

Six More of My Favorite Fantasy Reads of the Past Year
Six More Great Bossy Fantasy Reads I read lots of entertaining, imaginative, sometimes funny, fantastic fantasy in the past year--enough...
Apr 11


Review of The City of Brass by S. A. Chakraborty
I loved the worldbuilding and the headstrong, powerful loose cannon of Nahri, as well as the Middle Eastern fantasy setting. I found...
Apr 3


Review of Spellslinger (Spellslinger #1) by Sebastian de Castell
Kellen begins as a principled, headstrong young man lacking in the magic crucial for power, familial stability and social standing in his...
Jan 29


Six of My Favorite Fantasy Reads of the Year
Six Great Bossy Fantasy Reads I read some entertaining, imaginative, sometimes funny, fantastic fantasy in the past year--enough to make...
Jan 24


Review of The Blood of the Old Kings (Bleeding Empire #1) by Sung-Il Kim
In this first installment of The Bleeding Empire, Kim sets three characters on paths to discover their worth, their purpose, and their...
Jan 15


Review of Voyage of the Damned by Frances White
Frances White's debut is a locked-room mystery on a magical ship full of uncertain alliances, deadly vendettas, and a sassy and...
Jan 3


Review of The Familiar by Leigh Bardugo
Bardugo's rich world-building sets the scene in Spain during the Inquisition, as a scullery maid with magical abilities is thrust into...
Dec 19, 2024


Review of The Shadow of the Gods (The Bloodsworn #1) by John Gwynne
Gwynne's epic, Norse-inspired saga tracks three fascinating main protagonists through battles, shifting alliances, strengthened resolve,...
Dec 17, 2024


Review of Blood Over Bright Haven by M. L. Wang
I loved the dark academia setting, Sciona's bid to become the first female in the High Magistry, and her rethinking of long-held...
Nov 20, 2024


Review of Bull Moon Rising (Royal Artifactual Guild #1) by Ruby Dixon
I was hooked on the story of a team of young women fighting for admittance to a guild, their bonds, and their adventures. But the...
Nov 14, 2024


Review of His Majesty's Dragon: Temeraire #1 by Naomi Novik
ICYMI: This series by Naomi Novik introduces vain, strong-willed, talking dragons, their complex, wonderfully faulted handlers, and...
Nov 6, 2024


Review of Buried Deep and Other Stories by Naomi Novik
Novik never seems to make a misstep, and the thirteen stories here revisit favorite fictional worlds, delve into never-before-revealed...
Oct 31, 2024


Six Magical Fairy Tales Grown-Ups Will Love
Fairy Tales and Retellings For this list, I focused on books with fantastical elements; clear good-and-evil conflicts; characters living...
Oct 18, 2024


Review of Hell for Hire (Tear Down Heaven #1) by Rachel Aaron
I felt like the story started off slowly, but once the world was built and the background established, I was hooked on the interpersonal...
Oct 17, 2024


Review of A Fate Inked in Blood (Saga of the Unfated #1) by Danielle L. Jensen
The first in Jensen's fantasy series ticked many of my boxes--strong female main character, a tension-filled Chosen One premise, a fight...
Oct 2, 2024


Review of Long Live Evil (Time of Iron #1) by Sarah Rees Brennan
Sarah Rees Brennan offers a funny, dark, clever story within a story in which the heroes and villains are redefined, redemption is always...
Sep 26, 2024


Review of The Tainted Cup (Shadow of the Leviathan #1) by Robert Jackson Bennett
A leviathan lurks in the ocean, threatening destruction on a grand scale, while an unorthodox, brilliant investigator and her stalwart...
Aug 22, 2024


Review of A Tempest of Tea (Blood and Tea #1) by Hafsah Faizal
The first installment in Faizal's Blood and Tea series offers intriguing secrets, a swirling mystery, terrible betrayal, heartwarming...
Aug 21, 2024


Six Fantasy Reads I Loved in the Past Year
Six Great Bossy Fantasy Reads I knew I was reading some gooood science fiction and fantasy, but didn't realize I'd read and loved enough...
Apr 19, 2024


Review of The Fragile Threads of Power (Threads of Power #1) by V. E. Schwab
Schwab returns to the world of the four Londons in the first of a wonderfully paced new series featuring established characters, their...
Jan 25, 2024