aisle of a specific section in a library. You grab several large volumes to return to your table and your extensive research thesis you’ve been working on for years. You sit down and in front of you lays a thousand-book-pages book, and you sift through every page, drinking the excitement of investigation and glancing at sketches, pictures and schematics of times of old, slowly taking notes and drawing your own conclusions. This is how I felt while I was reading The Way of Kings. A rich study about an extensive world name Roshar with interesting characters and their history. Even after the first 1000 pages of this grossly engaging and epic adventure (4000-5000 pages total), I felt like I only scratched the surface.
Epic Fantasy
Review: The Hand of the Sun King (Pact and Pattern #1) by J. T. Greathouse
Hand of the Sun King is the brand new, erudite voice of an epic fantasy that sweeps you away into an empire reminiscent of ancient China, teeming with culture, doused in war, political intrigue, ancient proverb, philosophy, and a magic system that shares its roots with many others, but strikes out its own path in the genre. It’s for fans of the Poppy War who like their books a little more tame, and a little more hopeful, and for those who loved the Bone Daughter and its dive into traditional intricacies, and intricate plot.
Review: The Pariah (The Covenant of Steel #1) by Anthony Ryan
The Pariah is the first installment in Anthony Ryan’s latest series, The Covenant of Steel. This series is off to a really good start with tons of action, good writing flow, and a cast of characters that make story worth following.
Review: The Coward (Quest for Heroes #1) by Stephen Aryan
Aryan’s character development is masterful. His worldbuilding is expansive and immersive as all fantasy worldbuilding should be.
Review: Horns of the Hunter (Tales of Luah Fáil #1) by Frank Dorrian
Horns of the Hunter is a standalone novella set in Luah Fáil, a setting that will be familiar to those who have read some of Dorrian’s earlier works. I was completely sold upon seeing the wonderful cover by Felix Ortiz and Shawn T. King. Anyone who says they don’t judge a book by its cover is a liar.
Book Tour: The Throne of Ice & Ash (The Runewar Saga #1) by J.D.L. Rosell
Hello and welcome to FanFiAddict’s stop on the book tour for J.D.L. Rosell’s The Throne of Ice & Ash (The Runewar Saga #1). We want to thank Justine & Timy @ Storytellers on Tour for letting us be involved and a big shoutout to J.D.L. on the recent release of The Throne of Ice & Ash.
Review: Black Sun by Rebecca Roanhorse
From beginning to end, Rebecca Roanhorse’s Black Sun is a stunning work of fantastical fiction. Bringing together inspiration from Pre-Columbian civilizations such as the Aztecs, Maya and various tribes and nations of Native Americans, there is a distinct sense of passion on display here. This is wholly evident in Roanhorse’s worldbuilding, but her characters are where Black Sun truly shines. And as the start to a trilogy called Between Earth and Sky, it is an epic start to what will surely become a memorable series in modern fantasy canon.
Review: The Blacktongue Thief (Blacktongue #1) by Christopher Buehlman
The first thing you notice when beginning The Blacktongue Thief is the narrative structure. Written in first person with fourth-wall breaking type style, it definitely takes a bit of an adjustment. However, I’m a huge fan of this form of writing. I’ve always enjoyed first person narrative but when it feels like someone is telling the story directly to YOU, it makes the book even more engaging. In fact, it took me longer to read this book than usual because I didn’t want to miss a word of what our protagonist Kinch is telling you.
Review: The Blacktongue Thief (Blacktongue #1) by Christopher Buehlman
The Blacktongue Thief is the first installment in Christopher Buehlman’s new Blacktongue series, published by Tor Books. I have to say I really love this book, as it has so many aspects of an adventure fantasy that I enjoy.
Review: The Shadow of The Gods (Bloodsworn Saga #1) by John Gwynne
Ah Shadow of the Gods, the book I feel is taking book blogs by storm. I mean, just take a quick look on this site to see how many of us have reviewed it (hint: it’s a lot).
John Gwynne has been called one of the best fantasy authors currently working today, and I’m hard pressed to disagree. And for good reason, the Faithful and the Fallen is a great work of epic fantasy and I enjoyed his sequel trilogy, Of Blood and Bone, even more.
While his previous work had hints of Norse and more northern European mythology, Shadow of the Gods truly dives deep into the Norse elements and it completely blew me away. This is easily Gwynne’s best work and my favorite book of the year so far, so if you’re in anyway a fantasy fan, this is a must read for 2021. So, don’t even read farther, just go buy a copy.
Book Tour: Cold From the North (Onyxborn Chronicle #1) by D.W. Ross
Hello and welcome to FanFiAddict’s stop on the book tour for D.W. Ross’ Cold From the North (Onyxborn Chronicle #1). We want to thank Justine & Timy @ Storytellers on Tour for letting us be involved and a big shoutout to D.W. on the release of Cold From the North and it’s forthcoming sequel The Darkest Dusk, which we recently had the pleasure of helping to do a cover reveal for.
Review: The Shadow of The Gods (Bloodsworn Saga #1) by John Gwynne
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.