Narrowing down my favourite reads to ten was fun and not at all deeply traumatising This year has been a mildly seismic one in my reading tastes (think an earthquake which knocks a few books off your shelf and then quits while it’s ahead) which, as you may notice from this list, are mainly centred […]
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Melody of Mana (Melody of Mana) by Wandering Agent
Synopsis A young bard must rely on otherworldly know-how to navigate a magical, war-torn kingdom in the first book of an inventive coming-of-age fantasy series. Alana wasn’t always a child of the Kingdom of Bergond. In fact, she hails from an entirely different world. But an accident on Earth left her dead, and she was […]
Review: The Reformatory by Tananarive Due
Synopsis: Gracetown, FloridaJune 1950 Twelve-year-old Robbie Stephens, Jr., is sentenced to six months at the Gracetown School for Boys, a reformatory, for kicking the son of the largest landowner in town in defense of his older sister, Gloria. So begins Robbie’s journey further into the terrors of the Jim Crow South and the very real […]
Review: Kraken Rider Z ( Kraken Rider Z Series #1) by David Estes and Dyrk Ashton
Synopsis If there’s one thing dragons fear, it’s a kraken. Even lowly hull-scrubber Zee Tarrow knows that. Like everyone on the island kingdom of Tosh, he grew up frightened by fables and horrible tales of the great beasts of the deep. It seems an odd thing to impress upon the children of the realm, because–luckily […]
Review: Lumberjack by Anthony Engebretson
Synopsis: Nebraska city, 1901. There’s a curse on Arbor Lodge—an elusive demon reclaiming the illustrious home in the name of the prairie—and its owner, J. Sterling Morton, proud statesman, is desperate. It couldn’t be more fortuitous for lumberjack Neville, whose greatest desire is to prove himself a true man to the world. Morton offers respect, […]
Review: Burner by Robert Ford
Synopsis: IRISIt’s terrifying how quickly everything can be taken away from you. Iris learns this agonizing lesson in the blink of an eye. Her future dreams. Her past life. Everything gone in a storm of pain. But this pain is only the beginning. AUDREYAudrey had the perfect life. Great husband, beautiful daughter, lots of money. […]
Review: Owl Eyes Motel: Lover’s Retreat (Owl Eyes Motel #2) by Barbara Avon
Synopsis: Each room is its own unique story; each chapter, a room. Complimentary breakfast. Management is not responsible for lost luggage… or souls. Welcome! We are honoured to have you. Owl Eyes Motel is rich in history. Prior to its transformation, the building was a hospital, erected in 1901. A fire raged through its halls in 1920, […]
Review: Imago: A Dystopian Gothic by Matthew Zakharuk
Synopsis: Forsake the world that hates you. Embrace its monster. Tresor Institute accepts only the worthy, and Ada Călinescu is anything but. Intractable, mannish, a child of convicted terrorists, she can at best hope to be overlooked. Yet somehow the Institute accepts her application for transfer. Her ticket to the polar town of Heilung, home […]
Review: The Reformatory by Tananarive Due
Synopsis Twelve-year-old Robbie Stephens, Jr., is sentenced to six months at the Gracetown School for Boys, a reformatory, for kicking the son of the largest landowner in town in defence of his older sister, Gloria. So begins Robbie’s journey further into the terrors of the Jim Crow South and the very real horror of the […]
Review: Cage of Souls by Adrian Tchaikovsky
Cage of Souls is a captivating work of speculative fiction of the highest order. A standalone that felt like an entire series in scope and imagination. Adrian Tchaikovsky’s world building and storytelling is off the charts in this outrageously entertaining story.
Review: Voyage of the Damned by Frances White
All aboard for an early contender for 2024’s best fantasy Synopsis For a thousand years, Concordia has maintained peace between its provinces. To mark this incredible feat, the emperor’s ship embarks upon a twelve-day voyage to the sacred Goddess’s Mountain. Aboard are the heirs of the twelve provinces of Concordia, each graced with a unique […]
COVER REVEAL: The Boddicker Letters by A.C. Cross
Title: The Boddicker LettersAuthor: A.C. CrossCover Artist: Luke TarzianRelease Date: December 15th (eBook), paperback coming soonPreorder: Live now at Amazon.com: The Boddicker Letters eBook : Cross, A.C.Genre: Horror/Lovecraftian/Epistolary Blurb Titus Boddicker is in love. So in love, in fact, that he sends his beloved Luisa a letter nearly every day. Unfortunately for Titus, these letters paint […]