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Tuesday, February 28, 2023

SPFBO 8 Finalist review: A Song for The Void by Andrew C. Piazza

 


SPFBO Finalist interview: Andrew C. Piazza, the Author of A Song For The Void

Monday, February 27, 2023

Review: Rubicon by J.S. Dewes

 

Official Author Website
Order Rubicon HERE
Friday, February 24, 2023

Book review: Vampire Weekend by Mike Chen

Vampire Weekend by Mike Chen review


Book links: Amazon, Goodreads
Thursday, February 23, 2023

My Roommate is a Vampire by Jenna Levine (Reviewed by Shazzie)

 


Buy My Roommate is a Vampire here

Official Author Website

Wednesday, February 22, 2023

Independence: A Novel by Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni (Reviewed by Shazzie)

 

Tuesday, February 21, 2023

The Battle That Was Lost by Micheal S. Jackson (Reviewed by Matthew Higgins)

 


OFFICIAL BOOK BLURB: A bastard gets paid. That's the point of being a bastard, after all. Yet in war, payment in blood is more likely than payment in coin.
Staegrim knows coins better than he knows people, and he isn't giving his life away for free. Not to the rebels, not for the lords, and not for all of the bloody coins in Rengas.
But then... Everyone has a price.

Monday, February 20, 2023

Review: The Foxglove King by Hannah Whitten

 

Buy The Foxglove King HERE
Thursday, February 16, 2023

Book review: Paradox Bound by Peter Clines


Book links: Amazon, Goodreads

AUTHOR INFO: PETER CLINES has published several pieces of short fiction and countless articles on the film and television industries. He is the author of The Fold and the acclaimed Ex-Heroes series. He lives in Southern California.
Wednesday, February 15, 2023

Spice Road by Maiya Ibrahim (Reviewed by Shazzie)

 


Official author website

Tuesday, February 14, 2023

SPFBO 8 Finalist Review: A Touch of Light by Thiago Abdalla

 


Book links: AmazonGoodreads

SPFBO Interview: Thiago Abdalla, the author of A Touch of Light


Book links: Amazon, Goodreads
Monday, February 13, 2023

THE EIDOLON by K.D. Edwards - Review


Read Caitlin's review of The Hourglass Throne
Buy The Eidolon HERE

OFFICIAL AUTHOR BIO: K.D. lives and writes in North Carolina, but has spent time in Massachusetts, Maine, Colorado, New Hampshire, Montana, and Washington. (Common theme until NC: Snow. So, so much snow.)

Mercifully short careers in food service, interactive television, corporate banking, retail management, and bariatric furniture has led to a much less short career in Higher Education.

FORMAT/INFO: The Eidolon will be self-published on February 28th, 2023. It is 217 pages split over 12 chapters, a prologue and an epilogue. It is told in third person from Max, Quinn, and Anna's POVs. It is available in ebook and audiobook formats.

OVERVIEW/ANALYSIS: Quinn and Max may have been taken prisoner by Lady Jade, but it's all part of Quinn's plan. Quinn's gift of prophecy has told him this is the only way to get Rune the information he needs to defeat Lady Jade. But prophecy can't see everything, and this task is still full of dangers as Quinn, Max, and Anna work to stay alive in the weird and creepy underground domain of the Eidolon. 

The Eidolon is a fun little adventure for those already well-versed in the Tarot Sequence universe. That's an important distinction to make as this book is being marked as the first book in a new series, Magnus Academy. While the primary books of the Tarot Sequence focus on Rune and his journey, Magnus Academy focuses on the younger members of his cohort: Quinn, Max, and Anna. This is not however, a good on-boarding point to the Tarot Sequence, as this novella presupposes you're already familiar with the universe. This is very much a companion novel to the main books, not an adventure that stands on its own, especially given that this plotline in particular was originally intended for book 3, The Hourglass Throne, but was cut due to page count limits. All of that is to say, if you aren't already reading the Tarot Sequence, don't start here. 

If you ARE a Tarot Sequence fan, then you're in for a bite-sized treat, full of mystery, explosive magics, and weird creatures. There are POV chapters from each of our three heroes that offer some crucial insights to these characters we've only seen from the outside before. I particularly enjoyed the chapters written from Quinn's point of view, as it was fascinating experiencing what it's like to constantly be experiencing different timelines and knowing that leaving an umbrella at a bus stop could change the course of someone's life. Max is constantly comparing himself to Rune, while Anna, freshly coming into a level of power that dwarfs many adult's, has a bit of an Elle Wood "What, like it's hard?" flare when it comes to difficult magic workings. 

CONCLUSION: The Eidolon is a great companion read to The Hourglass Throne. That said, it's a bit of a weird read that essentially has to be read as a companion piece, as it is one piece of a bigger puzzle, and its weight can't really be appreciated on its own. Do I wish the publisher of The Hourglass Throne had let this be part of the original book? Yes. But at least we get to still experience this particular storyline, and even get one or two surprise revelations along the way. (One of which had me shouting "I KNEW IT."). I am certainly looking forward to more adventures from Max, Quinn, and Anna, and seeing how this novella bridges the main series with the other novels set in this universe.

Thursday, February 9, 2023

Cover Reveal: Chasm by Stacey McEwan

 


Seal your eyes and sleep,

Still your lips, cease your breath,

Lie where sorrow dares not be,

Free from the hands of death.


Before we take a look at more details, let's take a look at the cover:



COVER DESIGNER: Kate Cromwell

OFFICIAL BOOK BLURB: 

Dawsyn’s miraculous escape from the Ledge was just the beginning. In the queens’ dungeon, Dawsyn awaits her execution while reliving the death of her lover, Ryon. There is no hope for mercy.

But hope finds her in the form of rescue by her village friends. On the run and struggling to tame her newly-gained and greatly unstable powers, Dawsyn's journey continues. As she ascends the perilous mountain slopes once again to the Glacian kingdom in a desperate attempt to save those remaining on the Ledge, she discovers a new evil awaiting her. With a contingent of hundreds, she must lead her people way, but she has no way of knowing what will lie ahead, or what might follow behind…

Fighting with her ax and newfound power is arduous enough, but finds she must also battle her feelings of betrayal and hope when those she thought lost forever, may not be gone after all…

OFFICIAL AUTHOR INFORMATION: 

Stacey McEwan is a school teacher by day and fantasy writer by night. A book influencer on multiple platforms, she began writing the bestselling Ledge after book lovers of the internet begged her to share her story ideas. Stacey lives on the Gold Coast, Australia with her husband, two children and one questionable dog. When Stacey isn’t writing, teaching, or making ridiculous tiktoks, you’ll find her playing with her children, reading, annoying her husband, or possibly all three at once. Find Stacey on TikTok and Instagram: @stacebookspace.


MORE INFO: Chasm is the second book in The Glacian Trilogy. It is due to be published on 12th September 2023 in hardcover, ebook, and audio formats by Angry Robot books. 

You can pre-order a copy of CHASM here.

View Stacey McEwans' guest post at Fantasy Book Critic, The Lure of the Badass Heroine here.  
Wednesday, February 8, 2023

The Adventures of Amina al-Sirafi by Shannon Chakraborty (Reviewed by Shazzie)









Official Author Website
Pre-order the books using links here
Pre-order this book on Bookshop.org here
Tuesday, February 7, 2023

Graphic novel: My Life Among Humans by Jed McGowan


Book links: Amazon, Goodreads

ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Jed M. McGowan writes and draws in Los Angeles, California. His previous comics include Gonzalo (nominated for an Ignatz Award), Uninhabitable (included in Best American Comics 2019), and Lone Pine (published with a grant from the Xeric Foundation). He’s also designed backgrounds for animation and created illustrations for the New York Times, Vice, and other publications.

Publisher: Oni Press (February 7, 2023) Length: 96 pages

Monday, February 6, 2023

The Tyranny of Faith by Richard Swan - Review

 


Official Author Website
Read a review of Book One, The Justice of Kings
Order the book HERE

OFFICIAL AUTHOR BIO: Richard was born in North Yorkshire and spent most of his early life on Royal Air Force bases in Yorkshire and Lincolnshire. He studied law at the University of Manchester, and spent the following ten years as a litigator.

Between 2015 and 2018, Richard self-published "The Art of War Trilogy", a sequence of epic space opera novels, as well as a prequel ("Hadan's Reach") and two spinoff mil-sci-fi novellas ("VIPER One", and "VIPER One: Countervalue", the latter co-authored with George Lockett).

Richard's debut fantasy "Empire of the Wolf" trilogy recently sold to Orbit Books, with the first instalment coming out in February 2022.

Richard currently lives and writes in Sydney, Australia.

Sunday, February 5, 2023

GIVEAWAY: The Severing Son by Vaughn Roycroft

(Image Credit: Vaughn Roycroft)


We are pleased to bring you a giveaway of a signed trade paperback The Severing Son, book one in the Sundered Nation series, in collaboration with author Vaughn Roycroft

Author Website

OFFICIAL BOOK BLURB: Tales of the Bringer of Urrinan had been told for generations, but never had the prophecy felt so near to so many. Elan wasn’t sure if she even believed one man could cause the sort of upheaval that would change the world. And yet, just as the prophecy foretold, dark forces were on the rise—including the many Spali warbands raiding across the borderlands.
It was in pursuit of one such warband when Elan’s host discovered the hidden compound of the Outcast. She’d heard how the former chieftain of the mighty Amalus Clan had been unjustly accused of murdering his rival. How the conflict had begun over a woman. How the Outcast’s son—born of that same woman—perfectly matched the prophecy’s foretelling of the Bringer.
Prophecy aside, it seemed that fate had led Elan into the midst of a legend. Because of a choice made in the heat of battle, Elan found herself bound to an outlaw hunted by friend and foe alike. Whether she believed in the prophecy or not, she found herself entangled with a lone figure who vowed to seek the sort of upheaval that might just change the world.
Could Vahldan, son of the Outcast, truly be the Bringer of Urrinan?

Let's also take a look at what author has to say about what readers can expect from this book, as well as his vision for the series:

I consider The Severing Son to be a character-driven epic tale. For readers who entrust me to guide them, I hope to provide immersion that sweeps them to a legendary time and place. Yes, I aspire to provide an escape, to a world where concepts like honor and duty are more than quaint. But I also aspire to provide the distance to reflect—on what it means to be human, and on humanity. My fondest wish is to leave readers thinking and feeling, even after they’ve finished the final page.

The giveaway is open from 5th February 2023 and will end on 12th February 2023.

Here are the terms and conditions associated with it:
  1. Participants must have a U.S. mailing address.
  2. The winner will be chosen at random after the giveaway ends, and notified via the Twitter/Instagram.
  3. Participants must be above 18 years of age, and willing to share their mailing information with the author if they win. This will include a name and a mailing address, and may include a phone number, depending on the shipping method. 
  4. This giveaway is not affiliated with Twitter, Instagram or Blogger in any way.

In order to participate, you may do one or both of the following, each of which constitues a single entry:

  1. Follow both @FantasyBookCrit and @VaughnRoycroft on Twitter, and retweet the giveaway announcement, so watch the @FantasyBookCritic space!
  2. Follow both @fantasybookcritic and @vaughnroycroft on Instagram, like and share the giveaway post in your stories. Remember to tag @fantasybookcritic in it.
Thank you all for participating in this, and good luck!

Thursday, February 2, 2023

Wolfeater by Anthony Mitchell (reviewed by Matthew Higgins)

Order Wolfeater over HERE

OFFICIAL AUTHOR INFO: Anthony Mitchell is the author of several stories set in the world of Domanska. He lives on the Wirral with his family, and their dog, the mighty Thor. By day he works in IT, but by night he can be found in a world of swords and sandals, working towards his next novel.
Wednesday, February 1, 2023

The Battle Of Medicine Rocks by Rachel Aaron (reviewed by Mihir Wanchoo)

 


Official Rachel Aaron Website
Order “The Battle Of Medicine Rocks” over HERE
Read Fantasy Book Critic’s review of The Last Stand Of Mary Good Crow Read Fantasy Book Critic's review of "Forever Fantasy Online"
Read Fantasy Book Critic's review of "FFO: Last Bastion"
Read Fantasy Book Critic's review of "FFO: The Once King"
Read Fantasy Book Critic's review of "Nice Dragons Finish Last"
Read Fantasy Book Critic's review of "One Good Dragon Deserves Another"
Read Fantasy Book Critic's review of "No Good Dragon Goes Unpunished"
Read Fantasy Book Critic's review of "A Dragon Of A Different Color"
Read Fantasy Book Critic's review of "Last Dragon Standing"
Read Fantasy Book Critic's review of "Minimum Wage Magic"
Read Fantasy Book Critic's review of "Part-Time Gods"
Read Fantasy Book Critic’s review of “Night Shift Dragons”                                
Read Fantasy Book Critic's review of "The Spirit Thief
Read Fantasy Book Critic's review of “The Spirit Rebellion” 
Read Fantasy Book Critic's review of “The Spirit Eater” & “Spirit’s Oath” 
Read Fantasy Book Critic's review of “The Spirit War” 
Read Fantasy Book Critic's review of "Spirit's End"
Read Fantasy Book Critic's review of "Fortune's Pawn"
Read Fantasy Book Critic's review of "Honor's Knight"
Read Fantasy Book Critic's review of "Heaven's Queen"
Read Fantasy Book Critic's joint interview with Rachel Aaron & Travis Bach
Read Fantasy Book Critic's Interview with Rachel Aaron
Read Eli Monpress series completion interview with Rachel Aaron
Read Fantasy Book Critic's Interview with Rachel Bach
Read Fantasy Book Critic's Heartstrikers interview with Rachel Aaron
Read Fantasy Book Critic's Second Heartstrikers interview with Rachel Aaron
Read "Why A Nice Dragon" by Rachel Aaron (Guest post)
 

A Contract in Sol Forne by Élan Marché and Christopher Warman (Reviewed by Lena)

 


Order the book here

Author Website

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NOTEWORTHY RELEASES

 Click Here To Order “Barnaby The Wanderer” by Raymond St. Elmo
Order HERE

NOTEWORTHY RELEASES

 Click Here To Order “Barnaby The Wanderer” by Raymond St. Elmo
Order HERE

NOTEWORTHY RELEASES

 Click Here To Order “Barnaby The Wanderer” by Raymond St. Elmo
Order HERE

NOTEWORTHY RELEASES

 Click Here To Order “Barnaby The Wanderer” by Raymond St. Elmo
Order HERE

NOTEWORTHY RELEASES

 Click Here To Order “Barnaby The Wanderer” by Raymond St. Elmo
Order HERE

NOTEWORTHY RELEASES

 Click Here To Order “Barnaby The Wanderer” by Raymond St. Elmo
Order HERE