He Who Drowned the World, by Shelley Parker-Chan, is the perfect closer to the story that began in She Who Became the Sun. Parker-Chan doubles down on characterization, crafting a story that surpasses the expectations set by its predecessor. The stakes are high so let’s get into it. Zhu Yuanzhang may have defeated the Mongol…
Continue reading ➞ He Who Drowned The World – Destined for Greatness
Just when I thought the Year of Sanderson was over, it continued with a final flourish. Fresh off the plane from Dragonsteel 2023 and with all four secret projects behind me, my last swag box from Sanderson’s Kickstarter arrived at my doorstep. In it, I found a small black tome adorned with a metallic design…
Continue reading ➞ Long Chills & Case Dough – Curiosity, Indeed
Folks, we love a strong science fiction debut, and I’m here to tell you These Burning Stars by Bethany Jacobs is that very thing. It’s a dark space opera filled with intrigue, deception, villainy, violence, and good old-fashioned chase scenes. It also takes its subject matter seriously and digs into its own world with an…
Continue reading ➞ These Burning Stars – Bombastic, Beautiful, and Blasphemous
Elspeth survived the fever plaguing her kingdom, but she can’t escape the monster in her head. The monstrous voice is one of many secrets that Elspeth is keeping while hiding away at her aunt and uncle’s remote estate. She’s remained unnoticed for several years, but as her father welcomes her back into society, Elspeth’s secrets…
Continue reading ➞ One Dark Window – All Fogged Up And Nowhere To Go
I managed to squeak in a lot of really good books in November as I tried to catch up on everything before our end-of-year list. Turns out having a child doesn’t do great things for your free time—who knew? Though I managed to read everything I wanted, I still have a large backlog of books…
Continue reading ➞ Lord Of A Shattered Land – Better Together
Welcome back to another Quill to Live year-end book roundup. 2023 has been a somewhat quiet year for science fiction and fantasy after the raucous explosion that was 2022. The reviewers got together this week, had some cocoa, and discussed all our top picks from the year. After much debate, we made a list of…
What You are Looking for is in the Library by Michiko Aoyama was recommended to me by a friend while enjoying a latte and a huge blueberry scone one Saturday morning. She described it as a short read depicting people of all sorts encountering a mysterious librarian who recommends a random book that ultimately changes…
Continue reading ➞ What You Are Looking For Is In The Library – Serendipity
