OFFICIAL AUTHOR BIO: Rebecca Robinson is a writer of fantasy romance novels. Her debut novel will be published in November 2024 by Saga Press, an imprint of Simon & Schuster. She is represented by Samantha Fabien at Root Literary.

FORMAT/INFO: The Serpent and the Wolf will be published on November 19th, 2024 by Saga Press. It is 352 pages and told in third person from Vaasa and Reid's POV. It will be available in hardcover, ebook, and audiobook format.

OVERVIEW/ANALYSIS: Vaasa is used to political schemes - just not ones that involve her dying. But after Vaasa inherits a dark magic that killed her mother, her brother takes the opportunity to marry her off to a foreign ruler. Vaasa will be dead in a few months, and her brother can use that as a pretext to invade. Things take a twist, however, when her husband recognizes her magic and offers her a deal: Vaasa will use her political cunning to help secure his seat in an upcoming election, and he will give her the knowledge she needs to control her magic. With her husband's charisma and her own skills, the two pose a powerful front...but Vaasa's brother has plans of his own, and he doesn't care if Vaasa lives or dies in his quest for power.

The Serpent and the Wolf is a slow burn political fantasy romance that takes a while to get going, but builds to an absolutely gripping conclusion. While the publishers are leaning on the romantasy angle to sell this one, The Serpent and the wolf takes its time to get hot and steamy (flirtatious wedding night in the opening scene aside). Everyone's mileage with romances varies with how much they like certain tropes, and I'll admit, the dynamic between Reid and Vaasa wasn't my favorite at first. It starts from a place of "woman thinks she's dangerous, man thinks she's adorable and feisty but not really dangerous," which isn't my cup of tea. As the story progresses, however, we see this relationship evolve into a real partnership. Vaasa has the political acumen to take Reid's charisma and leadership to the next level, and Reid's smart enough to respect her advice. I am totally here for a power couple, and that's what The Serpent and the Wolf built to.

I do wish, however, that the actual politics and world-building had been just a little more fleshed out. There's a whole whirlwind of countries that are part of a collaborative empire that elect a ruler every ten years, as well as countries outside of that empire. Trying to keep track of which countries got along and which had bitter history, as well as the slew of names of rulers and advisors, was a bit of a daunting task, even for someone who loves political fantasy. That made it hard to track what was going on in some scenes, as I wasn't sure who was representing what nation and what the full significance was supposed to be.

The Serpent and the Wolf also takes a while to get to the central thrust of its story, and I do think the first half of the book is a bit weak. There's a rivalry in Reid's inner circle that's never really fully explained; Vaasa also spends the first half the book running around trying to understand her magic in a way that felt meandering.

Eventually, however, Vaasa and Reid begin to click, and the back half of the book is much stronger for it. I devoured the last third of the book as the action kicked off, and enjoyed where the story ended. While I was skeptical at the beginning of the book, I am definitely on board to find out where things go in the sequel!

CONCLUSION: The Serpent and the Wolf may not start with its best foot forward, but it finds its way in the end. I do think this is an instance of a bit of mismarketing, as the publisher is leaning heavily on the romantasy angle. While there's certainly spice, this is a definite slow burn that takes its time building the romance. This is not at all a bad thing, it's simply a matter of coming into the book with the right expectations. So if you're looking for a slow-burn romance about the evolution of a political power couple, The Serpent and the Wolf is where you should look.

  

OVERVIEW/ANALYSIS (MIHIR): Blood Over Bright Haven is the follow-up adult fantasy after the SPFBO winning & critical darling that was Sword Of Kaigen. However BOBH is set in a completely different world than the Theonite one. Blood Over Bright Haven had a high barrier to overcome the gargantuan wall of expectations.

The main plot of the story is set in the magical city of Tiran and  focusses on two characters: Thomil. & Sciona.  Sciona Freynan is an orphan mage who’s obsessed with becoming the first female into the Tiranian High Magistry. Thomil is of the Caldonnae nomadic tribe that was forced to escape their lands due to a fatalistic disease called the Blight. He is forced to work as a janitor and gets assigned to work with Sciona.  They are both forced to work with each other to achieve their goals. Sciona to become a highmage worthy of everyone’s respect and Thomil to finally find out what or how the Blight came to be.

“It’s much easier to tell yourself you’re a good person than it is to actually be one.”

This story is astounding in the themes it explores while giving us a standalone story which will haunt you with its examination of the real world problems of racial bigotry, misogyny, societal power imbalances, colonial hatred and more. In M. L. Wang’s capable hands, all of this darkness and more is gradually unveiled and we are immersed in this science-fantasy world. The magic system is indeed a complex one and it will take a while for most readers to wrap their minds about it.

However the best part of the story (and it shouldn’t be surprising) is the rich characterization found within. Again coming after Sword Of Kaigen, we readers have come to expect wonders. And M. L. Wang delivers in unexpectedly incredible ways. From Sciona who is so headstong and laser-focused that she can come of as more than a bit unlikeable but charismatic to a fine degree. It is Thomil and his niece Carra who are the tender hearts of the story from the beginning. Thomil is a tortured turned taciturn person who has never forgotten what really happened in the Kwen grasslands. It is his stubborn drive that fuels his strength and now matter what indignities the native Tiranians inflict upon him and his kind. He never forgets and also doesn’t forgive fully. Sciona on the other hand takes a while to get to unpeel her layers & M. L. Wang has to be lauded for her unflinching look at what really powers Sciona:

“Thomil said that a woman was weighed at the gates of Heaven by her actions and their impact. Well, Sciona was going to leave an impact. Whatever happened next, whether it led to Hell or Heaven, she was going to have a hand in directing it. Sick or sound, good or evil, she was still Sciona Freynan. And Sciona Freynan didn’t slow down. Sciona Freynan would be remembered.”

The story goes off in some dark situations and it’s no surprise given what the author has in mind. The main plot deals with some horrific issues and themes and we the readers are eloquently shown the evil that mankind has been known to inflict upon its weaker classes. In this regards, Blood Over Bright Haven will cut your heart and mind into finer pieces and the subject matter is dissected with a scalpel like dexterity. My mind often hearkens back to another famous story focusing on such an issue (namely Babel by R.F. Kuang). It is perhaps unfair to compare these similarly themed stories written by authors of (similar) east Asian ancestry. However one can only marvel at the dexterity showcased in one and the hamfistedness of the other. However success & fame are strange bedfellows, and I sincerely hope more dark academia readers discover BOBH to truly understand what a masterful dissection of thorny issues can look like.

Blood Over Bright Haven is not a book for the casual fantasy fan but it is imperative that everyone reads it. It is brutal in its exploration of pain, brilliant in its characterization and compelling from end to end. What can I say more, M. L. Wang is the rare artist who vivisects pain & other dark emotions to show the truth, beauty & darkness within mankind.

 

OVERVIEW/ANALYSIS: This is a reality bending world with a mom who thought she would get one evening away from her baby being thrust into a time loopy adventure. It’s not very long, and it’s pretty much the setting that kept me hooked. To describe terribly, there are layers of realities that get more and more unhinged as you step from Prime layer to deeper and deeper echoes, and there aren’t many people who survive, or even want to consider stepping away from the layer that serves at ground truth. A new year party goes haywire and our protagonist Kembral is stuck trying to prevent murders, understanding why things are happening and what the stakes are for her and her baby, and just trying to get back home safe.

Kembral is shown to be an extremely competent Hound on maternity leave. There are people who want her back at work to do some challenging things, and she’s just trying to get them to understand that she’s not back at work yet. What a Hound (or a Cat, as you shall see if you read the book) does I think I’ve understood, but I couldn’t explain satisfactorily with a gun to my head, or worse. She’s like a magical investigator. You’ll just have to read the book and see for yourself.

You know those movies, where there’s a party or social gathering, and that’s used to introduce the viewer to different characters who may or may not matter to the story? The first two chapters are that, and it’s a bit dizzying in how much information is given to the reader at the get go. Quite a lot of it is useful, but I just couldn’t hold it in my head as the story progressed, and I just relied on the author’s competence to remind me of something important if it mattered. It did work out, and I really enjoyed watching the main character put things together and make her alliances. Now, it’s not necessarily a bad thing, but I am not sure if this makes the book friendly to newbies of the genre.

As for the magic, I really enjoyed how the different layers of echoes added awe but also stakes to the adventure, and loved watching things go more and more insane as Kembral got deeper in. The setting is what got me to pay attention to this book, and while it can be a wholly of information initially, I don’t think there was a way to smoothen it out, and get the impression that the author did the best she could. Beyond that point though, there’s a steady drip of the setting given throughout the book, and that was done very impressively.

A prominent theme of in book that gives it a niche target audience would be motherhood. Like I said, new mom away from baby for a night, and while we have seen it before in TV shows or movies or even books (I haven’t so if you know any that do this, feel free to drop a recommendation in the comments), but I liked how every other action taken by the main character was colored by her new responsibility or concern for the world that her baby Emmi would inherit, as well as her conflicting emotions in taking time away for herself, or trying to decide how she would balance what she wanted in her career/job and with her daughter. I do wish the resolution wasn’t abrupt here. When I mean abrupt, there’s a drastic change in like three paragraphs, and this needed to be done better, and more convincingly. As for repetition, you know how much I loathe it in books. There were a lot of the same phrases or words used (we could’ve done with one or more less mentions of her insides being rearranged during pregnancy etc), and I think the concentration on some aspects of motherhood was overly done in pockets, and there had to be stronger editing to spread it across the book in a less making-a-point-in-your-face way. I realize I’m not in a position to critique the content, but it’s the delivery here that I’ve an issue with. Just copyedit better next time?

Extending on my feelings about the motherhood theme, I enjoyed how the romance and pining (if you like a book with pining) worked its way into it and her need to be able to ask for help when needed. Now, the miscommunication, it wasn’t bad here. There is some. But you get to watch it being worked out by the end. So just keep that in mind.

CONCLUSION: I said a lot and have trouble pinning down my feelings for this book, but just know, I do recommend it. If you review, it’s definitely worth a request, and if you don’t, worth a purchase. Or talk to your library. I think a lot of you will enjoy this one.

OFFICIAL AUTHOR BIO: SUNG-IL KIM was born in Seoul in 1974. Despite his lifelong dream of writing fiction, he only got around to it in his forties. He writes science fiction, fantasy, horror, or some blend of those. In South Korea, he is known for Blood of the Old Kings, I Will Go to Earth to See You, and “The Knight of La Mancha,” the last of which earned him an Excellence Award at the Korean SF Awards in 2018. He spends most of his time in his downtown Seoul apartment with his wife and two cats.

OFFICIAL AUTHOR BIO: Bethany Jacobs is a former college instructor of writing and science fiction, who made the leap to education technology and now teaches tech heads how to write. She lives in Buffalo, New York with her wife and her dog and her books. These Burning Stars is her debut novel.

OFFICIAL AUTHOR BIO: Nicole Evans (she/hers) is a queer, disabled SFF writer. With an MFA in Fiction, more trunked novels than she can count and too many ideas to keep track of, she made her authorial debut with Blood Price. She currently lives in the Midwest with her partner and their pets, though she yearns to escape to the forest one day. You can find her online via her LinkTree.