TL;DR Review: Immediately relatable and engaging with a surprising amount of heart. Fun, fresh fantasy in the vein of Kings of the Wyld, The Dungeoneers, and Orconomics. Synopsis: A plucky underdog. A powerful necromancer. And the idiot heroes bent on murdering them. Kobolds are supposed to run away—it’s what they’re best at. But Jack? Born […]
Fantasy Books
Review: Trials of Empire (Empire of the Wolf #3) by Richard Swan
TL;DR Review: Grimdark and brutally epic, a solid conclusion to a trilogy that promises to be one of the best reads of the year. Synopsis: THE TIME OF JUDGEMENT IS AT HAND The Empire of the Wolf is on its knees, but there’s life in the great beast yet. To save it, Sir Konrad Vonvalt […]
Review: The Malevolent Seven by Sebastian de Castell
TL;DR Review: Suicide Squad done right. Grim, gritty, sarcastic, and charmingly irreverent. Entertaining from start to finish. Synopsis: ‘Seven powerful mages want to make the world a better place. We’re going to kill them first.’ Picture a wizard. Go ahead, close your eyes. There he is, see? Skinny old guy with a long straggly beard. No […]
Review: Dragons of Kings (Upon Dragon’s Breath #2) by Ava Richardson
Synopsis The battle for Torvald begins. As the young heir of a noble house fallen into decay, Bower has reluctantly shouldered the mantle he was born with—that of Torvald’s rightful king. It is his destiny to throw off the shackles of King Enric and lead his people to freedom, or so he’s been told. With […]
Review: Dragons of Wild (Upon Dragon’s Breath #1) by Ava Richardson
Synopsis The once peaceful kingdom of Torvald has been ravaged by evil magic, forcing Riders to forget their dragons and their noble beasts to flee to the wilds. Now, anyone who dares to speak of dragons is deemed insane and put to death. Into this dark and twisted land, Saffron was born sixteen years ago. […]
Review: The Hallows by H.L. Tinsley
Drugs, nuns and secrets – no, not your average weekend night out but the return of the Princess of Grimdark. Synopsis The Hallow serum was once sacred to the Auld Bloods. Used to gain access to their lost ancestral powers, now it is regulated and administered by the powerful Providence Company. Evolved from the echelons […]
Review: We’re all Monsters Here by Amy Marsden
Synopsis When Anna is invited to a secluded retreat full of selfish, greedy humans, of course she doesn’t say no. Not only did she manipulate the CEO of the world’s largest oil corporation, Peter Beyer, into organising the four-day getaway in the first place, but no self-respecting vampire would ever turn down such easy prey. […]
Review: God of Broken Things (Age of Tyranny #2) by Cameron Johnston
Synopsis An outcast magician must risk his body and mind to save the world from horrifying demons, in the heart-pounding epic fantasy sequel to The Traitor God. Tyrant magus Edrin Walker destroyed the monster sent by the Skallgrim, but not before it laid waste to Setharis, and infested their magical elite with mind-controlling parasites. Edrin’s […]
Review: The Traitor God (Age of Tyranny #1) by Cameron Johnston
Synopsis A city threatened by unimaginable horrors must trust their most hated outcast, or lose everything, in this crushing epic fantasy debut. After ten years on the run, dodging daemons and debt, reviled magician Edrin Walker returns home to avenge the brutal murder of his friend. Lynas had uncovered a terrible secret, something that threatened […]
Review: Night of Knives (Novels of the Malazan Empire #1) by Ian C. Esslemont
Synopsis: The empire is named for the tiny island and city of Malaz, now a sleepy, seedy backwater port. Tonight however, a once-in-a-generation Shadow Moon brings demon hounds and darker beings. Also, a prophecy promises the return of long missing Emperor Kellanved to the contended imperial throne. This night will determine the fate of the […]
Review: Elegy of a Fragmented Vineyard by Kaden Love
TL;DR Review: A stunning complex, thoroughly fleshed-out world and a terribly grim premise heralding from a talented new voice in fantasy. Synopsis: Forced to appease the policies of a foreign fiefdom, Phenmir must do the unthinkable: harvest organs from infants. Ten years ago, a new generation of children began to manifest abilities from the gods. […]
REVIEW: Heliotrope by Palmer Pickering
SYNOPSIS Teleo is a retired soldier descended from Mages, who were cast out of power generations ago. After years of war and sorrow, he wants nothing more than to live a quiet life on his farm and work his stonemason’s craft. His wife and daughter had been murdered during a war raid several years earlier […]