TL;DR Review: Razor-sharp dialogue, a wildly imaginative alt-history fantasy world, and wonderfully extravagant characters result in what may be Joe Abercrombie’s best work to date. Synopsis: Holy work sometimes requires unholy deeds. Brother Diaz has been summoned to the Sacred City, where he is certain a commendation and grand holy assignment awaits him. But his […]
Adventure Fantasy
Book Review: Anji Kills a King (The Rising Tide #1) by Evan Leikam
TL;DR Review: A grimdark fantasy adventure, an indefatigable character, and cleverly woven mysteries that had me spellbound until the last page. Synopsis: An unlikely assassin struggles to escape a legendary bounty hunter in this breakneck fantasy debut that will grab you by the throat―perfect for fans of Joe Abercrombie, R.F. Kuang, and Christopher Buehlman. She […]
Review: Relentless Blades (Vol.1 of The Prophecies of Zarune) by Russell Carroll
Synopsis: Cross the wrong men and meet their blades! In a rugged frontier town, two broken men wander aimlessly–Grimlock, a tormented soul despised by the townspeople he protects, searches for a brother he may never find, while Vigilanton, a disgraced knight bound by shame, serves a vicious crime lord. The Vragoths’ arrival–brutal conquerors seeking an […]
Review: Vespertine by Margaret Rogerson
Synopsis The spirits of the dead do not rest. Artemisia is training to be a Gray Sister, a nun who cleanses the bodies of the deceased so that their souls can pass on; otherwise, they will rise as ravenous, hungry spirits. She would rather deal with the dead than the living, who whisper about her […]
GUEST REVIEW: The Tenacious Tale of Tanna the Tendersword by Dewey Conway & Bill Adams
Synopsis Finalist in the Self-Published Fantasy Blog-Off 10th Edition (SPFBOX)! First Middle Grade Finalist in Competition history! Galdifort Quillpen has grand dreams of writing epic tales of heroic deeds, just like his famous aunt. Unfortunately, he’s been assigned to Tanna the Tendersword, an excruciatingly carefree would-be-champion who can’t seem to find a qualifying entry-level quest. […]
Review: A Tide of Black Steel by Anthony Ryan
Synopsis From the international bestselling author Anthony Ryan comes the spectacular first novel in a new epic fantasy trilogy inspired by Norse mythology. A new age has dawned. An age of blood and steel. An age of wrath. “A gripping epic.” ––Publishers Weekly The land of Ascarlia, a fabled realm of bloodied steel and epic […]
Review: The Teller of Small Fortunes by Julie Leong
Synopsis A wandering fortune teller finds an unexpected family in this warm and wonderful debut fantasy, perfect for readers of Travis Baldree and Sangu Mandanna. Tao is an immigrant fortune teller, traveling between villages with just her trusty mule for company. She only tells “small” fortunes: whether it will hail next week; which boy the […]
Book Review: Legend of Uh by Aaron N. Hall
TL;DR Review: Fun, easy-reading adventure with an upbeat, humorous flavor. Enjoyable and suitable for all ages. Synopsis: Sir Dashing Junior was only knighted because they couldn’t knight his father twice. Now he’s determined to prove he’s worthy of his new title. With an aspiring ranger, an awkward friar, and a book-loving orc, DJ will venture across […]
Review: Goodbye Dolly A Story of World War One by E.J Lake
In late 1944, the American Flying Fortress, “Dangerous Dolly”, plunges into an electrical storm to escape destruction by a Nazi jet fighter. Captain Jack Ronan and her aircrew emerge over wartime England in the year 1915. There, they make a forced landing on the estate of an outcast politician named Winston Churchill. Desperate to restore […]
Review: Someone You Can Build a Nest In by John Wiswell
Synopsis Shesheshen has made a mistake fatal to all monsters: she’s fallen in love. Shesheshen is a shapeshifter, who happily resides as an amorphous lump at the bottom of a ruined manor. When her rest is interrupted by hunters intent on murdering her, she constructs a body from the remains of past meals: a metal […]
Review: Combat Monsters: Untold Tales of World War II edited by Henry Herz
Synopsis Combat Monsters brings together twenty award-winning and bestselling speculative fiction authors who each bring their own spin on an alternate history of World War II. New research has uncovered deeply buried military secrets—both the Allied and Axis special operations during World War II included monsters. Did the Soviets use a dragon to win the […]
Review: This Inevitable Ruin (Dungeon Crawler Carl #7) by Matt Dinniman
Synopsis They call it Faction Wars. The ninth floor. Nine armies, each led by rich and powerful aliens from across the galaxy. Each team has one objective: to capture and hold the castle at the very center of the battlefield. Strategy, alliances, pitched battles, and, of course, betrayal… It all makes for great fun and […]