Synopsis: Irdessa the Undying, a renowned arena fighter in Fohrvylda, has escaped imprisonment but at great cost. Broken and alone, she must outwit and outfight her pursuers. Basalt Kale, a failed Consonant monk of the lowest order, embarks on a quest to improve Ausgan but discovers vile secrets of his order that he cannot abide. […]
Epic Fantasy
Review: A Drop of Corruption by Robert Jackson Bennett
Synopsis In the canton of Yarrowdale, at the very edge of the Empire’s reach, an impossible crime has occurred. A Treasury officer has disappeared into thin air—abducted from his quarters while the door and windows remained locked from the inside, in a building whose entrances and exits are all under constant guard. To solve the […]
Review: Becoming a Druid (Protectors of Pretanni 1) by Mike Mollman
Synopsis Grahme has wanted to be a druid for as long as he can remember. Talented but headstrong, he runs afoul of a despotic, mind-controlling mage during his initiation quest. The price of failure is death. Intrigue and distrust has turns his order against him. Haggard, hunted and without his magic, Grahme must make impossible […]
Book Review: Crueler Mercies by Maren Chase
TL;DR Review: Rapunzel meets Man in the Iron Mask. A helpless, naïve prisoner becomes a cunning, revenge-driven queen. Synopsis: “Vita’s rage overflowed until she was prepared to drown in it, and she knew that she would never again dam this anger to please another.” After nine years as the people’s beloved princess in the sun-soaked […]
Review: The Walled City (The Triempery Revelations #5) by L.L. Stephens
Synopsis: Even Time won’t stop him… As the god-infected sorcerer Nammuor continues his conquest of the Triempery, the rightful heir to Essera’s throne, Handurin Stauberg Randolph, has raised a ragtag army of Khelds to resist. Handurin’s alliance with Dorilian Sordaneon seems shattered as Dorilian is forced to flee north–but Handurin isn’t counting Dorilian out. Indeed, […]
Book Review: The Devils by Joe Abercrombie
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 […]
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 […]