FanFiAddict

A gaggle of nerds talking about Fantasy, Science Fiction, and everything in-between. They also occasionally write reviews about said books. 2x Stabby Award-Nominated and home to the Stabby Award-Winning TBRCon.

Eleni A.E.

Captivating First Lines Pt. 2

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Hello again dear reader or listener, I hope you’re enjoying your Sunday! I once again have literary appetizers for you.

Since I recently received a (very amusing) spam bot comment on one of my old list posts, I thought I might as well make a part 2 given it’s been three years! As you can guess from the title, I felt like listing the very first (or first few) lines from books currently on my shelves, that I found especially captivating for one reason or other. Maybe they’re particularly ominous, or amusing, or intriguing, but in each case, they set the tone incredibly well.

Review: The Redemption of Morgan Bright by Chris Panatier

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At its core, Redemption is a book about the true horror that is the loss of bodily autonomy and mental health. Something that women have faced (and, depressingly, continue to), in societies that have arbitrarily decided any deviation from certain gendered templates is grounds for taking over their free will and guilt-tripping them into oblivion

Review: Play of Shadows (Court of Shadows #1) by Sebastien de Castell

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Play of Shadows is many things, just like its crew of colourful characters, but most of all, it is a fast-paced joy-ride from start to finish, filled to the brim with swashbuckling action, multilayered protagonists, bombastic and/or bawdy personalities, and self-aware melodrama, that is in no way held back by the dark events and ominous foes it presents.

Guest Post & Giveaway: 5 Hot Takes for (Hot) Aspiring Authors on How to Git Gud By Salinee Goldenberg

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My big secret is that I never thought I could become a published author. I don’t mean that in the usual self-deprecating imposter syndrome laden tirade, I mean that it simply never occurred to me, even though I’ve been telling stories since I was a baby, stapling together crayon drawings of chicken ninjas and babbling for my dad to write down the text.

Review: The Warm Hands of Ghosts by Katherine Arden

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I don’t know what kind of otherworldly sorcery Arden imbues her words with to make them feel so visceral, poignant, truthful, beautiful and powerful. I’ve rarely felt with the depth that I have through her writing, even when it’s over extremely simple or seemingly mundane things. But I do know she’ll keep having a space on my shelves any time she writes anything. This latest novel merely cemented that.

Review: Crucible of Chaos (Court of Shadows: Prelude) by Sebastien De Castell

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Other than a Masterclass in creative and devastating insults, Crucible of Chaos is the prelude to De Castell’s upcoming series, A Court of Shadows, set once again in the Greatcoats universe, and oh how I’d missed Tristia and its mottle mix of travelling magistrates. Truly dear reader, I can’t even begin to explain to you what the original tetralogy means to me so I won’t try it now. Suffice it to say that this standalone mystery thriller works as an excellent bridge between what came before and what is yet to entertain and possibly hurt us. I for one am dying to see what the author has planned, starting this March.

Eleni’s Top Reads of 2023

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Hello again dear reader or listener, remember the week between Xmas and NY doesn’t count for Santa’s list, so I hope you’ve been having fun these last few days of 2023!
If I’m being honest 2023 was a bit of a mixed bag and life stuff plus the undertaking of an MRes meant much less leisure reading for me this year. If I hadn’t signed up for so many ARCs in fact, I doubt I’d have read as much as I did in the end. But I am also pleased to say I had some great reads regardless and now I’m gonna do my best to give you a top five. This was the year I leaned a bit more into the thriller/horror/Gothic ambiances even though in this list you’ll also find various subgenres of fantasy such as steampunk, epic, and historical fantasy, as well as some romance.

Review: Uncanny Vows (Huntsmen #2) by Laura Anne Gilman

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Gilman opens up this sequel in one of my absolute favorite ways across media, and that is by zooming in from a seemingly normal and sweeping outdoor scene, into an indoor one of absolute chaos and mayhem. And so it is that months after the events of book one, we find Rosemary and Aaron battling pesky imps wreaking havoc during a routine hunt. Not only is this kind of scene absolutely hilarious but the medias res allows you to hit the ground running back into the action you left off from book one.

Review: Uncanny Times (Huntsmen #1) by Laura Anne Gilman

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I found this first entry in the Huntsmen series an excellent start to a hopefully long saga that promises good times, feels, sibling shenanigans, and lots of action. Also, there’s a molosser dog with one upturned and one downward ear as the animal companion and his name is Botheration. Need I say more?

Review: Good Girls Don’t Die by Christina Henry

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This is my first book by Henry and while maybe this specific one wasn’t entirely it for me, I did like her writing style enough to want to give her other works a go. Her prose flows and adjusts its pace to fit the exact type of situation she wants to carry across in the most efficient manner.

Review: Chaos Terminal (The Midsolar Murders #2) by Mur Lafferty

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Everything that was fun and entertaining was still as amusing and fulfilling in this second entry, with Lafferty’s sharp wit and humor shining as expected. The pop-culture references remained on point and the homages to Agatha Christie continued. Getting to reunite with all of the characters aboard the sentient station Eternity felt like revisiting old friends that you’d almost forgotten how much they can amuse and entertain you