TL;DR Review: Urban fantasy that strikes an excellent balance between cozy and epic. An insightful exploration of healing from parent-inflicted trauma. Synopsis: You inherited a house, but it has a minor demon problem… Dagon Gunthersson—a powerful demon warrior and a renowned member of Hell’s nobility—stands accused of treason by his commander. His abrupt escape leads […]
Urban Fantasy
Book Review: Amethysts and Alchemy by Rachel Rener
TL;DR – A grumpy/sunshine match made in neurospicy heaven, and a singularly ADORABLE animal companion. Synopsis: I used to eat rocks as a child. The family doctor diagnosed me with pica, dooming me to years of intensive therapy and extensive dentistry work. It wouldn’t be until much later that I would understand the all-consuming, insatiable […]
Book Review: The Dissonance by Shaun Hamill
TL;DR Review: Stranger Things meets The Magicians, as written by Stephen King. A dark, brooding, mysterious urban fantasy story of fate-defying friendships. Synopsis: From the acclaimed author of A Cosmology of Monsters comes an epic contemporary fantasy: a story of dark magic, terrible mistakes, and second chances. “You can never go home again,” the saying goes—but Hal, […]
Book Review: Girl of Hearts (The Luck Gods #1) by J. Gabriel Gates
TL;DR Review: A fun, fresh, and fast-paced urban fantasy with neurodivergent representation done right. Synopsis: Four tribes of ruthless demigods rule over luck in our world. Hearts, Diamonds, Clubs, and Spades. To save her mom, Aggie must join them… As a future scientist, I don’t believe in gods or in luck. My OCD is […]
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 […]
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 Book One) by Adrian M. Gibson
Quite a trip… Synopsis Two years after a devastating defeat in the decade-long Spore War, the island nation of Hōppon and its capital city of Neo Kinoko are occupied by invading Coprinian forces. Its fungal citizens are in dire straits, wracked by food shortages, poverty and an influx of war refugees. Even worse, the corrupt […]
Review: Evocation (The Summoner’s Circle #1) by S.T. Gibson
Read Evocation when you want a character-focussed, slow-burn romance with a arcane backdrop. While the plot is present Evocation is far, far more about the evolution of David, Rhys and Moira’s relationship, with a special mention for how David and Moira’s friendship, and eventual relationship grows. The plot is really just a backdrop for our trio to bond, and while I did enjoy the plot it’s quite a slow mover until the very last pages where it suddenly concludes in just a few pages.
Review: Mist Gallows (The Prophecies of Ragnarok #3) by Meri Benson and Marie Sinadjan
Synopsis Are you ready for the battle of a lifetime? The end has begun. Ragnarok has arrived as prophesied. The Great Winter has brought Midgard to its knees, and it’s only a matter of time before the gods and their armies clash on Vigrid one last time. Desperate to save the realms, Victor leads his […]
Review: Cutting Your Teeth (Cursed Corpses #1) by Caylan MacRae
Synopsis Ezra Santos is tired of running. Of burning bridge after bridge and going through new names like used matches. He desperately wants something he was never destined to have—a future all his own. Having escaped his hell of a home two years ago, he can’t go a day without looking over his shoulder. Putting […]
Review: The Reanimator’s Heart (The Reanimator Mysteries #1) by Kara Jorgensen
Synopsis: A reluctant necromancer, a man killed before his time, and the crime that brings them together. Felipe Galvan’s life as an investigator for the Paranormal Society has been spent running into danger. Returning home from his latest case, Felipe struggles with the sudden quiet of his life until a mysterious death puts him in […]
Review: Eve (Eve #1) by Mark Jonathan Runte
Synopsis: They’ve spent their lives looking over their shoulders – knowing their parents’ pasts and fearing a return to their birthplace until they lost the youngest of their sisters a year ago. One night shatters that tentative peace and sets Phoenix on edge, distracting the city from the growing threat of a viral outbreak. While […]