The Flame Bearer by Bernard Cornwell
My rating: 3 of 5 stars
Series: The Last Kingdom (Book #10 of 13)
Genre: Historical fiction
Pages: 305 pages (Kindle edition)
Published: 6th October 2016 by HarperCollins
The Flame Bearer has a strong start and concluding chapter, but this series has run its course, and I can’t believe there are still 3 books to go. …
Review copy provided by the author in exchange for an honest review.
Aching God by Mike Shel
My rating: 3 of 5 stars
Series: Iconoclasts (Book #1 of 3)
Genre: Fantasy, High Fantasy
Pages: 602 pages (Paperback edition)
Published: 9th April 2018 by Mike Shel (Self-published)
Aching God started off nicely and ended great, but I have issues with the overall pacing. …
Revival Season by Monica West
My rating: 3 of 5 stars
Revival Season is not the kind of story I can read completely objectively. My faith is a huge part of my identity. I’m a Christian, and I’ve attended Baptist churches my entire life. When something is so integral to who you are, it’s difficult to remove yourself from a story that centers so profoundly around that trait or belief. And that was one of my biggest problems with this book. There were so many religious red flags that I wanted to take the whole fictional family to counseling. This was a twisted, maimed version of my faith staring back at me from the page, a funhouse reflection of what I believe. I just wanted to look away. I didn’t. I finished the book. But it was a struggle for me. …
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. …
I have a Booktube channel now! Subscribe here: https://www.youtube.com/petrikleo
ARC provided by the publisher—Tor Books—in exchange for an honest review.
The Last Watch by J.S. Dewes
My rating: 3 of 5 stars
Series: The Divide (Book #1 of 2)
Genre: Science fiction, space opera
Pages: 472 pages (Kindle edition)
Published: 20th April 2021 by Tor Books
The Last Watch was good, but I believe it would work better as a movie than a novel. …
I have a Booktube channel now! Subscribe here: https://www.youtube.com/petrikleo
ARC provided by the publisher—DAW Books—in exchange for an honest review.
Cover art illustrated by: Marc Simonetti
The Forever Sea by Joshua Phillip Johnson
My rating: 3 of 5 stars
Series: The Forever Sea (Book #1)
Genre: Fantasy, High Fantasy
Pages: 464 pages (Kindle edition)
Published: 26th January 2021 by Titan Books (UK) & 19th January 2021 by DAW Books (US)
Wonderful world-building and beautifully written, but unfortunately it’s a bit lacking in characterizations and pacing. …
The Captive by Fiona King Foster
My rating: 3 of 5 stars
I received a digital copy of this book from the publisher, Ecco, via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
The Captive is a compelling, intriguing thriller. The plot moves along quickly. Rustic noir isn’t a subgenre I’ve come across before, and that mixed with the slightly dystopian setting kept me interested. The writing was solid. Unfortunately, it left me dissatisfied.
I have a Booktube channel now! Subscribe here: https://www.youtube.com/petrikleo
Review copy provided by the author in exchange for an honest review.
Cover designed by: STK.Kreations
The God King’s Legacy by Richard Nell
My rating: 3 of 5 stars
Series: God King Chronicles (Book #0.5)
Genre: Fantasy, Flintlock Fantasy
Pages: 294 pages (Paperback)
Published: 10th June 2019 by Richard Nell (Self-published/Indie)
The God King’s Legacy comprised of two flintlock fantasy novellas that provide glimpses into Nell’s future books.
I have a Booktube channel now! Subscribe here: https://www.youtube.com/petrikleo
Cover illustration by: Chris McGrath
Brief Cases by Jim Butcher
My rating: 3 of 5 stars
Series: The Dresden Files (Book #15.1 of 25)
Genre: Fantasy, Urban Fantasy
Pages: 444 pages (US Kindle edition)
Published: 5th June 2018 by Orbit (UK) & Roc (US)
This collection, especially Zoo Day, is mostly worth it just for the non-Harry’s POV stories. …