So…the end of the year is (checks the calendar) just a few sleeps away. Apparently it is the job of a book reviewer like myself to provide a BEST OF THE YEAR list and I have honestly been keeping a list like this in mind since January 1 of this year. Now, I have 9 […]
About Will Swardstrom
Review: I, Medusa by Ayana Gray
Synopsis: Meddy has spent her whole life as a footnote in someone else’s story. Out of place next to her beautiful, immortal sisters and her parents—both gods, albeit minor ones—she dreams of leaving her family’s island for a life of adventure. So when she catches the eye of the goddess Athena, who invites her to […]
Review: The Heist of Hollow London by Eddie Robson
Synopsis: Arlo and Drienne are ‘mades’—clones of company executives, deemed important enough to be saved should their health fail. Mades work around the clock to pay off the debt incurred by their creation, though most are Reaped—killed and harvested for organs when their corporate counterparts are in medical need. But when the impossible happens and […]
Review: Operation Bounce House by Matt Dinniman
Synopsis: All colonist Oliver Lewis ever wanted to do is run the family ranch with his sister, maybe play a gig or two with his band, and keep his family’s aging fleet of intelligent agriculture bots ticking as long as possible. As a fan of Earth television and culture, he figures it will be a […]
Review: The Happiness Collector by Crystal King
Synopsis: After losing her book deal and her academic position, historian Aida Reale needs a new career, and fast. After all, she and her fiancé, Graham, have a wedding to pay for. So when a friend recommends her for an extremely high-paying position at a company called MODA, it’s almost too good to be true. […]
Review: I’ll Find You Where the Timeline Ends by Kylie Lee Baker
Synopsis: When you’re ready, come find me. I will keep you safe. -Hana Descended from a Japanese dragon god, Yang Mina was born with the power to travel through time, and has spent her life training to take her place in the Descendants, a secret organization whose purpose is to protect the timeline. Then Mina’s […]
Review: Tailored Realities by Brandon Sanderson
Synopsis: From #1 New York Times bestselling author Brandon Sanderson-creator of the Stormlight Archive, the Mistborn saga, and countless bestselling works of science fiction and fantasy-comes Tailored Realities, a new short fiction collection including the never-before-published novella Moment Zero. Spanning the genres of fantasy and science fiction, this collection features stories from beyond the bounds […]
Review: Brigands & Breadknives (Legends & Lattes #2) by Travis Baldree
Synopsis: Return to the cozy fantasy world of the #1 New York Times bestselling Legends & Lattes series with a new adventure featuring fan-favorite, foul-mouthed bookseller, Fern. Fern has weathered the stillness and storms of a bookseller’s life for decades, but now, in the face of crippling ennui, transplants herself to the city of Thune […]
Review: Witches of Dubious Origin by Jenn McKinlay
Synopsis: When a librarian discovers she’s descended from a long line of powerful witches, she’ll need all of her bookish knowledge to harness her family’s magic, in this enchanting cozy fantasy from New York Times bestselling author Jenn McKinlay. Zoe Ziakas enjoys a quiet life, working as a librarian in her quaint New England town. […]
Review: The White Octopus Hotel by Alexandra Bell
Synopsis: Journey to a magical hotel in the Swiss Alps, where two lost souls living in different centuries meet and discover that behind its many doors, they may just find a second chance. ‘Have you travelled a long way?’ she asked carefully. A smile twitched at the corner of his mouth. ‘Well, yes,” he said […]
Review: The Everlasting by Alix E. Harrow
Synopsis: Sir Una Everlasting was Dominion’s greatest hero: the orphaned girl who became a knight, who died for queen and country. Her legend lives on in songs and stories, in children’s books and recruiting posters―but her life as it truly happened has been forgotten. Centuries later, Owen Mallory―failed soldier, struggling scholar―falls in love with the […]
Review: The Best American Science Fiction and Fantasy 2025 edited by Nnedi Okorafor
Synopsis: A collection of the year’s best science fiction and fantasy short fiction selected by award-winning author of Death of the Author and the Binti Trilogy, Nnedi Okorafor, and series editor John Joseph Adams. The Best American series, launched in 1915, is the premier annual showcase for the country’s finest short fiction and nonfiction, and […]