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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Cover Reveal: Titan Hoppers (Titan Hoppers, #1) by Rob J. Hayes

Cover Reveal: Titan Hoppers (Titan Hoppers, #1) by Rob J. Hayes

Hi everyone! Petrik from Novel Notions here.

We have an exciting post today. Novel Notions will be hosting the REAL cover reveal to The Titan Hoppers by Rob J. Hayes. This isn’t the first time I post a cover reveal to Hayes’s books. I am a fan of his Mortal Techniques series, and for today’s cover reveal, it will be for his newest book: The Titan Hoppers. Now, the interesting thing about it… this book has been gaining plenty of great reviews and sales even though the cover art used for more than three months was a mock-up cover art. Well, today, the number of sales will increase further because the new cover art is stunning! It is an honor for me and Novel Notions to post the final cover art to The Titan Hoppers. Without further ado, here’s the GORGEOUS cover reveal to The Titan Hoppers by Rob J. Hayes!

Cover art illustrated by Mansik Yang

Cover designed by STK. Kreations

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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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Cover Reveal: The Severing Son (The Sundered Nation, #1) by Vaughn Roycroft

Cover Reveal: The Severing Son (The Sundered Nation, #1) by Vaughn Roycroft

Hi everyone! Petrik from Novel Notions here.

We have an exciting post today. Novel Notions will be hosting the cover reveal to The Severing Son by Vaughn Roycroft. This is the author’s debut, and it is the first book in The Sundered Nation trilogy. For those of you who missed this cover reveal yesterday, my friend Philip Chase has done a great spoiler-free review and cover reveal on it on his YouTube channel. Other than that, I will mention that Vaughn has been very supportive of my YouTube channel as well. It’s honestly really cool to see his debut being published soon ever since he mentioned it to me for the first time. I haven’t got the chance to read this book yet, but I certainly will do it ASAP. Without further ado, here’s the GORGEOUS cover reveal to The Severing Son by Vaughn Roycroft!

Cover art illustrated by John Anthony di Giovanni

Cover designed by Three Star Smoked Fish Co

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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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Book Review: Dawnshard (The Stormlight Archive, #3.5) by Brandon Sanderson

Book Review: Dawnshard (The Stormlight Archive, #3.5) by Brandon Sanderson

Dawnshard by Brandon Sanderson

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Series: The Stormlight Archive (Book 3.5 of 10)

Genre: Epic fantasy, high fantasy

Published: 5 November 2020 by Dragonsteel Entertainment


Dawnshard is another illuminating and beautifully crafted piece in the Cosmere puzzle.

Every time a new Stormlight Archive story gets released my excitement goes through the roof. There is no reading I enjoy more, and I am so thankful that I am lucky enough to be able to regularly read new Cosmere stories. You keep them coming please, Brandon, and we will keep on reading them.

Dawnshard is a novella, and as such shorter than your average SA book, but it’s still longer than Brandon planned and comes in at about 200 pages. Let me tell you though, I read this in the blink of an eye. All my favourite authors have that talent to make time disappear, but none more so than Brandon Sanderson and it’s almost sad (not really), because while Brandon continuously over delivers, I can never seem to get enough. Dawnshard is no different. Slotting into the spot between Oathbringer and Rhythm of War, it bridges the gap between those two books with a story that focuses on an expedition to the mythical island of Akinah (Many fans will know that this mysterious place is exciting for a bunch of reasons).

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