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Month: June 2021

Petrik’s Top 10 Books of the Year So Far (1st January-30th June 2021)

Petrik’s Top 10 Books of the Year So Far (1st January-30th June 2021)

Click here if you want to see the list of all the books I’ve read so far this year: Petrik’s Year in Books (2021)

Between 1st January 2021 until 30th June 2021, I’ve read and reviewed 51 books (25k pages).

Please read this first. There will be three rules I set in this list in order for me to give appreciation to more authors rather than having only a few authors hoarding this list. These rules allow me to highlight more authors, and at the same time, I’ll also be able to include both new and older books (many of them still need attention) that I read within this year.

  • Rereads aren’t included.
  • One book per author.
  • The books listed here are not all exclusively published this year; the list consists of the top books I read for the first time within this year. Non-2021 published books on this list will have their first date of publication included.

Do note that although there’s a rank to this list, I HIGHLY recommend every book/series listed below because I loved all of them immensely, and they received a rating of 4.5 or 5 out of 5 stars from me. Without further ado, here are the top 10 books I’ve read this year so far! (All full reviews of the books listed can be found on Novel Notions and my Goodreads page.)

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Cover Reveal: Assassin (Darkblade, #1) by Andy Peloquin

Cover Reveal: Assassin (Darkblade, #1) by Andy Peloquin

Hi everyone! Petrik from Novel Notions here.

Today, we’re here to bring you a gorgeous cover reveal of Assassin by Andy Peloquin. I honestly haven’t read any books by Peloquin yet, but from being active on bookish social media, I know that he’s one of the most prolific authors out there! I’m honored that Andy Peloquin chose Novel Notions to be the one to do the cover reveal of Assassin. To make things even better, the author gave us his reason to republish his series with a new cover art, his inspiration behind the series, and also a detailed cover art process! This is something that interests me so much, but I know that it’s not for everyone; if you just want to see the cover art, feel free to scroll to the bottom of this blog post. Let me know what you think of the cover art and whether this series interests you or not! Without further ado, here’s my interview with Andy Peloquin, and the cover reveal to Assassin!

Cover art illustrated by: Luciano Fleitas

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Read-a-long for Joe Abercrombie’s The Age of Madness Trilogy (A Little Hatred, Chapters 10-18)

Read-a-long for Joe Abercrombie’s The Age of Madness Trilogy (A Little Hatred, Chapters 10-18)

Hi everyone,

Petrik and Eon here, we’ll keep this introduction brief. We’re so excited that we get to be the second-in-line to host the read-along event for A Little Hatred by Joe Abercrombie. It’s truly an honor for both of us to be given this opportunity, especially because Joe Abercrombie’s books are some of our favorite books of all time. Today, we’ll be discussing Chapter 10-18 of A Little Hatred. There will be heavy spoilers for these chapters, so if you haven’t read the book, please go read them first!

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Book Review: Smoke and Iron (The Great Library, #4) by Rachel Caine

Book Review: Smoke and Iron (The Great Library, #4) by Rachel Caine

Smoke and Iron by Rachel Caine

My rating: 5 of 5 stars.

Series: The Great Library (Book 4 of 5)

Genre:  Young adult, alternate history, historical fantasy, fantasy

Published: July 2018 by Berkley Books (US) and Allison & Busby (UK)


The best book in the series so far, Smoke and Iron gave me more than a consistently fantastic continuation in The Great Library.

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Book Review: The Dragon’s Path (The Dagger and the Coin, #1) by Daniel Abraham

Book Review: The Dragon’s Path (The Dagger and the Coin, #1) by Daniel Abraham

The Dragon’s Path by Daniel Abraham

My rating: 3.5 of 5 stars

Series: The Dagger and the Coin (Book #1 of 5)

Genre: Fantasy, Epic Fantasy, High Fantasy

Pages: 577 pages (Kindle edition)

Published: 7th April 2011 by Orbit


There’s a charm in Abraham’s writing and the stories he tells that just keeps me coming back for more. And the same can be said for The Dragon’s Path.

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Book Review: Ash and Quill (The Great Library, #3) by Rachel Caine

Book Review: Ash and Quill (The Great Library, #3) by Rachel Caine

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Ash and Quill by Rachel Caine

My rating: 4.5 of 5 stars.

Series: The Great Library (Book 3 of 5)

Genre:  Young adult, alternate history, historical fantasy, fantasy

Published: July 2017 by Berkley Books (US) and Allison & Busby (UK)


Immensely engaging and intense, Ash and Quill was mid-series perfection.

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Book Review: Daughter of the Empire (Riftwar: Empire, #1) by Raymond E. Feist & Janny Wurts

Book Review: Daughter of the Empire (Riftwar: Empire, #1) by Raymond E. Feist & Janny Wurts

Daughter of the Empire by Raymond E. Feist & Janny Wurts

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Series: The Riftwar: Empire (Book #1 of 3), The Riftwar Cycle (Book #5 of 31)

Genre: Fantasy, Epic Fantasy, High Fantasy, Classic Fantasy

Pages: 528 pages (UK Paperback edition)

Published: 19th May 1987


Daughter of the Empire is a magnificent page-turning political intrigue with an amazing heroine to root for.

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Book Review: Spirit’s End (The Legend of Eli Monpress, #5) by Rachel Aaron

Book Review: Spirit’s End (The Legend of Eli Monpress, #5) by Rachel Aaron

Spirit’s End by Rachel Aaron

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Series: The Legend of Eli Monpress (Book #5 of 5)

Genre: Fantasy, high fantasy

Published: November 2012 by Orbit (UK and US)


Easily one of the most addictive and fun fantasy series I’ve read in recent memory, The Legend of Eli Monpress concluded most satisfactorily in Spirit’s End, and now occupies my list of favourites.

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Book Review: Cloud Cuckoo Land by Anthony Doerr

Book Review: Cloud Cuckoo Land by Anthony Doerr

ARC provided by Goodreads & the publisher—Scribner—in exchange for an honest review.

Cloud Cuckoo Land by Anthony Doerr

My rating: 3.5 of 5 stars

Series: Standalone

Genre: Historical fiction, Science fiction, Literary fiction

Pages: 656 pages (Kindle edition)

Published: 28th September 2021 by Scribner


Cloud Cuckoo Land is more ambitious and complex than All the Light We Cannot See in every possible way.

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Book Review: The Rose and the Thorn (The Riyria Chronicles, #2) by Michael J. Sullivan

Book Review: The Rose and the Thorn (The Riyria Chronicles, #2) by Michael J. Sullivan

Cover art illustrated by: Larry Rostant

The Rose and the Thorn by Michael J. Sullivan

My rating: 4.5 of 5 stars

Series: The Riyria Chronicles (Book #2)

Genre: Fantasy, High Fantasy

Pages: 372 pages (Kindle edition)

Published: 17th September 2013 by Orbit


The cover art to The Rose and the Thorn is atrocious, but let’s not judge a book by its cover.

“The right word, said at the right moment, can work magic, he was fond of saying. You merely need to understand power, where it comes from, and the direction it flows.”

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