Book Review: Fearless by Lauren Roberts ‘Fearless’ by Lauren Roberts is the final book in her ‘Powerless’ trilogy. It was released in 2025, and follows on in the immediate fallout of the cliffhanger in ‘Reckless’, that despite murdering the late king, Paedyn Grey was going to marry Kit, and become the queen of Ilya. And,ContinueContinue reading
Category Archives: Fantasy Fiction
Book Review: These Infinite Threads by Tahereh Mafi ‘These Infinite Threads’ by Tahereh Mafi was published in 2023. It is the second book in the series, the events of which proceeded immediately after the cliffhanger from ‘This Woven Kingdom’, addressing the fallout from Alizeh’s escape from Ardunia to Toulan with King Cyrus. I was underContinueContinue reading
Book Review: Fire and Blood by George R. R. Martin ‘Fire and Blood’ by George R. R. Martin was published in 2018, after the ending of the ‘Game Of Thrones’ TV series, which boosted the popularity of the series exponentially. While I was aware of the acclaim of the series, it took me years toContinueContinue reading
Book Review: Reckless by Lauren Roberts ‘Reckless’ by Lauren Roberts is the second book of the ‘Powerless’ trilogy. It was published in 2024, and follows promptly after Paedyn killed the king of Ilya. In my opinion, this book was essentially a really long-winded way to achieve three imperative plot points, all of which are acknowledgedContinueContinue reading
Book Review: Human Rites by Juno Dawson ‘Human Rites’ by Juno Dawson was released in 2025. It is the final book in Dawson’s ‘Her Majesty’s Royal Coven’ series. It was one of my most highly-anticipated reads of 2025, and I was so excited to get into it.
Book Review: Legendborn by Tracy Deonn The Legendborn Cycle series by Tracy Deonn currently consists of three books: ‘Legendborn’ (2020), ‘Bloodmarked’ (2022) and the highly-anticipated ‘Oathbound’ (2025). The series follows Briana ‘Bree’ Matthews, a sixteen year old black girl that lived in a small town with a meagre black population. An academic superstar, she managesContinueContinue reading
Book Review: Babel by R. F. Kuang ‘Babel’ also known as ‘Babel, Or the Necessity Of Violence’ or ‘Babel: An Arcane History’ is a novel by R. F. Kuang. It was published in 2022 and is her fourth book. It is what she describes as a piece of speculative fiction, however, this alternative history novelContinueContinue reading
Book Review: Katabasis by R. F. Kuang ‘Katabasis’ by R. F. Kuang is due to be published in August 2025. I was fortunate enough to receive an Advance Reader Copy through a random lottery draw I put my name in at work. Oh, the perks of being a Bookseller! I was absolutely elated to beContinueContinue reading
Book Review: Faithbreaker by Hannah Kaner ‘Faithbreaker’ by Hannah Kaner came out in 2025. It is the final instalment of Kaner’s ‘Godkiller’ series and follows Kissen, Elo, and Inara as they try and save their homeland from the threat of the malignant God, Hseth, and the people that have been manipulated by her. This bookContinueContinue reading
Book Review: Powerless by Lauren Roberts ‘Powerless’ by Lauren Roberts was published in 2023. It is the first book in a series with the same name and consists of ‘Powerless’ (2023), ‘Reckless’ (2024) and ‘Fearless’ which was published earlier this month. There is also a novella that accompanies this series called ‘Powerful’, (2024) which followsContinueContinue reading
Book Review: The Bloodsworn Saga by John Gwynne Version 1.0.0 ‘The Bloodsworn Saga’ is a trilogy by John Gwynne that consists of ‘The Shadow of the Gods’ (2021), ‘The Hunger of the Gods’ (2022) and ‘The Fury of the Gods’ (2024). It is a Norse-inspired epic fantasy novel that had me in a vice-like grip.ContinueContinue reading
Book Review: Ruthless Vows by Rebecca Ross ‘Ruthless Vows’ by Rebecca Ross was released in 2023, and is the sequel to ‘Divine Rivals’, the bestselling fantasy novel about two young people that fall in love amidst times of war, through the sharing of letters via magical typewriters. This book is prompt in its following ofContinueContinue reading
Book Review: Lore Of The Wilds by Analeigh Sbrana / ‘Lore Of The Wilds’ by Analeigh Sbrana was released in 2023. It was Sbrana’s debut novel and the first in a duology, which is to be succeeded by ‘Lore Of The Tides’, a book that is due to be released this year. The story hasContinueContinue reading
Book Review: Queen B by Juno Dawson ‘Queen B’ by Juno Dawson was released in 2024. It is a prequel novella which predates the events of Dawson’s ‘Her Majesty’s Royal Coven’ series, which is due to conclude with the final book, ‘Human Rites’ due to come out in 2025. This book was a surprise toContinueContinue reading
Book Review: That Time I Got Drunk And Yeeted A Love Potion At A Werewolf ‘That Time I Got Drunk And Yeeted A Love Potion At A Werewolf’ is the second book in Kimberly Lemming’s Mead Mishaps series. It was released in 2022 and is available to read via Amazon’s Kindle Unlimited subscription. This isContinueContinue reading
Book Review: The Salt Grows Heavy by Cassandra Khaw ‘The Salt Grows Heavy’ by Cassandra Khaw was released in 2023. It is a unique blend of horror and dark fantasy, exploring darker themes through supernatural entities and grotesque violence. There are two main characters, neither of whom are named, The Plague Doctor and The Mermaid,ContinueContinue reading
Book Review: Sunbringer by Hannah Kaner ‘Sunbringer’ is the second book in Hannah Kaner’s Godkiller trilogy. This installment was released in February 2024 and was a book that I absolutely couldn’t wait to read from the second I finished the first book. I wasn’t sure what to expect from ‘Sunbringer’ when I was waiting forContinueContinue reading
Book Review: That Time I Got Drunk And Saved A Demon by Kimberly Lemming ‘That One Time I Got Drunk And Saved A Demon’ by Kimberly Lemming was originally published in 2021. It is the first book of her ‘Mead Mishaps’ series, which follows the stories of multiple characters at different points in time withContinueContinue reading
Book Review: We Hunt The Flame by Hafsah Faizal ‘We Hunt The Flame’ is the first of author Hafsah Faizal’s ‘The Sands of Arawiya Duology’. ‘We Hunt The Flame’ was published in 2019, while the sequel, ‘We Free The Stars’, was published in 2021. The first book was incredibly rich in lore and immersive toContinueContinue reading
Book Review: Masters Of Death by Olivie Blake ‘Masters Of Death’ by Olivie Blake was published in 2023. It is a contemporary fantasy novel, which follows the godson of Death, Fox D’Mora as he goes on to “best [Death]”. I really enjoyed ‘Masters of Death’, and while I had a few issues with it, mostContinueContinue reading
Book Review: This Poison Heart Duology The ‘This Poison Heart’ duology by Kalynn Bayron consists of two urban fantasy novels, grounded in Greek mythology. The first book, ‘This Poison Heart’ was released in 2021, and the sequel came out the following year. The story follows Briseis, a teenager being raised in Brooklyn, New York byContinueContinue reading
‘Shadow and Bone’ was an interesting story that shows multiple layers and levels to a world at war, comparing the life of the standard footsoldier, to the magically gifted Grisha, who want for nothing.
Book Review: Divine Rivals by Rebecca Ross ‘Divine Rivals’ by Rebecca Ross was released in early 2023. It is the first book in the Letters of Enchantment duology. The second book, ‘Ruthless Vows’ is due to be released in the latter end of the month. The story followed two characters, Roman Kitt and Iris Winnow,ContinueContinue reading
This was my first conscious venture into the sub genre of cosy fantasy. I knew it consisted on characters going through their heroes journeys in significantly less stressful scenarios. However, I’d argue that Isobel ought to have been more stressed out about the circumstances she was in…
‘Gallant’ by V.E. Schwab was released in 2022 and is a fascinating, gothic novel that leaves you reeling, mulling over those same repeated phrases, images, and the sheer scope of meanings they may have. I read it in a day, and couldn’t put it down!
‘House Of Hunger’ by Alexis Henderson was released in 2022. It is a horror novel that dabbles in the idea of vampirism without explicitly stating that the nobility in question in the North’s bloodlust relates to vampirism. Although the idea of bloodletting for medicinal purposes can be traced back to Galen and Humourism back in Ancient Rome, the idea of drinking blood, without mentioning the other three humours, black bile, urine, and phlegm being let or consumed heavily implies the need for blood to be consumed for nutritional value instead, since the Countess Lisavet consumes it in tea, wine, and straight from the source.
‘How The King Of Elfhame Learned To Hate Stories’ was released in 2020. It is an accompanying novella that provides episodic glimpses into the life of King Cardan of Elfhame, and his life prior to, during, and post the events of ‘The Folk Of The Air’ Trilogy, it has brilliant illustrations throughout, provided by Rovina Cai.
‘Lightlark’ by Alex Aster was released in 2022 and is the first book of a duopoly, the sequel to which is due to be released in late 2023. The concept for her book was a hit on TikTok, her viral video pitching the concept in 2021 amassing over 400,000 likes.
‘Thistlefoot’ by GennaRose Nethercott was released in 2022. It follows estranged siblings Isaac and Bellatine Yaga, who reunite to stake their claim on their inheritance, promised by their Great-Great-Grandmother: a house… on legs!
‘Godkiller’ by Hannah Kaner was released in 2022 and follows an ensemble cast of four characters: a Godkiller, Kissen, who roams the land, striking down Gods, supposedly in the name of King Aaron, for money, a former royal knight, and now baker, Elogast, or Elo to friends, and a young noble-born girl, called Inara, who has inadvertently found herself bound to a minor God, Skedi.
‘Last Violent Call’ by Chloe Gong was released in early 2023. It contains two novellas that offer insight into the lives of Roma Montagov and Juliette Cai, as well as Marshall Seo and Benedikt Montagov from her original duology: ‘These Violent Delights’ and ‘Our Violent Ends’ in the four years that follow the conclusion of ‘Our Violent Ends’ to the conclusion of ‘Foul Lady Fortune’, these two novellas provide what can only be assumed as an essential bridge between the original duology and Gong’s second duology, where these characters are likely to make another appearance.
‘The Folk of the Air’ Series by Holly Black consists of three books: ‘The Cruel Prince’, ‘The Wicked King’, ‘The Queen of Nothing’, and an accompanying illustrated novella, ‘How The King Of Elfhame Learned To Hate Stories’. An affiliated duology ‘The Stolen Heir’ is in the works.
Book Review: Deep Roots by Vanessa Roades ‘Deep Roots’ was Vanessa Roades’ third book, and was released in June 2023. I’ve been eagerly looking forward to this book since the cover reveal appeared on my TikTok a few months before the release. This book follows multiple characters, including an inventor, Roheme, her friend Eirjatal, andContinueContinue reading
‘The Ten Thousand Doors of January’ by Alix E. Harrow was published in 2019, followed several connected narratives, one following a young woman called January, from childhood who was raised by her foster father in a grand estate while her biological father hunted for treasures across the world.
‘Foul Lady Fortune’ by Chloe Gong is a second series set in the same timeline as her previous works, ‘These Violent Delights’ and ‘Our Violent Ends’. It was published in 2022 and follows the story of Rosalind Lang, a supporting character in her previous books, as she embarks on her own journey, having been branded a traitor to the Scarlet Gang.
‘Six Crimson Cranes’, and ‘The Dragon’s Promise’ are a duology by author, Elizabeth Lim, with the first book coming out in 2021, and its sequel being released in 2022. Now a prequel novel, ‘Her Radiant Curse’, is due to be released later this year.
‘A Court of Thorns and Roses’, shortened to ACOTAR, is an ongoing fantasy series by Sarah J Maas, which started back in 2015. This series of what is currently five books has been a sensation among readers on BookTok’s literary community.
Book Review: Her Majesty’s Royal Coven by Juno Dawson ‘Her Majesty’s Royal Coven’ is a novel by Juno Dawson, which follows an ensemble cast of middle aged witches living in the UK. These witches are, or were once, affiliated with the nation’s primary coven for witches: Her Majesty’s Royal Coven, (shortened to HMRC) and servedContinueContinue reading
‘Good Omens’ was written by Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman, and was published in 1990. Due to its age some of the humour in this novel is outdated, such as the use of the f-slur.
‘Juniper and Thorn’ was Ava Reid’s second novel and was published in 2022. It is a dark fantasy which leans into gothic traditions. The novel follows the story of Marlinchen, the youngest of three sisters living under her father, the last wizard of Oblya’s roof.
‘These Violent Delights’ and ‘Our Violent Ends’ are Chloe Gong’s duology which retells the story of Romeo and Juliet through the lens of rival gangs in 1920s Shanghai. The first book, ‘These Violent Delights’ was published in 2020, while the sequel was released a year later in 2021.
‘Earth’ is the first book of debut novelist, AC Holloway’s Magic Rediscovered series. This story follows Jon, a young teen that lives in a barren wasteland, who stumbles upon a wizard after a nasty fall in a junkyard near his home…
Imogen L. Smiley 