After reading the back cover of To Poison a King, I thought I had a good idea of where this story would go. I had the formula mapped out in my head and was convinced I knew how everything would play out. But S.G. Prince said, “To hell with your preconceived notions!” and decided to…
My toxic trait is that I love cruel morally-gray characters, which is why I picked up Once Upon a Broken Heart. This story is a spin-off of Stephanie Garber’s first series Caraval, and it’s the first time we meet a man named Jacks. He was one of the few things I like about that series,…
Back in 2021, The Forever Sea, by Joshua Phillip Johnson was on our Dark Horse list. I enjoyed the book, but it was brought to heel by the lack of character. Over time I think the book lost some of its luster, but I still remembered the sweeping landscapes painted in my brain by Johnson’s…
A few years ago, I read Kate Elliott's Unconquerable Sun. After enjoying the delight that was that novel, I promised I would read more of Elliott's work, and well, I have fallen short. At least until a couple weeks ago, when I read her latest novella. The Keeper's Six is a fun and exciting multi-dimensional…
I have been circling Legendborn by Tracy Deonn for some time now. A part of me felt that this book was going to be amazing, and I wanted to make sure I had the time and space to sit down and appreciate the story unfolding around me. Two years later and a month before the…
I read Alexandra Rowland’s guest post over at The Fantasy Hive about “small magic,” and just knew I had to pick up A Taste of Gold and Iron. The post teased a plot about counterfeiting and money manipulation diving into the idea of magic users as an ecological niche that had my heart brimming with…
Continue reading ➞ A Taste of Gold and Iron – Smelts My Heart
Years ago when I came to my senses and got back into reading full-time, Victoria Aveyard was one of the first authors that ensnared me. I had a mixed experience with her first series, Red Queen, but I was curious to try out Aveyard’s newest story Realm Breaker. What I encountered was an incredible adventure…
Last year, J. T. Greathouse delivered a pleasant surprise with his debut fantasy novel, The Hand of the Sun King. Alder Wen was a particularly entertaining protagonist, despite his many follies. The book featured philosophical musings on the nature of power and Wen’s determined search for a third way between empire and rebellion that fomented…
Continue reading ➞ The Garden of Empire – Lush, But Lightly Untended
My streak has ended. I’ve been reading straight bangers for the last few months, each book presenting well-plotted stories and engaging worlds filled with unique characters. My latest read—Judy I. Lin’s A Magic Steeped In Poison—has oodles of promise, but it ultimately falls short on numerous counts. Ning unknowingly brewed a poisonous tea that killed…
Continue reading ➞ A Magic Steeped In Poison – Identitea Crisis
After one year and two read-throughs of The Wandering Fire, I have finally finished Guy Gavriel Kay’s first fantasy series. In the final installment, The Darkest Road weaves the events of the first two books into a grand conclusion, forcing the Light and Dark to clash and determine the fate of all worlds. Spoilers abound…
