renching, thoughtful and satisfying close. Each of the books in this series stands on their own in such a unique way: Jade City is a story about a city and its warring clans; Jade War broadens the scope, establishing a country on the geopolitical world stage; and Jade Legacy goes even further, as multiple generations of a family come to grips with their legacy and the future of their nation. As time progresses, as power waxes and wanes, who will finally take control of Kekon?
Fantasy
Captivating First Lines
Everyone knows that just as you don’t judge a book by its cover, you shouldn’t stop to judge one from its first lines either, hell, maybe not even from its first chapter. But those first few words can nonetheless be what makes the difference between a reader continuing your book or putting it down immediately, as they first and foremost set the tone.
Review: Shackled Fates (The Hanged God Trilogy #2) by Thilde Kold Holdt
Shackled Fates is the follow-up to author Thilde Kold Holdt’s 2020 debut novel Northern Wrath (which I absolutely loved. You can read my review here.) Northern Wrath was one of my favorite books of 2020, and I honestly did not think there was any way I could like book 2 more. But something happened on my way to Niflheim…
A Drowned Kingdom (The Drowned Kingdom #1) by P.L. Stuart
Synopsis Once Second Prince of the mightiest kingdom in the known world, Othrun now leads the last survivors of his exiled people into an uncertain future far across the Shimmering Sea from their ancestral home, now lost beneath the waves. With his Single God binding his knights to chivalric oaths, intent on wiping out idolatry […]
Review: The Wisdom of Crowds (The Age of Madness #3) by Joe Abercrombie
Synopsis Chaos. Fury. Destruction. The Great Change is upon us… Some say that to change the world you must first burn it down. Now that belief will be tested in the crucible of revolution: the Breakers and Burners have seized the levers of power, the smoke of riots has replaced the smog of industry, and […]
Review: Jade City (The Green Bone Saga #1) by Fonda Lee
Jade City by Fonda Lee shot up my TBR pile with the effusive praise poured upon Jade Legacy, the conclusion of the series. I was blessed to be sent a review copy of Jade City by Orbit, so I decided to start the trilogy.
This series is an urban fantasy tale with heavy influences from gangster and mafia stories mixed with kung-fu. I’m not a huge fan of those kind of stories, but I love well written characters and an interesting take on fantasy, so I gave it a shot.
Review: Reaper (Cradle #10) by Will Wight
It is very rare for a book to make me feel so deeply the grief of a lost loved one, the slow, step by step journey out of depression and apathy, the rejection of family, the joy of being with loving friends, the hopelessness of a lost cause, the hope of a better tomorrow, and the sorrow and brokeness of one who is scared of losing everyone they love. Reaper is a triumph, a book that for me has catapulted the Cradle series from very, very good to an all time great.
Review: Of Blood and Fire (The Bound and the Broken #1) by Ryan Cahill
Of Fire and Blood is a nostalgic and warm read, plucking on the lute strings of themes I enjoy around a warm fire of favourite tropes, gathered for the tale. It’s certainly not a fantasy trying to be an edgelord, it’s a book offering warmth and safety. A great, old timely tale wearing new clothing.
Review: The Fall (The Bound and the Broken #0.5) by Ryan Cahill
Visceral. Vivid. Action-packed.
Review: Priest of Lies (War for the Rose Throne #2) by Peter McLean
Synopsis Tomas Piety has been many things: soldier, priest, gangster…and spy. As Tomas’s power grows, the nobility better watch their backs, in this dark and gritty epic fantasy series. People are weak, and the poorer and more oppressed they are, the weaker they become–until they can’t take it anymore. And when they rise up…may the […]
Song of The Fell Hammer by Shawn Speakman
Synopsis Unknown to Sorin Westfall, a blacksmith in the wilds of Thistledon, millennia of religious doctrine may hearken the end of all things. A subtle presence has infiltrated Godwyn Keep, the center of the Kingdom’s faith, and stolen the ancient Fell Hammer of Aerom. It is an instrument of immense power, able to permanently tip […]
Review: The Bone Ship’s Wake (The Tide Child #3) by R.J. Barker
The Bone Ship’s Wake is the third and final installment in R.J. Barker’s The Tide Child trilogy. This series is known for it’s sea-faring, pirate-y writing style, prophetic storyline, and characters that dynamic characters. I can safely say The Bone Ship’s Wake holds true to form.