Books like 'In the Shadow of Blackbirds'
Readers who enjoyed In the Shadow of Blackbirds by Cat Winters also liked the following books featuring the same tropes, story themes, relationship dynamics and character types.
historical young adult dark romance paranormal fantasy suspense steampunk war mystery horror
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Villains Are Destined to Die, Vol. 3 by SUOL, Gwon Gyeoeul
“I don’t want to live like this either, only ever being despised.”Life in hard mode for “villain” Penelope Eckhart means with every step forward, she’s shoved five steps back. Just when things seem to be stabilizing between her and the brothers, she finds herself coming to blows with Reynold, who insists on dredging up the past―an affront Penelope refuses to take lying down... -
Villains Are Destined to Die, Vol. 6 by Gyeoeul Gwon, SUOL
Following the conditions of a contract between herself and Winter, Penelope is once again leaving the duchy! She joins the marquis for volunteer work in a war-stricken nation, and while their time there is hectic, the two are able to grab a moment alone at the seaside... -
Beyond the Shadows by Brent Weeks
Rated: 4.28 of 5 stars · 88 ratingsA new queen has usurped the throne and is leading Cenaria into disaster. The country has become a broken realm with a threadbare army, little food and no hope. So Kylar Stern plans to reinstate his closest friend Logan as King, but can he really get away with murder?In the north, the Godking's death has thrown Khalidor into civil war... -
Villains Are Destined to Die, Vol. 1 (악역의 엔딩은 죽음뿐 [Ag-yeog-eui Ending-eun Jug-eumbbun] (Comic) #1) by SUOL, Gwon Gyeoeul
Rated: 4.47 of 5 stars · 34 ratings"A villain living life in hard mode… whose every path leads to death." Playing Daughter of the Duke's Super Love Project as the easy mode heroine, Ivonne, makes charming the male characters a breeze... -
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The Screaming Staircase by Jonathan Stroud
Rated: 4.22 of 5 stars · 73 ratingsWhen the dead come back to haunt the living, Lockwood & Co. step in . . .For more than fifty years, the country has been affected by a horrifying epidemic of ghosts. A number of Psychic Investigations Agencies have sprung up to destroy the dangerous apparitions.Lucy Carlyle, a talented young agent, arrives in London hoping for a notable career... -
Heir to Sevenwaters by Juliet Marillier
The chieftains of Sevenwaters have long been custodians of a vast and mysterious forest?and a new heir has been born. But the family?s joy turns to despair when the baby is taken, and something unnatural is left in his place...Categorized as:
mystery suspense horror fantasy historical medieval legends & fairy tales paranormal -
The Daylight War by Peter V. Brett
On the night of the new moon, the demons rise in force, seeking the deaths of two men both of whom have the potential to become the fabled Deliverer, the man prophesied to reunite the scattered remnants of humanity in a final push to destroy the demon corelings once and for all... -
House of Roots and Ruin by Erin A. Craig
A modern masterpiece, this is a classic Gothic thriller-fantasy from New York Times bestselling author Erin A. Craig, about doomed love, menacing ambition, and the ghosts that haunt us forever.In a manor by the sea, one sister is still cursed... -
Hunting Prince Dracula by Kerri Maniscalco
Following the grief and horror of her discovery of Jack the Ripper's true identity, Audrey Rose Wadsworth has no choice but to flee London and its memories. Together with the arrogant yet charming Thomas Cresswell, she journeys to the dark heart of Romania, home to one of Europe's best schools of forensic medicine.. -
The King’s Beast, Vol. 8 by Rei Tōma
Rated: 4.53 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsAs Rangetsu and her unlikely allies follow whispered rumors through the palace in search of any hint of her brother, she finds it increasingly difficult to keep from spilling her own secret to Prince Tenyou. But revealing her true nature will upset the uneasy accord she has built between them... -
Froi of the Exiles by Melina Marchetta
Rated: 4.20 of 5 stars · 45 ratingsBlood sings to blood, Froi . . . Those born last will make the first . . . For Charyn will be barren no more. Three years after the curse on Lumatere was lifted, Froi has found his home... Or so he believes... Fiercely loyal to the Queen and Finnikin, Froi has been trained roughly and lovingly by the Guard sworn to protect the royal family, and has learned to control his quick temper... -
The King’s Beast, Vol. 5 by Rei Tōma
Rated: 4.48 of 5 stars · 11 ratingsFemale Ajin are prohibited from serving in the palace, and so Rangetsu’s revenge depends on her ability to maintain her ruse... -
The Skull Throne by Peter V. Brett
The first three novels in New York Times bestselling author Peter V. Brett’s groundbreaking Demon Cycle series—The Warded Man, The Desert Spear, and The Daylight War—set a new standard for heroic fantasy. The powerful saga of humans winnowed to the brink of extinction by night-stalking demons, and the survivors who fight back, has kept readers breathless as they eagerly turned the pages... -
Wicked Thirst by Megan Montero
Rated: 4.63 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsHis power will end…He is a monster and it’s all my fault. I heard whispers of a curse, but I didn’t want to believe it was true . . . I was wrong.I’ve loved Grayson Shade from the day we met and now that love has doomed him to death. He tried to warn me, he tried to protect himself but I wouldn't let him. If he'd only told me the truth, I would've let him go... -
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The King’s Beast, Vol. 7 by Rei Tōma
Rated: 4.56 of 5 stars · 9 ratingsRangetsu isn’t the only person in the imperial palace with dark secrets... -
Stone of Farewell by Tad Williams
New York Times-bestselling Tad Williams’ landmark epic fantasy saga of Osten Ard begins an exciting new cycle!“One of my favorite fantasy series.” —George R. R. Martin • “Groundbreaking.” —Patrick Rothfuss • “One of the great fantasy epics of all time... -
Closer to the Chest by Mercedes Lackey
Rated: 4.17 of 5 stars · 30 ratingsHerald Mags, the King of Valdemar’s Herald Spy, has been developing a clandestine network of young informants who operate not only on the streets of the capital city of Haven, but also in the Great Halls and kitchens of the wealthy and highborn. In his own established alternate personas, Mags observes the Court and the alleys alike, quietly gathering information to keep Haven and the Kingdom safe... -
Child of the Prophecy by Juliet Marillier
Magic is fading... and the ways of Man are driving the Old Ones to the West, beyond the ken of humankind. The ancient groves are being destroyed, and if nothing is done, Ireland will lose its essential mystic core.The prophecies of long ago have foretold a way to prevent this horror, and it is the Sevenwaters clan that the spirits of Eire look to for salvation... -
Fae's Destruction by M. Lynn, Melissa A. Craven
Rated: 4.20 of 5 stars · 23 ratingsBrea Robinson is a prisoner. Granted, her prison has gilded halls, servants, and an aunt intent on throwing a lavish wedding. A wedding for Brea. Fae marriages are unbreakable, everlasting. As Brea barrels toward her forever prison in a marriage to a man she doesn’t love, the three Fae kingdoms are thrown into turmoil... -
Eon by Alison Goodman
Read Alison Goodman's blogs and other content on the Penguin Community. Eon--the award-winning crossover fantasy that soars! Sixteen-year-old Eon has a dream, and a mission. For years, he's been studying sword-work and magic, toward one end. He and his master hope that he will be chosen as a Dragoneye-an apprentice to one of the twelve energy dragons of good fortune... -
Asperfell by Jamie Thomas
Rated: 4.21 of 5 stars · 21 ratingsOnly the darkest and most dangerous of Mages are sentenced to pass through the gate to Asperfell. Not one has ever returned.Never did Briony dream she might set foot in the otherworldly prison of Asperfell. She was, after all, neither Mage nor criminal... -
Fae's Defiance by M. Lynn, Melissa A. Craven
Rated: 4.19 of 5 stars · 23 ratingsBrea Robinson is a princess. Ridiculous, right? She’s left her small Ohio town behind for an exotic palace beyond her imagination, trading old jeans for ballgowns and a drunken father for two Fae mothers. Safe behind the power of Eldur, it’s easy to forget everything that brought her here. Like the two men who saved her that are now missing... -
Inferno by Kat Ross
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsIn the last volume of the Fourth Talisman series, the worlds of the living and the dead collide in a final confrontation that will leave Nocturne and Solis forever changed…. Three talismans adrift. Two mad kings. One poisonous crown. As dark forces gather at the Rock of Ariamazes in Samarqand, Nazafareen discovers that there are worse places than the afterlife... -
The King’s Beast, Vol. 4 by Rei Tōma
Rated: 4.26 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsSomeone in the imperial palace is trying to kill Prince Tenyou, and Rangetsu has reason to believe it might be the icy third prince, Kougai... -
The Box in the Woods by Maureen Johnson
Rated: 4.06 of 5 stars · 55 ratingsThe Truly Devious series continues as Stevie Bell investigates her first mystery outside of Ellingham Academy in this spine-chilling and hilarious stand-alone mystery.Amateur sleuth Stevie Bell needs a good murder. After catching a killer at her high school, she's back at home for a normal (that means boring) summer... -
The King’s Beast, Vol. 6 by Rei Tōma
Rated: 4.29 of 5 stars · 11 ratingsPrince Kougai’s interest in his brother’s new beast-servant hasn’t waned, and Rangetsu is forced to forge an uneasy truce with him when his prying uncovers the dangerous truth about her identity... -
Trust in the Fallen by Montana Fyre
We made a deal with the devil many years ago and sentenced ourselves to a life of hookups and casual sex. It’s not safe for us to bring a woman into our lives, and until recently it was enough. But then we met her. Our Angel. On the outside Leighton’s a good girl forced to live a life as a pawn in a game she didn’t choose to play... -
Bitterblue by Kristin Cashore, Ian Schoenherr
Eight years have passed since the young Princess Bitterblue, and her country, were saved from the vicious King Leck. Now Bitterblue is the queen of Monsea, and her land is at peace. But the influence of her father, a violent psychopath with mind-altering abilities, lives on... -
Graceling by Kristin Cashore
Katsa has been able to kill a man with her bare hands since she was eight - she's a Graceling, one of the rare people in her land born with an extreme skill. As niece of the king, she should be able to live a life of privilege, but Graced as she is with killing, she is forced to work as the king's thug... -
Blood and Tempest by Kelley Skovron
Rated: 4.10 of 5 stars · 16 ratingsThe thrilling conclusion to Jon Skovron's adventure fantasy series, two young people from a fracturing empire spread across savage seas must find a way to keep their nation together. Still reeling from the events at Dawn's Light, Hope struggles to understand what it means to be a warrior who has vowed to never again take up a sword.Red is enjoying his new role as imperial spy... -
Piper Prince by Amber Argyle
Rated: 4.08 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsCan you hear him? The beast is coming for you.Long ago, a curse fell upon the land—a curse of forgetting and wraiths, a curse that ensured no daughters were born to the pied pipers in over three centuries. The pipers were all that stood between humanity and utter destruction, so they did the only thing they could: they stole the daughters of the nearby kingdom with their hypnotizing melodies... -
The Queen's Rising by Rebecca Ross
When her seventeenth summer solstice arrives, Brienna desires only two things: to master her passion and to be chosen by a patron.Growing up in the southern kingdom of Valenia at the renowned Magnalia House should have prepared her. While some are born with a talent for one of the five passions—art, music, dramatics, wit, and knowledge—Brienna struggled to find hers until she chose knowledge... -
The Wrath of Wolves by Kelley York, Rowan Altwood
Rated: 4.14 of 5 stars · 7 ratingsPreston Alexander has wanted to see the world for as long as he can remember. Now, an opportunity has presented itself. A supposedly haunted item needs transporting clear across the Atlantic. James and William can’t take it, so Preston jumps at the chance. He may not know nearly as much about the dead as his friends, but surely it can’t be that difficult... -
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The Path of Thorns (Sourdough Universe) by A.G. Slatter, Angela Slatter
Rated: 3.99 of 5 stars · 28 ratingsAlone in the world, Asher Todd travels to the remote estate of Morwood Grange to become governess to three small children. Her sole possessions comprise a sea chest and a large carpet bag she hangs onto for dear life. She finds a fine old home, its inhabitants proud of their lineage and impeccable reputation, and a small village nearby... -
Academy of Villains by Ever King
Revised and Expanded Edition (June 2025): Includes 8 new chapters, an exclusive epilogue, and expanded world lore.Academy of Villains is a Greek mythology-inspired romantasy for readers who grew up on Percy Jackson, Harry Potter, and Throne of Glass—but are now ready for something darker, romantic, and more soul-shattering... -
Oathblood by Mercedes Lackey
Rated: 3.97 of 5 stars · 45 ratingsThis exciting new anthology includes a new novella featuring Mercedes Lackey 's most popular heroines, Tarma (one of the sword-sworn and most feared of all warriors) and Kethry (who wields magic and weapons for the greater good), whose fates are suddenly bound together in blood by the powers that control their destinies... -
To Bind a Dark Heart by Kathryn Ann Kingsley
“Run, Gwen. Run as far and as hard as you can. Because when I catch you… You will belong to me.”When she shattered the Iron Crystal and returned magic to Avalon, Gwen also shattered Mordred’s heart. Torn between her passion for Mordred and his rage at her betrayal, she fled into the wilds.Gwen’s choice has transformed Avalon, and the island teems with magical wonders freed from the crystal... -
House of Salt and Sorrows by Erin A. Craig
In 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... -
He Who Breaks the Earth by Caitlin Sangster
Rated: 4.00 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsWicked Saints meets There Will Come a Darkness in this sequel to the atmospheric, “tightly woven” (Brandon Sanderson, New York Times bestselling author) She Who Rides the Storm that follows the four thieves turned unlikely allies as one of their own decides where their loyalties lie... -
Blood and Moonlight by Erin Beaty
Rising above the city of Collis is the holy Sanctum. And watching over its spires is Catrin, an orphan girl with unique skills—for she alone can spot the building’s flaws in construction before they turn deadly. But when Catrin witnesses a murderer escaping the scene of his crime, she’s pulled into the web of a dangerous man who will definitely strike again... -
Girl at the Grave by Teri Bailey Black
Rated: 3.91 of 5 stars · 16 ratingsValentine has spent years trying to outrun her mother's legacy. But small towns have long memories, and when a new string of murders occurs, all signs point to the daughter of a murderer. Only one person believes Valentine is innocent—Rowan Blackshaw, the son of the man her mother killed all those years ago...Categorized as:
mystery suspense young adult historical paranormal dark love triangle other-man-woman -
The Kingless Crown by Sarah M. Cradit
Rated: 3.91 of 5 stars · 11 ratingsA crown woven together by lies.A kingdom with the power to unravel them.Four Reaches. Four brides. Only a fortnight separates the young women from becoming reluctant queens of the usurper king, Eoghan Rhiagain... -
Truly Devious by Maureen Johnson
Rated: 3.91 of 5 stars · 93 ratingsNew York Times bestselling author Maureen Johnson weaves a delicate tale of murder and mystery in the first book of a striking new series, perfect for fans of Agatha Christie and E. Lockhart.Ellingham Academy is a famous private school in Vermont for the brightest thinkers, inventors, and artists... -
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Blood of Wonderland by Colleen Oakes
Rated: 3.88 of 5 stars · 29 ratingsThe queen will rise.Dinah has been exiled from Wonderland. The vicious father she always feared has framed her for the brutal murder of her brother and turned the kingdom against her. Now hiding in the lush and mysterious Twisted Wood with only her war steed at her side, Dinah is faced with a choice... -
The Demon in the Wood by Leigh Bardugo
Rated: 3.86 of 5 stars · 65 ratingsBefore he ruled Ravka, before he was the Darkling, he was just a lonely boy with an extraordinary gift. In this prequel story to the New York Times-bestselling Grisha Trilogy, Leigh Bardugo takes us into Ravka's mysterious past, when Grisha lived as fugitives and the Darkling took his first steps on the path to power... -
Nine Liars by Maureen Johnson
Senior year at Ellingham Academy for Stevie Bell isn’t going well. Her boyfriend, David, is studying in London. Her friends are obsessed with college applications. With the cold case of the century solved, Stevie is adrift. There is nothing to distract her from the questions pinging around her brain—questions about college, love, and life in general...Categorized as:
mystery suspense young adult contemporary fantasy historical paranormal mental illness -
Finnikin of the Rock by Melina Marchetta
Rated: 3.87 of 5 stars · 66 ratingsFinnikin of the Rock and his guardian, Sir Topher, have not been home to their beloved Lumatere for ten years. Not since the dark days when the royal family was murdered and the kingdom put under a terrible curse. But then Finnikin is summoned to meet Evanjalin, a young woman with an incredible claim: the heir to the throne of Lumatere, Prince Balthazar, is alive... -
Inheritance of Scars by Crystal Seitz
Rated: 3.75 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsBelladonna meets Norse mythology in this gorgeous dark fantasy debut that follows a teen who accidentally awakens an imprisoned draugr and must follow him into a deadly magical forest to rescue her grandmother.Never go beyond the stave church.Within Tiveden Forest, bloodthirsty monsters known as draugr lurk behind every tree, and secrets run through the soil like twisted roots... -
The Monstrous Kind by Lydia Gregovic
An atmospheric, haunting, romantasy inspired by Jane Austen’s Sense and Sensibility, set in a Regency England about two sisters fighting to hold on to their manor while deadly monsters prowl along its perimeters—perfect for fans of House of Salt and Sorrows and Anatomy: A Love Story.Merrick Darling’s life as daughter of the Manor Lord of Sussex is better than most...
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