Cover art illustration by: Patrick Foster
Reaper by Will Wight
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Series: Cradle (Book #10 of 12)
Genre: Fantasy, Progression Fantasy, Xianxia
Pages: 465 pages
Published: 2nd November 2021 by Hidden Gnome Publishing (Indie)
Will Wight, I’m so tired of saying this statement on so many books in Cradle, but once again, Reaper is the new best book of the series so far.
“An ant had a better chance of resisting a boot.”
ARC provided by the publisher—Orbit—in exchange for an honest review.
Cover art illustrated by: Martina Fackova
Cover designed by: Lauren Panepinto
The Justice of Kings by Richard Swan
My rating: 4.5 of 5 stars
Series: Empire of the Wolf (Book #1 of 3)
Genre: Fantasy
Pages: 432 pages (UK paperback edition)
Published: 22nd February 2022 & 24th February 2022 by Orbit
The Justice of Kings was totally addictive. A truly riveting tale about law, war, morality, and justice.
“Empires are built and maintained with words. Swords are a mere precedent to the quill.”
ARC provided by the publisher—Orbit—in exchange for an honest review.
Cover designed by: Lisa Marie Pompilio
Jade Legacy by Fonda Lee
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Series: The Green Bone Saga (Book #3 of 3)
Genre: Fantasy, Epic Fantasy, Urban Fantasy
Pages: 736 pages (US Kindle edition)
Published: 30th November 2021 by Orbit (US) & 2nd December 2021 by Orbit (UK)
Without a shadow of a doubt, one of the best books I’ve ever read. Jade Legacy is an all-around masterpiece that certified The Green Bone Saga as my top favorite completed trilogy of all time.
“Good men are remembered with love by their friends… Great warriors are remembered with awe by their enemies.”
The Spider’s War by Daniel Abraham
My rating: 4.5 of 5 stars
Series: The Dagger and the Coin (Book #5 of 5)
Genre: Fantasy, Epic Fantasy, High Fantasy
Pages: 519 pages (Kindle edition)
Published: 8th March 2016 by Orbit
The best of the series; The Spider’s War is an unconventional and incredibly satisfying conclusion to an underrated fantasy series.
“The world has never been fair. Often beautiful. Sometimes kind when kindness was not deserved. But never fair.”
ARC provided by the publisher—Gollancz—in exchange for an honest review.
Cover illustration by: Tomas Almeida
The Wisdom of Crowds by Joe Abercrombie
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Series: The Age of Madness (Book #3 of 3), First Law World (Book, #10 of 10)
Genre: Fantasy, Epic Fantasy, Grimdark fantasy
Pages: 529 pages (UK Hardback)
Published: 14th September 2021 by Gollancz (UK) & Orbit (US)
Joe Abercrombie is a genius storyteller. The Wisdom of Crowds is one of the best books of the year, a masterfully crafted conclusion to The Age of Madness trilogy.
“What is the point of gathering knowledge if one does not pass it on? What is the point of growing old if one does not try to shape the future?”
Mistress of the Empire by Raymond E. Feist & Janny Wurts
My rating: 4.5 of 5 stars
Series: The Riftwar: Empire (Book #3 of 3), The Riftwar Cycle (Book #7 of 31)
Genre: Fantasy, Epic Fantasy, High Fantasy, Classic Fantasy
Pages: 864 pages (UK Paperback edition)
Published: 1st April 1992 by Doubleday
This is the second series I finished this year, and it’s a thrilling and rewarding conclusion to the Riftwar: Empire trilogy.
“Love doesn’t demand; it accepts. It has taken me my life to learn this.”
(This is a repost of an old review I wrote in May 2018)
Cover art illustrated by: Sam Weber
City of Stairs by Robert Jackson Bennett
My rating: 4.5 of 5 stars
Series:The Divine Cities (Book #1 of 3)
Genre: Fantasy, High Fantasy, Urban fantasy, Post-apocalyptic, Horror
Pages: 452 pages (US paperback edition)
Published: 9th September 2014 by Broadway Books (US) & 2nd April 2015 by Jo Fletcher Books (UK)
A truly wonderful start to a trilogy and one of the most original world-building I’ve ever had the chance to experience in a novel. …
Cover art illustrated by: Marc Simonetti
The Death of Dulgath by Michael J. Sullivan
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Series: The Riyria Chronicles (Book #3)
Genre: Fantasy, High Fantasy
Pages: 408 pages (Kindle edition)
Published: 15th October 2015 by Riyria Enterprises, LLC (Self-published)
The Death of Dulgath is the best volume in The Riyria Chronicles so far. …
ARC provided by the author in exchange for an honest review.
Cover art illustrated by: Felix Ortiz
Cover art designed by: STK.Kreations
Spirits of Vengeance by Rob J. Hayes
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Series: Mortal Techniques (Book #3)
Genre: Fantasy, High fantasy, Wuxia
Pages: 554 pages (Kindle edition)
Published: 28th September 2021 by Rob J. Hayes (Self-published)
Rob J. Hayes has done it. He has created a novel that surpassed Never Die; Spirits of Vengeance is not only my favorite novel in the Mortal Techniques series, but it is also Hayes’s best work so far.
…
Servant of the Empire by Raymond E. Feist & Janny Wurts
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Series: The Riftwar: Empire (Book #2 of 3), The Riftwar Cycle (Book #6 of 31)
Genre: Fantasy, Epic Fantasy, High Fantasy, Classic Fantasy
Pages: 827 pages (UK Paperback edition)
Published: 1st September 1990 by Doubleday
Servant of the Empire is an incredible, political, and massive sequel to the excellent Daughter of the Empire.
“You people never cry enough… Uncried tears remain inside you, like poison.”