ARC received from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
A Numbers Game by RJ Dark
My rating: 4 of 5 stars.
Genre: Mystery, crime
Published: 4th June 2021 by Wavesback (Indie)
A Numbers Game was an enjoyable mystery read that has great emotions and the hallmarks of RJ Barker’s humour.
ARC provided by the author in exchange for an honest review.
Cover art illustrated by: Felix Ortiz
Cover art designed by: STK.Kreations
Blacklight Born by Alexander Darwin
My rating: 3 of 5 stars
Series: The Combat Codes Saga (Book #3 of 3)
Genre: Science fiction, Dystopia, Martial Arts
Pages: 379 pages (Kindle edition)
Published: 14th July 2021 by Insight Forge Press (Self-published)
To my own bafflement, I finally finished reading a series for the first time this year. …
The Pagan Lord by Bernard Cornwell
My rating: 3 of 5 stars
Series: The Last Kingdom (Book #7 of 13)
Genre: Historical fiction
Pages: 321 pages (Kindle edition)
Published: 26th September 2013 by HarperCollins
For the first time ever in the series, I actually think The Pagan Lord felt almost completely like a filler book. …
Smoke and Iron by Rachel Caine
My rating: 5 of 5 stars.
Series: The Great Library (Book 4 of 5)
Genre: Young adult, alternate history, historical fantasy, fantasy
Published: July 2018 by Berkley Books (US) and Allison & Busby (UK)
The best book in the series so far, Smoke and Iron gave me more than a consistently fantastic continuation in The Great Library.
The Dragon’s Path by Daniel Abraham
My rating: 3.5 of 5 stars
Series: The Dagger and the Coin (Book #1 of 5)
Genre: Fantasy, Epic Fantasy, High Fantasy
Pages: 577 pages (Kindle edition)
Published: 7th April 2011 by Orbit
There’s a charm in Abraham’s writing and the stories he tells that just keeps me coming back for more. And the same can be said for The Dragon’s Path. …
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Ash and Quill by Rachel Caine
My rating: 4.5 of 5 stars.
Series: The Great Library (Book 3 of 5)
Genre: Young adult, alternate history, historical fantasy, fantasy
Published: July 2017 by Berkley Books (US) and Allison & Busby (UK)
Immensely engaging and intense, Ash and Quill was mid-series perfection.
Daughter of the Empire by Raymond E. Feist & Janny Wurts
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Series: The Riftwar: Empire (Book #1 of 3), The Riftwar Cycle (Book #5 of 31)
Genre: Fantasy, Epic Fantasy, High Fantasy, Classic Fantasy
Pages: 528 pages (UK Paperback edition)
Published: 19th May 1987
Daughter of the Empire is a magnificent page-turning political intrigue with an amazing heroine to root for.
Spirit’s End by Rachel Aaron
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Series: The Legend of Eli Monpress (Book #5 of 5)
Genre: Fantasy, high fantasy
Published: November 2012 by Orbit (UK and US)
Easily one of the most addictive and fun fantasy series I’ve read in recent memory, The Legend of Eli Monpress concluded most satisfactorily in Spirit’s End, and now occupies my list of favourites.
ARC provided by Goodreads & the publisher—Scribner—in exchange for an honest review.
Cloud Cuckoo Land by Anthony Doerr
My rating: 3.5 of 5 stars
Series: Standalone
Genre: Historical fiction, Science fiction, Literary fiction
Pages: 656 pages (Kindle edition)
Published: 28th September 2021 by Scribner
Cloud Cuckoo Land is more ambitious and complex than All the Light We Cannot See in every possible way. …
Cover art illustrated by: Larry Rostant
The Rose and the Thorn by Michael J. Sullivan
My rating: 4.5 of 5 stars
Series: The Riyria Chronicles (Book #2)
Genre: Fantasy, High Fantasy
Pages: 372 pages (Kindle edition)
Published: 17th September 2013 by Orbit
The cover art to The Rose and the Thorn is atrocious, but let’s not judge a book by its cover.
“The right word, said at the right moment, can work magic, he was fond of saying. You merely need to understand power, where it comes from, and the direction it flows.”