Browsing all articles in Reviews.
The Girl and the Mountain by Mark Lawrence
Spoiler Warning: This review contains minor spoilers for book one of the Book of the Ice series. Please read with caution if you have yet to finish The Girl in the Stars. “To touch the sky, be prepared to climb.” And climb we must. Mark Lawrence’s second installment to the Book of the Ice series, […]
Leather and Lace by Magen Cubed
First Disclaimer: I received an advance digital review copy of this book in return for an honest review. Second Disclaimer: The copy used for this review is an uncorrected proof. The published edition may be subject to further editing and revision. With that in mind, I will not discuss editing, spelling or grammar in this […]
The Bone Shard Daughter by Andrea Stewart
Frankenstein meets Hacker meets Solo meets Legend of Zelda, in an Asian family drama. Given my interest in Asian-themed fantasy, it came as a surprise that I didn’t hear about Andrea Stewart’s debut novel, The Bone Shard Daughter, until about a week before it launched to a parade of glowing critical reviews. Of course, Stewart […]
First, Become Ashes by K.M. Szpara
Trigger Warning for First, Become Ashes: This books (not this review) contains explicit sadomasochism and sexual content, as well as abuse and consent violations, including rape. An individual carries their beliefs throughout their life: religious, political, truth and reality. There comes a point within each individual when those beliefs become fixed notions, which become more […]
Anna by Sammy H.K. Smith
The Government has fallen, society is broken, and to survive in the land you need to be intelligent, cunning, and tough. Above that though, you need to be watchful. The towns and cities are walled communities which protect those within and distrust those without. Each maintains a small armed force, and there are those who […]
The Fall of Erlon by Robert H. Fleming – SPFBO #6 Finals Review
As empires burn, heroes must rise. Elisa Lannes was once heiress to the mighty Erlonian Empire. But when her mother abandons the empire and her emperor father is defeated on the battlefield and sent into exile, the world she would rule collapses around her. As enemies converge on the capital, Elisa must join with the […]
The Combat Codes by Alexander Darwin – SPFBO #6 Finals Review
Editor’s Note: Our overall rating for The Combat Codes is 7/10 as stated above. But our SPFBO rating is 3.5/10. See below for more details. “We fight so the rest shall not have to.” In a world where single combat determines the fate of nations, the Grievar fight so the rest can remain at peace. […]
His Dark Materials: Season Two – TV Series Review
Over the years, fans of media adaptations of books had to learn to live with the possibility the sequels and/or the follow ups to TV shows and/or movies would never be made. The opposite of this would be when the sequels were made and released, and the audience was left feeling the same finesse was […]
Testament of Steel by Davis Ashura
If Cradle were set in South Asia with elves and dwarves. I had been aware of Davis Ashura as an author of South Asian fantasy for several years and got to see him speak on a panel about diversity in fantasy at DragonCon (before the plague cancelled all the cons). Duly impressed by demeanor and […]
The SFF Content That Got Me Through 2020 – YouTube & Podcasts
[Editor’s Note: As the author relays below. Last year was A YEAR. Turns out this year has also been A YEAR. Which is why this article is going out in March instead of January. (Completely my fault.) Someday reality will return to a semblance of normalcy. Until then thank all that is good in the […]
Lost Gods edited by Joanne Hall and Dolly Garland
They have slept for centuries. Buried. Forgotten. Lost. Until they awake. Or are awoken… When the deities of old return, will they bring blessings or destruction to a time that no longer remembers them? Should they be left to lie in peace, or used for our own ends? Are they gods, or monsters? What lies […]
Nether Light by Shaun Paul Stevens – SPFBO #6 Finals Review
Take a journey through a world punished by a dark, imprisoned magic. A world where children are given poison. A world where your talent is decided by the state. A world where reality is breaking down. When refugee Guyen washes up in the land of his enemy, he knows he will fight, but soon finds […]
