African American Fiction Magic

For Talib Ware, the past is simply what happened yesterday. Talib “Kalim” spent centuries falling in love with the same woman, Hagar. Life after life, crossing continents and dynasties, he and Hagar, despite them changing name and form, have been drawn together. And he remembers it all. Talib has “the memory”. The ability to recall past lives and recognize souls of those he's previously known. It is a gift and a curse. For all the times he and Hagar have been drawn together throughout history, she's found some way to break his heart, tearing them painfully and sometimes fatally ...

A Ghanaian journalist based in the US returns to Ghana with a few friends for the holidays in December 2019. That month is meant to be the climax of the Ghanaian government’s year-long "Year of Return" initiative, commemorating 400 years since the first slaves from West Africa arrived in Virginia. "The Year of Return" takes on a whole new meaning when large numbers of ghosts—formerly enslaved Africans who drowned during the Middle Passage—emerge from the Atlantic Ocean, leading to months of global pandemonium, and concluding with a series of vengeful homicides.

A CHRISTIAN SUSPENSE ABOUT SPIRITUAL WARFARE. When it comes to “falling in love,” you can't help who you fall in love with. This is the sobering reality of Malik Harrington, the wealthy heir of a well-known preacher, who falls hard for Isabella Chavez, the stunning daughter of one of the hired help. But unbeknownst to Malik, Gina Wheaton, the main organist at his father’s church, is obsessed with becoming his wife to the point of seeking assistance from the “dark side.” Gina wants Malik and she will do whatever it takes to get him. As if Malik doesn’t already face enough of a ...

When twelve-year-old Rory applies for a job at a spooky old mansion in his gloomy seaside town, he finds the owner, Lord Foxglove, odd and unpleasant. But he and his mom need the money, so he takes the job anyway. Rory soon finds out that his new boss is not just strange, he’s not even human—and he’s trying to steal the townspeople’s shadows.

After Winna's little sister breaks her glasses, her grandfather gives her an old-timey pair of spectacles that belonged to her great-aunt Estelle. The specs are silver and perfectly circular, with tiny stars on the bridge and earpieces that curl all the way around her ears. Best of all, they're magic. Because when Winna makes a wish beginning with the words "What if"—that is, when she speculates—the spectacles grant it.

Since her encounter with Ori years ago, Jessica has continued her mission to print the truth that the world needs to hear. This pursuit has led her to meet with a source, Zach Carver, a leading mind at Singularity Group. The meeting goes awry, and Jessica awakens to find that she has a gap in time and memory and that Zach is now missing. To her surprise, Ori reappears to help her. His solution involves a promising young recruit, Malik, whose research could be the key to recovering Zach. Yet the forces they are up against have proven they will go to great lengths to remove any obstacle.

Solari—children with superpowers—have always been native to Nigeria, but Onyeka and her friends have been alerted to one hidden in England. Tasked with retrieving the young Solari, they successfully complete their mission, arriving safe and sound back at the Academy of the Sun with Tobi in tow. Tobi’s identity and superpower remain a mystery, until a breadcrumb trail leads Onyeka to the truth. But someone else has uncovered the secret, and unlike Onyeka, they don’t have Tobi’s best interests at heart. Can our superhero save the day once again?

Charles’ life is split between two worlds: one real and one fantasy. In the real world, he is a lonely, bullied kid who can’t keep up with school when the letters refuse to stay still on the page, and is constantly in trouble for getting distracted. He lives with his mom in an apartment building, where Glory, the grumpy old superintendent, fills his head with stories about the Dream Folk. In his fantasy world, the Sanctuary, Charles adventures with faeries and sprites and his two imaginary best friends.

Canisia Lubrin's debut fiction is that rare work of art—a brilliant, startlingly original book that combines immense literary and political force. Its structure is deceptively simple: it departs from the infamous real-life “Code Noir,” a set of historical decrees originally passed in 1685 by King Louis XIV of France defining the conditions of slavery in the French colonial empire. The original Code had fifty-nine articles; Code Noir has fifty-nine linked fictions—vivid, unforgettable, multi-layered fragments filled with globe-wise characters who desire to live beyond the ruins of the past.

A group of women contemplate violence after they’re sent into foreign territory to make husbands of the enemy. A support network of traumatized joggers meets to discuss the bodies they’ve found on their runs. And a town replaces its Confederate monument with a rotating cast of local residents. Slippery but muscular, sly but electric, this stunning debut collection moves from horror to magical realism to satire with total authority. In these stories, characters build and remake their sense of home, be it with one another or within themselves.

Simone "Simmy" James never had it easy. When her father's drug operation, one of the biggest on the East Coast, was dismantled, Simone lost both of her parents to the system - her father to a life sentence, and her mother to a 25-year sentence. Gone were the days of luxury cars, high-end clothes, and jewelry that Simmy had grown used to. Forced to live in overcrowded conditions in her grandmother's house, Simmy has to learn how to make money any way she can, and her cousin Jayla is happy to show her the art of high-end boosting. Things run smoothly for a while, until Jayla is arrested.

Chicago, 1954. When his father, Montrose, goes missing, 22-year-old army veteran Atticus Turner embarks on a road trip to New England to find him, accompanied by his uncle George - publisher of The Safe Negro Travel Guide - and his childhood friend Letitia. On their journey to the manor of Mr. Braithwhite - heir to the estate that owned one of Atticus’ ancestors - they encounter both mundane terrors of white America and malevolent spirits that seem straight out of the weird tales George devours.

ONE TOUCH CAN CHANGE EVERYTHING. As the subservient wife of an adulterous husband, Lady Eren knows how to hide her real feelings. Only once in her life did she feel like herself: on the night she unearthed a mysterious idol, with the help of her new stepson, Lane. Turns out Lane remembers that night just as clearly… albeit for different reasons. Eren was only twenty when she married his cheating father, and she has haunted his teenage dreams ever since. Now, ten years later, Lane’s been called home to marry… and the still-gorgeous Eren is playing his matchmaker. If that wasn’t ...

Since it was first published in 1964, Whistle for Willie has delighted millions with the story of Peter, who longs to whistle for his dog.

Born into one of the most powerful covens on the North American continent, Maya Beauvais has a past with a dangerous history that brings chills to even the strongest of Guardians from The Vampire Hunters Academy. A witch with the power to open the gates of Hell itself and a destiny to unleash one of the Fallen is indeed a recipe for a cosmic disaster. But as Fate would have it, even a witch like Maya would be granted a choice: become a harbinger of death and destruction or rewrite her narrative in the archives of destiny and become someone great.

Celeste and Anubis were true soulmates since the moment they locked eyes. The only thing that separated them was the birth of their son Callum. Now she is a single mother of a nonverbal autistic child. Forced to deal with his tantrums and constant ridicule and stares of the public. All Callum Anu's life he has wondered two things; what the colors and numbers mean, and why his father doesn’t love him. For years he has been silent, listening to the people around him ask invasive questions, but the moment he sees the woman with the long dark hair, he knows he has to speak. A mother and son ...

“It isn’t every day you learn monsters exist. Demons are real, and that you are destined to destroy the universe…” Kalib Andrews thought he knew who he was. But six months ago, that all changed when a stranger from his past revealed that Kalib is an Angel Warrior, one of the most powerful beings ever to exist. But what happened to the original Angel Warriors? How could such powerful beings simply disappear? And why? Legend has it that “Ambrose,” the first Magicborne, was behind their annihilation. Now, Kalib fears that the mysterious Heir of Ambrose is determined to fulfill ...

When Walt and his family relocate to Blackbird Bay, Walt thinks it’s the most boring place on earth. While his twin sister, Van, likes to spend her time skateboarding, Walt prefers to hide out in his room and work on his beloved map world, Djaruba. But shortly after their arrival, Walt discovers something extraordinary: He has the ability to make maps come to life.

Pick a master and serve. Serve them well and die. Marigold wants to die the right way. She wants a transformative bite from her master. Vampires have it all: the statuesque look, the immortal life, and the power to enchant others. All she has is debt, a distracted boyfriend, and a desire to be more than human. When unwanted holiday gifts are exchanged between two master vampires, Marigold’s wish might come true if she can survive until dawn. A perfectly sized introduction into the new paranormal worlds created by urban fantasy and paranormal romance author Azaaa Davis. Start reading Hiss,...

I've always known something was wrong with me. From the dreams, the nightmares, the headaches... But what I didn't know, was what I was destined to become. And I have no idea which is scarier: not knowing who I am or discovering the power that flows through my veins.