Summary: In a world where writing disappears when the author dies, 22-year-old Cael Oberlan watches the last gasping breaths of his best friend. He pulls a scrap of paper out of his pocket as his friend’s signature fades. Cael only wants vengeance for his friend and to create a reality where he no longer has to bow before any man. However, the nagging suspicion that his father, who started this war, hasn't given him the whole story about his role in this conflict threatens to unravel everything he ever thought he knew about himself and the people he is fighting...
Silverstone’s Book Blog Year in Review Part One
Hello and welcome to The Silverstone’s Book Blog Year in Review. The bloggers here will be reviewing their top three favorite reads of 2023. For me, it was a year of firsts as I published my first fantasy novel, received my first review, was invited to join Silverstone’s Book Blog, and participated in several contests for the indie community. I’ve made some amazing friends and hope to continue into 2024 with more triumphs. I read over fifteen Science Fiction and Fantasy (SFF) books this year out of twenty-seven total books. I tend to read about twenty-four books a year, with...
The Traitors We Are by Michael Roberti
Summary In a world where writing disappears when the author dies, Cael Oberlan watches the last gasping breaths of his best friend. As his friend's signature fades, he pulls a scrap of paper out of his pocket and a name disappears. Cael only wants vengeance for his friend; however, the nagging suspicion that his father, who started this war, hasn't given him the whole story about his role in this conflict threatens to unravel everything he ever thought he knew about himself and his people fighting for freedom. As the nephew of the King of Harfel, Emil Trestinsen should...
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...
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...
Deathless Beast/Bone Shroud by Andrew D Meredith
Summary Deathless Best Fates intertwine – Pantheon calls – Darkness grows Far too many blame their own bad luck on Hanen and Rallia Clouw. When opportunity knocks, they leap to put their past behind them. In the turmoil of a holy order fraught with lies, frustration, and heresy, the paladin Jined Brazstein is called to deeper faith. When Katiam takes up a seemingly ageless seed pod from a botanist’s desk, she cannot guess at the change it will bring. While life stirs within that seed, while the path to deeper faith beckons, while there is coin to be made upon...
The Infernal Games by Reed Logan Westgate: Review & Interview
Objective Score (Amazon and Goodreads Score): 5/5 TL;DR: A book that got me, someone who doesn’t really like Urban Fantasy, to finish the book and actively seek out time to listen (I did the audiobook). There were occasional flaws, but not nearly enough to lower the score. Well-written and fast-paced. Subjective Score (Personal Tastes): 81/100 Pros for me: Excellent Worldbuilding Oxivius steals every scene he is in Reminds me of several books and tv shows I like I genuinely cared about the outcome and felt the danger in every moment Well-written and a good pace Cons for me: A bit...