Why Do We Love Elemental Fantasy?
Richard Marpole
Earth, air, fire, and water. Primal forces that make up the world and power magic. Why are they such a popular motif in fantasy fiction? Firstly, the theory of the…
YA
Song of Silver, Flame Like Night by Amélie Wen Zhao
JC Kang
Steeped in deep lore inspired by Chinese cosmology, Song of Silver, Flame Like Night infuses wonder and excitement into the common tropes of forbidden magic, lost heirs, and clash of…
Julia’s SFF Christmas List
Julia Kitvaria Sarene
In the Northern Hemisphere the weather is getting cold, the trees are bare, snow is in the air (or at least I wish it was!) and it is slowly coming—Christmas…
Iron Widow by Xiran Jay Zhao
“If Arya Stark were a mecha pilot.” Xiran Jay Zhao’s debut YA science-fantasy, Iron Widow, is the first book I’ve read in a very long time that I didn’t want…
These Violent Delights by Chloe Gong
“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…
Shadow and Bone: Netflix vs. the Books
The book isn’t better. With one huge caveat. Sucked in by the Grisha with their magical powers and vibrant worldbuilding equal to Game of Thrones, I binged Netflix’s adaptation of…
His Dark Materials – Season One Review
L. A. Young
Back in 1999, it was announced that both The Lord of the Rings and Harry Potter were becoming film franchises. There was both excitement and apprehension. Excitement because fans were…
Unsouled by Will Wight
The Monkey King meets Up. For a novel entitled Unsouled, Will Wight’s prototypical story has a lot of soul. I’d picked it up a couple of years ago, but each…
Descendant of the Crane by Joan He
“Tagline Intentionally Left Blank” One of my favorite parts of writing reviews is coming up with a snappy tagline that compares the book in question to iconic stories. The publisher…
One Word Kill by Mark Lawrence
Toby Frost
In January 1986, 15-year-old Nick is told that he has cancer. He begins chemotherapy and struggles to maintain as much of a normal life as he can. But a girl…
Chronicles of Ancient Darkness by Michelle Paver – Series Review
Pippa
Chronicles of Ancient Darkness is a six book historical fantasy series by British author, Michelle Paver. The series consists of Wolf Brother, Spirit Walker, Soul Eater, Outcast, Oath Breaker and…
Soul Render by T. L. Branson
“Stormbringer in a stone.” Middle school marked the rebirth of my interest in fantasy, and after reading heroic fantasy stories like Dragonlance and Dragonriders of Pern, I was taken aback…