Synopsis On the eve of Nemia’s Journey of Patronage, fifteen-year-old Van is determined to prove himself by returning home as a blooded member of his tribe–assuming he survives the ordeal. As the chieftain’s son, Van will strive to earn his father’s respect by extending a hand in friendship to Simon, a fast-talking sorcerer from a land […]
Fantasy
Review: Jester by Tim Carter
Synopsis In a realm ruled by idiots, their only hope is the Fool. You’d think an army of zombie trolls and undead ogres would catch the nobility’s attention. You’d be wrong. The rulers of Halfsock are deeply in denial. Besides, they have taxes to avoid, neighbors to plunder, and relatives to backstab. With war looming, […]
Review: Queen of Faces by Petra Lord
Synopsis: A desperate girl at a cutthroat magical academy faces a choice between life and death: become an assassin for the enchanted elite or watch her decaying body draw its last breath. Anabelle Gage is trapped in a male body, and it’s rotting from the inside out. In Caimor, where the magical elite buy and […]
SPFBO XI Review: A Mage’s Mentor by Stephen Jarocki
Synopsis Twenty years after her mother’s mysterious disappearance, Sinccah sets out to find answers in the untamed province of Ucksland. Hoping to bolster her meager magic skills, she seeks out the old mage guarding the caravan. While talking to him, she discovers that the pendant her mother left her might hold a secret. Unfortunately, before […]
SPFBO Review: Blackwater 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, she winds […]
Review: Wolf Worm by T Kingfisher
Synopsis The year is 1899 and Sonia Wilson is a scientific illustrator without work, prospects or hope. When the reclusive Dr. Halder offers her a position illustrating his vast collection of insects, Sonia jumps at the chance to move to his North Carolina manor house and put her talents to use. But soon enough she […]
Review: A Drowned Kingdom (The Drowned Kingdom) by Gregory Kontaxis
Synopsis Once Second Prince of the mightiest kingdom in the known world, Othrun now leads the last survivors of his exiled people into an uncertain future far across the Shimmering Sea from their ancestral home, now lost beneath the waves. With his Single God binding his knights to chivalric oaths, intent on wiping out idolatry […]
Review: Daytide by Chris Panatier
Daytide by Chris Panatier is a thought provoking, turpentine induced, rapture of a novel that carries you into a dark world filled with hope against all odds, tender yet bittersweet full circle moments, and unexpected beauty in spite of the grotesque and macabre.
Review: Posthumous Education (Fred, the Vampire Accountant #8) by Drew Hayes
Synopsis Much like accountants, fey never forget a debt. Just as Fred is settling down in his new abode, he receives word that a favor is being called in, one he promised to a dangerously powerful member of otherworldly royalty. Bracing danger, adventure, and unknown threats, Fred is instead asked to take on an entirely […]
Review: The Curse of Dragon Tail Island by Jonathan Nevair
Synopsis: A once-legendary pirate and his loyal crew out to retake the high seas. Captain James R. Hawk, aka Trusty Jack, and his Salty Scoundrels are do-gooder buccaneers leaving a trail of merry mayhem in their wake. Their credo: ignore the corrupt laws of the Jewel Island’s greedy regent and sail the tropical seas in […]
Review: Queen of the Night Guild (Queen of Thieves 3) by Andy Peloquin
Synopsis Her life burned to ashes. Her city under siege. She will sacrifice everything she has for bloody vengeance. Ilanna has lost everything: her friends, her home, her family, her dreams of freedom. All that remains is a burning desire to find the bastards who burned down her city and tried to kill her. But […]
Review: Sister Svangerd and the Not Quite Dead by K.J Parker
Synopsis: Not even the Church of the Invincible Sun is invincible – and somebody has to do its dirty work. Enter Sister Svangerd and her accompanying priest, both accomplished practitioners. Their mission is simple: to make a meddlesome princess disappear (permanently). To get to her, they must attend the legendary Ecumenical Council, the once-in-a-century convening […]