Showing results for "Winter" in Horror

The New York Times bestselling author of Promise Not to Tell returns with a simmering literary thriller about ghostly secrets, dark choices, and the unbreakable bond between mothers and daughters . . . sometimes too unbreakable. West Hall, Vermont, has always been a town of strange...

I'm a shadow huntress in dire need of revenge. When a Fae prince asks me to participate in the Yule pageant and spy on the Winter King, I rise to the occasion. He tells me I'm a ringer for the dead queen, and that I don't have to win the pageant or get married in the end. He forgot to mention I'd lose everything in the meantime—including my heart.

From Dickens's A Christmas Carol to the ghost stories of M.R. James, the tradition of a haunted tale at Christmas has flourished across the centuries. The twelve stories of The Winter Spirits are all centred around Christmas or Advent, boldly and playfully re-imagining a beloved tradition for a modern audience. Taking you from a haunted Tuscan villa to a remote Scottish island with a dark secret, and drawing inspiration from festive traditions from all around the globe, these vibrant haunted stories are your ultimate companion for frosty nights.

Cailleach has been maiden and mother, but as Samhain dawns, she must face the cruel consequences of the prophecy and now embrace the crone. With her world teetering on the brink of destruction, and burdened by the loss of her daughter, she is forced to navigate the treacherous landscape of war. But coming face-to-face with the man who killed her lover places everything at risk. She must hold onto her strength lest she lose herself and become the monster she seeks to destroy.

Born the forbidden child of two Aura, magical beings possessing god-gifted powers, she carries a burden of title. Prized a weapon of destruction by her father and hunted as a monster of carnage by others. The odds knew no favor to the wicked or kind in Numengarth, but Snowlin turned human, powerless, and a disappointment to the creator who intended to wield her in his claim for power over the continent. After twelve years disparaged into exile, she sets to return and claim what the realm owed her: revenge on both her father and the night king who hunted to take more than her life.

Broken by the horrors she experienced at the hand of their druidic leader, Brydie and those she loves escape to Faerie. There, shattered by grief and with her spirit fractured, she must begin the road to healing while still forging the path that fate demands of her. With the shadow of war a burgeoning storm cloud on the horizon, the need to secure allies is more pressing than ever. Everything rides on her ability to reforge long-dead alliances with the fae, dwarves, and selkies—even as the weight of a terrible secret threatens to shatter all hope for her future.

Silla Nordvig is running for her life. The Queen of Íseldur has sent warriors to bring Silla to Sunnavík, where death awaits her. When her father is killed, his last words set Silla on a perilous quest: travel the treacherous Road of Bones—a thousand-mile stretch haunted by warbands, creatures of darkness, and a mysterious murderer—and go to Kopa, where a shield house awaits her. After barely surviving the first stretch of road, a desperate Silla sneaks into a supply wagon belonging to the notorious Bloodaxe Crew. To make it to Kopa, she must win over Axe Eyes, the brooding leader of the Crew.

In return for siding with the enemy, Brydie is given the secret to unlocking the full power of her birthright. But no power comes without consequence, and she must learn to become the master, rather than the victim. Time is inevitably swallowed as Brydie grapples for the place she is owed. Her training is dogged by tales of horror, for not only has the leader of their Druidic clan fallen to the darkness, but he also holds an object of power that could plunge the world into a bone-chilling nightmare.

Following the shattering truth behind the identity of the fifth descendant, and with a myriad of threats looming, Brydie and the others must relocate to Ireland to renew ties with their Druidic cousins, the Fae. But . . . everything is not as it seems. Shocking secrets are revealed as Brydie negotiates not only an alliance, but also the complex relationship she has with her Guardian. As they seek to recover her best friend from the enemy, a horrifying double-cross has devastating consequences.

Brydie MacKay has accepted that she is the last Daughter of Winter. Her old life soon becomes a distant memory as she is initiated into a world of druidic magic. However, the further Brydie delves into her legacy, the more she realizes that she is up against impossible odds. Training is brutal beyond imagining, and the full power of her birthright eludes her. To make matters worse, everyone has an agenda—even the man required by prophecy to protect her.

Despite the uncomfortably claustrophobic quarters and rapidly dropping temperature, Christa believes they'll be safe as they wait out the storm. She couldn't be more wrong. Deep in the night, their tour guide goes missing...only to be discovered the following morning, his severed head impaled on a tree outside the cabin. Terrified, and completely isolated by the storm, Christa finds herself trapped with eight total strangers. One of them kills for sport...and they're far from finished.

Though I was born with the ability to see the dead, I struggled with it until my brother was killed and his ghost was left behind. Now, I’m determined to figure out who is responsible for his death…the problem is that Detective Maddox Booker, the one working the case, is a grumpy and stubborn man who wants nothing to do with me and definitely doesn’t believe in ghosts. It doesn’t help that I keep finding myself looking ridiculous in front of the detective, thanks to interfering ghosts who enjoy laughing at my expense.

Laura Kasischke, the critically acclaimed and nationally bestselling poet and author of The Raising, returns Mind of Winter, a dark and chilling thriller that combines domestic drama with elements of psychological suspense and horror—an addictive tale of denial and guilt that is part Joyce...

In the game of predator and prey, sometimes the greatest trap is discovering you no longer want to escape. I've always escaped into gaming when reality became too much. As MistressOfMischief, I found freedom behind a screen, building a bond with my online partner, Rogue, that felt more real than most of my relationships. For two years, we shared victories and late-night conversations—I thought I knew him. I couldn't have been more wrong.

After the initial series of summer blizzards, the snowfall has decreased, but the temperatures continue to drop, the icy wind still blows, and with each passing day, the darkness lasts longer and longer. It is in the darkness the monsters thrive. Confined to the lake house and having no communication with the outside world, Grady and the others live every day in fear, questioning what the future holds. Will the snow melt? Will the sun ever rise? Can the wraiths be defeated? But as the days turn to weeks, no answers come.

When I first realized that I could see the dead, I never imagined that it would allow me to help save the lives of others, or pull me into Detective Maddox Booker’s path. Through my ability, ghosts have become some of my greatest friends and allies. But now, someone’s dead, and his ghost is gone. Ghosts have sought my help for my entire life, wanting to be heard. Now, something is keeping them quiet, almost hostile. as our search for the ghost of the dead man leads us to a small village. Everything looks normal on the outside, but I wonder what’s happening on the inside.

Sapien is a relic of a bygone age, searching for meaning in a world where his outdated allegiances to a time long past have left him isolated and hopeless. Seeking peace and quiet, he retires to a beach house at Barren Cove, a stately Victorian manor even more antiquated than he. He becomes increasingly fascinated with the family whose lives are entwined with the home - angry and rebellious Clark; flamboyant Kent; fragile, beautiful Mary; and, most of all, Beachstone, the mysterious man whose history may hold all the answers Sapien has been searching for.

Dale Stewart's life has become a shadow of what it once was. A respected college professor and successful novelist, he sabotaged his career and his marriage with an obsessive love affair that ended badly. With darkness closing in on him, Dale decides to return to his boyhood home in Illinois. Drawn by a recurring nightmare that has plagued him since his youth—and a troubling certainty that something is waiting for him there—he hopes to exorcise his demons.

Brynja spent her childhood as a captive performer in Tenebris, the imposing mountain palace of King Kallias. Every night she risked death for the king’s entertainment until his rebellious son, Prince Ballast, helped her escape. Now twenty, Brynja has never forgotten the brutal king. Or forgiven him. Under the cloak of a three-month-long Winter Dark, Brynja is returning to Tenebris for revenge.

The prophecy was clear. Upon the death of three kings, the world will be plunged into chaos, and all the cast-out demons of history will return to bring blood and horror to the world. Two of the kings are dead. The third, about to be born, is hunted by the Demon Riders of the Krayakin, Lords of the Undead. All the terrifying forces of evil range against a pregnant queen at bay in a haunted forest. But she is not alone. Three warriors stand with her, the last remnants of the once proud Drenai army.