Some reviews or taglines in the covers mention the non-stop action and amazing plotting of the book and yes, there is that too! But the characters and the growth (and losses) they experience through this book made me put the novel at the top of my favorites. Sanderson nailed the human part of going through such a crisis as an impending alien invasion, and enhanced it with crazy spaceship fights, crazy-yet-funny AI and a world of characters and a planet we truly want to know more beyond this first novel. I literally had to take a breather after I finished this book, something that never happened before. It touched me deeply, as if I knew Spensa and lived Detritus’ struggles against the Krell with her, as a friend. For me, Skyward opened a door to the possibility of living a book on a deeply emotional plane, something I’ve never experienced before.
Review: Jade City (The Green Bone Saga #1) by Fonda Lee
“I’ll make an offer you can’t refuse”; those are the words echoed and mocked in so many movies. But they originated in a little book called “The Godfather” by Mario Puzzo in the late 60s and became a movie phenomenon. When I read “Jade City”, those words came to mind as this book is very much an organized crime novel. And if you add the touch of magic included in the story, from the Jade driven powers the characters have, it feels very much like gangster Urban fantasy.
Review: Come With Me by Ronald Malfi
Book Tour: Paladin Unbound by Jeffrey Speight
Review: Queensdaughter (The Queensdaughter Trilogy #1) by Amanda Ylva
Queensdaughter is Amanda Ylva’s debut novel, and the first installment in the author’s The Queensdaughter Trilogy. The book follows two sisters after they are attacked by evil creatures called the skaiga. Their home destroyed, each sister must choose her path wisely.
Review: The Master of Whitestorm by Janny Wurts
Author Chat – Brian Staveley
Author Chat – Gabriela Houston
Review & Author Chat: When the Sparrow Falls by Neil Sharpson
Participating in Events as a Neurodivergent Individual — Neurodivergence in Fiction
Hello all, and welcome to this week’s article for FanFiAddict’s series on Neurodivergence in Fiction. I cannot understate how appreciative I am for the overwhelming amount of support and enthusiasm I have seen for this series of mine; thank you! For the next several months we will be bringing you a guest post every Wednesday from a neurodivergent author. This will hopefully highlight some of the challenges that come with writing for a largely neurotypical audience, while also giving valuable insight to the craft itself and providing a window into the neurodivergent experience — at least through the lens of fiction.
Review: Nophek Gloss (The Graven #1) by Essa Hansen
Nophek Gloss is Essa Hansen’s debut and the first in the author’s The Graven series. I have seen some categorize this book as Space Opera, but I do not see the sweeping elements one normally finds in a book characterized as such. In my opinion, this is just good Science Fiction. The caveat to this statement is twofold: 1) I am not very good at labeling sub-genres, and 2) Sometimes with SciFi it is the second book in the series that really develops the epic scope that can broaden the horizons to push the series into Space Opera territory. So, I will reserve final judgement for now, but know that this is the context into which my review is framed.
SPFBO 7 Guest Post: Loveable Rogues by Jeffrey L. Kohanek
Hello everyone and welcome to our first guest post for the 7th annual Self Published Fantasy Blog Off! I have been working on reaching out to each of the authors who have landed in our batch of books for the competition to see if they would be interested in being interviewed or contributing a guest article in an attempt to drum up a little extra excitement for their book and (hopefully) get to know them a bit better. Jeffrey L. Kohanek joins us today to talk a bit about his love for the lovable rogues character archetype!