. Their hearts were beautiful; their armor was beyond compare. They were greater than princes, more than men.But they were gone, disappeared through a demon-haunted gateway between worlds. Only one held back -- Manannan, whose every instinct told him to stay. Now he was the coward knight, and in torment... -
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![Curse of the Dark Prince by Ariana Nash]()
Curse of the Dark Prince by Ariana Nash
Rated: 4.25 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsWith the powerful cities of Seran and Loreen having fallen to elves, and the dark flame escaping its bonds, Prince Vasili Caville’s plight has never been more desperate. But for the first time in his lifetime, he’s not alone. With the formidable Nikolas Yazdan at his side, not all is lost. But Nikolas has changed... -
![She is the Darkness by Glen Cook]()
She is the Darkness by Glen Cook
Rated: 4.10 of 5 stars · 30 ratingsThe wind whines and howls with bitter breath. Lightning snarls and barks. Rage is an animate force upon the plain of glittering stone. Even shadows are afraid.At the heart of the plain stands a vast grey stronghold, unknown, older than any written memory. One ancient tower has collapsed across the fissure... -
![Vespertine by Margaret Rogerson]()
Vespertine by Margaret Rogerson
Rated: 4.16 of 5 stars · 19 ratingsThe dead of Loraille do not rest.Artemisia is training to be a Gray Sister, a nun who cleanses the bodies of the deceased so that their souls can pass on; otherwise, they will rise as spirits with a ravenous hunger for the living. She would rather deal with the dead than the living, who trade whispers about her scarred hands and troubled past... -
![Prince of Fools by Mark Lawrence]()
Prince of Fools by Mark Lawrence
Rated: 4.06 of 5 stars · 38 ratingsThe Red Queen is old but the kings of the Broken Empire dread her like no other. For all her reign, she has fought the long war, contested in secret, against the powers that stand behind nations, for higher stakes than land or gold. Her greatest weapon is The Silent Sister—unseen by most and unspoken of by all... -
![The Dream-Quest of Unknown Kadath by H.P. Lovecraft]()
The Dream-Quest of Unknown Kadath by H.P. Lovecraft
Rated: 4.00 of 5 stars · 19 ratingsThe Dream-Quest of Unknown Kadath is a novella by H. P. Lovecraft (1890–1937) published by Arkham House posthumously in 1943 in the collection Beyond the Wall of Sleep. Begun probably in the autumn of 1926, it was completed on January 22, 1927 and was unpublished in his lifetime... -
![Cry Havoc by Mike Morris]()
Cry Havoc by Mike Morris
Rated: 4.00 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsThey say when the demons come, you either fight or you die. The Black Dogs know this all too well. For three hundred years, the warrior priests have sacrificed their lives to keep the island nation of Abios safe from the flesh-eating Nostros, while the rest of the world fell under the demons’ savagery. However, an armada now stands poised to invade mankind’s last bastion... -
![Revenge of the Witch by Joseph Delaney]()
Revenge of the Witch by Joseph Delaney
Rated: 4.01 of 5 stars · 46 ratingsThomas Ward is the seventh son of a seventh son and has been apprenticed to the local Spook. The job is hard, the Spook is distant and many apprentices have failed before Thomas. Somehow Thomas must learn how to exorcise ghosts, contain witches and bind boggarts. But when he is tricked into freeing Mother Malkin, the most evil witch in the County, the horror begins. -
![The Bone Houses by Emily Lloyd-Jones]()
The Bone Houses by Emily Lloyd-Jones
Rated: 4.01 of 5 stars · 36 ratingsSeventeen-year-old Aderyn ("Ryn") only cares about two things: her family, and her family's graveyard. And right now, both are in dire straits. Since the death of their parents, Ryn and her siblings have been scraping together a meager existence as gravediggers in the remote village of Colbren, which sits at the foot of a harsh and deadly mountain range that was once home to the fae... -
![The Maze of the Beast by Emily Rodda]()
The Maze of the Beast by Emily Rodda
Rated: 3.95 of 5 stars · 20 ratingsThe next missing gem from the magical Belt of Deltora lies hidden in the underwater lair of the hideous and ferocious Glus. Lief, Barda, and Jasmine must summon all their strength and courage to make it through the Maze of the Beast... -
![Child of the Ghosts by Jonathan Moeller]()
Child of the Ghosts by Jonathan Moeller
Rated: 3.94 of 5 stars · 17 ratingsWhen her life is torn apart by sorcery and murder, young Caina Amalas joins the mysterious Ghosts, the legendary spies and assassins of the Emperor of Nighmar. She learns the secrets of disguise and stealth, of assassination and infiltration.But even that might not be enough to save her.For the evil that destroyed her family seeks to devour the entire world.. -
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![Silver in the Wood by Emily Tesh]()
Silver in the Wood by Emily Tesh
Rated: 3.97 of 5 stars · 41 ratingsThere is a Wild Man who lives in the deep quiet of Greenhollow, and he listens to the wood. Tobias, tethered to the forest, does not dwell on his past life, but he lives a perfectly unremarkable existence with his cottage, his cat, and his dryads.When Greenhollow Hall acquires a handsome, intensely curious new owner in Henry Silver, everything changes... -
![The Too-Clever Fox by Leigh Bardugo]()
The Too-Clever Fox by Leigh Bardugo
Rated: 3.92 of 5 stars · 24 ratingsIn Ravka, just because you avoid one trap, it doesn't mean you'll escape the next. This story is a companion folk tale to Leigh Bardugo’s upcoming novel, Siege and Storm, the second book in the Grisha Trilogy.This story is also included in Some of the Best From Tor... -
![Revelation by Carol Berg]()
Revelation by Carol Berg
Rated: 3.96 of 5 stars · 30 ratingsTwo years after his battle with the Lord of Demons, Seyonne is tired, troubled, angry, and frustrated. As Ezzaria's only remaining Warden, he carries the entire burden of the worsening demon war on his shoulders. But a demon encounter unlike any in Ezzarian memory leads Seyonne to question everything he has ever believed... -
![Foundling by D.M. Cornish]()
Foundling by D.M. Cornish
Rated: 3.89 of 5 stars · 18 ratingsSet in the world of the Half-Continent—a land of tri-corner hats and flintlock pistols—the Monster Blood Tattoo trilogy is a world of predatory monsters, chemical potions and surgically altered people. Foundling begins the journey of Rossamund, a boy with a girl’s name, who is just about to begin a dangerous life in the service of the Emperor... -
![Black Sun Rising by C.S. Friedman]()
Black Sun Rising by C.S. Friedman
Rated: 3.94 of 5 stars · 35 ratingsOn the distant world of Erna, four people--Priest, Adept, Sorcerer, and Apprentice--are drawn together to battle the forces of evil, led by the demonic fae, a soul-destroying force that preys on the human mind... -
![Kingdom of Ashes by Elena May]()
Kingdom of Ashes by Elena May
Rated: 3.93 of 5 stars · 15 ratingsMyra never witnessed the Nightfall. She has only heard stories from the eldest among them; tales of the Old World and of the scientists who invented the WeatherWizard - a technological innovation that controls the weather... -
![Wit'ch Fire by James Clemens]()
Wit'ch Fire by James Clemens
Rated: 3.92 of 5 stars · 30 ratingsFrom a brilliant new voice in fantasy comes a band of heroes, a world in peril, and an unforgettable heroine whose unexpected gift of magic awakens an ancient, slumbering evil.On a fateful night five centuries ago, three made a desperate last stand, sacrificing everything to preserve the only hope of goodness in the beautiful, doomed land of Alasea... -
![Dante's End by Ariana Nash]()
Dante's End by Ariana Nash
Rated: 3.82 of 5 stars · 11 ratingsMonsters are made, not born... Most called him the Jailor. Some called him a monster. If he had a name, nobody had survived meeting him long enough to tell it. They said he sat atop a mound of skulls and marked each death on his throne, like notches on a bedpost. Some tales told of how he had wings as dark as night, and of how he wore a crown of razor wire woven around four horns... -
![The Mist-Torn Witches by Barb Hendee]()
The Mist-Torn Witches by Barb Hendee
Rated: 3.87 of 5 stars · 16 ratingsNational bestselling author Barb Hendee presents a dark, fascinating new series set in the world of the Noble Dead Saga... the story of two sisters who will discover they have far more power than they ever envisioned...In a small village in the nation of Droevinka, orphaned sisters Céline and Amelie Fawe scrape out a living selling herbal medicines in their apothecary shop... -
![Flesh and Spirit by Carol Berg]()
Flesh and Spirit by Carol Berg
Rated: 3.88 of 5 stars · 26 ratingsThe rebellious son of a long line of pureblood cartographers and diviners, Valen has spent years trying to escape the life ordained for him. His own mother predicted how he would meet his doom-and her divination is nearly fulfilled when he winds up half-dead, addicted to an enchantment that converts pain to pleasure and possessing only a stolen book of maps... -
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![Rogues by George R.R. Martin, Joe Abercrombie]()
Rogues by George R.R. Martin, Joe Abercrombie
Rated: 3.88 of 5 stars · 38 ratingsIf you’re a fan of fiction that is more than just black and white, this latest story collection from #1 New York Times bestselling author George R.R. Martin and award-winning editor Gardner Dozois is filled with subtle shades of gray... -
![The Seventh Bride by T. Kingfisher]()
The Seventh Bride by T. Kingfisher
Rated: 3.84 of 5 stars · 32 ratingsYoung Rhea is a miller’s daughter of low birth, so she is understandably surprised when a mysterious nobleman, Lord Crevan, shows up on her doorstep and proposes marriage. Since commoners don’t turn down lords—no matter how sinister they may seem—Rhea is forced to agree to the engagement.Lord Crevan demands that Rhea visit his remote manor before their wedding... -
![Bloodleaf by Crystal Smith]()
Bloodleaf by Crystal Smith
Rated: 3.82 of 5 stars · 29 ratingsAurelia is a princess, but they call her a witch. Surrounded by spirits and burdened with forbidden magic, she lives in constant fear of discovery by the witch-hunting Tribunal and their bloodthirsty mobs. When a devastating assassination attempt reveals her magical abilities, Aurelia is forced to flee her country with nothing but her life... -
![Ruthless Gods by Emily A. Duncan]()
Ruthless Gods by Emily A. Duncan
Rated: 3.82 of 5 stars · 33 ratingsDarkness never works alone...Nadya doesn’t trust her magic anymore. Serefin is fighting off a voice in his head that doesn’t belong to him. Malachiasz is at war with who--and what--he’s become. As their group is continually torn apart, the girl, the prince, and the monster find their fates irrevocably intertwined. They’re pieces on a board, being orchestrated by someone… or something... -
![Cursed City by C.L. Werner]()
Cursed City by C.L. Werner
Rated: 3.50 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsA Warhammer Quest novelWhen a series of vicious murders rock the vampire-ruled city of Ulfenkarn, an unlikely group of heroes – a vampire hunter, a vigilante, a wizard, and a soldier – must discover the truth even as the city's dread ruler takes to the streets and the bloodletting increases... -
![Red Wolf by Rachel Vincent]()
Red Wolf by Rachel Vincent
Rated: 3.67 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsA high stakes reimagining of Little Red Riding Hood.For as long as sixteen-year-old Adele can remember the village of Oakvale has been surrounding by the dark woods—a forest filled with terrible monsters that light cannot penetrate. Like every person who grows up in Oakvale she has been told to steer clear of the woods unless absolutely necessary... -
![Plain Kate by Erin Bow]()
Plain Kate by Erin Bow
Rated: 3.72 of 5 stars · 18 ratingsPlain Kate lives in a world of superstitions and curses, where a song can heal a wound and a shadow can work deep magic. As the wood-carver's daughter, Kate held a carving knife before a spoon, and her wooden charms are so fine that some even call her "witch-blade" -- a dangerous nickname in a town where witches are hunted and burned in the square... -
![Down Comes the Night by Allison Saft]()
Down Comes the Night by Allison Saft
Rated: 3.76 of 5 stars · 31 ratingsHe saw the darkness in her magic. She saw the magic in his darkness.Wren Southerland’s reckless use of magic has cost her everything: she’s been dismissed from the Queen’s Guard and separated from her best friend—the girl she loves... -
![Servant of the Underworld by Aliette de Bodard]()
Servant of the Underworld by Aliette de Bodard
Rated: 3.70 of 5 stars · 24 ratingsYear One-Knife, Tenochtitlan the capital of the Aztecs. The end of the world is kept at bay only by the magic of human sacrifice. A Priestess disappears from an empty room drenched in blood. Acatl, High Priest, must find her, or break the boundaries between the worlds of the living and the dead... -
![Julia Vanishes by Catherine Egan]()
Julia Vanishes by Catherine Egan
Rated: 3.57 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsJulia has the unusual ability to be…unseen. Not invisible, exactly. Just beyond most people’s senses.It’s a dangerous trait in a city that has banned all forms of magic and drowns witches in public Cleansings. But it’s a useful trait for a thief and a spy. And Julia has learned—crime pays.Her latest job is paying very well indeed. Julia is posing as a housemaid in the grand house of Mrs... -
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![The Curse Giver by Dora Machado]()
The Curse Giver by Dora Machado
Rated: 3.62 of 5 stars · 23 ratingsLusielle's bleak but orderly life as a remedy mixer is shattered when she is sentenced to die for a crime she didn't commit. She's on the pyre, about to be burned, when a stranger breaks through the crowd and rescues her from the flames.Brennus, Lord of Laonia is the last of his line... -
![Something Red by Douglas Nicholas]()
Something Red by Douglas Nicholas
Rated: 3.50 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsAn intoxicating and spirited blend of fantasy, mythology, and history, Something Red features the most fascinating of characters, as well as an epic snowstorm that an early reader described as "one of the coldest scenes since Snow Falling on Cedars... -
![Wolfsangel by M.D. Lachlan]()
Wolfsangel by M.D. Lachlan
Rated: 3.50 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsThe Viking King Authun leads his men on a raid against an Anglo-Saxon village. Men and women are killed indiscriminately but Authun demands that no child be touched. He is acting on prophecy. A prophecy that tells him that the Saxons have stolen a child from the Gods. If Authun, in turn, takes the child and raises him as an heir, the child will lead his people to glory... -
![The Book of Dead Days by Marcus Sedgwick]()
The Book of Dead Days by Marcus Sedgwick
Rated: 3.56 of 5 stars · 16 ratingsTHE DAYS BETWEEN Christmas and New Year’s Eve are dead days, when spirits roam and magic shifts restlessly just beneath the surface of our lives. A magician called Valerian must save his own life within those few days or pay the price for the pact he made with evil so many years ago. But alchemy and sorcery are no match against the demonic power pursuing him... -
![Crimson Bound by Rosamund Hodge]()
Crimson Bound by Rosamund Hodge
Rated: 3.65 of 5 stars · 39 ratingsWhen Rachelle was fifteen she was good—apprenticed to her aunt and in training to protect her village from dark magic. But she was also reckless— straying from the forest path in search of a way to free her world from the threat of eternal darkness. After an illicit meeting goes dreadfully wrong, Rachelle is forced to make a terrible choice that binds her to the very evil she had hoped to defeat... -
![The Last Four Things by Paul Hoffman]()
The Last Four Things by Paul Hoffman
Rated: 3.50 of 5 stars · 20 ratingsThe epic story of Thomas Cale-introduced so memorably in "The Left Hand of God"--continues as the Redeemers use his prodigious gifts to further their sacred goal: the extinction of humankind and the end of the world. To the warrior-monks known as the Redeemers, who rule over massive armies of child slaves, "the last four things" represent the culmination of a faithful life. Death. Judgement...
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