Seeds of War, High-fantasy book review
Seeds of War, by João F. Silva. High Fantasy book Review Seeds of War (goodreads) is a high-fantasy of returning gods, morally gray characters, and a little bit of politicking. Seeds of War’s strength lies in its characters, all of whom are varying degrees of internal moral complexity, from mercenary lords, to false prophets, […]
Spirits of Vengeance book review
SPIRITS OF VENGEANCE Well executed, SPIRITS OF VENGEANCE, doesn’t really innovate on the preceding books in the series. This is the third book in this fantasy indie book series. SPIRITS OF VENGEANCE focuses more on the spirit side of the world building, and does so with fair success, but it just doesn’t […]
House Witch 2 Fantasy book review
THE HOUSE WITCH Much the same as the first book, but less of the comedy worked for me on this iteration. The queen’s pregnancy subplot remains the strongest part and most investable part of the narrative, but most of the previous book’s flaws remain present. The HOUSE WITCH 2 spends a […]
SHOREFALL
SHOREFALL This series is rapidly becoming one of my favorites. You can read my review of FOUNDRYSIDE, the first in the series. The character work(their likability, complexity of thought and variety of personalities as well as chemistry) and prose is excellent. The world building/magic is excellent and wonderfully tangible/ intractable. The […]
CROOKED LADDER Fantasy book review
The CROOKED LADDER had decent to good prose, solid character work and complexity that is well executed and displayed via interactions and story progression. The world building is decent but a little bare bones, with the more interesting elements only emerging in the latter half of the book. The story progression is smooth […]
SIREN AND SCION Fantasy book review
SIREN AND SCION Siren and Scion is a bit slow to start with its main characters being more morally complicated than the preceding books; one is a gambling addict and the other is doing her best to strong arm herself into a political marriage. So it took time for me to be able to emotionally […]
Tea Set and Match Book Review
TEA SET AND MATCH The sequel to A Coup of Tea, Tea Set and Match largely maintains the quality of the first book, but has a couple more issues, one of which is more personal than anything else. Primarily, although the plot differs, its mostly the same story; it feels the same […]
A COUP OF TEA cozy-mystery book review
A COUP OF TEA A wonderful cozy fantasy. The characters are likable, decently complex, and the prose is strong. The opening chapter is sharp, delivering an excellent hook while introducing you to your main character with indications of her flaws and strengths while giving her meaningful decisions and agency. The books strongest […]
Company of Slayers book review
There are several minor criticisms I could level against Company of Slayers, the prose is a little weak (albeit not terribly so) and the plot is inconsistent with its tone (I.e the plot reads like an adventure story, but the plot itself is simultaneously largely humorless and a straightforward action narrative.) Ultimately though, the core […]
Fire of the Forebearers book review
FIRE OF THE FOREBEARS Fire of the Forebearers started slow for me despite kicking its plot off early and making distinct effort to build investment in Kura as its main character with decisions, consequences, and motivations. The initial chapters of her story are in particular full of fantasy elements as well, with centaurs, […]
Mysterious Ways book review
MYSTERIOUS WAYS Strangely enough, after decades of not encountering one, this another book set in a matriarchal society, stumbled upon immediately after finishing its predecessor. Unfortunately it suffers from much the same flaw as The Empath and the Solider in that it styles itself a matriarchal society, but almost exclusively uses the framework of a […]
Tethered Spirits Book Review
Tethered Spirits has several strong points: solid prose, decent characters, several strong ideas, a good plot that supports its action elements with some mystery/questions, and strong use of its cored idea/inspiration. But it also suffers from some significant technical flaws.It’s takes nearly sixty percent of the book to pass before the narrative actually starts and […]
The Thirteenth Hour book review
There was a lot I liked about The Thirteenth Hour, and muiltiple levels: the characters are dynamic, likable, and full of personality, the world building is complex and immersive while also being well implemented, the narrative is consistently humorous while also landing the darker moments, themes, and events so that you can properly empathize with […]
Scales and Sensibility book review
Fun, solid romance, with decent characters.This is through and through a lighthearted romance, albeit one assisted by magic and dragons. The comedy is decent and present but didn’t particularly work for me, and the characters are likable but without particularly compelling subtext or archs. The prose is decent, the pacing quick, and the plot perhaps […]
Stormless book review
STORMLESS The concept of having to live in a world continuously ravaged by cataclysmic storms, and not just one but a variety, is a fun, interesting, and ultimately cool idea. The idea that these storms power the magic system is again solid (albeit the author doesn’t quite distinguish enough from the Stormlight Archive.) […]
Small Miracles book review
Enjoyable, mostly lighthearted and consistently amusing, Small Miracle is just a fun relatively short read. The characters are full of personality (Gadriel, our MC, especially) and immensely likable, with strong motivations and many scenes and interactions where their personalities and those motivations are put on display.The inspiration taken from Good Omens is immediately evident, but […]
The Tale of the Young Witch book review
The Tale of the Young Witch is a story I wanted to like more than I did: the beginning is strong, delivering potent motivation to our primary character that I could buy into, there is a strong aesthetic/setting in the age of steam, and you have the underlying themes of the destructive potential of prevalent […]
Godeena Book Review
Godeena is complicated to review: the world building is strong, particularly the canvas of inter-galactic warfare and politicking, and the bones of the plot itself are excellent, from collecting disposable convicts from a prison megalopolis to explore the ruins of world controlled by a psychotic and malignant deity, all tied to themes of redemption and […]