City of Blades by Robert Jackson Bennett
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Series: The Divine Cities (Book 2 of 3)
Genre: Urban fantasy, fantasy, post-apocalyptic
Published: 26th January 2016 by Broadway Books (US) & 7th January 2016 by Jo Fletcher Books (UK)
City of Blades was one of the best sequels I’ve read; it has everything I could ask for that expands upon an already fantastic start to a trilogy.
Mistress of the Empire by Raymond E. Feist & Janny Wurts
My rating: 4.5 of 5 stars
Series: The Riftwar: Empire (Book #3 of 3), The Riftwar Cycle (Book #7 of 31)
Genre: Fantasy, Epic Fantasy, High Fantasy, Classic Fantasy
Pages: 864 pages (UK Paperback edition)
Published: 1st April 1992 by Doubleday
This is the second series I finished this year, and it’s a thrilling and rewarding conclusion to the Riftwar: Empire trilogy.
“Love doesn’t demand; it accepts. It has taken me my life to learn this.”
Nine Perfect Strangers by Liane Moriarty
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Nine Perfect Strangers was not a book I intended to pick up. The idea of a novel this long set at a health resort sounded tedious to me. But after seeing the trailer for the Hulu series, I found myself intrigued. I enjoyed another of Moriarty’s books, Big Little Lies, and it was also a story whose premise did nothing for me, so I decided to give Nine Perfect Strangers a try. I’m glad I did, because it ended up being one of the best non-fantasy novels I’ve read all year. I was honestly incredibly surprised by how much I ended up enjoying this book. …
(This is a repost of an old review I wrote in May 2018)
Cover art illustrated by: Sam Weber
City of Stairs by Robert Jackson Bennett
My rating: 4.5 of 5 stars
Series:The Divine Cities (Book #1 of 3)
Genre: Fantasy, High Fantasy, Urban fantasy, Post-apocalyptic, Horror
Pages: 452 pages (US paperback edition)
Published: 9th September 2014 by Broadway Books (US) & 2nd April 2015 by Jo Fletcher Books (UK)
A truly wonderful start to a trilogy and one of the most original world-building I’ve ever had the chance to experience in a novel. …
Shadowblack by Sebastian de Castell
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Series: Spellslinger (Book 2 of 6)
Genre: Fantasy, YA fantasy
Published: 5th October 2017 by Hot Key Books (UK) and 21st August 2018 by Orbit (US)
Enjoyable and engaging, Shadowblack was an excellent sequel which builds on the characters and the intriguing world they live in.
City of Stairs by Robert Jackson Bennett
My rating: 4.5 of 5 stars
Series: The Divine Cities (Book 1 of 3)
Genre: Urban fantasy, fantasy, post-apocalyptic
Published: 9th September 2014 by Broadway Books (US) & 2nd April 2015 by Jo Fletcher Books (UK)
It had been a while since I’ve come across such a magnificent start to a series or trilogy; City of Stairs was a fine example of genre-redefining for urban fantasy.
ARC provided by the publisher—Orbit—in exchange for an honest review.
Cover art illustrated by: Jaime Jones
Cover art designed by: Lauren Panepinto
The Pariah by Anthony Ryan
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Series: The Covenant of Steel (Book #1 of 3)
Genre: Fantasy
Pages: 576 pages (UK Hardcover edition)
Published: 26th August 2021 (UK) & 24th August 2021 (US) by Orbit
I’ve read every novel by Anthony Ryan, and The Pariah just might have his best prose so far.
“When the task is a killing, be quick and make sure of it. Torment is an indulgence. Save it for only the most deserving.”
Ice Station by Matthew Reilly
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Series: Shane Schofield (Book 1)
Genre: High-octane action thriller
I don’t usually write nor post reviews for thrillers, but Ice Station was way too entertaining and exhilarating for me not to put it out there.
Cover art illustrated by: Marc Simonetti
The Death of Dulgath by Michael J. Sullivan
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Series: The Riyria Chronicles (Book #3)
Genre: Fantasy, High Fantasy
Pages: 408 pages (Kindle edition)
Published: 15th October 2015 by Riyria Enterprises, LLC (Self-published)
The Death of Dulgath is the best volume in The Riyria Chronicles so far. …
Hearts in Atlantis by Stephen King
My rating: 3.5 of 5 stars
Disclaimer: I read this book and wrote big portions of this review while ill. So if it doesn’t make a ton of sense, that’s why. In my defense, the book made less and less sense as I read it, the stories flowing less effortlessly and feeling more forced. Which is common with King. Sticking the landing just isn’t his strength.
Out of all of the Stephen King books I’ve read, this one is by far the strangest, at least in terms of set-up. It’s not a novel, per se, nor is it a collection of short stories. These interconnected novellas become more and more dependent on one another as they progress, telling different facets of the same story in a way. …