Sam's Picks

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Vespertine By Margaret Rogerson Cover Image
$18.99
ISBN: 9781534477117
Availability: Usually Ships in 2-5 Days
Published: Margaret K. McElderry Books - October 5th, 2021

Margaret Roberson has done it again, I don’t know how but she has written another masterpiece. Vespertine is an inventive creation full of perseverance, dedication, and heroics. Devoted to the Lady, Artemisia has accustomed herself to a quiet existence as a nun after her horrific childhood. She is going to stay at her convent serving as a barrier between death and the living, seeing that souls are laid to rest peacefully. But destiny comes knocking at her door and before she knows it she is the only person who can defend the living from spirits. With an evil plot afoot and people suddenly praising her as a hero, Artemisia must risk everything she is and might become by partnering with the enemy to save the world as she knows it. Making unlikely friends along the way she learns that sometimes you need to accept help before you can help anyone else. I cannot stop thinking about this book, reveling in the world Rogerson has created and getting caught in the web she has woven.


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Neon Gods (Dark Olympus) By Katee Robert Cover Image
$14.99
ISBN: 9781728231730
Availability: On Our Shelves Now
Published: Sourcebooks Casablanca - June 1st, 2021

I think my cheeks are still red from reading this book. Katee Robert did not hold back. This Persephone/Hades retelling is wonderful and unique. Perspehone is a golden girl socialite until the day it becomes clear that Zeus has his eye on her. Persephone flees to the lower city and unknowingly right into Hades's arms. What starts as a simple arrangement to keep her out of Zeus's clutches soon turns into love. Between the politics at play and the electric emotional connection this book had me on the edge of my seat. 

Be warned that it is very steamy and riddled with sex scenes that will make your toes curl.


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Dark Archives: A Librarian's Investigation into the Science and History of Books Bound in Human Skin By Megan Rosenbloom Cover Image
$18.00
ISBN: 9781250800169
Availability: On Our Shelves Now
Published: Picador - October 19th, 2021

A facinating read. It surprised me how intertwined anthropodermic books are with the history of medicine. The cultural exploration throughout the history of this topic was interesting. This book really dives into the hows and why someone would do this, as well as the different opinions and feelings people have about the subject. 


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Throw Like a Girl By Sarah Henning Cover Image
$11.99
ISBN: 9780316529495
Availability: Usually Ships in 2-5 Days
Published: Poppy - July 20th, 2021

An inspiring coming of age tale about a girl who must own up to her mistakes and prove herself. I love when a girl joins a boy sport and absolutely dominates, proving all of her nay-sayers wrong. This book is a shining example of strength, perseverance, and redemption. Liv discovers what she is truly capable of, and finds love along the way. 


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Payback's a Witch (The Witches of Thistle Grove #1) By Lana Harper Cover Image
$17.00
ISBN: 9780593336069
Availability: On Our Shelves Now
Published: Berkley - October 5th, 2021

    Whimsical in a witchy way that makes you long for fall. This sapphic romance is a Halloween gift. After staying away from her hometown, and magic, for almost a decade Emmy returns to face the ex that crushed her heart and spirit and fulfill her duty to her family. After teaming up with other scorned witches to bring the prodigal Blackmoore heart breaker down. But there’s far more than she remembered or anticipated that’s trying to keep her in Thistle Grove, including falling for the enigmatic Talia. Emmy struggles against who she wants to be and who she needs to be.


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The Nightmare Affair (Arkwell Academy #1) By Mindee Arnett Cover Image
$19.99
ISBN: 9780765333360
Availability: Usually Ships in 2-5 Days
Published: Tor Teen - February 18th, 2014

Mystery and Mayhem abound at a boarding school for fantastical creatures. Darkkind, naturkind, and witchkind kids intermix at Arckwell Academy, causing all kinds of trouble. Dusty wants none of it, but as a nightmare she needs to learn to control her abilities and magic. Then everything goes wrong and she is forced to play a more active role at the academy. After finding out that she and Eli are a dream-seeing pair nothing is the same. Human Eli is forced to attend Arkwell, and to work with Dusty, to uncover the secret behind a series of grisly murders at the school. Nothing is as it seems, and no one can be trusted, as these imaginative investigators take matters into their own hands. Arnett has created an interesting world intertwined with intricate politics, secrets, and plots. Arkwell is on the same level as Hogwarts, a place of learning and magic beyond normal fantasizing.


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Moon Called (Mercy Thompson #1) By Patricia Briggs Cover Image
$8.99
ISBN: 9780441013814
Availability: Usually Ships in 2-5 Days
Published: Ace - January 31st, 2006

A truly excellent urban fantasy. Being a coyote shifter in a world full of werewolves is precarious business, but Mercy makes it work. Until trouble comes knocking on her door, literally. Action, danger, mystery, and magic make this book entertaining, the tough as nails, take no shit heroine makes it worth the read. Mercy is determined to protect those she cares about, no matter what. 


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Grave Witch: An Alex Craft Novel By Kalayna Price Cover Image
$7.99
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ISBN: 9780451463807
Published: Ace - October 5th, 2010

I love Urban Fantasies. Grave Witch is true to it's genre, a thrilling fantasy world coexisting with the mirror of our modern society. The Magical Awakening brought Faeries, dangerous and deadly creatures who thrive on mortal belief, into the light. Wyrd Witches also emerged, mortal humans who can manipulate magic, caste spells, create charms, and even raise the dead. Alex Craft is a Grave Witch, a type of Wyrd Witch who has an affinity for the dead and can raise shades (similar to ghosts, but they go away after the witch is done with them). Working as a PI, Alex stumbles across a case that will test her skills as a witch and as a detective. 
I love it! The mystery, the drama, the action... The melding of worlds and the concept of magic is seamless and stunning.