Rhythm of War by Brandon Sanderson
My rating: 6 of 5 stars
Series: The Stormlight Archive (Book 4 of 10)
Genre: Epic fantasy, high fantasy
Published: 17th November 2020 by Tor Books (US) and Gollancz (UK)
Rhythm of War had me humming to the Rhythm of Awe. Even with my sky-high expectations for this book, Sanderson has surpassed them yet again. This book was STORMING INCREDIBLE!
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Anxious People by Fredrik Backman
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
I was very much on the fence about picking up this book. I loved A Man Called Ove and Beartown, but I wasn’t sure I cared to read about a hostage drama. I’m so glad I took the plunge, because Anxious People was incredible. Brilliantly written. It doesn’t quite have the charm of A Man Called Ove or the emotional weight of Beartown, but it’s a pretty great marriage of both. The prose managed to be both amusing and deeply philosophical in the same sentence, which I found incredibly impressive.
“They say that a person’s personality is the sum of their experiences. But that isn’t true, at least not entirely, because if our past was all that defined us, we’d never be able to put up with ourselves. We need to be allowed to convince ourselves that we’re more than the mistakes we made yesterday. That we are all of our next choices, too, all of our tomorrows.”
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Cover illustration by: Ben McSweeney
Cover designed by: Isaac Stewart
Dawnshard by Brandon Sanderson
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Series: The Stormlight Archive (Book #3.5 of 10)
Genre: Fantasy, High Fantasy, Epic fantasy
Pages: 272 pages (ebook)
Dawnshard is a magnificent warm-up to the upcoming Rhythm of War. …
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ARC provided by the publisher—Tor Books—in exchange for an honest review.
Cover illustration by: Greg Ruth
Hollow Empire by Sam Hawke
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Series: The Poison Wars (Book #2)
Genre: Fantasy, High Fantasy, Mystery
Pages: 560 pages (US Hardcover)
Published: 26th November 2020 by Bantam Press (UK) & 1st December 2020 by Tor Books (US)
An incredibly well-polished and absorbing sequel; out of all the books and series I’ve read this year, Hollow Empire is quite likely THE sequel that has the most significant improvement in overall quality over its predecessor. …
Today, Novel Notions is hosting a guest post by Nils from The Fantasy Hive. This is what Nils has to say:
I read Code of the Communer for SPFBO 2020 as a judge with The Fantasy Hive. Petrik has kindly let me write a guest review post on Novel Notions as I’d like to help bring some spotlight to a book I feel is far too underrated.
Code of the Communer by Kai Greenwood
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Series: Shadows in the Wildwood (Book #1)
Genre: Fantasy
Pages: 323 pages (Paperback)
Published: 17th March 2020 by Wildwood Press (Indie) …
The Midnight Library by Matt Haig
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
“Between life and death there is a library, and within that library, the shelves go on forever. Every book provides a chance to try another life you could have lived. To see how things would be if you had made other choices… Would you have done anything different, if you had the chance to undo your regrets?”
This is the premise of The Midnight Library, Matt Haig’s newest novel. I’ve never read anything by Haig before this book, but I can guarantee that this oversight will be addressed. Because The Midnight Library was wonderful. There’s incredible philosophical depth packed into relatively few pages. And for a book that begins with a suicide attempt, it ended up being surprisingly positive and uplifting. Not only is it a thoughtful novel, it inspired deep contemplation within the reader, but in a way that is comfortingly gentle for the times in which we’re living.
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ARC provided by the publisher—Gollancz—in exchange for an honest review.
Cover illustration by: Tomas Almeida
A Fool’s Hope by Mike Shackle
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Series: The Last War (Book #2 of 3)
Genre: Fantasy, Epic fantasy, Grimdark Fantasy
Pages: 608 pages
Published: 3rd December 2020 by Gollancz
A Fool’s Hope wonderfully surprised me; it is one of the finest middle installment I’ve ever read. …
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Cover illustration by: Chris McGrath
Skin Game by Jim Butcher
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Series: The Dresden Files (Book #15 of 25)
Genre: Fantasy, Urban Fantasy
Pages: 610 pages (US Kindle edition)
Published: 27th May 2014 by Orbit (UK) & Roc (US)
Skin Game is a parkour to 5 stars. Parkour!
“Did you shout ‘Parkour’?” Michael asked.
“Well, sure,” I said. “That was kinda Parkour-like.”
Michael fought to keep a smile off his face. “Harry,” he said, “I’m almost certain one does not shout ‘Parkour.’ I believe one is supposed to simply do Parkour.”
“Do I criticize your Latin battle cries? No, never once.”
Wizard and Glass by Stephen King
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
The Dark Tower has completely captured my heart and mind. I feel as though I am part of the gunslinger’s ka-tet, making the trek right along with them. And so far, it’s one of the most fulfilling literary journeys I’ve ever embarked upon. Wizard and Glass did nothing but reinforce that feeling.
“And now, all these years later, it seemed to him that the most horrible fact of human existence was that broken hearts mended.”
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ARC provided by the publisher—Harper Voyager—in exchange for an honest review.
Cover illustration by: Stephen Mulcahey
The Stone Knife by Anna Stephens
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Series: The Songs of the Drowned (Book #1 of 3)
Genre: Fantasy, Epic Fantasy
Pages: 608 pages (UK Hardback)
Published: 26th November 2020 by Harper Voyager
This was amazing. Great characters, lethal actions, and so much bloodbath; a vampire reading this book would probably find their thirst satiated. …