Next week I will review what was likely one of the most anticipated books of the year for me, Andrew D Meredith’s Gloves of Eons. While I am still deeply impressed with Andrew’s writing and the world he has created, there is something I think needs to be addressed. That is the absolute brilliance of one character—Dane Marric. If you’ve read the Kallattian Saga at all, you probably wonder if I’ve gone crazy. Hear me out. Dane is a fantastic character exactly because he is who he is. Terrible. He’s an awful human being, and I hate him. But I...
The Bleeding Stone by Joseph John Lee
Summary The island nation of Ferranda is the jewel of the Acrarian Kingdom, and its Founder, Aritz a Mata, is revered as a god amongst men. But twenty-five years ago, Aritz was merely a man, a colonizer, an Invader seeking glory and fame in the name of his King and Queen, and Ferranda was a nameless union of indigenous Tribes, reverent of the heightened powers and aptitudes granted to them by their Animal Deities, but sundered by the foreigners claiming their lands to the south. In the unconquered north, the Stone Tribe has for fifteen years offered a safe haven...
The Fall by Ryan Cahill
Summary: Dragonbound by fire, Broken by death. The Order have watched over the continent of Epheria for thousands of years. But there are those who believe The Order has had its day. That it is corrupt, indulgent, and deceitful – that it is ready to fall. The City of Ilnaen is on fire. Dragons fill the skies. Traitors fill the streets. The Fall is a novella set in the world of The Bound and The Broken series. It takes place 400 years before the events of Of Blood and Fire. Review: I love a free prequel novella. It’s a...
Merchants of Knowledge and Magic by Erika McCorkle Highlight
Summary: On one of the many planes of the Pentagonal Dominion, priestess Calinthe trades in information, collecting valuable secrets for her demonic employer. Calinthe has a secret of her own: she’s intersex, making her a target for the matriarchal slavers of the Ophidian Plane whose territory she must cross in her search for hidden knowledge. But thanks to her friend Zakuro’s illusions, Calinthe presents as a woman- a comfortable, if furtive, existence in a world determined to bring her to heel. But when, instead of a mere secret, the priestess uncovers an incalculably powerful artifact, Calinthe finds herself in a...
The Knife of Never Letting Go by Patrick Ness
Summary: Now a major motion picture, the first novel in the riveting Chaos Walking trilogy by two-time Carnegie Medalist Patrick Ness. “Narrated with crack dramatic and comic timing.... The cliffhanger ending is as effective as a shot to the gut.” --Booklist (starred review) Todd Hewitt is the only boy in a town of men. Ever since the settlers were infected with the Noise germ, Todd can hear everything the men think, and they hear everything he thinks. Todd is just a month away from becoming a man, but in the midst of the cacophony, he knows that the town is...
Kings of the Wyld by Nicholas Eames
Summary A retired group of legendary mercenaries get the band back together for one last impossible mission in this award-winning debut epic fantasy. Review Wow. If I hadn’t recently read The Book that Wouldn’t Burn, this would have likely been my favorite read of the year so far. What a ride. What a damn ride. Kings of the Wyld is an irreverent send up of tried and true fantasy tropes that doesn’t rest on the laurels of those that came before. Equal parts humorous, adventurous, grim, and emotional, Kings of the Wyld easily settles into that niche the Dungeons and...
Get to Know the Blogger: Michael Roberti
Hey everyone! Kavin and I realized that I haven’t done a “get to know you” post yet, so I’m doing that instead of my weekly review. I’ll be back with reviews next week with Kings of the Wyld by Nicholas Eames! Anyway, for those of you who don’t know me: my name is Michael Roberti, but in conversation I go by Mike. I am a husband, father, former punk singer, current high school English teacher, and author. My first series, Crown and Tide, kicked off with The Traitors We Are in 2022, and I released the prequel novella, The Revenge...
The Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss
Summary This is the riveting first-person narrative of Kvothe, a young man who grows to be one of the most notorious magicians his world has ever seen. From his childhood in a troupe of traveling players, to years spent as a near-feral orphan in a crime-riddled city, to his daringly brazen yet successful bid to enter a legendary school of magic, The Name of the Wind is a masterpiece that transports readers into the body and mind of a wizard. Review Your honor, my good people of the jury, I stand before you a simple man. A man that...
The Blade Itself by Joe Abercrombie
Summary The first novel in the First Law Trilogy and debut fantasy novel from New York Times bestseller, Joe Abercrombie. Logen Ninefingers, infamous barbarian, has finally run out of luck. Caught in one feud too many, he’s on the verge of becoming a dead barbarian — leaving nothing behind him but bad songs, dead friends, and a lot of happy enemies. Nobleman, dashing officer, and paragon of selfishness, Captain Jezal dan Luthar has nothing more dangerous in mind than fleecing his friends at cards and dreaming of glory in the fencing circle. But war is brewing, and on the battlefields...
Legacy of the Brightwash by Krystle Matar: Review and Interview
Summary Follow the law and you’ll stay safe. But what if the law is wrong? Tashué’s faith in the law is beginning to crack. Three years ago, he stood by when the Authority condemned Jason to the brutality of the Rift for non-compliance. When Tashué’s son refused to register as tainted, the laws had to be upheld. He’d never doubted his job as a Regulation Officer before, but three years of watching your son wither away can break down even the strongest convictions. Then a dead girl washed up on the bank of the Brightwash, tattooed and mutilated. Where had...