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Tag: The Rise and Fall

Petrik’s Top 19 Books of the Year! (2023)

Petrik’s Top 19 Books of the Year! (2023)

Click here if you want to see the list of all the books I’ve read so far this year: Petrik’s Year in Books (2023)

Between 1st January 2023 and 31st December 2023, I read 80 books + 177 manga/manhwa volumes (76.8k pages).

Please read this first. There will be three rules I set in this list for me to give appreciation to more authors rather than having only a few authors hoarding this list. These rules allow me to highlight more authors, and at the same time, I’ll also be able to include both new and older books (many of them still need attention) that I read this year.

  • Rereads aren’t included.
  • One book per series.
  • The books listed here are not all exclusively published this year; the list consists of the top books I read for the first time this year. Non-2023 published books on this list will have their first date of publication included.

Do note that although there’s a rank to this list, I HIGHLY recommend every book/series listed below because I loved all of them immensely, and they received a rating of 4.5 or 5 out of 5 stars from me. Honorable mentions are for two best novellas and two short stories I read this year. Without further ado, here are the top 15 (or 19) books I’ve read this year! (All full reviews of the books listed can be found on Novel Notions and my Goodreads page.)

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Book Review: Esrahaddon (The Rise and Fall, #3) by Michael J. Sullivan

Book Review: Esrahaddon (The Rise and Fall, #3) by Michael J. Sullivan

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

Cover art illustrated by Marc Simonetti

Esrahaddon by Michael J. Sullivan

My rating: 4.5 of 5 stars

Series: The Rise and Fall (Book #3 of 3)

Genre: Fantasy, High Fantasy

Pages: 936 pages (Kindle edition)

Published: 15th August 2023 by Riyria Enterprises (Self-published)


Esrahaddon is an incredible novel 15 years in the making. Fans of Riyria and Legends of the First Empire will be thrilled to read this.

“With education comes understanding. With understanding, wisdom. With wisdom comes control. With control, peace.”

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Book Review: Farilane (The Rise and Fall, #2) by Michael J. Sullivan

Book Review: Farilane (The Rise and Fall, #2) by Michael J. Sullivan

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

Cover art illustrated by Marc Simonetti

Farilane by Michael J. Sullivan

My rating: 4.5 of 5 stars

Series: The Rise and Fall (Book #2 of 3)

Genre: Fantasy, High Fantasy

Pages: 440 pages (Hardcover edition)

Published: 7th June 2022 by Grim Oak Press (Self-published)


Farilane is a great sequel to Nolyn with guaranteed huge emotional ramifications if you’ve read every book in the world of Elan before reading this.

“Virgil… life is a gamble, my friend. The trick is to wager wisely, balancing risk against reward.”

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Book Review: Esrahaddon (The Rise and Fall, #3) by Michael J. Sullivan

Book Review: Esrahaddon (The Rise and Fall, #3) by Michael J. Sullivan

Read an early copy of the ebook as a Kickstarter backer

Artwork by Marc Simonetti

Esrahaddon by Michael J. Sullivan

My rating: 5 of 5 stars.

Series: The Rise and Fall (Book 3 of 3)

Genre: Fantasy, high fantasy, classic fantasy

Publication date: 15th August 2023 (ebook) and 5th December 2023 (hardcover) by Riyria Enterprises, LLC.


Esrahaddon was the stunning final piece in the puzzle that masterfully connected all the stories that had been told in the world of Elan.

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Book Review: Nolyn (The Rise and Fall, #1) by Michael J. Sullivan

Book Review: Nolyn (The Rise and Fall, #1) by Michael J. Sullivan

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

Cover art illustrated by Marc Simonetti

Nolyn by Michael J. Sullivan

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Series: The Rise and Fall (Book #1 of 3)

Genre: Fantasy, High Fantasy

Pages: 480 pages (Hardcover edition)

Published: 3rd August 2021 by Grim Oak Press (Self-published)


Nolyn was an engaging military fantasy and murder mystery novel in the world of Elan. But this is not designed for newcomers to the world of Elan.

“An empty house is a lonely place, an oversized coffin with furniture and windows.”

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TS’s Monthly Wrap-Up : May 2022

TS’s Monthly Wrap-Up : May 2022

Hello all!  Welcome back to my monthly wrap-up.

Amazingly, I found my Book of the Month for May right at the very beginning of the month, but that’s not to say that the books that came after that were not good.  Most of them were great reads (in fact, only one book disappointed me), and I’m happy to say that the series conclusion that I was looking forward to delivered very satisfactorily.   I did start to feel a slight burn-out from reading almost non-stop fantasy (albeit mostly Middle Grade) and ended the month with two crime/mystery thrillers.

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 Best Reads of 2021

TS’s Best Reads of 2021

This is my journey in books for 2021!

Hi everyone, TS here!  Firstly, I’d like to acknowledge that I’ve been inconsistent in my blogging/reviewing on Novel Notions this year.   I couldn’t find the energy or will or brain-power as I found myself in a new expanded role at work that has a challenging learning curve, and discovered that I enjoy cooking and baking (even embarked on sourdough) so much that I started spending a lot of time in the kitchen.

I did manage to meet my reading challenge of 100 books this year regardless, and it’s probably the most diverse year of reading that I’ve had in my entire life.   While fantasy remains my favourite genre for its sense of wonder, I found myself gravitating a lot towards mysteries this year, and also reading a lot more non-fiction.

I’ve decided to organise my best reads of 2021 a bit differently from prior years, somewhat thematically instead of the usual parameters and rankings.

And we’ll start with….

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Book Review: Nolyn (The Rise and Fall, #1) by Michael J. Sullivan

Book Review: Nolyn (The Rise and Fall, #1) by Michael J. Sullivan

Read an early copy of the ebook as a Kickstarter backer

Nolyn by Michael J. Sullivan

My rating: 4.5 of 5 stars.

Series: The Rise and Fall (Book 1 of 3)

Genre: Fantasy, high fantasy, classic fantasy

Publication date: 3rd August 2021 by Grim Oak Press


Nolyn was yet another well-crafted and enthralling tale from a masterful storyteller, who never fails to give me what I craved from the world of Elan.

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