Synopsis The impossible becomes inevitable with the fate of her loved ones hanging in the balance… A cunning thief of unrivaled ingenuity, Ilanna is determined to secure her freedom at any cost. No price is too high to break the shackles of the Night Guild’s callous cruelty. With her future on the line, nothing will […]
Sword and Sorcery
Review: Ballad of the Last Dragon by C.A.Farran
Synopsis “A bard never reveals her secrets, only everyone else’s.”There is no place for elves in this world, but Sylvaine knows she’s destined for greatness—a world-famous bard entertaining the finest nobility as far as Lindale. Unfortunately, performing in her local tavern off the beaten path lends scant opportunity to distinguish herself. Until a group of […]
Review: Child of the Night Guild (Queen of Thieves 1) by Andy Peloquin
Synopsis They killed her family. They ripped apart her home. But to repay her debts, she’ll have to sacrifice her innocence. Robbed of everything she loves, Viola mourns the sudden loss of her mother. Now burdened with an impossible debt to the Night Guild, she’s forced to train as a cunning thief. Subjected to cruelty […]
Eleni’s Top Reads of 2025
I couldn’t really pick a top five, nor a top ten this year. So you get the fun of a top 15! Like last year then, I’ll just be sharing all of their glorious covers and if I reviewed the book itself I’ll be linking the rambles in their titles so you can see if they are the books for you, at your leisure.
These are all books that kept me up till the very small hours of the night, some even made me see the first inklings of dawn and deprived me of even the little sleep I do get. But! I have no regrets whatsoever and neither would you, I believe, if you gave them a go!
Review: Hall of Bones (The Brotherhood of the Eagle #1) by Tim Hardie
Synopsis: When a new enemy comes to power Rothgar’s ruling family and friends are forced to ally with old rivals. Faced with betrayal from within their own clan Rothgar’s survival is by no means certain, as an ancient and malevolent magic grows in strength and threatens all he holds dear. In the remote land of […]
Review: The Blackfire Blade (The Last Legacy #2) by James Logan
I can now safely say that Logan breezily surpassed my expectations with The Blackfire Blade, making everything that worked great in book one even better, avoiding previous mistakes, and vaulting right over the feared sophomore slump. Indeed, this series is quickly and easily carving out a spot for itself as the perfect entry into the genre for new fantasy readers, and as a comfort read for those of us seasoned in classic epic fantasy. Everything I said for book one remains true; Logan’s worldbuilding is strong and, his take on beloved tropes, fresh and engaging.
Review: Spiderlight by Adrian Tchaikovsky
Adrian Tchaikovsky writes DnD, turns everything you thought you knew on its head, and writes the perfect length book. Spiderlight is a very classic quest story at it’s heart, our band of misfits (the classic cleric, rogue, mage etc) are following a prophecy in which they will defeat the Dark Lord. Simple, classic, already a great story. Then we have a Spider turned into human form (and, yes, you will sympathise with him), and a journey through some of the darkest parts of the land, where deeper personalities are revealed, and darker storylines take place.
Review: The Second Death of Locke (The Hand and the Heart #1) by V.L. Bovalino
This is a deeply romantic and epic tale of what it means to be loyal and love so much you’d be willing to sacrifice anything, but also a cautionary one of when to recognise that a life built on a cycle of sacrifices is perhaps one of too high a cost. What if instead of dying for love, you live for it, and fiercely so?
Review: The Everlasting by Alix E. Harrow
Not only is the narrative voice beautiful and engaging, but it is downright heartbreaking at times. Harrow’s narrators don’t merely talk to the reader but they transport us into this account of impossible choices and we can only follow along hoping for the best but emotionally preparing for the worst.
Review: The Everlasting by Alix E. Harrow
Synopsis: Sir Una Everlasting was Dominion’s greatest hero: the orphaned girl who became a knight, who died for queen and country. Her legend lives on in songs and stories, in children’s books and recruiting posters―but her life as it truly happened has been forgotten. Centuries later, Owen Mallory―failed soldier, struggling scholar―falls in love with the […]
Review: The Sovereign (Magic of the Lost, Book 3) by C.L Clark
The Sovereign brings princess Luca and soldier Touraine together one last time in the thrilling conclusion to C. L. Clark’s beloved queer political fantasy trilogy. Luca is the new queen of Balladaire. Her empire is already splintering in her hands. Her uncle wasn’t the only traitor in the court, and the Withering plague will decimate her people […]
Review: The Light of Kasaban by Thomas Howard Riley
Synopsis: In the brutal desert city of Kasaban, the old gods have had their statues crushed to powder by invading Priests, with magick forbidden to anyone but themselves. Merely being born as one of the magi makes even infants into fugitives, and the Priests and their spies are always watching, ready to toss their enemies […]