Books like 'Written on the Dark'
Readers who enjoyed Written on the Dark by Guy Gavriel Kay also liked the following books featuring the same tropes, story themes, relationship dynamics and character types.
historical fantasy alternate history action / adventure urban fantasy historical-fiction romantic-love medieval paranormal epic
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The Ballad of Smallhope and Pennyroyal by Jodi Taylor
Rated: 4.69 of 5 stars · 16 ratingsFrom the globally bestselling author of the Chronicles of St Mary's and Time Police series - the origin story of bounty hunters Smallhope and Pennyroyal.Meet Lady Amelia Smallhope, for whom there is no problem that can't be solved by a drink and a think.And Pennyroyal, for whom there is no problem. Ever.Everyone's favourite bounty hunters. Sorry - recovery agents. No bad guy they can't handle...Categorized as:
historical-fiction romantic-love time-travel fantasy fiction audiobook action-adventure historical -
![The Untold Story by Genevieve Cogman]()
The Untold Story by Genevieve Cogman
Rated: 4.31 of 5 stars · 16 ratingsIn this thrilling historical fantasy, time-traveling Librarian spy Irene will need to delve deep into a tangled web of loyalty and power to keep her friends safe.Irene is trying to learn the truth about Alberich-and the possibility that he's her father...Categorized as:
historical-fiction paranormal action-adventure alternate-history audiobook book dragons fae -
![The Convent's Secret by C.J. Archer]()
The Convent's Secret by C.J. Archer
Rated: 4.22 of 5 stars · 18 ratingsTo find the one man who can fix the magic in Matt’s watch, he and India are led to a convent where the nuns will do anything to keep their secrets private. Including murder? Matt and India must uncover the truth behind the disappearance of the mother superior and two babies given to her care many years ago. But sometimes, the truth is painful and its exposure can have deadly consequences...Categorized as:
historical-fiction paranormal action-adventure alternate-history audiobook book crime female-author -
![Kindred Rites by Katharine Eliska Kimbriel]()
Kindred Rites by Katharine Eliska Kimbriel
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsNow that Alfreda has begun to learn the Wise Arts, she is needed at home in the village of Sun Return. The woods around the cabin are alive with poltergeists. Candles light by themselves, and even the rocks dance. There is much work for an apprentice practitioner.But a more dangerous task calls. For a new family has moved to the frontier; a family with strange ambitions and even stranger powers... -
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![The Shadow of Water by Jacquelyn Benson]()
The Shadow of Water by Jacquelyn Benson
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsLily Albright can see the future, and it looks like hell. In an England on the brink of war, Lily is plagued by visions of the cataclysmic destruction of London. An ancient prophecy is coming to fruition, and it starts with the gruesome discovery of a corpse in the sewers.To save her city, Lily must untangle a web of conspiracy and violence...Categorized as:
historical-fiction paranormal action-adventure alternate-history book female-mc fiction gaslamp -
![Tempting Fate by April White]()
Tempting Fate by April White
Rated: 4.34 of 5 stars · 23 ratingsSeventeen-year-old Clocker, Saira Elian is back on the run and being hunted by Mongers. The Descendants of War are amassing power in the 21st century, bent on controlling all the Immortal Descendants. Their attempt to kidnap Saira, a rare Descendant of Time and Nature, reveals just how brazen they’ve become...Categorized as:
historical-fiction paranormal action-adventure alternate-history audiobook book fiction historical -
![In Plain Sight by Dan Willis]()
In Plain Sight by Dan Willis
Rated: 4.37 of 5 stars · 20 ratingsWhen a magical plague is released in a Depression-era New York soup kitchen, private detective Alex Lockerby finds himself in a desperate hunt to catch a madman before he can strike again.His investigations lead Alex to a famous thief, a daring heist, and the search for a mythic book of ancient magic, but none of that brings him any closer to finding the man responsible for the massacre...Categorized as:
historical-fiction paranormal action-adventure adult alternate-history audiobook book cozy -
![The Key by Marianne Curley]()
The Key by Marianne Curley
Rated: 4.17 of 5 stars · 18 ratingsThe battle to protect the future is coming to an end as the evil Order of Chaos launches their final attack on the Named. To defeat the Order, the Named must locate the Key to a treasury of weapons hidden somewhere in the ancient city of Atlantis. The race is on to capture the Key before a horde of undead soldiers find it...Categorized as:
historical-fiction paranormal action-adventure alternate-history book demons female-author fiction -
![The Golem's Eye by Jonathan Stroud]()
The Golem's Eye by Jonathan Stroud
Rated: 4.13 of 5 stars · 63 ratingsAt only fourteen, Nathaniel is a rising star: a young magician who is quickly climbing the ranks of the government. There is seemingly nothing he cannot handle, until he is asked to deal with the growing Resistance movement, which is disrupting London life with its thefts and raids...Categorized as:
epic historical-fiction paranormal action-adventure alternate-history audiobook book british-isles -
![Night Calls by Katharine Eliska Kimbriel]()
Night Calls by Katharine Eliska Kimbriel
Rated: 4.25 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsThe werewolves came shattering the peace of the village of Sun Return. Five were taken before the girl's parents agreed to give her up. They called in Cousin Cory, Aunt Marta, all the known practitioners. The ones who could teach me how to hide in a leaf, dip into minds, and find the secret herbs that heal. Her childhood now over, the girl must face the Dark of the Other Side... -
![Stolen Magic by Stephanie Burgis]()
Stolen Magic by Stephanie Burgis
Rated: 4.20 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsWhen Kat’s family travels to a grand country house on the Devon coast for her sister Angeline’s wedding, Kat is stalked by a dangerous magical enemy - and finds everything she thought she knew about her late mother called into question...Categorized as:
historical-fiction paranormal action-adventure alternate-history book children family fiction -
![The Shotgun Arcana by R.S. Belcher]()
The Shotgun Arcana by R.S. Belcher
Rated: 4.17 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsR. S. Belcher’s debut novel, The Six-Gun Tarot, was enthusiastically greeted by critics and readers, who praised its wildly inventive mixture of dark fantasy, steampunk, and the Wild West. Now Belcher returns to Golgotha, Nevada, a bustling frontier town that hides more than its fair share of unnatural secrets.1870...Categorized as:
historical-fiction paranormal action-adventure adult alternate-history angels book cosmic-horror -
![Jolene by Mercedes Lackey]()
Jolene by Mercedes Lackey
Rated: 4.17 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsThe beloved Elemental Masters series moves to America for the first time in a rich retelling of The Queen of the Copper Mountain, set against the backdrop of Tennessee coal country.Anna May Jones is the daughter of a coal miner. When her father succumbs to Black Lung, the coal company wastes no time in turning the family out of their home...Categorized as:
historical-fiction paranormal action-adventure alternate-history anthologies fae fairy-tale family -
![The Shadow Dragons by James A. Owen]()
The Shadow Dragons by James A. Owen
Rated: 4.14 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsThe Caretakers of the Imaginarium Geographica are at war. The Imperial Cartological Society, led by Richard Burton, have collected all of the doors from the Keep of Time, and are building a new tower in our world at the request of an old enemy: The Winter King’s Shadow...Categorized as:
epic historical-fiction paranormal action-adventure alternate-history animals arthurian audiobook -
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![The Indigo King by James A. Owen]()
The Indigo King by James A. Owen
Rated: 4.13 of 5 stars · 16 ratingsJohn and Jack are mystified when they discover a cryptic warning on a medieval manuscript—a warning that is not only addressed to them, but seems to have been written by their friend, Hugo Dyson. But before they can discover the origins of the book, Hugo walks through a door in time—and vanishes into the past.In that moment, the world begins to change... -
![The Hidden Palace by Helene Wecker]()
The Hidden Palace by Helene Wecker
Rated: 4.15 of 5 stars · 36 ratingsChava is a golem, a woman made of clay, able to hear the thoughts and longings of the people around her and compelled by her nature to help them. Ahmad is a jinni, a perpetually restless and free-spirited creature of fire, imprisoned in the shape of a man... -
![The Vanishing Throne by Elizabeth May]()
The Vanishing Throne by Elizabeth May
Rated: 4.11 of 5 stars · 18 ratingsEverything she loved is gone.Trapped. Aileana Kameron, the Falconer, disappeared through the fae portal she was trying to close forever. Now she wakes in an alien world of mirrors, magic, and deception—a prisoner of the evil fae Lonnrach, who has a desperate and deadly plan for his new captive.Tortured...Categorized as:
epic historical-fiction paranormal action-adventure alpha-mc alternate-history book dark -
![Blood Cartel by Nicholas Woode-Smith]()
Blood Cartel by Nicholas Woode-Smith
Rated: 4.17 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsBeing a hero sucks…You can slay a hundred monsters and some people will still look down on you. And for every person that calls you a hero, there’s another that calls you a murderer.I’ve been punished for doing my job and tossed to the side to solve a sham of a case, when I’d rather be busting the heads of undead and necromancers.People go missing in Hope City every day...Categorized as:
historical-fiction medieval paranormal action-adventure alternate-history book coming-of-age crime -
![Word of Honour by Michael Pryor]()
Word of Honour by Michael Pryor
Rated: 4.13 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsSinister plots, schemes within schemes, magical upheavals, and a world to save from evil. As always, Aubrey goes looking for trouble--and finds it, in spades.Magical genius Aubrey Fitzwilliam, along with his loyal friend George, is trying to immerse himself in his new life at university. But for Aubrey life is never straightforward...Categorized as:
historical-fiction paranormal action-adventure alternate-history book children-books family fiction -
![The Queen of Swords by R.S. Belcher]()
The Queen of Swords by R.S. Belcher
Rated: 4.13 of 5 stars · 8 ratings1870. Maude Stapleton, late of Golgotha, Nevada, is a respectable widow raising a daughter on her own. Few know that Maude belongs to an ancient order of assassins, the Daughters of Lilith, and is as well the great-great-great-great-granddaughter of Anne Bonney, the legendary female pirate...Categorized as:
historical-fiction paranormal action-adventure adult alternate-history book dark fiction -
![The Cecelia and Kate Novels: Sorcery & Cecelia, The Grand Tour, and The Mislaid Magician by Patricia C. Wrede]()
The Cecelia and Kate Novels: Sorcery & Cecelia, The Grand Tour, and The Mislaid Magician by Patricia C. Wrede
Rated: 4.11 of 5 stars · 9 ratingsCourageous cousins are forced to do battle with magical foes in this series, collected here in a single volume In Sorcery & Cecelia, cousins Kate and Cecelia have been inseparable since childhood. But in 1817, as they approach adulthood, their families force them to spend a summer apart...Categorized as:
historical-fiction paranormal action-adventure alternate-history book family female-author fiction -
![Blind Tiger by Jordan L. Hawk]()
Blind Tiger by Jordan L. Hawk
Rated: 4.10 of 5 stars · 10 ratings1924, Chicago. Prohibition is in full swing and gang bosses rule the city with might—and magic.When Sam Cunningham flees his small-town life to try his luck in the big city of Chicago, he quickly finds himself in over his head in a world of gangs, glitz, and glamour. Fortunately, he has his cousin Eldon to teach him the trade of hex-making...Categorized as:
historical-fiction paranormal abuse action-adventure adult alternate-history audiobook book -
![The Paradox by Charlie Fletcher]()
The Paradox by Charlie Fletcher
Rated: 4.10 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsSOMETIMES YOU LOOK IN THE MIRROR – SOMETIMES IT LOOKS BACKThose who belong to the secret society called the Oversight know many things. They know cold iron will hold back the beasts in the darkness. They know it is dangerous to stand between two mirrors. And they know that, despite their dwindling numbers, it remains their duty to protect humanity from the supernatural. And vice versa...Categorized as:
historical-fiction paranormal action-adventure alternate-history audiobook book fae female-mc -
![Renegade Magic by Stephanie Burgis]()
Renegade Magic by Stephanie Burgis
Rated: 4.07 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsThe feisty Kat Stephenson is back in the second installment of the Regency era magical trilogy Kirkus Reviews calls “enjoyable mayhem...Categorized as:
historical-fiction paranormal action-adventure alternate-history book children comedy family -
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![The Ink Master's Silence by C.J. Archer]()
The Ink Master's Silence by C.J. Archer
Rated: 4.06 of 5 stars · 18 ratingsIt should be a happy time for India and Matt, but forces beyond their control conspire to ruin their future. A distraction from their troubles comes in the form of murder. When the editor of The Weekly Gazette is killed, controversial journalist and ink magician Oscar Barratt asks India and Matt to investigate... -
![Starcrossed by Allie Therin]()
Starcrossed by Allie Therin
Rated: 4.25 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsWhen everything they’ve built is threatened, only their bond remains…New York, 1925Psychometric Rory Brodigan’s life hasn’t been the same since the day he met Arthur Kenzie. Arthur’s continued quest to contain supernatural relics that pose a threat to the world has captured Rory’s imagination—and his heart... -
![A Practical Guide to Conquering the World by K.J. Parker]()
A Practical Guide to Conquering the World by K.J. Parker
Rated: 4.22 of 5 stars · 13 ratingsA Practical Guide to Conquering the World can be read by itself, but for those who like endings it can also be considered the refreshingly pragmatic conclusion to World Fantasy Award-winning author K.J. Parker’s acclaimed sequence of novels that began with Sixteen Ways to Defend a Walled City and continue with How to Rule an Empire and Get Away with It."Full of invention and ingenuity . . -
![The Last Magician by Lisa Maxwell]()
The Last Magician by Lisa Maxwell
Rated: 4.05 of 5 stars · 35 ratingsStop the Magician. Steal the book. Save the future.In modern-day New York, magic is all but extinct. The remaining few who have an affinity for magic—the Mageus—live in the shadows, hiding who they are. Any Mageus who enters Manhattan becomes trapped by the Brink, a dark energy barrier that confines them to the island. Crossing it means losing their power—and often their lives...Categorized as:
epic historical-fiction paranormal action-adventure alternate-history audiobook book dystopia -
![City of Ships by Mary Hoffman]()
City of Ships by Mary Hoffman
Rated: 4.00 of 5 stars · 16 ratingsIsabel was rushing to her next lesson when she nearly tripped over the little ped pouch. She picked it up, fascinated; it looked like a prop from a school play. It definitely did have something inside and she couldn't resist opening the string to see what it was.Until she finds the mysterious little bag that seems to be from another time and place, Isabel is anything but extraordinary... -
![The Search for the Red Dragon by James A. Owen]()
The Search for the Red Dragon by James A. Owen
Rated: 4.06 of 5 stars · 29 ratings"'The Crusade has begun'... "There's an old myth in the Archipelago," he went on softly, shaking his head. "A legend, really...I recall it mentioned a Crusade, but those events happened seven centuries ago. We always thought it was only a story... -
![A Dead Djinn in Cairo by P. Djèlí Clark]()
A Dead Djinn in Cairo by P. Djèlí Clark
Rated: 4.04 of 5 stars · 39 ratingsEgypt, 1912. In an alternate Cairo infused with the otherworldly, the Ministry of Alchemy, Enchantments and Supernatural Entities investigate disturbances between the mortal and the (possibly) divine... -
![Lost Acre by Andrew Caldecott]()
Lost Acre by Andrew Caldecott
Rated: 4.00 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsWynter is here . . .Geryon Wynter has returned to Rotherweird and has not only taken over the town but is busy destroying the countrysiders' life too. Can our small band of heroes find a way to outwit a genius whose master plan is five centuries in the making? Watch this space . .Categorized as:
epic historical-fiction action-adventure adult alternate-history audiobook book fiction -
![The Case of the Spellbound Child by Mercedes Lackey]()
The Case of the Spellbound Child by Mercedes Lackey
Rated: 4.00 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsNow in paperback, the fourteenth novel in the magical alternate history Elemental Masters series continues the reimagined adventures of famed detective Sherlock Holmes.While Sherlock is still officially dead, John and Mary Watson and Nan Killian and Sarah Lyon-White are taking up some of his case-load--and some work for Lord Alderscroft, the Wizard of London...Categorized as:
historical-fiction paranormal action-adventure alternate-history animals audiobook book crime -
![Masters of Reality: The Gathering by Traci Harding]()
Masters of Reality: The Gathering by Traci Harding
Rated: 4.00 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsTory Alexander, from the 20th century, ruled as Queen with her beloved, King Maelgwn of Gwynned in 6th century Britain. Tory has fought the Saxons, travelled through time, and found a cure for Maelgwyn's plague in Atlantis... -
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![Phoenix and Ashes by Mercedes Lackey]()
Phoenix and Ashes by Mercedes Lackey
Rated: 4.04 of 5 stars · 32 ratingsMercedes Lackey's magical Elemental Masters series recasts familiar fairy tales in a richly-imagined alternate Victorian worldEleanor Robinson’s life had shattered when Father volunteered for the Great War, leaving her alone with a woman he had just married...Categorized as:
epic historical-fiction paranormal 20th-century action-adventure alternate-history audiobook book -
![Vici by Naomi Novik]()
Vici by Naomi Novik
Rated: 4.00 of 5 stars · 9 ratingsAlso published in The Dragon Book: Magical Tales from the Masters of Modern Fantasy edited by Jack Dann.“Well, Antonius,” the magistrate said, “you are without question a licentious and disreputable young man... -
![On the Fox Roads by Nghi Vo]()
On the Fox Roads by Nghi Vo
Rated: 4.00 of 5 stars · 9 ratingsA new novelette from Hugo Award-winning author, Nghi Vo!While learning the ropes from a crafty Jazz Age bank robber, a young stowaway discovers their authentic self, a hidden gift, and that there are no straight lines when you run the fox roads. .Categorized as:
historical-fiction paranormal fantasy historical magical-realism lgbtq fiction shapeshifters -
![Hell and Earth by Elizabeth Bear]()
Hell and Earth by Elizabeth Bear
Rated: 4.00 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsThe reigns of two Queens in two different worlds may come to an end. In the iron world, conspiracy and subterfuge within England's royal courts threaten Elizabeth's power. In the Faerie realm, Mab, bound by magic to her sister sovereign, finds herself weakened as well. Now, the fate of two worlds lies in the hands of two clever wordsmiths..Categorized as:
historical-fiction paranormal romantic-love action-adventure adult alternate-history book dark -
![The Werewolf of Whitechapel by Suzannah Rowntree]()
The Werewolf of Whitechapel by Suzannah Rowntree
Rated: 4.00 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsMurder, monsters…and a disreputable lady’s-maid on a mission.A killer prowls the grimy streets of Whitechapel. Scotland Yard seems determined to turn a blind eye. But with one look at her best friend's corpse, Liz Sharp knows the truth: the killer is a werewolf, one of the monsters that rules Europe.If she doesn't hold the monster accountable, no one else will... -
![Big Bad by Lily Anderson]()
Big Bad by Lily Anderson
Rated: 4.00 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsDemondale, Callifornia, 1999...Like Sunnydale, but whole lot more evil. Step into this alternate reality, where chaos reigns supreme. The Mayor’s sun-shade has created permanent darkness over Sunnydale, fully opening the Hellmouth once and for all. Now the newly christened Demondale has become a safe haven for vampires, beasts, and all types of ruffians. It's never been better to be bad...Categorized as:
paranormal romantic-love fantasy vampires young-adult retellings horror urban-fantasy -
![The Death of the Necromancer by Martha Wells]()
The Death of the Necromancer by Martha Wells
Rated: 4.05 of 5 stars · 27 ratingsNicholas Valiarde is a passionate, embittered nobleman with an enigmatic past. Consumed by thoughts of vengeance, he is consoled only by thoughts of the beautiful, dangerous Madeline. He is also the greatest thief in all of Ile-Rien..Categorized as:
epic historical-fiction paranormal 20th-century action-adventure alternate-history audiobook book -
![Kate on a Hot Tin Roof by Niall Teasdale]()
Kate on a Hot Tin Roof by Niall Teasdale
Rated: 4.00 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsKate should not exist. The product of a mad scientist of great talent, she is the fusion of man and beast only made possible but the power of the Wonder Metal, Unobtainium. When Charles Barstow-Hall’s grandfather discovered Unobtainium in Scotland, he had no idea that it would change the world, and even less idea of the extent of that change...Categorized as:
paranormal romantic-love action-adventure adult alternate-history bisexuality book fiction -
![A Power Renewed by Robert W. Ross]()
A Power Renewed by Robert W. Ross
Rated: 4.00 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsLibrarian's Note: An alternate cover for this ISBN can be found hereOut of the smoldering ruins of the war in heaven Archangels Raphael and Michael cannot believe the agreement made between God and His Morning Star, Lucifer... -
![King of the Dead by R.A. MacAvoy]()
King of the Dead by R.A. MacAvoy
Rated: 4.00 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsBook two of the award-winning Lens of the World trilogy, this volume finds the dwarflike Nazhuret a modest and fastidious lens grinder. Although he could have chosen an exalted and wealthy life as a noble member of the court, he wishes to live in humble and undisturbed poverty with his lady Arlin... -
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![Elusive by Genevieve Cogman]()
Elusive by Genevieve Cogman
Rated: 4.00 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsRevolutionary France is full of blood and bite as vampires plot for power.Eleanor, once a lowly English maid, is now a member of the League of the Scarlet Pimpernel, know for their daring deeds and recusing aristocrat vampires from the guillotine.This time, Eleanor and the League are investigating the disappearance of Charles-Maurice de Talleyrand, the notorious French statesman and diplomat...Categorized as:
historical-fiction paranormal fantasy vampires fiction urban-fantasy historical magic -
![A Darker Shade of Magic by V.E. Schwab]()
A Darker Shade of Magic by V.E. Schwab
Rated: 3.99 of 5 stars · 83 ratingsKell is one of the last Antari—magicians with a rare, coveted ability to travel between parallel Londons; Red, Grey, White, and, once upon a time, Black...Categorized as:
epic historical-fiction paranormal action-adventure alternate-history audiobook book british-isles -
![The Serpent's Shadow by Mercedes Lackey]()
The Serpent's Shadow by Mercedes Lackey
Rated: 4.02 of 5 stars · 35 ratingsMercedes Lackey returns to form in The Serpent's Shadow, the fourth in her sequence of reimagined fairy tales. This story takes place in the London of 1909, and is based on "Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs... -
![The Fire Rose by Mercedes Lackey]()
The Fire Rose by Mercedes Lackey
Rated: 3.96 of 5 stars · 24 ratingsBeauty Meets Beast in San FranciscoAccepting employment as a governess after hard times hit her family, medieval scholar Rosalind Hawkins is surprised when she learns that her mysterious employer has no children, no wife, and she is not to meet with him face to face. Instead, her duties are to read to him, through a speaking tube, from ancient manuscripts in obscure, nearly-forgotten dialects...Categorized as:
epic historical-fiction paranormal 20th-century action-adventure alternate-history audiobook book -
![Arcadia by Iain Pears]()
Arcadia by Iain Pears
Rated: 3.94 of 5 stars · 18 ratingsIn Cold War England, Professor Henry Lytten, having renounced a career in espionage, is writing a fantasy novel that dares to imagine a world less fraught than his own... -
![The Last Wizards' Ball by Charlaine Harris]()
The Last Wizards' Ball by Charlaine Harris
Rated: 4.08 of 5 stars · 12 ratings#1 New York Times and USA TODAY bestselling author Charlaine Harris returns with the sixth and final installment in the critically acclaimed Gunnie Rose series as sisters Lizbeth Rose and Felicia must face their fates at the last Wizards’ Ball...Categorized as:
paranormal historical-fiction romance fantasy urban-fantasy magic alternate-history fiction
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