Fantasy

All the Dark Souls by A.M. Dunnewin

This was a very good first book in a new fantasy series. Joss is one of a long line of executioners in the kingdom. She is required to execute those condemned by the kingdom. Despite her inherited role, Joss and her assistant Henrik work as healers for the surrounding villages. One day Joss and Henrik find a seriously wounded man on the road. They take him home and care for him, but are hesitant to reveal their occupation. The wounded man, Aric, is an assassin who was beaten and left for dead after he failed to kill his last assignment. He also doesn’t want to reveal who he is, especially since the dangerous men that hired him know where he is and want him to finish the job. When Joss and Aric’s duties intersect, decisions are made that jeopardize all of their lives.

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October 29, 2022 0

Jackal by Erin E. Adams

Wow. This book was a crazy ride. I started reading and couldn’t stop until I finished it. I thought this was a mystery/thriller, but it’s so much more. There is a horror element to the book that I didn’t know was there going in, but thinking back, it makes sense because I was so tense reading it. There were so many times were I had no idea what was going to happen next and the story had plenty of twisty turns and false leads. The writing was so well done that it kept me second guessing throughout the book. The story deals with tough issues including racial prejudice, domestic violence, and class and wealth inequity. The book requires the reader to suspend disbelief toward the end, otherwise it won’t make a lot of sense. I struggled with this until I realized there were other elements besides a mystery.

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October 4, 2022 1

A Kingdom of Flesh and Fire (Blood and Ash #2) by Jennifer L. Armentrout

This is the second book in a captivating YA Fantasy series. Poppy knows who Hawke, Casteel, is now. He’s the Dark One, the Prince of Atlantia. And he’s got a plan to get his brother back from the Blood Queen that involves her. She knows better than to trust him, but he’s the only way for her to get what she wants—to find her brother Ian and see for herself if he has become a soulless Ascended. So, they pretend to be engaged to fulfill both of their goals. But Poppy also knows it’s a risk being so close to Casteel, because they definitely have chemistry together that is hard to resist. The closer Poppy gets to Atlantia, the more her power grows. Atlantia is at unrest. Whispers of war are growing, the Descenters want Poppy dead and the King wants to use her to send a message. But the gods may have different ideas.

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September 10, 2022 0

Children of Gods and Fighting Men (Gael Song #1) by Shauna Lawless

This is a fantastic first book in a thrilling Historical Fiction Fantasy series. The book is set in 981 A.D. Ireland. The Viking King of Dublin is dead and his wife, Gormflaith, has plans to install her son on the throne. But there are several sons and uncles that Gormflaith must go through before she achieves her goal. Gormflaith also has a secret that she must keep to avoid death by those sworn to kill her race. Gormflaith is a Fomorian, an immortal race who can do fire-magic.

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September 10, 2022 0

From Blood and Ash (Blood and Ash #1) by Jennifer Armentrout

Ok, I know that I’m way behind everyone else in reading this series, so the last thing you want to do is read another review about this book, but WOW! I loved this book. In it’s simplest form, you can call this book a YA Fantasy Romance. And yeah, it is. But it also has a load of fighting, paranormal elements, magic, and court intrigue.

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September 5, 2022 0

The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches by Sangu Mandanna

This is a very cute contemporary paranormal romance book that was a fun, quick, and easy read. Mika Moon is one of just a few witches in Britain and she knows the rules: keep her head down, hide her magic and don’t mingle with other witches so their power doesn’t draw attention. Raised as an orphan, Mika has never felt a part of anything. She had no family, was raised by strangers, and never stayed in one place long enough to make friends or plant roots. Her only bit of rebellion; an online account where she posts videos of herself “pretending” to do magic. She thinks no one actually believes she’s a real witch – until a letter arrives.

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August 25, 2022 0

A Kingdom of Flame and Fury (The Four Kingdoms #1) by Whitney Dean

This was a pretty good dark fantasy romance book, but I’m a bit conflicted about it. There are things that I really liked about it, and other things that I really did not. At 10 years old, orphan Raven was deemed the heir of Seolia, a kingdom within the Four Kingdoms. At the beginning of the book, Raven has been ruling for fifteen years. Despite doing a good job, she still feels that she didn’t earn the right to rule, and is hiding the fact that she possesses dark magic -something everyone in the kingdom believes no longer exists.

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August 20, 2022 0

Master of Furies (The Firemane Saga #3) by Raymond Feist

This is a great conclusion to this series, and sets the scene nicely for what I hope will be a new series with some of these characters. This book picks up right after the events of the second book.

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July 27, 2022 0

The Final Strife (The Final Strike Trilogy #1) by Saara El-Arifi

This is a good first book in a new YA Fantasy African and Arabian-inspired trilogy. The Empire is ruled by four rulers. Every ten years a trial of combat and skill is held to determine the Empire’s new rulers, who will intern with the current rulers until it’s time for them to take over.

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June 30, 2022 1