Synopsis The fight for peace is often a war. To end nearly a century of war plaguing Ennea, a clan of nomads plans to bring leaders from the four nations together. They task a young water dancer named Isála to deliver a missive to a northern general, her estranged mother, and convince her to join […]
Epic Fantasy
Review: The Dragon Republic (The Poppy War #2) by R.F. Kuang
Synopsis: The war is over. The war has just begun. Three times throughout its history, Nikan has fought for its survival in the bloody Poppy Wars. Though the third battle has just ended, shaman and warrior Rin cannot forget the atrocity she committed to save her people. Now she is on the run from her […]
Review: The Traitor God (Age of Tyranny #1) by Cameron Johnston
Synopsis A city threatened by unimaginable horrors must trust their most hated outcast, or lose everything, in this crushing epic fantasy debut. After ten years on the run, dodging daemons and debt, reviled magician Edrin Walker returns home to avenge the brutal murder of his friend. Lynas had uncovered a terrible secret, something that threatened […]
Review: Crucible of Chaos (Court of Shadows: Prelude) by Sebastien De Castell
Other than a Masterclass in creative and devastating insults, Crucible of Chaos is the prelude to De Castell’s upcoming series, A Court of Shadows, set once again in the Greatcoats universe, and oh how I’d missed Tristia and its mottle mix of travelling magistrates. Truly dear reader, I can’t even begin to explain to you what the original tetralogy means to me so I won’t try it now. Suffice it to say that this standalone mystery thriller works as an excellent bridge between what came before and what is yet to entertain and possibly hurt us. I for one am dying to see what the author has planned, starting this March.
Review: The Fall of Númenor: And Other Tales from the Second Age of Middle-earth (Tolkien’s Legendarium) by J. R. R. Tolkien / Edited by Brian Sibley
Synopsis J.R.R. Tolkien’s writings on the Second Age of Middle-earth, collected for the first time in one volume complete with new illustrations in watercolor and pencil by renowned artist Alan Lee. J.R.R. Tolkien famously described the Second Age of Middle-earth as a “dark age, and not very much of its history is (or need be) […]
Review: Elegy of a Fragmented Vineyard by Kaden Love
TL;DR Review: A stunning complex, thoroughly fleshed-out world and a terribly grim premise heralding from a talented new voice in fantasy. Synopsis: Forced to appease the policies of a foreign fiefdom, Phenmir must do the unthinkable: harvest organs from infants. Ten years ago, a new generation of children began to manifest abilities from the gods. […]
REVIEW: Heliotrope by Palmer Pickering
SYNOPSIS Teleo is a retired soldier descended from Mages, who were cast out of power generations ago. After years of war and sorrow, he wants nothing more than to live a quiet life on his farm and work his stonemason’s craft. His wife and daughter had been murdered during a war raid several years earlier […]
Review: Shadows Under the Shade (Elysia Dayne #2) by Wil Chan
Synopsis: If you love somebody enough, you will do anything to claw your way back to them… After a traumatic duel to the death against a malevolent sword master, Elysia is left desperately clinging to life. Isabella, the princess that she was tasked to rescue, nurses her back to health in the wilderness, many miles […]
Review: Murtagh (The Inheritance Cycle #5) by Christopher Paolini
Synopsis The world is no longer safe for the Dragon Rider Murtagh and his dragon, Thorn. An evil king has been toppled, and they are left to face the consequences of the reluctant role they played in his reign of terror. Now they are hated and alone, exiled to the outskirts of society. Throughout the […]
REVIEW: Sea of Souls (Sea of Souls Saga #1) by N.C. Scrimgeour
SYNOPSIS Dark be the water, and darker still the creatures that lurk within… Free-spirited 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 calls Isla home, she realises she can no longer escape the duty she’s been running […]
Review: The Sword of Kaigen by M. L. Wang
Synopsis A mother struggling to repress her violent past,A son struggling to grasp his violent future,A father blind to the danger that threatens them all. When the winds of war reach their peninsula, will the Matsuda family have the strength to defend their empire? Or will they tear each other apart before the true enemies […]
Review: Murtagh (The Inheritance Cycle #5) by Christopher Paolini
Synopsis INSTANT #1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • Master storyteller and internationally bestselling author Christopher Paolini returns to the World of Eragon in this stunning epic fantasy set a year after the events of the Inheritance Cycle. Join Dragon Rider—and fan favorite—Murtagh and his dragon as they confront a perilous new enemy! “Christopher Paolini is a true […]