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Book Review: 20th Century Ghosts by Joe Hill

Book Review: 20th Century Ghosts by Joe Hill


20th Century Ghosts by Joe Hill
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

20th Century Ghosts is not the first short story collection I’ve read by Hill, but it’s the first one he released. As a whole, I think it might be a touch stronger than Full Throttle, a more recent short story collection of his I read in 2019. However, I also found the individual stories largely less memorable. It was more even across the board, but that meant that there were fewer that stood out to me. That being said, I really enjoyed my time with this collection, and there wasn’t a single story that I legitimately hated. In a collection of 15 stories, I’d say that’s a pretty fantastic achievement. Below are micro-reviews of each story.

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Book Review: Empire of the Vampire (Empire of the Vampire, #1) by Jay Kristoff

Book Review: Empire of the Vampire (Empire of the Vampire, #1) by Jay Kristoff

Cover art illustrated by Kerby Rosanes

Empire of the Vampire by Jay Kristoff

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Series: Empire of the Vampire (Book #1 of 3)

Genre: Fantasy, Dark Fantasy, Epic fantasy

Pages: 725 pages (UK Hardcover)

Published: 7th September 2021 by Harper Voyager (UK) & 14th September by Tor Books (US)


Empire of the Vampire is an infuriating novel. And yet, at the same time, it is also a brilliant and bloody epic post-apocalyptic fantasy and vampire story.

“I never thought I’d find such peace in simple reading. The words were a kind of magic, taking me by the hand and sweeping me into lands unseen, times unremembered, thoughts unimagined. Through all my years in San Michon, all the blood and sweat and darkling roads I walked, I learned one of my greatest lessons sitting in that Library with those girls in the still of the night.
A life without books is a life not lived.”

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Book Review: Age of War (The Legends of the First Empire, #3) by Michael J. Sullivan

Book Review: Age of War (The Legends of the First Empire, #3) by Michael J. Sullivan

Cover art illustrated by Marc Simonetti

Age of War by Michael J. Sullivan

My rating: 4.5 of 5 stars

Series: The Legends of the First Empire (Book #3 of 6)

Genre: Fantasy, High Fantasy, Epic fantasy

Pages: 464 pages (Mass Market Paperback)

Published: 3rd July 2018 by Del Rey


Age of War is the best of the series so far. And it is also among Sullivan’s list of best novels.

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Book Review: The Garden of Empire (Pact and Pattern, #2) by J.T. Greathouse

Book Review: The Garden of Empire (Pact and Pattern, #2) by J.T. Greathouse

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

Cover art illustrated by: Patrick Knowles

The Garden of Empire by J.T. Greathouse

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Series: Pact and Pattern (Book #2 of 3)

Genre: Fantasy, High Fantasy

Pages: 446 pages (Hardcover edition)

Published: 5th August 2021 by Gollancz


The Garden of Empire did not live up to The Hand of the Sun King, but it is a good sequel—with issues—that also promises incredible things to come in the third and final book of the trilogy.

‘Ambition is only a failing if one cannot live up to it,’

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Book Review: The Bands of Mourning (Mistborn: Wax and Wayne, #3) by Brandon Sanderson

Book Review: The Bands of Mourning (Mistborn: Wax and Wayne, #3) by Brandon Sanderson

Cover art illustrated by: Chris McGrath

The Bands of Mourning by Brandon Sanderson

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Series: Mistborn: Wax and Wayne (Book #3 of 4), Mistborn Saga (Book #6 of 7)

Genre: Fantasy, High Fantasy, Steampunk

Pages: 447 pages (International Paperback Edition)

Published: 26th January 2016 by Tor Books (US) & 28th January 2016 by Gollancz (UK)


The Bands of Mourning is the best of the Mistborn: Wax and Wayne so far.

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Book Review: The Battle that was Lost (Ringlander, #0.5) by Michael S. Jackson

Book Review: The Battle that was Lost (Ringlander, #0.5) by Michael S. Jackson

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

Cover art illustrated by: John Anthony di Giovanni

The Battle that was Lost by Michael S. Jackson

My rating: 2.5 of 5 stars

Series: Ringlander (Book #0.5)

Genre: Fantasy

Pages: 104 pages (Kindle edition)

Published: 13th October 2022 (Self-published)


An action-packed one-sitting read, The Battle that was Lost is an introductory novella to the Ringlander that shows glimpses of Jackson’s skill at writing actions and a fast-paced story.

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Book Review: Fairy Tale by Stephen King

Book Review: Fairy Tale by Stephen King


Fairy Tale by Stephen King
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

“That much is true about songs (and many stories) even in my own world. They speak mind to mind, but only if you listen.”

Fairy Tale has been one of my most anticipated reads of the 2022 since it was announced. I preordered it in February, the day it first became available. So to say my expectations were sky-high would be an understatement. Reading anything you’ve been looking forward to for that long with your hopes for it residing somewhere in the clouds is always a tenuous undertaking. While Fairy Tale didn’t disappoint, it couldn’t quite live up to the hype in my head.

“it’s the stories of our childhood that make the deepest impressions and last the longest.”

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TS’s Monthly Wrap-Up : Sept 2022

TS’s Monthly Wrap-Up : Sept 2022

Hello all, and welcome back to my monthly wrap-up.  As real-life work pressures crank up for the final quarter of year, I found myself reading a bit slower for the month of September.   It’s also getting harder and harder for me to even come up with short reviews.  Thankfully, I was still able to write a bit more for the Book of the Months, as it felt right to do so.  And yes, it’s Books of the Month as there were two which both scored 5-stars and earned a spot amongst my favourite books.

NB. Books are rated within its genre.  For avoidance of doubt, rereads are not considered for Book of the Month.

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Book Review: Priest of Crowns (War for the Rose Throne, #4) by Peter McLean

Book Review: Priest of Crowns (War for the Rose Throne, #4) by Peter McLean

Priest of Crowns by Peter McLean

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Series: War for the Rose Throne (Book #4 of 4)

Genre: Fantasy, Grimdark Fantasy

Pages: 481 pages (Kindle edition)

Published: 4th August 2022 by Jo Fletcher


Priest of Crowns is a heartbreaking, ferociously blood-soaked, and unforgettable ending to the War for the Rose Throne.

“This and no other is the root from which a tyrant springs; when he first appears he is a protector.”

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