The Rose and The Thorn by Michael J. Sullivan
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Series: The Riyria Chronicles (Book #2)
Genre: Fantasy, High Fantasy
Published: 17th Sept 2013 by Orbit
My third time reading The Rose and The Thorn, and it still felt just as wonderful to be back.
ARC provided by the author in exchange for an honest review.
Cover art illustrated by: Felix Ortiz
Cover art designed by: STK.Kreations
Spirits of Vengeance by Rob J. Hayes
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Series: Mortal Techniques (Book #3)
Genre: Fantasy, High fantasy, Wuxia
Pages: 554 pages (Kindle edition)
Published: 28th September 2021 by Rob J. Hayes (Self-published)
Rob J. Hayes has done it. He has created a novel that surpassed Never Die; Spirits of Vengeance is not only my favorite novel in the Mortal Techniques series, but it is also Hayes’s best work so far.
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Servant of the Empire by Raymond E. Feist & Janny Wurts
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Series: The Riftwar: Empire (Book #2 of 3), The Riftwar Cycle (Book #6 of 31)
Genre: Fantasy, Epic Fantasy, High Fantasy, Classic Fantasy
Pages: 827 pages (UK Paperback edition)
Published: 1st September 1990 by Doubleday
Servant of the Empire is an incredible, political, and massive sequel to the excellent Daughter of the Empire.
“You people never cry enough… Uncried tears remain inside you, like poison.”
Sword and Pen by Rachel Caine
My rating: 5 of 5 stars.
Series: The Great Library (Book 5 of 5)
Genre: Young adult, alternate history, historical fantasy, fantasy
Published: Sept 2019 by Berkley Books (US) and Allison & Busby (UK)
Much to my delight, Sword and Pen delivered a truly satisfying and emotional conclusion to The Great Library, a spectacular YA series that has earned a spot as one of my favourites.
Smoke and Iron by Rachel Caine
My rating: 5 of 5 stars.
Series: The Great Library (Book 4 of 5)
Genre: Young adult, alternate history, historical fantasy, fantasy
Published: July 2018 by Berkley Books (US) and Allison & Busby (UK)
The best book in the series so far, Smoke and Iron gave me more than a consistently fantastic continuation in The Great Library.
Daughter of the Empire by Raymond E. Feist & Janny Wurts
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Series: The Riftwar: Empire (Book #1 of 3), The Riftwar Cycle (Book #5 of 31)
Genre: Fantasy, Epic Fantasy, High Fantasy, Classic Fantasy
Pages: 528 pages (UK Paperback edition)
Published: 19th May 1987
Daughter of the Empire is a magnificent page-turning political intrigue with an amazing heroine to root for.
Spirit’s End by Rachel Aaron
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Series: The Legend of Eli Monpress (Book #5 of 5)
Genre: Fantasy, high fantasy
Published: November 2012 by Orbit (UK and US)
Easily one of the most addictive and fun fantasy series I’ve read in recent memory, The Legend of Eli Monpress concluded most satisfactorily in Spirit’s End, and now occupies my list of favourites.
The Spirit War by Rachel Aaron
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Series: The Legend of Eli Monpress (Book #4 of 5)
Genre: Fantasy, high fantasy
Published: June 2012 by Orbit (UK and US)
A new-found favourite, The Spirit War was a fantastic penultimate volume in The Legend of Eli Monpress, a series which just kept getting better.
The Crown Tower by Michael J. Sullivan
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Series: The Riyria Chronicles (Book #1)
Genre: Fantasy, High Fantasy
Published: 6th August 2013 by Orbit
If ever there was a prequel story which I thought was perfection, The Crown Tower absolutely fit the bill.
The Ocean at the End of the Lane by Neil Gaiman
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
The Ocean at the End of the Lane was the very first Gaiman book I ever read. I’ve sense read nearly everything he’s written, and have discovered that my favorite way to ingest his stories is via audio when he reads the books himself. His voice is divine, and I’ve found that listening to him tell his own stories adds to the magic for me. So what better way to revisit the novel that first charmed me into reading his work than by trying it on audio? It was the right decision. I was once again transported into this nameless boy’s childhood adventures, and Gaiman’s voice merely added to the charm of the tale.
“Words save our lives, sometimes.”