Brandon Sanderson once blurbed the Powder Mage trilogy, calling it “just plain awesome”… I can safely say I totally agree with him!
Fantasy
Review: Forgotten Ruin (Forgotten Ruin #1) by Jason Anspach & Nick Cole
Synopsis Tolkien meets Shock and Awe Orcs. Trolls. Wraith riders. Dark wizards. Together, they form an unstoppable force. Or so they thought. Dark Army… meet the U.S. Army Rangers. When a Joint Task Force of elite Rangers are transported to a strange and fantastic future where science and evolution have incarnated the evils of myth […]
Review: The Bone Shard Emperor (The Drowning Empire #2) by Andrea Stewart
hooked. The vibrant world, imagining an empire of seasonal, migrating islands, and the relatable cast of characters had me fully invested to the end. But it was the richness of her prose and worldbuilding, and the gut-punch weight of the book’s many twists that left me aching for more.
Thankfully, Stewart’s sophomore effort and the sequel to The Bone Shard Daughter does not disappoint. In fact, The Bone Shard Emperor swiftly ups the ante, dealing with the fallout of its predecessor and building political and emotional pressure in captivating ways. With morally grey characters (in a morally grey world) that I can truly root for and a world with a deep, mysterious history I want to know more about, The Drowning Empire series just keeps getting better.
Review: The Thousand Deaths of Ardor Benn (Kingdom of Grit #1) by Tyler Whitesides
Synopsis Ardor Benn is no ordinary thief – a master of wildly complex heists, he styles himself a Ruse Artist Extraordinaire. When he gets hired for his most daring ruse yet, Ardor knows he’ll need more than quick wit and sleight of hand. Assembling a dream team of forgers, disguisers, schemers and thieves, he sets […]
Review: Road to Juneau by Liam Quane
Synopsis New York: two years after the Third World War. Humanity is rebuilding its cities brick by brick; the damage done to the people, however, is a lot harder to repair. Dan Hardacre is one of those people. An aspiring stage actor and experienced draft-dodger, Dan struggles to find his place within the Utopic rebuild […]
Review: Paladin Unbound by Jeffrey Speight
Synopsis Paladins were at one time a feared holy warrior in Evelium. Trained by the church and dedicated to the gods, they protected the world from evil. However, their power was so great it scared the rulers of their day and the church was forbidden from training any more Paladins. Hundred of years later the […]
Review: The Name of the Wind (The Kingkiller Chronicle #1) by Patrick Rothfuss
Synopsis In seclusion, disguised as an innkeeper, Kote lives a quiet life with his companion Bast, until one day a chronicler shows up at their home. He had set out in search of the legendary Kvothe – and found him. Kote lets himself be persuaded and tells the chronicler his story. Kvothe is not a […]
The Spirit Eater (The Legend of Eli Monpress #3) by Rachel Aaron
Synopsis With the pressure on after his success in Gaol, Eli Monpress, professional thief and degenerate, decides it’s time to lie low for a bit. Taking up residence in a tiny seaside village, Eli and his companions seize the chance for some fun and relaxation. Nico, however, is finding it a bit hard. Plagued by […]
Review: The Shadow of the Gods (The Bloodsworn Saga #1) by John Gwynne
Take it from me and the other 9 people on this blog that have reviewed it, Shadow of the Gods is a brilliant read!
Review: The World Maker Parable (Adjacent Monsters #1) by Luke Tarzian
The World Maker Parable, by self-published author Luke Tarzian, is a prequel novella to his full-length debut Vultures. Set in the same world as Vultures, this novella is the first in his Adjacent Monsters series.
Review: The Shadow of the Gods by John Gwyne (The Bloodsworn Saga #1)
Shadow of the Gods is a masterpiece in the realm of epic fantasy combined with great visuals, and great storytelling
Book Tour Review: We Break Immortals (The Advent Lumina Cycle #1) by Thomas Howard Riley
We Break Immortals is the first book I have reviewed for 2022 and it has set the bar extremely high! Riley displays some of the most impressive worldbuilding and character work that I have ever seen. The amount of worldbuilding that is just casually littered throughout the book is staggering, yet it feels like there’s so much more to learn. It’s truly a testament to Riley’s skill and it serves to make the world really feel lived in. It’s not just a backdrop for the story to take place, but an active participant in the telling.