Tag: Fantasy

Blog Tour (Book Review): Slaughtered Gods (The Hanged God Trilogy #3) – Thilde Kold Holdt

On By Rowena AndrewsIn Fantasy, Historical, ReviewLeave a comment

Hello!

This is my very belated review for Slaughtered Gods by Thilde Kold Holdt as part of The Write Reads tour for The Hanged God Trilogy. A massive thank you to Solaris for the physical copy.

You can find my reviews for Book 1 – Northern Wrath and Book 2 – Shackled Fates here

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

Book Summary:

ALL SHALL PERISH

The great wolf howls for Ragnarok to begin. The half-giant Einer leads an army of the dead to clash with the golden shields of Asgard. The nornir tie and retie their threads, as Loki’s and Odin’s schemes unfold… and unravel. For not even cunning gods and giants see every part of the web.

As the survivors of the burned village of Ash-hill converge on the final battle on Ida’s Plain, only two are truly free to choose their paths and prevent the annihilation of the nine worlds: a storyteller who holds all destinies in his hands, and a shieldmaiden with no destiny at all.

Continue reading “Blog Tour (Book Review): Slaughtered Gods (The Hanged God Trilogy #3) – Thilde Kold Holdt” →

Blog Tour (Book Review): Shackled Fates (The Hanged God Trilogy #2) – Thilde Kold Holdt

On By Rowena AndrewsIn Fantasy, Historical, Review1 Comment

Hello!

This is my very belated review for Shackled Fates by Thilde Kold Holdt as part of The Write Reads blog tour for The Hanged God trilogy, and I will have a review for Slaughtered Gods up tonight (unless the travel gods decree otherwise!). This series is one that is going from strength to strength, and it has been a pleasure to have the chance to read and review them, and a massive thank you to Solaris for the physical copies of Shackled Fates and Slaughtered Gods.

You can find my review for book one HERE

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

Book Summary:

As Ragnarok looms, the trickster Loki breaks free from his chains.

In the battle to come, all shall die, but Ragnar will do anything to save his gods.

Einer scours the nine worlds for Hilda, who walks among gods and goddesses, searching the truth of the Runes.

For centuries Siv has run from her past, but she knows that to protect her daughter, and Midgard, she will have to face her worst fears.

It is time to confront the Alfather.

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Blog Tour (Book Review): A Bond of Thread (The Mountain Fell #1) – Allegra Pescatore & J.P. Burnison

On By Rowena AndrewsIn Fantasy, Review, Romance, Self-PublishedLeave a comment

Hello!

I’m kicking off today with my very belated stop on the Escapists Tours blog tour for A Bond of Thread by Allegra Pescatore & J.P. Burnison, the first book in the Moutain Fell series. Please do check out the other blogs that participated in the tour to see their thoughts on this book.

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

Book Summary:

Enter the Nine Lands of the Mountain Fell.

Skye has only ever known pain and solitude since waking up with neither memories or magic. Hunted for being a Ruler in a time when they are scarce, she has survived in the wilds near the Rim, always on the run from the rest of her kind. Only starvation could draw her close to a village, but when a chance encounter and a bit of bad luck launch her into the arms of a man whose soul is bonded to hers, hiding who she is may no longer be possible.

Ilyas is a hunted man. Wanted for killing the last High Queen of Vine, he is plagued by his past of wholesale slaughter. He never wanted another Queen, and certainly not a half-feral, distrustful girl who gave up on the Fae a long time ago. Unfortunately, Soulbonds are not so easily walked away from, no matter how hard they both may want to, especially when trapped together in a cave with a pack of Feral Fae right outside.

With long-held enmities breaking out between the besieged villagers and all their lives on the line, Ilyas and Skye must learn to work together and trust each other if they want to survive.

Continue reading “Blog Tour (Book Review): A Bond of Thread (The Mountain Fell #1) – Allegra Pescatore & J.P. Burnison” →

Blog Tour (Book Spotlight): Northern Wrath (The Hanged God #1) – Thilde Kold Holdt

On By Rowena AndrewsIn Book Spotlights1 Comment

Hello!

Today is the first of my three stops for the The Write Reads blog tour for The Hanged God trilogy by Thilde Kold Holdt, and I am kicking it off with a spotlight on book one – Northern Wrath.

Please do check out the rest of the tour, and check back here on the 25th & 27th for my reviews of book two and three.

You can find my review for Northern Wrath HERE.

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Book Review: The Delve (A Novel of The Time Before) – Dan Fitzgerald

On By Rowena AndrewsIn Fantasy, Review, Romance, Self-Published4 Comments

Hello!

Today I am delighted to be reviewing an ARC of The Delve by Dan Fitzgerald which will be out in the wild on the 1st February. The Delve is the first in a trio of linked standalones in The Time Before, which is set 2,000 years before the Maer Cycle trilogy and the Weirdwater Confluence duology but can be read independently.

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

Book Summary:

The sword wants what it wants.

The Deepfold mine has gone dark on the eve of war. Without its supply of brightstone, the Maer’s technological advantage over the humans will evaporate. A rising knight named Yglind has earned his Forever Blade and been sent on a quest to uncover the cause of the blackout. Joined by his trusted squire Ardo and a prickly mage named Aene, Yglind hopes to cement his legacy and the Maer’s chance at victory in the coming war.

Inside the Deepfold, they are plunged into a world of bloodshed and chaos. Unknown foes have slaughtered many of the miners, and a gruesome dragon stalks the dark tunnels. While taking refuge in the mine’s impregnable keep, Yglind and Ardo seek solace in each other’s arms and the courage to face the cruel forces arrayed against them.

With their civilization hanging in the balance, they strike out against the invaders as their quest hurtles toward its bloody end.

***

Author’s note: this book contains explicit, consensual sex scenes, violence, gore, and death, and is not intended for readers under the age of eighteen.

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Book Review: The Monsters We Feed – Thomas Howard Riley

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

Hello!

Today I am delighted to be reviewing an ARC of The Monsters We Feed by Thomas Howard Riley, which will be out in the wild on the 6th December. This is a bit of a ramble – perhaps moreso than usual – because (a) I absolutely freaking love this book and (b) it is very much a book that I don’t want to spoil. What this means is that towards the end of December/Start of January once more people have had the pleasure of reading it, I will likely return for a deep dive post because there is so much more I want to talk about!!

For now though, please do check out the book and author – and if it catches your fancy then please pre-order!

Disclaimer – I received a copy in exchange for an honest review, and I also had the honour of being a beta reader for this one, however all thoughts are my own.

Book Summary:

The morning before he found the dead body, Jathan Algevin thought he had his whole life just the way he wanted it.  

He knows his city inside and out, and doesn’t bother carrying a sword, trusting his wits and his fists well enough to get by, hustling extra coin by ratting out loathsome magi to the law for execution. 

He and his sister, Lyra, have watched out for each other ever since the day they were orphaned by a bloodthirsty rogue sorcerer, and now they finally have steady work, good friends, and the freedom to spend every night laughing at the bottom of a bottle. 

But nothing lasts forever.

When he stumbles across a brutal murder, Jathan discovers a strange crystal lens that opens his eyes to an invisible world of magick and terror lurking just beneath the surface of his own, making him question everything he thought he knew. 

But will gazing into this new arcane realm lead Jathan to save lives, or help destroy them?

With dangerous people hunting for the lens, monstrous lies unraveling his life, and a hidden underworld calling to him, it is only a matter of time before his whole world comes crashing down. 

Will he find the answers he is looking for, or will he only find a monster needing to be fed?


Rated-R Dark Fantasy Noir in a city of hope, lust, and brutality, where swords are banned, and magick is just as likely to get you killed as it is to save your life.

There are always things about ourselves that we don’t want to see.
There are always things we can’t stop doing no matter how hard we try.
We all lie. We all have secrets.
We are all feeding monsters.

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Blog Tour (Book Review): The Miraculous Sweetmakers: The Frost Fair – Natasha Hastings

On By Rowena AndrewsIn Childrens, Fantasy, Historical, Review, Traditionally-Published1 Comment

Hello!

Once again continuing with the catchup, I am belatedly joining The Write Reads Tour for The Miraculous Sweetmakers: The Frost Fair, the debut from natasha Hastings which is out soon. This book ended up taking me by surprise on so many levels, and was a delightful read particularly as the nights draw in and the weather turns colder.

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

Book Summary:

An amazing and captivating, curl-up-on-the-sofa debut about a magical frost fair and the lasting power of friendship.

It’s a cold winter during the Great Frost of 1683. Thomasina and Anne are the best of friends, one running her father’s sweet shop and the other the apprentice at the family apothecary – together they sell their goods on the frozen River Thames. When a family tragedy turns Thomasina’s world upside down, she is drawn to a mysterious conjuror and the enchanted frost fair. But soon the world of Father Winter threatens to claim everything she holds dear. Will they be able to solve the magical mysteries that surround them . . . ?

Continue reading “Blog Tour (Book Review): The Miraculous Sweetmakers: The Frost Fair – Natasha Hastings” →

Blog Tour (Book Review): Remnant (Divinity’s Twilight #2) – Christopher Russell

On By Rowena AndrewsIn Fantasy, Review, Self-PublishedLeave a comment

Hello!

It’s been a while. Life has been…chaotic to say the least, but there is light on the horizon. And today I am delighted to be back with a very belated review for Remnant by Christopher Russell, the second book in the Divinity’s Twilight series.

You can find my review for book one Rebirth HERE.

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

Book Summary:

Divinity’s Twilight: Remnant is the much-anticipated sequel to the multi-award-winning epic fantasy novel, Divinity’s Twilight: Rebirth.

Power is a curse.

As Vallen and his fellow cadets flee fallen Darmatia, he is forced to confront the ghosts of his past. The friend who perished that he might live. The girl whose smile haunts his nightmares. Now, a third voice joins them—something dark, something ancient. And the more Vallen uses his magic, the stronger it becomes.

Tools exist to be used. 

The flames of Sylette’s vengeance are all but quenched. With each passing day, the dominion of the Sarconian Empire grows, and her treacherous father’s throat drifts further from her reach. Sylette’s last hope is a coded message, one that promises a growing resistance against the Empire. But even if she gains the means to avenge her mother’s murder, one question remains: how many ‘tools’ is she willing to sacrifice to see her vengeance through?

What color is love?

Renar has learned to hide a great many things: his emotions, his art, and one truly devastating family secret. But when he must face the man who’s controlled his life from the shadows, will he choose the family he’s always known, or the dysfunctional crew he’s been shackled with?

For every ending, a beginning.

Embers of conspiracy flare in Nemare and Sarconia. A resurrected Sarcon plots to reclaim his imprisoned flesh. As the winds of war swirl and forgotten myths rise, the choices these cadets make could save their country . . .

. . . or unleash something far, far worse.

Continue reading “Blog Tour (Book Review): Remnant (Divinity’s Twilight #2) – Christopher Russell” →

Book Review: Bonds of Chaos (Threadlight #3) – Zack Argyle

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

Hello!

What’s this a second review in one day? Yep, and this time I am delighted to be reviewing Bonds of Chaos by Zack Argyle, the final book in the Threadlight series. And what a way to bring this wonderful series to a close, and I still have so many thoughts and feelings over this book, and I will admit I rambled in this review – because there is so much to love.

You can read my reviews for the previous books here: Voice of War | Stones of Light

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

Book Summary:

TO BREAK THE BONDS, THERE WILL BE SACRIFICES

When all was lost, the Heralds returned, and the world embraced them as gods and saviors. But there are some who know the truth: the Heralds are not what they seem.

Now, in a desperate attempt to stop them, Chrys and the others travel to Cynosure with hopes of enlisting the only Amber threadweaver with the power to help.

Chrys, Laurel, Alverax, and those they love.

Together, they will stop the gods…or they will die trying.

Continue reading “Book Review: Bonds of Chaos (Threadlight #3) – Zack Argyle” →

Book Review: The Children of Chaos (The Cruel Gods #2) – Trudie Skies

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

Hello!

Today I am absolutely delighted to be reviewing The Children of Chaos, the second book in the Cruel Gods series by Trudie Skies which is out NEXT WEEK (so there is still time to pre-order a copy for yourself!). I loved the first book in the series, but The Children of Chaos has well and truly raised the bar and I don’t think my rambling comes even remotely close to capturing just how amazing this book is, so all I can say is read it for yourself and find out!!

You can find my review for The Thirteenth Hour HERE

Disclaimer – I received a copy in exchange for an honest review, and I also had the honour of being a beta reader for this one, however all thoughts are my own.

Book Summary:

When the saints call, the sinners answer.

Chaos stalks the steam-powered city of Chime and threatens the existence of the gods and their domains. Kayl swore to protect Chime’s mortals from their gods’ cruel whims, but when she agrees to represent the mortals of a god long thought dead, Kayl is thrust into a political role that goes against everything she’s ever stood for.

As the newly appointed ambassador to the god of time, Quen’s goal is clear – protect Chime and the domains by any means necessary. But as the gods make their demands, Quen is caught between his loyalties and his conscience.

To ensure a future for all mortals, Kayl and Quen must unite the gods against the threat of chaos and decide what they’re willing to sacrifice for Chime – before the gods choose for them.

For the gods are capricious and have their own divine plans.

Continue reading “Book Review: The Children of Chaos (The Cruel Gods #2) – Trudie Skies” →