by Raf Morgan, Intisar Khanani, Casey Blair, Rachel Neumeier, P. Djèlí Clark, Sherwood Smith, Joyce Chng, Melissa McShane, Andrea K. Höst ★★★★★ Fun, frenetic read that had me grabbing books & bookmarking websites I was initially interested in this anthology/sampler … Continue reading →
by Melissa McShane ★★★★★ A great addition to Company of Strangers I didn’t review this when it first came out because I was on a tear to read through my TBR stack and didn’t stop when I should have to … Continue reading →
by Melissa McShane ★★★★★ How many secrets can a person keep? Helena is overwhelmed with the number of secrets that she is keeping: from her family, from Malcolm, from Judy, from Viv, from the Wardens, from the Board of Neutralities, … Continue reading →
by Luanne G. Smith ★★★★★ It doesn’t take time to make a good wine, just a witch The Vine Witch by Luanne G. Smith was one of the best Kindle First Reads books that I’ve chosen in a while. Well, … Continue reading →
by David Wellington ★★★★☆ A Careful exploration of inner and outer space There’s a lot to like about this book. The character- and world-building are phenomenal and I found myself heavily invested in the character of Sally Jansen especially. I … Continue reading →
by Eliza Bartlett ★★★★★ What if you’re everything the world doesn’t want and everything it needs? At the heart of this beautifully woven story is what it means to be a woman in the desolation of a man’s world, a … Continue reading →
by Jeff Wheeler ★★★★★ Complex times beautifully wrapped Broken Veil was a satisfying conclusion to the Harbinger series. Jeff Wheeler knocks it out of the ballpark as all the storylines tighten their weave and warp to the conclusion. If you’ve … Continue reading →
by Melissa McShane ★★★★★ Deeper and darker Melissa McShane has a way with worlds; you simply believe. And the world of The Last Oracle is being overrun with murderous invaders. Some are familiar and familiars; some are horrifyingly intelligent and … Continue reading →
by Marko Kloos ★★★★★ Can a man find himself while fleeing from everything he ever was? Aden Robertson has been serving a prison sentence, having been on the losing side of a war. He’d like to start over and find … Continue reading →
by Rachel Aaron ★★★★★ Got daddy issues? Got gods? Opal Yong-ae is a human with a dragon for a father. Unfortunately, her dad, Yong, the Dragon of Korea, is just as determined and stubborn as she is. Opal used to … Continue reading →
by W.R. Gingell ★★★★★ What’s a little spit between friends? I mean, what’s up with JinYeong? If it goes on, Pet is going to be more vampire than human. Or will JinYeong be more human than vampire? Which one is … Continue reading →
by Jessica Day George ★★★★★ Ride into danger The Queen’s Secret, middle book of Jessica Day George’s Rose Legacy trilogy (I love the dedication, a middle book for a middle child), is darker than the first book, action packed, and … Continue reading →
by Melissa McShane ★★★★★ Deeper and darker, the game is on Sienne, Alaric, and the gang are gaining ground in their quest to free Alaric’s people. But as they delve into the underbelly of the wizarding world into necromancy and … Continue reading →
by Nadine Brandes ★★★★★ Is this the end for Romanov blood? Nastya, Anastasia Romanov, adores her family and admires the calm humble kindness of her papa, the ex-tsar Nikolai. Their family draws its strength from each other as they survive … Continue reading →
by Charlie N. Holmberg ★★★★★ What is she without her fire horse? Ireth, the fire horse numen, has been ripped from Sandis, his tattooed name marred and broken on her back. She is alone, betrayed by Rone, leaning on her … Continue reading →
by Rachel Aaron and Travis Bach ★★★★★ It’s dangerous to go alone… Tina will protect her brother James, his brother, and her Roughnecks to the bitter end. And the end is surely coming. As the players enter Bastion, their hope … Continue reading →
by Emily R. King ★☆☆☆☆ Unlikable heroine, strange word and story choices, strange all the way around I don’t know why some authors think that cold and unlikable equates to strength. People keep telling Everley O’Shea (Eve, the Marionette) that … Continue reading →
by Melissa McShane ★★★★★ Yes, Virginia, there is a happy ending… Really… there’s a happy ending. Good triumphs; evil loses. They all live happily ever after. Well, some of them live happily. Some of them live. Maybe not the way … Continue reading →
by Melissa McShane ★★★★★ Can Helena survive being neutral? McShane drops us back into the fantastical city of Portland inhabited by Wardens still at war with the invaders. But the Wardens are divided, with the Nicolliens and Ambrosites at each … Continue reading →
by Melissa McShane ★★★★★ Blackmail and free will The scrapper team is united in its goal to help Alaric find the ritual items he needs to free his people from mind-bound slavery. Unfortunately, a noblewoman intent on regaining her family’s … Continue reading →
by Melissa McShane ★★★★★ Alaric hates wizards Sienne has run away from her family’s estate and embraced the life of a scrapper. But it’s hard to get a job with no experience, gear, or references. Dianthe, a stealthy rogue, hires … Continue reading →
by Jeff Wheeler ★★★★☆ The beginning of the end It’s hard to judge the penultimate book in a series, but what I feel the strongest about with Prism Cloud is that it’s darker, even more complex, and certain aspects and … Continue reading →
by Victoria Lee ★☆☆☆☆ Unlikable characters, not teen/YA as stated The characters are unlikable for the most part. Well, Noam was well-developed and likable, but his crush is just a pretty, drunken, foul-mouthed sot that slops around drunk from bar … Continue reading →
by Jeff Wheeler ★★★★★ Evil stalks the land; Cettie and Sera must rise What a rush! Iron Garland is an incredibly powerful continuation of Jeff Wheeler’s Harbinger series. Cettie is now the Keeper of Fog Willows, and Sera is a … Continue reading →
by Rachel Aaron ★★★★★ Cleaning for hidden treasures just got a whole lot messier Opal is a mage who makes her livelihood as a Cleaner, bidding for the right to empty and clean abandoned apartments. While she gets to keep … Continue reading →
by E.D. Baker ★★★★★ What can one girl do against an invasion? In More than a Princess by E. D. Baker, Aislin is a half-fairy, half-pedrasi princess who finds herself confronted with a human king and his soldiers on what … Continue reading →
by Jennifer L. Armentrout ★★★★★ You had me at tacos! Talk about a fun, frenetic read! I finished the story wanting to dive into the next book. While being a typical girl-meets-possible-alien sort of YA story, it’s not that at … Continue reading →
by Gail Carson Levine ★★★★★ How to be an ogre without eating anyone Lucinda is up to her usual fairy tricks, but Evie is a bit more strongly willed than Wormy was expecting. Rather than accept his marriage proposal, Evie … Continue reading →
by Anna Starobinets ★★★★★ If Tim Burton wrote mysteries for children… They would probably read a lot like In the Wolf’s Lair. There are a lot of visual and verbal plays, a very weird and twisted sense of humor, a … Continue reading →
by Laini Taylor ★★★★★ Deeper, darker, twistier Wow! Just WOW! Muse of Nightmares is even better than Strange the Dreamer: deeper, darker, twistier… did I mention “deeper”? I’m just completely floored yet again by Laini Taylor’s imagination and lyrical prose. … Continue reading →
edited by Robert McCowen and C. J. Brightley ★★★★★ Wonderfully unique tales, amazing world-building and storytelling This is another engaging collection of noblebright stories by the same editor, C. J. Brightley, who coordinated Fell Beasts and Fair: A Noblebright Fantasy Anthology, Luminous: … Continue reading →
by Gigi McCaffrey ★★★★★ Can Piemur prevent a war that pits dragonrider against dragonrider? What an awesome addition to the world of Pern! Gigi McCaffrey has done her mother proud! Menolly, Piemur, and Jaxom have been my favorite characters in … Continue reading →
by W.R. Gingell ★★★★★ Quips, quirks, and deadly monsters Another awesome, frenetic read from W.R. Gingell. I just love Pet, and I was so jazzed to jump into another City Between book. Okay, I also love Zero, Aethelas, JinYeong, and … Continue reading →
by Julia Golding ★★★★★ Can Ree save her Da and discover the murderer? Ree is a stonemason at the Museum; the only problem is that she is breaking the law dressing like a boy and working with her Da. It … Continue reading →
by Brandon Sanderson ★★★★★ Mind-bending romp through the fragmented brain of a genius Wow! I think Brandon Sanderson has to be insane to even dream up these stories. Perhaps this is an autobiography? 😉 Sanderson is one of my favorite … Continue reading →
by Melissa McShane ★★★★★ Can a deathless Queen die? I loved Voyager of the Crown so, so much! Zara North is giving up her life as Agatha, a weaver in Longbourne, something she should have done a year ago. It’s … Continue reading →
by Jeff Wheeler ★★★★★ Who will rise and who will fall? What an awesome sequel! Deeper and darker than its predecessor, Mirror Gate follows Cettie Pratt, almost eighteen, and Sera Fitzempress, now sixteen, as they prepare to finish their four … Continue reading →
by Melissa McShane ★★★★★ Not your mother’s fairytales… I am a sucker for fairytales and anything Melissa McShane, so Warts and All: A Fairy Tale Collection is two of my favorite things put together. McShane is a skilled twisty-story sort of … Continue reading →
by S.K. Dunstall ★★★★★ Can they live long enough to discover what they know? Wow! The sister duo that is S.K. Dunstall spins a frenetically-paced tale that leaves us simply breathless. They reach us with their complex characters and they … Continue reading →
by Steve Rzasa ★★★★★ Can belief survive First Contact? It’s true; we are not alone. Casimir “Caz” Fortel isn’t sure what god brought the Ghiqasu into Earth’s orbit fifteen years ago, but life on our planet hasn’t been the same. … Continue reading →
by Matt Mikalatos ★★★★★ What price would you pay to breathe? Wow! Just wow! What an absolutely brilliant, mesmerizing ride! The Crescent Stone is a thrilling journey of trials, challenges, and redemption in a magical world. Madeline Oliver is dying … Continue reading →
by Rachel Aaron ★★★★★ Who can defeat the titans? Rosalie Dumarque is driven to protect her home and to keep the protective walls standing. She’s been training hard and thinks she has what it takes to turn the battle for … Continue reading →
by Frank Tuttle ★★★★★ Strangely addictive insanity. The Markhat Files series is way too much fun. I couldn’t bring myself to stop and write up each book as I read it, so I’m binge-reviewing these books together (slightly delayed) because … Continue reading →
by Nadine Brandes ★★★★★ Who will he betray? His father? His king? Wow! Loved, loved, loved this mesmerizing reimagining of the Gunpowder Plot of 1605. Have you ever loved a book so much, you could wait to talk to your … Continue reading →
by Melissa McShane ★★★★★ Can Helena survive long enough to solve the mystery? The Book of Peril (The Last Oracle #2) is a fantastical twisty sequel to The Book of Secrets! Helena’s stuck in a steep learning curve as she … Continue reading →
by Michael J. Sullivan ★★★★★ Deeper and darker…what a ride! I just love this whole series so far, and what a reminder! To do this book justice and remind myself of the story so far, I went back and read … Continue reading →
by Jeff Wheeler ★★★★★ Can she survive the collision of her worlds? Cettie Pratt is an orphan living in the Fells, an area of starving, debt-enslaved, deed-contracted, ground-bound poor. Sera Fitzempress is royalty, living aloft in a luxurious castle floating … Continue reading →
by Rachel Bach / Rachel Aaron ★★★★★ What’s a girl got to do to save the universe? Okay, Devi just wants the fast track to her goal, she’s done eight full-fire tours in five years, she’s got a beautiful custom … Continue reading →
