Synopsis I am a creature of war. A centaurine, to be precise. Before my colt died, I was all gnashing teeth and nerves of ice. Even now, my chest burns for air thick with bravado, my ears long for clanging iron amidst hoof beats, and my nostrils quiver for bitter fear oozing from a thousand […]
Historical
Review: The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller
Synopsis: A tale of gods, kings, immortal fame, and the human heart, The Song of Achilles is a dazzling literary feat that brilliantly reimagines Homer’s enduring masterwork, The Iliad. An action-packed adventure, an epic love story, a marvelously conceived and executed page-turner, Miller’s monumental debut novel has already earned resounding acclaim from some of contemporary fiction’s brightest lights—and […]
Review: The Petticoat Pirate (Immortal Pirates #1) by C.R. Pugh
Synopsis: Josephine Teversin was fifteen years old when her father was murdered by pirate hunters. She’s the last of her kind—an immortal pirate without a ship or crew, and her magic is unstable at best. It’s 1773, and tensions are rising between England and the American colonies. Rumors of war are running rampant. But immortal […]
Review: Fire & Blood by George R.R. Martin
Synopsis Centuries before the events of A Game of Thrones, House Targaryen—the only family of dragonlords to survive the Doom of Valyria—took up residence on Dragonstone. Fire & Blood begins their tale with the legendary Aegon the Conqueror, creator of the Iron Throne, and goes on to recount the generations of Targaryens who fought to hold that iconic seat, […]
Book Review: Scales of Balance (A Vengeful Realm #1) by Tim Facciola
TL;DR: Spartacus meets Game of Thrones. Magic, manipulation, insurrection, and bloody spectacle galore. Synopsis: Peace bought by blood seldom lasts, for vengeance knows no end. The same is true for mortals and Gods alike. Decades, centuries, eras may pass, but the cycle remains. As war and revolution rise again, Zephyrus finds himself at the center […]
Review: The Ministry of Time (#1) by Kaliane Bradley
NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLERA GOOD MORNING AMERICA BOOK CLUB PICK “This summer’s hottest debut.” —Cosmopolitan • “Witty, sexy escapist fiction [that] packs a substantial punch…It’s a smart, gripping work that’s also a feast for the senses…Fresh and thrilling.” —Los Angeles Times • “Electric…I loved every second.” —Emily Henry “Utterly winning…Imagine if The Time Traveler’s Wife […]
Review: Daughter of Calamity by Rosalie M. Lin
Synopsis In Jazz-Age Shanghai, Jingwen carefully balances a double life of glamour and grit, dancing as cabaret showgirl while also running errands for the city’s most powerful gang. When a series of cabaret dancers are attacked and their stolen faces start appearing on wealthy foreign socialites, Jingwen realises that to help save her closest rivals […]
Review: His Ragged Company (Testimonies of Elias Faust #1) by Rance D. Denton
Synopsis A pissed-off warlock with a taste for revenge. An army of sand-golems with fistfuls of magic. A wishing well with a mind of its own. No wonder Blackpeak, Texas never got its spot on the map. Town marshal Elias Faust thinks that he can make any problem go away if he throws enough lead […]
Review: A Heart Full of Malice (The Fractured Kingdom #2) by Tony Debajo
Synopsis: There are no true victors in war. Even those that prevail cannot escape the burden of guilt for those who have fallen, and all those who witness the ugliness in the hearts of men are forever tainted. Ile-Ife has fallen and with it, the greatest ruler to have ever sat on the throne. Now, […]
Review: Babel by R.F. Kuang
Babel is a brilliant historical fiction novel, and a deeply uncomfortable read. Kuang writes it beautifully—whether she’s discussing lemon cakes or opium dens.
Book Review: Bridge of Kings by Logan D. Irons
Synopsis: Two Warriors. Two Kings. One bridge. Some men hold secrets that are far darker than war. An old oath obligates Ulf Bodvarsson to join King Harald Hardrada’s army of Norsemen, seeking to assert his claim to the English crown. Yet near Stamford Bridge, enemies await, seeking to fulfill their own oaths of blood. The […]
Review: Motherland (Eve #0.5) by Mark Jonathan Runte
Synopsis: Kseniya and Semyon only ever knew loyalty to their country, until the death of a policeman forced them to run, raising their children as refugees and then as English. But their pasts were never far behind them, nor was caution for being what they were. Their safety isn’t the only thing at stake, it’s […]