Blood of the Chosen is book 2 in Django Wexler’s Burningblade & Silvereye series, and the follow up to Ashes of the Sun (the first in the series, published in 2020 – a book which I also enjoyed. Read that review here). Blood of the Chosen does a great job of upping the stakes and keeping the tension high. I loved this book.
Adventure Fantasy
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…
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.
Review: The Fall of Babel by Josiah Bancroft
At last, the Books of Babel by Josiah Bancroft has come to its conclusion – and boy is it great. I first picked up Senlin Ascends based on the recommendation by Mark Lawrence when the first two books were published with Orbit. Senlin Ascends was, and remains, one of the best fantasy books I’ve ever read – and probably books in general. In fact, if you haven’t read these yet, stop reading this review and go do that now.
Review: The Fall of Babel by Josiah Bancroft
ot only as a fantastic story in and of itself, but it also ties up a four-book series in a way that is both enjoyable and optimistic. (Most) loose ends were tied, character arcs fulfilled, many questions answered, but a couple of new ones were introduced that infused the finale with a wondrous sense of mystery. To be honest, I was caught off guard with how it all wrapped up, reeling from how amazingly cool things turned out that I needed to re-read it just to absorb everything that happened—and I loved it. I don’t need a tidy ending, truth be told. But author Josiah Bancroft did a phenomenal job giving this series an ending befitting the majestic, enigmatic Tower of Babel.
Review: Blood of the Chosen (Burningblade & Silvereye #2) by Django Wexler
Blood of the Chosen is rip-roaring action set in an epic fantasy universe full of rebellion, fuckery and stakes that raise the consequences of character’s actions.
Review: The Living Waters (Weirdwater Confluence #1) by Dan Fitzgerald
The Living Waters is the first in a new duology from Dan Fitzgerald, the author of The Maer Cycle trilogy of books. I haven’t read his other series, but they are now definitely being shuffled closer to the top of my TBR, as The Living Waters grabbed ahold of my heart from the first page and didn’t let go. It’s a story bursting at the seams with adventure, wonder, and heart, and it’s one that has catapulted itself to the top of my favorite reads this year.
Recommended Reading: Dragons of Terra by Brian Naslund
I had been putting off reading Brian Naslund’s Dragons of Terra series until it was finished because I was afraid once I started reading it I would not want to stop. I had heard it was absolutely addictive, plus adventure fantasy is my favorite, and also, well, you know, dragons, so I was not interested in waiting a year for book 2, and another year for book 3. And I could not have been more right in that decision. Had I had time between books it would have driven me absolutely bonkers. This is the kind of series that makes me want to shout from the rooftops… *ahem*… let me clear my throat:
READ IT NOW!
Now that the yelling is out of the way, let’s get to the details of what makes this series so good.
Review: The Pariah (The Covenant of Steel #1) by Anthony Ryan
The Pariah by Anthony Ryan is the first novel in The Covenant of Steel, an all new epic fantasy trilogy introducing a perilous, yet compelling journey through the eyes of an outlaw.
Review: The Headlock of Destiny (Titan Wars #1) by Samuel Gately
Synopsis Some say titans are descended from giants. Others say they are risen from men. But there’s never any debate about where to find them. They will be in the center of a roaring crowd, beating the hell out of each other. From contenders like the Savage and Scott Flawless to pretenders like Richard the […]
The Well Of Ascenscion (Mistborn #2) by Brandon Sanderson
Synopsis The impossible has been accomplished. The Lord Ruler—the man who claimed to be god incarnate and brutally ruled the world for a thousand years—has been vanquished. But Kelsier, the hero who masterminded that triumph, is dead too, and now the awesome task of building a new world has been left to his young protégé, […]
Review: The Darkest Dusk (Onyxborn Chronicles #2) by D.W. Ross
The Darkest Dusk is the second installment in D.W. Ross’ Onyxborn Chronicles series and the follow up to Cold from the North (which I reviewed earlier this year: review link). In the first book, I noted liking the plot, characters, and setting, but wanting more climactic events along the way to the end. In book 2, I think Ross did a nice of job sticking with what worked in the first book and expanding on those things while doing a better job with the narrative ups and downs.