TL;DR Review: A morally gray heroine, a psychopathic King-to-be, and a twisty-turny rebellion story with a lovely heist flavor. Synopsis: Fearing for her life, an outcast princess joins the rebellion against her own kingdom and family . . . but when playing with fire, someone always gets burned. Teia Carthan abandoned her morals long ago, and now […]
Fantasy
Review: A Thousand Li #11- The Fourth Fall by Tao Wong
Synopsis The war-mongering kingdom of Cai has begun to stir once again, the long held peace brought to the brink by a widespread drought. Now, the neighbouring kingdoms of Wei and Shen must ally together to deal with the Cai or see the flames of war spread over both nations once again. Wu Ying is […]
Book Review: An Unexpected Hero by Rhett C. Bruno and Jaime Castle
TL;DR Review: Ridiculous and hilarious, action-packed and heartfelt. Synopsis: A magical new world. An ancient power. A chance to be a Hero. Danny Kendrick was a down-on-his luck performer who always struggled to find his place. He certainly never wanted to be a hero. He just hoped to earn a living doing what he loved. […]
Review: Blood Rites (The Dresden Files) by Jim Butcher
Synopsis For Harry Dresden, Chicago’s only professional wizard, there have been worse assignments than going undercover on the set of an adult film. Dodging flaming monkey poo, for instance. Or going toe-to-leaf with a walking plant monster. Still, there is something more troubling than usual about his newest case. The film’s producer believes he’s the […]
New York Minute by Stephen Aryan
Synopsis A noir story, set in an alternate New York City. After years of being a cop, and now a private investigator, there’s little that surprises Cole Blackstone. But when someone working for Karl Dolman, the most notorious crime boss in the city asks for his help, Cole is caught off guard, and more than […]
Review: The Warm Hands of Ghosts by Katherine Arden
Synopsis: January 1918. Laura Iven was a revered field nurse until she was wounded and discharged from the medical corps, leaving behind a brother still fighting in Flanders. Now home in Halifax, Canada, Laura receives word of Freddie’s death in combat, along with his personal effects—but something doesn’t make sense. Determined to uncover the truth, Laura […]
Book Review: The Envoys of War (The Envoys of Chaos #1) by Dave Lawson
Synopsis: Don’t kill the messengers. As a bodyguard for the King’s Envoys, Gen is content with her life of traveling, drinking wine, and hitting things with her sword. It’s the perfect job. Until the King sends her and her friend Cordyn into war-torn enemy territory on a mission to deliver vital military intelligence to an […]
Book Review: And the Sky Bled by S. Hati
TL;DR Review: Fascinating worldbuilding, high-stakes adventure, and a subtly, well-crafted message about climate change. Synopsis: Amid the chaos of a dying city ruled by colonizers, three rivals—a thief, a slumlord, and an heiress—race to find a hidden cache of magic that will decide the city’s fate. In the occupied city of Tejomaya, calor—a magical fossil […]
Review: New Rock New Role (Book #1 of the New Rock Series) by Richard Sparks
Synopsis With millions watching on live stream, Daxx and his teammates Qrysta and Grell win the role-playing Games (RPG) Grand Championship. But winning the game was was a piece of cake compared with what comes next. Daxx wakes up to find he’s turned into his own avatar and is in the middle of a wilderness […]
FLASHBACK REVIEW: Dragon Mage (Rivenworld #1) by M.L. Spencer
SYNOPSIS Aram Raythe has the power to challenge the gods. He just doesn’t know it yet. Aram thinks he’s nothing but a misfit from a small fishing village in a dark corner of the world. As far as Aram knows, he has nothing, with hardly a possession to his name other than a desire to […]
Review: The Alchemy of Sorrow edited by Sarah Chorn and Virginia McClain
Synopsis Here be dragons and sorcery, time travel and sorrow. Vicious garden gnomes. A grounded phoenix rider. A new mother consumed with vengeance. A dying god. Soul magic. These stories wrestle with the experience of loss—of loved ones, of relationships, of a sense of self, of health—and forge a path to hope as characters fight […]
Review: The Jaguar Mask by Michael J. De Luca
Synopsis Felipe K’icab doesn’t know who he is. He only knows he was born different than his human family, and he can’t relax unless he’s blasting reggaeton in his cab weaving through the streets of Guatemala City. The jaguar mask and his other human faces keep him safe–until El Bufo, a corrupt ex-cop, commandeers his […]