Book Review: Gates of Stone by Angus Macallan

The Good: Characters that do what THEY want, and a plot driven by ‘power’ and political machinations, this a different and refreshing take on Asian-inspired fantasy. The Bad: A little bit of a slow starter for me, even though there is plenty of action (physical and otherwise), but once this got going, there was no …

Book Review: Never Die by Rob J Hayes

The Good: Awesome Asian-inspired anti-heroic fantasy (say that five times fast) with a cast of unusual suspects thrown together in the spirit of Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy and the Dynasty Warriors franchise. The Bad: During the first and second parts of the book I struggled to feel an emotional connection to the larger-than-life characters, …

Book Review: Rosewater by Tade Thompson

The Good: I can’t even attempt to summarise the good in a line or two – all I can say is that Rosewater blew my expectations out of the water in every way possible. The Bad: This will NOT be for everyone. Seriously. It doesn’t get off to a bumpy or even a slow start, …

Book Review: The Gutter Prayer by Gareth Hanrahan

The Good: A line-up of the usual suspects with a plot as thick as thieves, complete with Warcraftian worldbuilding and Lovecraftian lore, making for a truly unique and at times unusual (and this is a good thing!) debut. The Bad: Not so much a trigger warning, but this will NOT be for everyone. There are …

Review: The Poppy War by R.F. Kuang

The Good: One of the most badass and brutal POV characters I have ever had the pleasure of reading, worldbuilding that rises up around the reader without you even realising, and a plot so tightly packed and paced that this veritable tome of a tale turns from page-turner to hair-tearer when you realise it’s all …

Review: Empire of Sand

Empire of Sand by Tasha Suri My rating: 5 of 5 stars The Good: Empire of Sand delivers exactly what it says on the tin and THEN SOME! Strong female lead (check), magic by birth but you know there’s more to it than that (check), empires and gods (check), non-western fantasy (in this case inspired …

Review: Priest of Bones

Priest of Bones by Peter McLean My rating: 5 of 5 stars The Good: Colourful characters, grimdark gangsters and good ‘guys’ (and girls!) with grit, and a page turner of a plot packing plenty of pace and punchy prose.The Bad: Several reviews have laboured the ‘this seems familiar’ point as a negative, but for me …

Review: Blood of Assassins

Book Review: Blood of Assassins by RJ Barker. The Good: A return to one of the most relatable POVs in fantasy, development that breathes life into characters-plot-and-world alike, more twists and turns than a maze of mirrors, with a heart at its centre that beats with the life of a full fleshed-out fantasy favourite for …

Review: Snakewood

Book Review: Snakewood by Adrian Selby The Good: A masterclass in character/narrative voice(s), kickass murderous mercenaries, a unique magic-system based on what is essentially magic-mushrooms and their effects, and a genre-bending/blending/breaking triumph of style. The Bad: Now, whilst this wasn’t a ‘bad read’ for me, the style and voice will be polarising. As a reader …

Review: The Ninth Rain

Book Review: The Ninth Rain by Jen Williams The Good: A trinity of truly memorable PoV characters, an enemy host that isn’t just another orc variant, a fresh take on a ‘big bad’, and a plot that pulls the rug from beneath you when you think you’ve found your feet. The Bad: I. Have. Nothing. …