Books like 'Specials'
Readers who enjoyed Specials by Scott Westerfeld also liked the following books featuring the same tropes, story themes, relationship dynamics and character types.
contemporary fantasy young adult dark romance paranormal urban fantasy magic strong heroine mystery suspense
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The Empty Grave by Jonathan Stroud
Rated: 4.62 of 5 stars · 26 ratingsAfter the dramatic events of The Creeping Shadow, the Lockwood team (plus Quill Kipps) deserve some well-earned rest.So naturally they break into the Fittes Mausoleum, on a perilous mission to discover the truth about London's top ghost-hunting agency, and its sinister leader.What they discover will change everything.But there's little time to ponder... -
The Creeping Shadow by Jonathan Stroud
Rated: 4.52 of 5 stars · 26 ratingsAfter leaving Lockwood & Co. at the end of The Hollow Boy, Lucy is a freelance operative, hiring herself out to agencies that value her ever-improving skills. One day she is pleasantly surprised by a visit from Lockwood, who tells her he needs a good Listener for a tough assignment... -
Demon Magic and a Martini by Annette Marie
When I first landed a bartending job at the local guild, I didn't know a thing about magic. These days, I'm practically an expert on the different magical classes, but there's one nobody ever talks about: Demonica. Turns out they have a good reason for that... -
The Awakening by Kelley Armstrong
Rated: 4.26 of 5 stars · 80 ratingsChloe Saunders is on the runand raising hell. Literally. Chloe Saunders is not your average supernatural teenager. Genetically altered at birth by a sinister team of scientists, she can barely control her terrifying powers. Now the team that created her has decided it's time to end the experiment. Permanently...Categorized as:
strong heroine suspense love triangle mystery magic slow burn sassy heroine other-man-woman -
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Marked / Betrayed / Chosen / Untamed by P.C. Cast, Kristin Cast
Rated: 4.39 of 5 stars · 26 ratingsThe House of Night is a thrilling, New York Times bestselling book series that follows 16-year-old Zoey Redbird as she is “Marked” by a vampyre tracker and begins to undergo the “Change” into an actual vampyre. She has to leave her family in Broken Arrow, OK, and move into the House of Night, a boarding school for other fledgling vampyres like her... -
The Whispering Skull by Jonathan Stroud
Rated: 4.35 of 5 stars · 30 ratingsIn the six months since Anthony, Lucy, and George survived a night in the most haunted house in England, Lockwood & Co. hasn't made much progress. Quill Kipps and his team of Fittes agents keep swooping in on Lockwood's investigations... -
The Hollow Boy by Jonathan Stroud
Rated: 4.37 of 5 stars · 27 ratingsAs a massive outbreak of supernatural Visitors baffles Scotland Yard and causes protests throughout London, Lockwood & Co. continue to demonstrate their effectiveness in exterminating spirits. Anthony Lockwood is dashing, George insightful, and Lucy dynamic, while the skull in the jar utters sardonic advice from the sidelines... -
The Reckoning by Kelley Armstrong
Rated: 4.24 of 5 stars · 81 ratingsChloe Saunders is fifteen and would love to be normal. Unfortunately, Chloe happens to be a genetically engineered necromancer who can raise the dead without even trying. She and her equally gifted (or should that be 'cursed'?) friends are now running for their lives from the evil corporation that created them...Categorized as:
strong heroine suspense love triangle mystery magic slow burn other-man-woman dystopian -
Scorched Heart by Helen Harper
Rated: 4.38 of 5 stars · 25 ratingsMy parents were brutally murdered when I was five years old. Their killer has spent the last twenty five years in prison for his terrible crimes - but I still have unanswered questions. After all, I am the phoenix. When I die, I am reborn in fire and brimstone. It happens again and again and again. I have no idea where my strange ability came from and nobody to ask... -
Between Frames by W.R. Gingell
Rated: 4.43 of 5 stars · 17 ratingsTwo fae is company, but a company of fae is trouble.Which is exactly what we’ve got. Trouble, I mean. Well, and fae. Lots of fae.Something or someone is stalking and killing high-level fae around Hobart—tearing out hearts and leaving a trail of bloody bodies behind. Fae don’t like it when they’re the ones getting killed, so of course they came to hire my owners.Owners, you ask?Hi. I’m Pet... -
On Demon Wings by Karina Halle
Rated: 4.40 of 5 stars · 19 ratingsWhen the life you wanted has crumbled beneath your fingers, there’s nothing left to do but pick up the pieces and soldier on. You’ve done this before.But what happens when you no longer feel like yourself anymore? When fires spontaneously start-up around you, when you hear growling coming from underneath your bed, and you no longer recognize your face in the mirror... -
The Dream Thieves by Maggie Stiefvater
The second installment in the all-new series from the masterful, #1 NEW YORK TIMES bestselling author Maggie Stiefvater! Now that the ley lines around Cabeswater have been woken, nothing for Ronan, Gansey, Blue, and Adam will be the same. Ronan, for one, is falling more and more deeply into his dreams, and his dreams are intruding more and more into waking life...Categorized as:
strong heroine suspense love triangle mystery magic slow burn other-man-woman contemporary -
Only Ashes Remain by Rebecca Schaeffer
After escaping her kidnappers and destroying the black market where she was held captive, all Nita wants is to find a way to live her life without looking over her shoulder. But with a video of her ability to self-heal all over the dark web, Nita knows she’s still a prime target on the black market.There’s only one way to keep herself safe... -
The Crawling Darkness by J.L. Bryan
Rated: 4.40 of 5 stars · 16 ratingsGhost removal specialist Ellie Jordan must face a dangerous, shape-shifting entity that she and Calvin have encountered once before, with tragic results. The spirit has the power to reach into the minds of living and feed on their fears, taking the shape of their worst nightmares, and it has awoken in search of new victims... -
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The Screaming Staircase by Jonathan Stroud
Rated: 4.24 of 5 stars · 39 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... -
Watercolour Smile by Jane Washington
Rated: 4.27 of 5 stars · 29 ratings“Maybe I was stupid to have agreed to this, but when all of the options that you have in life are dangerous ones, you can only choose to do something reckless, or turn a blind eye and allow the cards to fall as they may… and I was sick of being blind...Categorized as:
mystery suspense magic love triangle other-man-woman young adult alpha male contemporary -
Night Stalker by B.R. Kingsolver
Rated: 4.30 of 5 stars · 22 ratingsAll I want is to pay the rent and find a boyfriend. But an insane vampire thinks I hold the key to his takeover of the city, and I have a new stalker. At least for now, I’ve dodged the Illuminati’s Hunters, but life is still a little too challenging... -
Boundary Born by Melissa F. Olson
Rated: 4.32 of 5 stars · 20 ratingsSomething wicked is at work in Colorado’s supernatural community. Vampires are being paralyzed or killed with poison…a weapon favored by witches. This offense threatens to break apart the already-fractured alliance between witches and the undead.The state’s cardinal vampire, Maven, summons boundary witch Allison “Lex” Luther to stop the killing before it ignites a war... -
Firestorm by Shannon Mayer
Rated: 4.31 of 5 stars · 21 ratingsMy name is Larkspur, and I am an Elemental.My people use the power of the earth to sustain life and defy our enemies. I should be at my father's side as a royal princess. But as a half-breed, bastard child, that isn't going to happen. In a world of lava and fire, I am about to face my hardest trial yet. Not one of strength, or power, but intrigue and manipulation... -
Days of Blood & Starlight by Laini Taylor
Once upon a time, an angel and a devil fell in love and dared to imagine a world free of bloodshed and war.This is not that world. Art student and monster's apprentice Karou finally has the answers she has always sought. She knows who she is—and what she is... -
Blood Beyond Darkness- 10 year Anniversary by Stacey Marie Brown
Rated: 4.28 of 5 stars · 19 ratingsThe Sword of Light, the only weapon capable of killing Queen Aneira, has been found. Ember’s destiny is to end her reign and become the new Queen.Or so she thought.When Eli and Ember are taken by Aneira, she is forced to make a deal to save the man she loves. A curse is placed on Ember that if she uses the sword against the Seelie Queen, Eli Dies.A price she might not be willing to make...Categorized as:
magic love triangle strong heroine suspense dystopian paranormal fantasy urban fantasy -
Between Floors by W.R. Gingell
Rated: 4.29 of 5 stars · 18 ratingsI’m not supposed to push through the boundaries of reality without supervision. I’m definitely not meant to drag a cop Between with me. But stuff happens, you know? Hi. I’m Pet. Well, not Pet, exactly. I am a pet. Nothing too hard; I just cook and clean for the Behindkind who took over my house. Easy. But now one of my owners has gone missing... -
Breakwater by Shannon Mayer
Rated: 4.25 of 5 stars · 23 ratingsMy name is Larkspur, and I am an Elemental.My people use the power of the earth to sustain life and defy our enemies. I should be at my father's side as a royal princess. But as a half-breed, bastard child, that isn't going to happen. As an Ender, one of my father’s Elite guards, it’s my job to do as I’m told... -
Fire In The Darkness- 10 year Anniversary by Stacey Marie Brown
Rated: 4.23 of 5 stars · 21 ratingsEmber discovers she is not only fae, but is one of the most feared type in existence—a Dae—considered an abomination among their kind. Her race is hunted down and killed because of their power.After her magic causes an electrical storm which destroys Seattle, Ember is on the run, pursued by the both the light and dark fae...Categorized as:
magic love triangle strong heroine suspense dystopian paranormal fantasy urban fantasy -
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Dwellers Of Darkness- 10 year Anniversary by Stacey Marie Brown
Rated: 4.23 of 5 stars · 19 ratingsThree years have passed in Earth’s realm when Ember and her friends finally return from the Otherworld.Eli feels her the moment she steps back, and the beast is far from delighted. Believing for the last three years she was dead, he has become violent and cruel in her absence.Eli’s anger isn’t the only thing she should fear...Categorized as:
magic love triangle strong heroine suspense dystopian paranormal urban fantasy fantasy -
Brimstone Bound by Helen Harper
A werewolf killer. A paranormal murder. How many times can Emma Bellamy cheat death?I’m one placement away from becoming a fully fledged London detective. It’s bad enough that my last assignment before I qualify is with Supernatural Squad. But that’s nothing compared to what happens next... -
Wolf Mate by M. Guida
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsThe final battle is here. I have to prove that I'm worthy of the crown.Everything rests on me.But I'm willing to accept the challenge.I want justice for my parents' murder and my demon wolves' enslavement.My enemy doesn't play fair, and I know it's an ambush.Bring it on, dude. Win or lose, I'm ready...Categorized as:
suspense magic fantasy shapeshifters urban fantasy paranormal young adult contemporary -
Between Shifts by W.R. Gingell
Rated: 4.22 of 5 stars · 17 ratingsThere’s a body beneath the skip bins. Fae on the forklift. A vampire in the manager’s office. And there’s definitely something skeevy going on in the locker rooms. Hi. I’m Pet. Well, not exactly Pet. I am a pet. I was meant to stay out of it, but somebody’s gotta do something when humans are being killed by Behindkind creatures... -
The Dust Feast by Gregory Ashe
Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars · 9 ratingsOnly days have passed since Vie Eliot’s murderous half-brother—a dangerous, out-of-control psychic—was stopped from killing the people Vie loves most, but Vie is ready for his life to return to normal. He has plans. Big plans. Make the cross country team, pick up his grades, and spend a lot of time with his boyfriend... -
The Curiosities: A Collection of Stories by Maggie Stiefvater, Brenna Yovanoff
Rated: 4.20 of 5 stars · 17 ratingsFrom acclaimed YA authors Maggie Stiefvater, Tessa Gratton, and Brenna Yovanoff comes The Curiosities: A Collection of Stories. - A vampire locked in a cage in the basement, for good luck. - Bad guys, clever girls, and the various reasons why the guys have to stop breathing. - A world where fires never go out (with references to vanilla ice cream)... -
Red Fox by Karina Halle
Rated: 4.17 of 5 stars · 21 ratingsBook two in the slow-burn horror romance series, Experiment in Terror, by the New York Times bestselling author of The Forbidden Man and The Pact In the forgotten town of Red Fox, a Navajo couple is tortured by things unseen and by motives unknown...Categorized as:
mystery suspense magic strong heroine love triangle other-man-woman paranormal horror -
Soulstice by Simon Holt
Rated: 4.18 of 5 stars · 19 ratingsThe Vours: Evil, demonic beings that inhabit human bodies on Sorry Night, the darkest hours of the winter solstice. Six month... Since Reggie first discovered the existence of the Vours in a tattered journal. Since she learned to overcome her fear and destroyed a Vour to save Henry... -
Finale by Becca Fitzpatrick
Will love conquer all? Nora and Patch thought their troubles were behind them. Hank is gone and they should be able to put his ugly vendetta to rest. But in Hank's absence, Nora has become the unwitting head of the Nephilim and must finish what Hank began. Which ultimately means destroying the fallen angels - destroying Patch... -
Poison Princess by Kresley Cole
She could save the world—or destroy it. Sixteen-year-old Evangeline "Evie" Greene leads a charmed life, until she begins experiencing horrifying hallucinations. When an apocalyptic event decimates her Louisiana hometown, Evie realizes her hallucinations were actually visions of the future—and they're still happening...Categorized as:
suspense strong heroine love triangle mystery dystopian magic slow burn sassy heroine -
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Oblivion by Kelly Creagh
This electrifying conclusion to the Nevermore trilogy takes one last trip to the dream world of Edgar Allan Poe to reveal the intertwined fates of Isobel and Varen.The boundaries which divide Life from Death are at best shadowy and vague. Who shall say where the one ends, and where the other begins? —Edgar Allan PoeThe fine line between life and death blurred long ago for Isobel Lanley... -
The Gifts That Bind Us by Caroline O'Donoghue
Rated: 4.16 of 5 stars · 17 ratingsA spellbinding supernatural teen drama - and sequel to All Our Hidden Gifts.Maeve and her friends have revealed their powers and banded together as a coven: Roe can pick locks, Lily sends sparks flying, Maeve can read minds and Fiona can heal any injury. And even better than their newfound talents? Roe and Maeve are officially an item... -
The Scorpio Races by Maggie Stiefvater
It happens at the start of every November: the Scorpio Races. Riders attempt to keep hold of their water horses long enough to make it to the finish line. Some riders live. Others die. At age nineteen, Sean Kendrick is the returning champion. He is a young man of few words, and if he has any fears, he keeps them buried deep, where no one else can see them. Puck Connolly is different... -
Angel Fire by L.A. Weatherly
Rated: 4.11 of 5 stars · 26 ratingsIn the wake of the Second Wave, the angel menace has exploded, and Alex and Willow are on the lam. Willow's prophetic dream points them to Mexico City, where they connect with a fledgling group of angel killers led by the exotically beautiful Kara, an Angel Killer from Alex's past...Categorized as:
dystopian mystery magic love triangle other-man-woman contemporary fantasy young adult -
Web of Lies by Jennifer Estep
Curiosity is definitely going to get me dead one of these days. Probably real soon.I'm Gin Blanco. You might know me as the Spider, the most feared assassin in the South. I’m retired now, but trouble still has a way of finding me. Like the other day when two punks tried to rob my popular barbecue joint, the Pork Pit. Then there was the barrage of gunfire on the restaurant...Categorized as:
love triangle strong heroine mystery magic slow burn suspense dystopian other-man-woman -
Night World, No. 3 by L.J. Smith
Rated: 4.07 of 5 stars · 50 ratingsIncludes:Book 7 - HuntressBook 8 - Black DawnBook 9 - Witchlight Vampires, werewolves, witches, shapeshifters - they live among us without our knowledge. Night World is their secret society, a secret society with very strict rules. And fallin in love breaks all the laws of the Night World. The apocalypse is drawing near. But four Wild Powers can save the world from the impending doom... -
The Killing Season by Meg Collett
Rated: 4.14 of 5 stars · 13 ratingsIn the far Alaskan north, there are places the winter sun cannot reach. Places where light won't shine for months. These are the places we hunt the monsters who feed on fear. So begins the Killing Season. For the next sixty-five days, we will face the darkness. Some will hunt the aswangs in the ever night, but I, Ollie Andrews, am here for one purpose: to search for answers to my past...Categorized as:
dystopian strong heroine mystery suspense fantasy paranormal urban fantasy new adult -
The Hunter by L.J. Smith
Rated: 4.08 of 5 stars · 26 ratingsHe sold her the game, and Jenny Thornton walked out mesmerized by Julian, the gorgeous cyber-punk with electric blue eyes and frost-white hair. When she and her friends open the plain white box at her boyfriend Tom’s birthday party, she chills to the warning: “Entering the Shadow World can be deadly. Do so at your own risk.” Spellbound, they piece together the rooms with their darkest nightmares...Categorized as:
love triangle mystery magic other-man-woman contemporary fantasy young adult vampires -
House of Hollow by Krystal Sutherland
Rated: 4.05 of 5 stars · 49 ratingsA dark, twisty modern fairytale where three sisters discover they are not exactly all that they seem and evil things really do go bump in the night.Iris Hollow and her two older sisters are unquestionably strange... -
Braving the Elements by K.F. Breene
Sasha has always known she was different, but now she also knows that the shadow men she’s seen all her life, are real. With a life goal of fitting in, Sasha hopes her strange abilities will finally make true friendship a possibility. Unfortunately, her magic doesn’t function like everyone else’s. What she thought would make her belong, sets her apart now more than ever...Categorized as:
suspense strong heroine magic sassy heroine contemporary young adult vampires paranormal -
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The Summoning by Kelley Armstrong
My name is Chloe Saunders and my life will never be the same again. All I wanted was to make friends, meet boys, and keep on being ordinary. I don't even know what that means anymore. It all started on the day that I saw my first ghost - and the ghost saw me. Now there are ghosts everywhere and they won't leave me alone...Categorized as:
strong heroine dystopian suspense love triangle mystery magic slow burn other-man-woman -
The Dark and Hollow Places by Carrie Ryan
Rated: 4.06 of 5 stars · 33 ratingsThere are many things that Annah would like to forget: the look on her sister's face before Annah left her behind in the Forest of Hands and Teeth, her first glimpse of the Horde as they swarmed the Dark City, the sear of the barbed wire that would scar her for life. But most of all, Annah would like to forget the morning Elias left her for the Recruiters...Categorized as:
mystery suspense love triangle dystopian other-man-woman contemporary fantasy young adult -
Dreams of Gods & Monsters by Laini Taylor
By way of a staggering deception, Karou has taken control of the chimaera rebellion and is intent on steering its course away from dead-end vengeance. The future rests on her, if there can even be a future for the chimaera in war-ravaged Eretz. Common enemy, common cause... -
The Archived by Victoria Schwab
The dead rest on shelves like books. Each body has a story to tell, a life in pictures only Librarians can read. The dead, called 'Histories', rest in the Archive. Da first brought Mackenzie Bishop here four years ago, when she was twelve years old, frightened but determined to prove herself...Categorized as:
magic strong heroine suspense love triangle dystopian mystery other-man-woman slow burn -
Rogue by Gina Damico
Rated: 4.07 of 5 stars · 16 ratingsLex is a teenage Grim Reaper with the power to Damn souls, and it’s getting out of control. She’s a fugitive, on the run from the maniacal new mayor of Croak and the townspeople who want to see her pay the price for her misdeeds. Uncle Mort rounds up the Junior Grims to flee Croak once again, but this time they’re joined by Grotton, the most powerful Grim of all time... -
Half Wild by Sally Green
"You will have a powerful Gift, but it’s how you use it that will show you to be good or bad."In a modern-day England where two warring factions of witches live amongst humans, seventeen-year-old Nathan is an abomination, the illegitimate son of the world's most powerful and violent witch. Nathan is hunted from all sides: nowhere is safe and no one can be trusted...Categorized as:
magic love triangle dystopian other-man-woman fantasy young adult paranormal witches
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