A stunning return to the Scars of Magic series, improving on just about everything while retaining the brutal survivalist tale of Esterra Stake.
Fantasy
Review: The Faraway Inn by Sarah Beth Durst
Synopsis: Get cosy at The Faraway Inn, the YA fantasy from bestselling author of The Spellshop, Sarah Beth Durst. When Calisa arrives at her great-aunt’s bed and breakfast for the summer, she’s shocked to find it run down rather than cosy. Grumpy and eccentric, Auntie Zee is determined to keep anyone from messing with her beloved inn […]
Review: Red Reckonin’ [The Wayward World Chronicles 0.5] by D.B. Rook
Callus & Crow fans rejoice, there’s a prequel in town with Red Reckonin’! DB Rook brings us back into the Wayward World Chronicles with a fresh spin on the series. Red Reckonin’ Review Red Reckonin’ is an exclusive grimdark western available via the Unearthed Stories app. In it, the reader takes on the role of […]
Review: Mortedant’s Peril (The Trials of Irody Hasp #1) by R.J. Barker
Synopsis Irody can speak to the dead.But the living want him silenced. Mortedants can speak to the dead, and Irody Hasp is the greatest of them. Not that they’ll admit it. Or that anyone actually likes the Mortedants, in particular Irody. Nonetheless, Elbay is a city of tradition and it calls for Mortedants to attend […]
Review: Jade War (The Green Bone Saga #2) by Fonda Lee
Synopsis The Kaul siblings’ battle with rival clans reaches new heights in the heart-pounding continuation of the Green Bone Saga, an epic trilogy about family, honor, and those who live and die by the ancient laws of blood and jade. On the island of Kekon, the Kaul family is locked in a violent feud for […]
Review: Crownfall by Michael Vadney
Synopsis: The gritty underworld and razor-edged found family of Six of Crows collide with the mysterious magic and sweeping intrigue of The City of Brass, all against the vivid industrial backdrop of Arcane in Michael Vadney’s nobledark fantasy debut. Nearly a decade under the empire’s grip has left Burunt a troubled land. Kyndel Heim knows […]
Review: Demon Engine by Marten Norr
Synopsis Sally Delavega, the best demon-binder the world has ever seen, would do anything to banish the two hundred ghosts trapped in his head—even if it means swimming up from the bottom of his tankard. When the Navy that destroyed his life comes sailing back to offer enough coin to get the job done, Sally […]
Review: Morbid Curiosities by S. Hati
Synopsis: An ambitious teen enrolls at an elite science institute in Morbid Curiosities, a young adult thriller from author S. Hati. When the Institute’s invitation arrived at my doorstep, it felt like it had been inked in my blood, sweat, and tears. Aarya’s life plan has been set for as long as she can remember: […]
Review: The Hunger of the Gods (Bloodsworn Saga #2) by John Gwynne
Synopsis: The Hunger of the Gods continues John Gwynne’s acclaimed Norse-inspired epic fantasy series, packed with myth, magic and bloody vengeance Lik-Rifa, the dragon god of legend, has been freed from her eternal prison. Now she plots a new age of blood and conquest. As Orka continues the hunt for her missing son, the Bloodsworn sweep […]
SPFBO XI Review: Blackwater (Serpents and Shadows Book 1) by Emily Blakeney
Synopsis There is much to be done when the kingdom isn’t looking. Iona Strider is a ruthless pickpocket cursed with a disobedient shadow. Violent, too. Worse, she can’t remember who cursed her, or why. But she does know one with each passing day, her control of the shadow dwindles. In her relentless pursuit of answers, […]
Review: Rune Seeker by J.M. Clarke & C.J. Thompson
Synopsis The Everfail will rise. His enemies will fall. Hiral is the Everfail, the weakest person on the flying island of Fallen Reach. He trains harder than any warrior. Studies longer than any scholar. But all his people are born with magic powered by the sun, flowing through tattoos on their bodies. Despite having enormous […]
SPFBO XI Semi-finalist Review: No More Levels by Benjamin Barreth
Synopsis: Life sucks when you’re a potato farmer. That’s why Rin can’t wait to turn sixteen and conquer the nearest beginner dungeon. Only then can he acquire a powerful class in the Game of the Gods and begin the earnest grind to leveling up. With enough monster kills, he might even become someone truly strong, […]