Synopsis Ardor Benn is no ordinary thief – a master of wildly complex heists, he styles himself a Ruse Artist Extraordinaire. When he gets hired for his most daring ruse yet, Ardor knows he’ll need more than quick wit and sleight of hand. Assembling a dream team of forgers, disguisers, schemers and thieves, he sets […]
Fantasy Books
We Break Immortals (The Advent Lumina Cycle #1) by Thomas Howard Riley
Synopsis A drug addict who hunts sorcerers down by tracking their magick, the most renowned swordsman no one has ever heard of, and a thieving magick-wielding woman hellbent on revenge collide during a last ditch effort to stop an insane superhuman serial killer from making himself a god. The Render Tracers always say magick users […]
Review: The Name of the Wind (The Kingkiller Chronicle #1) by Patrick Rothfuss
Synopsis In seclusion, disguised as an innkeeper, Kote lives a quiet life with his companion Bast, until one day a chronicler shows up at their home. He had set out in search of the legendary Kvothe – and found him. Kote lets himself be persuaded and tells the chronicler his story. Kvothe is not a […]
Review: All Systems Red (The Murderbot Diaries #1) by Martha Wells
Synopsis: In a corporate-dominated spacefaring future, planetary missions must be approved and supplied by the Company. Exploratory teams are accompanied by Company-supplied security androids, for their own safety. But in a society where contracts are awarded to the lowest bidder, safety isn’t a primary concern. On a distant planet, a team of scientists are conducting […]
Review: The Shadow of the Gods by John Gwyne (The Bloodsworn Saga #1)
Shadow of the Gods is a masterpiece in the realm of epic fantasy combined with great visuals, and great storytelling
Review: Jade War (The Green Bone Saga #2) by Fonda Lee
Jade War by Fonda Lee increased everything I loved about the first book and made for a truly breathless read. While the first book was enjoyable, something about it was lacking for me. This sequel expelled any doubts and was a fantastic continuation of the story. (minor spoilers for the first book follow)
Of Darkness and Light by Ryan Cahill (The Bound and the Broken #2)
Synopsis Heroes will rise. Nations will fall. Behind the towering walls of Belduar, Calen Bryer and his companions stand in defense of the city and its new king. In over a thousand years, Belduar has never fallen. It has stood as a bastion of hope. But the Lorian empire are at its walls once more, […]
Of Darkness and Light(The Bound and the Broken #2) by Ryan Cahill
All in all, Of Darkness and Light was an incredible book that had me gripped from page one, all the way to the last page two days later. Cahill is absolutely going to keep on getting better with each book that he puts out and I can’t wait to see what happens in book three and even where he goes after he finishes with The Bound and the Broken.
Illborn by Daniel T Jackson (The Illborn Saga #1)
Synopsis Long ago, The Lord Aiduel emerged from the deserts of the Holy Land, possessed with divine powers. He used these to forcibly unite the peoples of Angall, before His ascension to heaven. Over eight hundred years later, in a medieval world which is threatened by war and religious persecution, four young men and women […]
Review: The Justice of Kings (Empire of the Wolf #1) by Richard Swan
The Justice of Kings is the debut fantasy novel by Richard Swan and is a riveting mystery and political powerhouse of a book. I was given a pre-release copy of this to review from Orbit and it immediately shot up my TBR. I’m not quite sure what brought it to the top of my list, but boy was I glad read it. Now I have three months to talk about how good it is before it comes out!
I went in knowing very little about the story, only vaguely remembering the synopsis. And I was genuinely surprised along the way about the story and its scope.
The book follows the story of Konrad Vonvalt, an enforcer of the Empire’s laws, and his dispensing of Justice across the unruly nation. His protégé, Helena, is our main POV and the story is written by her far into the future. The style of writing is very similar to Farseer, an absolute favorite of mine, so that was a treat. Because of this style, we get plenty of ominous foreshadowing about the future of this world and its’ Empire.
Captivating First Lines
Everyone knows that just as you don’t judge a book by its cover, you shouldn’t stop to judge one from its first lines either, hell, maybe not even from its first chapter. But those first few words can nonetheless be what makes the difference between a reader continuing your book or putting it down immediately, as they first and foremost set the tone.
Review: The Fall of Babel by Josiah Bancroft
At last, the Books of Babel by Josiah Bancroft has come to its conclusion – and boy is it great. I first picked up Senlin Ascends based on the recommendation by Mark Lawrence when the first two books were published with Orbit. Senlin Ascends was, and remains, one of the best fantasy books I’ve ever read – and probably books in general. In fact, if you haven’t read these yet, stop reading this review and go do that now.