Synopsis: Whoever rules the bees, rules the world. On a planet stripped of wind, entire ecosystems lie in ashes, leaving humans to the mercy of a sole surviving bee species on a remote isle. Whoever wins the Praxis to rule them as Keeper, rules the world. When the next Keeper goes missing, her little sister […]
Fantasy
Review: Thrum by Meg Smitherman
Synopsis Ami awakes from years in stasis to find she’s at the edges of deep space, and the only surviving member of her crew. Utterly alone and unable to contact Earth, she sends out a distress beacon, not expecting a response. When she gets one from a being who calls himself Dorian, she’s welcomed onto […]
Review: Breath of the Dragon (Breathmarked #1) by Shannon Lee and Fonda Lee
Synopsis A young warrior dreams of proving his worth in the elite Guardian Tournament, fighting not only for himself but the fate of everything he loves. Sixteen-year-old Jun dreams of proving his worth as a warrior in the elite Guardian’s Tournament, held every six years to entrust the magical Scroll of Heaven to a new […]
Review: The Humane Society for Creatures & Cryptids by Stephanie Gillis
Summary: The Lambros family has never fit in with the town of Pandora, even from the very beginning. Since their ancestors immigrated from Greece with magical creatures in tow, the townsfolk have never trusted them and that hasn’t changed in the centuries since. Now, Melpomene, Calliope, and Thalia struggle to live their every day lives. […]
Review: For a Few Days More by Z.B Steele
Synopsis The Hinterlands are a lawless place of broken dreams and broken people. Roth is a bodyguard trying to leave his dark past behind, but history has a way of turning back up. Cynthia is a bandit who’s trying to make a future by wading through blood. They travel separately, trying to live by their […]
Blood Brothers Beyond by Rob J. Hayes
Synopsis Their brother is dead but nothing will stop the remaining Blood Brothers from risking it all to honor Subaru’s last request and secure his place in Heaven. Everything from dangerous bandits to powerful spirits will try to stop them from completing their mission. Review Time changes many things, but some things never changes as […]
Review: Sleeping Worlds Have No Memory by Yaroslav Barsukov
Synopsis A science fantasy noir tale from the Nebula-nominated author of “Tower of Mud and Straw.” Refusing the queen’s order to gas a crowd of protesters, Minister Shea Ashcroft is banished to the border to oversee the construction of the biggest defensive tower in history. However, the use of advanced technology taken from refugees makes […]
Review: The Devil Walks In Blood (Nick Holleran, Private Investigator #1 & 2) by David Green
Synopsis: Hell is real. We’re all living it. Nick Holleran learned that truth the hard way the day he took three bullets to the chest and bled out in an alleyway. Only death didn’t stick, and it’s been five long years working among the ghosts and monsters, demons and fallen angels, hoping that next time […]
Review: The Malevolent Seven by Sebastien De Castell
Synopsis: Picture a wizard. Go ahead, close your eyes. There he is, see? Skinny old guy with a long straggly beard. The hat’s a must, too, right? Big, floppy thing. Wouldn’t want a simple steel helmet or something that might, you know, protect the part of him most needed for conjuring magical forces from being […]
Review: Blood Of Heirs (The Coraidic Sagas #1) by Alicia Wanstall-Burke
Synopsis Lidan Tolak is the fiercest of her father’s daughters; more than capable of one day leading her clan. But caught between her warring parents, Lidan’s world begins to unravel when another of her father’s wives falls pregnant. Before she has time to consider the threat of a brother, a bloody swathe is cut through […]
Darby’s Best Comic Books And Graphic Novels Of 2024
After what has seemed like momentary stagnation, comic books and graphic novels reflected a turbulent, erratic year with vital, innovative, diverse stories. From superheroes to fantasy landscapes in the backyard or someone’s mind – or both – comics like Absolute Batman took big chances and delivered in big ways for readers. My biggest regret in […]
Review: Lightfall (The Everlands Trilogy #1) by Ed Crocker
Synopsis: For centuries, vampires freely roamed the land until the Grays came out of nowhere, wiping out half the population in a night. The survivors fled to the last vampire city of First Light, where the rules are simple. If you’re poor, you drink weak blood. If you’re nobility, you get the good stuff. And […]