Book Review: The Saint of the Bookstore by Victoria Goddard

Book #2 of 2025: The Saint of the Bookstore by Victoria Goddard A lovely midwinter interlude in the Greenwing & Dart series, taking place soon after #6 Plum Duff and following up on a certain momentous development from #4 Blackcurrant Fool. The protagonist is a new character, a sister from a religious order, who’s been …

Book Review: Mislaid in Parts Half-Known by Seanan McGuire

Book #182 of 2024: Mislaid in Parts Half-Known by Seanan McGuire (Wayward Children #9) Broadly speaking — although this is as inaccurate in the details as Eleanor West’s flawed Logic / Nonsense dichotomy that she tries to fit all the student experiences into — there are two types of stories that the Wayward Children novellas …

Book Review: Dzur by Steven Brust

Book #181 of 2024: Dzur by Steven Brust (Vlad Taltos #10) In this story, the former assassin Vladimir Taltos returns home to sort out some trouble with his ex-wife and the criminal organization they both used to work for, which still has a bounty on his head. That’s pretty standard plot fare this deep into …

Book Review: Traveller’s Joy by Victoria Goddard

Book #179 of 2024: Traveller’s Joy by Victoria Goddard A short but sweet prequel / interlude in the madcap lives of Jemis and Hal from author Victoria Goddard’s Greenwing & Dart series, and one that I think would stand fairly well on its own for newcomers — although as ever, recognizing the web of sprawling …

Book Review: Wind and Truth by Brandon Sanderson

Book #176 of 2024: Wind and Truth by Brandon Sanderson (The Stormlight Archive #5) [Disclaimer: I am Facebook friends with this author.] Another 1300-page epic fantasy tome that very nearly justifies its massive length. (I listened to the audiobook on 2.5x speed, which still took literally 24 hours to complete.) The extended climax of this …

Book Review: Issola by Steven Brust

Book #170 of 2024: Issola by Steven Brust (Vlad Taltos #9) The back half of this novel is rather good, representing an important step forward for former assassin and current fugitive Vlad Taltos, who’s come out of hiding to help a few friends who’ve been kidnapped by some sort of demigods. It also hinges on …

Book Review: Clary Sage by Victoria Goddard

Book #168 of 2024: Clary Sage by Victoria Goddard Morrowlea University is an important part of the backstory of author Victoria Goddard’s Greenwing & Dart series, which begins soon after its protagonist Jemis Greenwing graduates and returns home from there. As we learn as those stories unfold, the institution is alone among its peers in …

Book Review: Voyage of the Damned by Frances White

Book #166 of 2024: Voyage of the Damned by Frances White I’ve heard this book described as a fantasy-genre version of an Agatha Christie story like And Then There Were None, but I think The Hunger Games might be an even more apt comparison for the steadily-rising body count. While the identity of the murderer(s) …

Book Review: In the Shadow of the Fall by Tobi Ogundiran

Book #163 of 2024: In the Shadow of the Fall by Tobi Ogundiran (Guardian of the Gods #1) An exhilarating new fantasy series debut that pits a novitiate orisha priestess against body-snatching heretics like Doro from Octavia E. Butler’s Wild Seed seeking to destroy her order. I wish the plot structure deviated more from the …

Book Review: After the Forest by Kell Woods

Book #162 of 2024: After the Forest by Kell Woods I like the idea of following up with Hansel and Gretel (sorry, “Hans” and “Greta”) as young adults, haunted by the trauma of what they experienced as children, but this fantasy novel spends a bit too long getting to the point, which then winds up …

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