Petrik Leo, Author at Novel Notions

Aiduel’s Sin is filled with compelling narrative, debatable actions, violent battle scenes, and revelations that left me excited for the rest of the series. …

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Book Review: Farilane (The Rise and Fall, #2) by Michael J. Sullivan

July 27, 2023 Petrik Leo Comments 0 Comment

Review copy provided by the author in exchange for an honest review.

Cover art illustrated by Marc Simonetti

Farilane by Michael J. Sullivan

My rating: 4.5 of 5 stars

Series: The Rise and Fall (Book #2 of 3)

Genre: Fantasy, High Fantasy

Pages: 440 pages (Hardcover edition)

Published: 7th June 2022 by Grim Oak Press (Self-published)

Farilane is a great sequel to Nolyn with guaranteed huge emotional ramifications if you’ve read every book in the world of Elan before reading this.

“Virgil… life is a gamble, my friend. The trick is to wager wisely, balancing risk against reward.”

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Book Review: Beyond Redemption (Manifest Delusions, #1) by Michael R. Fletcher

July 25, 2023 Petrik Leo Comments 0 Comment

This is a repost of a review I wrote in 2017.

Cover art illustrated by Richard Anderson

Beyond Redemption by Michael R. Fletcher

My rating: 4.5 of 5 stars

Series: Manifest Delusions (Book #1 of 3)

Genre: Fantasy, Grimdark Fantasy, High Fantasy

Pages: 495 pages (129,000 words)

Published: 16th June 2015 by Harper Voyager

I don’t think I truly knew what I was signing up for when I started reading this book because it was beyond anything I could ever dream of, and was insanely marvelous.

Beyond Redemption, the first book in the Manifest Delusions series by Michael R. Fletcher is what I foresee as the beginning of a magnificent series in the grimdark fantasy genre.
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Book review: Blood Over Bright Haven

July 17, 2023 Petrik Leo Comments 1 comment

Cover art illustrated by M.L. Wang

Blood Over Bright Haven by M.L. Wang

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Series: Standalone

Genre: Dark Academia, Fantasy, Gaslamp Fantasy, Steampunk

Pages: Not available

Word Count: 120 000 words

Published: 25th July 2023, Self-published

Unbelievable… She did it again. Blood Over Bright Haven is proof that no one writes standalone fantasy books as good as M.L. Wang. Full stop.

“Truth over delusion. Growth over comfort. God over all.”

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Book Review: Stone of Farewell (Memory, Sorrow, and Thorn #2) by Tad Williams

July 13, 2023 Petrik Leo Comments 0 Comment

Cover art illustrated by Michael Whelan

Stone of Farewell by Tad Williams

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Series: Memory, Sorrow, and Thorn (Book #2 of 3), The Osten Ard Saga (Book #2 of 7)

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

Pages: 703 pages (Hardcover edition)

Word Count: 282,750 words

Published: 7th August 1990 by DAW Books

Stone of Farewell is all about preparation for the grand conclusion.

“Old cities and old stories were now part of his very life. It was strange how the future seemed tied inseparably to the past, so that both revolved through the present, like a great wheel…”

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Book Review: Yumi and the Nightmare Painter by Brandon Sanderson

July 7, 2023 Petrik Leo Comments 4 comments

This review is a copy of the transcript of my video review on Yumi and the Nightmare Painter.

Cover art by Aliya Chen

Yumi and the Nightmare Painter by Brandon Sanderson

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Series: The Cosmere

Genre: Fantasy, High Fantasy, Romance

Pages: 479 pages (Kindle)

Published: 1st July 2023 by Dragonsteel Books (Kickstarter) & 11th July 2023 by Tor Books (US Ebook)/Gollancz (UK Ebook)

This was utterly brilliant and satisfying. Yumi and the Nightmare Painter will be the best of the secret project novels, and it is easily one of Sanderson’s finest books in his career. …

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Book Review: The Adventures of Amina al-Sirafi (Amina al-Sirafi, #1) by Shannon Chakraborty

June 14, 2023 Petrik Leo Comments 2 comments

This review is a copy of the transcript of my video review on The Adventures of Amina al-Sirafi.

ARC provided by the publisher—Harper Voyager—in exchange for an honest review.

Cover art by Ivan Belikov

The Adventures of Amina al-Sirafi by Shannon Chakraborty

My rating: 3.5 of 5 stars

Series: Amina al-Sirafi (Book #1 of 3)

Genre: Fantasy, Historical Fantasy

Pages: 483. pages (Hardcover edition)

Published: 28th February 2023 by Harper Voyager

I gave in to the hype. I finally read Chakraborty’s book for the first time, and it certainly will not be the last.

“Exaggerations, but the truth scarcely matters when it comes to a good tale.”

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Book Review: Ruination (League of Legends) by Anthony Reynolds

June 5, 2023 Petrik Leo Comments 2 comments

ARC provided by the publisher—Orbit Books—in exchange for an honest review.

Ruination: A League of Legends Novel by Anthony Reynolds

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Series: League of Legends (Book #1)

Genre: Fantasy, High Fantasy

Pages: 448 pages (Hardcover edition)

Published: 6th September 2022 by Orbit Books

Surprisingly better than I expected. Ruination is a fast-paced and compelling standalone novel in the universe of League of Legends.

“A fool with power is a dangerous thing. And we live in a world overflowing with fools and power. —Extract from “The Helian Primer of Light”

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