Novel Notions

You would think that the tenth book in a not yet completed series might be prone to losing some steam, and in many cases, you might be right. Regarding Reaper, the book that takes the Cradle series into double digits, you would be wrong. This is of course only my opinion and is greatly influenced by the spotlight being shone on my favourite character throughout, but that is just one aspect of the story. What makes this better than any other for me, is how much the story focuses on teamwork, and just like this plot, Wight has made all the different parts work together to result in what I believe to be the strongest Cradle entry to date and also the most revelatory.

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Book Review: Of Blood and Fire (The Bound and the Broken, #1) by Ryan Cahill

November 9, 2021 Petrik Leo Comments 1 comment

ARC provided by the author in exchange for an honest review.

Cover art by: Books Covered

Of Blood And Fire by Ryan Cahill

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Series: The Bound and the Broken (Book #1 of 4)

Genre: Fantasy, High Fantasy, Epic Fantasy

Pages: 494 pages (Hardcover edition)

Published: 20th March 2021 by Ryan Cahill (Self-published)

Of Blood and Fire may not bring anything new to the genre, but it’s certainly another great modern take on classic fantasy.

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Book Review: Jade Legacy (The Green Bone Saga, #3) by Fonda Lee

November 8, 2021 TS Chan Comments 0 Comment

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

Jade Legacy by Fonda Lee

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Series: The Green Bone Saga (Book #3 of 3)

Genre: Fantasy, Urban Fantasy

Published: 30th November 2021 by Orbit (US) & 2nd December 2021 by Orbit (UK)

Devastatingly brilliant, Jade Legacy is a triumphant finale in Fonda Lee’s emotionally powerful character-driven masterpiece.
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Book Review: War of the Wolf (The Last Kingdom, #11) by Bernard Cornwell

November 4, 2021 Petrik Leo Comments 0 Comment

War of the Wolf by Bernard Cornwell

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Series: The Last Kingdom (Book #11 of 13)

Genre: Historical fiction

Pages: 401 pages (Kindle edition)

Published: 2nd October 2018 by HarperCollins

The beginning of the end started with a bang. …

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Book Review: An Astronaut’s Guide to Life on Earth by Chris Hadfield

November 1, 2021 TS Chan Comments 0 Comment

An Astronaut’s Guide to Life on Earth by Chris Hadfield

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Genre: Biography, memoir, non-fiction, science

Published: Oct 2013 by Macmillan (US) and Little, Brown and Company (UK)

An Astronaut’s Guide to Life on Earth was definitely one of the more interesting and compelling memoir of sorts that I’ve read which proffered valuable life lessons. Lessons which in fact seemed to go against conventional thinking and life coaching such as visualising success, not sweating the small stuff and not caring about what others think. Chris Hadfield’s experience as an astronaut – or more importantly, on becoming an astronaut – proved otherwise.
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Book Review: The Death of Dulgath (The Riyria Chronicles, #3) by Michael J. Sullivan

October 31, 2021 TS Chan Comments 0 Comment

The Death of Dulgath by Michael J. Sullivan

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Series: The Riyria Chronicles (Book #3)

Genre: Fantasy, High Fantasy

Published: 3rd November 2015 by Riyria Enterprises (self-published)

It should come as no surprise that I absolutely loved The Death of Dulgath, which was just as good if not even better upon reread.

Aside from Sanderson, I have one other major fictional addiction, and that is Riyria. I could never get enough of reading about the duo of Hadrian Blackwater and Royce Melborn, and have read The Riyria Revelations and the first two books of The Riyria Chronicles three times.
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Book Review: Arm of the Sphinx (The Books of Babel, #2) by Josiah Bancroft

October 30, 2021 Petrik Leo Comments 0 Comment

This review was written the 2nd of July 2017

Arm of the Sphinx Cover art by: Ian Leino

Arm of the Sphinx by Josiah Bancroft

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Series: The Books of Babel (Book #2 of 4)

Genre: Fantasy, Steampunk Fantasy

Pages: 381 pages (US Kindle edition)

Published: 28th July 2014 by Josiah Bancroft (Self-published) & 22nd August 2017 Orbit Books

Raven’s Shadow by Anthony Ryan, The Riyria Revelations by Michael J. Sullivan, and now, The Books of Babel by Josiah Bancroft; I’ll be surprised if this series doesn’t end up becoming the next successful self-published to traditionally published fantasy transition.

Arm of the Sphinx is the second book in The Books of Babel series by Josiah Bancroft. The story continues months after the end of the previous book. Each chapter still begins with memorable and philosophical quotes such as:

“We are, each of us, a multitude. I am not the man I was this morning, nor the man of yesterday. I am a throng of myself queued through time. We are, gentle reader, each a crowd within a crowd.”

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Book Review: The Bone Ships (The Tide Child, #1) by R.J. Barker

October 29, 2021 Eon Comments 2 comments

The Bone Ships by by R.J. Barker

My rating: 4 of 5 stars.

Series: The Tide Child (Book 1 of 3)

Genre: High-fantasy

Published: September 26th, 2019 by Orbit (UK) & September 24th, 2019 by Orbit (US)

Audacious storytelling, with an original, captivating world.

RJ Barker wrote one of my favourite fantasy series of all time, The Wounded Kingdom trilogy. So, when I heard that he was writing a brand-new series called The Tide Child trilogy, I was excited. And by excited, I mean I might have shouted about it to one or two, or seventy random people. I am a huge fan. That said, on my first read I struggled with the start of this book and that influenced my initial rating quite a bit. I still thought this was a very good book in the end, but felt it took slightly long to get there. On rereading this though, I was pleasantly surprised by having an absolute blast of a time and I am happy to say that I misjudged this book a bit.

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