After years of reading adult fantasy, branching out into YA this year has exposed me to some truly fantastic work. And next on the list was the promising A Song Below Water by Bethany C. Morrow, an urban fantasy set in Portland that uses a fantastical storyline to explore contemporary injustice. A Song Below Water… Continue reading Fantasy Novel Review: A Song Below Water by Bethany C. Morrow
A couple years ago, I saw Carol Berg’s Lighthouse Duet mentioned on a list of outstanding female-authored epic fantasies that never got the recognition they deserved. After The Lighthouse Duet became one of my all-time favorites, I resolved to dedicate a good chunk of reading time to under-the-radar, female-authored epics. And another on the list… Continue reading Fantasy Novel Review: Transformation by Carol Berg
This has been my first year participating in the r/Fantasy book bingo, which has quickly become one of my favorite reading challenges. To complete the board, you need to read 25 books (well, 24 books and a handful of short stories) by 25 different authors, all fitting into various bingo categories. It’s been a wonderful… Continue reading So Long and Thanks for All the Cliffs: A Year of Book Bingo
Amari and the Night Brothers is the first book that I’ve read as a direct result of #booktwitter. My previous book discussion spots didn’t hit middle grade too hard, but my Twitter feed was buzzing about B.B. Alston’s debut, and I’d been looking to dip my toe back into fantasy for younger audiences (Harry Potter… Continue reading Fantasy Novel Review: Amari and the Night Brothers by B.B. Alston
A short month, but no lack of quality. Rounding-up my February reads and posts. Short Stories February Favorite “The ThoughtBox” (2020) by Tlotlo Tsamaase. An emotionally abusive boyfriend brings home a device that allows the couple to hear each other’s thoughts. It doesn’t go well. Really gripping story that always has another layer. Strong Contenders… Continue reading February 2021 Round-up and Short Fiction Focus
If you’re not intrigued by the title of A Wizard’s Guide to Defensive Baking, I’m not sure what to tell you. But if you think that T. Kingfisher’s pseudo-middle-grade novel can’t live up to its title, I can tell you that you’re mistaken. Whether you want humor, depth, good characters, or an interesting magic system,… Continue reading Fantasy Novel Review: A Wizard’s Guide to Defensive Baking by T. Kingfisher
I hadn’t heard much about Hench when it came out, but this is the time of year when an interesting premise and a couple people convinced it should be in consideration for a Hugo nomination is enough to give something a second look. And, while I probably won’t include Hench on my ballot, Natalie Zina… Continue reading Fantasy Novel Review: Hench by Natalie Zina Walschots
I’ve been hearing a lot of good about The Deep–Rivers Solomon’s novella, inspired by the song of the same name from the experimental hip hop group clipping.–ever since its release in 2019. And with it being spotlighted this month in one of r/Fantasy’s many book clubs, I finally decided to take the plunge. The… Continue reading Fantasy Novella Review: The Deep by Rivers Solomon
New epic fantasies always give me more apprehension than any other book. The ones that hit tend to really hit, and secondary world fantasy series dominate my all-time favorites list. But they try to accomplish so much that it’s easy to get bogged down in the setup, and I DNF epics more than anything else.… Continue reading Fantasy Novel Review: Black Sun by Rebecca Roanhorse
Andy Giesler released his debut during the summer of 2019, but it didn’t hit my radar until it made the semifinals of this year’s Self-Published Fantasy Blog-Off. While it was not chosen as a finalist, I found its review more intriguing than the book chosen out of that semifinal group, so I decided to give… Continue reading Science Fiction/Fantasy Novel Review: The Nothing Within by Andy Giesler
