Play of Shadows is many things, just like its crew of colourful characters, but most of all, it is a fast-paced joy-ride from start to finish, filled to the brim with swashbuckling action, multilayered protagonists, bombastic and/or bawdy personalities, and self-aware melodrama, that is in no way held back by the dark events and ominous foes it presents.
Action Fantasy
Review: Red Season Rising (The Red Season Series #1) by D.M. Murray
Synopsis A feud between Gods.A nation besieged by armies of man, and demon.A man seeking redemption, and peace. Kalfinar is a grieving addict. Once a decorated and respected soldier, he has been demoted and disgraced.The relative peace of his half-life is shattered by the onset of chaos and war.Tormented by visions, he is marked for […]
Review: Dragon Rider by Taran Matharu
FROM THE ASHES OF AN EMPIRE, A HERO WILL RISE… ‘A dazzlingly epic and richly complex world of dragons, magic, and rebellion’ Amélie Wen Zhao, New York Times bestselling author of Song of Silver, Flame Like Night ‘A classic fantasy adventure that reminds me of the novels I loved growing up, but with a flair of cultivation from the novels […]
Review: Sealed Empire by Norbert Zsivicz
-Norbert Zsivicz first book, the Hungarian Literary Award winner Sealed Empire now available in English by the famous translator Tamás Pétersz (Game of Thrones). Blurb Ser Edward, an experienced sailor, embarks on perhaps the most daring expedition of the Kingdom of Esenworth so far. His mission is to try to earn the blessing of the […]
Review: Demon’s Rage (The Bloodwood Saga #2) by David Estes and Ben Galley
Synopsis The war to save the Swathe is far from over.Since the Battle of Shal Gara, the Scions have lurked in the dangerous loam, hunting the survivors of the Last Clan. But a malice grows in the treetops and the canopies of the bloodwoods. Fireborn lies creep like a rot through the Swathe, turning citizen […]
Review: The Malevolent Seven by Sebastian de Castell
TL;DR Review: Suicide Squad done right. Grim, gritty, sarcastic, and charmingly irreverent. Entertaining from start to finish. Synopsis: ‘Seven powerful mages want to make the world a better place. We’re going to kill them first.’ Picture a wizard. Go ahead, close your eyes. There he is, see? Skinny old guy with a long straggly beard. No […]
Review: Dragons of Wild (Upon Dragon’s Breath #1) by Ava Richardson
Synopsis The once peaceful kingdom of Torvald has been ravaged by evil magic, forcing Riders to forget their dragons and their noble beasts to flee to the wilds. Now, anyone who dares to speak of dragons is deemed insane and put to death. Into this dark and twisted land, Saffron was born sixteen years ago. […]
Review: The Way of the Renegades by Steve D Wall (The Bards and Dragons Saga 1)
Rating: 8/10An action-packed flintlock fantasy book about guns, mages, bards and dragons! Ulric, former war hero, has been living a quiet life of exile in the frontier city of Quinport and wants only to continue hiding from the mistakes of his past. But then he discovers the invention of a revolutionary new kind of rifle, […]
Review: Crucible of Chaos (Court of Shadows: Prelude) by Sebastien De Castell
Other than a Masterclass in creative and devastating insults, Crucible of Chaos is the prelude to De Castell’s upcoming series, A Court of Shadows, set once again in the Greatcoats universe, and oh how I’d missed Tristia and its mottle mix of travelling magistrates. Truly dear reader, I can’t even begin to explain to you what the original tetralogy means to me so I won’t try it now. Suffice it to say that this standalone mystery thriller works as an excellent bridge between what came before and what is yet to entertain and possibly hurt us. I for one am dying to see what the author has planned, starting this March.
Review: Arc-Children of Corruption (The Storm Beneath the World #1) by Michael R Fletcher
Synopsis Cursed by the gods, the insectile ashkaro live on flying islands travelling the eternal River of Days while a hellish firestorm devours the world below. Collected into queendoms, the higher caste brights live in the luxurious windward rain-forest while the servile dulls scrape out a desperate existence in the leeward desert.Conflicts escalate between two […]
REVIEW: His Ragged Company (Testimonies of Elias Faust #1) by Rance D. Denton
SYNOPSIS A pissed-off warlock with a taste for revenge. An army of sand-golems with fistfuls of magic. A wishing well with a mind of its own. No wonder Blackpeak, Texas never got its spot on the map. Town marshal Elias Faust thinks that he can make any problem go away if he throws enough lead […]
Tears of the Maelstrom (The Legacy of Boulom #2) by Timothy Wolff
Synopsis: The realm has been saved, but at what cost? With Vaynex on the brink of civil war, Tempest Claw struggles for peace among his people, many of whom seek vengeance for their lost deity. As the recession grows deeper, one thing remains clear: Tempest will either find common ground with his brethren, or a […]