City of Stairs by Robert Jackson Bennett
My rating: 4.5 of 5 stars
Series: The Divine Cities (Book 1 of 3)
Genre: Urban fantasy, fantasy, post-apocalyptic
Published: 9th September 2014 by Broadway Books (US) & 2nd April 2015 by Jo Fletcher Books (UK)
It had been a while since I’ve come across such a magnificent start to a series or trilogy; City of Stairs was a fine example of genre-redefining for urban fantasy.
Review copy provided by the publisher—Orbit—in exchange for an honest review.
A Master of Djinn by P. Djèlí Clark
My rating: 4.5 of 5 stars
Series: Dead Djinn Universe (Book #1)
Genre: Fantasy, Historical Fantasy, Steampunk
Pages: 401 pages (UK Kindle edition)
Published: 11st May 2021 by Orbit (UK) and TorDotCom (US)
There’s a lot of praises for A Master of Djinn online, and I can certainly understand why.
“Rich people always have enemies. Usually, that’s how they became rich.”
The King’s Blood by Daniel Abraham
My rating: 4.5 of 5 stars
Series: The Dagger and the Coin (Book #2 of 5)
Genre: Fantasy, Epic Fantasy, High Fantasy
Pages: 517 pages (Kindle edition)
Published: 3rd May 2012 by Orbit
The King’s Blood was a magnificent sequel that expanded upon everything the previous book built.
“Wars are easier to start than end, and where they take you is rarely where you intended to go… It will be better for all of us to avoid it.”
i
Ash and Quill by Rachel Caine
My rating: 4.5 of 5 stars.
Series: The Great Library (Book 3 of 5)
Genre: Young adult, alternate history, historical fantasy, fantasy
Published: July 2017 by Berkley Books (US) and Allison & Busby (UK)
Immensely engaging and intense, Ash and Quill was mid-series perfection.
Cover art illustrated by: Larry Rostant
The Rose and the Thorn by Michael J. Sullivan
My rating: 4.5 of 5 stars
Series: The Riyria Chronicles (Book #2)
Genre: Fantasy, High Fantasy
Pages: 372 pages (Kindle edition)
Published: 17th September 2013 by Orbit
The cover art to The Rose and the Thorn is atrocious, but let’s not judge a book by its cover.
“The right word, said at the right moment, can work magic, he was fond of saying. You merely need to understand power, where it comes from, and the direction it flows.”
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Cover art illustration by: Patrick Foster
Bloodline by Will Wight
My rating: 4.5 of 5 stars
Series: Cradle (Book #9 of 12)
Genre: Fantasy, Progression Fantasy, Xianxia
Pages: 378 pages
Published: 6th April 2021 by Hidden Gnome Publishing (Indie)
I am not sure whether this is an unpopular opinion or not, but Bloodline is the best of the series so far for me. …
Legacy by Nora Roberts
My rating: 4.5 of 5 stars
When will I learn? I’ve read over 200 Nora Roberts novels, and yet every once in a while I will still read a synopsis for an upcoming novel of hers and decide that I’m not sure I’m going to love that one. So instead of preordering, like I generally do for her new releases, I place a hold with my library. That’s what I did with Legacy. And now I have to buy it anyway, because I loved it. …
Hi everyone! Petrik from Novel Notions here. We, the team at Novel Notions, are very thrilled and honored that we were asked by Gollancz to participate in the blog tour for the The Blacktongue Thief, the first book in Blacktongue trilogy, by Christopher Buehlman.
For those of you who haven’t heard of The Blacktongue Thief, this is one of the most hyped adult fantasy books of the year. Within this blog tour, I will be re-posting my spoiler-free review of the book. And also, I want to announce that I’ll be doing an interview with Christopher Buehlman tomorrow. The interview will be posted on Thursday; the UK release date of the novel. Without further ado, here’s my review of The Blacktongue Thief by Christopher Buehlman! …
I have a Booktube channel now! Subscribe here: https://www.youtube.com/petrikleo
Cover art designed by: Stephen Mulcahey
HELLMOUTH: A novella by Giles Kristian
My rating: 4.5 of 5 stars
Series: Standalone
Genre: Historical fiction, Horror
Pages: 52 pages (Kindle edition)
Published: 19th February 2021 by Giles Kristian (Self-Published)
Hellmouth is a bloody terrifying blend of historical fiction and horror.
“In the absence of light, darkness prevails”
I have a Booktube channel now! Subscribe here: https://www.youtube.com/petrikleo
ARC provided by the author in exchange for an honest review.
Cover art illustrated by: Felix Ortiz
Cover art designed by: STK.Kreations
Dark Sea’s End by Richard Nell
My rating: 4.5 of 5 stars
Series: Beyond Ash and Sand (Book #1)
Genre: Fantasy, High Fantasy, Grimdark Fantasy
Word count: Roughly 80k words
Published: 1st June 2021 by Richard Nell (Self-Published)
Dark Sea’s End is a heart-pounding return to the world of Ash and Sand, and I’m sure the future of it will be as brilliant. …