Well, I’m quite glad Harrow the Ninth came out recently, because it gave me an excuse to go back to Gideon the Ninth, one of my 2019 favs, and do a review I missed while on hiatus. So, without further ado…
All in Book Reviews
Book Review: The Empire of Gold
Sorry for the unintended hiatus, dear readers. I had some computer troubles which are (thankfully) now resolved, and I’m ready to get back to reviews. Speaking of which, I love getting my hands on the final books of trilogies. So much anticipation to see how the series turns out, and it was no different with The Empire of Gold, last book of the Daevabad trilogy.
Book Review: Peace Talks
I HAVE WAITED. FOR SO LONG. AND IT IS HERE. AT LAST.
Book Review: Girl, Serpent, Thorn
Over the last few years, I’ve developed a strong taste for adult fantasy fairy tales. The kind with an otherworldly quality, with monsters and brave heroines, that could easily begin with “once upon a time” or, in this case “there was, and there was not.” So when I saw the description for Girl, Serpent, Thorn, it immediately went on my To Read list.
Book Review: Shakespeare for Squirrels
I truly, genuinely did not expect another Christopher Moore Shakespeare parody book, so I was pleasantly surprised when Shakespeare for Squirrels was announced. I’m a big Shakespeare nerd and I’ve always loved performing the plays, so you can always count me in for a good retelling of the Bard’s work (and doubly so after enjoying both Fool and The Serpent of Venice).
Book Review: The Obsidian Tower
Honestly, this one almost slipped me by. I loved Caruso’s Swords and Fire series (yes, someday I will go back and review the last one, I swear), and so as soon as I heard that this was set in the same world, I was ALL IN. Then I saw the aesthetic and read the blurb, and I was DOUBLY IN.
Book Review: Terminal Uprising
Hey look, it’s a sequel review! From before the hiatus! Well done, me. I actually debated whether or not I wanted to continue reading this series after Terminal Alliance. It wasn’t quite as funny as I expected, and while I liked the characters, there were a lot of other books clamoring for my attention. I ended up compromising and waiting until the paperback came out. Altogether, I’m pretty happy with my decision because this sequel is about as good as its predecessor.
Book Review: Hexarchate Stories
I don’t normally review short story collections, since it’s such a different world from novels, but I’m making an exception for Lee. I love Lee’s Machineries of Empire series with a passion. On top of that, it’s not very common to see an author with a full collection of short fiction set in their world (Jim Butcher is the only one I can think of quickly, and maybe Charlaine Harris), and I wanted to dive back into the Hexarchate one more time.
Book Review: The Gossamer Mage
Here is yet another book that I intended to purchase when it came out, but then couldn’t find in stores. Now that COVID-19 has me ordering online, I was actually able to get a copy and…well, unlike Witchmark, I’m not sure this one was worth the wait.
Book Review: Witchmark
I have been trying to track down a physical copy of this in bookstores for what feels like an eternity. With COVID happening, I ended up putting in my first online order in a few years and was able to get my hands on this lovely little book. Thankfully, I was not disappointed by the wait.
Book Review: Warbreaker
This is the last full book in my big Sanderson catchup read! (I came to Sanderson late). After knocking out the Mistborn Era 2 books (not reviewed here, because hiatus), I finally bought Warbreaker.
Book Review: The Last Emperox
Well, we’re here at last! The end of the Interdependency, the collapse of the empire. Let’s see how it all pans out.
Book Review: Shorefall
Look, I’ve been super excited for Shorefall (as you might have guessed from my Foundryside review), and I’m glad to say that my excitement has not remotely waned after actually reading it. Robert Jackson Bennett’s books are just SO GOOD, y’all.
Book Review: The Consuming Fire
I started rereading The Consuming Fire to get prepared for The Last Emperox, and I promptly realized that it came out during my hiatus. So here we are, putting up a review so there will be a nice, complete set for the Interdependency series.
Book Review: Beneath the Rising
Beneath the Rising was one of my “on a whim” buys (which I seem to be doing quite frequently of late). I do love cosmic horror, especially when I can get it outside Lovecraft (see also The City We Became), and this one also gave off some Middlegame vibes for me based on the blurb. That book was a top 10 2019 book for me (no review yet, because hiatus), so here we are.
Book Review: The Last Human
One of my favorite scifi tropes is how aliens deal with humans, especially if we’re deemed threatening. I’ve seen variations ranging from funny to serious, and from the blurb, it looked like The Last Human dealt with this upfront, with some humor. Sign me up!
Book Review: Foundryside
A few years ago, Robert Jackson Bennett earned my undying love with his Divine Cities trilogy - an entertaining and engaging fantasy romp that I still return to once a year as comfort reading. I was understandably excited when he released Foundryside, the start of a wholly new trilogy. I read Foundryside when it initially came out during my review hiatus, but I was inspired to re-read by the release of the sequel, Shorefall. So let’s chat about the Founders trilogy.
Book Review: The Faceless Old Woman Who Secretly Lives in Your Home
Normally, Welcome to Night Vale is precisely my brand of weird. Just a little odd and a little out there, but with an oddly heartwarming core. The eponymous first novel was good; It Devours! was great. Well, I don’t know what I expected from their third novel, but this wasn’t it.
Book Review: The City We Became
At this point, I’m heartily convinced that NK Jemisin can do little wrong. I’ve read almost all of her previous work and simply loved it, and The City We Became demonstrates not only the strength of her writing but also the flexibility of her style as she branches away from epic / secondary world fantasy toward cosmic horror.
Book Review: A Queen in Hiding
When I saw this book appear on coming soon lists, I waffled on getting it. The description seemed kinda generic, but the fast publishing schedule made it hella tempting for binge reading. Eventually, I made up my mind to get it, and I’m overall glad I did - it’s an OK debut, as debuts go, and I’m interested to see where it goes.