of soil in front of her wooden built dwelling. She dug up little holes for laying vegetable seeds, but as she lost herself into the peaceful endeavor, a rat-sized butterfly landed on the soil—a few feet away from her. She glanced at the large multi-colored wings and appreciated its beauty. Abruptly, the butterfly shifted to expose its body and revealed a set of enormous claws and an odd opening filled with sharpened teeth. The creature flew directly at her neck and sunk its jaw into her jugular.
Dark Fantasy
Review: The Shadow of The Gods (Bloodsworn Saga #1) by John Gwynne
Review: Wraithblade by S.M. Boyce
Wraithblade, a sprawling epic, amazed me from beginning to end and left me wanting more of the story that involves an unlikely team of characters; Connor, Murdoch, Sophia and the rest of the supporting characters. It ramped up slowly where S.M. Boyce takes a generous amount of time introducing us to its world filled with kingdoms, beautiful fauna, political power struggles and its own magic system, and then goes into high gear with a palette full of action and a smorgasbord of twists and turns!
Review: Vultures (Shadow Twins #1) by Luke Tarzian
I’ll admit that I am a little unsure how to approach this review. Vultures was one of the most unique approaches to storytelling that I have ever experienced. It was complex, dark, emotional, and raw. The characters are all nuanced and they practically bleed pathos. In many ways this was not an easy read. I was challenged as a reader in ways I haven’t been since Erickson’s Gardens of the Moon.
Review: King of the Rising (Islands of Blood and Storm #2) by Kacen Calendar
The King of the Rising is the follow-up to 2019’s Queen of the Conquered (my review of that book is here) and the finale in Kacen Callender’s Islands of Blood and Storm duology. This is a complex fantasy series built around themes of colonialism and power dynamics. I have mixed feelings about the direction this book ended up taking, so let’s dig in.
Review: The Sadeiest by Austrian Spencer
I want to start this review off by pointing out a few important trigger warnings. The Sadeiest is about death and describes people dying in many different ways in detail (including death by suicide, disease, drowning, etc). If that is a trigger or even just an upsetting topic to you, please do not continue.
Review: The Gunslinger (The Dark Tower #1) by Stephen King
The Gunslinger is an experimental book for sure, but there is no better way to start your quest to the Dark Tower than this.