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 […]
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 […]
FREE BOOKS-giveaways- For January 2025
FREE BOOK-giveaways- January 2025 Anyone interested in some free books to start the new year? Well, here’s four sets of fantasy or science-fiction books to download. If you do pick any of them up, please do the author a kindness and leave some reviews. Happy new year everybody. https://storyoriginapp.com/to/wkyxVJT https://storyoriginapp.com/to/ihob71Z https://storyoriginapp.com/to/5kpwEc2 https://storyoriginapp.com/to/AjCUZme
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 […]
The Rogue (Sons of Ferassi #1) book review
The Rogue’s prose and characters are solid, and the pacing for the first half is good, but as the narrative progresses and starts to build toward the climax it began to feel like it needed more time to mature. That might sound weird, but neither of our two main characters have any real connection to […]
Crystalborne Sigils book review
There’s quite a bit i liked about Crystalborne Sigils, the magic system is comprehensible and detailed but versatile, the pacing is smooth and consistent, and the characters decently complex. It’s strongest element is probably the first odd third of the book, where we are introduced to our characters and the setting.The Atturei empire is prejudiced […]
Four Puppet Kings and a Fool Book Review
Four Puppet Kings and a Fool is either a book of intense right wing political allegory, or one the drew inspiration heavily from conspiracy theory, and I lean more towards the former. There manufactured pandemics where the main character rails against lockdowns, there’s a secret cabal of satanic/alien worshippers intent on crashing the economy and […]