TL;DR Review: Razor-sharp dialogue, a wildly imaginative alt-history fantasy world, and wonderfully extravagant characters result in what may be Joe Abercrombie’s best work to date. Synopsis: Holy work sometimes requires unholy deeds. Brother Diaz has been summoned to the Sacred City, where he is certain a commendation and grand holy assignment awaits him. But his […]
Fantasy
Review: The Source of Strife by Alex Arch
Synopsis: Energy can neither be created nor destroyed. Only stolen. Mages feed on catalysts like Dinnie to enhance their spells, and since she’s the most formidable weapon alive, they will stop at nothing to control her. Even her parents, leaders of warring realms, wage a battle for her custody, imprisoning her to prevent the other […]
Review: The Devils by Joe Abercrombie
Synopsis: Holy work sometimes requires unholy deeds. Brother Diaz has been summoned to the Sacred City, where he is certain a commendation and grand holy assignment awaits him. But his new flock is made up of unrepentant murderers, practitioners of ghastly magic, and outright monsters, and the mission he is tasked with will require bloody […]
Review: A Claiming of Souls by R A Sandpiper (Amefyre #3)
Warning: third degree slow burn ahead Synopsis A SOUL TAKEN. A SOUL RESTORED. A WAR AT HER FINGERTIPS. Suri’s deal with the Fae has left her a shadow of herself. Revelations about the prophecy sew confusion, new allegiances come to light, and Suri grapples with the darkness inside her. Insidious plots toll countless deaths as […]
Book Review: Anji Kills a King (The Rising Tide #1) by Evan Leikam
TL;DR Review: A grimdark fantasy adventure, an indefatigable character, and cleverly woven mysteries that had me spellbound until the last page. Synopsis: An unlikely assassin struggles to escape a legendary bounty hunter in this breakneck fantasy debut that will grab you by the throat―perfect for fans of Joe Abercrombie, R.F. Kuang, and Christopher Buehlman. She […]
Review: Bloodless by G.J. Terral, book 3 of The Binding Tenets
Synopsis: No less blood is shed when bonds become broken. Threats come from all sides as Ladrican ships wait off the coast and a mysterious untethered threat becomes impossible to ignore. Lin is pushed to breaking as he struggles to stall Ladrica’s assault. War is upon Danica, but like an infection allowed to fester, the […]
Review: Anji Kills A King (The Rising Tide #1) by Evan Leikam
Synopsis: An unlikely assassin struggles to escape a legendary bounty hunter in this breakneck fantasy debut that will grab you by the throat—perfect for fans of Joe Abercrombie, R.F. Kuang, and Christopher Buehlman. She killed for a cause. Will she die for it too? Anji works as a castle servant, cleaning laundry for a king […]
Review: The Curse of the Mistwraith by Janny Wurts
Synopsis: Let each who reads determine the good and the evil for himselfAthera is besieged by the Mistwraith, which blights the land and dims the mysteries guarded by the last fugitives of the old bloodlines.But from a prophecy springs hope: the gifts of two brothers – one dark, one fair, raised on opposite sides of […]
Review: For a Few Days More by Z.B Steele
Synopsis The Hinterlands are a lawless place of broken dreams and broken people. Roth is a bodyguard trying to leave his dark past behind, but history has a way of turning back up. Cynthia is a bandit who’s trying to make a future by wading through blood. They travel separately, trying to live by their […]
Review: The Baby Dragon Cafe by A.T. Qureshi
Synopsis When Saphira opened up her café for baby dragons and their humans, she wasn’t expecting it to be so difficult to keep the fires burning. It turns out, young dragons are not the best magical animals to keep in a café, and replacing all that burnt furniture is costing Saphira more than she can afford from […]
Review: Relentless Blades (Vol.1 of The Prophecies of Zarune) by Russell Carroll
Synopsis: Cross the wrong men and meet their blades! In a rugged frontier town, two broken men wander aimlessly–Grimlock, a tormented soul despised by the townspeople he protects, searches for a brother he may never find, while Vigilanton, a disgraced knight bound by shame, serves a vicious crime lord. The Vragoths’ arrival–brutal conquerors seeking an […]
Review: Sea of Souls (Sea of Souls saga #1) by N.C. Scrimgeour
Synopsis Isla Blackwood has never accepted the shackles of her family’s nobility. Instead, she sails the open waters, searching for belonging on the waves. But when tragedy forces Isla home, she realises she can no longer escape the duty she’s been running from. Selkie raiders plague the island’s coasts, and when they strike at Blackwood […]