Cover art illustrated by: Chris McGrath
The Knights of Erador by Philip C. Quaintrell
My rating: 4.5 of 5 stars
Series: The Echoes Saga (Book #7 of 9)
Genre: Fantasy, Epic Fantasy, High Fantasy
Pages: 608 pages (Kindle Edition)
Published: 20th March 2020 by Quaintrell Publishing (Self-Published)
Wow. The Knights of Erador is the best first installment in the three trilogies in The Echoes Saga. …
ARC provided by the publisher—Gollancz—in exchange for an honest review.
Cover art illustrated by: Sam Green
The Lost Metal by Brandon Sanderson
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Series: Mistborn: Wax and Wayne (Book #4 of 4), Mistborn Saga (Book #7 of 7)
Genre: Fantasy, High Fantasy, Steampunk
Pages: 528 pages (Kindle Edition)
Published: 15th November 2022 by Gollancz (UK) & Tor Books (US)
My god… The Lost Metal was an explosive and stunning conclusion to Mistborn: Wax and Wayne series. Sanderson has delivered another tremendous finishing volume in The Mistborn Saga, reinforcing my excitement for future Cosmere books.
“If you truly were interested in the beauty of the art—instead of some tangential sense of control—you’d want everyone to be able to experience it. The more the better.”
Hi everyone! Petrik from Novel Notions here. We, the Novel Notions team, are thrilled and honored that we have the opportunity to participate in the blog tour for Legends and Lattes by Travis Baldree. This is the super hyped cozy fantasy book, Travis Baldree’s debut novel, which I read and reviewed a few months ago. Today is the UK release date for the traditionally published edition of Legends and Lattes, so I thought might as well re-shape my review for the book. Here’s why you should read Legends and Lattes if you somehow haven’t read it!
Legends & Lattes by Travis Baldree
My rating: 4.5 of 5 stars
Series: Standalone
Genre: Fantasy, Slice-of-Life
Pages: 318 pages (Kindle Edition)
Published: 10th November 2022 by Tor (UK) & 8th November 2022 by Tor Books (US)
Legends and Lattes is the wholesome and cozy fantasy you didn’t know you need. …
A Fire Endless by Rebecca Ross
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
I received an advance copy of this novel from the publisher, Harper Voyager, via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
Have you ever read a sequel that retroactively made you love its predecessor even more, to the point that you actually go back and change your original rating? I originally loved A River Enchanted but had a few issues with it. But upon reading A Fire Endless, all of those issues have evaporated. I think this might be the closest thing to a perfect duology I’ve ever consumed. The balance hear is exquisite, the writing became more and more lyrically beautiful as the story progressed, and there’s just something to be said for a tale of hope and healing; those are woefully infrequent, and I was thrilled to find such a story within the pages of the Elements of Cadence duology. …
ARC provided by the author in exchange for an honest review.
Cover art by: Damonza
Dark Theory by Wick Welker
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Series: Dark Law (Book #1)
Genre: Fantasy, Science Fiction, Epic Fantasy, Science Fantasy, Post Apocalyptic
Pages: 796 pages (Kindle Edition)
Published: 17th April 2022 by Wick Welker (Self-Published)
Dark Theory is an ambitious and imaginative blend of fantasy and hard science fiction.
“You get a little older—either wiser or dimmer, not sure—and you realize the questions don’t matter. It’s what you do with the mystery that matters.”
Cover art illustrated by: Chris McGrath
Age of the King by Philip C. Quaintrell
My rating: 4.5 of 5 stars
Series: The Echoes Saga (Book #6 of 9)
Genre: Fantasy, Epic Fantasy, High Fantasy
Pages: 678 pages (Kindle Edition)
Published: 4th October 2019 by Quaintrell Publishing (Self-Published)
Age of the King is not only the best of the second trilogy in The Echoes Saga, but it is also the best in the entire series so far.
“Every life matters… Only when weight is given to the individual will the many thrive.”
Death Note Short Stories by Tsugumi Ohba
My rating: 3.5 of 5 stars
Series: Death Note
Genre: Fantasy, Dark Fantasy, Thriller, Mystery
Pages: 226 pages (Paperback)
Published: 10th May 2022 by VIZ
A parting gift to fans of Death Note, even if some of the stories were fillers or too short.
Death Note by Tsugumi Ohba (Story) and Takeshi Obata (Art) is one of my favorite manga/anime of all time. I have reread and rewatched Death Note plenty of times. When I knew there was a Death Note Short Stories, I instantly ordered the book without thinking. And upon the arrival of Death Note Short Stories, I did what any sane man would do in the presence of a Death Note. Open it immediately. Then read it non-stop to its completion. …
Hello all, and welcome to my Spooky October monthly wrap-up where I had been reading books within the horror genre. I did make a couple of changes to my reading list for the month, and was also not able to read as many titles as I wanted to as one of these changes resulted in chonker of a story which surprisingly turned out to be much better than I’ve anticipated.
NB. Books are rated within its genre. For avoidance of doubt, rereads are not considered for Book of the Month.
A River Enchanted by Rebecca Ross
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
A River Enchanted is lovely fantasy brimming with Celtic-inspired lore. I felt utterly transported by it. The setting was lush, a balance of both familiar and fresh. The cast was varied, with some very interesting characters; some were even lovable. The magic was wild and enchanting and costly, and fascinatingly different across the island. The plot and the mystery element were intriguing enough to keep me invested while letting the setting and lore and characters be the true stars of the show. And the romance was beautifully balanced, core to the story without ever overwhelming the plot. There were multiple slow-burn relationships in these pages that didn’t capture me at first, but my investment in them grew as the story progressed. While it did take me a while to warm up to various aspects of this book, I grew to love it. …
Cover art illustrated by Kerby Rosanes
Empire of the Vampire by Jay Kristoff
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Series: Empire of the Vampire (Book #1 of 3)
Genre: Fantasy, Dark Fantasy, Epic fantasy
Pages: 725 pages (UK Hardcover)
Published: 7th September 2021 by Harper Voyager (UK) & 14th September by Tor Books (US)
Empire of the Vampire is an infuriating novel. And yet, at the same time, it is also a brilliant and bloody epic post-apocalyptic fantasy and vampire story.
“I never thought I’d find such peace in simple reading. The words were a kind of magic, taking me by the hand and sweeping me into lands unseen, times unremembered, thoughts unimagined. Through all my years in San Michon, all the blood and sweat and darkling roads I walked, I learned one of my greatest lessons sitting in that Library with those girls in the still of the night.
A life without books is a life not lived.”