Petrik Leo, Author at Novel Notions

Book Review: The Lords of the North (The Last Kingdom, #3) by Bernard Cornwell

February 7, 2021 Petrik Leo Comments 0 Comment

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The Lords of the North by Bernard Cornwell

My rating: 3.5 of 5 stars

Series: The Last Kingdom (Book #3 of 13)

Genre: Historical fiction

Pages: 401 pages (Kindle edition)

Published: 22nd May 2006 by HarperCollins

This was a good but slightly weaker volume compared to its predecessors. It’s so good to finally meet Sihtric and Finan for the first time, though. …

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Book Review: The Helm of Midnight (The Five Penalties, #1) by Marina Lostetter

February 3, 2021 Petrik Leo Comments 8 comments

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

Cover art illustrated by: Sam Weber

The Helm of Midnight by Marina J. Lostetter

My rating: 4.5 of 5 stars

Series: The Five Penalties (Book #1 of 3)

Genre: Fantasy, High Fantasy, Mystery, Thriller

Pages: 464 pages (Kindle edition)

Published: 13th April 2021 by Tor Books

This is an incredible book. Character-driven and bloody thrilling; The Helm of Midnight has pretty much confirmed its spot in one of my favorite books of 2021 list. …

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Book Review: The Forever Sea (The Forever Sea, #1) by Joshua Phillip Johnson

January 30, 2021 Petrik Leo Comments 2 comments

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

Cover art illustrated by: Marc Simonetti

The Forever Sea by Joshua Phillip Johnson

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Series: The Forever Sea (Book #1)

Genre: Fantasy, High Fantasy

Pages: 464 pages (Kindle edition)

Published: 26th January 2021 by Titan Books (UK) & 19th January 2021 by DAW Books (US)

Wonderful world-building and beautifully written, but unfortunately it’s a bit lacking in characterizations and pacing. …

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Book Review: The Combat Codes (The Combat Codes Saga, #1) by Alexander Darwin

January 26, 2021 Petrik Leo Comments 2 comments

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

Cover art illustrated by: Felix Ortiz

Cover art designed by: STK.Kreations

The Combat Codes by Alexander Darwin

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Series: The Combat Codes Saga (Book #1 of 3)

Genre: Science fiction, Dystopia, Martial Arts

Pages: 410 pages (Kindle edition)

Published: 31st October 2015 by Insight Forge Press (Self-published)

Fun, tense, and entertaining; The Combat Codes is an MMA-inspired sci-fi debut with heart and well-written combat scenes.

“A perceived weakness is strength, and a flaunted strength is weakness.”

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Book Review: The Pale Horseman (The Last Kingdom, #2) by Bernard Cornwell

January 20, 2021 Petrik Leo Comments 0 Comment

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The Pale Horseman by Bernard Cornwell

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Series: The Last Kingdom (Book #2 of 13)

Genre: Historical fiction

Pages: 432 pages (Kindle edition)

Published: 3rd October 2005 by HarperCollins

Another great installment about loyalty, power, faith, friendship, and ambition.

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Book Review: The Two-Faced Queen (The Legacy of the Mercenary King, #2) by Nick Martell

January 18, 2021 Petrik Leo Comments 0 Comment

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ARC provided by the publisher—Saga Press & Gollancz—in exchange for an honest review.

Cover art illustrated by: Richard Anderson

The Two-Faced Queen by Nick Martell

My rating: 3.5 of 5 stars

Series: The Legacy of the Mercenary King (Book #2 of 3)

Genre: Fantasy, High fantasy

Pages: 592 pages (Kindle edition)

Published: 25th March 2021 by Gollancz (UK) & 23rd March 2021 by Saga Press (US)

Overall, The Two-Faced Queen a good sequel. Similar to its predecessor, the first half was a bit of a struggle for me, but the second half was great.

“To be forgotten feels more like death than death.”

…

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Book Review: Pawn’s Gambit (Mortal Techniques) by Rob J. Hayes

January 12, 2021 Petrik Leo Comments 1 comment

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ARC provided by the author in exchange for an honest review.

Cover art illustrated by: Felix Ortiz

Cover art designed by: STK.Kreations

Pawn’s Gambit by Rob J. Hayes

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Series: Mortal Techniques (Book #2)

Genre: Fantasy, High fantasy, Wuxia

Pages: 315 pages (Kindle edition)

Published: 26th January 2021 by Rob J. Hayes (Self-published)

A great Wuxia adventure with an empathizing redemption arc. …

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Cover Reveal: The Shadow of the Gods (The Bloodsworn Saga, #1) by John Gwynne

January 11, 2021 Petrik Leo Comments 6 comments

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Hi everyone! Petrik from Novel Notions here.

No long introduction from me; the title of this post is self-explanatory, and I’m sure it’s why you’re here. But for those of you who don’t know, John Gwynne is one of my top favorite authors, and I will ALWAYS recommend his books to every epic fantasy reader. The Banished Lands Saga (The Faithful and the Fallen quartet and Of Blood and Bone trilogy) by John Gwynne is one of my top three favorite completed series of all time; probably at the number one spot, actually. Today, I’m beyond honored and gratified to be given the extraordinary opportunity of doing an exclusive cover reveal for The Shadow of the Gods, the first book in The Bloodsworn Saga series—Gwynne’s first series outside of The Banished Lands. If you love epic fantasy with fantastic characterizations and phenomenal battle scenes, make sure to do yourself a favor and read ALL of Gwynne’s books. Without further ado, here’s the epic cover of The Shadow of the Gods!

Cover art by Marcus Whinney

Cover design by Bekki Guyatt
…

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