[Free Audiobooks] Shadow of the Fox by Julie Kagawa & The Epic Crush of Genie Lo by F. C. Yee [Young Adult Asian Myth-Based Historical & Urban Fantasy]

AudioFile’s SYNC Summer of Listening 2019 promotion for young adults offers 2 free audiobooks per week—1 classic or non-fiction, 1 modern—as free MP3 downloads, usually available worldwide (some titles are subject to geo-restrictions, and you can see the planned release schedule here).

This week’s two selected titles, which have a theme of mythology-based adventure fantasy, available until 7am Eastern Time on May 16th, are as follows:

• Shadow of the Fox by Julie Kagawa, the 1st novel in the eponymous series of YA fantasy with strong f/m romantic elements drawing upon Japanese folklore, set in a loosely historical world where a half-human, half-kitsune raised by monks flees the destruction of her home temple with a piece of a powerful ancient scroll, sought by many hunters including a samurai with whom she forms an uneasy alliance under the impression that she will lead him to it, in order to survive; read by Joy Osmanski, Brian Nishii, Emily Woo Zeller, from HarperAudio, available worldwide
• The Epic Crush of Genie Lo by F. C. Yee, a YA urban fantasy drawing upon the Chinese tales of the Monkey King Sun Wukong, starring a girl in San Francisco who discovers her hidden supernatural powers and tries to balance her suburban high school life with a mythological invasion, with the help of an annoying exchange student from China who claims to know far too much about what’s going on; read by Nancy Wu, from Recorded Books, available worldwide

Offered as DRM-free MP3s through 7am Eastern Time on May 16th, available in selected countries worldwide (requires installing Overdrive Media console software on your PC, Mac, Android, or iDevice, and you need to finish downloading before the time limit).

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[Free eBook] Embrace by Jessica Shirvington [YA Urban Fantasy with Romance]

Embrace by Australian author Jessica Shirvington is the 1st novel in the Embrace aka Violet Eden quintet of young adult paranormal urban fantasy adventures with strong f/m romantic elements, free for a limited time courtesy of publisher Sourcebooks’ Fire imprint.

The quintet stars a teenager who finds out that her destiny is to be a protector of humanity against the vengeance of fallen angels in exile, eventually becoming its champion in a series of ongoing battles between good and evil.

This installment sets her up with the discovery of the rival groups of angels and their allies and her place among them, for which her kickboxing instructor has secretly been training her, and also establishes the obligatory love triangle with the enticing stranger of dubious allegiance.

Offered in Canada & US only (overseas rights are owned by a different publisher), available at multiple retailers.

[Free eBook] The Wolf Within by Pamela Belle [Epic Fantasy]

The Wolf Within by British author Pamela Belle is the 2nd novel in the Zithirian aka “Silver City” trilogy of epic fantasy, free for a limited time courtesy of publisher Endeavour Press’ Venture imprint.

This was originally published in 1995 by Pan Books and was a preliminary nominee for the BFA’s August Derleth Fantasy Award. The trilogy is set in a fantasy world where a magical empire is dominated by a a cruel ruler and plagued by political intrigues among feuding members of its decadent royalty even as external forces are massing against it over the course of decades, with each book focusing on a different generation.

This installment is a self-contained adventure with some f/m romantic elements, focusing on the bastard son of a sorcerer-King, seeking to escape his destiny of possession by a wolf-god’s bloodthirsty spirit by finding his way in the wider world among foreigners and other outcasts including a potential love from a people who’ve suffered from the Empire’s tyranny, even as his privileged past and personal responsibilities continue to haunt him.

Offered worldwide, available at Amazon.

[Free eBook REPEAT] Wilde Stories 2008: The Best of the Year’s Gay Speculative Fiction [LGBT Science Fiction & Fantasy Anthology]

Wilde Stories 2008: The Best of the Year’s Gay Speculative Fiction edited by Steve Berman, is the 2008 annual installment in the Wilde Stories series of reprint anthologies collecting the yearly best sfnal short stories featuring gay characters and/or thematic elements, free again for a limited time courtesy of LGBT specialty publisher Lethe Press.

This contains stories originally published in the Clarkesworld and now-defunct Subterranean sfnal genre magazines, as well as a Gaylactic Spectrum Award-winning short, and the collection itself was nominated for the 2008 Lambda Literary Award in the LGBT Science Fiction/Fantasy/Horror category.

Offered DRM-free, available worldwide at Amazon.

[Free eBook] Wraith of Vengeance by Edmund Glasby [Horror Mystery Collection]

Wraith of Vengeance by British author Edmund Glasby is a paranormal mystery/horror fiction collection short story collection, free for a limited time courtesy of publisher Endeavour Press’ Venture imprint.

This contains six dark tales with horror and speculative/paranormal mystery themes, including stories previously published in various small-press anthologies.

The title piece takes place in Venice, which is experiencing a spate of mysterious drowning deaths of burn victims in the canals, starring an inquisitive tour company adviser looking to plunder the stock of the latest victim, a shady antiques dealer storing his wares on an island abandoned since an outbreak of plague in the Middle Ages, who may just find more than he bargained for.

Offered worldwide, available at Amazon.

[Free eBook] Witchmark by C. L. Polk [Historical Fantasy with LGBT Romantic Suspense]

Witchmark by C. L. Polk is the 1st novel in the The Kingston Cycle series of historical fantasy with strong m/m romantic elements, free for a limited time courtesy of publisher Macmillan’s Tor Books.

This is their featured free eBook of the Month Club offer for February and is offered to help promote the upcoming 2nd novel, Stormsong, which will be released this summer. This first novel named in various 2018 lists for “Best Books of the Year” by NPR, Publishers Weekly, and The Chicago Review of Books, among others.

The series takes place in an alternate early 20th century where an England-analogue country is recovering from a magical WWI, and witches are second-class citizens exploited for their gifts in a land controlled by the nobility. This story is an intrigue-filled romantic suspense case, as a surgeon hiding his healing gift and his past at a war veteran’s hospital is convinced to jointly investigate the murder of a witch patient brought in by a handsome detective on the trail of a poisoner, which in turn leads to the discovery of a dangerous secret, even as his estranged sister tries to convince him to return to the ambitious noble family he fled.

Offered through February 15th at midnight Eastern Time, available DRM-free to Canada & US-only directly from the publisher.

[Free eBook] The River of the Dancing Gods by Jack L. Chalker [Fantasy]

The River of the Dancing Gods by the late Jack L. Chalker, a recipient of the Phoenix and Skylark Awards for his imaginative fiction, is the 1st novel in the Dancing Gods quintet of contemporary portal fantasy, free for a limited time courtesy of publisher Phoenix Pick Press.

This is their featured Free Book of the Month for November, and was originally published in 1984 by Ballantine’s Del Rey imprint, remaining popular enough to be continually reprinted for over a decade. The series is a portal fantasy starring characters from our world who are whisked away to a magical realm where an ancient battle is being fought between good and evil, finding themselves much transformed along the way.

This self-contained installment introduces two strangers about to have a fatal accident in Texas, who are offered a choice by a visiting wizard to instead gain new lives in a new world, which proves to a challenging one as they adjust to its strange wonders and must help prevent the upcoming Armageddon.

Offered DRM-free worldwide through November, available directly from the publisher.

[Free eBook] The Black Tides of Heaven by JY Yang [Award-Nominated Sci-Fantasy]

The Black Tides of Heaven by Singaporean author JY Yang is the 1st novella in the Tensorate series of hybrid science fiction/fantasy exploring social and revolutionary issues, free for a limited time courtesy of publisher Macmillan’s Tor Books.

This is their featured free eBook of the Month Club offer for November and was a finalist for the Hugo, Nebula, and World Fantasy Awards. The series takes place in an East Asian-inspired hybrid science fantasy setting, where a ruthless Protector uses magic to maintain her dominance in a society where children grow up genderless until making their choice at adulthood, and suppressed Machinists turn to technology in the hopes of undermining the regime.

The story stars the twin children of the Protector, traded as infants to a monastery for political gain, one of whom begins displaying a gift for prophetic visions, which causes a deepening rift between the growing twins as they experience divided loyalties upon realizing the truth of their mother’s rule and make different choices at adulthood, leading one towards the rebels’ path as their sibling bond becomes increasingly strained.

Offered through November 16th until midnight Easter Time, available DRM-free to Canada & US only directly from the publisher.

[Free eBook] Key of Behliseth by Lou Hoffmann [YA LGBT Fantasy]

Key of Behliseth by Lou Hoffmann is the 1st novel in the The Sun Child Chronicles series of young adult portal fantasy, free for a limited time courtesy of LGBT specialty publisher Dreamspinner Press’ Harmony Ink imprint for teen readers.

This is being made free to help promote the newly-released 3rd novel, Ciarrah’s Light.

The series is a portal fantasy, starring a homeless gay teen from our world who winds up stepping through a wizard’s door into a magical fantasy realm at war. This installment sees him discovering the world’s existence and learning of his obligatory destiny and the unsuspected ties which led him there as he begins to come to terms with his new role and powers.

Offered worldwide through October 30th until midnight Eastern Time, available DRM-free directly from the publisher’s webstore and also other major ebook retailers.

[Free eBook] Ravenmoon by Peter Tremayne [Irish Myth-Based Historical Fantasy]

Ravenmoon by British author Peter Tremayne, perhaps best known as the author of the popular Sister Fidelma historical mystery series, is a standalone irish mythological historical fantasy novel, free for a limited time courtesy of publisher Endeavour Press’ Venture imprint.

This was originally published in 1988 by Methuen, and is based upon the Irish mythological tale of The Expulsion of the Déisi from “Cycles of the Kings”, an 8th century narrative about the fictional history of a powerful social group in Ireland’s Early Middle Ages, apparently made up to provide a mythical noble origin for their descendants as heirs to a displaced royal dynasty.

The story is a loosely-adapted fantasy version strongly inspired by the original, recasting it in even more magical ancient times full of heroes, gods, and creatures from the Otherworld, as a boy is born to the Dèsi clan under the curse that he will drive his people out of their land, and the adventures that follow as they flee Eire and the High King’s wrath.

Offered worldwide, available at Amazon.