IFA Summer Challenge & SPFBO 8 Readalong

On May 31, 2022 By Rowena AndrewsIn Challenges, IFA Summer Challenge2 Comments

Hello!

As we reach the end of May (and why is this year going so quickly?) I’m getting ready for the IFA Summer Challenge which kicks off tomorrow. You can find out more about the challenge either on the website or across in the facebook group, but essentially it is an opportunity to celebrate indie fantasy which is one of my favourite things to do.

I have an ever expanding TBR which I will be tackling, but I am also using the challenge to kick off a SPFBO 8 readalong. I’m in no way associated with SPFBO but it’s a great way to find indie books, and I intend to read as many as I can over the course of the competition and you will be able to find my reviews for that under the Readalong page which has it’s own tag at the top in the menu. While I am reading a lot of these for the IFA challenge, I wanted to make sure that other books were included too, and for the Adventure Wheel which is supposed to get us reading outside our usual genres (depending on what you read) I will be reading non-spfbo books and you can find my TBR for that below.

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Blog Tour (Book Review): The Secret of the Sword (The Grandfather Chronicles #1) – Sean R. Bell

On Dec 16, 2021 By Rowena AndrewsIn Fantasy, Indie, Review1 Comment

Hello!

In the first post for today I am delighted to be part of the Storytellers on Tour Blog Tour for The Secret of the Sword by Sean R. Bell which is the first book in The Grandfather Chronicles. There is also a chance to win a copy of the book for yourself at the end of the post.

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

Book Summary:

An ancient bloodline. A powerful enemy. A hidden sword with the power to save or destroy the Earth.

Ian Dekker is a twenty-five-year-old filmmaker and hockey fanatic living a happy life in Toronto, but little does he know his destiny is about to change forever. The arrival of a mysterious letter from his deceased grandfather draws him back to his home city of Montreal, to his grandfather’s old house, where he follows clues that lead him to an astonishing truth. Ian is a descendant of the Pendragons: the family who, in the Middle Ages, established a vast empire in Western Europe, giving rising to legendary figures such as the High King Uther, whose mentor was none other than the great wizard Merlin. However, as Ian learns, King Uther had a jealous sibling named Morgana, who, after living in her brother’s shadow, turned to darkness in order to gain power and exact her revenge. Merlin and Uther managed to trap Morgana inside the sword Excalibur—but now, centuries later, she is on the brink of escaping her magical prison with the help of loyal followers.

This is where Ian comes in. Just like his grandfather before him, Ian must harness his magic and inner strength in order to keep evil at bay. Armed with only his grandfather’s journal, myth comes to life, and Ian is swept into an adventure that takes him across the world and between realms—from light into shadow—as he accepts his destiny. By his side is his childhood friend, Kate, as well as his mother, Lynn, who both help him navigate the mysterious waters of his family history. Ian’s courage and strength are tested as he searches for answers, meeting cruel enemies along the way who use trickery and possession in order to pursue Ian in his quest. In this story, good and evil have the same destination, and only the legacy of a grandson—fuelled by his grandfather’s love and trust—can save the world from complete destruction.

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Blog Tour (Book Review): Once Upon A Winter: A Folk and Fairy Tale Anthology

On Nov 22, 2021Dec 7, 2021 By Rowena AndrewsIn Fantasy, Indie, ReviewLeave a comment

Hello!

Today I am delighted to be helping kick off the blog tour for Once Upon A Winter: A Folk and Fairy Tale Anthology which is out from Macfarlane Lantern Publishing tomorrow. This is a wonderful wintery read, and I hope that you will check out both it and the rest of the blogs helping with the tour.

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

Book Summary:

A shape-shifting spirit haunts a family in England during the depths of winter.

A woman must locate a snowflake for a magical trickster to save her frozen true love.

A witch knocks upon a young man’s door to take his life on Christmas day.

A small boy meets a faerie housed within a snow drop.

Once upon a time stories travelled from place to place on the tongues of merchants and thieves and kings alike. Under the blanket of night they were exchanged between children, and passed on to their children, and their children after them. Details were altered from one generation to the next until thousands of tales existed where once there were few.

In the spirit of these age-old stories comes Once Upon a Winter, a seasonal anthology of folk and fairy tales from 17 authors across the globe. It covers the Gothic, the romantic, the whimsical, the frightening and everything in-between, and features both intriguing twists on classic tales and exciting original stories.

The first of four planned seasonal anthologies from Macfarlane Lantern Publishing, Once Upon a Winter is sure to have a story for just about everyone. Grab your copy in time for Christmas today!

Inside this anthology:

The Biting Cold by Josie Jaffrey

The Match Girl by Rebecca F. Kenney

Santa Claus is Coming to Town by Bharat Krishnan

A Pea Ever After by Adie Hart

The Snow Drop by H. L. Macfarlane

Silverfoot’s Edge by Ella Holmes

The Storm Hags by Caroline Logan

The Boggart of Boggart Hole Clough by Jake Curran-Pipe

Around the Hawthorne Tree by Jenna Smithwick

The Best Girl this Side of Winter by Laila Amado

The Snow Trolls by S. Markem

Lord of the Forest by Katherine Shaw

Queen of the Snows by Joyce Reynolds-Ward

Long Meg and the Sorcerer’s Stones by M. J. Weatherall

The Frost of Mercy by A. J. Van Belle

Wintercast by R. A. Gerritse

You Can’t See Me by Kate Longstone

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Cover Reveal: No Song, But Silence (Wind Tide #3) – Jonathan Nevair

On Oct 18, 2021 By Rowena AndrewsIn Cover Reveal, Sci-FiLeave a comment

Hello!!

Today it is my pleasure to be hosting the Cover Reveal for No Song, But Silence by Jonathan Nevair. This is the final book in the Wind Tide Trilogy, and is due to be released from Shadow Spark Publishing on the 18th November 2021. Wind Tide is one of my favourite Sci-Fi series and I am ridiculously excited for this one (and I just love the blurb), and I want to thank Jonathan for the opportunity to reveal the cover. You can check out my reviews for Goodbye to the Sun and Jati’s Wager, and there’s enough time to grab and read them before the third book is released!

There will also be a tour for No Song, But Silence in December with the wonderful people across at Storytellers on Tour so please keep an eye out for signups and the tour.

Book Summary:

Can the secrets of a lost philosophy break the cycle of vengeance?

The tide of justice ebbs. A mysterious and reclusive superpower threatens to extend its reach, colonizing new star systems for Wind energy and spreading a corrupt political empire. The People’s Army, once the hope for a new federation of allies in the Arm, has dwindled to a mere spectator in the fight for political control. Ailo’s role in its revolutionary fervor is over. The esoteric philosophy of the legendary Cin Quinti is her only concern now. But when an unimaginable threat sends a political shock wave through the Arm she must weigh the cost of self-preservation, hiding in the shadows as civilization falls to despotism and tyranny.

Light years away on Kol 2, a young librarian grows inspired by a mentor’s clandestine teachings. What he discovers with the newfound knowledge reveals a moral avalanche. The dubious and cruel political power corrupting his society must be exposed, but it will take a leap of faith to challenge an empire.

WIND TIDE: A nonstop thrill ride across an unstable galaxy, combining moral struggle with character-driven adventure.

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Book Review: The Echoed Realm (The Chaos Cycle Duology #2) – A.J. Vrana

On Aug 10, 2021 By Rowena AndrewsIn Fantasy, IFA Summer Challenge 2021, Indie, Review1 Comment

Hello!

Today I am delighted to be reviewing The Echoed Realm, the second book in The Chaos Cycle Duology by A.J. Vrana which is out in the world TODAY. The first book in the series – The Hollow Gods – was one of the first books I ever requested on netgalley (you can find the review HERE), and it blew me away so I leapt at the chance to read and review an arc of The Echoed Realm and Dreamwalker I loved this book!

Parliament House Press is also releasing special hardback editions of both books on October 26th of this year, and the pre-order campaign is up and as pre-order incentives all hardbacks are signed and come with a custom-made bookplate and a postcard of new character art. (You can check these out below – as well as the stunning cover for the book – the cover for The Hollow Gods is still to be revealed!

You can pre-order HERE

*****

Disclaimer – I received an e-arc in exchange for an honest review, all thoughts are my own.

Book Summary:

Miya’s world ended in Black Hollow.

It’s been three years since the Dreamwalker upended her life and left her with a heavy burden. A fledgling to the ethereal realm, Miya stumbles into the nightmares of those haunted by spectres. Little does she know, one of them is coming for her, clutching a dark secret abreast.

Kai has found a new purpose with his companion, but the price is his freedom. Bound and beholden to Miya, he struggles to adjust to his new role as her vanguard.

Meanwhile, Mason discovers he may be a pawn trapped in a web of schemes. Was his time in Black Hollow an accident, or was it only the beginning of some greater machination?

As Black Hollow’s bloody stain spreads beyond its wooded borders, Miya fights to evade a past she barely understands. The Dreamwalker’s legacy is a vise grip, and it isn’t letting go. Primordial horrors draw near, fables come alive, and long-buried histories rise from the grave, ready to hunt.

Sharpen your claws and bloody your teeth. There’s fear to be sown.

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Cover Reveal: Jati’s Wager (Wind Tide #2) – Jonathan Nevair

On Jul 20, 2021 By Rowena AndrewsIn Cover Reveal, LGBTQIA, Sci-FiLeave a comment

Hello!

Today I am delighted to be joining the Storytellers on Tour Cover Reveal for the second book in the Wind Tide series by Jonathan Nevair – Jati’s Wager. I was so excited when the signup opened for this, because I loved the first book – Goodbye to the Sun (Review HERE), but my only concern was how they were going to follow up to the stunning cover from book one.

By smashing it into orbit it turns out, because the cover for Jati’s Wager is absolutely beautiful.

A space opera heist brimming with action, twists, and turns that doubles as a story of personal growth, mentorship, and sacrifice.

Ailo is a streetwise teen surviving alone on the remote moonbase, Tarkassi 9. She wants nothing more than to flee into the wider world of the Arm. When her chance arrives, she makes it no farther than the first ship out of the system. That’s where Jati, the Patent War veteran and general fighting the Monopolies, gives her a second chance. It’s an unlikely partnership, but Ailo’s rogue status is just what Jati’s People’s Army needs to drive the final spike of victory into a weakening Garissian Council.

A team of experts assembles and hope rests on Ailo’s skill, stealth, and tenacity to pull off the impossible. It’s a wild gambit, and a moral code may need to be bent, or broken, to achieve success. When an internal shadow rises, casting doubt on their plans, Ailo and Jati are forced to weigh the cost of revenge against honor and justice.

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Blog Tour (Book Review): Paladin Unbound – Jeffrey Speight

On Jun 28, 2021 By Rowena AndrewsIn Fantasy, IFA Summer Challenge 2021, Indie, Review5 Comments

Hello!

Today is my stop on the blog tour for ‘Paladin Unbound’ by Jeffrey Speight organised by Storytellers on Tour.

I hope that you will check out the book and the author, and enjoy the rest of the tour with the schedule in the banner below or (HERE).

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

Book Summary:

The last of a dying breed, a holy warrior must rise up against a growing darkness in Evelium.

The most unlikely of heroes, a lowly itinerant mercenary, Umhra the Peacebreaker is shunned by society for his mongrel half-Orc blood. Desperate to find work for himself and his band of fighters, Umhra agrees to help solve a rash of mysterious disappearances, but uncovers a larger, more insidious plot to overthrow the natural order of Evelium in the process.

As Umhra journeys into the depths of Telsidor’s Keep to search for the missing, he confronts an ancient evil and, after suffering a great loss, turns to the god he disavowed for help.

Compelled to save the kingdom he loves, can he defeat the enemy while protecting his true identity, or must he risk everything?

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Book Review: Goodbye to the Sun (Wind Tide #1) – Jonathan Nevair

On Jun 7, 2021 By Rowena AndrewsIn Indie, Review, Sci-Fi6 Comments

Hello!

Another belated review, darn life getting in the way. I was lucky enough to get an e-arc of this one, and then I won a physical copy (which means I get to admire the beautiful cover in all it’s glory). Goodbye to the Sun is also currently on tour with Storytellers on Tour (schedule HERE) so please check that out as well.

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

Book Summary:

A nonstop thrill ride across an unstable galaxy, combining moral struggle with character-driven adventure…

Tucked away in the blue sands of Kol 2, the Motes are on the brink of cultural collapse. Razor, a bold and daring pilot, leads a last-ditch gambit against their local oppressors, the Targitians. The plan – abduct visiting Ambassador Keen Draden and use him as a bargaining chip to restore her people’s independence in the Sagittarius Arm. But when the operation unravels, Razor is forced to renegotiate terms with the arrogant diplomat.

Light years away on Heroon a radical resistance blossoms. The alluring rainforest planet haunts Keen. All his problems started there during the Patent War, but it’s where Razor’s troubles may find a solution. The moral tide ebbs, exposing an impossible choice that links their futures together more tragically than they ever thought possible.

Goodbye to the Sun: a space opera inspired by the Greek tragedy, Antigone.

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Blog Tour (Book Review): The Place Below (The Maer Cycle #3) – Dan Fitzgerald

On Mar 26, 2021 By Rowena AndrewsIn Fantasy, Indie, Review6 Comments

Hello!

Today is my stop on the blog tour for ‘The Place Below’ by Dan Fitzgerald organised by Storytellers on Tour, and I am delighted to be sharing the third and final part of my focus on this fantastic series. You can find my reviews for the first two books here (Hollow Road | The Archive).

There is also an International Giveaway at the end of this post where you have the chance to win an amazing megapack featuring all three books, artwork and character cards.

I hope that you will check out the book and the author, and enjoy the rest of the tour with the schedule in the banner below or (HERE).

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

Book Summary:

It’s been twenty-five years since the Battle for the Archive. Peace reigns over the Silver Hills, and humans and Maer are preparing to sign their first trade agreement. Even warring tribes of the Free Maer have set aside old quarrels.

Sasha is a young scholar of mixed Maer and human parentage, traveling throughout the Maer lands collecting stories of the Ka-lar, the buried Forever Kings. She finds a reference in the Archive to a Ka-lar named Kuun, a scholar in life, who was laid down in an ancient brightstone mine, beneath a mountain said to be the home of the fabled Skin Maer. The lure of the tale is too strong to resist. Joined by some old friends, Sasha sets out to uncover secrets that have lain buried for over a thousand years.

In The Place Below, the Maer Cycle comes to a close as the darkest mysteries of the Maer are at last brought into the light.

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Blog Review: Hollow Road (The Maer Cycle #1) – Dan Fitzgerald

On Mar 26, 2021 By Rowena AndrewsIn Fantasy, Indie, Review5 Comments

Hello!

So today I have a three-part special as I review The Maer Cycle by Dan Fitzgerald from start to finish. This is a series and an author that I’ve been aware of for a while, and I’ve helped with the cover reveal for the second and third book, but I hadn’t got around to picking them up for myself. So when the tour for the third book in the trilogy came up, I hopped and board, bought the first two and dived in (and why did I wait so long?!!), and here we are.

Book Summary:

Legends describe the Maer as savage man-beasts haunting the mountains, their bodies and faces covered with hair. Creatures of unimaginable strength, cunning, and cruelty. Bedtime stories to keep children indoors at night. Soldiers’ tales to frighten new recruits.

It is said the Maer once ruled the Silver Hills, but they have long since passed into oblivion.

This is the story of their return.

Carl, Sinnie and Finn, three companions since childhood, are tasked with bringing a friend’s body home for burial. Along the way, they find there is more to the stories than they ever imagined, and the mountains hold threats even darker than the Maer. What they discover on their journey will change the way they see the world forever.

Travel down Hollow Road to find out which legends are true, and which have been twisted.

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