Synopsis The trouble with the Fallen is they look human. The Fallen are the children born affected by the Drakon, otherworldly beasts that arrived on a meteor and devastated Rosya in a decades-long war. Now, as the nation heals and moves forward, a second conflict looms. This time the enemy is not the Drakon, but […]
Fantasy
Review: Daughter of Crows (The Academy of Kindness, #1) by Mark Lawrence
Synopsis: Set a thief to catch a thief. Set a monster to punish monsters. The Academy of Kindness exists to create agents of retribution, cast in the image of the Furies – The Kindly Ones – against whom even the gods hesitate to stand. Each year one hundred girls are sold to the Academy. Ten […]
REVIEW: Twelve Months (The Dresden Files #18) by Jim Butcher
SYNOPSIS Harry Dresden, Chicago’s only professional wizard, has always managed to save the day—but, in this powerful entry in the #1 New York Times bestselling Dresden Files, can he save himself? One year. 365 days. Twelve months. Harry Dresden has been through a lot, and so has his city. After Harry and his allies narrowly managed to […]
SPFBO XI Review: Budding Rhythm by CrimCat
Synopsis Thousands of years ago, the five great gods created the world of Pallos. A land of mysticism where mighty beasts and beings struggled to carve out their respective territories, empowered by the System. On this world, a Paladin in service to Xaoc, the god of chaos, struggled and perished. And then woke up as […]
SPFBO XI Review: A Sea of Blood and Tears by J.K Divia
Synopsis Ionna is a selkie torn between sea and shore. She has waited years for the chance to find the son stolen by the mysterious woods on her island. When Viking raiders threaten her village, she must choose between returning to the sea, saving one of her children, or risking everything to protect them all. […]
Review: Copper Skin, Oaken Lungs (Copper & Ash #1) by Adam Bassett
Synopsis: For a thousand years, The Old Town has stood as humanity’s last bastion against the maalkonis, malignant black mists that reduced the rest of the world to ash. They are kept at bay by rusty machines on the town’s walls. In order to survive, the dwindling population depends on one another. Since a young […]
SPFBO XI Review: Children of Nemia by Michael Goe
Synopsis On the eve of Nemia’s Journey of Patronage, fifteen-year-old Van is determined to prove himself by returning home as a blooded member of his tribe–assuming he survives the ordeal. As the chieftain’s son, Van will strive to earn his father’s respect by extending a hand in friendship to Simon, a fast-talking sorcerer from a land […]
Review: Queen of Faces by Petra Lord
Synopsis: A desperate girl at a cutthroat magical academy faces a choice between life and death: become an assassin for the enchanted elite or watch her decaying body draw its last breath. Anabelle Gage is trapped in a male body, and it’s rotting from the inside out. In Caimor, where the magical elite buy and […]
SPFBO XI Review: A Mage’s Mentor by Stephen Jarocki
Synopsis Twenty years after her mother’s mysterious disappearance, Sinccah sets out to find answers in the untamed province of Ucksland. Hoping to bolster her meager magic skills, she seeks out the old mage guarding the caravan. While talking to him, she discovers that the pendant her mother left her might hold a secret. Unfortunately, before […]
SPFBO Review: Blackwater by Emily Blakeney
Synopsis: There is much to be done when the kingdom isn’t looking. Iona Strider is a ruthless pickpocket cursed with a disobedient shadow. Violent, too. Worse, she can’t remember who cursed her, or why. But she does know one with each passing day, her control of the shadow dwindles. In her relentless pursuit of answers, she winds […]
Review: Wolf Worm by T Kingfisher
Synopsis The year is 1899 and Sonia Wilson is a scientific illustrator without work, prospects or hope. When the reclusive Dr. Halder offers her a position illustrating his vast collection of insects, Sonia jumps at the chance to move to his North Carolina manor house and put her talents to use. But soon enough she […]
Review: The Curse of Dragon Tail Island by Jonathan Nevair
Synopsis: A once-legendary pirate and his loyal crew out to retake the high seas. Captain James R. Hawk, aka Trusty Jack, and his Salty Scoundrels are do-gooder buccaneers leaving a trail of merry mayhem in their wake. Their credo: ignore the corrupt laws of the Jewel Island’s greedy regent and sail the tropical seas in […]