The Silver Sorceress by Alec Hutson
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Series: The Raveling (Book #2 of 3)
Genre: Fantasy, Epic Fantasy
Pages: 499 pages
Published: 2nd October 2018 by Alec Hutson (Indie)
A remarkable sequel, I really can’t get enough of reading Hutson’s writing.
“No matter where you go in the world, those with a little authority—but no real power—are all the same.”
The Turn of the Key by Ruth Ware
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
This was my first Ruth Ware novel, and I wasn’t disappointed. The Turn of the Key is a fascinating combination of a gothic ghost story and a chilling portrayal of how intrusive technology can be. All the way through the narrative, I was never sure on which side of that dichotomy the climax would fall. While I did figure out a couple of the twists before they reached their apexes, there was plenty to keep me guessing. …
The Forgotten Beasts of Eld by Patricia A. McKillip
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Patricia McKillip is one of those authors that I’ve always intended to read. I bought a used omnibus of her Riddle-Master of Hed trilogy during my first year of college, which was more than a decade ago. Yet for some reason, I’ve never quite gotten around to reading it, anything else by her. After having now read The Forgotten Beasts of Eld, my interest in her work has been rekindled. This little standalone was a lovely reading experience. And as it referenced her Riddle-Master series multiple times, that series has climbed closer to the top of my TBR list.
“How much that name means to you—memory, knowledge, experience. There is not one possession more truly, irrevocably yours.”
Alias Grace by Margaret Atwood
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Alias Grace isn’t what I expected. I suppose I thought this would be similar to Atwood’s most famous novel, The Handmaid’s Tale. And it was in some ways, especially in the tone of the main character. Though I can’t quite call Grace a protagonist, as Offred is in the aforementioned classic of dystopian literature. What I wasn’t expecting was very well researched historical fiction.
“Murderess is a strong word to have attached to you. It has a smell to it, that word – musky and oppressive, like dead flowers in a vase. Sometimes at night I whisper it over to myself: Murderess, Murderess. It rustles, like a taffeta skirt across the floor.”
ARC provided by the author and publisher—Gollancz—in exchange for an honest review.
Stormblood by Jeremy Szal
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Series: The Common (Book #1)
Genre: Sci-fi, Military sci-fi
Pages: 432 pages
Published: 4th June 2020 by Gollancz
Milestone achieved: This is my 400th review!
A captivating military sci-fi debut. Stormblood tells a splendid story about two brothers divided by war that is full of comradeship, actions, and conflict.
Here’s an ugly truth, I haven’t been reading a lot of sci-fi lately. I was able to read 115 books in 2019, and only eight of those books were sci-fi novels. For this year’s priority sci-fi TBR pile, I have only ten sci-fi books on my list; nine of them belong to the entirety of The Expanse series by James S. A. Corey, the other one is Stormblood, Jeremy Szal’s debut. I came to know about this book because the author—same as me—is a huge fan of Red Rising Saga by Pierce Brown and Mass Effect video game franchise, and after reading this book, I can say that both inspirations are evident in his novel. I definitely would suggest anyone who’s a fan of either one of them, even better if both, to check this debut out.
“People compare overcoming addiction to climbing a mountain, but that assumes there’s a peak to climb towards. Stormtech was more like swimming in an endless, churning sea. You never truly beat it. You just found temporary ways not to drown.”
Asperfell by Jamie Thomas
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
I received a copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
I don’t know what exactly I was expecting from Asperfell, but those expectations were far surpassed. This debut novel is a bit of a slow burn, but it’s incredibly well written. The grammar and formatting are positively immaculate, which speaks highly of Thomas’s professionalism as an author; it’s obvious that she invested a lot of time in editing and perfecting Asperfell before introducing it to the world. And her way with words is impeccable. Actually, I would even say that the setting and writing reminded me the tiniest bit of Guy Gavriel Kay, who is a phenomenally talented craftsman of an author. It also had a Regency tone and flair to it. If Guy Gavriel Kay and Jane Austen teamed up to write a young adult fantasy novel, it would look something like Asperfell. …
Ghostwater by Will Wight
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Series: Cradle (Book #5 of 12)
Genre: Fantasy, Progression Fantasy, Xianxia
Pages: 310 pages
Published: 31st May 2018 by Hidden Gnome Publishing (Indie)
Started a bit stale for me but it ended up being a gripping and entertaining story with Dungeon Crawl element.
For this review, let’s start with why I haven’t given any books in the series a full 5 stars rating, shall we? If you want to know what the premise is about, read the official blurb at your own risk. Ghostwater is the fifth book in the Cradle series, and it didn’t start off as smoothly as I hoped. Don’t get me wrong, I have enjoyed the series very much and I continue to do so; my rating for each installment pretty much speaks for themselves. However, I want to love it more, if I were to be brutally honest, Cradle has been missing one crucial aspect that’s, more often than not, is very necessary for me to love a book even further: an empathizing main character. Up until now, the side characters—Yerin, Eithan, Orthos, Jai Long, Little Blue—were the characters that made the series shine for me. This notion of mine was proven even further with the inclusion of a new character in Ghostwater, an A.I named Dross which I loved ever since its first appearance. I don’t think I need to explain further how much I loved Eithan, Yerin, Mercy, Orthos; I have enjoyed reading about all the side characters more than I enjoyed reading about Lindon.
“And I can see your face so much clearly now! It’s…well, at least you have a wonderful spirit. Yes, indeed. That spirit of yours, wow.”
ARC provided by the publisher—Orbit—in exchange for an honest review.
The Last Smile in Sunder City by Luke Arnold
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Series: The Fetch Phillips Archives (Book #1)
Genre: Fantasy, Urban Fantasy
Pages: 352 pages (UK paperback edition)
Published: 6th February 2020 by Orbit (UK) & 2nd February 2020 by Orbit (US)
A well-written urban fantasy with a wonderful take on the premise of “what happens when magic runs out?”
The Last Smile in Sunder City is Luke Arnold’s debut, it’s the first book in an urban fantasy series titled Fetch Phillips Archives. I think I’m speaking on behalf of many readers that we have come to know the name Luke Arnold from his role as “Long” John Silver in the Black Sails TV series. Admittedly, I didn’t finish watching the TV series until I saw Orbit’s announcement of Arnold’s debut, which frankly intrigued me. He did an incredible job there on the TV series, but how about his debut as a fantasy author? Well, there’s nothing to worry about, this was a great read, and I think if you know what you’re getting into, you’ll find that there’s plenty of things to love within this short book.
“I like books. They’re quiet, dignified and absolute. A man might falter but his words, once written, will hold.”
House of Chains by Steven Erikson
My rating: 4 of 5 stars.
Series: Malazan Book of the Fallen (Book 4 of 10)
Genre: Epic fantasy, grimdark fantasy
First published: 2002 by Bantam (UK) and 2006 by Tor (US)
There will be slaughter. Yet another apocalypse on Raraku’s restless sands. It is as it should be.
Retribution is at hand for the rise of the Seven Cities rebellion as the new Adjunct to the Empress arrives to lead the Malazan army to face Sha’ik and her Army of the Apocalypse. The Holy Desert of Raraku continues to emanate despair, even more so now than ever after the Chain of Dogs left in its trails the miasma of vengeance and grief. …
ARC received from the publisher, Orbit, in exchange for an honest review.
The Shadow Saint by Gareth Ryder-Hanrahan
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Series: The Black Iron Legacy (Book 2)
Genre: Fantasy, high fantasy, dark fantasy
Published: 7th January 2020 by Orbit (US) & 9th January 2020 by Orbit (UK)
The Gutter Prayer had been constantly lauded as one of the best debuts of 2019. Hanrahan’s imaginative and extraordinary dark fantasy worldbuilding, as well as his unique voice, continued to impress in its sequel, The Shadow Saint.
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