TL;DR Review: Fun, easy reading. Cozy fantasy that becomes wonderfully epic by the end. The perfect binge-reading book. Synopsis: Fourteen-year-old Mona isn’t like the wizards charged with defending the city. She can’t control lightning or speak to water. Her familiar is a sourdough starter and her magic only works on bread. She has a comfortable […]
Fantasy
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 […]
The Fall (The Bound and the Broken #0.5) by Ryan Cahill
Synopsis The Order have watched over the continent of Epheria for thousands of years. But there are those who believe The Order has had its day. That it is corrupt, indulgent, and deceitful – that it is ready to fall. The City of Ilnaen is on fire.Dragons fill the skies.Traitors fill the streets. The Fall […]
Book Review: The Last Shield by Cameron Johnston
TL;DR Review: Grueling, gritty, and grimdark as hell. A main character who takes badass and resilient to a whole new level. Synopsis: A gender-flipped Die Hard set in a mysterious castle, Cameron Johnston’s The Last Shield is an engaging fantasy read, perfect for fans of John Gwynne and Mark Lawrence. The ancient forest realm of […]
Book Review: Hell for Hire (Tear Down Heaven Book 1) by Rachel Aaron
TL;DR Review: Lovable characters, a fascinating world, and epic action. Had me hooked from Page 1. Synopsis: The CrewA hulked-out wrath demon who eats gamer rage and loves cats, a shapeshifting lust demon who enjoys their food a bit too much, and a void demon who doesn’t see the point of any of this. They’re not the […]
Review: The World to Come (Dark Legacies #3) by Yuval Kordov
The World to Come is the dark, harrowing, emotionally intense, mind-bending, and hugely rewarding, conclusion to the Dark Legacies trilogy.
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 […]
Book Review: Easy Guide to Escape Hell by Elisa Menz
TL;DR Review: Urban fantasy that strikes an excellent balance between cozy and epic. An insightful exploration of healing from parent-inflicted trauma. Synopsis: You inherited a house, but it has a minor demon problem… Dagon Gunthersson—a powerful demon warrior and a renowned member of Hell’s nobility—stands accused of treason by his commander. His abrupt escape leads […]
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: Outlaw Mage by (The Dageian Puppetmaster Book 1) K.S. Villoso
TL;DR Review – A wonderfully complex examination of cultural whitewashing and complicated families. Synopsis: Despite Rosha’s best efforts, she will never fit in. To her classmates, she is forever an outsider, a girl from the fringes of the empire just lucky enough to have well-off parents. To her teachers, she is either a charity case […]
Review: Forge of Darkness (The Kharkanas Trilogy #1) by Steven Erikson
Synopsis: It’s a conflicted time in Kurald Galain, the realm of Darkness, where Mother Dark reigns. But this ancient land was once home to many a power. and even death is not quite eternal. The commoners’ great hero, Vatha Urusander, is being promoted by his followers to take Mother Dark’s hand in marriage, but her […]
Book Review: Titan Hoppers (Titan Hoppers #1) by Rob J. Hayes
TL;DR Review – Immensely addictive and character-driven progression sci-fi fantasy. Familiar yet wonderfully fresh. Spoiler: Courage Iro will shatter the Gates of Power to protect his fleet. Born talentless, Iro has all but resigned himself to a life of drudgery, watching his sister hop across to the massive space titan for supplies. But when the […]