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Book Review: The Price of Power (The Price of Power, #1) by Michael Michel

Book Review: The Price of Power (The Price of Power, #1) by Michael Michel

ARC provided by the author in exchange for an honest review.

The Price of Power by Michael Michel

My rating: 3.5 of 5 stars

Series: The Price of Power (Book #1)

Genre: Fantasy, Epic Fantasy

Pages: 730 pages (Kindle edition)

Publish date: 6th February 2023 by Morningstar Books (Indie)


The Price of Power is a foundational character-driven fantasy debut with promises of great things to come.

“As much as the future is fickle, the past is solid and certain. What it tells me is things continue forward. The future persists even when bleak. I fight fear with wisdom.”

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Book Review: The Enchanted Lies of Céleste Artois by Ryan Graudin

Book Review: The Enchanted Lies of Céleste Artois by Ryan Graudin


The Enchanted Lies of Céleste Artois by Ryan Graudin
My rating: 3.5 of 5 stars
I received an advance copy of this novel from the publisher, Orbit/Redhook, in exchange for an honest review.

When I first saw the title of this book, I couldn’t help but be excited. For obvious reasons. My name is an uncommon one, and I’ve never read a book featuring a protagonist who shares it. And then, earlier in the year, I read a delightful middle-grade novel, The Girl Who Kept the Castle, by the same author. Knowing how much I loved her writing for young readers, I couldn’t wait to get my hands on her adult debut. I might have set my expectations just a bit too high. While this book was expertly crafted, with gorgeous prose and lush settings and characters I grew to love, the pace and the scope didn’t quite work for me. But overall, this is a charming story that ushers readers into a magical world they won’t want to leave.

“People so often think their futures are set in stone, that their stories are written in the stars before they’re even born, but stone can be worn away, and stars will turn to dust if you wait long enough.”

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Book Review: Long Live Evil by Sarah Rees Brennan

Book Review: Long Live Evil by Sarah Rees Brennan

 

Long Live Evil (Time of Iron #1) by Sarah Rees Brennan

My rating: 4 out of 5 stars

Publish date: 1st August 2024

 

How many times have you dreamt of entering the world of your favourite novel or series? Got lost in the thought of meeting that character or leading the charge against that villain? Being the one to entice that dark haired, shadow wielding … *cough* ok, let me bring it back to the point. Many of us dream of entering our favourite fantasy novel, with the usual caveats, of course. Obviously, we want to be one of the rich or powerful or beautiful characters, not the cannon fodder or poverty stricken nobodies that hover in the background, worth nothing more than a passing reference, if that. But what would it take you to actually DO it? Maybe your imminent death? That’s what happens to Rae. When a mysterious woman reveals that there’s no hope left for her, that her tumours have spread and the upcoming costs of treatment will destroy her family before she dies anyway, she’s offered one opportunity to change it all, to live. And she takes it. Who wouldn’t? Finding herself in the pages of her favourite fantasy series, Rae uses every bit of her (admittedly patchy) knowledge of the plot to keep herself alive and manipulate her way to her goal – stealing the Flower of Life and Death. It’s her only chance to live her real life again, free of disease and pain. But being a villain is harder than it looks and the real world is not the only place where death stalks the story…

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Book Review: Sistah Samurai by Tatiana Obey

Book Review: Sistah Samurai by Tatiana Obey

Review copy provided by the author in exchange for an honest review.

Cover art illustrated by Felix Ortiz

Sistah Samurai: A Champloo Novella by Tatiana Obey

My rating: 4.5 of 5 stars

Series: Champloo (Book #1)

Genre: Fantasy

Pages: 140 pages (Paperback edition)

Word Count: 30,000 words

Publish date: 1st November 2023 by Tatiana Obey


Sistah Samurai is legit one of the most entertaining action-fantasy novellas I’ve ever read.

“We were women, and mothers, and sisters, and cousins. We were teachers, and healers, and innovators, and warriors. And we went down fighting.”

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Book Review: Where Darkness Dwells (Song of the Solas, #1) by Andrea Renae

Book Review: Where Darkness Dwells (Song of the Solas, #1) by Andrea Renae


Where Darkness Dwells by Andrea Renae
My rating: 4.5 of 5 stars

Where Darkness Dwells is a lush, beautiful story with a radiant core of hope. It doesn’t shy from darkness, but it also doesn’t revel in it. Instead, it exposes the weak underbelly of that darkness, dwelling on the fact that, no matter how thick the darkness may seem, the Light is always able to overcome it. We might not understand why the darkness has held dominion for so long, or why the Light didn’t reclaim its rightful throne sooner. But we can know that a battle between the two forces is inevitable, and we rest assured of the fact that Light will win.

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Book Review: The Curse of the Mistwraith (Wars of Light and Shadow, #1) by Janny Wurts

Book Review: The Curse of the Mistwraith (Wars of Light and Shadow, #1) by Janny Wurts

Cover art illustrated by Janny Wurts

The Curse of the Mistwraith by Janny Wurts

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Series: Wars of Light and Shadow (Book #1 of 11)

Genre: Fantasy, Epic Fantasy

Pages: 611 pages (Hardcover edition)

Word Count: 233,000 words

Publish date: May 1993 by HarperVoyager


The Curse of the Mistwraith is the start of a super ambitious epic fantasy, and it is a book that will require your 100% concentration.

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Book Review: Kavithri (Ghosts of Ethuran, #1) by Aman J. Bedi

Book Review: Kavithri (Ghosts of Ethuran, #1) by Aman J. Bedi

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

Cover art illustrated by Giby Joseph

Kavithri by Aman J. Bedi

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Series: The Ghosts of Ethuran (Book #1 of 3)

Genre: Fantasy, Epic Fantasy

Pages: 448 pages (Hardcover edition)

Word Count: 111,500 words

Publish date: 16th of May 2024 by Gollancz


Imagine an engaging Indian-inspired steampunk fantasy debut reminiscent of The Poppy War with an empathetic heroine with a rein on her wrath. That’s Kavithri.

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Book Review: The Daughters’ War (Blacktongue, #0) by Christopher Buehlman

Book Review: The Daughters’ War (Blacktongue, #0) by Christopher Buehlman

ARC provided by the publisher—Tor Books—in exchange for an honest review.

Cover art illustrated by Marie Bergeron

The Daughters’ War by Christopher Buehlman

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Series: Blacktongue (Book #0)

Genre: Fantasy, High Fantasy, Epic Fantasy

Pages: 416 pages (Kindle edition)

Publish date: 25th of June 2024 by Tor Books (US) and Gollancz (UK)


The Daughters’ War is a very different kind of prequel novel from The Blacktongue Thief.

“One who has studied and thinks oneself capable might be undone to discover how much less one knows than one thinks.”

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The Girl Who Kept the Castle by Ryan Graudin

The Girl Who Kept the Castle by Ryan Graudin


The Girl Who Kept the Castle by Ryan Graudin
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I received an advance digital copy of this novel from the publisher, Quill Tree Books, via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

The Girl Who Kept the Castle is the epitome of cozy fantasy, especially for middle grade to young adult readers. It feels like being dropped into a Studio Ghibli movie — in fact, one of the regions of the kingdom is called Ghibli. (And the capital city is Retnec, an anagram of center. Can you guess where on the map that city might reside?) There are lots of tiny nods to other classic fantasy stories, like the works of Tolkien and Diana Wynne Jones. But even outside of the fun little Easter eggs, this is a delightful book in its own right. (I stated above that it’s cozy fantasy, but it might be more fitting to call this cozy-adjacent. Because while the setting and storytelling feel very cozy, there are definite stakes to this tale.)

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Book Review: Deathless (Annals of the God Eater, #1) by Rob J. Hayes

Book Review: Deathless (Annals of the God Eater, #1) by Rob J. Hayes

Cover art illustrated by Eshpur

Deathless by Rob J. Hayes

My rating: 4.5 of 5 stars

Series: Annals of the God Eater (Book #1 of 3), The God Eater Saga

Genre: Fantasy, High Fantasy, Epic Fantasy

Pages: 196 pages (Kindle edition)

Publish date: 23rd of July 2024 by Rob J. Hayes (Self-Published)


Deathless was, unbelievably, even better than Demon; this is an intense and dark political epic fantasy done right.

”It takes more than one person to birth a conspiracy. “

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