Synopsis Fi has carved out a career as a cross-dimensional smuggler by sticking to simple rules: keep your routes secret, always draw your energy sword first, and – at all costs – avoid the daeyari, the carnivorous immortals who have ruled for millennia. When she’s hired to smuggle a bomb into the capital, instinct tells […]
Fantasy
Review: The Art of Legend (War Arts #3) by Wesley Chu
Synopsis: Once in a faraway kingdom there was a man prophesied to be the chosen one, who would defeat a great villain, the Eternal Khan, and save the kingdom. But then the Eternal Khan died . . . and the prophecy was broken. For Jian, the fated hero, this could have been a moment to […]
Review: Arthur by Giles Kristian
Synopsis: Years have passed since the clash of shield-walls echoed across the land . . . The Saxons are now the lords of Britain. And yet the bards still sing of Arthur – ‘In our darkest time, when we need him most, shall he come again.’ Ageing mercenary Beran has no love of bards’ songs. […]
Review: The Entanglement of Rival Wizards (Magic and Romance #1) by Sara Raasch
Synopsis Ali Hazelwood meets Dungeons & Dragons in this enemies-to-lovers fantasy academia romcom where rival grad student wizards are forced to work together without killing―or falling for―each other. Will they conjure love, or evoke chaos? Two rival wizards are about to find out. Sebastian Walsh: twenty-four. Grad student at Lesiara University in the Mageus of […]
Review: The Fall of Selvandrea by T.J. McKay
Synopsis: Remember the wolf. Remember what’s out there in the dark. Valdaris was a middling artillery captain before his people fell to a conquering rival. Then he fell further still, snatched from the battlefield by a ruthless cult and cast into the depths of ultimate evil. Transformed by powers he can’t begin to understand, Valdaris […]
Review: The Grimoire Grammar School Parent Teacher Association by Caitlin Rozakis
Synopsis Two parents and their recently-bitten-werewolf daughter try to fit into a privileged New England society of magic aristocracy. But deadly terrors await them – ancient prophecies, remorseless magical trials, hidden conspiracies and the PTA bake sale. When Vivian’s kindergartner, Aria, gets bitten by a werewolf, she is rapidly inducted into the hidden community of […]
Review: The Whisper that Replaced God by Timothy Wolff
Synopsis: Murder is just, so long as it serves the crown. Hidden behind a mask and with a dagger in his sheath, Mute serves the crown with pride. A fair life, if not a monotonous one. But his next contract nicks too close, for murder within a brothel is always nasty business, especially the one […]
Review: Hemlock & Silver by T. Kingfisher
Hemlock & Silver is a great retelling, unique in its approach, with stellar characters and a fun adventure narrative at its core. Anja was one of my favourite characters that I’ve been on a journey with this year!
Review: The Penitent by Robyn Abbott
Synopsis: From #1 bestselling dark fantasy author Robyn Abbott comes The Penitent, a gritty standalone in the unflinching Forgotten Fragments series. Perfect for fans of Richard Swan and John Gwynne, this gothic tale picks up where most epic fantasies conclude: the end of a long-fought war… The Usurper is dead. As are all five of his […]
Review: Under the Dragon Moon (The Belamour Archives 1) by Mawce Hanlin
Synopsis To break the thread of weaver’s fate, those who witness must weave anew…Mael Nguyen doesn’t believe in fate, but he does believe in magic. His entire life revolves around the study of the arcane—spells and rituals, potions and illusions. As far as Mael is concerned, all he needs is a book in one hand and […]
Review: Gideon the Ninth (The Locked Tomb #1) by Tamsyn Muir
Synopsis: The Emperor needs necromancers. The Ninth Necromancer needs a swordswoman. Gideon has a sword, some dirty magazines, and no more time for undead nonsense. Tamsyn Muir’s Gideon the Ninth unveils a solar system of swordplay, cut-throat politics, and lesbian necromancers. Her characters leap off the page, as skillfully animated as arcane revenants. The result is a […]
Little Beauty (an Eve Novella) by Mark Jonathan Runte
Synopsis: Cherbourg, Normandy – 1159 Shy Jehanne always lived at the mercy of her sisters’ spite and bitterness, preferring a life with the saints in her father’s library. Cherbourg was home and for her, it was the smaller pleasures of watching the ships in the harbor, searching for her father’s vessels. She might have continued […]