Once again, Book Bingo does its job, albeit not in the way I expected. Way back before I ramped up my reading to current levels and started writing about books, I read and loved The Ballad of Black Tom. It put Victor LaValle on my mental list of intriguing authors, but with mixed reviews for… Continue reading Psychological Novel Review: The Devil in Silver by Victor LaValle
The title is great, the cover is gorgeous, and Benedict Patrick’s novelette “And They Were Never Heard From Again” was one of the best stories I read all of last year. So dipping back into Yarnsworld for the first full-length novel was a no-brainer. They Mostly Come Out at Night is a dark fairy tale, with… Continue reading Fantasy Novel Review: They Mostly Come Out at Night by Benedict Patrick
I didn’t see too much hype for Micaiah Johnson’s debut–although it was enough to push my library hold to five months–but what it lacked in quantity, it made up for in quality. Every single review I saw for The Space Between Worlds raves about it. I was hoping to read it before award nomination season ended, but… Continue reading Science Fiction Novel Review: The Space Between Worlds by Micaiah Johnson
In my corners of book social media, it’s impossible not to be aware of Katherine Addison’s breakout hit, The Goblin Emperor, which is either a delightfully wholesome comfort read or a dull political fantasy where nothing happens, depending on who you ask. It had been on my list for a long time, and after finally… Continue reading Fantasy Novel Review: The Goblin Emperor by Katherine Addison
There seemed to be some debate about whether Black Girl Unlimited was fantasy or a memoir, but the first reviews were almost universally glowing, and early March was a good time to read some promising 2020 publications before award nominations were due. So I thought I’d give Echo Brown’s debut a shot, and I’m glad… Continue reading Fantasy Novel Review: Black Girl Unlimited by Echo Brown
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
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
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
