Blog Listing
- @Number71
- Beauty In Ruins
- Best Fantasy Books HQ
- Bitten By Books
- Booknest
- Bookworm Blues
- Charlotte's Library
- Civilian Reader
- Critical Mass
- Curated Fantasy Books
- Dark Wolf's Fantasy Reviews
- Everything is Nice
- Falcata Times
- Fantasy & SciFi Lovin' News & Reviews
- Fantasy Cafe
- Fantasy Literature
- Gold Not Glittering
- GoodKindles
- Grimdark Magazine
- Hellnotes
- io9
- Jabberwock
- Jeff VanderMeer
- King of the Nerds
- Layers of Thought
- Lynn's Book Blog
- Neth Space
- Novel Notions
- Omnivoracious
- Only The Best Science Fiction & Fantasy
- Pat's Fantasy Hotlist
- Pyr-O-Mania
- Realms Of My Mind
- Rob's Blog O' Stuff
- Rockstarlit Bookasylum
- SciFiChick.com
- Smorgasbord Fantasia
- Speculative Book Review
- Stainless Steel Droppings
- Tez Says
- The Antick Musings of G.B.H. Hornswoggler, Gent.
- The B&N Sci-Fi & Fantasy Blog
- The Bibliosanctum
- The Book Smugglers
- The Fantasy Hive
- The Fantasy Inn
- The Nocturnal Library
- The OF Blog
- The Qwillery
- The Speculative Scotsman
- The Vinciolo Journal
- The Wertzone
- Thoughts Stained With Ink
- Tip the Wink
- Tor.com
- Val's Random Comments
- Voyager Books
- Walker of Worlds
- Whatever
- Whispers & Wonder
Blog Archive
-
▼
2024
(82)
-
▼
May
(10)
- Guest Post & Cover Reveal: Fool's Promise by Angel...
- Mushroom Blues by Adrian M. Gibson (reviewed by Ma...
- SPFBO X Introduction Post - meet the Fantasy Book ...
- Review: Two Twisted Crowns by Rachel Gillig
- Interview with Craig Schaefer : Celebrating A Deca...
- Cover Reveal: The Wingspan Of Treason by L. N. Bayen
- Review: How to Become the Dark Lord and Die Trying...
- Book review: The Atrocity Engine by Tim Waggoner
- Review: A Fate Inked in Blood by Danielle Jensen
- Graphic novel: Lucifer by Mick Carey review
-
►
April
(19)
- SPFBO 9 Has a Winner - Murder at Spindle Manor by ...
- Review: The Book of Ile-Rien: The Element of Fire ...
- Dig Two Graves by Craig Schaefer (reviewed by Mihi...
- The Doors Of Midnight by RR Virdi (reviewed by Mih...
- Book review: The Wings Upon Her Back by Samantha M...
- Review: The Hemlock Queen by Hannah Whitten
- Book review: The Prestige by Christopher Priest
- Book review: Amiant Soul by Deborah Makarios (revi...
- SPFBO 9 Finalist review: Master of The Void by Wen...
- Cover Reveal with Author Q&A: TROLLGRAVE by Alex S...
- SPFBO 9 Finalist Interview: Wend Raven, the Author...
- Book review: The Storm Beneath The World by Michae...
- Hugh Howey's SPSFC 3 has picked Six Finalists!
- Review: Can't Spell Treason Without Tea by Rebecca...
- Review: Relics of Ruin by Erin M. Evans
- Review: That Time I Got Drunk and Saved a Human by...
- The Weavers of the Alamaxa by Hadeer Elsbai (Revie...
- Book review: Mushroom Blues by Adrian Gibson
- Cover Reveal: Blood Over Bright Haven by M.L. Wang...
-
▼
May
(10)
As a reader, I love trying to figure out how a cover relates to the story before I check out the blurb, and John Anthony De Giovanni has an amazing ability to make art and title resonate. I sent John an early draft of Fool’s Promise—the draft with the original boring part 1, before I rewrote it roughly a million times—and gave him my usual vague thoughts about how probably Arsenault should be on the cover since Fool’s Promise is really his book, and I thought it would be good to show him holding the dagger he uses to make the “fool’s promise” that gives the book its name.
John sent me three sketches and at the last minute added a very brief sketch of a fourth. Strangely, even though it was much less detailed, Arsenault’s personality jumped out at me from that fourth sketch. When I chose it over the others, John confessed he’d included it on the spur of the moment—so I can only conclude that Arsenault knew what he wanted and was whispering in John’s ear.
I love the “let’s seal this vow with blood” trope (so of course I put it in my book), and I think John did a fantastic job of capturing Arsenault’s mix of determination and protectiveness. He has a “don’t mess with me, I’m serious about this” expression that I love. The core of Fool’s Promise has always been built around Kyrra and Arsenault’s relationship; it was probably the easiest of all my books to title, but it was a difficult book to write because it’s about what happens after the “happily ever after”. I wanted it to be a book about commitment and recovery—physical, mental, and emotional. And I think John has captured that vision perfectly.
I feel really lucky to have worked with John and Shawn T. King on three covers now, because I feel like they are both able to take the feeling I put into my books and translate it into imagery and typography. It might sound trite, but there is something magical and humbling about being able to see the people who have only been living in my own head. They’ve always seemed real to me, but now they're real for other people, too. That will never stop being an incredible feeling.
Reunited after years of separation, Kyrra and Arsenault long for a peaceful life together. But the magic keeping Kyrra alive is also tearing her apart. When a mysterious piece of ancient metal falls into Arsenault’s hands, he gambles that it will prove to be Kyrra’s salvation despite the secrets from his past it threatens to reveal.
Kyrra is willing to sacrifice everything to free Arsenault from the vengeful god who haunts him, even if it means embracing the magic killing her. But Liera is on the brink of war again, and an unlikely alliance with her greatest enemy may be the only way to save it from destruction.
With their love tested by powerful forces, Kyrra and Arsenault face a heart-breaking decision between their own happiness and the greater good. As the dark truth begins to unravel, can their promise hold—or will they find it was a fool’s promise after all?
Get ready for an emotional rollercoaster in Fool's Promise, the exciting second book in the award-winning Eterean Empire epic fantasy series by Angela Boord. If you like rich worldbuilding, complex characters, and epic love stories, then you won't want to miss this thrilling tale of love, sacrifice, and redemption.
Order Mushroom Blues over HERE
Official Author Website
Buy Two Twisted Crowns
Read a review of ONE DARK WINDOW
Q] Welcome to Fantasy Book Critic Lamia. To
start with, could you tell us what inspired you to be a writer in the first
place?
LNB: Thank
you for the warm welcome!
Official Author Website
Buy How to Become the Dark Lord and Die Trying
OFFICIAL AUTHOR BIO: Django Wexler graduated from Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh with degrees in creative writing and computer science, and worked for the university in artificial intelligence research. Eventually he migrated to Microsoft in Seattle, where he now lives with two cats and a teetering mountain of books. When not writing, he wrangles computers, paints tiny soldiers, and plays games of all sorts.
The Atrocity Engine by Tim Waggoner book review
FORMAT/INFO: A Fate Inked In Blood was published on February 27th, 2024 by Del Rey. It is 432 pages long and told in first person from Freya's point of view. It is available in hardcover, ebook, and audiobook formats.
About the Author: Morgan Stang lives in the humid part of Texas. He graduated from the University of Houston with a BBA. By day he works in accounting and by night he sleeps, and sometime in between he writes in a wide variety of fantasy genres, ranging from dark fantasy (The Bartram's Maw series) to gaslamp murder mystery (The Lamplight Murder Mysteries) to cozy fantasy (The Bookshop and the Barbarian). He is a fan of all things nerdy, and lives with an immortal ball python.
Official Author Website
FORMAT/INFO: The Element of Fire was republished in a revised form on February 27th, 2024 by Tordotcom Publishing in the omnibus The Book of Ile-Rien; the original novel was published on July 1st, 1993. It is 320 pages long and is told in third person from multiple POVs, including Thomas and Kade. It is available in paperback and ebook formats.
OVERVIEW/ANALYSIS:
Pre-order Dig Two Graves over HERE
Read Fantasy Book Critic's review of The Long Way Down
Read Fantasy Book Critic's review of The White Gold Score
Read Fantasy Book Critic's review of Redemption Song
Read Fantasy Book Critic's review of The Living End
Read Fantasy Book Critic's review of A Plain-Dealing Villain
Read Fantasy Book Critic's review of The Killing Floor Blues
Read Fantasy Book Critic's review of The Castle Doctrine
Read Fantasy Book Critic's review of Double Or Nothing
Read Fantasy Book Critic's review of The Neon Boneyard
Read Fantasy Book Critic's review of The Locust Job
Read Fantasy Book Critic’s review of Down Among the Dead Men
Read Fantasy Book Critic's review of Sworn To The Night
Read Fantasy Book Critic's review of Detonation Boulevard
Read Fantasy Book Critic's review of Winter's Reach
Read Fantasy Book Critic's review of The Instruments Of Control
Read Fantasy Book Critic's review of Harmony Black
Read Fantasy Book Critic's review of Red Knight Falling
Read Fantasy Book Critic's review of Glass Predator
Read Fantasy Book Critic's review of Cold Spectrum
Read Fantasy Book Critic's review of Right To The Kill
Read Fantasy Book Critic's review of Black Tie Required
Read Fantasy Book Critic's review of Ghosts Of Gotham
Read Fantasy Book Critic' review of A Time For Witches
Read Fantasy Book Critic's review of The Loot
Read Fantasy Book Critic's review of The Insider
Read Fantasy Book Critic’s review of Any Minor World
Read Fantasy Book Critic's Interview with Craig Schaefer
Read Fantasy Book Critic's Harmony Black Series Interview with Craig Schaefer
Read Double Or Nothing Cover Reveal Mini-Interview with Craig Schaefer
Read Part I of Fantasy Book Critic's In-depth Interview with Craig Schaefer
Read Part II of Fantasy Book Critic's In-depth Interview with Craig Schaefer
Read the Wisdom's Grave Trilogy Completion Interview with Craig Schaefer
Read the 2019 And Beyond Interview with Craig Schaefer
Read the Right To The Kill Cover Reveal Q&A with Craig Schaefer
Read the Black Tie Required Cover Reveal Q&A with Craig Schaefer
Read the Charlie McCabe series interview with Craig Schaefer
Read My Sworn To The Night Cover Reveal Q&A with Craig Schaefer
Read 2020 State Of Schaefer Interview with Craig Schaefer
Official Author Website
Buy The Hemlock Queen
FORMAT/INFO: The Hemlock Queen was published on April 9th, 2024 by Orbit Books. It is 464 pages long and told in first person from Lore's point of view. It is available in hardcover, ebook, and audiobook formats.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Deborah Makarios was raised in the space between worlds and maintains an eccentric orbit.
She found her niche at the age of six when in short succession she read The B.F.G., her first Agatha Christie (Why Didn’t They Ask Evans?) and encountered her first P.G. Wodehouse (Something Fresh – saying “Heh! Mer!” is enough to make her laugh, decades later). Her personal motto is Tolle Et Lege – pick it up and read it – regardless of whether “it” is a Bible, a book or a jar of home-made marmalade.
She keeps her Luddite tendencies under sufficient control to allow for regular blog posts, but nothing can quash her fondness for old technologies. Her favourite phrases are “piston-filling fountain pen” and “annotated typescript.”
Her mission is to write books, plays and blog posts like cups of tea: warm, heartening and restorative. She believes in happy endings, the ultimate triumph of good over evil, and always having a clean handkerchief. It is, however, against her religious principles to believe in “normal.”
She lives among the largely unsuspecting populace of New Zealand with only two cats, and her brilliant, albeit marginally less eccentric, husband.
She can be found online at deborah.makarios.nz or Mastodon.
Publisher: Oi Makarioi (March 21, 2024) Length: 358 pages Formats: ebook
The Storm Beneath The World by Michael R. Fletcher review
When she’s not writing (or avoiding writing), Rebecca can be found traveling the country as a flight attendant, hiking with her dogs, or basking in the sun like a lizard.
Official Author Website
But when she’s not running from fate, she can be found writing diverse fantasy romance. Or just shoveling chocolate in her maw until she passes out on the couch.
Book Review: The Weavers of the Alameda by Hadeer Elsbai
OFFICIAL AUTHOR BIO: Hadeer Elsbai is an Egyptian-American writer and librarian. Born in New York City, she grew up being shuffled between Queens and Cairo. Hadeer studied history at Hunter College and later earned her Master’s degree in library science from Queens College, making her a CUNY alum twice over. Aside from writing, Hadeer enjoys cats, iced drinks, live theater, and studying the 19th century.
FORMAT/INFO: The Weavers of Alamaxa is the finale book of the Alamaxa Duology. It was published on March 19th, 2024 by Harper Voyager in harcover, ebook and audio formats in the U.S, and in paperback, ebook and audio by Orbit Books in the U.K.
Book review: Mushroom Blues by Adrian Gibson
ABOUT THE AUTHOR: ADRIAN M. GIBSON is a Canadian author, podcaster and illustrator (as well as occasional tattoo artist). He was born in Ontario, Canada, but grew up in British Columbia. He studied English Literature and has worked in music journalism, restaurants, tattoo studios, clothing stores and a bevy of odd jobs. In 2021, he created the SFF Addicts podcast, which he co-hosts with fellow author M. J. Kuhn. The two host in-depth interviews with an array of science fiction and fantasy authors, as well as writing masterclasses.
Adrian has a not-so-casual obsession with mushrooms, relishes in the vastness of nature and is a self-proclaimed “child of the mountains.” He enjoys cooking, music, video games, politics and science, as well as reading fiction and comic books. He lives in Quito, Ecuador with his wife and sons.
Publisher: The Kinoko Book Co. (March 19, 2023) Length: 398 pages Formats: ebook, audiobook, paperback
Between 2015 and 2018, Richard self-published THE ART OF WAR trilogy, a sequence of epic military space operas, as well as a number of prequels, novellas and short stories.
FORMAT/INFO: The Trials of Empire was published on February 6th, 2024 by Orbit Books. It is 544 pages and told from the first person POV of Helena. It is available in hardcover, ebook, and audiobook formats.