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Tag: Fantasy

Book Review: Half a King (Shattered Sea, #1) by Joe Abercrombie

Book Review: Half a King (Shattered Sea, #1) by Joe Abercrombie

Cover art designed by Micaela Alcaino

Half a King by Joe Abercrombie

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Series: The Shattered Sea (Book #1 of 3)

Genre: Fantasy, Epic Fantasy, Post-Apocalypse

Pages: 416 pages (Paperback Edition)

Word Count: 81,000 words

Published:  3rd July 2014 by Del Rey and Harper Voyager


I shouldn’t have worried. Half a King is a fine example of Young Adult epic fantasy done right.

“… Never worry about what has been done. Only about what will be.”

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Book Review: Katabasis by R.F. Kuang

Book Review: Katabasis by R.F. Kuang

ARC provided by the publisher—Harper Voyager—in exchange for an honest review.

Cover art illustrated by Patrick Arrasmith

Katabasis by R.F. Kuang

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Series: Standalone

Genre: Fantasy, Dark Academia

Pages: 540 pages (Hardcover Edition)

Word Count: 160,000 Words

Published:  26th August 2025 by Harper Voyager


At this point, it is safe to say Katabasis by R.F. Kuang has an assured path to take the bestseller spot in many outlets around the world. That being said, can this relatively bizarre novel win the reader’s heart?

“How wonderful, truly, to have a friend whose silence you adored.”

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Book Review: Isles of the Emberdark (Secret Project, #5) by Brandon Sanderson

Book Review: Isles of the Emberdark (Secret Project, #5) by Brandon Sanderson


Isles of the Emberdark by Brandon Sanderson
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

“Sometimes the only path forward is costly. We must travel it regardless.”

Isles of the Emberdark is a story I’ve been both excited and nervous to experience. Getting a new novel in Sanderson’s Cosmere is always an amazing feeling, but I always have this small sense of trepidation when approaching a new world, a fear that I might not love it as much as I’ve loved those onto which he’s already invited me. He’s never let me down so far, and Emberdark didn’t break that trend. I loved this new world, and I loved seeing how the technological development of these fantastical worlds is making the Cosmere smaller in a sense. The opening, in which a young Dragon is finally getting her draconian form, delighted me. It was a sweet, lovely, joyful way to start a story. From there, we shift to a place and people wholly different. It was interesting to see how the two disparate parts of the story interact. Starling, the young Dragon, and Sixth of the Dusk, an Eelakin trapper on the isle of Patji, on the world First of the Sun.

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Book Review: Glass Across the Sea (Realms of Allumeria, #1) by Sara Ella

Book Review: Glass Across the Sea (Realms of Allumeria, #1) by Sara Ella


Glass Across the Sea by Sara Ella
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

“Light always finds a way to break free.”

Cinderella has never been one of my favorite fairytales. But after reading Glass Across the Sea, my opinion has radically shifted. This YA fantasy reimagining of “Cinderella”—with nods to The Count of Monte Cristo mixed in—did a beautiful job of paying homage to the original tale while still being very much its own wonderful, compelling story. Ella did a brilliant job of portraying Noelle, her Cinderella, as selfless, kind, and strong in ways that retroactively improved my opinion of the literary figure who served as her inspiration. This is a truly lovely novel, one that stands strong on its own while still leaving me hungry for whatever comes next in the series.

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Book Review: A Study of Shattered Spells (Chintor’s Legacy #1) by Josiah DeGraaf

Book Review: A Study of Shattered Spells (Chintor’s Legacy #1) by Josiah DeGraaf


A Study of Shattered Spells by Josiah DeGraaf
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I’ve been excited about A Study of Shattered Spells for close to a year now. As soon as information about it started to drop, months before the Kickstarter campaign opened, I was captured by it. A dark academia novel featuring a magic school and a music-based magic system, told from a professor’s perspective and written from a Christian worldview? I can’t think of any description more specifically tailored to my interests and reading tastes.

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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

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 Radiant King (Astral Kingdoms, #1) by David Dalglish

Book Review: The Radiant King (Astral Kingdoms, #1) by David Dalglish

Review copy provided by the publisher—Orbit—in exchange for an honest review.


Cover art by Magali Villeneuve

The Radiant King by David Dalglish

My rating: 4.5 of 5 stars

Series: The Astral Kingdoms (Book #1 of 3)

Genre: Fantasy, Epic Fantasy

Pages: 514 pages (PaperbackEdition)

Word count: 174,000 words

Published: 4th March 2025 by Orbit Books


The Radiant King by David Dalglish is a Berserk inspired epic fantasy book that will become one of Dalglish’s most underrated titles.

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Book Review: Flameheart (Flameheart Chronicles #1) by Dalton and Emily Bequette

Book Review: Flameheart (Flameheart Chronicles #1) by Dalton and Emily Bequette


Flameheart by Dalton Bequette
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

The description for Flameheart captivated me from the moment I read it, and saw the lovely cover art attached to the story. Flameheart is something of a portal fantasy, a book about books and a world containing a vast array of other worlds within it, worlds of which most inhabitants are wholly unaware and unsuspecting. It’s a love letter to stories, and to the weight the hold in our lives.

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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


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: Illuminary (The Sceptre and the Stylus, #1) by Chawna Schroeder

Book Review: Illuminary (The Sceptre and the Stylus, #1) by Chawna Schroeder


Illuminary by Chawna Schroeder
My rating: 4.5 of 5 stars

I’ve been eagerly anticipating Illuminary since it was first announced. A Little Princess is one of my favorite books of all time, so the idea of a fantasy reimagining of that classic story was immediately appealing to me. While I could absolutely see and feel that inspiration in this series opener, it never felt derivative in any way. Illuminary is a refreshingly unique tale, packed with more action and adventure and faith than I expected to find.

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