The Wood Bee Queen by Edward Cox is a standalone fantasy reminiscent of old folktales sprinkled with classic fantasy tropes and some Ancient Greek/Roman mythology homages (or Easter eggs if you like). It is also a portal fantasy, which I haven’t read in quite some time, and that definitely catered to some of the nostalgia from my early teens. Through it, Cox tackles timeless themes of good vs evil, blind religious faith, petty/whimsical gods, and the importance of stories, as well as making one’s own decisions without letting others sway you for their gain.
Reviews
Cover Reveal Blitz: The Spawn of Spiracy (A Disaster of Dokojin #2) by Jesse Nolan Bailey
Review: The Hand of the Sun King (Pact and Pattern #1) by J.T Greathouse
The story takes on an older Wen Alder/Foolish Cur, reflecting on his past. He wants to learn magic without the limitations of his Nayani heritage and the Siennese disdain for magic. His grandmother is a central character that wants him to revolt against the Empire. While his mother doesn’t want that. I shall call him Foolish Cur because that is an apt name for many of the decisions he makes in the book’s course, which aren’t significant. He is competent, yes, but he’s also misguided at the same time. Foolish Cur wants his way, a third way where he’s free from all the burdens that are placed by his background. He’s torn between two heritages, and that’s what eats at the core of his soul in this book. How can one man break away from this? On the one hand, the Siennese torture and kill those who practice magic and yet make use of it in battle. On the other, the Siennese recently conquered the Nayani, and they have been rebelling against them. Foolish Cur could have been a double agent, which he tries too, but fails at it miserably. This entire book is about a young man trying to discover who he is and what he wants.
Review: The House of Always (A Chorus of Dragons #4) by Jenn Lyons
The House of Always is book 4 in Jenn Lyons’ A Chorus of Dragons series, and I am just going to come out and say it: I loved this book. Not like, “hey y’all, this is a really good book”. Nope.
I. Loved. This. Book.
Cover Reveal Blitz: Redemption (Legends of Lightning #2) by T.R. Slauf
Blogger Chat – Nick Borrelli – Out of This World SFF
Make Yourself at Home – 4 books about moving into the solar system
Guest Post: Worldbuilding in The Rush’s Edge by Ginger Smith
Author Chat – J.T. Greathouse
Review: The Book of the Baku by R. L. Boyle
The Book of the Baku follows Sean, a teenager who has been through something so traumatic that he is mute. We follow his story both in the present day and in the past as he tries to stop what is happening to him and his Grandad. While dialogue is minimal in the book (after all Sean is mute for most of it) there’s still this real feeling of connection. From the moment Sean picks up The Book of the Baku his whole world starts to turn upside down and slowly things get creepier and creepier. The relationship between Sean and his Grandad goes through several different stages and while they may only have met each other I found myself really rooting for them both.
Guest Post: Trying to Make Engaging Characters by Thomas Howard Riley
Review: These Violent Delights (These Violent Delights #1) by Chloe Gong
You will probably know within a few chapters whether this book for you. Recently, I have had a talk with some other bloggers on our preferences, and how our love for either character centric or plot centric books can completely dictate what popular fantasies books we like. I am at heart, a character driven reader but I think I can honestly say that These Violent Delights is as plot driven as it is character driven; a perfect blend! I’m already itching to read the sequel in this duology, which will be out in November. I’m also utterly terrified, as I’m sure we are all wondering just how closely Gong is going to follow Shakespeare’s storylines.