Books like 'Lady of Istok'
Readers who enjoyed Lady of Istok by Isabelle Olmo also liked the following books featuring the same tropes, story themes, relationship dynamics and character types.
historical fantasy dark romance war new adult horror
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Clear and Muddy Loss of Love / 泾渭情殇 by 请君莫笑
Rated: 4.63 of 5 stars · 16 ratingsA natural moat called the Luo river split the great land into two. Jing of the north, and Wei of the south.One was the Prince of the grass plains who had no worries nor sorrow. One was a lawful Princess who received exclusive favour of the Emperor... -
泾渭情殇 [Jīng Wèi Qíng Shāng] by Qing Jun Mo Xiao, 请君莫笑
Rated: 4.61 of 5 stars · 16 ratingsA natural moat called the Luo river split the great land into two. Jing of the north, and Wei of the south.One was the Prince of the grass plains who had no worries nor sorrow. One was a lawful Princess who received exclusive favour of the Emperor... -
Clytemnestra by Costanza Casati
"Fans of Circe and Elektra should pick up this powerful Greek myth retelling." —CosmopolitanFor fans of Madeline Miller, a stunning debut following Clytemnestra, the most notorious villainess of the ancient world and the events that forged her into the legendary queen.As for queens, they are either hated or forgotten... -
Angels Before Man by rafael nicolás
A queer retelling of Satan's fall that's part cozy coming of age and part fast-paced tragedy, with a little love story in between –In an eternal paradise, the most beautiful angel, Lucifer, struggles with shame, identity, and timidity, with little more than the desire to worship his creator.It isn't until the strongest angel, Michael, comes into his life that Lucifer learns to love himself... -
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The Breaker of Stars by Nicole Platania
A war of fractured hearts. A fate written in the stars. Cypherion does not love recklessly, but he loves hard. And while his friends may have forgiven Vale’s betrayal following the Battle of Damenal, he has kept the Starsearcher at arm’s length. That is, until his Revered commands the two embark on a quest to Vale’s territory in order to find the secrets hidden within her damaged magic... -
Wicked Masquerade by Kenya Wright
Rated: 4.38 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsTristan is the Bad Boy of the Art World. A tortured artist with insatiable cravings for beauty, pleasure, and the darker shades of life.When Nova, a Psychology graduate student, enters his orbit, Tristan sweeps Nova off her feet and lures her onto an erotic journey that awakens desires she never knew existed.Danger looms in the background... -
A Taste for Poison by Aleksandr Voinov
Rated: 4.22 of 5 stars · 9 ratingsEven a king gets stung when he reaches for a scorpion.After barely surviving an assassination attempt, King Adrastes is a changed man—one who mistrusts even his allies and friends. He readies his Empire for war against an enigmatic enemy, the Elder of Vededrin, but not everyone approves... -
Lying with Scorpions by Aleksandr Voinov
Rated: 4.22 of 5 stars · 9 ratingsIf you lie with scorpions, you’d better have a taste for poison.Now that Kendras’s lover Adrastes has claimed the throne of Dalman, Kendras is tangled deeper than ever in politics and intrigue. As the new leader of the Scorpions and Adrastes’s one true friend, he and his men stand between Adrastes and those who wish him dead.And many do... -
The German by Lee Thomas
Rated: 4.13 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsAt the height of World War II, a killer preys on the young men of a quiet Texas town. The murders are calculated, vicious, and they are just beginning. Sheriff Tom Rabbit and his men are baffled and the community he serves is terrified of the monster lurking their streets. The only clues the killer leaves behind are painted snuffboxes containing notes written in German... -
The German by Lee Thomas
Rated: 4.13 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsSet during the height of World War II, The German examines the effect a series of ritualistic murders has on a small, Texas community. A killer preys on the young men of Barnard, Texas, leaving cryptic notes written in German. As the panic builds all eyes turn toward a quiet man with secrets of his own, who is trying to escape a violent past.Ernst Lang fled Germany in 1934... -
Devout: An Anthology of Angels by Quinton Li
Rated: 4.13 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsFeaturing work by Freydís Moon, Dorian Yosef Weber, Angela Sun, Ian Haramaki, Tyler Battaglia, Daniel Marie James, Morgan Dante, Cas Trudeau, Aurélio Loren, Rae Novotny, Rafael Nicolás & Emily Hoffman.A collection of stories, poetry, and art dedicated to the angelic.Here you will find the strange, the creepy, the funky, slightly silly, pieces with feeling... -
The Sins on Their Bones by Laura R. Samotin
Dimitri Alexeyev used to be the Tzar of Novo-Svitsevo. Now, he is merely a broken man, languishing in exile after losing a devastating civil war instigated by his estranged husband, Alexey Balakin. In hiding with what remains of his court, Dimitri and his spymaster, Vasily Sokolov, engineer a dangerous ruse... -
This Wicked Fate by Amanda Aggie
Rated: 4.00 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsFor fans of The Witcher and Brave, this fantasy romance, featuring a fierce heroine and a druid with Golden Retriever energy, is both steamy and swoon worthy! I’m the Princess of Solaria, a realm full of beasts that could make the Devil cower. Except that title means nothing, because I’ll be dead by the week’s end...Categorized as:
new adult fantasy dark high fantasy ancient times historical length-medium aristocratic heroine -
The Wild Girl by Kate Forsyth
Rated: 3.94 of 5 stars · 29 ratingsDortchen Wild fell in love with Wilhelm Grimm the first time she saw him.Growing up in the small German kingdom of Hessen-Cassel in the early Nineteenth century, Dortchen Wild is irresistibly drawn to the boy next door, the young and handsome fairy tale scholar Wilhelm Grimm. It is a time of war, tyranny and terror... -
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The Painter Knight by Fiona Patton
Rated: 3.95 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsTHE PASSING OF THE FLAMESimon, the Court Painter of Branion, was the closest friend of the kingdom's ruler. Aristok Marsellus the Third... -
Of Exile and Song by Tiffany Hunt
I’ve been hunted my whole life. I am part siren, a hated half-breed. Forced to live in hiding, I use magic to steal and avoid the mages who would punish me for what I am. In a land ravaged by war, it’s the only way to survive. The only way to feed my family. I can change my destiny... -
Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy
Rated: 3.83 of 5 stars · 133 ratingsAnna Karenina tells of the doomed love affair between the sensuous and rebellious Anna and the dashing officer, Count Vronsky. Tragedy unfolds as Anna rejects her passionless marriage and must endure the hypocrisies of society... -
The Italian by Ann Radcliffe
Rated: 3.46 of 5 stars · 31 ratingsFrom the first moment Vincentio di Vivaldi, a young nobleman, sets eyes on the veiled figure of Ellena, he is captivated by her enigmatic beauty and grace. But his haughty and manipulative mother is against the match and enlists the help of her confessor to come between them... -
The Women by Kristin Hannah
Rated: 4.55 of 5 stars · 88 ratingsFrom the celebrated author of The Nightingale and The Four Winds comes Kristin Hannah's The Women—at once an intimate portrait of coming of age in a dangerous time and an epic tale of a nation divided.Women can be heroes. When twenty-year-old nursing student Frances “Frankie” McGrath hears these words, it is a revelation... -
Heaven Official's Blessing: Tian Guan Ci Fu Vol. 2 by Mò Xiāng Tóng Xiù, 墨香铜臭
THE TOUCH OF A HAND, A ROLL OF THE DICEXie Lian has confirmed that the bewitching youth San Lang is actually Hua Cheng, one of the Four Calamities and a supreme ghost despised by all heavenly officials. Still, he has trouble matching the terror of his companion’s reputation with the charming, clever, and protective young man he’s come to know...Categorized as:
horror new adult fantasy ["to-read", "currently-reading", "fantasy", "danmei", "to-buy", "2022-releases", "2022", "2022-tbr", "romance", "lgbt", "favorites", "wishlist", "novels", "want-to-buy", "queer", "lgbtq", "physical-tbr", "mxtx", "lgbtqia", "unreleased", "xianxia", "series", "owned", "light-novels", "chinese-novels", "pre-ordered", "2021", "mo-xiang-tong-xiu"] historical science fiction legends & fairy tales m-m -
Reign of Stars and Fire by L.J. Andrews
Nothing is as it seems. It never was.With darkness spreading across the fae isles, the reluctant raven queen seeks the aid of Calista, the storyteller, and unwittingly falls into a dark tale of twisted fates. To save Ari from being lost in a fae sleep, Saga will reach into the past and uncover deadly secrets left behind by her brother, the last fate king... -
A Fire Endless by Rebecca Ross
In the stunning conclusion to the Elements of Cadence duology, A Fire Endless finds the delicate balance between the human and faerie realm threatened by Bane, the spirit of the North Wind, whose defeat can only come through fire, song, and heart-rending sacrifice.East and West. Humans and Spirits. Breccans and Tamerlaines... -
The Six Deaths of the Saint by Alix E. Harrow
The Saint of War spares the life of a servant girl so she can fulfill her destiny as the kingdom’s greatest warrior in this short story of love and loyalty by New York Times bestselling author Alix E. Harrow.Always mindful of the debt she owes, the girl finds her worth as a weapon in the hand of the Prince. Her victories make him a king, then an emperor... -
Beyond the Shadows by Brent Weeks
Rated: 4.29 of 5 stars · 85 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... -
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Holy Sister by Mark Lawrence
Rated: 4.36 of 5 stars · 46 ratingsThe searing conclusion of the thrilling epic fantasy trilogy that saw a young girl trained by an arcane order of nuns grow into the fiercest of warriors...They came against her as a child. Now they face the woman. The ice is advancing, the Corridor narrowing, and the empire is under siege from the Scithrowl in the east and the Durns in the west. Everywhere, the emperor’s armies are in retreat... -
Shadow's Edge by Brent Weeks
Rated: 4.27 of 5 stars · 78 ratingsKylar Stern has rejected the assassin's life. The Godking's successful coup has left Kylar's master, Durzo, and his best friend, Logan, dead. He is starting over: new city, new friends, and new profession... -
Blood for Blood by Ryan Graudin
Rated: 4.32 of 5 stars · 35 ratingsThere would be blood. Blood for blood. Blood to pay. An entire world of it.For the resistance in the Third Reich, the war may be over, but the fight has just begun. Death camp survivor Yael, who has the power to skinshift, is on the run: the world has just seen her shoot and kill Hitler. But the truth of what happened is far more complicated, and its consequences are deadly... -
Crown of Blood and Ruin by L.J. Andrews
War begins. But secrets have the power to end...everything.Fallen princess. Traitor. Queen. Forsaking her people and her birthright, Elise Lysander takes her place at the side of the new fae king of a broken land. Revered by some, hated by many, Elise’s fight for her love and freedom is only beginning... -
SSS: Year Two by Avery Song
Rated: 4.36 of 5 stars · 25 ratingsWhen being different leads to the best years of your life. Powerful witch Silver Spell Solange always dreamed of getting into S.S.S School When she finally achieved it, she couldn't have been happier... -
Crystal Crowned by Elise Kova
The epic conclusion of the Air Awakens Series is an instant USA Today Bestseller! Long live Solaris. One bloodthirsty ruler has been overthrown by another, casting the shadow of death over the Solaris Empire. Vhalla Yarl stands upon the stage of fate, prepared to do battle one final time. Fragile alliances will be tested and new bonds will be formed as the world is reshaped...
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