OVERVIEW/ANALYSIS: Sunsplitter is the spicy action-packed follow-up to Voidwalker and it manages to deftly balance romance, action, and character in one fantastic finale. What I especially appreciated about this sequel was that it managed to find conflict between the couple of Fi and Antal (human and monstrous daeyari respectively) that felt natural and earned and not forced to create drama. Antal may have found the love of his life in Fi, but he's grappling with the fact that he has been isolated from his own people for decades, and he may have to continue that isolation to protect the human-friendly community he and Fi are building. There's a real exploration of how being cut off from your own culture is a devastating loss of connection - even if you have mixed feelings about the individual people in that culture. Fi in return struggles to figure out if she's "enough" for Antal - if she can fill the void that lost connection creates.
This conflict felt like a natural rough patch in a relationship, especially one where family members don't approve of the match. And eventually, they do call each other out and work through their issues, becoming even stronger for it. If I had one area where I had a complaint, it's that I wish Antal had had a little more initiative towards the end of the book, instead of letting old patterns continue to rule.
Aside from the romance, there's an engaging action-packed plot with a splash of politics as a dangerous foe threatens not just Antal's territory, but daeyari rule everywhere. I was fully invested in this new enemy, though I could have stood to learn a little more about them than we did. Either way, this new threat gives us the excuse to peek behind the curtain at the council that rules how daeyari live and govern on their home turf, and I welcomed the addition of new characters from Antal's past. They provide their own complications as Antal tries to figure out who - if any - of his former friends and relatives he can trust.
I'll also just give a quick mention to the fact that this is a spicier book than Voidwalker. While there was definitely spice in the first book, the author here leans full-tilt into the "monster smut" aspect of the book. There is plenty of non-spice plot in here too, but if those kinds of scenes aren't your cup of tea, you might be better off with another book.
Sunsplitter was a fantastic sequel to a book I really enjoyed. Voidwalker was one of my favorite reads of 2025 and I have a feeling Sunsplitter is going to end the year with the same glowing honor.
3:00 AM | 
Posted by
Caitlin G. |
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Sergei relives his mother’s tragic death in nightmares every night… but he’s the only one who believes she’s still alive.
Sergei lives an ordinary 1980’s American life… but every
night he travels back to the frozen Russian lake where his mother made the
ultimate sacrifice for her children’s freedom. So when a mysterious woman tells
him his mother is alive, he jumps at the chance to find her.
The problem? The only clue to her whereabouts is an otherworldly book written in a language no one has ever seen before.
Lured into a risky game of cloak and dagger with a shadowy government cabal that wants his mother as badly as he does, Sergei will risk everything to find the truth. But when his nightmares start bleeding into reality, his double life might tear his family completely apart before he has a chance to bring them back together.
The clock is ticking. With one last chance to save his
mother from the ruthless forces plotting to use her, can Sergei make it in time...
Or will everyone he loves suffer the consequences?
ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Adrian M. Gibson is an award-winning Canadian SFF author, podcaster, book designer, and tattoo artist. He is the creator of the SFF Addicts podcast, which he co-hosts with fellow authors M.J. Kuhn and Greta Kelly. The three host in-depth interviews with an array of science fiction and fantasy authors, as well as writing masterclasses. And, as of May 2026, he is the Publishing Project Manager for Grimdark Magazine, heading up their line of fantasy and sci-fi novellas. He lives in Quito, Ecuador with his family.
For the latest updates, follow Adrian on social media @adrianmgibson. You can also stream/watch new episodes of SFF Addicts every Tuesday on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, and more.
Publisher: The Kinoko Book Co. (June 16, 2026) Page count: 291 pages Formats: ebook, pp, hc
Book review: Sister Svangerd and the Devil You Know by K.J. Parker (The Loyal Opposition #2)
SPFBO XI Finalists - our approach
As avid fantasy readers, we love discovering new voices and hidden gems. SPFBO contest gives us such a possibility, and we're thrilled to participate in it for the tenth time.
The first stage of the contest has just ended, and ten blogs have picked their champions. We're excited to read all of them and would love to encourage you to do the same.
Here's GR LIST with all finalists. We encourage you to add them all to your Want to Read shelf.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR: N. K. Jemisin is a Brooklyn author who won the Hugo Award for Best Novel for The Fifth Season, which was also a New York Times Notable Book of 2015. She previously won the Locus Award for her first novel, The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms, and her short fiction and novels have been nominated multiple times for Hugo, World Fantasy, and Nebula awards, and shortlisted for the Crawford and the James Tiptree, Jr. awards. She is a science fiction and fantasy reviewer for the New York Times, and you can find her online at nkjemisin.com.
Publisher: Orbit Page count: 368 Formats: audiobook, ebook, paperback
ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Paige Lewis is an American poet and the author of the collection Space Struck, which was named one of the Best Books of 2019 by Entropy and Book Riot. Lewis's debut novel, Canon, was published by Viking Press / Penguin in May 2026.
Publisher: Viking (May 19, 2026) Page count: 480 Formats: audiobook, ebook, HC
ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Hugo and Locus Award winning author Ray Nayler was born in Quebec and raised in California. He lived and worked abroad for two decades in Russia, Central Asia, the Caucasus, the Balkans, and in Vietnam.
Ray most recently served as international advisor to the Office of National Marine Sanctuaries at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, and as visiting scholar at the George Washington University's Institute for International Science and Technology Policy.
Ray lives in Washington, DC with his wife Anna, their daughter Lydia, and two rescued cats.
Publisher: MCD (May 19, 2026) Page count: 384 pages Formats: audiobook, ebook, paperback
