[Free Audiobooks] Monstrous Beauty by Elizabeth Fama & The Lost World by Arthur Conan Doyle [YA Fantasy & Classic Science Fiction]

AudioFile’s SYNC Summer of Listening 2018 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 this is their final week of the event, from which I hope you’ve found books you’ve enjoyed.

This week’s two selected titles, which have a theme of the rediscovery of strange creatures from times past, available until 7am Eastern Time on July 26th, are as follows:

• Monstrous Beauty by Elizabeth Fama, is a standalone young adult paranormal fantasy novel starring a girl attempting to unravel the truth behind her family line, which seems to be afflicted by repeated tragedy dating back to a long-ago decision by a mermaid to leave the sea; read by Katherine Kellgren, from Macmillan Audio, available US, Canada, New Zealand, and selected other regions worldwide (excluding the UK, rest of the Commonwealth, and Europe)
• The Lost World by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, is a classic science fiction adventure novel originally published in 1912, starring the Sherlock Holmes creator’s other famous character Professor Challenger, on an expedition to a hidden plateau in South America where dinosaurs have survived to the present day; read by Glen McCready, from Naxos Audiobooks, available worldwide

Offered as DRM-free MP3s through 7am Eastern Time on July 26th, 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).

[Free eBook] Brellitine Grever and the Sea of Gelled by Ruhi Jain [YA Paranormal Fantasy]

Brellitine Grever and the Sea of Gelled by London-born India-resident author Ruhi Jain is the 1st novel in the Brell Trilogy series of young adult paranormal urban fantasy adventure, free for a limited time courtesy of publisher Endeavour Press’ Venture imprint.

The series takes place in a version of our modern world where folkloric creatures secretly exist, starring a girl whose parents have mysteriously disappeared, who gradually comes of age as she begins exploring the hidden realms.

This installment starts her journey of discovery as her brother also mysteriously disappears and she receives a tip that he has been kidnapped to become the heart of an evil mermaid queen, as she skeptically sets off to rescue him, as you do.

Offered worldwide, available at Amazon.

[Free eBook] The Vicious Deep by Zoraida Cordova [YA Mermaid Urban Fantasy]

The Vicious Deep by Ecuadoran-born author Zoraida Cordova is the 1st novel in the The Vicious Deep trilogy of young adult paranormal urban fantasy with f/m romantic elements, free for a limited time courtesy of publisher Sourcebooks’ Fire imprint.

This is apparently being made free to help promote her other series, Brooklyn Brujas, whose 2nd novel Bruja Born was released just last month. The series takes place near Coney Island, New York, starring a boy who gradually claims his secret heritage among the denizens of the sea as an ancient battle comes to the fore, placing him in conflict between duty, friendship, and love.

This installment sees him mysteriously disappearing at sea, only to return haunted with disturbing dreams and strange new abilities as he uncovers his true position in a hidden world, with the help of his best friend.

Offered worldwide, available at multiple retailers.

[Free eBook REPEAT] The Body Finder by Kimberly Derting [YA Paranormal Fantasy Mystery with Romance]

The Body Finder by Kimberly Derting is the 1st novel in her The Body Finder series of young adult paranormal urban fantasy with strong f/m romantic suspense elements, free again for a limited time courtesy of publisher HarperCollins’ Harper Teen imprint.

This is a contemporary urban fantasy series starring a teenaged heroine has an unusual secret ability to sense the dead bodies of people and animals who have been killed. This installment is a suspenseful one which pushes her into trying to actively use her abilities to catch a serial killer, with the help of her best friend who has a crush on her, while trying not to become the killer’s next victim.

Offered in the US only, available at multiple retailers (previously only free @ B&N the last time around).

[Free eBook] Fool’s Game by R. M. Dorn [Urban Fantasy]

Fool’s Game by R. M. Dorn is her apparently standalone urban fantasy novel, free for a limited time courtesy of publisher Endeavour Press’ Venture imprint.

This is one of their original publications by newer authors. The story stars a newly-single parent who stumbles across a very special deck of cards, which provides the entry to a deadly hidden paranormal world dominated by game of magic and monsters, in which she must play.

Offered worldwide, available at Amazon.

[Free eBook] Sweeter Than Wine by L. Neil Smith [Paranormal Fantasy Thriller]

Sweeter Than Wine by L. Neil Smith, a frequent finalist for the Prometheus Award for Libertarian SF, is his standalone modern-day vampire novel, free for a limited time courtesy of publisher Phoenix Pick Press.

This is their featured Free Book of the Month selection for May, and was originally released in 2011 as an online serial on the Phoenix Pick Press website, before being compiled into the complete novel edition.

The story stars a rather mundane vampire who lives a very ordinary, quiet sort of respectable blending-in life until one day, the mysterious woman who made him what he is reappears and needs his help, and whether this is a good or bad thing is something he’s about to find out.

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

[Free eBook] The Parasite by Ramsey Campbell [Award-Winning Paranormal Horror]

The Parasite by British author Ramsey Campbell, a frequent recipient of the British Fantasy and Bram Stoker Awards, is his vintage standalone paranormal fantasy horror thriller, free for a limited time courtesy of publisher Endeavour Press’ Venture imprint.

This was originally published in 1980 by Millington under the title To Wake the Dead, and was later reprinted by Macmillan under its current title. It won the 1981 August Derleth Award for Best Fantasy Novel from the British Fantasy Awards society.

The story starts in New York and stars a seemingly ordinary woman whose psychic powers are sparked after a brush with the occult at a party, which she begins to explore, even as they take on a disturbing turn as they grow.

Offered worldwide, available at Amazon.

[Free eBook] Wings by Aprilynne Pike [Young Adult Paranormal Fantasy]

Wings by Aprilynne Pike is the 1st novel in her Wings series of YA paranormal urban fantasy with f/m romance elements, free for a limited time courtesy of publisher HarperCollins’s Teen imprint.

The series is set in a stealth-paranormal version of our mundane world, starring a girl who discovers she has a hidden magical heritage. In this installment, the heroine’s family moves to a new town, where, having previously been homeschooled by her eccentric hippie parents, she experiences high school interactions with other teens, some of whom will become friends who help her uncover the cause behind the mysterious growth of her titular wings.

Offered in the US at Barnes & Noble as their Free Fridays weekend giveaway.

[Free eBook] Ghost Point by James A. Hetley [Paranormal Fantasy]

Ghost Point by James A. Hetley is the 4th novel in his Stonefort series of retro-contemporary rural fantasy set in Maine, free for a limited time courtesy of the author himself via the backlist author re-publishing consortium Book View Café.

This is a self-published continuation of a trilogy that was originally printed by Ace Books in the mid-2000s. The series is set approximately in the 1970s, as a Vietnam War veteran who has apparently had supernatural encounters while overseas returns home to retire to a simpler, more peaceful life. This story involves a paranormal mystery as he discovers that his rural home in Maine is not immune to the influence of the supernatural, as the spirit world begins to overlap with the real world, and a colleague of his experiences danger from both.

Offered worldwide, available DRM-free.

[Free eBook] Evernight by Claudia Gray [Young Adult Paranormal Fantasy with Romance]

Evernight by Claudia Gray is the 1st novel in her Evernight series of YA paranormal high school fantasy with strong f/m romantic elements, free for a limited time courtesy of publisher HarperCollins’ HarperTeen imprint.

The series is set in a secretly paranormal version of our modern world at the titular spooky Gothic boarding school, where the series heroine is a new student who has come from a small town and has no idea about the supernatural side of the world. This installment has her discovering the destiny which she hopes to escape, with the help of the obligatory love interest.

Offered in the US only, available at multiple retailers.