Tag: Self-Published

Book Review: Strange Cargo (Mennik Thorne #3) – Patrick Samphire

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

Hello!

Today I am delighted to be reviewing Strange Cargo by Patrick Samphire. This is the third book in the fantastic Mennik Thorne series, and will be out on the 29th July (so you still have time to read the first two books!!!). A massive thank you to the author for the opportunity to return to one of my favourite series and characters early!

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

Book Summary:

What do a smuggling gang, a curse that won’t go away, and a frequently lost dog have to do with each other?

Answer: they’re all here to disrupt Mennik Thorn’s hard-earned peace and quiet.

As the sole freelance mage in the city of Agatos, Mennik is used to some odd clients and awful jobs. But this time, one of his clients isn’t giving him a choice. Mennik might have forgotten about the smugglers whose operations he disrupted, but they haven’t forgotten about him. Now he is faced with a simple ultimatum: help them smuggle in an unknown, dangerous cargo or flee the city he loves forever.

Time is running out for Mennik to find an answer, and things are about to get completely out of control.

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Blog Tour (Book Review): The Moon’s Eye (The Relics of War #1) – A.J. Calvin

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

Hello!

Today I am belatedly joining the Escapists Tours blog tour for The Moon’s Eye by A.J. Calvin, the first book in The Relics of War series.

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

Book Summary:

Chosen for advanced training by the god of war himself, Vardak is considered a paragon amongst his people, the Scorpion Men. Yet his position and training come with a cost: He must serve the whims of the god, with no questions asked. Only days after his training is complete, he is sent far away from his desert homeland in order to act as the protector of the Fire Maiden’s mortal daughter, Janna.

Janna has been tasked with the recovery of a magical relic known as The Moon’s Eye, but she has little worldly experience to guide her. The Immortals deem the relic’s recovery imperative, for it alone can combat the rise of the Soulless—those sworn to the fallen, nameless god of death. The Soulless are ruthless and powerful, and eager to wage war upon the land in order to appease the god they serve.

Though Vardak is skilled in battle, he must lead Janna through several perilous areas in order to reach the relic she seeks, pushing his abilities to the limit. Unbeknownst to the pair, the Soulless raise an army and begin their conquest, leaving a path of destruction in their wake. Will they secure The Moon’s Eye before all is lost, or will the relic itself prove to be their undoing?

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Cover Reveal: The Children of Chaos (The Cruel Gods #2) – Trudie Skies

On By Rowena AndrewsIn Cover Reveal, FantasyLeave a comment

Hello!

Today I am excited to be helping out with the cover reveal for The Children of Chaos, the second book in the magnificent Cruel Gods series by Trudie Skies which will be released on the 13th October 2022.

It’s almost time to return to Chime.

Map by Soraya Corcoran

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 “Cover Reveal: The Children of Chaos (The Cruel Gods #2) – Trudie Skies” →

Book Review: Titan Hoppers – Rob J. Hayes

On By Rowena AndrewsIn Fantasy, Sci-FiLeave a comment

Hello!

Today I am delighted to be reviewing Titan Hoppers, the amazing new book from Rob J. Hayes which is out in the world today!! I had so much fun reading this book, and it’s hard to do it justice in a review.

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

Book Summary:

Courage Iro will shatter the Gates of Power to protect his fleet.

Born talentless, Iro has all but resigned himself to a life of drudgery, watching his sister hop across to the massive space titan for supplies. But when the titan explodes and his sister is killed, Iro finds a new determination to take her place. He’s not about to let weakness prevent him.

When the fleet encounters a new titan, filled with powerful monsters, deadly traps, and mysterious cloaked figures, Iro is the first to spontaneously manifest a new talent. Now sent to a different ship, to train with others far beyond his strength, Iro will have to train twice as hard just to catch up.

To protect his fleet, and to uncover the mysteries of the titans, Iro won’t just open the Gates of Power. He’ll break them.

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Blog Tour (Book Review): A King’s Radiance (Bonds of Kin #1)- L.R. Schulz

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

Hello!

A little later than planned because it did not dawn on me that it was thursday until rather late this evening (my sense of time is all over the place after the last couple of years), but here is my stop on the Escapists Tours blog tour for A King’s Radiance by L.R. Schulz. This is the first book in the Bonds of Kin series, and the author’s debut, as well as entrant in this years SPFBO competition.

Please do check out the other blogs involved with the tour!

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

Book Summary:

Three siblings… a rebel, a prince, a prisoner

The sun’s light shines bright over the land of Zapour, and only a select few can harness its power. But all power comes with a cost, and the world is not kind to those who refuse to pay it.

Raiz Glaive, a strong shine wielder, was born into royalty, though even royals have to answer to someone. When the King-Radiant sends one of his precious underlings to the Kingdom of Trost, Raiz quickly learns who holds the true power in the realm. After his sister is taken prisoner simply for having the violet eyes of a mystic, Raiz swears vengeance. But when an unwilling father stands in his way, Raiz promises to take revenge into his own hands.

Dazen Glaive remains heir to the throne of Trost, and a sworn defender of the King-Radiant, but he has not forgotten what happened to his sister, and will not forgive their cruelty.

Forced to be the centerpiece of her “master’s” twisted human art gallery, Isha remains a prisoner. Though she has not lost hope. Finding friends among fellow captives, she begins to formulate a plan for escape. Though what she discovers has a much more sinister bearing on the fate of all of Zapour.

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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?

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IFA Summer Challenge & SPFBO 8 Readalong

On 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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Book Review: Sins of the Mother (The War Eternal #4) – Rob J. Hayes

On By Rowena AndrewsIn FantasyLeave a comment

Hello!

Today I am over the moon to be reviewing Sins of the Mother by Rob J. Hayes. I love The War Eternal series, and Sins of the Mother has taken it to new heights. I have remained as spoiler free as I could manage, although in the future I may return as there are so many things I want to gush (and shout) about in this book – but in summary I LOVED THIS BOOK.

You can read my reviews of the earlier books here:
Along the Razor’s Edge | The Lessons Never Learned | From Cold Ashes Risen

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

Book Summary:

In her darklight the world will burn.

Eskara Helsene is missing. She left her queendom, her friends, her children, even her own name behind. No one has seen the Corpse Queen for a decade.

Someone is murdering Sourcerers, forcing them to reject their magic and opening scars in reality, and monsters from the Other World are pouring through.

When an old acquaintance turns up out of the blue, Eska has no choice but to investigate the murders and the holes in reality. Can she stop the killer before the entire world is consumed? And will the conflict reveal her true nature?

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Book Review: Cold West – Clayton W. Snyder

On By Rowena AndrewsIn Fantasy, Review, Self-Published, Weird WestLeave a comment

Hello!

Today I am delighted to finally be sharing my review for Cold West by Clayton W. Snyder. For some reason, maybe just because life has been a little crazy lately, this review has been fighting me no end.

Book Summary:

Bastard. Killer. Husband. Father.

His wife cold in the ground, and two young boys to feed, Wil Cutter turns to what he knows: Violence. But a bounty is never just a bounty, and blood is never spilled in drops. Forced to ever more violent acts, he’ll have to ask himself: Is Hell too far to ride?

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