The Hood delivers myth and magic with a splatter of sweary violence and comedy in all the right places in what is one of the most unique and masterful reads of 2021.
Reviews
Review: The Fall by Ryan Cahill
Synopsis The Order have watched over the continent of Epheria for thousands of years. But there are those who believe The Order has had its day. That it is corrupt, indulgent, and deceitful – that it is ready to fall. The City of Ilnaen is on fire.Dragons fill the skies.Traitors fill the streets. The Fall […]
Song of the Beast by Carol Berg
Synopsis Brutal imprisonment has broken Aidan McAllister. Once the most famous musician of his generation, celebrated as a man beloved of the gods, his voice is now silent, his hands ruined, his music that offered beauty and hope to war-torn Elyria destroyed. Even the god who nurtured his talent since boyhood has abandoned him. But […]
Review: The Free Bastards (The Lot Lands #3) by Jonathan French
The Free Bastards is a final book that takes everything we hold dear, all the cool, badass, components we’ve loved from the first two and throws a dash more of court intrigue that’s a weird fit with mongrels around, more strange magic and ramps it all up to a hundred! It’s a book that knows itself and ain’t scared to flaunt it. It’s a tapestry of all that the Lot Lands had to offer in books 1 and 2, woven into a tight picture then set ablaze; let me tell you this, reader, when the fire that is Oats starts, it doesn’t stop.
Review: The Liar of Red Valley by Walter Goodwater
Wow. Just wow. I had heard good things about The Liar of Red Valley, but to actually read it for myself was something else. I sat down thinking I’d just start it and then it was many hours later and I’d read the vast majority of the book.
The front of the ARC reads:
Do not trust the liar.
Do not go in the river.
Do not cross the King.
Review: Elder Race by Adrian Tchaikovsky
Elder Race begins as a classic fantasy story with a young princess out on a quest to prove herself by going to get the reclusive of a sorcerer to come fight the demon hurting her people. However, this is Tchaikovsky, so nothing is quite as it seems.
If a different kind of fantasy story mixed with science intrigues you, I highly recommend picking this up. Well written, good characters and filled with interesting ideas and developments, this is a great novella.
Review: The Bone Ships (The Tide Child #1) by RJ Barker
Synopsis TWO NATIONS AT WAR. A PRIZE BEYOND COMPARE. For generations, the Hundred Isles have built their ships from the bones of ancient dragons to fight an endless war.The dragons disappeared, but the battles for supremacy persisted.Now the first dragon in centuries has been spotted in far-off waters, and both sides see a chance to […]
Review: My Best Friend’s Exorcism by Grady Hendrix
Synopsis Abby and Gretchen have been best friends since fifth grade, when they bonded over a shared love of E.T., roller-skating parties, and scratch-and-sniff stickers. But when they arrive at high school, things change. Gretchen begins to act….different. And as the strange coincidences and bizarre behavior start to pile up, Abby realizes there’s only one […]
Review (Physical and Audio): The Seven Visitations of Sydney Burgess by Andy Marino
Wow. What a novel. The Seven Visitations of Sydney Burgess is quite unlike anything I’ve ever read.This isn’t a neat little book that will fit itself into your brain with ease; this is a story that will make you uncomfortable, disgusted, sympathetic, and horrified. The pieces of The Seven Visitations of Sydney Burgess come together with jagged edges that are sharp enough to cut.
Review: The Liar of Red Valley by Walter Goodwater
(The Liar of Red Valley) is a fantastic book full of magic creatures, cool magic and fast-paced plot. While I didn’t get behind some of the side characters, that in itself can play into a massive plot twist that I’m sure no one will see coming. However, it is a shorter book than I’d have liked so saves on going too in-depth. I believe it’s a stylistic choice that all of the magic creatures aren’t described because the human eye can’t behold, the human mind can’t decipher, what they are but it sometimes left a blank space in my imagination with it. However, it was a cool way to deal with beings we simply wouldn’t know how to describe and leaves an original twist on what their appearances might be in that everyone reading will see something different.
Review: Little White Hands by Mark Cushen
Synopsis Garlan the kitchen boy’s dream of becoming a knight may not be as impossible as he is often led to believe, when the immortal players in a war from centuries gone reignite their feud right on his very doorstep. Chased from his home and thrust headlong into an epic adventure that spans the entire […]
Review: How to Defeat a Demon King in Ten Easy Steps by Andrew Rowe
An absolutely delightful parody/spoof where almost all tropes of heroes, villains, sidekicks, quests etc are deliciously made fun of. A immensely satisfying short read!