Tag: Science Fantasy

Blog Tour (Book Review): At the Threshold of the Universe (The Song of Kamaria) – T.A. Bruno

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

Hello!

Belatedly, as yesterday was a wee bit of a disaster, culminating in me managing to lose three documents at once including this review (save all your files kids), but I am delighted to be joining The Escapist Tours blog tour for At The Threshold of the Universe by T.A. Bruno. This is the third and final book in the The Song of Kamaria trilogy. It’s been my pleasure to be involved with tours for the previous two books as well, and it’s a little bittersweet to have reached the end – but what an end!

You can find my reviews for book one and current SPSFC finalist In the Orbit of Sirens and book two On the Wind of Quasars.

Please do check out the rest of the tour, as well as the giveaway at the end of the post (US only).

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

Book Summary:

THE EPIC CONCLUSION TO THE SONG OF KAMARIA TRILOGY.

ALL SONGS END.

War ravages Kamaria as an old enemy resurfaces from the depths of the ocean. Offering no support in the coming battles, the Auk’nai isolate themselves in their tightly guarded Nest. Outgunned and outmatched, humanity once again trembles on the edge of obliteration.

The Castus family is torn apart. Denton fights on the front lines, hoping to free Cade from a nightmarish foe. Meanwhile, Eliana and Nella set out on a path that will change everything they understand about the Sirens. The Song will end, but who will remain to hear its final verse?

Continue reading “Blog Tour (Book Review): At the Threshold of the Universe (The Song of Kamaria) – T.A. Bruno” →

Blog Tour (Book Review): Every Star a Song (The Ascendance Series #2) – Jay Posey

On By Rowena AndrewsIn Review, Sci-Fi, Sci-Fi Month 2021, Traditionally-PublishedLeave a comment

Hello!

Today I am delighted to be part of the blog tour for ‘Every Star a Song’ by Jay Posey. This is the second book in The Ascendance series. I reviewed the first book in the series ‘Every Sky a Grave‘ last year and it was a book that caught me by surprise and I loved it, so I was delighted to get the chance to return to this series.

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

58326345. sy475

Book Summary:

Far in the future, human beings have seeded themselves amongst the stars. Since decoding the language of the universe 8,000 years ago, they have reached the very edges of their known galaxy and built a near-utopia across thousands of worlds, united and ruled by a powerful organization known as the Ascendance. The peaceful stability of their society relies solely on their use of this Deep Language of the cosmos.

Elyth—a former agent of the religious arm of the Ascendance, The First House—is on the run after the events of Every Sky a Grave, when she and the fugitive Varen Fedic exposed the darker side of Ascendance hegemony on a planet called Qel. Though she just wishes to put the past (and Varen) behind her, she is soon tracked and cornered by the Ascendance agents. Surprisingly, they aren’t there for punishment. Instead, they offer her a deal in exchange for her help in exploring a new planet that seems to have appeared out of nowhere. If she agrees, her sins against the Ascendance and the First House will be forgiven.

Elyth reluctantly agrees to join the team of elite agents (including some former allies-turned-enemies) but almost as soon as they touch down on the planet’s surface, things start to go awry. Strange sounds are heard in the wilderness, horrifying creatures are seen stalking the forests, and even the landscape itself seems to change during the night.

But as expedition members start dying, two things become clear: the planet is conscious, and it’s trying to kill them.

Continue reading “Blog Tour (Book Review): Every Star a Song (The Ascendance Series #2) – Jay Posey” →

Blog Tour (Book Review): Entriss Online (Watson’s Worlds #1) – David J. Pedersen

On By Rowena AndrewsIn LItRPG, Review, Sci-Fi, Self-Published2 Comments

Hello!

Today is my stop on the blog tour for ‘Entriss Online’ by David J. Pedersen 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 received a copy in exchange for an honest review, all thoughts are my own.

Book Summary:

They were shutting down Entriss Online, and Ian had no way to stop them. The game was his life — by day, as one of their lead developers; by night, gaming as the accomplished Mandorf the Wizard. After years of leveling up, both professionally and personally, everything he had worked for was going to end. His goggles-and-gloves virtual reality MMORPG was being replaced with Everyworld Online, a next-gen game that provided full immersion so players could experience a world that looks and feels real.

After stumbling on an unknown quest that kills anyone who approaches, Ian discovers an enormous amount of orphaned code that had never made it into the game. Moments before being fired, he checks in the code, enabling The Left Hand of God quest chain, an unexpected world event, and the frightening reality of a fully immersive Entriss Online.

Continue reading “Blog Tour (Book Review): Entriss Online (Watson’s Worlds #1) – David J. Pedersen” →

Book Review: Pieces of Eight (The Guardian of Empire City #2) – Peter Hartog

On By Rowena AndrewsIn Crime, Fantasy, IFA Summer Challenge 2021, Review, Sci-Fi, Self-Published, Thriller4 Comments

Hello!

Today I am thrilled to be reviewing Pieces of Eight by Peter Hartog, which us out in the wild today! Pieces of Eight is the second book in The Guardian of Empire City series, and you can check out my review of the first book Bloodlines (HERE). The first book was so much fun to read, and I leapt at the chance to read an arc of Pieces of Eight and I was blown out of the water, it’s so good and I loved every moment.

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

Book Cover

Book Summary:

How do you stop a killer who’s already dead?

Some secrets never die. When the mutilated corpse of an ex-con is found in the bowels of an old church, haunting Biblical verses scrawled at the crime scene speak of divine retribution, and a killer hellbent on revenge. For Special Crimes detective Tom “Doc” Holliday doesn’t need his fickle clairvoyance to see that a murder like this is only the beginning.

With few leads and fewer suspects, Holliday and his quirky team of paranormal specialists embark upon an investigation that will lead them down a dark and twisted path, and test the bonds of family and friendship. From the frozen streets of Little Odessa to the diabolical wealth of Park Avenue, Holliday will need more than his Insight to hunt down an unstoppable killer.

But when Holliday suspects the killer might not be what it seems, he’ll have to unravel a twisted web of greed and lies to save an innocent soul, or lose his own, and watch his world die.

Welcome back to Empire City!

Continue reading “Book Review: Pieces of Eight (The Guardian of Empire City #2) – Peter Hartog” →

Blog Tour (Book Review): Bloodlines (The Guardian of Empire City #1) – Peter Hartog

On By Rowena AndrewsIn Crime, Fantasy, Review, Sci-Fi, Self-Published8 Comments

Hello!

Today is my stop on the blog tour for ‘Bloodlines’ by Peter Hartog organised by Storytellers on Tour. There is also an International Giveaway at the end of this post where you have the chance to win a signed paperback of this fantastic book for yourself.

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:

When former hotshot homicide detective Tom “”Doc”” Holliday is recruited to join Special Crimes, he trades in his boring desk job for a second chance to do what he does best, hunt down killers. And his first case doesn’t disappoint: a murdered woman with a bogus past, her body drained of blood, and two eyewitnesses wasted on the designer drug goldjoy claiming a vampire did it.

For Holliday is no stranger to the unusual. He wields the Insight, a fickle clairvoyance that allows him to see the dark and terrible things that hide upon his world. After all, when you live in Empire City, where magic and technology co-exist, and humanity endures behind walls of stone and spell-forged steel, anything is possible.

Saddled with a team whose past is as checkered as his own, Holliday embarks upon an investigation that pits them against bio-engineered vampires, interdimensional parasites and the magical masterminds behind it all.

From nightclubs and skyscrapers, to underground drug labs and coffee shops, Holliday’s search for the truth will uncover a shadowy conspiracy that spans the ages, and forces him to confront a destiny he never wanted.

Bloodlines is Peter Hartog’s debut novel, the first in the Empire City Special Crimes series. Scroll up to order your copy, and start reading today!

Continue reading “Blog Tour (Book Review): Bloodlines (The Guardian of Empire City #1) – Peter Hartog” →

Book Review: Doors of Sleep – Tim Pratt

On By Rowena AndrewsIn Fantasy, Review, Sci-Fi, Traditionally-Published2 Comments

Hello!

For my second post today, I am delighted to be reviewing Doors of Sleep by Tim Pratt which was released this week by Angry Robot. My first (that I can remember) foray into portal fiction, and I had a lot of fun with this book.

Disclaimer – I received an e-arc via netgalley in exchange for an honest review

54616389

Book Summary:

What would you do if you woke up and found yourself in a parallel universe under an alien sky? This is the question Zax Delatree must answer every time he closes his eyes.

Every time Zax Delatree falls asleep, he travels to a new reality. He has no control over his destination and never knows what he will see when he opens his eyes. Sometimes he wakes up in technological utopias, and other times in the bombed-out ruins of collapsed civilizations. All he has to live by are his wits and the small aides he has picked up along the way – technological advantages from techno-utopias, sedatives to escape dangerous worlds, and stimulants to extend his stay in pleasant ones.

Thankfully, Zax isn’t always alone. He can take people with him, if they’re unconscious in his arms when he falls asleep. But someone unwelcome is on his tail, and they are after something that Zax cannot spare – the blood running through his veins, the power to travel through worlds…

File Under: Science Fiction [ Green Power Sweat Dreams Waking Nightmare Zax of all Trades ]

Continue reading “Book Review: Doors of Sleep – Tim Pratt” →

Blog Tour (Book Review) – The Boy Who Walked Too Far – Dom Watson

On By Rowena AndrewsIn Horror, Sci-Fi1 Comment

Hello!

Today is my stop on the blog tour for ‘The Boy Who Walked Too Far’ by Dom Watson 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.’

Book Summary:

It’s the end of the universe, and everything has come undone. Entropy has won the war, but one last battle rages in the half-ruined city of Testament.

No one knows who created this last outpost and peopled it with billions of species. However, it is here, under a sky with no stars, that the last remnants of life in the universe live, love, and pray to their many gods. It is here where Godrich Felstrom dies.

Most residents of Testament care little for the affairs of a single, fragile human, but the event brings back bad memories for Heironymous Xindii.

It has been many years since the dreamurlurgy professor discovered his true potential and doomed four people in the process. Now, he lectures to bored students who dream of the many pleasures Testament has to offer. Xindii, on the other hand, becomes obsessed with the mysterious Godrich and his missing soul. As he and his valiant companion, the Neanderthal Solomon Doomfinger, look back at Felstrom’s last steps, they discover the shocking truth about Felstrom’s death, his destiny, and the future of Testament and all those angels, demons, liars, and dreamers who call it home.

Continue reading “Blog Tour (Book Review) – The Boy Who Walked Too Far – Dom Watson” →

Norsevember Wrap- up

On By Rowena AndrewsIn Fantasy, Historical, Norsevember 2020, Review, Sci-Fi4 Comments

Hello!

I can’t believe that we’re already at the end of November! It comes with bittersweet feelings, because on one hand I can now thoroughly embrace the festive spirit – Christmas music is going on at work tomorrow!! – on the other, today is St Andrews Day and were it not the year of Covid I would be attending a Street Ceilidh, torch-lit procession and fireworks. I will however, be indulging in haggis, neeps and tatties and blast some Ceilidh music while I do so.

Tomorrow, I will be sharing my November wrap-up post and looking at what’s on for December. Today however is all about Norsevember, and will actually be my main post for the month as life (and my blasted knees) have got in the way and derailed most of my November plans.

Firstly a massive shoutout to Alex at Spells and Spaceships for organising this event, and for all his amazing posts over the month which have been a much needed bright spot. Also, thank you again for this lovely bookmark that I won from one of the giveaways.

Secondly, I managed to read all but one of the books from my Norsevember TBR, but hadn’t managed to review them yet, so below you will find those reviews (hence the fact that this is a veeeery long post). They turned out to be a mixed bag, with some that I absolutely adored and others I absolutely hated, and some snuck in that weren’t even on the TBR to start with (as is always the way, right?)

Posts:

Continue reading “Norsevember Wrap- up” →

Blog Tour (Book Review) – A Wizard’s Forge (The Woern Saga#1) – A.M. Justice

On By Rowena AndrewsIn Fantasy, Review, Sci-Fi, Self-Published4 Comments

Hello!

Today is my stop on the blog tour for ‘Wizard’s Forge’ by A.M. Justice 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).

This tour is also to celebrate the release of book two in the Woern Saga – A Wizard’s Sacrifice which will be published Tuesday 6th October.

You can pre-order A Wizard’s sacrifice here: Amazon UK | Amazon US


There is also a giveaway where you have a chance to get grab a signed paperback (US ONLY) or ebook of A Wizard’s Forge if you want to get your hands on a copy of this brilliant book for youself, and the link to that can be found at the bottom of the page.

Continue reading “Blog Tour (Book Review) – A Wizard’s Forge (The Woern Saga#1) – A.M. Justice” →

Blog Tour (Book Review) – Divinity’s Twilight: Rebirth – Christopher Russell

On By Rowena AndrewsIn Fantasy, IFA Summer Challenge 2020, Review, Self-Published, Self-Published Fantasy Month 20206 Comments

Hello!

Today is my stop on the blog tour for ‘Divinity’s Twilight: Rebirth’ by Christopher Russell 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).

There is also a giveaway where you can get your hands on a signed paperback of this fantastic book (Please note this is US only), and the link to that can be found at the bottom of the page.

Disclaimer: ‘I was given a copy this book in exchange for an honest review.’

Book Summary:

A world consumed by war . . .

An ancient evil resurrected . . .

A millennia old bargain comes due . . .

When two blades clash, the third will fall, and the fate of all will be jeopardized. To save Lozaria, the failures of the past must be atoned for by a new generation of heroes. The time has come for mortals to cast off sight and, in doing so, truly come to see . . .

Victory is never absolute.

Seven centuries ago, the forces of order won the Illyriite War on the plains of Har’muth. Darmatus and Rabban Aurelian slew their elder brother, Sarcon, the despotic architect of the conflict, then sacrificed themselves to banish the cataclysmic vortex opened with his dying breath. The first advent of the Oblivion Well was thwarted. Even without their vanished gods, the seven races of Lozaria proved themselves capable of safeguarding their world.

Or so the story goes.

The year is now 697 A.B.H (After the Battle of Har’muth). Though war itself remains much the same, the weapons with which it is waged have evolved. Airships bearing powerful cannons ply the skies, reducing the influence of mages and their spells. Long range communication has brought far flung regions of Lozaria closer than ever before. At the center of this technological revolution are the three Terran states of Darmatia, Rabban, and Sarconia, who have fought a near ceaseless campaign of 700 years in an attempt to best each other. The roots of their enmity lie buried beneath the wasteland of Har’muth, a place all three nations consider best forgotten.

However, an ancient power sealed within Har’muth has not forgotten them, and the descendants of those who fought on that field must now take a stand to rectify the mistakes of the past.

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