Books like 'Beyond Those Gilded Walls'
Readers who enjoyed Beyond Those Gilded Walls by Jessica S. Taylor also liked the following books featuring the same tropes, story themes, relationship dynamics and character types.
historical romance fantasy dark fantasy high fantasy horror gothic dark magic paranormal
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Kushiel's Avatar by Jacqueline Carey
Rated: 4.38 of 5 stars · 44 ratingsThe land of Terre d'Ange is a place of unsurpassed beauty and grace. It's inhabited by the race that rose from the seed of angels, and they live by one simple rule: Love as thou wilt. Phèdre nó Delaunay was sold into indentured servitude as a child. Her bond was purchased by a nobleman who recognized that she was pricked by Kushiel's dart, chosen to forever experience pain and pleasure as one... -
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... -
This Gilded Abyss by Rebecca Thorne
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsSergeant Nix Marr is a damn good soldier. She’s also desperate to leave her haunted past deep in the bioluminescent ocean, buried alongside her best friend, Quian. So, when Subarch Kessandra, Valkesh’s favorite royal–and Nix’s loathed ex–requests Nix’s help investigating a massacre in the abyssal city of Fall, Nix refuses. Vehemently.She should have known Kessandra would fight back... -
Autumn of the Grimoire by J.L. Vampa
Rated: 4.30 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsSome witches cast spells. Others slay kings.A mysterious Grimoire. A marriage full of dark secrets. A History sculpted by a quartet of ancient Sister witches.For three hundred years, Sister Autumn has incited wars, burnt villages, killed kings, and released plagues at the bidding of the Grimoire. Meanwhile, her Sister Winter, Sister Spring, and Sister Summer have brought forth only peace... -
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Terciel and Elinor by Garth Nix
Rated: 4.19 of 5 stars · 16 ratingsBestselling novelist Garth Nix returns to the Old Kingdom for the never-before-told love story of Sabriel’s parents, Terciel and Elinor, and the Charter magic that brought them together—and threatened to tear them apart. A long-awaited prequel to a classic fantasy series... -
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 Black Shriving by Phil Tucker
Rated: 4.14 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsWhen invasion looms...After a harrowing battle Lady Kyferin and her stalwart followers have earned themselves a brief respite from Lord Laur's fury. They know, however, that the next assault will be impossible to resist. Their sole hope of survival lies in forging an alliance with the only force capable of resisting the empire's might: the Agerastian heretics themselves.But time is running out.. -
The Oracle's Queen by Lynn Flewelling
Rated: 4.18 of 5 stars · 29 ratingsUnder the rule of a usurper king, the realm of Skala has suffered famine, plague, and invasion. But now the time for the rightful heir has come, a return to the tradition of warrior queens. And the Lightbearer's prophecy is to be upheld at last: so long as a daughter of the royal line defends and rules, Skala will never be subjugated... -
The Traitor's Mercy by Iris Foxglove
Rated: 4.17 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsIn the court of Staria, mercy is rarely a blessing…Sabre de Valois is the last of his line. Saved from the gallows while his family hangs for treason, Sabre is given the chance to pay off their debt and clear his family name... -
Corambis by Sarah Monette
Rated: 4.07 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsIn the spellbinding conclusion to the brilliant fantasy series, Doctrine of Labyrinths, two brothers discover their ultimate destiny.Exiled from Melusine for the crime of heresy, Felix Harrowgate and his half-brother Mildmay journey to the land of Corambis to face judgement from a ruling body of wizards. Both brothers carry memories, regret, and-hidden deep in their hearts-hope... -
Small Favors by Erin A. Craig
Rated: 4.06 of 5 stars · 18 ratingsTHE INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER - From the critically-acclaimed author of House of Salt and Sorrows comes a mesmerizing and chilling fairy-talesque novel about Ellerie Downing, a young woman in a small town with monsters lurking in the trees and dark desires hidden in the shadows--in Amity Falls, nothing is more dangerous than a wish come true. Unique, enchanting, and haunting... -
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... -
The Soul Mirror by Carol Berg
Rated: 4.12 of 5 stars · 21 ratingsBy order of His Royal Majesty Philippe de Savin-Journia y Sabria, Anne de Vernase is hereby summoned to attend His Majesty's Court at Merona...Anne de Vernase rejoices that she has no talent for magic. Her father's pursuit of depraved sorcery has left her family in ruins, and he remains at large, convicted of treason and murder by Anne's own testimony... -
Delusion's Master by Tanith Lee
Rated: 4.17 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsDelusion's Master is the third book of the stunning arabesque high fantasy series Tales from the Flat Earth, which, in the manner of The One Thousand and One Nights, portrays an ancient world in mythic grandeur via connected tales... -
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Priestess of Avalon by Marion Zimmer Bradley, Diana L. Paxson
Rated: 4.05 of 5 stars · 36 ratingsLong-awaited final volume in the Avalon series by bestselling fantasy author, Marion Zimmer Bradley. As the Merlin of Britannia keeps his vigil atop the Tor of Avalon, Rian, the High Priestess of Avalon, dies giving birth to her fifth child. The girl, named Eilan with her mother's dying breath, takes life... -
Bloodraven by P.L. Nunn
Rated: 4.00 of 5 stars · 18 ratingsA son of a forest dwelling people, Yhalen knows little of the world outside the ancestral forest, until he is captured by a band of ogres on a slave-taking mission. Only grim tales of the barbaric giants had reached the forest, but Yhalen soon learns that even the darkest fireside story only hinted at the brutality of these Northern warriors... -
Shadows and Light by Anne Bishop
Rated: 4.06 of 5 stars · 30 ratingsEver since the slaughter of the witches, the Fae—who should be shielding their long-lost cousins from danger—have ignored the needs of the rest of the world. And shadows are again gathering in the eastern villages—dark, potent shadows that threaten the lives of every witch, woman, and Fae... -
A Man Rides Through by Stephen R. Donaldson
Rated: 4.03 of 5 stars · 36 ratingsIn The Mirror of Her Dreams, the dazzling first volume of Mordant's Need, New York Times bestselling author Stephen R. Donaldson introduced us to the richly imagined world of Mordant, where mirrors are magical portals into places of beauty and terror. Now, with A Man Rides Through, Donaldson brings the story of Terisa Morgan to an unforgettable conclusion.. -
Blood of Heirs by Alicia Wanstall-Burke
Rated: 4.00 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsLidan Tolak is the fiercest of her father’s daughters; more than capable of one day leading her clan. But caught between her warring parents, Lidan’s world begins to unravel when another of her father’s wives falls pregnant... -
The Virtu by Sarah Monette
Rated: 4.02 of 5 stars · 26 ratingsFelix Harrowgate was a dashing and powerful wizard until his former master wrenched Felix’s magic from him and used it to shatter the Virtu—the orb that is the keystone for the protection and magic of the wizards of the city. Felix has painfully clawed his way back to sanity, and his only chance to reclaim the life he once knew is to repair the seemingly irreparable—to restore the Virtu... -
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... -
Falcondance by Amelia Atwater-Rhodes
Rated: 3.87 of 5 stars · 19 ratingsNicias has never felt completely at home among the avians and serpiente in Wyvern's Court, despite his loyalty to Oliza Shardae Cobriana, the heir to both thrones. He is a falcon, the son of two exiles from Anhmik and images of this distant island have always haunted his dreams... -
Night Tide by Grace Draven
Rated: 3.97 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsSomething hunts the surf at night, luring villagers to their deaths with a lullaby of sorrow and the torture of nightmares. Blessed with the gift of water-sight, Zigana Imre senses the presence of an ancient predator drawn by a hunger for human flesh sweetened by grief... -
The Cold Commands by Richard K. Morgan
Rated: 3.92 of 5 stars · 33 ratingsThe otherworldly Kiriath once used their advanced technology to save the world from the dark magic of the Aldrain, only to depart as mysteriously as they arrived. Now one of the Kiriath’s uncanny machines has fallen from orbit, with a message that humanity once more faces a grave danger: the Ilwrack Changeling, a boy raised to manhood in the ghostly realm of the Gray Places... -
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The Mirror of Her Dreams by Stephen R. Donaldson
Rated: 3.92 of 5 stars · 36 ratingsWith The Chronicles of Thomas Covenant, Stephen R. Donaldson changed the face of fantasy fiction forever. In The Mirror of Her Dreams, the astonishing first novel in the two-volume Mordant’s Need series, Donaldson shows us a world of wondrous beauty and seductive illusion, where mirrors hold the deadliest of magics and nothing is what it seems. . .Categorized as:
magic paranormal 20th-century action-adventure alternate-universe audiobook book classics -
Deerskin by Robin McKinley
Rated: 3.91 of 5 stars · 39 ratingsAs Princess Lissla Lissar reaches womanhood, it is clear to all the kingdom that in her beauty she is the image of her dead mother, the queen. But this likeness forces her to flee from her father's lust and madness; and in the pain and horror of that flight she forgets who she is and what it is she flees from: forgets almost everything but the love and loyalty of her dog, Ash, who accompanies her... -
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... -
Relic by Bronwyn Eley
Rated: 3.75 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsIn the city of Edriast, there is no deadlier duty than to serve as the Shadow. As the personal servant of the powerful Lord Rennard, the Shadow’s life is all but forfeit. Rennard possesses one of five rare and dangerous Relics – a jewel that protects his bloodline, but slowly poisons everyone else in its proximity... -
Stormqueen! by Marion Zimmer Bradley
Rated: 3.83 of 5 stars · 18 ratingsThe great epic of Darkover did not begin with the Terrans' arrival. For in those years, the power of the matrix was first learned--and misused in a power struggle that could have made Darkover a duplicate of Terra... -
Sebastian by Anne Bishop
Rated: 3.89 of 5 stars · 33 ratingsA world of shifting lands connected only by bridges, Ephemera has been kept stable by the magic of the Landscapers. In one land where night reigns and demons dwell, the half-incubus Sebastian revels in dark delights. But then in dreams she calls to him: a woman who wants only to be safe and loved-a woman he hungers for while knowing he may destroy her... -
Crueler Mercies by Maren Chase
Rated: 3.83 of 5 stars · 6 ratings“Vita’s rage overflowed until she was prepared to drown in it, and she knew that she would never again dam this anger to please another.” After nine years as the people’s beloved princess in the sun-soaked Kingdom of Carca, Vita witnesses the execution of her mother by her father’s hand. Forced into exile, Vita fades into obscurity with her only friends—the crows that visit her window... -
House of Salt and Sorrows by Erin A. Craig
Rated: 3.89 of 5 stars · 69 ratingsIn a manor by the sea, twelve sisters are cursed.Annaleigh lives a sheltered life at Highmoor, a manor by the sea, with her sisters, their father, and stepmother. Once they were twelve, but loneliness fills the grand halls now that four of the girls' lives have been cut short... -
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... -
A Lust for Blood by K.C. Smith
Rated: 3.67 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsThere is no escape when the monster is you.When Oriana awakens in a field of blood and bodies, she is devastated to realize the patchwork of death was caused by her own hand. A curse lingers in the air, and there is only one option to save herself from further bloodshed. Oriana uses her magic to create an enchanted forest imprisoning the monster responsible for the massacre–herself...Categorized as:
dark enemies-to-lovers gaslamp industrial-era magic paranormal action-adventure adult -
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Wolfcry by Amelia Atwater-Rhodes
Rated: 3.78 of 5 stars · 18 ratingsOliza Shardae Cobriana is heir to Wyvern's Court, home of the avians and serpiente, whose war with each other ended just before Oliza was born. But hatred is slow to die, and not everyone likes the expressive way in which Urban, a serpiente dancer, is courting Oliza--especially not Marus, her reserved avian suitor. And when Urban is found beaten in avian land, Oliza is filled with despair... -
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
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... -
The Lady Alchemist by Samantha Vitale
Rated: 3.66 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsIn a land torn between magic and alchemy, Sepha is an exceptional alchemist, able to bend the rules in ways no one else can. But when a slip of the tongue lands her in prison with a mountain of straw, even she has to admit that she can’t transmute straw into gold.With the threat of a death sentence hanging over her, she’s forced to make a deal with a conniving magician... -
Maledicte by Lane Robins
Rated: 3.70 of 5 stars · 13 ratingsFrom a dazzling new voice in fantasy comes a mesmerizing tale of treachery, passion, intrigue, betrayal, and an act of pure vengeance that threatens to bring down a kingdom.Seething with decadent appetites unchecked by law or gods, the court of Antyre is ruled by the last of a dissolute aristocracy... -
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... -
Mordred, Bastard Son by Douglas Clegg
Rated: 3.60 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsTraitor. Exile. Lover of Men.“My mother is the Witch-Queen Morgan le Fay and my father, King Arthur. Merlin foretold that if a son like me were born to Arthur, his kingdom would be destroyed... -
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...Categorized as:
dark enemies-to-lovers gothic magic paranormal action-adventure audiobook bisexuality -
Beguilement by Lois McMaster Bujold
Rated: 3.74 of 5 stars · 37 ratingsAlternate Cover edition here.Troubled young Fawn Bluefield seeks a life beyond her family's farm. Enroute to the city, she encounters a patrol of Lakewalkers. The necromancers armed with human bone knives fight "malices", immortal entities that draw out life, enslaving humans and animals. Dag saves Fawn from a malice - at a devastating cost. Their fates are now bound in a remarkable journey...Categorized as:
industrial-era magic paranormal 21st-century action-adventure age-gap audiobook book -
Forest of a Thousand Lanterns by Julie C. Dao
Rated: 3.72 of 5 stars · 33 ratingsAn East Asian fantasy reimagining of The Evil Queen legend about one peasant girl's quest to become Empress—and the darkness she must unleash to achieve her destiny.Eighteen-year-old Xifeng is beautiful. The stars say she is destined for greatness, that she is meant to be Empress of Feng Lu. But only if she embraces the darkness within her... -
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The Steel Remains by Richard K. Morgan
Rated: 3.72 of 5 stars · 36 ratingsA dark lord will rise. Such is the prophecy that dogs Ringil Eskiath—Gil, for short—a washed-up mercenary and onetime war hero whose cynicism is surpassed only by the speed of his sword. Gil is estranged from his aristocratic family, but when his mother enlists his help in freeing a cousin sold into slavery, Gil sets out to track her down... -
Dragons Realm by Tessa Dawn
Rated: 3.66 of 5 stars · 23 ratingsFrom the bestselling author of the Blood Curse Series...Mina Louvet is a fighter, a human with a powerful will to survive in a world dominated by warlocks, soul-eaters, and shifters... -
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... -
Cobweb Bride by Vera Nazarian
Rated: 3.63 of 5 stars · 24 ratingsMany are called...She alone can save the world and become Death's bride.Cobweb Bride is a history-flavored fantasy novel with romantic elements of the Persephone myth, about Death's ultimatum to the world...Categorized as:
dark magic paranormal action-adventure alternate-history book coming-of-age dark-fantasy -
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... -
Into the Dark Lands by Michelle Sagara West
Rated: 3.59 of 5 stars · 23 ratingsWar has its cost, and the Servants of the Bright Heart and the Servants of the Dark Heart have been locked in a struggle that has defined life—and death—for millennia. But the end is coming, and only the Lady who has served the Bright Heart for the whole of her immortal life has seen it, in a vision that spans time and demands the highest of prices...
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