Synopsis: Born into a cage of silk, Ada has never mistaken luxury for freedom. Her aristocratic family has already planned her life: marry the man her father chooses, obey the rules of high society, and enjoy every comfort except choice. Then the Shadows come for her. The secret criminal order usually recruits from the forgotten: […]
About Will Swardstrom
Review: Palaces of the Crow by Ray Nayler
Synopsis: In Ray Nayler’s speculative novel of the recent past, four young teens caught between Nazis and the Red Army survive winter in the woods with the help of a flock of highly intelligent crows with a magnificent secret of their own to protect Neriya, a young Jewish girl who dreams of becoming a biologist, […]
SPFBO XI Review: Blackwater by Emily Blakeney
Synopsis: There is much to be done when the kingdom isn’t looking. Iona Strider is a ruthless pickpocket cursed with a disobedient shadow. Violent, too. Worse, she can’t remember who cursed her, or why. But she does know one with each passing day, her control of the shadow dwindles. In her relentless pursuit of answers, […]
Review: The Girl with a Thousand Faces by Sunyi Dean
Synopsis: From the USA Today bestselling author of The Book Eaters comes The Girl with a Thousand Faces, a Gothic tale set in a historical Hong Kong that meshes ancient myths and local legends into a haunting story of ghosts, grief, and women who will not forgive. When Mercy Chan washed up on the shores […]
Review: The Last Contract of Isako by Fonda Lee
Synopsis: Get ready to be blown away by this searing standalone space opera where corporate samurai fight beneath merciless stars, and death is always a mere breath away. Isako is a legendary swordswoman, but every legend has to come to an end. When her long-time client unexpectedly retires, she plans to follow–to walk out into […]
Review: Star Trek: Red Shirts by Christopher Cantwell, illustrated by Megan Levens
Synopsis: The doomed Starfleet crew members, the red shirts, must track down spies on an isolated planet in this graphic novel. Stranded on the snow-ridden planet Arkonia 89, the crew of the U.S.S. Warren has a small window in which to pin down spies seeking to steal classified secrets and keep Starfleet data out of […]
Review: Terrible Worlds: Destinations by Adrian Tchaikovsky
Synopsis: The Future Is The Journey. The vastness of space, the endless ribbon of time, worlds beyond our own: humanity has always been driven to explore, to pass the horizon and enter the unknown. For too many, that drive is what ultimately destroys us. In three critically-acclaimed novellas, the “British master of science fiction” (Reactor) […]
Review: Platform Decay (The Murderbot Diaries #8) by Martha Wells
Synopsis: Everyone’s favorite lethal SecUnit is back in the next installment in Martha Wells’ bestselling and award-winning Murderbot Diaries series. Having someone else support your bad decision feels kind of good. Having volunteered to run a rescue mission, Murderbot realises that it will have to spend significant time with a bunch of humans it doesn’t […]
Review: The Heart of the Nhaga (The Bird That Drinks Tears #1) by Young-Do Lee, Translated by Anton Hur
Synopsis: Welcome to Lee Young-do’s epic classic series, The Bird That Drinks Tears. The master of Korean fantasy—often cited as the J.R.R. Tolkien of South Korea—Lee Young-do has created a tale of castles built on the backs of flying mantas, giant birdmen, heartless immortals, and a quest that will change the very nature of the […]
Review: Crownfall by Michael Vadney
Synopsis: The gritty underworld and razor-edged found family of Six of Crows collide with the mysterious magic and sweeping intrigue of The City of Brass, all against the vivid industrial backdrop of Arcane in Michael Vadney’s nobledark fantasy debut. Nearly a decade under the empire’s grip has left Burunt a troubled land. Kyndel Heim knows […]
Review: Green City Wars by Adrian Tchaikovsky
Synopsis: Philip Marlowe meets Redwall in this superior adult noir tale, where all the characters are animals, fighting for survival in the city underneath the humans. Down these mean streets a beast must walk… Meet Skotch. Racoon, P.I.—Yours for a few buttons as long as the job isn’t too illegal, whatever that means. A mouse […]
Review: Morbid Curiosities by S. Hati
Synopsis: An ambitious teen enrolls at an elite science institute in Morbid Curiosities, a young adult thriller from author S. Hati. When the Institute’s invitation arrived at my doorstep, it felt like it had been inked in my blood, sweat, and tears. Aarya’s life plan has been set for as long as she can remember: […]