Justin Bowers
** This book was provided to me by Random House Worlds in exchange for a fair and honest review ** I’m just going to cut to the chase, right off the bat, and say that this was a hard one to read that I almost DNF’d about a dozen times. The premise was plenty intriguing. Five students...
Justin Bowers
** This book was provided to me by St. Martin’s Press in exchange for a fair and honest review ** When I got the opportunity to read Lightfall after reading the very intriguing synopsis, I was pretty happy. What I didn’t know was what a whirlwind adventure Mr. Crocker was going to be taking...
Justin Bowers
Where to even start with this roller coaster. Arthur Oakes is trapped in a situation where he is being forced to steal rare books from the library at Rackham College, where he works and is a student, by a local drug dealer and her partner in order to protect the life of Arthur’s mother, who...
Justin Bowers
** This book was provided to me by NetGalley in exchange for a fair and honest review ** I’m always fascinated to pick up an author’s first novel. Of course, I applaud any individual who undertakes the huge undertaking of creating a world(s) and then nakedly sharing it with people who can,...
Justin Bowers
So this is it. The end of the saga of Gabriel de León and Dior Lachance. This series has had be utterly captivated for the past four years, and I just knew that the conclusion was going to smack me in the face. What I wasn’t expecting, however, was how damn hard it hit me in the feels. If...
Justin Bowers
It is the Summer of 1970, and, in St. Augustine, Florida, exists the Wellwood House, a home for wayward girls to be tucked away from public view so they can have their babies and then return to a “normal” life. Run by the very very stern Miss Wellwood, each girl is stripped of her identity and,...
Justin Bowers
I’m a big fan of short fiction. Short horror, even better. I remember, as a child, devouring Stephen King’s Skeleton Crew, Night Shift and Nightmares & Dreamscapes. There is just something about an author’s ability to convey a sense of terror in just a handful of pages that is magical. Mr....
Justin Bowers
The year is 1942 and June “Hoss” Hudson is the general manager of the luxurious Avallon Hotel & Spa: playground of the most aristocratic of families in West Virginia. June, a very unlikely candidate for the role she holds runs the Avallon like a well oiled machine is suddenly met with the...
Justin Bowers
If you have been reading my reviews, you know that I absolutely love this series, and book three doesn’t disappoint. The Emily Wilde series isn’t my normal fare. Yes, it’s about the Fae, and yes, it does have some degree of mayhem and danger, but it falls dangerously close to historical...
Justin Bowers
** This book was provided to me by NetGalley in exchange for a fair and honest review ** It’s the end of the year, and I’m looking for something amusing and Fantasy to pick up to get me into the first bit of 2025. I was perusing synopses, and one caught my eye: pirate goblin with a ragtag...
Justin Bowers
I’m just going to cut straight to the meat of this. I loved this book, and think it’s the best, so far, of The Empyrean series. I know there are a lot of “hot sports opinions” out there about this book, but that does nothing to diminish the collective impact this story, and this series, have had...
Justin Bowers
Imagine eating a book, map, magazine, etc. and being able to retain the information in it? Imagine also that you are part of a not quite human society ruled by rather draconian patriarchs, and daughters are basically passed off to other bookeater families to ensure their lines continue. Oh, but...
Justin Bowers
** This book was provided to me by the author in exchange for a fair and honest review ** This book tackles a lot, and it starts out pretty innocuous. Myles Harper is a recent high school graduate, and he has no idea what he wants to do with his life. It’s 2036, the earth is in a climate...
Justin Bowers
** This book was provided to me by St. Martin’s Press & NetGalley in exchange for a fair and honest review ** Lightfall is a book about vampires, werewolves and sorcerers. In fact, it might be the most innovative novel about vampires, werewolves and sorcerers that I’ve read in decades,...
Justin Bowers
“All stories are ghost stories.” I’ve sat on reviewing this book for a couple of weeks. This isn’t because I didn’t like the book (I loved it), it’s because words about this book need to be thought out. House of Bone and Rain is wonderful horror writing, but it’s far more than that. Mr....
Justin Bowers
** This book was provided to me by NetGalley in exchange for a fair and honest review ** I’m not sure what it is about Ms. Fawcett’s Emily Wilde books that just make me stop everything else and rabidly consume them, but she is two for two, so far, in getting my full attention. Emily...
Justin Bowers
Been on a bit of a mythology kick lately, and this title was recommended to me, so I took a swing. Lore Perseous is the last of her line. Her parents and sisters were brutally murdered by a rival line at the tail end of the Agon: a “tournament” of sorts that happens every seven years wherein...
Justin Bowers
Well, I finally caved in and read the dragon book everyone has been raving about for the past year. I fought picking it up because I find a large portion of what is pitched as “romantasy” just awful to read. This book was so hyped by my reader friends who fawn over Sarah J. Maas’ stuff, so it was...
Justin Bowers
** This book was provided to me by NetGalley in exchange for a fair and honest review ** I’ve been waiting for this book for a long while. No Gods, No Monsters took up a lot of my headspace, and I really needed Mr. Turnbull to move some of these characters along for the sake of my...
Justin Bowers
** This book was provided to me by NetGalley in exchange for a fair and honest review ** I wanted to love this book so much. The City of Dusk was an amazing read that really set the scene and executed superbly. The Midnight Kingdom, though, not so much. The world building continued to be...
Justin Bowers
Our favorite mercenary orc is back! In this prequel to Legends & Lattes we find Viv fighting for Rackam’s Ravens and hunting a powerful necromancer. When she is injured, Rackam leaves Viv in Murk to recuperate. Naturally, Viv gets bored, and finds a good diversion in the form of a local...
Justin Bowers
Holy crap, it’s a new book in the A Darker Shade of Magic universe! To say that I had great expectations for this novel is an understatement. There was definitely the expectation that we would encounter Lila, Kell, Rhy, and Alucard; but what new shenanigans would be introduced to keep us...
Justin Bowers
It’s very rare that I read a book that I know absolutely nothing about and turns out to be so incredibly life changing. This is one of those books. I cannot say enough about the worldbuilding that Ms. Chambers spins into this incredibly wholesome tale. Dex is a monk unhappy with their role in...
Justin Bowers
Ahhh carefree and fun books just for the sake of having something original to read. Minimum Wage Magic has some heavy themes, but, at the end of the day, it’s just a very fun romp through an awesome world of magic and vice. The basic gist is the that the Detroit Free Zone is a lawless city...
Justin Bowers
After three books and much experimentation, I believe I have figured out the secret to full comprehension of The Locked Tomb series: just let it flow over you. Enjoy the ride and do be sure to keep your arms and legs inside the vehicle at all times. OK, here we go with the story of Nona....
Justin Bowers
** This book was provided to me by NetGalley in exchange for a fair and honest review ** I feel like I have to preface this review by saying that I really really really liked this book, and cannot wait for it to get into other peoples’ hands. I’m worried this review might sound more...
Justin Bowers
Typically I meander about a review before letting you know that it’s a good read or something worth passing. With Legends & Lattes, however, I’m just going to come straight out and tell you to put down whatever you are reading and pick this one up. Yes, you heard me, and do so immediately....
Justin Bowers
Dragonlance is back! Yes, after about a dozen years with no adventures in Krynn, the OG authors, Ms. Weis and Mr. Hickman are back at it with the original cast of characters that made so many fantasy fans fall in love with this massive series. The book opens with young Destina Rosethorn living...
Justin Bowers
Apparently, I’ve been very drawn to witchy historical fiction over the past couple of years, and The Witch Haven has been an absolute treat to read. Set in 1911 New York City, this is the tale of Frances Hollowell; a young girl mourning the recent loss of her brother while trying to scrape by a...
Justin Bowers
** This book was provided to me by NetGalley in exchange for a fair and honest review ** When it comes to high fantasy, I find myself attracted to those with oodles and oodles of political intrigue, and that is exactly what House of Bastiion provides. Here’s where we start. Bastiion is...
Justin Bowers
Oh Mr. Maxwell, I really really tried to get into this one. A Girl From Nowhere had such great potential, and the battle scenes were masterfully choreographed, but what we got in A World of Secrets is the story-bridge equivalent of Back to the Future Part II. Yes, we did get to see a bit more...
Justin Bowers
When the synopsis for this novel came across my field of vision, it was damn near love at first sight. Here is a story that deals in very familiar tropes, pivoting the usual angles on their proverbial ears and taking a swipe at the entire concept of good vs bad, right vs wrong, and holy vs evil....
Justin Bowers
** This book was provided to me by NetGalley in exchange for a fair and honest review ** It may be a very simple stance, but, in my humblest of opinion, any book that prefaces with a map is bound to be interesting. Provide me multiple maps, and I’m liable to put on a helmet before tackling...
Justin Bowers
** This book was provided to me by NetGalley in exchange for a fair and honest review ** Sometimes you stumble on a book that hits all the right buttons at just the right time. Boy howdy, The City of Dusk sure did. Set in the realm of Nexus (a very telling name, no?) in the city of...
Justin Bowers
** This book was provided to me by NetGalley in exchange for a fair and honest review ** Rosalind Featherstone is a badass. Yeah, she might not always make the best decisions; she’s a little impulsive, and she probably drinks too much, but, nonetheless, Roz is a badass. When we first meet...
Justin Bowers
** This book was provided to me by NetGalley in exchange for a fair and honest review ** Elves and vampires; what a fantastic combination! I never like to fault an author for releasing their works out into the world because it is horribly stressful, and, for some, quite traumatic. That...
Justin Bowers
There is something completely magical, and utterly frustrating about serialized short fiction. That being said, Mr. Hopkins has been quite adept at tapping into the cliff-hanger aspect of it that I seriously admire. When we last left our intrepid heroes, Gydan and Yurig, children of the...
Justin Bowers
Eight years ago I picked up this book with book with one of the most interesting premises I’d run across: a criminal who steals thoughts and information from peoples’ minds, and operates under an oppressive regime where people with her sorts of gifts are imprisoned and executed. Little did I...
Justin Bowers
I guess the best way to describe this book is “attack of the Grishaverse all-stars!” Ms. Bardugo really went all out with this effort and really delivered on the setup she prepared with King of Scars two years ago (how has it been two years?!?!?!). Basically stated, Ravka is in a pickle and...
Justin Bowers
Mr. Hopkins has done it again. While the serialized releases of his Dryad’s Crown series are excruciating because of the waiting, A Hidden Burrow Near Barcombe really made the wait worth it. Previously we were introduced to the semi-mysterious Silbrey, her family, and her near-insane past....
Justin Bowers
For many years this book has been put in front of me as a “You loved ‘X,’ have you read Heroes Die?” In typical me fashion, I avoided it because there was just an aspect to this book that didn’t appeal to me. This past month, I sucked it up and forced myself to overlook the things that seemed...
Justin Bowers
** This book was provided to me by NetGalley in exchange for a fair and honest review ** It’s no secret that I have a severe love for YA Fantasy novels. I was already excited about taking on In the Ravenous Dark just from the synopsis, and, let me tell you, it is pure gold. Hell, this book...
Justin Bowers
** This book was provided to me by NetGalley in exchange for a fair and honest review ** I am a D&D nerd. I also am a big fan of urban fantasy, and appreciate a little bit of the gumshoe schlock of the classic Raymond Chandler school of pulp fiction. Sirgrus Blackmane Demihuman...
Justin Bowers
I’ve been hearing about this novella through various outlets for a few months, and it sat on my stack longer than I would have preferred for a “short” piece of fiction. Normally, I take breaks from “big” story undertakings to cleanse my palette with something easy to consume. Ring Shout is far...
Justin Bowers
** This book was provided to me by NetGalley in exchange for a fair and honest review ** I’ve been thinking a bit about how to approach reviewing this novel. Let me be very clear, I absolutely loved it, and I really enjoyed the very raw and emotional struggles and triumphs Mr. Henderson...
Justin Bowers
*** This book was provided to me by the author for a fair and honest review *** I’ll tell you one thing, The Psychic’s Memoirs jumps right into it as a detective drama. Above all, I think that’s what it is at it’s genre-jumping core. Ted Kaza and Lydia Jackson are LAPD detectives who...
Justin Bowers
I learned from reading The Once and Future Witches that Ms. Harrow is an excellent storyteller; a writer capable of weaving delicate wisps of plot and story that intertwine innocently until they don’t. I was hesitant, however to pick up The Ten Thousand Doors of January because it was her first...
Justin Bowers
** This book was provided to me by NetGalley in exchange for a fair and honest review ** It’s very hard to start in on a review of something as magical as The Ruthless Lady’s Guide to Wizardry because it just has so many facets and layers. At first glance we get the feeling that one Miss...
Justin Bowers
** This book was provided to me by NetGalley in exchange for a fair and honest review ** One reading peeve of mine is being dropped into the middle of a multi-book series without having read the previous books. I tend to read a lot of series, so I approach each one with a “will this stand...
Justin Bowers
This book was provided to me by NetGalley in exchange for a fair and honest review To say that Jane Yolen is a legend is putting it lightly. Ms. Yolen has won just about every Science Fiction award available, and has such a prolific body of work that it is almost too daunting. When I...