TL;DR Review: Razor-sharp dialogue, a wildly imaginative alt-history fantasy world, and wonderfully extravagant characters result in what may be Joe Abercrombie’s best work to date. Synopsis: Holy work sometimes requires unholy deeds. Brother Diaz has been summoned to the Sacred City, where he is certain a commendation and grand holy assignment awaits him. But his […]
Epic Fantasy
Review: The Devils by Joe Abercrombie
Synopsis: Holy work sometimes requires unholy deeds. Brother Diaz has been summoned to the Sacred City, where he is certain a commendation and grand holy assignment awaits him. But his new flock is made up of unrepentant murderers, practitioners of ghastly magic, and outright monsters, and the mission he is tasked with will require bloody […]
Review: Anji Kills A King (The Rising Tide #1) by Evan Leikam
Synopsis: An unlikely assassin struggles to escape a legendary bounty hunter in this breakneck fantasy debut that will grab you by the throat—perfect for fans of Joe Abercrombie, R.F. Kuang, and Christopher Buehlman. She killed for a cause. Will she die for it too? Anji works as a castle servant, cleaning laundry for a king […]
Review: The Curse of the Mistwraith by Janny Wurts
Synopsis: Let each who reads determine the good and the evil for himselfAthera is besieged by the Mistwraith, which blights the land and dims the mysteries guarded by the last fugitives of the old bloodlines.But from a prophecy springs hope: the gifts of two brothers – one dark, one fair, raised on opposite sides of […]
Review: Sea of Souls (Sea of Souls saga #1) by N.C. Scrimgeour
Synopsis Isla Blackwood has never accepted the shackles of her family’s nobility. Instead, she sails the open waters, searching for belonging on the waves. But when tragedy forces Isla home, she realises she can no longer escape the duty she’s been running from. Selkie raiders plague the island’s coasts, and when they strike at Blackwood […]
Review: A Pack of Wolves (The Drowned Kingdom Saga #5) by P.L. Stuart
Synopsis: Othrun of Eastrealm’s victories in battle have made him a warlord to be feared throughout the continent of Acremia. His formidable knights have wreaked havoc on his foes. Now, the ultimate test awaits him and his warriors, as the great existential threat of invasion from the north has finally come to pass. A confederacy […]
Review: Fogbound (Echoes of Oniro # 1) by N.J. Alexander
Synopsis Fog looms over Entervia, bringing with it a long-dead legend and a dangerous power. Zercien Volnaire, a young history teacher in the capital city of Entervia, was only a child when he last saw the fog and the demon in red robes within. But when war descends upon his home, the fog returns, and […]
Review: The Waking of Storm and Flame by N.A. Betts
Summary: A DESTINY SHE NEVER CHOSE. A FATE, SHE CAN’T ESCAPE. Alira Verbrandt, the Princess of Namelle, savored the scholastic tranquility of her life until the Illyrian Empire descended from the north. On the eve of battle, Alira is drawn into the center of a war that has raged for a thousand years. Unveiled as […]
Review: The Severing Son by Vaughn Roycroft
Synopsis Tales of the Bringer of Urrinan had been told for generations, but never had the prophecy felt so near to so many. Elan wasn’t sure if she even believed one man could cause the sort of upheaval that would change the world. And yet, just as the prophecy foretold, dark forces were on the […]
Review: Wearing the Lion by John Wiswell
Synopsis This second novel from Nebula Award-winning John Wiswell brings a humanizing, redemptive touch to the Hercules story in this mythological fantasy for fans of Jennifer Saint and Elodie Harper Heracles, hero of Greece, dedicates all his feats to Hera, goddess of family. Heracles’ mother raised him to revere Hera, as her attempt to avoid […]
Review: The Sorrow of the Wise Man (Eileerean Saga Book 1) by Bella Dunn
Impressively Dunn Synopsis WHAT WOULD YOU SACRIFICE FOR GLORY? Taerlys Eileerean, the powerful Queen of Gaelyr, nurtures a dangerous dream and will sacrifice anything to turn it into reality, even those she loves.Driven by greed and arrogance, her actions will seed the war between her two daughters, Daelyn and Haewyn. Daelyn will inherit two Queendoms […]
The Odyllic Stone by Alex Scheuermann
Synopsis: When Aster Rutherford, the postmaster’s son and his childhood friend, Zinnia Hollyhock deliver a letter to the Pelware Mines, they are attacked by a birdlike monster that turns men to stone. Even worse, Buckwheat Village is plagued by an illness that’s incapacitating villagers, including Aster’s own father. A chance encounter with Kara Reeves, the […]