Synopsis IN THE CENTER OF THE FOREST SITS A HOUSE OF LEAVES AND ASH. INSIDE THE HOUSE, HIS HEART AND LIES. Inside the house called Sempiternity there is a lake, at the center of which an island sits. Upon the island, a spire of stone. Surrounding the spire, an orchard of dreams. Beneath an apple […]
Dark Fantasy
The Fall of Selvandrea (The Draemeir Chronicle #1) by Tim McKay
Synopsis: Remember the wolf. Remember what’s out there in the dark. Valdaris was a middling artillery captain before his people fell to a conquering rival. Then he fell further still, snatched from the battlefield by a ruthless cult and cast into the depths of ultimate evil. Transformed by powers he can’t begin to understand, Valdaris […]
Book Review: The Gryphon King (The Chaos Constellation #1) by Sara Omer
TL;DR Review: Action, intrigue, rebellion, and dark legends abound in this epic, addictive historical-feeling fantasy story. Synopsis: The first in a stunning Southwest Asian-inspired epic fantasy trilogy brimming with morally ambiguous characters, terrifying ghouls and deadly monsters. Combining cut-throat dynastic politics with expansive worldbuilding and slow-burning romance, this book is perfect for fans of Godkiller […]
Review: The Scoungers (Vermin of the old Empire) by Thomas J Devens
Synopsis The lords have fallen.It was the war to end all wars.Violence had plagued the Fractured Kingdoms since the fall of the Old Empire. But as the generals and the lords died in the Valley of Torglen, the folk looked beyond their allegiances. Beyond their nations. The bedraggled masses that survived the battle flocked to […]
Book Review: A Graveyard for Heroes (Dreams of Dust and Steel #2) by Michael Michel
TL;DR Review: Ambitious, imaginative, and incredibly compelling. The most epic grimdark world I’ve read since Abercrombie. Synopsis: Treachery looms across the land. The Scarborn have deposed the once-great Ironlight family. With scores to settle, the lowborn shake rust from their knives and trade allegiances for a promise of blood while the highborn rally their armies. […]
Review: King of the Forgotten Darkness by Erik Goodwyn
Synopsis: Twenty-four-year-old Liam is a traumatized warrior in a paradise free of war. He works his high-rise job. He is safe, comfortable, and free of suffering. For years, the portals to the brutal and magical world of Erentyr, where Liam came from, have been sealed, civilization protected. All that Liam wants is to live a […]
Review: Garden of Rotten Roses (World Without Love #2) by Nicole Hidalgo
Synopsis: While investigating the kidnappings of young, impoverished girls, Arianell Acraea uncovers a sinister conspiracy involving rogue Champions of Ares and forbidden sacrificial rituals fuelled by a magic that defies the laws of the Supreme Goddess herself. Ellis, a nomad with an aversion towards divinity, wants nothing but the peace of a quiet life, away […]
Review: The Godsblood Tragedy (Passage One of the Divine Godsqueen Coda) by Bill Adams
Synopsis: An orphan, without a trueborn name, returns to the city of her birth to uncover her past. Hounded by the servants of the Dark God and dying from the poisonous mist that covers the land, her path leads to one of the magical seals protecting the holy ruin of Eminence. A father, murdered and […]
Review: Bury Our Bones in the Midnight Soil by V.E. Schwab
Synopsis: From V. E. Schwab, the #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue: a new genre-defying novel about immortality and hunger. This is a story about hunger.1532. Santo Domingo de la Calzada.A young girl grows up wild and wily—her beauty is only outmatched by her dreams of escape. But […]
Review: Death of a Clown by Catherine McCarthy
The joke’s on him… Synopsis Born and raised into the Sacred Order of Tragicomedy, Chester Brown’s path is written in stone. The bulbous nose and gigantic feet define him physically, while The Sacred Church of Razzmatazz ensnares him in its grip.For Chester there can be no escape…or so he believes.But Chester Brown has a secret […]
Book Review: Crueler Mercies by Maren Chase
TL;DR Review: Rapunzel meets Man in the Iron Mask. A helpless, naïve prisoner becomes a cunning, revenge-driven queen. Synopsis: “Vita’s rage overflowed until she was prepared to drown in it, and she knew that she would never again dam this anger to please another.” After nine years as the people’s beloved princess in the sun-soaked […]
Review: Parasitic Omens (A Gods of Dallalmar story) by Jessica A. McMinn
Omen to this Synopsis In the world of the occult, new is never good. As one of Copperton’s hardworking investigators, Lawrence Reed has seen it all: vampires, werewolves, warlocks and witches. When a monstrous creature crawls from the corpse of a mutilated girl, Law is determined to find answers—with or without payment. Ignoring advice to […]