Cover art illustrated by: Chris McGrath
Rise of the Ranger by Philip C. Quaintrell
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Series: The Echoes Saga (Book #1 of 9)
Genre: Fantasy, Epic Fantasy, High Fantasy
Pages: 538 pages (Kindle Edition)
Published: 5th May 2017 by Quaintrell Publishing (Self-Published)
Rise of the Ranger is a promising beginning to another classic fantasy series told with a modern voice. …
The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Exquisite. That is the first word that comes to mind as I consider The Song of Achilles. Miller is a truly gifted author. The ways in which she was able to breathe new life and depth into characters who have been part of our collective consciousness for millennia is awe-inspiring. The story of Achilles and the Trojan War is one I have consumed in a plethora of formats and reiterations, but the way Miller tells the tale is without comparison.
“I am made of memories.”
A Court of Silver Flames by Sarah J. Maas
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Once again, I am absolutely shocked by how much I adored this book. While I loved A Court of Mist and Fury fiercely, I felt that A Court of Wings and Ruin didn’t quite measure up in comparison, and that A Court of Frost and Starlight was weak and forgettable compared to the rest of the series. I had just about decided that I would end my experience with the series there, but my brother changed my mind. He just binge-read all of ACOTAR and told me that ACOMAF had been his favorite until he read this one, which he thought was by far the strongest of the series. I didn’t really see how it could measure up to ACOMAF, but we rarely disagree when we read the same books. And he was so right. A Court of Silver Flames is just badass in every way. While not quite as romantic as A Court of Mist and Fury, A Court of Silver Flames surpasses it in girl-power, intensity, and spice level. I read furiously and enjoyed every minute. …
Hi everyone! Petrik from Novel Notions here.
We have an exciting post today. Novel Notions will be hosting the cover reveal to The Bladed Faith by David Dalglish! This is the first book in the upcoming new series, The Vagrant Gods, by David Dalglish. In addition to the cover art below, I also had the chance to chat with David Dalglish about some details related to the cover art and the premise of the novel. I won’t take too much of your time with my introduction. I’ve read and enjoyed The Keepers trilogy, and I’m so looking forward to reading this novel. Without further ado, here’s my conversation with David Dalglish, and also the cover reveal to The Bladed Faith!
Cover art illustrated by Chase Stone
Cover designed by Lauren Panepinto …
Review copy provided by the author in exchange for an honest review.
ILLBORN by Daniel T. Jackson
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Series: The Illborn Saga (Book #1 of 4)
Genre: Fantasy, Epic Fantasy, High Fantasy
Pages: 714 pages (Paperback Edition)
Published: 19th March 2021 by Troubador Publishing (Indie)
By the Lord, this was amazing. Illborn is an absolutely compelling character-driven epic fantasy debut. …
ARC provided by the author in exchange for an honest review
Reviewed by Adam Weller
Cover art illustrated by: Pen Astridge
Empire of Shadows by Alicia Wanstall-Burke
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Series: The Coraidic Sagas (Book #3 of 3)
Genre: Fantasy, High Fantasy
Pages: 610 pages (Kindle Edition)
Published: 25th January 2022 (Self-Published)
Alicia Wanstall-Burke’s Blood of Heirs fashioned one of the more devious second-book cliffhangers in the trilogies I’ve read in recent years. Up until the last few chapters, the story of Lidan, Loge, Ran, Sellan, and others twisting the fates of the Northern and Southern empires was an entertaining saga with strong-willed characters you could get behind. But its last few chapters really stood out, as it set the story careening off into truly exciting territory, and I have been anxiously awaiting the release of Empire of Shadows to see how the final pieces were going to fall. …
A Narrow Door by Joanne Harris
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
I received a digital copy of this novel from the publisher, OrangeSky Audio, via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
A Narrow Door is one of the smartest, most interesting and sympathetically voiced pieces of crime fiction I’ve read in a very long time. The only other modern book in the genre I’ve enjoyed this much was We Begin at the End, but this book had more in common with The Maidens and The Divines, both of which disappointed me last year. It was a perfectly paced, pitch perfect blend of mystery and academia that captivated me from the prologue through to the epilogue. I hung on every word. This is a story that felt so incredibly real, which such a delicious building tension, that I thought about it almost constantly when I wasn’t reading it. It found its way into my dreams, which has become a rare thing as I’ve gotten older. And the ending was something that, in hindsight, I might should have been able to see. Especially considering the opening. But I didn’t.
…
Cover art illustrated by: Nico Delort
Spinning Silver by Naomi Novik
My rating: 4.5 of 5 stars
Series: Standalone
Genre: Fantasy, Retelling
Pages: 480 pages (US Hardcover Edition)
Published: 10th July 2018 by Del Rey (US) & Pan Macmillan (UK)
If Uprooted is my Hell, then Spinning Silver is my Heaven.
Five years. It’s been exactly five years since I’ve read Uprooted by Naomi Novik. Honestly speaking, I never intended to read Spinning Silver. I consider Uprooted one of the worst fantasy novels I’ve read, and I had no motivation in trying out more of Novik’s works for five years. However, after hearing from many readers—one of them being my friend, Elliot Brooks—who disliked Uprooted that Spinning Silver worked wonderfully for them, my curiosity was piqued. And then, another good friend of mine—Mary—who also disliked Uprooted decided to sent me a copy of Spinning Silver. She said that Spinning Silver is one of the best standalone novels she has ever read. So here I am, nodding my head and adding my opinion to their praises; they were all 100% right. Spinning Silver is one of the best standalone novels I’ve read. This high rating you’re seeing is not a fairytale. It’s well-deserved, and Spinning Silver rightfully deserves the gorgeous cover art (US edition) illustrated by Nico Delort. …
Spinning Silver by Naomi Novik
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
I could not have started the year off with a more pleasant surprise. I read another of Novik’s high fantasy novels, Uprooted, in 2016 and…I was not a fan. While I didn’t loathe it with every fiber of my being like Petrik did, it took me a couple of months to trudge through 435 pages. That’s not my general reading experience. There were a lot of things I really didn’t like about that book and, because of that dislike, I was skittish about picking up Spinning Silver . But, as I own both a physical and digital copy, I knew I was going to have to pick it up eventually. So when Petrik suggested we do a buddy-read as soon as the new year started, I jumped at it. He, Eon, TS, Haifa and myself all started it together, and the consensus has been overwhelmingly positive. Spinning Silver is a thoughtful, intricate, powerful novel that is one of the most atmospheric books I’ve ever read. I’m incredibly glad that we gave Novik another try. …
This is my journey in books for 2021!
Hi everyone, TS here! Firstly, I’d like to acknowledge that I’ve been inconsistent in my blogging/reviewing on Novel Notions this year. I couldn’t find the energy or will or brain-power as I found myself in a new expanded role at work that has a challenging learning curve, and discovered that I enjoy cooking and baking (even embarked on sourdough) so much that I started spending a lot of time in the kitchen.
I did manage to meet my reading challenge of 100 books this year regardless, and it’s probably the most diverse year of reading that I’ve had in my entire life. While fantasy remains my favourite genre for its sense of wonder, I found myself gravitating a lot towards mysteries this year, and also reading a lot more non-fiction.
I’ve decided to organise my best reads of 2021 a bit differently from prior years, somewhat thematically instead of the usual parameters and rankings.
And we’ll start with….
…