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Book Review: Winter’s Maiden (The Nordic Wars, #1) by Morgan L. Busse

Book Review: Winter’s Maiden (The Nordic Wars, #1) by Morgan L. Busse

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Winter’s Maiden by Morgan L. Busse
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Winter’s Maiden is the first installment in the Nordic Wars, a Norse-inspired fantasy brimming with compelling characters, intense action, and fascinating worldbuilding. Fans of John Gwynne, rejoice! This novel scratches the same itch as Gwynne’s The Faithful and the Fallen in terms of mythos, and his Bloodsworn Saga in terms of setting and characters. I was swept away by this epic tale from start to finish, and I immediately dove into the second installment, Winter’s Chill, as soon as I read the final page. …

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Book Review: The Strength of the Few (Hierarchy, #2) by James Islington

Book Review: The Strength of the Few (Hierarchy, #2) by James Islington

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ARC provided by the publisher—Saga Press—in exchange for an honest review.

Cover art by Jaime Jones

The Strength of the Few by James Islington

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Series: Hierarchy (Book #2)

Genre: Fantasy, High Fantasy, Epic Fantasy, Science Fantasy

Pages: 736 pages (Hardcover edition)

Word Count: 240,000 words

Published: 11th Novermber 2025 by Saga Press

We’re not at the end of 2025 yet, but I believe The Strength of the Few by James Islington has secured the best fantasy book of the year award. This is the finest sequel I’ve read since Words of Radiance by Brandon Sanderson and The Wall of Storms by Ken Liu.

“The power to protect is the highest responsibility.”

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Book Review: The Crier Stone (The Chaos Grid #2) by Lyndsey Lewellen

Book Review: The Crier Stone (The Chaos Grid #2) by Lyndsey Lewellen

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The Crier Stone by Lyndsey Lewellen
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

The Chaos Grid was thoroughly enjoyable, and I honestly felt that it could have worked as a standalone novel, even though part of me wanted more of the story. I’m so glad Lewellen didn’t leave it there. The Crier Stone is a phenomenal sequel, improving on its already excellent predecessor in almost every way. We are thrown right back into Juna’s story where we parted from her at the end of that first book. From the very first page of The Crier Stone, the pace is fast and the plot is tense. There is a depth here that was hinted at in The Chaos Grid without being fully realized, in terms of character development and worldbuilding and the underlying tale of faith at its core. I was enraptured from start to beautiful finish. …

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Book Review: Caligo (Sequel to the Nightingale Trilogy) by J.J. Fischer

Book Review: Caligo (Sequel to the Nightingale Trilogy) by J.J. Fischer

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Caligo by J.J. Fischer
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I have a confession to make: I preordered this standalone sequel to the Nightingale Trilogy before I had even started the first book. I was that sure that I would love the series. That bet paid off. It’s not often that every single book in a series is a five-star read, but the Nightingale saga was that for me. And that includes Caligo. This sequel was just as fantastic as the main trilogy, if not even better. …

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Book Review: Memoria (The Nightingale Trilogy #3) by J.J. Fischer

Book Review: Memoria (The Nightingale Trilogy #3) by J.J. Fischer

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Memoria by J.J. Fischer
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Absolutely incredible. I was captivated by Calor. I was entranced by Lumen. But it is in Memoria that I found myself the most profoundly moved. Not because it was an excellent story, expertly told. Not because I had fallen in love with the characters and was so deeply invested in their stories. While all of those things were true, and all of them contributed to making this trilogy as wonderful as it is, those components were merely the foundation, the setting of the stage for the Truth that Fischer so brilliantly displayed through this work of fiction. …

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Book Review: Lumen (The Nightingale Trilogy #2) by J.J. Fischer

Book Review: Lumen (The Nightingale Trilogy #2) by J.J. Fischer

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Lumen by J.J. Fischer
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Lumen is the second installment in the Nightingale trilogy, and it picks up right where Calor left off. The pace is fast and the tensions are high from the very first page. The cast is still wonderful, and I’m enjoying getting to know them more deeply. Fischer does a wonderful job balancing their strengths against their weaknesses. She also does a lovely job of weaving subtle strands of Greek myth into her world in a way that only serves to deepen the story. There are subtle nods throughout, especially seen in the naming of places and even certain characters. …

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Book Review: Calor (The Nightingale Trilogy, #1) by J.J. Fischer

Book Review: Calor (The Nightingale Trilogy, #1) by J.J. Fischer

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Calor by J.J. Fischer
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Calor is the first installment in the Nightingale saga, a completed epic fantasy trilogy followed by a standalone sequel. The entire series is inspired by Hans Christian Andersen’s beloved short story, “The Nightingale,” and also includes notes of the Hades and Persephone myth. I was enraptured by Calor from the very beginning. The worldbuilding is fascinating, the characters are compelling and sympathetic, the writing is lovely and incredibly engaging, and the pacing never falters.
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Book Review: The Fall of Hyperion (Hyperion Cantos, #2) by Dan Simmons

Book Review: The Fall of Hyperion (Hyperion Cantos, #2) by Dan Simmons

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Cover art by Gary Ruddell

The Fall of Hyperion by Dan Simmons

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Series: Hyperion Cantos (Book #2 of 4)

Genre: Science Fiction, Space Opera

Pages: 676 pages (Kindle Edition)

Word count: 184,000 words

Published: 1st March 1990 by Spectra

Utterly awesome. This book was phenomenal in every way. The Fall of Hyperion is a riveting sci-fi epic with heart, intensity, unpredictability, and gigantic scope.

“It’s hard to die. Harder to live.”

…

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Book Review: Herald (Age of the God Eater, #1) by Rob J. Hayes

Book Review: Herald (Age of the God Eater, #1) by Rob J. Hayes

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Cover art illustrated by Eshpur

Herald by Rob J. Hayes

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Series: Age of the God Eater (Book #1 of 3), The God Eater Saga

Genre: Fantasy, High Fantasy, Epic Fantasy

Pages: 720 pages (Hardcover edition)

Word Count: 235,000 words

Publish date: 23rd of July 2024 by Rob J. Hayes (Self-Published)

Herald, or the entire God Eater Saga by Rob J. Hayes, is my pick for the best self-published fantasy books of 2024.

“Books, I have long since learned, can enslave or liberate a person as surely can a sword. But often, with a book, the subject won’t know the difference.”

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