Book Review Alert: The Crow King by M.H. Woodscourt

Reviewed: July 5th, 2021
Released: August 20th, 2020
Genre: YA Epic Fantasy

The Crow King has outlawed magic. Despite the kingdom’s edict, Gwyn plunges into the ancient and deadly True Wood to find a magical cure for his dying brother. Within the shadowed realm, he must fend off more than violent and fallen fae-like Ilidreth when he learns the king is out to stop him at whatever cost.

What a wonderful story. Woodscourt has created a rich and magical world, full of well developed characters and quirky magical creatures. She had me at Unicorn, especially a shiny one. Anything that glitters and I’m there! Maybe I was a magpie in another life. R ead More…

Book Review Alert: UpSpark by Nicole Wells

Reviewed: July 4th,, 2021
Released: June 20th, 2021
Genre: Science Fantasy Romance

Can they find themselves and each other before time runs out?

Enya’s dreams of making a difference in the world are devastated the summer after high school when she finds out she has a fatal disease.

A cross country road trip to Native American reservations helps her find meaning. But Jacob, her best friend and traveling companion, has longed for them to become something more.

Their expedition is just the start of an amazing love and spiritual journey, but a one-in-a-million phenomenon changes everything.

“I get the feeling like I’m reading Fault In Our Stars Part 2.”

Book Review Alert: The Prince Returns by J.A Culican

Reviewed: July 1st, 2021
Released: June 21st, 2016
Genre: A YA Dragon Shifter Fantasy

Moody Dragons. Snarky Elves. Fierce Mermaids. And two unlikely heroes who are fated to save them all.

Cole’s life is upended on his 18th birthday when he discovers his true dragon heritage and the prophecy that awaits him. Cole’s life spirals into an uncontrollable battle of life or death. He learns that his family isn’t really his own and his birth parents are the king and queen of all dragons, making Cole royalty. Read More…

Book Review Alert: Ash Crooked Fates by Sky Sommers

Reviewed: June 25th, 2021
Released: June 20th, 2021
Genre: Fairytale Retelling

Ash is the third book in the Magic Mirrors Saga; a retelling of the Wizard of Oz and can be read as a standalone. Thie book is quite unique in that you can choose your ending. You’ll see what I mean when you get there!

When Cinderella’s estranged mother Mellie goes to Oz in search of her baby-daddy, she needs a crew to deliver the proof of their liaison – her youngest daughter, Ellie – to the Emerald City. Hijacking someone else’s search & rescue crew? Not a problem. So what if it’s the feared Fairy Queen Morgana’s rescue mission to find her only son.

A cowardly lion and a brainless scarecrow as per the manual are already lined up for the save. The tin-man is already in Oz…somewhere. Darn those iron mirror portals and fae men. Read More…

Book Review Alert: Grandfather’s Will by Rebecca Lange

Reviewed: June 15th, 2021
Released: March 31st, 2021
Genre: Christian Fiction

After billionaire Henry Woodruff loses several family members in a horrible accident, his grandchildren Rebecca, Noah, and Amber McNeil are now the official heirs. Although they never desired to be put into his will, Henry has every reason to believe that the tragic plane crash was not just an unfortunate accident but a planned murder. Feeling that his children were somehow involved, he has to develop a plan before his grandchildren get murdered. Read More…

Book Review Alert: The Antiheroes by Jacob Peppers

Reviewed: June 13th, 2021
Released: November 19th, 2020
Genre: Epic Fantasy

The world needed heroes…It got them instead.

A swordsman past his prime who has vowed to never wield a blade again.

A mage who’d rather throw fists than fireballs and thinks magic is for sissies.

An assassin who grows sick at the sight of blood.

And a man with a pet squirrel he believes to be an ancient god from long ago.

An evil has risen in the land, one that, if not dealt with, threatens to start a war which would include the gods themselves. To counter it, the realm must call on its greatest heroes, its most courageous adventurers. Unfortunately, those great heroes, those brave adventurers, are all busy—being dead mostly. Read More…

Book Review Alert: Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo

Reviewed: June 10th, 2021
Released: September 29th, 2015
Genre: YA Fantasy

Criminal prodigy Kaz Brekker is offered a chance at a deadly heist that could make him rich beyond his wildest dreams – but he can’t pull it off alone.

First off, Let me say I wasn’t a fan of Shadow and Bone, which I thought was targeted at a much younger audience, but my daughter insisted that I read Six of Crows because it was so good and she wanted to discuss it with me!

I am glad to be able to say that I enjoyed this book so much more than Shadow and Bone. The characters had more depth and the story was more complex. Read More…

Book Review Alert: Servant of the Crown by Paul J Bennett

Reviewed: June 5th, 2021
Released: October 28th, 2017
Genre: Epic Fantasy

Summary

An old warrior, too stubborn to die. A royal heir, hidden since birth.

Can they save a realm on the brink of war?

Tragedy tears Gerald’s world apart and only his unwavering loyalty saves him. After serving as a soldier for years, a single act of self-sacrifice thrusts his future into the world of politics.

Cut off from all he knows, he becomes no more than a pawn to those in command. Banished with little more than the clothes on his back, he seeks a new purpose, for what is a warrior who has nothing left to fight for?

A fateful meeting with another lost soul unmasks a shocking secret, compelling him to take up the mantle of guardian. Bandits, the Black Hand, and even the king, he battles them all for the future of the realm. Read More…

Book Review Alert: Hope The little Fox by E.Ozols

Reviewed: May 27th, 2021
Released: May 4th, 2020
Genre: Fantasy

Summary

Hope is a wild and carefree child growing up in a remote cottage near the coast. Hope’s high-born mother worries her unruly daughter will never become a proper lady living out in the wilderness, while her father, a grizzled military leader, does not share this concern. Instead, he encourages his crafty daughter to run free and explore, giving her the nickname “Little Fox.”

What a great book. I thoroughly enjoyed how Hope developed and how she coped with and faced the challenges of her world, purely because she was girl. If she had been a boy, the world would have been her oyster. Instead, she had to hide her greatest skills, and learn how to disseminate and pretend to be something she didn’t want to be. Excellent read, you won’t want to put it down. Read More…

Book Review Alert: The Look of a King by Tom Dumbrell

Reviewed: May 25th, 2021
Released: March 7th, 2021
Genre: Fantasy

Summary

A well written, character driven fantasy, with plenty of action and adventure, and a touch of awkward romance thrown in, giving plenty of room for misunderstandings! Dumbrell has created a wonderful world that will keep you entertained and asking for more.

Cyrus is a storyteller frustrated by the mundane trappings of village life, while Prince Augustus struggles to meet high expectations after an upbringing of royal privilege in the bustling capital.

As both try to forge their own paths, a royal assassination unexpectedly closes the gap between them. The nation of Easthaven is thrown into war with their oppressive neighbours, and so begins a conflict from which neither can walk away. Read More…