Raybearer by Jordan Ifueko
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
I’ve never read anything quite like Raybearer. From the world building to the plot to the characters, it felt wholly unique from any other fantasy story I’ve experienced. And it was beautiful. Powerful. Fierce. I can’t believe this was a debut novel. I’m honestly in awe.
This review is a copy of the transcript of my video review on Kingdoms of Death.
ARC provided by the publisher—DAW Books—in exchange for an honest review.
Cover art illustrated by Kieran Yanner
Kingdoms of Death by Christopher Ruocchio
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Series: The Sun Eater (Book #4 of 7)
Genre: Sci-fi, Space Opera, Science Fantasy
Word Count: 200,000 words
Pages: 544 pages (Hardcover edition)
Published: 8th March 2022 by DAW Books (US) & Head of Zeus (UK)
Ruocchio gets what I love to read in science fantasy. Every book in The Sun Eater series has become one of my favorite books of all time, and Kingdoms of Death is not an exception to this claim.
“Art, great art, serves as a reminder of invisible things and of their manifestation in things visible.” …
My 2023 reading year was a bit of a mixed bag. While I read some truly phenomenal books, I also got bogged down in some that didn’t work for me. This was also the year when I began to take a step back from reviewing quite as much, as have felt myself beginning to burn out for quite a while now. This led me to rereading much more this year, as I didn’t owe those books anything else. I read a solid mix of new releases and backlist books, and I believe this is the year where I saw the most new releases added to my list of favorites. Eight of the twelve books below were published in 2023, with two more having hit shelves the year before. The other two are modern classics that couldn’t be more deserving of the title.
The rules for this list are as follows:
I couldn’t narrow it down to ten. Without further ado, here are my twelve favorite books read in 2023. …
This review is a copy of the transcript of my video review on Demon in White.
Cover art illustrated by Kieran Yanner
Demon in White by Christopher Ruocchio
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Series: The Sun Eater (Book #3 of 7)
Genre: Sci-fi, Space Opera, Science Fantasy
Word Count: 295,000 words
Pages: 784 pages (Hardcover edition)
Published: 28th July 2020 by DAW Books (US) & Gollancz (UK)
An absolute masterpiece. Demon in White is a genuinely epic space opera fantasy at its paramount shape.
“Silence… The great empire of silence: higher than all stars, deeper than the kingdom of death! It alone is great; all else is small.”
This is a repost of a review I wrote in August 2017.
Cover art illustrated by John Anthony Di Giovanni
The Mirror’s Truth by Michael R. Fletcher
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Series: Manifest Delusions (Book #2 of 3)
Genre: Fantasy, Grimdark Fantasy, High Fantasy
Pages: 375 pages
Published: 28th November 2016 by Michael R. Fletcher (Self-Published)
This is why I love grimdark fantasy. The Mirror’s Truth is grimdark fantasy at its best and it deserves only the highest of praise from me. …
This review is a copy of the transcript of my video review on Howling Dark.
Cover art illustrated by Kieran Yanner
Howling Dark by Christopher Ruocchio
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Series: The Sun Eater (Book #2 of 7)
Genre: Sci-fi, Space Opera, Science Fantasy
Word Count: 264,000 words
Pages: 679 pages (Hardcover edition)
Published: 16th July 2019 by DAW Books
Philosophical, bizarre, sprawling, and epic. Howling Dark outshined the already stunning Empire of Silence.
“The poets say that one’s fears grow less with trial, that we become men without fear if tried enough. I have not found it to be so. Rather, on each occasion we are tested, we become stronger than our fears. It is all we can do. Must do. Lest we perish for our failings.”
This review is a copy of the transcript of my video review on Empire of Silence.
Cover art illustrated by Sam Weber
Empire of Silence by Christopher Ruocchio
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Series: The Sun Eater (Book #1 of 7)
Genre: Sci-fi, Space Opera, Science Fantasy
Pages: 612 pages (Hardcover edition)
Published: 3rd July 2018 by DAW Books
This was an absolutely stunning, ambitious, and well-written debut novel. From the first page to the last, Empire of Silence is an unputdownable new addition to my list of favorite books.
“It is a mistake to believe we must know a thing to be influenced by it. It is a mistake to believe the thing must even be real.”
Starling House by Alix E. Harrow
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
I received an advance digital copy of this novel from the publisher, Tor Books, via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
I think I found my favorite book of the year.
Starling House was my most anticipated book of 2023. Which is saying something, as there were so many excellent books published this year. But Harrow’s debut, The Ten Thousand Doors of January, is my favorite standalone novel of all time, so my expectations were sky high. Those expectations could have set me up for failure. They didn’t. While the two novels couldn’t be more different, Starling House is just as powerful and beautiful as The Ten Thousand Doors of January. It just has much sharper teeth. …
You can read this beautiful short story for free here: https://www.tor.com/2023/09/13/the-pa…
Cover art illustrated by Mary Haasdyk
The Passing of the Dragon by Ken Liu
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Series: Standalone
Genre: Short Story
Pages: 46 pages (Kindle edition)
Ken Liu has done it again. The Passing of the Dragon is a brilliant and impactful story, I believe, should be read by every reader, reviewer, artist, and author.
“An artist craves an audience, but maybe not all audiences are crave-worthy. “
House of Odysseus by Claire North
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
I received a copy of this novel from the publisher, Orbit Books, in exchange for an honest review.
Ithaca was one of my favorite books of 2022. However, I was thrown at the end of the book when I discovered that, unlike most Greek myth retellings, it was not a standalone novel but the first of a trilogy. I have been eagerly awaiting House of Odysseus since finishing those final pages of Ithaca, and am thrilled to announce that it lived up to its predecessor in every single way. This series follows the story of Penelope during the 20 year absence of her husband, King Odysseus of Ithaca. Ithaca presents this story from the perspective of Hera, Queen of Queens, as she observes what’s going on in Penelope’s life and how those happens overlap with the last days of Clytemnestra, Hera’s darling. House of Odysseus picks up where Ithaca left off, but now from the perspective of Aphrodite as her favorite, Helen, weaves her way back into Penelope’s story. …