TL;DR Review: High on the steam, spice, and sass. An insightful exploration of the burdens of duty and the cost of desire. Synopsis: Low stakes. High heat. Sharp steel. Mattinesh Jay, dutiful heir to his struggling family business, needs to hire an experienced swordsman to serve as best man for his arranged marriage. Sword-challenge at […]
Fantasy Books
Review: The Pariah by Anthony Ryan
Synopsis “A gritty, heart-pounding tale of betrayal and bloody vengeance. I loved every single word.” —John Gwynne The Pariah begins a new epic fantasy series of action, intrigue and magic from Anthony Ryan, a master storyteller who has taken the fantasy world by storm. Born into the troubled kingdom of Albermaine, Alwyn Scribe is raised […]
Book Review: The Path of Pain and Ruin (The Gods Path) by Joel Glover
Synopsis: In the wastes beyond the Last City, all is quiet. Everyone has heard of the Hundred Blessed. Of the Final War between the Empire of Blue and Green and the Empire of Red and Ivory. Of what they did. But the war is never over. You can’t outrun your past. And you can’t hide […]
Review: Vultures (Shadow Twins Series #1) by Luke Tarzian
Synopsis An enemy slain is not a conflict won… After decades of war the demon Te Mirkvahíl is dead. But its progeny endure, spilling from the Heart of Mirkúr, sowing death across the land of Ariath. If the people are to finally know peace, the Heart must be destroyed. Theailys An believes he can do […]
Book Review: Hell of a Witch (Tear Down Heaven #2) by Rachel Aaron
TL;DR Review: Action, romance, magic, and intrigue dialed up to max intensity. A delicious “will they, won’t they” I absolutely loved. Synopsis: The hotly anticipated sequel to HELL FOR HIRE! One month ago, Bex, the demon Queen of Wrath, and Adrian, witch of the Blackwood, pulled off the upset victory of the century. Now, they […]
Review: Fall, Sacred Apple by Emory Glass (The Chroma Books)
A tragedy that punches well above its weight, Fall, Sacred Apple introduces us to a world teeming with possibilities and unrest.
Review: The Fall of Selvandrea: A Dark Flintlock Fantasy (The Draemeir Chronicle Book 1) by T.J. McKay
Synopsis: Villains rise where nations fall.And the Fall is coming. Valdaris was a middling artillery captain before his people fell to a conquering rival. Then he fell further still, snatched from the battlefield by a ruthless cult and cast into the depths of ultimate evil. Transformed by powers he can’t begin to understand, Valdaris seeks […]
Review – Rhythm of War by Brandon Sanderson (The Stormlight Archive #4)
Review I will start by stating the obvious, The Stormlight Archive is going to go down as a generational fantasy series and will become part of fantasy folklore for generations to come. I have never experienced any story or series that is so ambitious in every aspect. The world building is on another level to […]
Author Chat – Jelena Dunato (Ghost Apparent, Dark Woods, Deep Water)
Jelena Dunato is an art historian, curator, speculative fiction writer and lover of all things ancient. She grew up in Croatia on a steady diet of adventure novels and then wandered the world for a decade, building a career in the arts. Jelena’s stories have been published in Beneath Ceaseless Skies, The Dark, Future SF and Mermaids Monthly, among […]
Review: Tribes of the Gods Endure by Kay Ni C.
Synopsis Tribes of the Gods Endure is a fictional mythological tale about the concealed mysteries of Ireland and the Irish people. The ancient gods of Ireland have been forgotten for a long time and rarely talked about, but they are shared from one generation to the next by older people in local bars. They are […]
Book Review: A Grave for Us All (Crown and Tide #2) by Michael Roberti
TL;DR Review: Higher stakes, deeper grimdarkness, bloodier battles, and messier characters—exactly what I want in a Book 2! Synopsis: “A civil war on that scale would make Harfal little more than a mass grave.”“There would be death. There would be chaos. But this time there would be a lasting peace…” Follow Cael, Emil, Merily and […]
Book Review: The Pale City (Rites of Resurrection #1) by Marshall J. Moore
TL;DR Review: Lightning-fast plot, richly colorful world, and heart-pounding action. Roman/Greek Republic colored with African-inspired culture and magic. Synopsis: Only the dead can save the living. In Albastine, the dead are made into mindless servants known as Attendants, incapable of harming the living unless commanded to by the soldier-necromancer Legates. Forced into an early retirement, […]