SPFBO Finalist Review: A Light From the Nether by Molly Dowd Sullivan
Julia Kitvaria Sarene
Liam O’Connor is special. When a Fissure opens in someone’s mind, he’s the one who sews it up again. When a parasite creeps through that Fissure, Liam is the exterminator…
urban fantasy
The Undetectables by Courtney Smyth – Review
Funny and a little melancholy, like finding an old friendship bracelet at the back of a drawer and realising you still want to wear it.
SPFBO Finalist Review: The Hallows by H. L. Tinsley
The Hallow serum was once sacred to the Auld Bloods. Used to gain access to their lost ancestral powers, now it is regulated and administered by the powerful Providence Company.…
An Instruction in Shadow by Benedict Jacka – Review
A darker, grittier contemporary fantasy with a protagonist who feels younger than his years and a world that rewards patient readers.
Merchant Magician by John Champaign – Review
If you want urban fantasy with a protagonist who'll bargain with a leprechauns just as well as washing dishes without complaint, this one's for you. Charming, creative, and easy company.
Veniss Underground by Jeff VanderMeer – Review
Stuart Cripps-Schnoor
Witness an unforgettable journey that reveals the magical and mysterious city of Veniss through three intertwined voices. First, Nicholas, a would-be Living Artist, seeks to escape his demons in the…
Atlanta’s Guide to Cryptids by Kevin A. Davis – Review
I genuinely appreciated that there is no romance here at all. Female leads without that are still rarer than they should be.
Investigation, Mediation, Vindication by Chris Tullbane – Review
This is not a book that will stay with you for weeks, but it is an easy, entertaining read with rough edges and real promise. Tullbane's debut does enough right…
The Bystander by Rob M. Lastrel – Review
Christopher Keene
The book’s scenarios, or stories, work for the same reason horror-themed mechanic board games like Betrayal of House on the Hill and Trouble Brewing work, where you are given different…
Chosen by Benedict Jacka – Review
The action is as sharp as ever. Alex can't blast his way through problems like some mages. He plans, he outmaneuvers, he uses his foresight and his wits, and watching…
The Last Smile in Sunder City by Luke Arnold – Review
... a moody, character-driven urban fantasy with a capable, sarcastic protagonist and a city full of strange, broken, and dangerous inhabitants. It’s a story that is clever, darkly funny at…
An Inheritance of Magic by Benedict Jacka – Review
The magic is inventive, the stakes are high, and power comes at a cost. With fast learning curves, a ruthless magical society, and a protagonist who must match wit with…