Category: fantasy
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Book Review: Fathomfolk by Eliza Chan

I received Fathomfolk through my Illumicrate subscription, and while I knew nothing about it when it arrived, it was one of the most original premises I’ve read all year. Set in a society that is part-human, part various magical sea folk, much of the setting and the characters felt entirely new to me, albeit with…
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Book Review: Emily Wilde’s Encyclopedia of Faeries by Heater Fawcett

I’ve seen so many people fall in love with Emily Wilde’s Encyclopedia of Faeries by Heather Fawcett that it’s been on my TBR since it was released. Once it came into my library on audiobook, I knew within the first five minutes that I was going to love this book too.
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Book Review: Painted Devils by Margaret Owen

The Little Thieves series is such a fantastic young adult fantasy that I don’t think gets enough hype. The world is wonderfully unique, the characters are witty and original, and Owen’s storytelling is top-notch in every respect. I devoured the first book and namesake of this series a couple of months ago and felt like…
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Book Review: Trial of the Sun Queen by Nisha J. Tuli

This is my third novel by Nisha J. Tuli and at this point, I’m pretty confident that I’ll like anything she writes. I’ve been hearing about this series for over a year now and I wish I had started it sooner. Trial of the Sun Queen was an excellent start to a fantasy romance with…
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Book Review: The Cruel Prince by Holly Black

If you’ve been around the fantasy community for a while, the Folk of the Air series is one of the most heavily recommended in the young adult genre. The Cruel Prince came around after adolescence for me, so I didn’t read it when it first became popular, but when I saw it at my library…
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Book Review: Heartless Sky by Caroline Peckham and Susanne Valenti

The Zodiac Academy is one of the wildest series I’ve ever read for a handful of reasons. It’s dramatic in an almost soap-opera style way, the characters are equal parts loveable and outrageous, it’s spicier than any book series I’ve ever read, and the world and plot are so intricate and so well developed that…
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Book Review: Little Thieves by Margaret Owen

Little Thieves was an excellent, original-feeling fairytale retelling based on the story of “The Goose Girl”. I wasn’t in any way familiar with that original tale, but I loved everything about the version that Margaret Owen crafted. In Little Thieves, the main character and mostly anti-hero Vanya is an imposter parading as a princess while…
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Book Review: House of Flame and Shadow by Sarah J. Maas

House of Flame and Shadow by Sarah J. Maas was easily my most anticipated release of 2024 and it didn’t disappoint—though perhaps not for the reasons you’d think. Now that the book has been around for a few weeks, and I’ve had time to digest my experience with it, I’m feeling more articulate about why…
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Book Review: Ruthless Vows by Rebecca Ross

Divine Rivals was one of my top reads of 2023, making Ruthless Vows one of my most anticipated reads of the new year. I’m new to Rebecca Ross, who’s a gorgeously lyrical writer with a real gift for evoking strong emotions, and while I worried that Ruthless Vows may not live up to the heavy…
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Book Review: Iron Widow by Xiran Jay Zhao

In January I was getting ready to make a lengthy solo road trip when I realized that I didn’t currently have an audiobook on loan. I quickly went to my library’s Available Now selection and right at the top of my suggestions sat Iron Widow. The premise of this book had intrigued me in the…
