Genre: Fantasy

Imagine the church had a secret thirteenth chapel consisting of paranormal beings and monsters employed in carrying out assignments that cannot be achieved through more typical and moral methods. The Devils by Joe Abercrombie takes the dark fantasy genre and gives it an unhinged and comedic spin akin to the Suicide Squad within an epic fantasy tale. An action-packed story that has a lot of heart in it, this book features Abercrombie’s engaging and cinematic storytelling lightened by high-energy wit and over-the-top hijinks that’s a lot of fun to read provided one doesn’t compare it to or expect it to channel his more intense works. Similar to a street rat rags-to-riches story dressed up in light absurdity, The Devils’s story loosely covers the story of Brother Diaz assigned to lead a gang of immoral prisoners of various skills tasked with escorting the recently discovered lost princess Alexia to Troy to reclaim her title. Besides being an orphaned petty thief for most of her life with zero essence of nobility, she also is under threat from her powerful and dangerous cousins seeking to claim the throne for themselves. Plucked from the Holy City streets, the unlikely group’s reconnaissance mission hits some…

The following review is based on a complimentary ARC provided by Sourcebooks Fire. The second half of Beth Revis and Sara Raasch’s Scottish-inspired historical romantasy duology, The Blood Queen is an intense assault of a YA fantasy novel. Picking up the story right where The Crimson Throne’s cliffhanger ending leaves off, this book is a fast-paced fantasy read packed with action, lore, and bringing the conflict of the invading red caps to a dramatic conclusion. Featuring likeable characters, snappy pacing, and strong Scottish folklore, The Blood Queen is a solid YA read only mildly hindered by uneven content between POV’s, pacing that can feel rushed, and a notable lack of historical fiction elements compared to its predecessor. After the dramatic cliffhanger ending of The Crimson Throne, this book resumes the story and rounds out the battle between the red cap forces and the Alyth’s fae connections with both the human and fae worlds at stake. The first book featured a wide array of narrative elements that covered fae and human portal-based worldbuilding, Scottish folklore, and historical fiction elements featuring real historical figures. Given that the villain is only just revealed at The Crimson Throne’s conclusion, this book has a lot…

This review is based on a complimentary Advanced Reader Copy provided by Entangled: Mayhem Books. Part two of Nisha J. Tuli’s Storm Breaker series, Storm Caller picks up after the first book’s high‑energy and cliffhanger ending. Featuring more overt dystopian elements, this book leans away from the typical academy setting and training arc, instead focusing on heavy world‑building that substantially expands the scope of the story far beyond New Manhattan. While this novel continues the signature storm motif and builds on the first book’s dystopian elements, it can unfortunately feel less balanced and lacking notable progression, giving it a transitional and somewhat underwhelming feel in addition to having a more juvenile tone. Following Poet’s escape through the tunnels with Rook, Storm Caller sees her outside New Manhattan and into The Wastes. While the first book largely consists of a traditional academy training arc common in YA books, this one switches up the formula and focuses on expanding the world outside the protected city. As the second book in a now‑planned trilogy, it carries much of the burden of expanding the lore: life and culture in The Wastes, the history and conflicts with New Manhattan, General Sol’s spark‑channeling ability, and exploration of…

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,…

The answer arc and part two of Ibañez’s Secrets of the Nile duology, Where the Library Hides is a sequel that many fans of the first book likely didn’t sign up for. While continuing its 19th‑century Egyptian premise on paper, in many ways this book feels like a product of misguided and unfortunate creative and narrative choices. Focusing heavily on familial conflict, betrayals, and character drama rather than its compelling historical fantasy elements, it may not be every reader’s cup of tea. This book picks up right after Where the River Knows ends, following the dramatic events in the backstreets of Cairo. While the first book posed a lot of interesting and mysterious questions about Cleopatra and Whit’s traumatic history in the armed forces, most of those storylines were left unresolved, compelling material for Where the Library Hides to answer. Where book one covered exploration and discovery on the island of Philae, this book sees Inez and Whit drawn to the ancient and war‑torn city of Alexandria with all of its famed history and lore. Starting with the positive points, Ibañez’s casual yet polished prose continues to be well‑suited for YA readership, as does Inez’s character narration, which is fitting…