Browsed by
Category: Book Reviews

Book Review: Where Darkness Dwells (Song of the Solas, #1) by Andrea Renae

Book Review: Where Darkness Dwells (Song of the Solas, #1) by Andrea Renae

Comments 0 Comment


Where Darkness Dwells by Andrea Renae
My rating: 4.5 of 5 stars

Where Darkness Dwells is a lush, beautiful story with a radiant core of hope. It doesn’t shy from darkness, but it also doesn’t revel in it. Instead, it exposes the weak underbelly of that darkness, dwelling on the fact that, no matter how thick the darkness may seem, the Light is always able to overcome it. We might not understand why the darkness has held dominion for so long, or why the Light didn’t reclaim its rightful throne sooner. But we can know that a battle between the two forces is inevitable, and we rest assured of the fact that Light will win. …

Read More Read More

Book Review: The Curse of the Mistwraith (Wars of Light and Shadow, #1) by Janny Wurts

Book Review: The Curse of the Mistwraith (Wars of Light and Shadow, #1) by Janny Wurts

Comments 0 Comment

Cover art illustrated by Janny Wurts

The Curse of the Mistwraith by Janny Wurts

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Series: Wars of Light and Shadow (Book #1 of 11)

Genre: Fantasy, Epic Fantasy

Pages: 611 pages (Hardcover edition)

Word Count: 233,000 words

Publish date: May 1993 by HarperVoyager

The Curse of the Mistwraith is the start of a super ambitious epic fantasy, and it is a book that will require your 100% concentration. …

Read More Read More

The Mirror (The Lost Bride Trilogy #2) by Nora Roberts

The Mirror (The Lost Bride Trilogy #2) by Nora Roberts

Comments 0 Comment


The Mirror by Nora Roberts
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I received an advance digital copy of this novel from the publisher, St. Martin’s Press, via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Inheritance was one of my favorite books of 2023, and it ended on a major cliffhanger. So when I was offered an advance digital copy of The Mirror, which was quite possibly my most anticipated read of 2024, I couldn’t hit the download button fast enough. And I loved every single page. There’s not a single thing I would change about The Mirror, except for the fact that I have to wait over a year to see how the story ends. …

Read More Read More

Book Review: Kavithri (Ghosts of Ethuran, #1) by Aman J. Bedi

Book Review: Kavithri (Ghosts of Ethuran, #1) by Aman J. Bedi

Comments 0 Comment

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

Cover art illustrated by Giby Joseph

Kavithri by Aman J. Bedi

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Series: The Ghosts of Ethuran (Book #1 of 3)

Genre: Fantasy, Epic Fantasy

Pages: 448 pages (Hardcover edition)

Word Count: 111,500 words

Publish date: 16th of May 2024 by Gollancz

Imagine an engaging Indian-inspired steampunk fantasy debut reminiscent of The Poppy War with an empathetic heroine with a rein on her wrath. That’s Kavithri. …

Read More Read More

The Last Song of Penelope (Songs of Penelope #3) by Claire North

The Last Song of Penelope (Songs of Penelope #3) by Claire North

Comments 0 Comment


The Last Song of Penelope by Claire North
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I adore Greek myth retellings when they’re done well. Circe and The Song of Achilles, Clytemnestra and Stone Blind, Ariadne and Elektra and Atalanta are all examples of excellent retellings, beautifully written. Stone Blind and Circe are even among some of my very favorite books. But North’s Songs of Penelope trilogy has usurped them all on my shelf. It’s rare that a mythic retelling is not a standalone novel. It’s rare that such a story can stay so true to its source material while also being wonderfully original. It’s rare that every book in a trilogy merits five full stars. Songs of Penelope manages to do all three of those things brilliantly. There is nothing that I would change about any of this trilogy, but I believe this final installment, The Last Song of Penelope, is my favorite. What a note to end on. …

Read More Read More

Book Review: A Gentleman in Moscow by Amor Towles

Book Review: A Gentleman in Moscow by Amor Towles

Comments 0 Comment

A Gentleman in Moscow by Amor Towles

My rating: 2 of 5 stars

Series: Standalone

Genre: Historical fiction

Pages: 496 pages (Kindle edition)

Publish date: 6th of September 2016 by Penguin Books

A Gentleman in Moscow is a beautifully written book with minimal suspense, conflict, or captivating drama.

“It is a sad but unavoidable fact of life… that as we age our social circles grow smaller. Whether from increased habit or diminished vigor, we suddenly find ourselves in the company of just a few familiar faces.”

…

Read More Read More

All the Colors of the Dark by Chris Whitaker

All the Colors of the Dark by Chris Whitaker

Comments 1 comment


All the Colors of the Dark by Chris Whitaker
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I received an advance digital copy of this novel from the publisher, Crown Publishing, via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

We Begin at the End was one of my very favorite books of 2021. It was one of the two best crime fiction novels I had ever read, alongside Razorblade Tears by S. A. Cosby. A third is now joining their ranks. All the Colors of the Dark is an absolutely brilliant example of crime fiction. It’s heavy and hard and heartbreaking, but it ends on such a strong, vibrant note of hope that it makes the darkness of the journey feel worth it.

“I just wanted to show you that sometimes things survive despite the harshest of odds.”

…

Read More Read More

Book Review: The Daughters’ War (Blacktongue, #0) by Christopher Buehlman

Book Review: The Daughters’ War (Blacktongue, #0) by Christopher Buehlman

Comments 0 Comment

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

Cover art illustrated by Marie Bergeron

The Daughters’ War by Christopher Buehlman

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Series: Blacktongue (Book #0)

Genre: Fantasy, High Fantasy, Epic Fantasy

Pages: 416 pages (Kindle edition)

Publish date: 25th of June 2024 by Tor Books (US) and Gollancz (UK)

The Daughters’ War is a very different kind of prequel novel from The Blacktongue Thief.

“One who has studied and thinks oneself capable might be undone to discover how much less one knows than one thinks.”

…

Read More Read More

The Girl Who Kept the Castle by Ryan Graudin

The Girl Who Kept the Castle by Ryan Graudin

Comments 0 Comment


The Girl Who Kept the Castle by Ryan Graudin
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I received an advance digital copy of this novel from the publisher, Quill Tree Books, via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

The Girl Who Kept the Castle is the epitome of cozy fantasy, especially for middle grade to young adult readers. It feels like being dropped into a Studio Ghibli movie — in fact, one of the regions of the kingdom is called Ghibli. (And the capital city is Retnec, an anagram of center. Can you guess where on the map that city might reside?) There are lots of tiny nods to other classic fantasy stories, like the works of Tolkien and Diana Wynne Jones. But even outside of the fun little Easter eggs, this is a delightful book in its own right. (I stated above that it’s cozy fantasy, but it might be more fitting to call this cozy-adjacent. Because while the setting and storytelling feel very cozy, there are definite stakes to this tale.) …

Read More Read More