Genre: Adventure

Like its namesake character, Bloody Rose by Nicholas Eames is a book that has big shoes to fill after its predecessor’s bombastic breakout. Rather than recycling or retreading familiar beats, this book is an effective and smart sequel that reflects and contrasts Saga’s adventures and fame, telling its own story that’s more serious, mature, and thematically rich while still maintaining the spirit of the first book. Though some readers may find it less funny or entertaining initially, Bloody Rose is a well-rounded high fantasy adventure that successfully builds off the first book’s world-building, lore and band culture. As far as debuts go, Eames’s Kings of the Wyld is a textbook example of making a statement, a book with a lot of personality and great humor. With the way the story ends, it’s clear a sequel was planned, though it would be facing high expectations. With such a large looming shadow behind it, Bloody Rose is an interesting and intelligently crafted sequel meant to be a companion piece to the first book rather than an attempt to outdo or rehash the same narrative formula. Set six years after the first book’s ending, this story follows the modest and unassuming Tam Hashford,…

18th century Egyptian history layered with myths surrounding Cleopatra, Isabel Ibañez’s What the River Knows is part one of her YA historical fantasy duology Secrets of the Nile. Featuring a great balance of mystery storylines, familial relations, romantic banter, and light fantasy elements based on magical objects, this book hits all the right marks and is a well‑crafted YA read. With a solid start and appealing main characters, this book is really fun despite some pacing issues in its back half and a sequel that ultimately does this book no favors. Intended to be a historical fiction book with a fantasy romance story, easily the strongest element of the book for me is the way it successfully captures the sense of adventure reminiscent of stories like Indiana Jones despite having little action. From the moment Inez receives the unfortunate letter in Argentina, the story maintains this great motif of exploration. Whether Inez is exploring cities in Egypt, hiding as a stowaway on a river barge, visiting historic sites, or simply on the run while evading the peeved and exasperated Whitford Hayes, the story has a genuine adventurous spark that makes the book so fun to read. The tone also benefits…

This review is based on a complimentary Advanced Reader Copy provided by Requited. A thief, a swordswoman, a magic caster, and a weapons forger walk into a pub only to be thwarted by an immortal being in need of their oddly specific skillset. That more or less sums up Taylor J. LaRue’s debut novel Steelborn, the first entry in a planned trilogy titled the Steelborn Saga. This book’s fantasy elements are as widespread as its main character Reya’s talents, which can make it an exciting read or a narratively muddy one based on the reader’s taste. Featuring noteworthy action and high fantasy elements coupled with typical romantasy tropes and some messy world-building, I found this book to be a decent read, though one that I personally wasn’t very invested in (on Goodreads, 2.5‑star rating rounded up). A fantasy‑romance/romantasy book with prominent fantasy‑adventure storylines, Steelborn feels like a book specifically crafted for veteran romantasy readers who want a bit more flashy swordfighting than the genre norm. A skilled thief who doubles as a mercenary for hire, the story follows Reya Connery, a scrappy young woman known as the Crimson Dagger. As expected based on its premise, the book’s best moments are when…

Mid-life aging, mercenary glory, and good old-fashioned cross-country adventures have never been as fun and easy to enjoy as Nicholas Eames’s Kings of the Wyld. DnD-style fantasy at its finest, this book nicely balances fast-paced action and humor with unexpectedly strong themes of family and brotherhood. Chaotic and intentionally silly when it wants to be, framed by serviceable worldbuilding and epic fantasy elements, this book is incredibly entertaining provided one isn’t opposed to fantasy “bro” style humor and tone. As far as book synopses go, Kings of the Wyld’s summary is spot on, what you see is what you get. Described as a story about the once mean, dirty, feared, and famous group/band, the members of Saga have since gone their separate ways, aged and dulled by time. The book’s story is roughly divided into two main narratives: the first consisting of Clay and his ex-bandmate Gabriel tracking down the other Saga members to convince them to join what appears to be a suicide mission to save Gabe’s daughter Rose, and their journey across the dangerous stretch of the continent called the Heartwyld to reach her. The overall story is relatively simple despite being set within a high fantasy world…

Following an unlikely group of islanders finding their way under an authoritarian and oppressive magical monarchy, Katalina Watt’s Saltswept is a maritime focused fantasy novel featuring interesting narrative elements with folklore and flavor inspired by Southeast Asian culture. Fast-paced, straightforward, and as queer and colorful as the fruit section at a port of call market vendor stall, this book has all the right ingredients and promises a high seas heist and exciting adventure. While there is a heist and an adventure out at sea, the end result may not quite live up to that lofty pitch for most readers with the book feeling more like a collection of loosely connected ideas, lacking the development and details to solidify the tale it wants to tell. Described in the author’s acknowledgement, Watt set out to write a book that honors their Southeast Asian, Pacific Islander culture meshed with queer representation, and those ambitions clearly show as easily the book’s best features. While the chain of islands that make up Paranish are fictional, their real-world inspirations have clear SEA influences. While each island is varied in terms of climate, they all have wonderful visuals and atmosphere. The title of the book serves dual…