The Witch and the Tsar by Olesya Salnikova Gilmore
L. A. Young
The Witch and the Tsar—the debut novel by Olesya Salnikova Gilmore—is a book with a title that draws you towards it without knowing what the story is about. There is…
historical fantasy
Scales and Sensibility by Stephanie Burgis – SPFBO #8 Finals Review
Jennie Ivins
*Disclaimer* Everyone is different and likes and dislikes different things. Reading is no exception. One person’s all-time favorite might seem too bland or too high stakes for another. That being…
Miss Percy’s Pocket Guide to the Care and Feeding of British Dragons by Quenby Olson – SPFBO #8 Finals Review
*Disclaimer* Everyone is different and likes and dislikes different things. Reading is no exception. One person’s all-time favorite might seem too bland or too high stakes for another. That being…
Ahab’s Return, Or the Last Voyage by Jeffrey Ford
Richard Marpole
*Content Warning for novel: racism, child murder, drugs.* A new(ish) entry into the grand tradition of reimagining or sequelising classic novels, Ahab’s Return explores what might have happened if Ahab…
The Jasmine Throne by Tasha Suri
Fans and readers of epic fantasy are familiar with the trope of one or more protagonists embarking on a quest to save the world, the empire, the country, etc. Historical…
The Unbroken by C. L. Clark
In recent years, the fantasy genre has become more expansive with new narratives written by diverse and multicultural authors. Some of these narratives led to the emergence of new subgenres…
Quenby Olson Interview – Miss Percy’s Pocket Guide to the Care and Feeding of British Dragons
A. M. Justice
A little more than a month ago, I reviewed Quenby Olson’s Regency-era fantasy, Miss Percy’s Pocket Guide to the Care and Feeding of British Dragons on this site. In the…
These Violent Delights by Chloe Gong
JC Kang
“West Side Story meets Fists of Fury.” Australian-born-and-raised, American-educated, ethnically Chinese author Chloe Gong became a social media sensation with her TikToks drumming up anticipation for her YA historical fantasy…
Miss Percy’s Pocket Guide to the Care and Feeding of British Dragons by Quenby Olson
I loved this book. I loved this book. I loved this book! I went back over the reviews I’ve written for Fantasy-Faction and found I’ve used love to describe aspects…
You Are Writing Medieval Fantasy Wrong
*Disclaimer* This is not an academic essay. It’s a series of very shallow cuts that completely fails to delve into the complex histories it touches upon. It bounces around the…
She Who Became the Sun by Shelley Parker-Chan
Mulan meets Swordsman 2. As a mostly-audiobook consumer with little time to actually read, it had taken me two weeks to finish Nghi Vo’s short novella, Empress of Salt and…
Darkness Forged by Matt Larkin – SPFBO #6 Finals Review
Vengeance is wrought. Darkness is forged. The greatest crafts on Midgard come from the dvergar realm of Nidavellir. Volund, a gifted smith and once apprentice to the dvergar, escaped their…