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 […]
Fantasy Books
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 […]
Review: The Envoys of War (The Envoys of Chaos #1) by Dave Lawson
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 on a mission to deliver vital military intelligence to an […]
Review: Academy of Villains (Academy of Villains #1) by Ever King
This is the first book in the Academy of Villains series, a dark academia fantasy romance where each installment is inspired by a Greek mythology love story.
Review: The City of Mist and Tears (Mothers of Sorrow #1) by Alex Robins
Synopsis: Keselgraad. A city of iron and stone, rising from the mist-shrouded wasteland to pierce the pallid clouds. A colossal man-made mountain stretching a mile high, from the blood-stained alleyways of the Slums to the crystal-studded spire of the Church of the Mother, whose amethyst shards shine brighter than any star. Keselgraad. Both a haven […]
Review: New Sword Smell (A Splatter Elf Collection) by Philip Overby
Synopsis Includes naughty language and splattery violenceIn 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, Number 6 on the Crystalline Crab Top Ten, the elite list of monster hunting celebrities that scrape and claw their way to the […]
Book Review: The Light of Kazaban by Thomas Howard Riley
TL;DR Review: In the grimdarkness of this tale, the light of resilience and strength of spirit shine beautifully bright. Synopsis: In the brutal desert city of Kasaban, the old gods have had their statues crushed to powder by invading Priests, with magick forbidden to anyone but themselves. Merely being born as one of the magi […]
Review: The Sunset Sovereign: A Dragon’s Memoir by Laura Huie
Synopsis: When a dragon finds an assassin sneaking into his lair, he tells her of his life’s work and his soon to be final chapter. For the past thousand years, the dragon Vakandi has watched the people of Vakfored grow from a wandering band of refugees to a glorious city of art and magic. Under […]