Books like 'A Hired Blade'
Readers who enjoyed A Hired Blade by J.C. Rycroft also liked the following books featuring the same tropes, story themes, relationship dynamics and character types.
fantasy action / adventure horror wlw lgbtq dark
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The Trouble with Peace by Joe Abercrombie
Rated: 4.59 of 5 stars · 42 ratingsConspiracy. Betrayal. Rebellion.Peace is just another kind of battlefield...Savine dan Glokta, once Adua’s most powerful investor, finds her judgement, fortune and reputation in tatters. But she still has all her ambitions, and no scruple will be permitted to stand in her way... -
The One Who Eats Monsters by Casey Matthews
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsLong ago, before history broke in half, elder gods exiled the vengeful deity Erynis to a far corner of Earth. When Ryn is found weakened after saving the life of an innocent villager, the U.S. military mistakes the battered immortal for a feral teenager and places her in New Petersburg, a decaying city full of monsters... -
Of Sand and Snow by Bryce O'Connor
Rated: 4.55 of 5 stars · 24 ratingsWith fifty thousand freed slaves at their back, Raz i'Syul Arro and Syrah Brahnt leave the savannahs of Perce behind. Karesh Syl is no more. Karesh Nan burns at their backs. Beyond the border before them the South looms, ready and waiting, and together Raz and Syrah pray they are prepared for the great offense they must now undertake against the fringe cities... -
Lost in the Moment and Found by Seanan McGuire
Rated: 4.41 of 5 stars · 17 ratingsWelcome to the Shop Where the Lost Things Go.If you ever lost a sock, you’ll find it here.If you ever wondered about favorite toy from childhood... it’s probably sitting on a shelf in the back.And the headphones that you swore that this time you’d keep safe? You guessed it….Antoinette has lost her father. Metaphorically. He’s not in the shop, and she’ll never see him again... -
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The Liar's Knot by M.A. Carrick
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 11 ratingsTrust is the thread that binds. And the rope that hangs.In Nadežra, peace is as tenuous as a single thread. The ruthless House Indestor has been destroyed, but darkness still weaves through the city’s filthy back alleys and jewel-bright gardens, seen by those who know where to look.Derossi Vargo has always known... -
Nona the Ninth by Tamsyn Muir
Rated: 4.32 of 5 stars · 43 ratingsHer city is under siege.The zombies are coming back.And all Nona wants is a birthday party.In many ways, Nona is like other people. She lives with her family, has a job at her local school, and loves walks on the beach and meeting new dogs. But Nona's not like other people. Six months ago she woke up in a stranger's body, and she's afraid she might have to give it back... -
薄雾 Mist by 微风几许, 微風幾許
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsHyperthymesia. Those with this condition can remember every detail of their lives from something as significant as the world’s turning point to something as small and as insignificant as a minor fleeting thought. They cannot forget and their thirst for knowledge allows them to be considered a genius in some senses.Legend has it that Ji Yushi was this kind of genius... -
Harrow the Ninth by Tamsyn Muir
Rated: 4.28 of 5 stars · 52 ratingsHarrow the Ninth, the sequel to Gideon the Ninth, turns a galaxy inside out as one necromancer struggles to survive the wreckage of herself aboard the Emperor's haunted space station.She answered the Emperor's call.She arrived with her arts, her wits, and her only friend.In victory, her world has turned to ash... -
Winter's King by Bryce O'Connor
Rated: 4.45 of 5 stars · 24 ratingsThe Monster of Karth has risen once more. Quin Tern has met his fate, and his council has born the price of crossing Raz i'Syul Arro. Now, as the cruel walls of Azbar fade into the winter storms at his back, Raz rides north, seeking to take the High Priest Talo Brahnt up on an offer he never should have refused... -
War of Mist by Helen Scheuerer
Rated: 4.36 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsWar is here. Toxic mist drives all life to the brink of destruction and the conqueror queen, Ines, has her talons in the kings of the realm. Bleak, having discovered her true heritage, must now scour the lands for the one thing that might save them all. But the search is a treacherous one – and it will push her to the very limits of endurance... -
As Iron Falls by Bryce O'Connor
Rated: 4.48 of 5 stars · 21 ratingsThe High Citadel cannot be seen to harbor a killer. This is a simple truth, and one that Raz i'Syul Arro has little choice but to respect. As the winter storms fall away in favor of the North's pleasant summer months, Raz finds himself having once more to face the cruelties of the world with spear and sword in hand. For the first time, though, the Monster no longer walks his path alone... -
Swallowed by Meg Smitherman
Rated: 4.67 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsEarth is broken beyond repair. The Planet is our last hope. Humanity's first mission to the Planet ended in tragedy, but botanist Jill Jones won’t let that stop her from joining the second. Perfect climate, perfect terrain, perfect flora and fauna; the Planet has called to Jill all of her life. She knows, with bone-deep certainty, it's home. A new beginning for humanity... -
Nevernight by Jay Kristoff
Rated: 4.20 of 5 stars · 69 ratingsIn a land where three suns almost never set, a fledgling killer joins a school of assassins, seeking vengeance against the powers who destroyed her family.Daughter of an executed traitor, Mia Corvere is barely able to escape her father’s failed rebellion with her life... -
The Tyrant Baru Cormorant by Seth Dickinson
Rated: 4.34 of 5 stars · 26 ratingsSeth Dickinson's epic fantasy series which began with The Traitor Baru Cormorant, returns with the third book, The Tyrant Baru Cormorant.The hunt is over. After fifteen years of lies and sacrifice, Baru Cormorant has the power to destroy the Imperial Republic of Falcrest that she pretends to serve. The secret society called the Cancrioth is real, and Baru is among them... -
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Gideon the Ninth by Tamsyn Muir
Rated: 4.17 of 5 stars · 74 ratingsThe Emperor needs necromancers.The Ninth Necromancer needs a swordswoman.Gideon has a sword, some dirty magazines, and no more time for undead bullshit.Brought up by unfriendly, ossifying nuns, ancient retainers, and countless skeletons, Gideon is ready to abandon a life of servitude and an afterlife as a reanimated corpse... -
Hell's Ascendant by Benjamin Medrano
Rated: 4.60 of 5 stars · 5 ratingsThe heavens are about to explode. Reunited at last, Isalla, Kitania, and Rose survived the machinations of Haral despite the odds against them. They’ve won one battle. Now they have to avert a war, racing the clock to unveil their enemies.The Society of the Golden Dawn has not been idle; the conspirators have begun to move more quickly... -
Dusk Gate by Benjamin Medrano
Rated: 4.60 of 5 stars · 5 ratingsAs a holy maiden of the Phoenix Queen, Jasmine was a prize of immense value to the demons. To their shock, she and her nearly defeated rescuers are rescued by the beautiful but scathing Xandra, an enslaved elven sorceress who’d been damned for over a millennium... -
Spells of Old by Benjamin Medrano
Rated: 4.37 of 5 stars · 21 ratingsHaving successfully driven off an assault and freed captives of Kelvanis, Sistina begins fortifying to defend those she cares about from further attacks. Yet with all her power within her halls, she cannot grant those under her protection true freedom... -
Flight of Sorcery and Shadow by Meg Cowley
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsAedon's captivity is over when darkness descends upon the realm. The elf's only choices become escape or death—a far cry from his past fame and notoriety as a legendary thief. Lost, alone, and desperate to escape the deadly beasts now stalking him, he does not count on meeting Lief, a ranger of the woodland elves...and Aedon's natural worst enemy... -
Dragon Emperor 12 by Eric Vall
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsEvan and his party continue on to the peninsula of Rahma, but an ultimatum from the king hangs over Evan’s head.If he can’t get the Lord of Atheson to swear fealty to the crown, then he has been tasked with breaking the peninsula off the continent and letting it sink to the bottom of the ocean... -
Dragon Emperor 13 by Eric Vall
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsEvan’s royal campaign to win over the people of Rahma has taken him to the northern peninsula.And straight to the gates of the underwater city of Pullis.The Green Glass Sect is up to no good under the sea, and it’s up to Evan and his party to save the merfolk from traitors and the ever-corrupting presence of miasma... -
Monster Girl Trucker: An On-The-Road Portal Harem Adventure by Simon Archer
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsI only got into trucking because my Grandad was a trucker, and he was the best damn person I ever met. I'd always thought I was your average dude with an eighteen-wheeler and an addiction to energy drinks, but it turns out there might be something more brewing in my blood... -
Awakening The Forgotten Goddess: An Urban Fantasy, Greek Mythology Reimagining by Rebekah Sinclair
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsIn the Underworld, lies become truth, villains become heroes. Trust nothing, and trust no one. Especially yourself.In this sequel to the urban fantasy Greek mythology series, "The Forgotten Goddess," the stakes soar to new heights... -
a great, big tragedy by Zeppazariel
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsThe Trojan War lasted for ten years... -
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Murder on Hunter's Eve by Morgan Stang
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsA werewolf terrorizes the city of Lamplight!It's the week of Hunter's Eve, a yearly celebration of monsters, ghosts, and things that go bump in the night. But for Huntress Isabeau Agarwal, the event is a stark reminder that in her line of work, there is never a day's rest.Murders rock the city, and Isabeau is charged with solving them before the killer strikes again... -
Crisis of Faith by Benjamin Medrano
Rated: 4.43 of 5 stars · 7 ratingsReconciling two divergent faiths to a single goddess is much more difficult when the conference begins with an assassination attempt. As her followers have to deal with the multiple unknown attackers which are assaulting them, Tyria finds her hands tied by divine law and her struggle to decide who she is, and who she should be... -
Fire in the Blood by Erin M. Evans, Dina Pearlman
Rated: 4.30 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsSCRIBE- award-winning author, Erin M. Evans, continues the riveting tale of her Sundering character, Farideh, as she becomes embroiled in a Forgotten Realms-flavored game of thrones. In a direct follow-up to the third book in the Sundering series, The Adversary, young warlock Farideh falls into the midst of a battle for the throne of Cormyr... -
Traitor by Claire Farrell
Rated: 4.30 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsThe final book in the Ava Delaney series.When Ava first saved Carl from a vampire, she had no idea what would happen next. Thrust into a world of magic, secrets, and betrayal, she’s barely managed to survive. All of the choices she’s made have led her deeper into trouble, and now, a year later, it’s time to grab some control again... -
The Witches' Blade by A.K. Mulford
Rated: 4.21 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsA magic sword. A powerful curse. An untested fae princess. Eighteen-year-old Ruadora Dammacus now possesses the Immortal Blade. But when Rua discovers the Northern King’s uncle is alive and has cast a spell on a blue witch army, she realizes that the battle is just beginning. Venturing into the Northern Court, Rua finds herself with an unlikely ally in the new King... -
Ancient Ruins by Benjamin Medrano
Rated: 4.20 of 5 stars · 15 ratingsNewly edited for clarity. Sistina awakened after millennia of dormancy, her memories in tatters and born anew. Residing in the ruins of an ancient city, she finds herself drawn into a war between two elven nations and the slaver kingdom of Kelvanis when she rescues a princess from slavery... -
Among Gods and Monsters by S.D. Simper
Rated: 4.56 of 5 stars · 11 ratings"Look at you, as sweet as springtime, your heart and soul both. Would you destroy all of that to bring about your lost love's return?" The dead lay gone but not forgotten. War has sparked in the demonic realm of Sha’Demoni, ignited by the wrath of a vengeful goddess seeking recompense for her daughter’s death – and she deems Flowridia responsible... -
Blood of the Moon by S.D. Simper
Rated: 4.56 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsSuccessful in her quest, Flowridia returns to Staelash for a joyous affair—the long awaited wedding of Marielle and Zorlaeus, an event promising to seal her kingdom and Nox’Kartha as allies. But the price of Ayla’s return, and the sacrifice it demands, weighs heavily on her heart. To do nothing means to live a life of loneliness, but to act would condemn her eternal soul... -
Down Among the Sticks and Bones by Seanan McGuire
Rated: 4.14 of 5 stars · 49 ratingsTwin sisters Jack and Jill were seventeen when they found their way home and were packed off to Eleanor West’s Home for Wayward Children.This is the story of what happened first…Jacqueline was her mother’s perfect daughter—polite and quiet, always dressed as a princess. If her mother was sometimes a little strict, it’s because crafting the perfect daughter takes discipline... -
Mortal Gods by Benjamin Medrano
Rated: 4.40 of 5 stars · 5 ratingsTorn from her friends, Kitania is captured by a goddess. She can only hope that her friends have survived. Torn from the sides of her friends by angelic magic, Kitania finds herself in the mortal world once more, among those who suspect she’s a demon assassin or spy... -
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Storm by Skye Knizley
Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsOn a rainy night in 1971 the cruise ship Crescent Star vanished in the North Atlantic without a trace. No crew, no lifeboats and no wreckage was ever found, in spite of a three-week search. Two days ago, she crashed through and sank a pleasure yacht off the coast of New York, leaving five people dead. The ship has answered no hails and no one appears to be aboard... -
New Day Rising by J.J. Arias
Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsWould you do anything for your happily ever after? After fighting impossible odds to get back to each other, newly-turned Vampire Erin and her Queen Lucía want nothing more than to run off into the sunset and enjoy a moment’s peace. But when a group of Hunters emerges poised to put all supernatural life in their cross-hairs, their bubble barely has time to form before it implodes... -
Dead Lez Walking by G. Benson
Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsOne hospital. One zombie virus. One desperate group. One way out.A new virus has appeared, and all Taren can do is groan. Being a nurse in Accident and Emergency has its downsides, and dealing with the flood of people freaking out over symptoms they don’t really have is definitely one of them... -
Raven by Skye Knizley
Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsAll Hallows Eve approaches and for once Raven Storm has plans to spend the holiday enjoying a party at Isle of Night with family and friends, something she hasn't done since high school.But someone has other plans and Raven is called to investigate the grisly murder of Monsignor Quinn, a priest left to drown in his own blood... -
Crisis of Faith by Benjamin Medrano
Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsReconciling two divergent faiths to a single goddess is much more difficult when the conference begins with an assassination attempt. As her followers have to deal with the multiple unknown attackers which are assaulting them, Tyria finds her hands tied by divine law and her struggle to decide who she is, and who she should be... -
Bioshifter: Volume 1 by Natalie Maher, Thundamoo
Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsHannah has a routine. Wake up, take a shower, go to school, go to work, come home, and pass out. It's a perfectly normal routine for a perfectly normal girl who does not have to remember how her limbs work every morning because of haunting nightmares of being a very different creature in a very different world... -
Ashes of the Tyrant by Erin M. Evans
Rated: 4.25 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsIn a direct follow-up to her fourth book in the Brimstone Angels series, Fire in the Blood, Erin M. Evans thrusts her signature character Farideh into a fast-paced murder mystery rife with political intrigue. In the wake of the war brought on by the Sundering, Farideh’s adopted father Mehen has been called back by the clan that cast him out, and Farideh and Havilar mean to go with him... -
Shadowstorm by Skye Knizley
Rated: 4.25 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsIn the spring of 1984, just before his daughter's birth, Detective Mason Storm began an investigation into the ritualistic slaying of seven women, their bodies defiled and left covered in black rose petals. The case ended with Storm suspended. The bizarre murders were left unsolved... -
The Foxglove King by Hannah F. Whitten
Rated: 4.22 of 5 stars · 9 ratingsWhen Lore was thirteen, she escaped a cult in the catacombs beneath the city of Dellaire. And in the ten years since, she’s lived by one rule: don’t let them find you. Easier said than done, when her death magic ties her to the city... -
Stormwind by Skye Knizley
Rated: 4.20 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsThe body of Wade Franks hangs from a gargoyle in Old Town, bathed in the harsh glow of the spring Blood moon. Terrible, bloody wounds cover his body and it’s clear he didn’t give up without a fight. But a fight against who…or what? Detective Raven Storm is assigned to uncover the truth behind Franks’ death, chalking up another ‘unsolvable’ case for the Chicago Police... -
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Halls of Power by Benjamin Medrano
Rated: 4.32 of 5 stars · 15 ratingsHaving rocked the world via high magic that was believed lost, the dungeon Sistina has shown her power at last, as she has done everything in her power to protect those that she loves. Crowned queen of the new city of Beacon, Phynis Constella is searching for allies as full-scale war erupts between her homeland of Sifaren and the fell nation of Kelvanis... -
Sin Eater by Mike Shel
Rated: 4.21 of 5 stars · 20 ratings"I SHALL BAPTIZE YOU, SIR, AND MY BAPTISM WILL BURN YOUR FOLLY AND FLESH AWAY!"A year has passed since Auric Manteo descended into the haunted depths of a Djao ruin to return a lethal artifact, only to face down a bloodthirsty, imprisoned god. Now his daughter Agnes comes to bring him back to the capital with promises of hidden secrets finally revealed... -
Dragon Emperor 11 by Eric Vall
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsNow that Evan has the Celestial Triad in his possession, what’s the next step?Well, conquering the spirits of the relics and assimilating their awesome powers, of course.But that’s not all Evan will be conquering.Lady Naomi’s defenses have been quickly dwindling, and Evan thinks it’s time to show her how a real dragon male can make her feel... -
The Wonderful Adventures of Geoffrey Scrutinous by Derek Landy
Rated: 4.40 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsA short story written by Derek Landy dedicated to the winner of the character competition, Charlie Smith, containing the winning entry of "Geoffrey Scrutinous"... -
Descent of Ravens by A.C. Andrews
Rated: 4.20 of 5 stars · 5 ratingsThe old covenant of the gods is broken. Will the world break, too?When an army of vampires invades their home, Rio and Turi must fight for their future while the fate of an empire hangs in the balance... -
Flight from Nevèrÿon by Samuel R. Delany
Rated: 4.17 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsIn his four-volume series Return to Nevèrÿon, Hugo and Nebula award-winner Samuel R. Delany appropriated the conceits of sword-and-sorcery fantasy to explore his characteristic themes of language, power, gender, and the nature of civilization. Wesleyan University Press has reissued the long-unavailable Nevèrÿon volumes in trade paperback...
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