Category Archives: Fantasy

books, epic fantasy, Fantasy, Reviews

Moonblade by Nicholas Stevens

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Stars: 2.5 out of 5

This book has a very unique premise – it’s a world of sentient animals with not a human in sight. Fun huh? According to their mythology, some great magical battle happened a long time ago that gave sentience to some animals while leaving others as animals. So we have sentient wolves and foxes as well as their normal animal counterparts. I couldn’t wait to see how such a society would evolve.

Unfortunately, I think that this quirk of all of our characters being bipedal animals was sorely underutilized. Apart from some mentions of Leran swishing his tail in irritation or twitching his ears, he might as well be a human instead of a wolf. He even prefers to ride horses instead of running on all fours, and my question here is: how? Wouldn’t his tail be in the way when he rides?

We have wolves and foxes, but also ravens and cranes, and antelopes, and other animals, but they all just behave like humans. Wouldn’t ravens be able to fly? Why not use them as aerial support or scouts? Also, birds have hollow bones, so they would not be able to wear heavy guard armor. Why not use the buffalo or other bovine species as heavy infantry?

Just working with the limitations and advantages of each animal species would have made this world so much richer, and made for a better book!

My biggest issue though, is that I started this book mildly irritated with Leran, and ended it hating his guts. He is an extremely unlikeable character. He is selfish and immature. And honestly, he causes almost all of the troubles in this book himself. He is so self-absorbed that nobody else matters. When his best friend dies protecting him, Leran wallows in self-pity and not once even wonders how his other friend feels about all this. I mean, she just lost her best friend as well, but Leran doesn’t even ask her how she is doing.

He spends the book lashing out at everyone who tries to reason with him or even show him the error of his ways, then going all “woe me” when everything goes wrong, and he gets people killed. And even then, his horror about getting people killed revolves around him – he failed, what will everyone think of him, he isn’t good enough, yada-yada. He never thinks of the actual people who lost their lives because he was so bone-headed.

Leran also reads as very immature for someone who is 28 years old. With all his mood swings and lack of impulse control, I pictured him more like a teenager.

The story itself moves at a pretty fast pace, and the fight scenes are pretty immersive, though the book suffers from a bit of tell, not show, especially when it comes to setting up the world and mythology.

All in all, I think it might appeal to a YA audience who like coming-of-age stories and are willing to overlook an unlikeable protagonist.

PS: My thanks to NetGalley for my review copy.

books, Dark fantasy, Fantasy, Reviews

The Shadow Saint (The Black Iron Legacy 2) by Garth Hanrahan

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Stars: 4.5 out of 5

Wars come and go, but the city of Guerdon persists. Many times conquered, it still stands, even when those conquerors have long turned to dust. This is a city that constantly evolves and reinvents itself. And those who seek to conquer or destroy it end up being assimilated whether they want it or not.

This book picks up a few months after the end of the previous book and the Gutter Miracle, when Cali and Spar hijacked the spell destined to free the Black Iron gods and created the New City. One might argue that this was more of a curse than a blessing, since Guerdon is in disarray now, and the alchemists’ guild is all but destroyed, just as the Gods war is coming closer and closer to its shores.

While the previous book was a book of the poor and the forgotten, the little people eking out a living in the shadows of the mighty city, this book is about politics… and spies. Nobody, apart from Cali, Eladora, and Spar, understands what happened in Guerdon, and how the Gutter Miracle came to be. So all other countries sent their spies to find out. Oh, and to also find out what came of the dreaded bombs that destroyed a Goddess so thoroughly that her valley is virtually dead now.

The pace of this book is slower, since there is a lot of politicking and cloak-and-dagger intrigue, but that didn’t make it less interesting. It shows us a different facet of this multidimensional world. We also learn a lot more about the God War and the horrors the mad gods bring to the world and even their own followers.

And of course, we get to spend a bit more time with some of the characters from the first book, and discover what they are up to now. We get to meet new protagonists as well, and they were just as endearing. I will definitely continue with this series.

books, Fantasy, Grim Dark, Reviews

The Daughters’ War (Blacktongue 0) by Christopher Buehlman

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Stars: 4 out of 5.

This was a very dark introduction to the Blacktongue series, but I liked it all the same.

This book is a definition of grimdark fantasy. It’s brutal and, at times, hopeless. The world is harsh and unforgiving, and mankind, or kynd, battles a foe that can’t be reasoned with or bargained with. A foe for whom we are just food. Kynd is cattle to be hunted down and either butchered for meat or drugged with poisons until they are no better than cattle, unable to think for themselves.

The battles are brutal and graphic. You can really feel just how overwhelming the goblin horde is, how foreign and lethal their magic is, and how little kynd can do to oppose it now that all the horses are dead. Even the formidable corvids are an experimental species that are just as likely to turn against their handlers as to kill goblins.

The descriptions are vivid and often poignant. Take the description of the city, for example. We really get to walk its streets with Galva and her brother and see its beauty… only to watch it be defiled by goblins as kynd armies are caught by surprise and overrun.

I really liked Galva, our main protagonist. She is brash and prone to quick judgment sometimes, and she still has a lot to learn, but she her heart is in the right place. She loves all of her brothers, even the one who always falls short. So his betrayal is a blow both to her and the reader, and her revenge afterwards feels justified.

All of the characters in this book are interesting, even if not all of them are endearing. I wept for the corvid knights as they made their last stand on that bridge against overwhelming odds. I was heartbroken when I learned the fate of Galva’s youngest brother. This war destroyed her family and took everyone she cared about away from her in the end.

All in all, this was a very strong introduction to this world and this series, and I can’t wait to read the next book.

PS: My thanks to NetGalley for my review copy.

books, Dark fantasy, Fantasy, Reviews

House of Open Wounds (The Tyrant Philosophers 2) by Adrian Tchaikovsky

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Stars: 5 out of 5

I never knew that I needed M.A.S.H. in a fantasy setting before I read this book. It’s much better than the first book in the series.

One of the complaints I had with the City of Last Chances was the sheer amount of POVs we had to follow and how much they diluted the story. A lot of things were happening to a lot of people in different parts of the city, and it didn’t come together into one big picture until the very end. So the story felt disjointed and meandering at times.

In House of Open Wounds, the author chose to concentrate on the bloody day-to-day activities of a field hospital, so all the POVs are concentrated in or around the Butcher’s domain. This gives the story a lot more focus as well as lets the reader truly get to know and care for the characters. I grew to love them and hope for a happy ending for them, even if their prospects were bleak – they were magic users and priests of old gods in the middle of a Palleseen army, after all.

The only character to carry over from the first book is Yasnic, one-time priest of a healing god, and now self-appointed god-smuggler. However, even he underwent a subtle transformation in this book, where he goes by Maric Jack instead of Yasnic. I like him a lot better in this story than in the first one, because he seems to have a lot more agency. He is less whiny, and he shows depths of compassion that he wasn’t capable of in the first book. And he becomes, almost despite himself, the catalyst to all the events that happen in the book.

The other members of the Butcher’s menagerie are just as strange and broken, but also very endearing. I loved the two elderly priests of formerly rival gods who discovered that even though their religions had been eradicated, they still had each other. Or the long-lost heir to a kingdom who lived his whole life as an orderly… Heck, I loved all of them, even the very Palleseen necromancer who is unwillingly in charge of the whole experimental hospital.

The daily life in the Butcher’s domain is brutal and bloody, and even though we don’t get to see the war directly, we get more than enough of it in the wounds the hospital has to treat and the horrors that become their everyday routine.

I also really liked how this ended. That was such an elegant solution that used Yasnic’s God’s powers and loopholes and still managed to bring a little bit of justice into this brutal and unjust war.

PS: My thanks to NetGalley for my review copy.

books, Fantasy, Reviews, Urban fantasy

All Spell Breaks Loose (Raine Benares 6) by Lisa Shearin

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Stars: 4 out of 5

Sagrad Nupakana is no more, and I am so happy about it! He was becoming a bit of a caricature villain who had overstayed his welcome. I mean, he is really way overboard in this book as well, so much so that I had trouble taking him seriously as a threat, but at least we are rid of him now (and no sudden comebacks, pretty please).

The book itself is very fast-paced, with our band of partisans going from one fight to the next oh-shit moment with barely a chance to breathe and take stock. It’s a breakneck race to a rather explosive ending.

Oddly enough, I think that the side characters shine more in this book than Raine and company. Talon and Priaras get their moment in the spotlight (with Talon taking things to the extreme, as usual). I also loved Tam’s family, and his old teacher is a hoot. Talk about breaking a level 13 containment spell by just… passing gas in the vicinity of the casters.

My biggest complaint here is that Raine took more of a passenger role in this story than being the driver of events. Things happen to her instead of her making them happen. Granted, she finally took advantage of the opportunity presented to her and rose to the occasion in the end.

All in all, I am happy with how this particular story arc was concluded and am looking forward to seeing where the author takes these characters next.

books, Dark fantasy, Fantasy, Reviews

A Trade of Blood (Shadow of the Leviathan 3) by Robert Jackson Bennett

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Stars: 4.5 out of 5

I can shamelessly admit that I’ve been a fan of Robert Jackson Bennett ever since I read City of Stairs. The Divine Cities trilogy showcased his wonderfully strange imagination and unmatched skill with words. He has a talent for creating bizarre, fantastical worlds that nevertheless feel believable, and then populating them with characters you can’t help but love—or hate. The Shadow of the Leviathan series is proving to be another outstanding addition to his catalog.

This installment takes us into yet another corner of the Empire, far removed from the walls and the paths of the Leviathans. At its core, it’s a compelling murder mystery that kept me engaged from beginning to end. It also feels more tightly written than its predecessor, with every scene driving the story forward. There’s far less meandering and fewer side plots than we saw in A Drop of Corruption.

A few aspects of this book genuinely kept me awake at night. The concept of an autopsy performed by vegetation was unsettling enough, but the mind-control fungus was pure nightmare fuel. Every time I read this series, I’m reminded of how fascinating this world is—and how absolutely unwilling I would be to live in it. It’s an unforgiving place, steeped in an almost casual cruelty.

Din experiences significant personal growth in this book and finally manages to move beyond the rut he found himself in during book two.

I think coming face to face with his sister and having to look back at his past helped put things into perspective for him. That and the fact that his engraver gift is maturing faster than he expected. Admittedly, this also made for a much more embittered and pessimistic Din.

I also enjoyed seeing how Din’s relationship with Ana has evolved into something resembling genuine friendship. They understand each other, respect each other, and work together far more effectively than they once did.

This book felt darker than the previous installments, likely because of the themes it explores. It also paints the Empire in a much gloomier light. By the end, I found myself asking the same question Din does: is the Empire really worth defending?

I can’t wait to get the next book in the series and see where Din and Ana’s adventures will take them next.

PS: My thanks to NetGalley for providing me with a review copy.

books, Dark fantasy, Fantasy, Reviews

A Sword of Bronze and Ashes by Anna Smith Spark

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Stars: 2 out of 5

I had such high hopes when I picked up this book. The description was right up my alley, since I love Celtic and Nordic lore-inspired stories. Unfortunately, the book itself was a big disappointment.

I think the thing that so many people loved this book for and gave it 5 stars reviews is what didn’t work for me at all, and that’s the writing. It’s overly purple and dramatic. It uses 50 words to describe something when just 10 would have been plenty. While it is justified in some case, like describing the Hall of Roven for the first time, it quickly gets tedious.

I also struggled with the stream-of-consciousness narration. The story is told entirely through Kanda’s perspective, and her constant cycle of fears, complaints, self-recrimination, and denial became frustrating after the first hundred pages. As the story progressed, I found her narration increasingly difficult to tolerate.

The dialogue was another challenge. Conversations are filled with stutters, unfinished sentences, false starts, and abrupt shifts in thought. Rather than feeling natural, the dialogue often felt disjointed and difficult to follow. At times I just wanted to shake them and yell, “Focus! Use your words!”

Communication—or the lack of it—is a recurring trait among the characters. They keep secrets, avoid difficult conversations, and allow resentment to build until situations explode into conflict. Many of the story’s problems could have been avoided if the characters had simply spoken honestly with one another.

By the end of the novel, I had grown to dislike most of the characters, making it difficult to care if Kanda and Calian got Sal back or what would happen to Dellet. They were all pathetic and selfish, and a lot of their problems could have been solved if they had just talked to each other before things got out of hand.

I am happy for everyone who liked this book and the writing style, but I’m afraid that this author and I will part ways after this book.

PS: Big thanks to NetGalley for my review copy.

books, Ghost Story, Reviews, Romantasy, Urban fantasy

The Lighthouse at the Edge of the World by J. R. Dawson

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Stars: 2 out of 5

This started so strongly, then puttered out somewhere around the midway point.

Mostly because the author didn’t quite know what story she wanted to tell. Was this a romance? A coming-of-age story? A story about grief and how different people deal with it? About the afterlife? Love and betrayal, and courage in the face of adversity?

I think the author wanted to include all of these themes, but didn’t manage to cover any of them in a meaningful manner in the end. It feels half-backed, with a meandering plot and underdeveloped characters.

I loved Nera, though. If this were her coming-of-age story, I would have been all for it. She is bright and alive, and I enjoyed discovering the world of the living with her, as well as getting to know the other souls at the station.

However, I couldn’t stand Charlie, so their romance was a lot harder to stomach. Yes, I know she is suffering, and has PTSD, and her family is all together shitty to her, but she still comes across as selfish and rather cruel.

And, I’m sorry, but her choice near the end of the book was so out of character even for her selfish self that it felt ridiculous. It happened only because the author needed to bring Harosen and his demon face-to-face again somehow. I would argue that there were better ways. He could have put Nera in danger while she was out in the city, and Harosen would have had to conquer his fear and step out into the world to save her. That would have been a great redemption arc for him, instead of whatever pathetic ending was written.

And while I love magical dogs and the idea of them being guides for the souls of the dead, the way they were written was… jarring, I guess? Their interactions with each other are surprisingly petty. I was more annoyed than endeared with them for most of the book.

And the ending was… underwhelming, to say the least. I also don’t particularly agree with the end of the Station. It served a purpose – it let some souls heal and rest before they were ready to cross over. Or to wait for their loved ones so that they didn’t cross alone. What happens to those souls now? Do they just get forcibly escorted to the veil, or are they stuck in a loop in Chicago until their time comes? Also, what about other cities? Do they have Veils like that as well?

There is a good story in there somewhere, but I think it would have benefited from a tighter plot and less purple prose. It’s also very heavy on feelings, often to the detriment of the story, especially when Charlie is concerned.

PS: My thanks to Netgalley for my review copy.

books, Dark fantasy, Fantasy, Reviews

How to Become the Dark Lord and Die Trying (Dark Lord Davi 1) by Django Wexler

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Stars: 4 out of 5

I must admit that I wasn’t particularly enamoured with this novel in the beginning, because I couldn’t figure out the direction the author was taking it. Was it supposed to be satire or humor like Terry Pratchett’s Discworld series? It had too many dark vibes for that. It was creating a weird dissonance in my brain. But once I got past the first few chapters and decided to go with the flow and see where the story took me, I enjoyed the journey quite a lot.

I think the biggest reason why it took me a while to warm up towards this book is Davi herself. She has a rather cavalier attitude towards life and death, especially her own. But she is also very quick to kill and maim others because she believes that once she dies and resets to the beginning, everyone will reset with her, so none of this is real.

I understand where this attitude is coming from. If you spent a thousand years dying horribly over and over again, and watching people you get attached to die no matter what you do, you either go insane or stop taking anything seriously. And I think that Davi is a bit insane by this point. Thinking that this is all just like a video game, where she can just reset to the beginning if it doesn’t work out, is her way of coping with the horrors of the situation.

And I love the fact that the further she progresses in her attempt to become the Dark Lord, the more she gets invested in the lives and well-being of her companions. And that when a certain event happens that causes a reset, she comes to the realization that her actions have consequences. That everyone who died until now will stay dead, and it’s her fault. The sheer moment of panic she had after that was very relatable.

I also loved most of the supporting characters, and even some of the villains are pretty interesting and multidimensional. The world is also fascinating. I really want to know who built the ruins where the Convocation takes place. They look a lot more advanced than anything either the humans or the wilders of this world would be capable of now.

I am not a fan of cliffhanger endings, but I can accept it in this case. After all, Davi accomplished the objective she set for herself at the beginning of the book. I am willing to wait until the next book to find out where the story takes her afterwards.

PS: My thanks to NetGalley for providing me with a review copy.

books, Fantasy, Reviews, Urban fantasy

Cold Iron Task (The Unorthodox Chronicles 3) by James J. Butcher

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Stars: 4.5 out of 5

This is an excellent story. Both Mayflower and Grimsby are put through the wringer here, but both come out on the other side with some significant character growth.

What I like about Grimsby is that he is genuinely a good guy. Life really tried to beat him down time and time again, but that didn’t make him bitter or jaded. He isn’t trying to lash out at a world that frankly put him through hell. He chooses compassion and believes in treating people right. He cares about his friends, even too much sometimes.

My only complaint is that he seems to be a little too trusting for someone who’s had such a hard upbringing. I mean, I understand that he feels guilty for what happened to his friend and wants to help, but he could have asked a few more questions before agreeing to the heist, don’t you think?

But it’s also wonderful to see how much of a positive influence he is on his friends, even if he doesn’t realize it. The fact that Mayflower turned to him when he needed support is very telling. Mayflower from book 1 would have laughed at the mere idea of it, then punched you in the face for even suggesting it.

I’m glad that Grimsby finally learned a new spell, and OMG it is so fitting of his character! Hopefully, now that he has found peace with himself and realized that his magic isn’t damaged, that the burns are an intrinsic part of him, he will be able to advance as a magic user.

This book also raises more questions about who his mother was and what really happened during that apartment fire. Hopefully, we will get more answers in the next book.