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Category: Petrik’s Reviews

Book Review: Bonds of Chaos (Threadlight, #3) by Zack Argyle

Book Review: Bonds of Chaos (Threadlight, #3) by Zack Argyle

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

Cover art by Omer Burak Onal

Bonds of Chaos by Zack Argyle

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Series: Threadlight (Book #3 of 3)

Genre: Fantasy, High Fantasy, Epic Fantasy

Pages: 360 pages (Hardcover edition)

Publish date: 25th of August 2022 by Zack Argyle (Self-Published)

Bonds of Chaos has successfully nailed the necessary satisfying conclusion to the Threadlight trilogy.

“No matter how hard a man may try, he never truly understands hurt beyond what he has experienced himself.”

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Book Review: The Crown of Omens (The Blood and Steel Saga, #0.5) by E.J. Doble

Book Review: The Crown of Omens (The Blood and Steel Saga, #0.5) by E.J. Doble

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


Cover art illustrated by Diego Spezzoni

The Crown of Omens by E.J. Doble

My rating: 3.5 of 5 stars

Series: The Blood and Steel Saga (Book #0.5 of 5)

Genre: Fantasy, Grimdark Fantasy, Epic Fantasy

Pages: 159 pages (Paperback edition)

Published: 1st October 2023 (Self-Published)

The Crown of Omens is an action-packed alternative starting point for Doble’s grimdark Blood and Steel Saga. …

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Book Review: Disquiet Gods (The Sun Eater, #6) by Christopher Ruocchio

Book Review: Disquiet Gods (The Sun Eater, #6) by Christopher Ruocchio

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This review is a copy of the transcript of my video review on Disquiet Gods

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

Cover art illustrated by Kieran Yanner

Disquiet Gods by Christopher Ruocchio

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Series: The Sun Eater (Book #6 of 7)

Genre: Sci-fi, Space Opera, Science Fantasy

Word Count: 290,000 words

Pages: 704 pages (Hardcover edition)

Published: 2nd April 2024 by DAW Books (US) & Head of Zeus (UK)

This book… What a penultimate installment. Disquiet Gods is a festival of epic science fantasy masterwork cranked to maximum level. …

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Book Review: The Witchwood Crown (The Last King of Osten Ard, #1) by Tad Williams

Book Review: The Witchwood Crown (The Last King of Osten Ard, #1) by Tad Williams

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Cover art illustrated by Michael Whelan

The Witchwood Crown by Tad Williams

My rating: 4.5 of 5 stars

Series: The Last King of Osten Ard (Book #1 of 4), The Osten Ard Saga (Book #4 of 7)

Genre: Fantasy, High Fantasy, Epic Fantasy

Pages: 736 pages (Hardcover edition)

Word Count: 350,000 words

Published: 27th June  2017 by DAW Books (US) & Hodder (UK)

It is with a heart of joy I proclaim The Witchwood Crown as an exquisite return to the world of Osten Ard.

“You have a fine voice. Remember that music is a noble charge, even a dangerous charge, because it can pierce a man’s heart when a spear or arrow cannot.”

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Book Review: Stones of Light (Threadlight, #2) by Zack Argyle

Book Review: Stones of Light (Threadlight, #2) by Zack Argyle

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

Cover art by Omer Burak Onal

Stones of Light by Zack Argyle

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Series: Threadlight (Book #2 of 3)

Genre: Fantasy, High Fantasy, Epic Fantasy

Pages: 362 pages (Hardcover edition)

Publish date: 4th of April 2021 by Zack Argyle (Self-Published)

This was a great sequel. In Stones of Light, Argyle maintained the consistency of quality in his storytelling.

“It’s like comparing granite to clay. The clay may take shape more easily, but the granite, once you’ve chiseled it into place, is so much stronger. For some people, motherhood comes more easily. For others, it takes a hammer and chisel. No one is made for motherhood. Motherhood is made for you. Some of us aren’t so lucky.”

…

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Book Review: The Dregs of Empire (The Sun Eater, #5.6) by Christopher Ruocchio

Book Review: The Dregs of Empire (The Sun Eater, #5.6) by Christopher Ruocchio

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

Cover art illustrated by John Barry Ballaran

The Dregs of Empire: A Tale of the Sun Eater by Christopher Ruocchio

My rating: 4.5 of 5 stars

Series: The Sun Eater (Book #5.6 of 7)

Genre: Science Fantasy, Sci-fi, Space Opera

Pages: 332 pages (Kindle edition)

Published: 14th November 2023 by Christopher Ruocchio (Self-published)

The Dregs of Empire is the finest companion novel in The Sun Eater series so far.

“I am not afraid to die… because I know this is not the end for us. We are all of us trapped in an endless cycle of life and death and rebirth. What matters is what we do within that cycle. Right understanding. Right thought . . . Right speech.”

…

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Book Review: The Failures (The Wanderlands, #1) by Benjamin Liar

Book Review: The Failures (The Wanderlands, #1) by Benjamin Liar

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This review is a copy of the transcript of my video review on The Failures

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

Cover art by theBookDesigners

The Failures by Benjamin Liar

My rating: 4.5 of 5 stars

Series: The Wanderlands (Book #1 of 3)

Genre: Fantasy, Science Fantasy, Epic Fantasy, Sci-fi, Post-apocalypse

Pages: 544 pages (Hardcover edition)

Published: 2nd July 2024 by DAW Books

The Failures is an extremely ambitious, mind-bending, and meticulously constructed debut novel.

“If we are truly just cogs, and part of some great machine, then it must run poorly indeed.”

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Book Review: The Fangs of War (The Blood and Steel Saga, #1) by E.J. Doble

Book Review: The Fangs of War (The Blood and Steel Saga, #1) by E.J. Doble

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Cover art illustrated by Diego Spezzoni

The Fangs of War by E.J. Doble

My rating: 3.5 of 5 stars

Series: The Blood and Steel Saga (Book #1 of 5)

Genre: Fantasy, Grimdark Fantasy, Epic Fantasy

Pages: 575 pages (Hardback edition)

Published: 11th January 2022 (Self-Published)

It is an impressive feat that a young 21-year-old writer wrote and published a grimdark fantasy debut the like of The Fangs of War. …

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Book Review: Tales of the Sun Eater, Volume 3 (The Sun Eater, #5.5) by Christopher Ruocchio

Book Review: Tales of the Sun Eater, Volume 3 (The Sun Eater, #5.5) by Christopher Ruocchio

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

Cover art illustrated by James L. Cook

Tales of the Sun Eater, Volume 3 by Christopher Ruocchio

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Series: The Sun Eater (Book #5.5 of 7)

Genre: Sci-fi, Space Opera, Science Fantasy

Pages: 216 pages (Kindle edition)

Published: 15th September 2023 (Self-Published)

Tales of the Sun Eater Volume 3 is, by far, the strongest collection of short stories in The Sun Eater series so far. …

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Book Review: A Natural History of Dragons (The Memoirs of Lady Trent, #1) by Marie Brennan

Book Review: A Natural History of Dragons (The Memoirs of Lady Trent, #1) by Marie Brennan

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Review copy provided by the author’s agent—Zeno Literary Agency—in exchange for an honest review.

Cover art illustrated by Todd Lockwood

A Natural History of Dragons by Marie Brennan

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Series: The Memoirs of Lady Trent (Book #1 of 5)

Genre: Fantasy, High Fantasy

Word Count: 98,000 words

Pages: 334 pages (Paperback edition)

Published: 5th February 2013 by Tor Books (US) & Titan Books (UK)

A Natural History of Dragons is a very different kind of fantasy book compared to what I usually read, and it provided me with a refreshing reading experience despite its flaws.
…

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