Tag: Arc

Book Review: Gates of Hope (Aulirean Gates #1) – J.E. Hannaford

On By Rowena AndrewsIn Fantasy, Review, Self-Published1 Comment

Hello!

Today I am delighted to be reviewing Gates of Hope, the first book in the Aulirean Gates trilogy which is the upcoming series from J.E. Hannaford the author of The Skin & The Pact (The Black Hind’s Wake). I adored that first duology and they set Hannaford as a must-buy author for me, and Gates is set to follow that trend. In full disclosure, I read an early version of Gates of Hope and fell in love immeditely with this world and these characters (and the bestest boy), and I have since reread it through the ARC.

Gates of Hope is out in the wild next week on the 14th April, and I know that the author is going to be at Eastercon if you want to pick up a copy from her in person!

Disclaimer – I received a copy in exchange for an honest review, all thoughts are my own.

Book Summary:

The Watcher shattered the Gates.

Now hope must arise from the shards.

Darin and Suriin enter the Black Palace of the So’Dal, at a time when monstrous Edgelands creatures return to the skies over Caldera.
After exhibiting magical traits thought lost, Darin is drawn into a secret society charged with keeping the Watcher’s secrets. Now he must balance learning to control his magic, caring for Star, his new companion, and finding a way to sustain the Howlers’ power for long enough to protect Caldera from the predatory creatures of the Edgelands.

Before she arrived at the Black Palace Suriin broke the ancient rules of the So’Dal to save the life of the person she loves the most. As her search for a cure delves deeper under the mountain, is there any price she won’t pay? 

On the outer moon of Tebein, Elissa’s newly awakened magic will endanger her home and family. Now she must race to find help for those she leaves behind as she escapes those who want her, and all those like her, dead.

One wrong decision by any of them could return legends to life and end five hundred cycles of peace. Will they find the solutions they need in time?

Continue reading “Book Review: Gates of Hope (Aulirean Gates #1) – J.E. Hannaford” →

Book Review: Through Dreams So Dark (Rai Ascendant #1) – Angela Boord

On By Rowena AndrewsIn Fantasy, Review, Self-Published1 Comment

Hello!

Today I am reviewing Through Dreams so Dark (Rai Ascendant #1) by Angela Boord…and I maybe got carried away, as aside from a deep dive post I think this might be the longest review I’ve written. And I haven’t come close to encaptulating just how much this chonky book achieves, and how much I loved it.

Disclaimer – I received a copy in exchange for an honest review, all thoughts are my own.

Book Summary:

Sergei’s mother sacrificed herself to get her family across the Iron Curtain. Now it’s Sergei’s turn to save her…even if he has to cross realities to do it.

Sergei is determined to put his broken family back together, no matter the danger.

Not-rats and bugs hiding in his walls, listening to his conversations? He can live with that. The shadowy government organization trying to dig encoded information out of his nightmares? He’ll play along to learn what they know about his mother.

If he has to destroy his college career, his love life, and the best friendship he’s ever had—with his roommate Cam—he’ll do that, too, if that’s what it takes. He’s the only one who believes his mother is still alive.

Nobody else needs to get hurt if he doesn’t tell them what he’s doing.

But however hard Sergei tries to keep his double life a secret, Cam still shows up to save him whenever he’s in trouble, like Cam has some kind of magical sixth sense—a sense that keeps them bonded together no matter what. And when Sergei finally breaks through his dreams into a world where monsters lurk and reality changes on a whim…where having magic carries a death sentence…the stakes of this game could be far higher than Sergei wants to pay. Now it’s not just his life on the line—he’s dragged people he cares about into danger with him.

He thought he could risk himself alone. But will his single-minded mission to find his mother be worth the price everyone he loves has to pay?

Stranger Things meets epic fantasy in this portal fantasy set in a world of ever-shifting conspiracy and quantum magic, where reality itself can’t be trusted, and family isn’t just about who you’re related to.

Continue reading “Book Review: Through Dreams So Dark (Rai Ascendant #1) – Angela Boord” →

Book Review: Barbaric: The Harvest Blades – Michael Moreci (writer), Robert Wilson IV (Artist), Addison Duke (Colourist) & Jim Campbell (Letterer)

On By Rowena AndrewsIn Comics & Graphic Novels, Fantasy, ReviewLeave a comment

Hello!

Today I am reviewing Barabaric: The Harvest Blades a new one-shot comic in the Barbaric series by Michael Moreci that is out from Vault Comics on the 13th July. I love the main series and was over the moon to be able to grab an arc of this one.

Disclaimer – I received a copy in exchange for an honest review, all thoughts are my own.

Like a punch in the privates, BARBARIC is back! Bloodier and more irreverent than ever. In this one-shot, Owen, the barbarian cursed to do good, is forced out of hiding and back to his old B.S.! A whole bunch of violence, ethically approved, of course, by his moral compass, the talking Axe! Find out for yourself why Entertainment Weekly, Thrillist, Screen Rant, and a whole bunch of other people called BARBARIC one of the best comics of 2021.

The first of many one-shots that further explore the world of Barbaric, whose second arc, Axe To Grind, arrives in July!

Continue reading “Book Review: Barbaric: The Harvest Blades – Michael Moreci (writer), Robert Wilson IV (Artist), Addison Duke (Colourist) & Jim Campbell (Letterer)” →

Book Review: Travels in the Dark (Dreadbound Ode #3) – Jordan Loyal Short

On By Rowena AndrewsIn Fantasy, Review, Sci-Fi, Self-Published1 Comment

Hello!

Today I am delighted to be reviewing Travels in the Dark by Jordan Loyal Short, the third and final book in the Dreadbound Ode which is out the world TODAY!

Disclaimer – I received a copy in exchange for an honest review, all thoughts are my own.

Book Summary:

Lyssa is going to the Dead Place and everyone she killed will be waiting.

As the Hidden One’s twisted plan to resurrect the Deep Gods unfolds, the only way to stop him is a secret buried in the land of death.

But Lyssa has not given up. If the Deep Gods can return, so can she.

Can Lyssa find a way back? Can she delve into hell’s darkest corners and emerge with the lore to stop the Deep Gods’ rise? Or will she become a lost soul, like so many of those she loved in life?

Ancient horrors will wake. Skalds will sing. And a blind seer will see the shadows gather.

Lyssa Pedersten has tasted poison, and hell had best beware.

Continue reading “Book Review: Travels in the Dark (Dreadbound Ode #3) – Jordan Loyal Short” →

Book Review: The Isle of a Thousand Worlds (The Weirdwater Confluence #2) – Dan Fitzgerald

On By Rowena AndrewsIn Fantasy, Indie, Review3 Comments

Hello!

Today I am delighted to be reviewing The Isle of a Thousand Worlds by Dan Fitzgerald, the second book in the Weirdwater Confluence Duology which is out from Shadow Spark Publishing on the 15th January 2022. I absolutely adored the first book in this pair, The Living Waters when I read it earlier this year, which was a remarkably meditative book that I haven’t been able to stop thinking about, and I have been counting down the days until I could get my hands on book two and thank you so much to Dan Fitzgerald for the opportunity to read it early – and for such a wonderful second book!

Disclaimer – I received a copy in exchange for an honest review, all thoughts are my own.

Book Summary:

An aging alchemist seeks the key to the Universal Tincture said to unlock the Thousand Worlds of the mind, but she never expected to solve the riddle of her hermetic heart. 

A meditation acolyte travels the mystical social media known as the Caravan and finds that the Thousand Worlds lie just below the surface, if she can only learn to see the space between the stars. 

This steamy romantic fantasy explores the confluence of the physical and the metaphysical through the commingling of bodies and minds.

Continue reading “Book Review: The Isle of a Thousand Worlds (The Weirdwater Confluence #2) – Dan Fitzgerald” →

Book Review: Of Darkness and Light (The Broken and the Bound #2) – Ryan Cahill

On By Rowena AndrewsIn Fantasy, Review, Self-Published1 Comment

Hello!

Today I am delighted to be reviewing Of Darkness and Light by Ryan Cahill which will be released on the 31st December. This is the second full novel of The Broken and the Bound, and you can find my reviews for the first book Of Blood and Fire and the prequel novella The Fall here. This is a fantastic series that is going from strength to strength, and has well and truly reignited my love of Dragons.
I was also lucky enough to receive a physical arc of this book, which is simply stunning:

Disclaimer – I received a copy in exchange for an honest review, all thoughts are my own.

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Book Summary:

Heroes will rise. Nations will fall.

Behind the towering walls of Belduar, Calen Bryer and his companions stand in defense of the city and its new king. In over a thousand years, Belduar has never fallen. It has stood as a bastion of hope. But the Lorian empire are at its walls once more, and the Dragonguard are coming.

In the North, with Faenir by her side, Calen’s sister Ella arrives at the port of Antiquar. She holds no fear of the unknown. She will see this through, no matter what – or who – gets in her way.

Meanwhile, at the embassy of the Circle of Magii in Al’Nasla, Rist Havel hones his newfound powers in preparation for the trials. Unbeknownst to Rist, he is being watched, measured, and judged. He was not taken into the Circle by chance. There is greatness in him. But great men can do terrible things.

As Lorian forces land on southern shores and Aeson Virandr’s letters of rebellion find their way to the right hands, only the Knights of Achyron see the true danger. The danger that stirs in the darkness. The coming shadow will not stop. It will consume all in its path. It wants for nothing but blood and fire.

Continue reading “Book Review: Of Darkness and Light (The Broken and the Bound #2) – Ryan Cahill” →

Book Review: The World Breaker Requiem (Adjacent Monsters #2) – Luke Tarzian

On By Rowena AndrewsIn Fantasy, Review, Self-Published3 Comments

Hello!

Today I am delighted to be reviewing The World Breaker Requiem by Luke Tarzian, the second book in the Adjacent Monsters series which will be released on the 21st of this month (so you still have time to read book 1 and preorder this one, and you will find the links below). You can find my review for the first book in the series – The World Maker Parable here. I apologize in advance if I’ve rambled but I loved this book so much that it’s hard to do it justice in a review – all I can say is that it is fantastic and you want to get your hands on it as soon as possible!

‘Disclaimer: I had the honour and pleasure of being a beta reader for this book, but all thoughts (and rambling) are my own. ‘

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Book Summary:

Prince of Woe…

Avaria Norrith is the adopted heir to the Ariathan throne. But that means little to a man who, for the better part of fifteen years, has sought and failed to earn his mother’s love. Fueled by pride and envy, Avaria seeks the means to prove himself and cast away his mental chains. When he’s tasked with the recreation of The Raven’s Rage he sees his chance, for with the infamous blade he can rewrite history and start anew.

Daughter of the Mountain…

Erath has not felt sunlight for a century. Not since Ariath condemned her people to a life of darkness with their misuse of The Raven’s Rage. But when an old friend comes seeking the remnants of the ancient sword, Erath cannot contain her curiosity and resolves to lend her aid. Is it true—can history be revised? Can her people be reclaimed?

Toll the Hounds…

They are hungry—and they are here.

Continue reading “Book Review: The World Breaker Requiem (Adjacent Monsters #2) – Luke Tarzian” →

Book Review: The Iron Crown (Dragon Spirits #1) – L.L. MacRae

On By Rowena AndrewsIn Fantasy, Review, Self-Published3 Comments

Hello!

A belated review today as life (and a falling apart body) has got in the way the last couple of weeks. The Iron Crown by L.L. MacRae was released last week, and is the first book in a new trilogy called Dragon Spirits. It is also an entrant in this years SPFBO 7 competition! It was a pleasure to read this book, and a massive thank you to Lauren for the arc.

*Disclaimer: ‘I was given a copy this book in exchange for an honest review, all views are my own.’*

Book Cover

Book Summary:

Fenn’s first and only memory is finding himself in the middle of a forest, face to face with a dragon spirit mocking him, all knowledge gone apart from his own name.

Lost and confused, his only hope for answers is Calidra—a woman living on the edge of the world with her partner. Forced to return home when her father dies, Calidra has put off facing her estranged mother for seven years, and she begrudgingly helps Fenn, forging papers for him so he can avoid the Queen’s Inquisitors.

But her mother is the least of her worries when they discover an ancient enemy is rising again. It should be impossible with the Iron Crown in power—and Fenn is terrified he might unwittingly be playing a part in the war’s resurgence.

Surrounded by vengeful spirits and powerful magic, Fenn’s desperate attempt to find his way home might well alter the fate of Tassar, and every power in it.

Continue reading “Book Review: The Iron Crown (Dragon Spirits #1) – L.L. MacRae” →