TL;DR Review – A riveting look at blooming love in the wake of trauma. Complex characters, epic action, and a wonderful expansion of the world. Synopsis: She was beautiful the way the ocean was beautiful. In a new way every time one looked. She is water, bright and alluring, fathomless and profound. He is a […]
Fantasy
Review: The Company of the Wolf (Tales of The Plains 2) by David Wragg
From Wraggs to Riches Synopsis Seeking a better life, Ree and Javani have traveled west into the mountains, and left their pasts – and their troubles – behind. But new places bring new problems, and when they stumble across a lone traveler under bandit attack, they make the mistake of lending a hand. Forced to […]
Book Review: Storm and Shield (Mages of the Wheel #2) by JD Evans
TL;DR Review: More magic, more action, and all the spice and steam you could ask for. A spectacular “opposites attract” romance. Synopsis: “All you see is that I run. Why haven’t you realized I always come back?” She is lightning and storm. A spy, driven out of her home by a tyrant ruler. He is […]
Book Review: Stone and Sky (Stone and Sky #1) by Z.S. Diamanti
TL;DR Review: Warcraft meets Lord of the Rings in this light, positive, enjoyable high fantasy tale of friendship and courage. Synopsis: Come fly away on griffin-back! Fly off to the world of Finlestia in this epic fantasy story for readers looking for adventure, magic, and just plain fun; a tale where friendships must overcome insurmountable odds […]
Jade City (The Green Bone Saga #1) by Fonda Lee
Synopsis JADE CITY is a gripping Godfather-esque saga of intergenerational blood feuds, vicious politics, magic, and kungfu. The Kaul family is one of two crime syndicates that control the island of Kekon. It’s the only place in the world that produces rare magical jade, which grants those with the right training and heritage superhuman abilities. The Green […]
The Blacktongue Thief (Blacktongue #1) by Christopher Buehlman
Synopsis Kinch Na Shannack owes the Takers Guild a small fortune for his education as a thief, which includes (but is not limited to) lock-picking, knife-fighting, wall-scaling, fall-breaking, lie-weaving, trap-making, plus a few small magics. His debt has driven him to lie in wait by the old forest road, planning to rob the next traveler […]
Review: Malice (The Faithful and the Fallen #1) by John Gwynne
Synopsis: The Banished Lands have a violent past where armies of men and giants clashed in battle. An uneasy peace reigns, but now signs of giants stir once more, the very stones weep blood and there are sightings of gigantic wyrms. Those who can still read the signs see a prophecy realized: sorrow will darken […]
Review: The Spellshop by Sarah Beth Durst
With The Spellshop, Durst brings us a tale of bravery and change in the face of life altering events and she does so through characters that are endlessly relatable by virtue of highlighting how we all are but an echo chamber of all those who came into our lives and left something behind, all the events that shaped us into who we are, and all those feelings that we sort through each day regardless how ugly or good they might be. And, finally, this is a book about how sometimes settling or even languishing into certain roles is more dangerous than squaring your shoulders and trying the daunting thing.
Review: The Failures (The Wanderlands #1) by Benjamin Liar
Synopsis From a debut voice comes a genre-breaking blend of apocalyptic sci-fi and epic fantasy about a scattered group of unlikely heroes traveling across their broken mechanical planet to stave off eternal darkness. A tightly-coiled puzzle of a thrill ride, The Failures launches The Wanderlands trilogy Welcome to the Wanderlands.A vast machine made for reasons […]
Review: Deadhouse Gates (Malazan Book of The Fallen #2) by Steven Erikson
Synopsis In the vast dominion of Seven Cities, in the Holy Desert Raraku, the seer Sha’ik and her followers prepare for the long-prophesied uprising known as the Whirlwind. Unprecedented in size and savagery, this maelstrom of fanaticism and bloodlust will embroil the Malazan Empire in one of the bloodiest conflicts it has ever known, shaping […]
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: Shadow Lair (Shadow Winged 0.5) by Jilleen Dolbeare
Shadow Lair is a short prequel story for the Shadow Winged Chronicles, an Alaskan folklore urban fantasy about a shapeshifting bush pilot named Piper. In this prequel, we follow Piper and her friend (Bran) as they search for Piper’s missing sister.