TL;DR Review: Ambitious, imaginative, and incredibly compelling. The most epic grimdark world I’ve read since Abercrombie. Synopsis: Treachery looms across the land. The Scarborn have deposed the once-great Ironlight family. With scores to settle, the lowborn shake rust from their knives and trade allegiances for a promise of blood while the highborn rally their armies. […]
Fantasy Books
Review: A Necromancer Called Gam Gam (Chronicles of Gam Gam) by Adam Holcombe
Synopsis: A grandmotherly necromancer seeking resolution for her past with the help of her loyal entourage: an undead cat and a spectral knight. A girl on the run from the Eternal Empire for the mysterious power she possesses. When a chance encounter pulls them together, Gam Gam will do what it takes to protect Mina […]
Review: The Servant (Prophecy of the Five #1) by Justin Greer
Synopsis: Nearly a thousand years ago, the tyrant-sorcerer Mordechai betrayed his people, forged a weapon of darkness, and led an assault against the Middle Kingdoms to claim the throne of Reality. He slaughtered the defenders, broached the Shimmering Door, ascended to the Unseen Realm, and sought to make himself a god at the Heart of […]
Book Review: Words of Power by Shami Stovall
TL;DR Review: A new approach to leveling up and gaining power. A progression fantasy hero unlike any other, and a fresh addition to the genre. Synopsis: Power is not given. It’s taken. In the Tze Empire, spirits and demons rule the wilds, but Ring Warlocks control civilization. For Rimon, the son of a courtesan and […]
Review: Garden of Rotten Roses (World Without Love #2) by Nicole Hidalgo
Synopsis: While investigating the kidnappings of young, impoverished girls, Arianell Acraea uncovers a sinister conspiracy involving rogue Champions of Ares and forbidden sacrificial rituals fuelled by a magic that defies the laws of the Supreme Goddess herself. Ellis, a nomad with an aversion towards divinity, wants nothing but the peace of a quiet life, away […]
Review: The Ships of Merior by Janny Wurts
Synopsis: A powerful, layered weaving of myth, prose and pure imagination – The Ships of Merior continues an epic fantasy series perfect for enthusiasts of The Dark Tower and Earthsea. The second volume of Janny Wurts’s incomparable series following Arithon and Lysaer, two brothers forced to take opposite sides in a relentless conflict.After defeating the […]
Review: The Godsblood Tragedy (Passage One of the Divine Godsqueen Coda) by Bill Adams
Synopsis: An orphan, without a trueborn name, returns to the city of her birth to uncover her past. Hounded by the servants of the Dark God and dying from the poisonous mist that covers the land, her path leads to one of the magical seals protecting the holy ruin of Eminence. A father, murdered and […]
Book Review: Death on the Caldera by Emily Paxman
TL;DR Review: Murder on the Orient Express meets Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde and A Discovery of Witches. Synopsis: It’s Murder on the Orient Express – with witches!A thrilling blend of fantasy and classic murder mystery, this rollicking adventure with a wide cast of suspects is ideal for those who love both Agatha Christie and […]
Book Review: The Palace of Illusions by Rowenna Miller
TL;DR Review: Slow in pace but rich in wonder. A quirky character you’ll enjoy following as she discovers the world of magic is real—and there is a threat only she can stop. Synopsis: The Palace of Illusions brings readers to a Paris breathless with excitement at the dawn of the twentieth century, where for a select […]
Review: Death of a Clown by Catherine McCarthy
The joke’s on him… Synopsis Born and raised into the Sacred Order of Tragicomedy, Chester Brown’s path is written in stone. The bulbous nose and gigantic feet define him physically, while The Sacred Church of Razzmatazz ensnares him in its grip.For Chester there can be no escape…or so he believes.But Chester Brown has a secret […]
Book Review: Everybody Wants to Rule the World Except Me (Dark Lord Davi #2) by Django Wexler
TL;DR Review: Beautifully balanced between epic and cozy, it’s an adventure as action-packed as it is heartwarming. Synopsis: Dark Lord Davi rules the kingdom, but she must now break the time loop that binds her in this hilariously bloody conclusion to the Dark Lord Davi duology. After countless failures (let’s not dwell on it), Davi […]
Book Review: Crueler Mercies by Maren Chase
TL;DR Review: Rapunzel meets Man in the Iron Mask. A helpless, naïve prisoner becomes a cunning, revenge-driven queen. Synopsis: “Vita’s rage overflowed until she was prepared to drown in it, and she knew that she would never again dam this anger to please another.” After nine years as the people’s beloved princess in the sun-soaked […]