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 […]
Fantasy
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.
REVIEW: Mushroom Blues (The Hofmann Report #1) by Adrian M. Gibson
SYNOPSIS ENTER THE FUNGALVERSE. BEAT THE WINTER BLUES. Blade Runner, True Detective and District 9 meld with the weird worlds of Jeff VanderMeer, Philip K. Dick and China Miéville in Adrian M. Gibson’s hallucinatory, fungalpunk noir debut. Two years after a devastating defeat in the decade-long Spore War, the island nation of Hōppon and its capital city of Neo Kinoko […]
Review: Upon the Darkest Mountain by Rachel L. Tilley
Synopsis: A curse lying over the land, seen by none but felt by all. An imposing mountain hidden in plain sight.The world is no longer as it once was. In place of prosperity, there’s famine and drought. Magic has all but disappeared. At Ember House, Adria exists inside a sheltered bubble, until she’s tasked with […]
Book Review: The Thirteenth Hour (The Cruel Gods #1) by Trudie Skies
TL;DR Review: Magic-based steampunk with a colorful cast of characters, wicked gods, and a lovely slow-burn romance. Synopsis: WHEN THE SAINTS FAIL, THE SINNERS STEP UP.Cruel gods rule the steam-powered city of Chime, demanding worship and tribute from their mortal subjects. Kayl lost her faith in them long ago, and now seeks to protect vulnerable […]