Tower of Mud and Straw by Yaroslav Barsukov
L. A. Young
When a book is said to be “buzzworthy,” there is a combination of curiosity and skepticism that comes with it. Readers and critics ask themselves, “should I read this book?”…
Reviews
She Dreams in Blood by Michael R. Fletcher
A. M. Justice
First person narratives don’t naturally jive with me. Those in present tense bring to mind loquacious toddlers who narrate their existence to doting parents, and the ones in past tense…
The Lost War by Justin Lee Anderson – SPFBO #6 Finals Review
Anderson does a masterful job weaving a fast-paced adventure—including harrowing action scenes involving lots of monsters and zombies—into a fascinating backdrop involving economic ruin, misinformation, nativism, and stigma.
Voice of War by Zack Argyle – SPFBO #6 Finals Review
While preparing for the birth of his first child, Chrys Valerian is tasked with uncovering the group responsible for a series of missing threadweavers—those able to see and manipulate threadlight.…
This Is How You Lose the Time War by Amal El-Mohtar and Max Gladstone
A. A. Freeman
I’ve never been shy about letting my love of strange stories shine through. When I started asking people for book recommendations a friend immediately told me to read This Is…
The Girl and the Mountain by Mark Lawrence
S. H. Paulus
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…
Leather and Lace by Magen Cubed
Richard Marpole
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 Bone Shard Daughter by Andrea Stewart
JC Kang
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…
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…
Anna by Sammy H.K. Smith
Geoff Matthews
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…
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 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…