Category: Fantasy

You've likely heard of Sarah J Maas if you know much about fantasy. She's made a name for herself in the fantasy genre over the past decade-plus for smashing out some well-received female-led fantasy series. One of her more successful is the A Court of Thorns and Roses series. The first book in the series is of the same name - but is it any good? Please note that this article contains affiliate links. This means that if you choose to purchase any products via any of the links below, I may receive a small commission at no extra cost to you. These affiliate links do not affect my final opinion of the products. I've updated this review to reflect my reread in 2023. Some elements are my initial thoughts…

Joe Abercrombie is an author name that needs no introduction in the fantasy space. He’s a name that is often brought up as one of the best in the genre and most certainly the best at grim dark fantasy (where it’s all swearing, dark humour and gore etc). Before They Are Hanged is the second in the The First Law trilogy. I have read and enjoyed The First Blade which I enjoyed the characters of but said that the plot was slightly lacking. Does Before They Are Hanged improve upon this or is it much of the same? Please note that this article contains affiliate links. This means that if you choose to purchase any products via the links provided below, I may receive a small commission at no extra…

Quite a long time ago I was sent a couple of books by Bryan Asher: The Assassin of Malcoze, the book this review is about, and The Treasure of Lor-Rev. The idea behind the books is that they're all set in the same world but aren't necessarily directly linked to one another story-wise. It's an interesting premise that allows Asher to write different books but brings people into the idea that they're all connected. The Assassin of Malcoze is the "first" in the series and focuses on the short stories of three people from Malcoze (one of the settings in the world). Please note that this article contains affiliate links. This means that if you choose to purchase any products via the links below, I may receive a small comission…

We all know I absolutely love fantasy books - there's something about the imaginative setting, the idea of things being formed and created that aren't real and reading about a story and setting that's so much more grand and interesting than our own. Therefore, when a new fantasy series comes along and starts to get some hype, I always have to try and get my hands on a copy of the first book in the series to see if it's my type of thing. Of Blood and Fire and its subsequent The Bound and the Broken series of books have been receiving said hype and I must say, I can see why. Please note that this article contains affiliate links. This means that if you choose to purchase any products…

I've read The Blade Itself before - well I've listened to the audiobook and can't say that at the time I enjoyed it that much. I thought the characters were good but the plot never seemed to get going and it didn't feel like Abercrombie had a lot of plans for the plot itself. The second time around, I appreciated the characters even more and understand what Abercrombie is trying to do with the story. Please note that this article contains affiliate links. This means that if you choose to purchase any products via the links below, I may receive a commission at no extra cost to you. These affiliate links do not affect my final opinion of the product. The Blade Itself is the first book in The First…

The front cover of The Atlas Six By Olivie Blake suggests it’s going to have a lot going on. There’s going to be a bit of science, a bit of magic and it’s all going to be dark, brooding and cool. Well, this is all true but somehow Blake, unfortunately, doesn’t seem to make it at all appealing to read about. Please note that this article contains affiliate links. This means that if you choose to purchase any products via the links below, I small receive a small commission at no extra cost to you. These affiliate links do not affect my final opinions of the products. The Atlas Six tells the tale of a secret society of magicians. Each year, six of the most powerful magicians are chosen to…

Daniel T. Jackson turned out to have written one of my favourite books of last year. Illborn was a breath of fresh air in the fantasy space - not all about one special individual written in some ye olde language that has become almost what feels like a necessity for epic fantasies. Instead, it was a well but simple-written book with a very gripping storyline that, despite the large page count, I didn't feel was a long book. Aiduel's Sin is the sequel to Illborn, building on everything Please note that this article contains affiliate links. This means if you choose to purchase any products via the links below, I may receive a small commission at no extra cost to you. These affiliate links do not affect my final opinion…

A couple of months ago, I put out a tweet asking people where I should start with Ben Galley as I'd seen some good things about him. A few people came back, including Galley himself - his suggestion was to start with the Chasing Graves as it was the series he was most proud of. He then decided to DM me and said he'd be happy to send me a copy if I wanted to get started and you can't say no to that! So it was only fair that I slotted his book to the top of my TBR when it arrived. Please note that this article contains affiliate links. This means that if you purchase any products via the links below, I may receive a small commission at…

When I received the sequel to The Ember Blade, The Shadow Casket, from Gollancz, I quickly went out and ordered the first book in the series The Ember Blade. I did some quick research on it and quickly saw it had received a lot of praise from people who'd read it with some even claiming it to be "the best fantasy" they'd ever read and "Lord of the Rings for the modern age" so I went it to it with high expectations. Please note that this article contains affiliate links. This means that if you choose to purchase any products via the links provided below, I may receive a small commission at no extra cost to you. These affiliate links do not affect my final opinion of these products. The…