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Tag: Historical fantasy

Book Review: The Devils (The Devils, #1) by Joe Abercrombie

Book Review: The Devils (The Devils, #1) by Joe Abercrombie

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

Cover art by Will Staehle

The Devils by Joe Abercrombie

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Series: The Devils (Book #1)

Genre: Fantasy, Epic Fantasy, High Fantasy, Historical Fantasy

Pages: 512 pages (Paperback edition)

Word Count: 213,000 words

Publish date: 6th May 2025 by Gollancz & Tor Books (US)

I fully realize this book is not out until May 2025, but so far, The Devils by Joe Abercrombie is the best fantasy book I’ve read this year. It’s devilishly brilliant.

‘No matter how you fight, you can’t beat time. It lays low every empire, topples every tyrant.’

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Book Review: The King-Killing Queen (The Old World Tales, #1) by Shawn Speakman

Book Review: The King-Killing Queen (The Old World Tales, #1) by Shawn Speakman

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

Cover art illustrated by Magali Villeneuve

The King-Killing Queen by Shawn Speakman

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Series: The Old World Tales (Book #1 of 3)

Genre: Fantasy, High Fantasy, Historical Fantasy

Pages: 296 pages (Hardcover edition)

Published: 7th November 2023 by Grim Oak Press (Indie)

The King-Killing Queen is a great and fast-paced Arthurian-inspired fantasy novel.

“You can learn a great deal about a man by what he reads.”

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Book Review: The Adventures of Amina al-Sirafi (Amina al-Sirafi, #1) by Shannon Chakraborty

Book Review: The Adventures of Amina al-Sirafi (Amina al-Sirafi, #1) by Shannon Chakraborty

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This review is a copy of the transcript of my video review on The Adventures of Amina al-Sirafi.

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

Cover art by Ivan Belikov

The Adventures of Amina al-Sirafi by Shannon Chakraborty

My rating: 3.5  of 5 stars

Series: Amina al-Sirafi (Book #1 of 3)

Genre: Fantasy, Historical Fantasy

Pages: 483. pages (Hardcover edition)

Published: 28th February 2023 by Harper Voyager

I gave in to the hype. I finally read Chakraborty’s book for the first time, and it certainly will not be the last.

“Exaggerations, but the truth scarcely matters when it comes to a good tale.”

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Book Review: The Severing Son (The Sundered Nation, #1) by Vaughn Roycroft

Book Review: The Severing Son (The Sundered Nation, #1) by Vaughn Roycroft

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

Book cover

Cover art by John Anthony di Giovanni

The Severing Son by Vaughn Roycroft

My rating: 3.5 of 5 stars

Series: The Sundered Nation (Book #1 of 3)

Genre: Fantasy, High Fantasy, Historical Fantasy

Pages: 538 pages (Paperback edition)

Published: 18th October 2022 by Avalon Cottage Publishing (Self-published)

The Severing Son is a fast-paced modern fantasy debut with great actions and nodes to classic fantasy tropes. …

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Book Review: The Battle of Medicine Rocks (The Crystal Calamity, #2) by Rachel Aaron

Book Review: The Battle of Medicine Rocks (The Crystal Calamity, #2) by Rachel Aaron

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Review copy received from author in exchange for an honest review

Cover Art by Luisa Preißler.

The Battle of Medicine Rocks by Rachel Aaron

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Series: The Crystal Calamity (Book 2)

Genre: Fantasy, historical fantasy, alternate history

Published: 1st February 2023 (self-published)

 The Battle of Medicine Rocks was a great sequel with a darker story that upped the stakes to drive incredible character growth and development. 

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Book Review: The Magician’s Daughter by H.G. Parry

Book Review: The Magician’s Daughter by H.G. Parry

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The Magician’s Daughter by H.G. Parry
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I received an advance digital copy of this novel from the publisher, Orbit/Redhook, via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

The Magician’s Daughter is a book that excited me as soon as I saw the announcement. I love H.G. Parry. Her debut, The Unlikely Escape of Uriah Heep, is one of my favorite standalones of all time. It is a love letter to book lovers, and I can’t recommend it highly enough. I have yet to finish reading her Shadow Histories, her incredibly well-researched (but dense) duology, but I was thrilled at the prospect of having another standalone from her. I didn’t love it quite as much as I hoped I would, as there was something about the plot and pacing that didn’t quite compel me to burn my way through the story, but The Magician’s Daughter was an absolute delight to read. …

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Book Review: Sons of Darkness (The Raag of Rta, #1) by Gourav Mohanty

Book Review: Sons of Darkness (The Raag of Rta, #1) by Gourav Mohanty

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

Cover art illustrated by: Micaela Alcaino

Sons of Darkness by Gourav Mohanty

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Series: The Raag of Rta (Book #1)

Genre: Fantasy, Epic fantasy, Grimdark Fantasy, Historical Fantasy

Pages: 668 pages (Paperback)

Published: 3rd June 2022 by Leadstart

Mahabharata imbued with A Song of Ice and Fire, The First Law, & Malazan Book of the Fallen, Sons of Darkness is the best fantasy debut of 2022.

‘Whenever men found it hard to justify success, they inevitably fell back on luck as the reason. And if the success was completely unimaginable to their feeble minds, they called it magic.’

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TS’s Monthly Wrap-Up : July 2022

TS’s Monthly Wrap-Up : July 2022

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Hi everyone, can’t believe that I’m back for another monthly wrap-up so soon.  I’ve been getting back in the groove with some high/epic fantasy books in July, although I did feel a need to switch gears a bit after reading a pretty darn big one, which was none other than the massive sixth book in the Wheel of Time series.

NB. Books are rated within its genre.  For avoidance of doubt, rereads are not considered for Book of the Month.

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TS’s Monthly Wrap-Up : June 2022

TS’s Monthly Wrap-Up : June 2022

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Hello everyone!   I did wonder if I should keep up with my monthly wrap-up for June or do a half-year recap of best books read so far.   I decided with stick with the wrap-up in the end as I thought my Books of the Month will end up being on the half-year list anyway.

I can’t believe half of 2022 had passed by already.  Hope that all of you have been reading great books so far this year.    Before I start, can I just say that Stranger Things Season 4 was absolutely phenomenal!  I still can’t stop thinking about it, and that ending.

NB. Books are rated within its genre.  For avoidance of doubt, rereads are not considered for Book of the Month.

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Blog Tour: She Who Became the Sun (Radiant Emperor, #1) by Shelley Parker Chan

Blog Tour: She Who Became the Sun (Radiant Emperor, #1) by Shelley Parker Chan

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Hi everyone! Petrik from Novel Notions here. We, the team at Novel Notions, are very thrilled and honored that we have the opportunity to participate in the blog tour for She Who Became the Sun by Shelley parker Chan.  This is the first book in Radiant Emperor duology, and with its paperback release being imminent tomorrow, here’s once again my review on She Who Became the Sun and why you should read it soon if you haven’t read it! …

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