The story is dark, extravagant, and feels as if there is danger lurking around every corner—which to be fair, there is. The writing feels lush and intoxicating, luring you into this life of parties, prohibited magical drinks, and dark magic.
Dark Fantasy
Review: The Jealousy of Jalice (A Disaster of Dokojin #1) by Jesse Nolan Bailey
The Jealousy of Jalice has been on my TBR for a long time now. Even before it was updated with the snazzy new cover that you see on the print edition now, I was drawn to the decidedly darker, original, cover. The promise made by the original cover, more so than the updated one, is that of a dark and terrifying story. I am happy to say that it delivered on that promise and then some!
Book Review/Tour: The Spawn of Spiracy (A Disaster of Dokojin #2) by Jesse Nolan Bailey
Synopsis The Sachem has fled his Fortress. Many fear that he intends to turn on the Decayer Device. Hoping to stop this, Annilasia resolves to track down the Sachem. But her plan falters when she discovers that, should the Sachem succeed in turning on the Device, the dokojin attached to her will rip her apart. […]
Review: The Maleficent Seven by Cameron Johnston
Synopsis When you are all out of heroes, all that’s left are the villains. Black Herran was a dread demonologist, and the most ruthless general in all Essoran. She assembled the six most fearsome warriors to captain her armies: a necromancer, a vampire lord, a demigod, an orcish warleader, a pirate queen, and a twisted […]
Reread Thread: A Chorus of Dragons (Books #1-4) by Jenn Lyons
Hey, book friends! As big as our TBRs are and with our busy schedules, it is often difficult to reread books and series – something I have vowed to do more of in 2022.
With that in mind, and as one of my favorite series being completed this year, I decided it was the perfect time for a reread of Jenn Lyons’ A Chorus of Dragons series. The final book, The Discord of Gods, releases in April, and the seri
BOOK TOUR/REVIEW: The Blood of Outcasts (The Bane Sword Trilogy #1) by D. A. Smith
Synopsis What if spilling your own blood was the only way to save yourself? Masako escapes the Lord Council with only her life intact, her clan shattered and master dead in wake of disaster she wrought. It is her cursed blood that cries out, and a godsborne that answers. By the power in her blood, […]
Book Tour and Review: The Jealousy of Jalice (A Disaster of Dokojin #1) by Jesse Nolan Bailey
Every scene was fresh and each turn of the page brought some new creature, new horror, or new mystery to be solved. I was not left wanting as I read, as each challenge the characters faced was intense and exciting. The stakes were never lowered and lives were always on the line.
Book Tour/Review: The Jealousy of Jalice (A disaster of Dokojin #1) by Jesse Nolan
Vivid in its description, bloody and brutal in its execution, the Jealousy of Jalice is a horror of a book that begs you read on. Jesse manages to paint a picture of a complex world without the first few pages, adding to that conflict which spans backwards by years and all while pushing the story forward: Jalice has been kidnapped. But don’t f*** with Jalice.
Review: The Lights of Prague by Nicole Jarvis
Synopsis In the quiet streets of Prague all manner of mysterious creatures lurk in the shadows. Unbeknownst to its citizens, their only hope against the tide of predators are the dauntless lamplighters – secret elite of monster hunters whose light staves off the darkness each night. Domek Myska leads a life teeming with fraught encounters […]
Book Tour/Review: The Jealousy of Jalice (A Disaster of Dokojin #1) by Jesse Nolan Bailey
Synopsis The land and its people are corrupted. The Sachem, chief of the Unified Tribes, is to blame. It is this conviction that drives Annilasia and Delilee to risk their lives. Afraid of the aether magic he wields, they enact a subtler scheme: kidnap his wife. In her place, Delilee will pretend to be the […]
Review: Age of Ash (Kithamar #1) by Daniel Abraham
As a lover of science fiction, I can appreciate the breaking of the status quo. Every so often, genres like cyberpunk or post-apocalyptic fiction came in to stir shit up and make it messier, so to say. But fantasy, I’ve found, is much more comfortable resting on its laurels—challenges to foundational fantasy conventions have been slower, and few and far between. In the last decade or so, though, the intention from authors to actively challenge fantasy’s history has been growing.
Daniel Abraham’s newest novel Age of Ash, book one in The Kithamar Trilogy, seems to do just that. It tackles the notion of “epic fantasy,” questioning the epic-ness of it all and how big battles and a fast pace have dominated that landscape. But beyond that, Age of Ash is a heartfelt story that grounds itself in genuine characters in grim circumstances. What follows is a novel that is epic in its ideas and execution, but relatable in its perspectives and emotions.
Review: The Justice Of Kings (The Empire of Wolf #1)
The Justice of Kings, the first in a new epic fantasy trilogy, follows the tale of Sir Konrad Vonvalt, an Emperor’s Justice – a detective, judge and executioner all in one. As he unravels a web of secrets and lies, Vonvalt discovers a plot that might destroy his order once and for all – and […]