Synopsis: A devastating love story. A bewitching twist on history. A blood-drenched hunt for purpose, power, and redemption. In 1785, Professor Sebastian Grave receives the news he fears most: the terrible Beast of Gévaudan has returned, and the French countryside runs red in its wake. Sebastian knows the Beast. A monster-slayer with centuries of experience, […]
Fantasy
SPFBO Review: Flint in the Bones (Norwich Map Runners #1) by Eva St. John
Synopsis In a city where history bites back, murder is just the beginning. Detective Eliza “Bish” Barnaby thought she’d left her home behind—along with its plague outbreaks, random time-shifts, and tendency to accidentally host people from the 1600s during breakfast. But when a dangerous practitioner escapes custody in London, Bish is forced back to Norwich, […]
Review: Six of Crows (Six of Crows #1) by Leigh Bardugo
Synopsis Ketterdam: a bustling hub of international trade where anything can be had for the right price―and no one knows that better than criminal prodigy Kaz Brekker. Kaz is offered a chance at a deadly heist that could make him rich beyond his wildest dreams. But he can’t pull it off alone. . . . […]
Review: Darkness Unleashed (Eileerean Saga #2) by Bella Dunn
We’re going to need a bigger torch Synopsis What would you sacrifice for duty?The war between the Eileerean sisters left a legacy far worse than the corpses of the fallen soldiers. The peace forged by Daelyn’s grandmother is crumbling.Callandra was left under the rule of a tyrant, and while Gaelyr and Lyhtana brace for another […]
Review: A Black Dragon on Red (The Drowned Kingdom Saga #6) by P.L. Stuart
Synopsis: Nightsoul. A name striking terror into the hearts of Eltnia’s people for decades. A mysterious, sinister ruler, buoyed by the foreboding magic of the malevolent sorceress Barbis. A haunting spectre, appearing out of mist, razing kingdoms to the ground, then vanishing like a ghost, leaving behind destruction, ruined corpses, and paralyzing despair. And Nightsoul […]
Review: To Touch a Silent Fury by R.A. Sandpiper
Synopsis: She rides to claim her fate, he flies to burn it down. As the only woman in the Moontouched Brotherhood, Tani studies on the haughty island of Eavenfold surrounded by men who see her as an ill omen at best. Her Fate Ceremony is only days away, offering five possible escapes from the storm-locked […]
Review: Doomed to Die: An A–Z of Death in Tolkien by Tom Racine
Synopsis J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings meets Edward Gorey’s The Gashlycrumb Tinies in this darkly satirical illustrated parody of the Tolkien universe: ‘A is for Arwen broken by sorrows; B is for Boromir punctured by arrows. C is for Celebrimbor hung out to dry; D is for Denethor…’ ‘Stories – frankly, human stories are always about one thing […]
SPFBO XI Review: The Golden Princess (Chronicles of Fu Xi) by Brian Braden
Synopsis Raised in splendid isolation.Betrothed to a man she despises.Destined to rule over the greatest city on earth.She is the Golden Princess. Sarah dreams of love and adventure beyond her gilded prison, but tonight her dreams come true in the most terrifying way imaginable. A bloody power struggle erupts for the throne, and dawn finds […]
SPFBO XI Review: Shadows of the Sundered Lands by Corbin Rook
Synopsis: The walls that kept the darkness out are beginning to fall. One hundred and fifty years ago, the Sundering drowned Avoni in darkness, twisting every living thing into a nightmare. The only survivors live under the Aurora Shrouds, mystical barriers shielding isolated towns from the horrors outside. When a Vanguard Courier, uncovers evidence that […]
SPFBO XI Review: Shadow of the Sword (William of Alamore Series) by C.J.R. Isely
Synopsis Laster has always wanted to prove himself to his father by becoming a knight of Alamore. Only months away from the end of his training, he has his chance when his own mentor, Sir Dasroch, gives him the honor of riding in place of a knight on a borderland patrol. But the perfect dream […]
Review: Weavingshaw by Heba Al-Wasity
Synopsis: The Saint of Silence trades coins for every sordid divulgence uttered to him. The darker the secret, the higher the price. Leena has a secret, one that has haunted her since she was seventeen – she can see the dead. When her brother falls ill, she knows what she must do: seek the Saint. […]
Book Review: Hard Reset by Jonathan Yanez
TL;DR Review: Red Dead Redemption meets Borderlands in this fun, fast-paced LitRPG adventure. Synopsis: Hard Reset is a fast-paced, unpredictable, and clever take on the LitRPG genre, blending beloved sci-fi and apocalyptic themes to create an intricate new reality. In this world, life begins in a coffin, cars float, a good ray gun is your best […]