Synopsis The Runemasters are purged. The Hound, the Tower’s secret weapon, is buried under rubble in the ocean. Most importantly, the mainlanders who ended the Runemasters—Magon, Seneka, High Priest Oath, Itula, and Princess Elthren—survived the ordeal. However, Princess Elthren suffered great loss, and she will never be the same. Itula drained her magic, and she […]
Epic Fantasy
Review: The Curse of Chalion (World of the Five Gods #1) by Lois McMaster Bujold
Synopsis A man broken in body and spirit, Cazaril, has returned to the noble household he once served as page, and is named, to his great surprise, as the secretary-tutor to the beautiful, strong-willed sister of the impetuous boy who is next in line to rule. It is an assignment Cazaril dreads, for it will […]
Hall of Bones, Brotherhood of the Eagle, Book 1 by Tim Hardie
Synopsis When a new enemy comes to power, Rothgar’s ruling family and friends are forced to ally with old rivals. Faced with betrayal from within their own clan, Rothgar’s survival is by no means certain, as an ancient and malevolent magic grows in strength and threatens all he holds dear. In the remote land of […]
Review: The Thief Who Knocked on Sorrow’s Gate (Amra Thetys #3) by Michael McClung
Synopsis The third installment in the Amra Thetys series: After surviving Thagoth and returning rich to Lucernis, Amra and Holgren have settled down to a very comfortable, if decidedly unexciting life — until the night Amra receives an old enemy’s head in a box. A longstanding debt calls her back home to Bellarius, the scene […]
Review: To Bargain with Mortals by R. A. Basu
Synopsis An outcast heiress. A notorious gang leader. A country on the brink of revolution. In the colonized nation of Viryana, Poppy Sutherland lives between cultures. As the brown-skinned adopted daughter of the Viceroy, she is both rejected by white high society and alienated from the people of her native island. When she discovers her […]
Review: Carved Amidst the Shadows by MT Fontaine
Synopsis When the gods shaped the continent into five kingdoms to be ruled by their progeny, they did not account for the greed of men. When they created the Order from their god-blessed followers to mediate between realms, they neglected to plan against the hoarding of power. War between the royalists and the godly was […]
Review: Grand Conspiracy (Wars of Light and Shadow #5) by Janny Wurts
Synopsis Where there is light, there must always be shadow… The fifth volume in Janny Wurts’s spectacular epic fantasy, now re-released with a striking new cover design along with the rest of the series. The wars began when two half-brothers, gifted of light and shadow, stood shoulder to shoulder to defeat the Mistwraith. Their foe […]
Eleni’s Top Reads of 2025
I couldn’t really pick a top five, nor a top ten this year. So you get the fun of a top 15! Like last year then, I’ll just be sharing all of their glorious covers and if I reviewed the book itself I’ll be linking the rambles in their titles so you can see if they are the books for you, at your leisure.
These are all books that kept me up till the very small hours of the night, some even made me see the first inklings of dawn and deprived me of even the little sleep I do get. But! I have no regrets whatsoever and neither would you, I believe, if you gave them a go!
Book Review: Dogged by Michael R. Fletcher
TL;DR Review: Bloody, gritty, action-packed, and…heartwarming? The novel I didn’t know my year was missing! Synopsis: WARDOGS ARE BORN TO DIE. In the final days of the Demon Empire a lone wardog goes in search of the answer to the only question she cares Who murdered her mate? Utterly unqualified to solve a mystery, Dogged […]
Review: The Prophet of Edan (The Edan Trilogy #2) by Philip Chase
Synopsis Ruin follows in the wake of Torrlond’s victorious army and the beasts its priests enslave, leaving no corner of Eormenlond untouched by the inferno of its war. Kingdoms and tribes line up on opposing sides as the conflict rages, rekindling ancient hatreds and avenging old wrongs. As Dayraven struggles to contain the vast power […]
Review: The Way of Edan (The Edan Trilogy #1) by Philip Chase
Synopsis The Kingdom of the Eternal will awaken when the Way of Edan holds sway over all of Eormenlond. So say the prophecies. With unrivalled power in the gift, the Supreme Priest Bledla leads Torrlond and its mighty army to convert rival kingdoms by the sword and by the fang. Among the gathering resistance is […]
Review: Jade Shards by Fonda Lee
Synopsis Fonda Lee returns to the acclaimed Green Bone Saga with four prequel short stories that delve into the personal histories of the Kaul and Ayt families. The Witch and Her Friend. Before she was the ruthless leader of the Mountain clan, Ayt Mada was an orphan without friends at school except for one: Aun […]