It’s been a year. I’ve read 52 books in total, a lot for me. A book a week. But let’s break that down a little more. 52 books. 8 trad. 44 indie. This isn’t a coincidence. I’m finding myself more and more fed up with trad publishing at the moment. I don’t feel it’s marketed […]
Fantasy Books
Review: The Envoys of War (The Envoys of Chaos #1) by Dave Lawson
War! What is it Good For? Lots of witty banter Synopsis Don’t kill the messengers. As a bodyguard for the King’s Envoys, Gen is content with her life of traveling, drinking wine, and hitting things with her sword. It’s the perfect job. Until the King sends her and her friend Cordyn into war-torn enemy territory […]
Author Interview: B.F. Peterson
B.F. Peterson is a poet, philosopher, and regular blogger for the Optiv Network who hails from Madison, Wisconsin. Her previous published work includes IN SUNSHINE OR IN SHADOW: POEMS FOR EVERY SEASON, a collaborative poetry collection made together with two of her siblings, and she is set to publish THE ELLYRIAN CODE, which is a […]
Review: The Oathsworn Legacy by K.R. Gangi
Synopsis: Rawley and Baelin make a living the only way they know how—protecting the people of Centrum by slaying the dark things that stole their childhood: Monsters, and everything evil. Though the work never ends, and there’s plenty of coin to go around, Rawley and Baelin discover a sinister secret hidden deep within the crevices […]
Book Review: Blood Brothers by Rob J. Hayes
TL;DR Review: A sad, sweet, heartfelt story about remembering fallen loved ones wrapped up in magic, action, and a fascinating world. Synopsis: Blood Saberu is dead. His last request, that his brothers carry his body up the Heaven’s Trail mountains to make sure he gets into Heaven. Full Review: It was wonderful to be back […]
Review: The Hunger of the Gods (Bloodsworn Saga #2) by John Gwynne
Synopsis THE DEAD GODS ARE RISING. Lik-Rifa, the dragon god of legend, has been freed from her eternal prison. Now she plots a new age of blood and conquest. As Orka continues the hunt for her missing son, the Bloodsworn sweep south in a desperate race to save one of their own–and Varg takes the […]
Bill’s Best of 2024 Indie Awards Extravaganza!
Here we are, it’s practically the end of December and it’s time for me to share my top books of 2024! (plus showcase my amazing artistic skills in my banner! Go on, praise me, I’ll wait patiently…) In 2023, I made the decision to read solely indie books (ok, I actually read 2 trad pub […]
Book Review: New Sword Smell: A Splatter Elf Collection by Philip Overby
TL;DR Review: Bloody dark and bloody entertaining. A short story collection perfect for fans of Kings of the Wyld and The Witcher. Synopsis: Includes naughty language and splattery violence. In the chaotic, gore-slicked world of Groteskia, everyone owns a sword, but few know how to use them. Enter Katzia of Clovenhoof aka the Splatter Elf, […]
Review: The Monsters We Feed by Thomas Howard Riley
Synopsis: The morning before he found the dead body, Jathan Algevin thought he had his whole life just the way he wanted it. He knows his city inside and out, and doesn’t bother carrying a sword, trusting his wits and his fists well enough to get by, hustling extra coin by ratting out loathsome magi […]
Review: House Of Muir (The Shadow Twins Series #2) by Luke Tarzian
Synopsis ONCE MARKED, ALWAYS MARKED… The war that was won is lost. His country razed and friends dead, Cailean Catil seeks the miserable solace of inebriation. But fate has other plans for ill-lucked men. An ocean away, he returns to the Galrun Muir, the order from which he was previously exiled. Seeking answers as to […]
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 […]
Book Review: Hidden Queen (The Nightfall Saga #2) by Peter V. Brett
TL;DR Review: Diversity and neurodiversity utilized to marvelous effect, wrapped up in a violent, epic, complex, colorful, insanely epic dark fantasy story. Synopsis: Humanity thought the war with demonkind was over. Now, after humanity has had less than a generation to rebuild, the demon corelings have returned with a vengeance. The Spear of Ala—the fortress […]