The Blood of Outcasts is author D.A. Smith’s first published full-length novel and the premier book in The Bane Sword Trilogy. It is a dark and gritty story about the price paid for loyalty and honor – plus there are cool weapons, fights, and a little bit of magic.
Review: The Sword in the Street by C.M. Caplan
The Sword in the Street is C.M. Caplan’s debut novel and was a 2021 SPFBO semi-finalist. Interesting characters, well-written prose, and fun sword fights make this book one definitely worth reading.
Review: Gods and Dragons (Wake the Dragon #3) by Kevin J. Anderson
Gods and Dragons is book 3 and the final release in Kevin J. Anderson’s epic fantasy series Wake the Dragon (my reviews of the first two books can be found at the following links: Spine of the Dragon, Vengewar). While those reviews were short of glowing, I felt the need to continue with the series because I thought there was potential for a great ending. I wanted to see the storylines play out, hopeful for a fantastic finish; and, while I would not necessarily describe it as “fantastic”, it ended up being pretty good.
Review: Vengewar (Wake the Dragon #2) by Kevin J. Anderson
Vengewar is the second release in Kevin J. Anderson’s Wake the Dragon series, a story for which I had high hopes coming in. If you read my review of book 1 (if you have not, you can do so HERE), you know that I was disappointed but ultimately decided the series had enough potential to continue with it. I am mostly happy about that decision, as I did enjoy book 2 more and the setup going into book 3 is very intriguing.
Review: Spine of the Dragon (Wake the Dragon #1) by Kevin J. Anderson
Spine of the Dragon is the first release in Kevin J. Anderson’s Wake the Dragon series. I was really excited going in to this book, as the synopsis mentions many of the aspects I love about fantasy novels: ancient gods, big battles, and dragons. Unfortunately, though, it missed the mark for me.
Review: Jade Legacy (Green Bone Saga #3) by Fonda Lee
Jade War is the third and final release in Fonda Lee’s Green Bone Saga series (I previously reviewed books 1 and 2 here and here). Considering the events of first two books in the series, I had high hopes for this finale, but I was also a little trepidatious about where the final storylines were going to end up. Read on to find out what I thought of the ending.
Review: Jade War (Green Bone Saga #2) by Fonda Lee
Jade War is the sequel to Jade City and the second book in Fonda Lee’s Green Bone Saga series. I was so happy after reading book 1 that I could not wait to read book 2, and I dove right in. As expected, Jade War lives up to the expectations created by the greatness of Jade City.
Review: Jade City (The Green Bone Saga #1) by Fonda Lee
Jade City is the first book in Fonda Lee’s critically-acclaimed Green Bone Saga series, and… wait, what was that? I am three years late getting to it, you say? Yes, that is true, and let me tell you: no one regrets waiting to read this series more than I do. I wish I had read it earlier, because, not only do I love it, but it is clearly one of the best fantasy books of the last 5 years.
Review: Mouse Trap (Clay Wolfe/Port Essex Mystery #3) by Matt Cost
Clay Wolfe and crew are back with another round of hijinks, thanks to author Matt Cost. I have liked this series because of the shenanigans, the budding romance, the action sequences, the sexy scenes, and the fun, ridiculous narratives. Sometimes, it is fun just to get lost in a trope-y mystery, and Mouse Trap provides just that.
Review: Servant Mage by Kate Elliott
Servant Mage is the latest book from veteran SFF , and another feather in the Tor/TorDotCom novella cap. The sibling imprints have become something of an expert in releasing novellas that cover broad strokes while focusing in on intimate moments at the same time. Servant Mage fits right into that mold.
Five Reads for 2022
It has become a bit of a tradition for me to post a list of five of the books I am looking forward to in the coming year (though, in this case, as I am a little late getting it written – it is actually books for this year). The list of phenomenal books being released in 2022 is endless, so choosing five is so hard. But, here it goes: Five Reads for 2022 (BE WARE: some synopsis may contain spoilers for previous books).
Traveling Cloak’s Favorite Indie Reads of 2021
With so many great Indie authors writing books, I wanted to give them their own post to highlight all the good work being done. I think I read more Indie books than ever last year, and here are my favorites.