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Tag: 4.5 stars

Book Review: Senlin Ascends (The Books of Babel, #1) by Josiah Bancroft

Book Review: Senlin Ascends (The Books of Babel, #1) by Josiah Bancroft

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This review was written on the 29th of June 2017

Cover art by: Ian Leino

Senlin Ascends by Josiah Bancroft

My rating: 4.5 of 5 stars

Series: The Books of Babel (Book #1 of 4)

Genre: Fantasy, Steampunk Fantasy

Pages: 371 pages (US Kindle edition)

Published: 18th February 2013 by Josiah Bancroft (Self-published) & 22nd August 2017 Orbit Books

If you need extra proof that a self-published fantasy can be on par/superior compared to traditionally published fantasy books, Senlin Ascends is it. …

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Book Review: The Book of Lost Things by John Connolly

Book Review: The Book of Lost Things by John Connolly

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The Book of Lost Things by John Connolly
My rating: 4.5 of 5 stars

I have always been fascinated by fairy tales. From an early age, any book I could find filled with fairy tales or fables, myths or legends or fables, immediately drew me in like a moth to flame. I have well over two dozen collections of such stories in my physical library, and I’m scared to even count those on my Kindle. Something about these stories, from the morals they attempt to convey to the questions they seek to answer. about the ways in which the world works, tells readers just as much about the society they come from as an historical text. And I’ve always had a soft spot for more modern tales inspired by these stories. Because of this, I’m not really sure why it took me so long to pick up The Book of Lost Things, but it was every bit as whimsical and melancholy and lovely as I hoped it would be. Some fairy tale retellings, or stories inspired in some way by fairy tales, can come across as too saccharine, but that was certainly not the case here. There was a charm to the story, for sure, but it was by no means sweet. …

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Book Review: Mistress of the Empire (Riftwar: Empire, #3) by Raymond E. Feist & Janny Wurts

Book Review: Mistress of the Empire (Riftwar: Empire, #3) by Raymond E. Feist & Janny Wurts

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Mistress of the Empire by Raymond E. Feist & Janny Wurts

My rating: 4.5 of 5 stars

Series: The Riftwar: Empire (Book #3 of 3), The Riftwar Cycle (Book #7 of 31)

Genre: Fantasy, Epic Fantasy, High Fantasy, Classic Fantasy

Pages: 864 pages (UK Paperback edition)

Published: 1st April 1992 by Doubleday

This is the second series I finished this year, and it’s a thrilling and rewarding conclusion to the Riftwar: Empire trilogy.

“Love doesn’t demand; it accepts. It has taken me my life to learn this.”

…

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Book Review: City of Stairs (The Divine Cities, #1) by Robert Jackson Bennett

Book Review: City of Stairs (The Divine Cities, #1) by Robert Jackson Bennett

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(This is a repost of an old review I wrote in May 2018)

Cover art illustrated by: Sam Weber

City of Stairs by Robert Jackson Bennett

My rating: 4.5 of 5 stars

Series:The Divine Cities (Book #1 of 3)

Genre: Fantasy, High Fantasy, Urban fantasy, Post-apocalyptic, Horror

Pages: 452 pages (US paperback edition)

Published: 9th September 2014 by Broadway Books (US) & 2nd April 2015 by Jo Fletcher Books (UK)

A truly wonderful start to a trilogy and one of the most original world-building I’ve ever had the chance to experience in a novel. …

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Book Review: City of Stairs (The Divine Cities, #1) by Robert Jackson Bennett

Book Review: City of Stairs (The Divine Cities, #1) by Robert Jackson Bennett

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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.

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Book Review: A Master of Djinn (Dead Djinn Universe, #1) by P. Djeli Clark

Book Review: A Master of Djinn (Dead Djinn Universe, #1) by P. Djeli Clark

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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.”

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Book Review: The King’s Blood (The Dagger and the Coin, #2) by Daniel Abraham

Book Review: The King’s Blood (The Dagger and the Coin, #2) by Daniel Abraham

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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.”

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Book Review: Ash and Quill (The Great Library, #3) by Rachel Caine

Book Review: Ash and Quill (The Great Library, #3) by Rachel Caine

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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.

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Book Review: The Rose and the Thorn (The Riyria Chronicles, #2) by Michael J. Sullivan

Book Review: The Rose and the Thorn (The Riyria Chronicles, #2) by Michael J. Sullivan

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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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Book Review: Bloodline (Cradle, #9) by Will Wight

Book Review: Bloodline (Cradle, #9) by Will Wight

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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. …

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