Book Review: The Crier Stone (The Chaos Grid #2) by Lyndsey Lewellen

Book Review: The Crier Stone (The Chaos Grid #2) by Lyndsey Lewellen

Comments 0 Comment


The Crier Stone by Lyndsey Lewellen
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

The Chaos Grid was thoroughly enjoyable, and I honestly felt that it could have worked as a standalone novel, even though part of me wanted more of the story. I’m so glad Lewellen didn’t leave it there. The Crier Stone is a phenomenal sequel, improving on its already excellent predecessor in almost every way. We are thrown right back into Juna’s story where we parted from her at the end of that first book. From the very first page of The Crier Stone, the pace is fast and the plot is tense. There is a depth here that was hinted at in The Chaos Grid without being fully realized, in terms of character development and worldbuilding and the underlying tale of faith at its core. I was enraptured from start to beautiful finish. …

Read More Read More

Book Review: The Chaos Grid (The Chaos Grid, #1) by Lyndsey Lewellen

Book Review: The Chaos Grid (The Chaos Grid, #1) by Lyndsey Lewellen

Comments 0 Comment


The Chaos Grid by Lyndsey Lewellen
My rating: 4.5 of 5 stars

I love retellings, especially stories that riff on either a fairytale or a Bible story. Some stories—like “Beauty and the Beast” or the Book of Esther—have been retold often. I’ve read quite a few takes on both of those, some of which have been wonderful. But then there are stories that reimagined less frequently, like the story of Jonah. I can only remember encountering one other loose retelling of that particular tale, but it didn’t hold a candle to this book in terms of originality. The Chaos Grid is the first half of a duology that blends Mad Max with the Book of Jonah, set within a post-apocalyptic, dystopian Texas. I found it fascinating and unique, fast-paced and compelling. There was never a dull moment in this first half of the story, and it left me hungry to know what happens next. …

Read More Read More

Book Review: Network Effect (The Murderbot Diaries, #5) by Martha Wells

Book Review: Network Effect (The Murderbot Diaries, #5) by Martha Wells

Comments 0 Comment

Cover art by Jaime Jones

Network Effect by Martha Wells

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Series: The Murderbot Diaries (Book #5)

Genre: Science Fiction

Pages: 346 pages (Kindle Edition)

Word count: 112,000 words

Published: 5th May 2020by Tordotcom

I can say with ease that Network Effect, the fifth title and the first full-length novel in the series, is the best book in The Murderbot Diaries so far.

“Oh shit, my media!…No, wait, I had access to some of it.”

…

Read More Read More

Book Review: The Radiant King (Astral Kingdoms, #1) by David Dalglish

Book Review: The Radiant King (Astral Kingdoms, #1) by David Dalglish

Comments 0 Comment

Review copy provided by the publisher—Orbit—in exchange for an honest review.


Cover art by Magali Villeneuve

The Radiant King by David Dalglish

My rating: 4.5 of 5 stars

Series: The Astral Kingdoms (Book #1 of 3)

Genre: Fantasy, Epic Fantasy

Pages: 514 pages (PaperbackEdition)

Word count: 174,000 words

Published: 4th March 2025 by Orbit Books

The Radiant King by David Dalglish is a Berserk inspired epic fantasy book that will become one of Dalglish’s most underrated titles.

…

Read More Read More

Book Review: Flameheart (Flameheart Chronicles #1) by Dalton and Emily Bequette

Book Review: Flameheart (Flameheart Chronicles #1) by Dalton and Emily Bequette

Comments 0 Comment


Flameheart by Dalton Bequette
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

The description for Flameheart captivated me from the moment I read it, and saw the lovely cover art attached to the story. Flameheart is something of a portal fantasy, a book about books and a world containing a vast array of other worlds within it, worlds of which most inhabitants are wholly unaware and unsuspecting. It’s a love letter to stories, and to the weight the hold in our lives. …

Read More Read More

Book Review: Caligo (Sequel to the Nightingale Trilogy) by J.J. Fischer

Book Review: Caligo (Sequel to the Nightingale Trilogy) by J.J. Fischer

Comments 0 Comment


Caligo by J.J. Fischer
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I have a confession to make: I preordered this standalone sequel to the Nightingale Trilogy before I had even started the first book. I was that sure that I would love the series. That bet paid off. It’s not often that every single book in a series is a five-star read, but the Nightingale saga was that for me. And that includes Caligo. This sequel was just as fantastic as the main trilogy, if not even better. …

Read More Read More

Book Review: Memoria (The Nightingale Trilogy #3) by J.J. Fischer

Book Review: Memoria (The Nightingale Trilogy #3) by J.J. Fischer

Comments 0 Comment


Memoria by J.J. Fischer
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Absolutely incredible. I was captivated by Calor. I was entranced by Lumen. But it is in Memoria that I found myself the most profoundly moved. Not because it was an excellent story, expertly told. Not because I had fallen in love with the characters and was so deeply invested in their stories. While all of those things were true, and all of them contributed to making this trilogy as wonderful as it is, those components were merely the foundation, the setting of the stage for the Truth that Fischer so brilliantly displayed through this work of fiction. …

Read More Read More

Book Review: Lumen (The Nightingale Trilogy #2) by J.J. Fischer

Book Review: Lumen (The Nightingale Trilogy #2) by J.J. Fischer

Comments 0 Comment


Lumen by J.J. Fischer
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Lumen is the second installment in the Nightingale trilogy, and it picks up right where Calor left off. The pace is fast and the tensions are high from the very first page. The cast is still wonderful, and I’m enjoying getting to know them more deeply. Fischer does a wonderful job balancing their strengths against their weaknesses. She also does a lovely job of weaving subtle strands of Greek myth into her world in a way that only serves to deepen the story. There are subtle nods throughout, especially seen in the naming of places and even certain characters. …

Read More Read More

Book Review: Exit Strategy (The Murderbot Diaries, #4) by Martha Wells

Book Review: Exit Strategy (The Murderbot Diaries, #4) by Martha Wells

Comments 0 Comment

Cover art by Jaime Jones

Exit Strategy by Martha Wells

My rating: 3.5 of 5 stars

Series: The Murderbot Diaries (Book #4)

Genre: Science Fiction

Pages: 150 pages (Kindle Edition)

Word count: 32,400 words

Published: 2nd October 2018 by Tordotcom

Exit Strategy concluded the first story arc of The Murderbot Diaries with another action-packed narrative.

“I was having an emotion, and I hate that.”

…

Read More Read More

Book Review: Calor (The Nightingale Trilogy, #1) by J.J. Fischer

Book Review: Calor (The Nightingale Trilogy, #1) by J.J. Fischer

Comments 0 Comment


Calor by J.J. Fischer
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Calor is the first installment in the Nightingale saga, a completed epic fantasy trilogy followed by a standalone sequel. The entire series is inspired by Hans Christian Andersen’s beloved short story, “The Nightingale,” and also includes notes of the Hades and Persephone myth. I was enraptured by Calor from the very beginning. The worldbuilding is fascinating, the characters are compelling and sympathetic, the writing is lovely and incredibly engaging, and the pacing never falters.
…

Read More Read More