A Time of Dread
A time of Dread High-fantasy book review A Time of Dread by John Gwynne is an epic fantasy revolving around the war between angels and demons descended to the mortal world. A Time of Dread is a solid epic fantasy with a bit of a darker aesthetic, dealing with blood sacrifices and betrayals and the […]
On a Pale Horse book review
On a Pale Horse High-fantasy book review On a Pale Horse by Piers Anthony is a high urban fantasy story, the first in a series, that explores the investiture of a new aspect of Death, and the underlying conspiracy that occasioned it. First and foremost, On a Pale Horse is […]
The Witchstone book review
the Witchstone Dark, urban-fantasy book review The Witchstone by Henry. H .Neff is a dark, urban fantasy revolving around a monstrous curse, demons, and a globe-trotting adventure. The Witchstone hits the right level of dark fantasy I really enjoy, with the presence of darker elements, the gothic, and sometimes grotesque, aesthetic, and some […]
Savior’s Spell
Savior’s Spell Urban-Fantasy book review Savior’s Spell by Gwen Rivers is an urban, paranormal fantasy of werewolves, soul mates, and fae with themes of vengeance and trauma. In the terms of the paranormal/urban fantasy sub-genres I have always favored the classic monster of werewolves over vampires, so Savior’s Spell’s focus on […]
Godkiller book review
Godkiller High-fantasy book review Godkiller (Fallen Gods #1) by Hannah Kaner is a high fantasy with solid characters, an excellent delivery on its gods, and an aesthetic that often borders on the dark fantasy. There is a fair bit that Godkiller succeeds in, but the elements it succeeds the most in […]
When The Moon Hatched
When the Moon Hatched Romance Fantasy book review The traditionally published When the Moon Hatched (Goodreads) is an epic, romance fantasy by Sarah. A. Parker with creative world building and beautifully reimagined dragons. When The Moon Hatched is romance fantasy that, unusually, happens to just be a good fantasy book outside of […]
Seeds of War high-fantasy book review
seeds of war High-fantasy book review Seeds of War (goodreads) is a high-fantasy book of returning gods, morally gray characters, and a little bit of politicking. The book’s strength lies in its characters, all of whom are varying degrees of internal moral complexity, from mercenary lords, to false prophets, and pseudo mob-bosses. Most […]
Spirits of Vengeance fantasy book
spirits of vengeance High-fantasy book review Well executed but doesn’t really innovate on the preceding high-fantasy books in the 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 end up feeling like a different experience then the preceding […]
House Witch 2 Fantasy book review
the house witch High-fantasy book review 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 […]
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
crooked ladder High-fantasy book review The CROOKED LADDER is a high-fantasy book that has decent to good prose, solid character work and complexity that is well executed and displayed via interactions and story progression. The fantasy world-building is decent but a little bare bones, with the more interesting elements only emerging in the […]
SIREN AND SCION romantasy 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 cozy-mystery Book
TEA SET AND MATCH High-fantasy book review The sequel to the romantasy 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 […]
A COUP OF TEA cozy-mystery book
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 fantasy book
a company of slayers High-fantasy 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 […]
Fire of the Forebearers fantasy book
fire of the forebears High-fantasy book review TEXT EDITOR This high-fantasy book can be bought at Bookshop.org If you enjoyed this review, consider subscribing so that Adventuresome Book Reviews goes directly to your email. Help other readers find books to read via sharing Adventuresome Book Reviews. We specialize in indie/small press publications. Facebook Twitter Blueskies […]
Mysterious Ways fantasy book
mysterious ways High-fantasy book review 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 […]
Tethered Spirits fantasy Book
tethered spirits High-fantasy book review Tethered Spirits (StoryGraph) 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 […]