Savior on the zenith: Fragmented Fates Duology, part 2 by Nancy Foster The doubtful. The jaded. The heir. The dauntless. Jarahad questions the mistakes he made during his life. Nobody ever forced him to become initiated in the combative harlequin arts, which only worsens his guilt. The only person that understands his true feelings is acting recklessly for reasons he doesn't quite understand yet. When disaster befalls Almjarhad, Jarahad will be forced to make the most difficult decision of his life. Talgel's fate has become sealed in stone, and there is no turning back. The chess board she carefully assembled over the years has been prepared, and the pawns waiting in their positions for the true hero of this story to perform the first move. With no options left, Talgel hopes she can reveal the prediction that can save Almjarhad before all hopes are lost. Tioja forges an unbreakable bond with the one person who can both save Almjarhad and ruin him. After running away from Almjarhad and fearing for his vanishing sanity, Tioja seeks refuge in the new harlequin enclave of Murdorhiolan alongside his mother, her new husband... and his half-brother named Gulraj. While Tioja gets used to his new life, an innocent remark ignites a butterfly effect that will trigger devastating consequences. Jamarnid suspects something is amiss when a human mage moves into Almjarhad and becomes infatuated with his son Jarahad. Just as he feared, the mage becomes an unstoppable threat that warrants a drastic solution. After being ridiculed by his peers, Jamarnid must set aside his pride and convince everyone the mage threatens the city's safety before it's too late. The demon who has bonded to Talgel's soul stares at the chessboard it helped assemble with reverie and is eager to share its power with the one person that can save the city... for a hefty price. |
Fragmented Fates by Nancy Foster The hero. The seer. The child. The condemned. After surviving two bloody purges that nearly exterminated both the Grey Clan and Orsenmuray City, the elf and harlequin survivors struggle to bring the tent city of Almjarhad to life. Surrounded by the ocean and desert, these inhospitable lands are slowly being developed with the aid of their magic. As the culprit of their misfortune, the condemned elf Lord Jamarnid is forced to rely on his son Jarahad to rule the city due to ending up disabled before his frantic escape. Bitter about his situation because he wanted to be executed, Jamarnid distrusts the true intentions of the seer Talgel. Unwanted by the Elf Kingdom and his harlequin great-grandfather Hurrujat, Jarahad struggles to accept his fate. As the interim ruler of Almjarhad, Jarahad wishes to complete his sword initiation to protect his people... and gain Talgel's unrequited love. Talgel is a woman of perpetual mystery with dubious morals. Upon awakening magic that grants her the ability to predict the future with absolute certainty, Talgel lost her eyesight. She now wears a masquerade mask to hide her true feelings. Embroiled in this story is a young hybrid elf named Tioja, who doesn't understand his role in the greater scheme of things. Four characters are about to have their fates manipulated, and their willpower tested. All for the sake of a demon inhabiting Talgel's body that will use them for its own nefarious purposes. |
Fall Into You by Georgina Kiersten
Worldbuilding: Piqued curiosity
Plot: Straightforward Characters: Some more thought out than others
Storytelling: Balanced
Immersion: Satisfying, fulfilling experience Emotional Response: Engaging
Thought Provoking: New ideas came up
Cover: Adequately represents the story Cute 1 hour read, loved the writing style and the 2 protagonists. Would have wanted Imari's ex-fianceé to have shown up and add extra drama to the story. |
The Withered King (Tempest Blades #1) by Ricardo Victoria
Worldbuilding: Piqued curiosity
Plot: Mostly clear Characters: Roles are clear
Storytelling: Balanced
Immersion: Satisfying, fulfilling experience Emotional Response: Engaging
Thought Provoking: New ideas came up
Cover: Adequately represents the story Had fun reading this book. Reminds me a bit of the Helix series by J.C.M. Berne with witty banter, characters with superpowers and lots of adventure. Haven't read book 2 yet but I certainly will sometime since I have the whole series. |
Through Dry Places by D.H. Gutierrez
Worldbuilding: Piqued curiosity
Plot: Mostly clear Characters: Roles are clear
Storytelling: Balanced
Immersion: Satisfying, fulfilling experience Emotional Response: Engaging
Thought Provoking: Did some research after reading
Cover: Adequately represents the story Content Warnings: zombies, violence Book focuses on a cryptid youtuber that plans to film a video about an abandoned town in rural Texas after a drought unearthed the town. Book isn't too spooky and focuses more on the Mexican folklore than zombie scares. I liked it. |
A Flame In The Night by Morgan Dante
Worldbuilding: Didn’t add anything
Plot: Ambiguous Characters: Some more thought out than others
Storytelling: Descriptive
Immersion: Satisfying, fulfilling experience Emotional Response: Engaging
Thought Provoking: New ideas came up
Cover: Adequately represents the story Content Warnings: prostitution, hinted child abuse, violence Book has some promising scenes, especially the ones surrounding the mysterious vampire. The human couple that are the main POVs didn't have much chemistry. I felt the book should have focused more on the vampire's POV. |
The Plagued Elf by Armanis Ar-feinial
Worldbuilding: Piqued curiosity
Plot: Mostly clear Characters: Some more thought out than others
Storytelling: Balanced
Immersion: Satisfying, fulfilling experience Emotional Response: Engaging
Thought Provoking: Focus on the story solely
Cover: Matches the story well Content Warnings: zombies, plague Book is ok enough, liked the protagonist Andrienne even though he barely appears in any scenes. Wished the book had been more fleshed out and been edited. |
Body Jacker Jaz (Earth Scout, #1) by Matthew Thompson
Worldbuilding: Piqued curiosity
Plot: Straightforward Characters: Some more thought out than others
Storytelling: Balanced
Immersion: Satisfying, fulfilling experience Emotional Response: Engaging
Thought Provoking: New ideas came up
Cover: Matches the story well Very cute cozy sci fi read, I enjoyed it. |
The Saga of Bjorn Unfrid by John Simons
Worldbuilding: Piqued curiosity
Plot: Mostly clear Characters: Some more thought out than others
Storytelling: Minimalistic
Immersion: Satisfying, fulfilling experience Emotional Response: Engaging
Thought Provoking: New ideas came up
Cover: Adequately represents the story Content Warnings: Mutilation, violence, child abuse, sex slavery, spiritual posession Book keeps on getting weirder and wierder with each passing chapter. Ending felt a bit rushed, but it is quite an engaging quick read. |
The Hammersmyth Tales: A Steampunk Short Story Collection by Keith W. Dickinson
Worldbuilding: Piqued curiosity
Plot: Mostly clear Characters: Some more thought out than others
Storytelling: Balanced
Immersion: Satisfying, fulfilling experience Emotional Response: Engaging
Thought Provoking: New ideas came up
Cover: Matches the story well Collection of cute stories in an alternate Victoria England. Expect witty dialogue and everyone is a cheater. Also includes a wheelchair user detective for disability rep. |
The Last Forest by Alexander Way-B
Worldbuilding: Piqued curiosity
Plot: Mostly clear Characters: Some more thought out than others
Storytelling: Balanced
Immersion: Satisfying, fulfilling experience Emotional Response: Engaging
Thought Provoking: New ideas came up
Cover: Matches the story well Content Warnings: Child abuse The book is mainly aimed at a younger audience, but it is quite dark at first with a mixture of Contemporary fiction and Time Travel. There's some mysteries that remain unresolved, enough for a potential sequel, but it can be enjoyed as a standalone. |
Children of the Black (Silver Sights Saga, #1) by W.J. Long III
Worldbuilding: Aided the story
Plot: Mostly clear Characters: Some more thought out than others
Storytelling: Descriptive
Immersion: Satisfying, fulfilling experience Emotional Response: Engaging
Thought Provoking: Did some research after reading
Cover: Matches the story well Content Warnings: Violence, body mutilation, child abuse While the first third of the book needs more polishing, the book really shines after he 40% point and becomes hard to put down. Love the father-daughter relationship and disability rep in this book. Great read. |
The Hound of Greyvor (Silver Sights Saga #2) by W.J. Long III
Worldbuilding: Aided the story
Plot: Straightforward Characters: Roles are clear
Storytelling: Descriptive
Immersion: Didn’t want to put the book down Emotional Response: Strong emotions
Thought Provoking: Did some research after reading
Cover: Matches the story well Content Warnings: some violence, rotting corpses Wow, this book is even better than book 1! Loved it from start to finish and I am anxiously waiting for book 3 to be finished. |
Where Blood Runs Gold by A.C. Cross
Worldbuilding: Aided the story
Plot: Mostly clear Characters: Roles are clear
Storytelling: Balanced
Immersion: Satisfying, fulfilling experience Emotional Response: Engaging
Thought Provoking: New ideas came up
Cover: Adequately represents the story Content Warnings: violence, charred corpses, attempted rape, drowning murder I had tons of fun reading this book! Great Western with action, gratituous violence & nudity, dark fantasy and bits of horror. |
The Fall Is All There Is by C.M. Caplan
Worldbuilding: Piqued curiosity
Plot: Ambiguous Characters: Unbalanced
Storytelling: Balanced
Immersion: Satisfying, fulfilling experience Emotional Response: Engaging
Thought Provoking: New ideas came up
Cover: Matches the story well Content Warnings: arm gets chopped off violently, posessed child murder, emotional child abuse, drug use Interesting weird world, would have wanted to learn more about it. Book happens in an interesting world but too much focus happens on characters that make incoherent decisions. Expect lots of plot holes but good autism rep. |
Wistful Ascending by JCM Berne
Worldbuilding: Aided the story
Plot: Mostly clear Characters: Some more thought out than others
Storytelling: Balanced
Immersion: Satisfying, fulfilling experience Emotional Response: Engaging
Thought Provoking: New ideas came up
Cover: Matches the story well Fun escapism story featuring a sort of hybrid human with a saiyajin-esque alien race named Rohan. Lives in a space station where he tugs spaceships to port, has lunch a lot, chats with friends, goes on dates, slugs kaijus and aliens in outer space. Worth reading to have fun. |
Any Job Will Do (The Grand Human Empire #1) by John Wilker
Worldbuilding: Piqued curiosity
Plot: Mostly clear Characters: Some more thought out than others
Storytelling: Balanced
Immersion: Satisfying, fulfilling experience Emotional Response: Engaging
Thought Provoking: Focus on the story solely
Cover: Matches the story well Loved the 3 robots in Jax's ship (Ruby, Baxter and the ship AI Skip), Jax is pansexual in case anyone wants that kind of rep. Book has some good moments, but things in other chapters just happen without really exploring why. Interested in reading the sequel sometime though. |
Memoirs of a Synth: Gold Record by Leigh Saunders
Worldbuilding: Aided the story
Plot: Mostly clear Characters: Roles are clear
Storytelling: Descriptive
Immersion: Satisfying, fulfilling experience Emotional Response: Engaging
Thought Provoking: New ideas came up
Cover: Adequately represents the story The heist isn't important. In reality, the object the protagonist Brianna must steal is the most McGuffin thing ever. Only a ploy so that she becomes closer to a man she's attracted to named Jerrod while we visit tons of planets with complex alien societies. Marvelous read! |
Under Far Galaxian Skies by Natalie Kelda
Worldbuilding: Aided the story
Plot: Mostly clear Characters: Roles are clear
Storytelling: Descriptive
Immersion: Didn’t want to put the book down Emotional Response: Engaging
Thought Provoking: New ideas came up
Cover: Matches the story well Content Warnings: violence, self harm, hinted child sexual abuse, attempted suicide The author has done it again! Reading the prior books are not required, but it's nice to know Merlon and Tara. This book stars a sweet guy called Balfour who is serving time for 2nd degree murder of an innocent man. Trapped in a mobster city during a turf war! |
The Beckoning Void by Patrick LeClerc
Worldbuilding: Didn’t add anything
Plot: Mostly clear Characters: Unbalanced
Storytelling: Balanced
Immersion: Easy to switch to other tasks Emotional Response: Engaging
Thought Provoking: New ideas came up
Cover: Adequately represents the story Has a very engaging antagonist, I liked the bad guy much more than the heroine. It was a fun romp. |
The Woman in White by E.M. McConnell
Worldbuilding: Piqued curiosity
Plot: Mostly clear Characters: Roles are clear
Storytelling: Balanced
Immersion: Satisfying, fulfilling experience Emotional Response: Engaging
Thought Provoking: New ideas came up
Cover: Matches the story well Content Warnings: rape, infanticide, child murder, death penalty, domestic violence, PTSD Book is part paranormal mystery with historical women's fiction and some horror. The best part of the book is the final arc. Offers interesting thoughts about the morality of the death penalty of people with PTSD. |
Tasmanian Gothic by Mikhaeyla Kopievsky
Worldbuilding: Aided the story
Plot: Mostly clear Characters: Some more thought out than others
Storytelling: Descriptive
Immersion: Didn’t want to put the book down Emotional Response: Strong emotions
Thought Provoking: New ideas came up
Cover: Matches the story well Content Warnings: sex slavery (children and women), racism, domestic violence, attempted rape, drug addiction, suicide Insanely dark book but it was such a compelling & original read that I devoured it. For readers that want strong women starring stories inspired by Breaking Bad meet X-men, this book is a keeper. |
Our Lady of the Artilects by Andrew Gillsmith
Worldbuilding: Aided the story
Plot: Mostly clear Characters: Some more thought out than others
Storytelling: Descriptive
Immersion: Satisfying, fulfilling experience Emotional Response: Engaging
Thought Provoking: New ideas came up
Cover: Matches the story well Content Warnings: genocide, military experiments on humans, characters become blind, sex slavery Book has some worldbuilding themes in common with the I, Robot film and Dan Brown novels. Happens in a future where the Catholic Church rules Europe and an exorcist priest has to solve a mystery of sentinent robots getting infected with a virus. Interesting read. |
The Ceph - Reborn by Matthew Poehler
Worldbuilding: Piqued curiosity
Plot: Ambiguous Characters: Unbalanced
Storytelling: Minimalistic
Immersion: Satisfying, fulfilling experience Emotional Response: Engaging
Thought Provoking: New ideas came up
Cover: Matches the story well Content Warnings: animals get eaten alive, violence After an earthquake, an AI planted by an ancient alien civilization discovers their colonists have devolved into wild animals. 2 octopus and a squid are artificially evolved and become intelligent, the book is mostly a heartwarming story filled with hope. |
Icebreaker by Steven William HannahÂ
Worldbuilding: Piqued curiosity
Plot: Ambiguous Characters: Unbalanced
Storytelling: Balanced
Immersion: Satisfying, fulfilling experience Emotional Response: Engaging
Thought Provoking: Did some research after reading
Cover: Matches the story well Content Warnings: violence, insanity, character gets burned to death Book starts as a horror post-apocalyptic story, later on becomes more adventurous with a mechanical transport/battle ship and a great villain. Would have liked seeing more female characters, everyone gets badly injured without feeling pain, but it's otherwise a great read. |
The Sphere: A Journey In Time by Michelle McBeth
Worldbuilding: Piqued curiosity
Plot: Ambiguous Characters: Some more thought out than others
Storytelling: Balanced
Immersion: Satisfying, fulfilling experience Emotional Response: Engaging
Thought Provoking: Focus on the story solely
Cover: Matches the story well Content Warnings: violence There's several plot holes in the book that become noticeable in the final arc. I liked the protagonist a lot and how she travels to the past to solve world history mysteries. I'd be interested in reading the sequel sometime. |
To Climates Unknown by Arturo Serrano
Worldbuilding: Piqued curiosity
Plot: Ambiguous Characters: Unbalanced
Storytelling: Descriptive
Immersion: Easy to switch to other tasks Emotional Response: Engaging
Thought Provoking: New ideas came up
Cover: Adequately represents the story Content Warnings: genital mutilation, child slavery, suicide, violence, genocide of indigenous communities Book is divided into 5 parts with a well-researched alternative history. Some stories were very engaging (the ancient China one was my favorite), but it felt hard to stay engaged when a part ended without resolution. Would have been a fabulous book series instead of 1 book. |
Wixon's Day (Estalia Book 1) by Phil Williams
Worldbuilding: Aided the story
Plot: Ambiguous Characters: Some more thought out than others
Storytelling: Balanced
Immersion: Satisfying, fulfilling experience Emotional Response: Engaging
Thought Provoking: Focus on the story solely
Cover: Adequately represents the story Content Warnings: rape, child slavery, child murder, violence, man bites victim's neck Some readers might find the story too meandering with no real plot due to the reluctant hero trope. I personally loved the book and felt the lyrical prose to overcome the ferry captain's strive to be neutral in an upcoming civil war. I'd love to read the sequel sometime. |
Three Grams of Elsewhere by Andy Giesler
Worldbuilding: Piqued curiosity
Plot: Straightforward Characters: Roles are clear
Storytelling: Balanced
Immersion: Satisfying, fulfilling experience Emotional Response: Engaging
Thought Provoking: New ideas came up
Cover: Adequately represents the story Content Warnings: death of senior citizens, ptsd, drug addiction It felt great to have a story starring a senior citizen with an interesting life (along with PTSD from his prior military service which was done very well). I liked the protagonist and his relationship with other characters. Book got confusing on occasion, but it's a good read. |
Siren's Call by T.J.J. Klamvik
Worldbuilding: Piqued curiosity
Plot: Ambiguous Characters: Some more thought out than others
Storytelling: Descriptive
Immersion: Easy to switch to other tasks Emotional Response: Engaging
Thought Provoking: New ideas came up
Cover: Adequately represents the story Content Warnings: PTSD, dismembered bodies The book has 3 povs that are partially related to a dangerous threat that could wipe out humanity where some people are aware of the threat and sing a haunting nursery rhyme. The soldier's horror deserted planet story was the best part of the book. |
Cultural Practices of the Heartland by Andy C.F. Crawford
Worldbuilding: Didn’t add anything
Plot: Mostly clear Characters: Some more thought out than others
Storytelling: Minimalistic
Immersion: Didn’t want to put the book down Emotional Response: Engaging
Thought Provoking: New ideas came up
Cover: Matches the story well Content Warnings: toilet humor It's a weird but at the same time frightenly accurate satire inspired by the conservative political landscape of the Midwestern USA. While the story meanders a bit and we never discover what the Bigfoot monster is, the book is very funny. Quick read. |
Calico Thunder Rides Again by T.A. Hernandez
Worldbuilding: Piqued curiosity
Plot: Mostly clear Characters: Some more thought out than others
Storytelling: Balanced
Immersion: Didn’t want to put the book down Emotional Response: Engaging
Thought Provoking: Focus on the story solely
Cover: Matches the story well Content Warnings: animal abuse A high stakes story of the new owner of a struggling circus featuring unicorns and dragons! The new owner has to make difficult decisions to keep the circus afloat while keeping the star of the show, a beautiful dragon named Calico Thunder alive. Very cute read. |
Explorers of Rinth by John Simons
Worldbuilding: Aided the story
Plot: Mostly clear Characters: Some more thought out than others
Storytelling: Balanced
Immersion: Satisfying, fulfilling experience Emotional Response: Engaging
Thought Provoking: New ideas came up
Cover: Matches the story well Content Warnings: sexual assault (brief off scene), violence It's a bizarre and very original weird Sci-Fi thriller where 3 POVs live in a strange asteroid station where things are not quite like they seem. While I think some chapters could be cut for brevity, the worldbuilding is insanely detailled. I liked how all 3 POVs converge. |
Initialize (Mod Superhero #1) by Samuel Fleming
Worldbuilding: Piqued curiosity
Plot: Mostly clear Characters: Some more thought out than others
Storytelling: Minimalistic
Immersion: Easy to switch to other tasks Emotional Response: Engaging
Thought Provoking: New ideas came up
Cover: Adequately represents the story I had fun reading this book. It's a fast read, can be enjoyed in 3 hours at the most. Some chapters could be rewritten to be clearer or have less filler, but I enjoyed the story a lot and the 4 main characters. I like it how Emmett is not overpowered and he is aware of this. |
The Least of Elves: A Land of Fathara Novella by Robin Glassey
Worldbuilding: Piqued curiosity
Plot: Straightforward Characters: Some more thought out than others
Storytelling: Balanced
Immersion: Didn’t want to put the book down Emotional Response: Engaging
Thought Provoking: New ideas came up
Cover: Adequately represents the story Content Warnings: Torture, mutilation This novella starts with a grim prologue where tensions are high. It then switches gears to light comedy starring a clumsy elf named Toran who marries a disabled woman with a mutilated face by accident. The story becomes darker... This book is a great dark fantasy prequel. |
The Thieves of Stonewood by Jeremy Hayes
Worldbuilding: Aided the story
Plot: Mostly clear Characters: Some more thought out than others
Storytelling: Minimalistic
Immersion: Didn’t want to put the book down Emotional Response: Engaging
Thought Provoking: New ideas came up
Cover: Adequately represents the story I read this book years ago and loved it so much. Would love to read the entire series again. If you want a fun story starring a good guy thief who steals a magical mask that makes him look like anyone he wants, this is the story for you! |
The Black Cat Bookshop by E.M. McConnell
Worldbuilding: Piqued curiosity
Plot: Ambiguous Characters: Some more thought out than others
Storytelling: Balanced
Immersion: Satisfying, fulfilling experience Emotional Response: Engaging
Thought Provoking: New ideas came up
Cover: Matches the story well Renders a sort of episodic nature following several humans that get a wish for a hefty price, but some of the stories connect together and the ending was great. I liked the deaf disability rep and the cats a lot. |
Devil To Pay (Hells Unleashed Book 3) by Guinevere A. Hart
Worldbuilding: Piqued curiosity
Plot: Mostly clear Characters: Some more thought out than others
Storytelling: Balanced
Immersion: Didn’t want to put the book down Emotional Response: Engaging
Thought Provoking: New ideas came up
Cover: Matches the story well A delightful and insanely satisfying ending to a highly underrated LGBT and neurodiverse friendly erotica fantasy series. I was crying so much when Cedé's dads confessed their love! |
An Arrow Against the Wind: An Epic fantasy novel (The Bow of Hart Saga Book 2) by P.H. Solomon
Worldbuilding: Piqued curiosity
Plot: Ambiguous Characters: Unbalanced
Storytelling: Balanced
Immersion: Easy to switch to other tasks Emotional Response: Engaging
Thought Provoking: New ideas came up
Cover: Matches the story well Loved the cover, the worldbuilding of dwarf society, the plight of Ath who remains captured, the mental health and disability is great, and the fact the villain dragon is pretending to be an ally. But the story has too much filler repeating the same 2 unimportant things! |
Assured Destruction by Michael F. Stewart
Worldbuilding: Piqued curiosity
Plot: Mostly clear Characters: Some more thought out than others
Storytelling: Balanced
Immersion: Satisfying, fulfilling experience Emotional Response: Engaging
Thought Provoking: New ideas came up
Cover: Matches the story well The bored teenage daughter of a woman with Multiple Sclerosis steals discarded computer hardrives that are supposed to be destroyed to impersonate their prior users in chat rooms for fun. Hackers are willing to expose her and ruin her mom's business. Oh oh! A fun quick read. |
Evonne and Vrawg: Bounty Hunters by Jeremy Hayes
Worldbuilding: Piqued curiosity
Plot: Mostly clear Characters: Roles are clear
Storytelling: Balanced
Immersion: Didn’t want to put the book down Emotional Response: Engaging
Thought Provoking: New ideas came up
Cover: Matches the story well Another highly underrated epic fantasy starring two outcasts: a young woman that joins a pirate ship, learns how to fight but is betrayed by her shipmates. A half ogre that is unwanted by his own people and wanders the world. Can they save eachother? Check it out! |
The Endless Ocean by Toby Bennett
Worldbuilding: Piqued curiosity
Plot: Mostly clear Characters: Some more thought out than others
Storytelling: Balanced
Immersion: Satisfying, fulfilling experience Emotional Response: Strong emotions
Thought Provoking: New ideas came up
Cover: Adequately represents the story Content Warnings: child mutilation, eyeballs removed on child Another underrated past SPFBO semifinalist, very dark story where two siblings are separated. Girl can navigate ships, bad guys want to rip her soul and place it in a boat, brother is kidnapped by other bad guys, eyes removed and replaced with magic orbs. Has a talking lizard. |
Good Intentions by Elliott Kay
Worldbuilding: Aided the story
Plot: Mostly clear Characters: Some more thought out than others
Storytelling: Balanced
Immersion: Didn’t want to put the book down Emotional Response: Engaging
Thought Provoking: Focus on the story solely
Cover: Matches the story well Hilarious erotic harem story about a guy that saves a summoned succubi and angel from a crazy cultist halfway through a magic ritual. The angel & demon swap some of their good and evil with each other and both fall in love with the protagonist. I always wanted to read the sequel. |
Ablaze in Mirth by Matthew Thompson
Worldbuilding: Piqued curiosity
Plot: Mostly clear Characters: Some more thought out than others
Storytelling: Minimalistic
Immersion: Didn’t want to put the book down Emotional Response: Engaging
Thought Provoking: New ideas came up
Cover: Adequately represents the story Content Warnings: vampire murder, dismemberment A really great story about an enslaved male vampire named Matias that participates in a sort of Hunger Games to earn his freedom. Love the story but at only 20 pages, you barely have any time to enjoy it. However, the sequel is a full-fledged novella with more action. |
Empire of Ash and Blood by Matthew Thompson
Worldbuilding: Piqued curiosity
Plot: Mostly clear Characters: Some more thought out than others
Storytelling: Balanced
Immersion: Satisfying, fulfilling experience Emotional Response: Engaging
Thought Provoking: Focus on the story solely
Cover: Adequately represents the story A highly underrated story with sympathetic enslaved vampires. Matias won the Ablaze games (bit like Battle Royale or Hunger Games with vampires), but he is now imprisoned somewhere else, his family murdered. Matias will have to escape and save his lost daughter. Thrilling read. |
The Sunset Sovereign by E.M. McConnell
Worldbuilding: Piqued curiosity
Plot: Ambiguous Characters: Some more thought out than others
Storytelling: Balanced
Immersion: Satisfying, fulfilling experience Emotional Response: Engaging
Thought Provoking: New ideas came up
Cover: Matches the story well Content Warnings: child abuse, death Great start to a thrilling dystopic utopia series where chosen children are forced to choose between fusing with the dragon spirits or remain in an enlightened city as humans for the rest of their lives. Gets darker as the story progresses. Good read. |
Nia Rae: A book about boobs and space and stuff (The Kali Series, #1) by Debbie Taylor
Worldbuilding: Piqued curiosity
Plot: Ambiguous Characters: Some more thought out than others
Storytelling: Minimalistic
Immersion: Didn’t want to put the book down Emotional Response: Engaging
Thought Provoking: Focus on the story solely
Cover: Adequately represents the story A book with a pansexual sexy alien antagonist that is the captain of the coolest organic spaceship ever??!! Count me in! Domino is so charismatic and I will protect his precious sentinent ship Bayleaf and its baby ship Kali with my life. |
The Legend of Tawhiri by J. E. Purrazzi
Worldbuilding: Didn’t add anything
Plot: Straightforward Characters: Roles are clear
Storytelling: Balanced
Immersion: Satisfying, fulfilling experience Emotional Response: Engaging
Thought Provoking: Did some research after reading
Cover: Matches the story well Lovely light read about a South Pacific young man who isn't allowed to perform the adult initiation ceremony of his village because he was found in a beach. Lovely interaction with his adoptive mother, positive disability representation and a satisfying ending. |
The Garden of the Golden Children by Ashley Hutchison
Worldbuilding: Didn’t add anything
Plot: Ambiguous Characters: Some more thought out than others
Storytelling: Descriptive
Immersion: Satisfying, fulfilling experience Emotional Response: Didn’t feel much
Thought Provoking: New ideas came up
Cover: Matches the story well Very descriptive and flowery prose with an intriguing dark fantasy plot. Hard for me to connect to the confusing story and writing style, but definitely well written. |
The Darkness Calling by Joe Coates
Worldbuilding: Piqued curiosity
Plot: Mostly clear Characters: Roles are clear
Storytelling: Balanced
Immersion: Satisfying, fulfilling experience Emotional Response: Engaging
Thought Provoking: Focus on the story solely
Cover: Matches the story well Great cyberpunk thriller starring an honorable (and very likeable) hitman protagonist named Garth Nix who is occasionally dating a mysterious older woman... who just happens to be a detective assigned to one Garth's hits. Romance balances action, fabulous read! |
Dial G for Gravity (Brent Bolster Space Detective, #1) by Michael Campling
Worldbuilding: Piqued curiosity
Plot: Straightforward Characters: Some more thought out than others
Storytelling: Minimalistic
Immersion: Satisfying, fulfilling experience Emotional Response: Engaging
Thought Provoking: Focus on the story solely
Cover: Adequately represents the story Misfit comedy about a clumsy green alien that loves eating crocodiles named Rawlgeeb. Ends up exiled from his spaceship after drinking coffee in an airport. Teams up with an obnoxious human detective to clear his name. Funny story but it could have been better. |
The Arrow of Time (The Everyday Timekeeper's Almanac, #1) by B.T. Lamprey
Worldbuilding: Didn’t add anything
Plot: Mostly clear Characters: Unbalanced
Storytelling: Minimalistic
Immersion: Easy to switch to other tasks Emotional Response: Didn’t feel much
Thought Provoking: Focus on the story solely
Cover: Matches the story well Comedy time travel story featuring a group of mismatched misfits. Heavily inspired by Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy. Couldn't connect to the humor well, but it has a nice ending. Fast read. |
Zeroth Law (Digitesque #1) by Guerric Haché
Worldbuilding: Aided the story
Plot: Ambiguous Characters: Some more thought out than others
Storytelling: Minimalistic
Immersion: Satisfying, fulfilling experience Emotional Response: Engaging
Thought Provoking: Did some research after reading
Cover: Matches the story well Content Warnings: Death of family First book of the marvelous and highly underrated Digitesque series. Earthians have a disease where they can't read and have reverted to a primitive society but some have superpowers. Story focuses on two female POVs that have powers and discovering the secrets of their world. |
River in the Galaxy by Natalie Kelda
Worldbuilding: Aided the story
Plot: Straightforward Characters: Some more thought out than others
Storytelling: Descriptive
Immersion: Didn’t want to put the book down Emotional Response: Engaging
Thought Provoking: Did some research after reading
Cover: Matches the story well Content Warnings: Mental health, Depression Couldn't put it down! Has great humor combined with intense mental battles as the protagonist overcomes the death of his best friend. Has a wooden ship that travels in space to unchartered galaxies in the hopes of not losing his ship to his corrupt city... or go to prison. |
Heart of Fire by Raina Nightingale
Worldbuilding: Didn’t add anything
Plot: Ambiguous Characters: Some more thought out than others
Storytelling: Minimalistic
Immersion: Satisfying, fulfilling experience Emotional Response: Engaging
Thought Provoking: Focus on the story solely
Cover: Matches the story well Fun read for fans of books like Eragon with the sole focus of the plot being the bond forged by a human and their bonded dragon companion. Clean fantasy for readers of all ages. |
The Erstwhile Tyler Kyle by Steve Hugh Westenra
Worldbuilding: Piqued curiosity
Plot: Ambiguous Characters: Some more thought out than others
Storytelling: Balanced
Immersion: Satisfying, fulfilling experience Emotional Response: Strong emotions
Thought Provoking: Focus on the story solely
Cover: Matches the story well Mind-bending weird paranormal horror-comedy with a powerful gut-wrenching ending. Great read from a promising upcoming author. |
New Yesterday by Frasier Armitage
Worldbuilding: Piqued curiosity
Plot: Straightforward Characters: Unbalanced
Storytelling: Minimalistic
Immersion: Didn’t want to put the book down Emotional Response: Engaging
Thought Provoking: Did some research after reading
Cover: Matches the story well Loses some steam at the end, but it is an interesting memory loss dystopia Sci-Fi thriller. Stars a guy who lives in a city where his memory gets erased every night and wants to discover who a woman named Lottie is... |
Sistah Samurai by Tatiana Obey
Worldbuilding: Aided the story
Plot: Ambiguous Characters: Roles are clear
Storytelling: Descriptive
Immersion: Didn’t want to put the book down Emotional Response: Strong emotions
Thought Provoking: Did some research after reading
Cover: Matches the story well Loved it!!!!!!!!!!!!!! |
God of Small Affairs by Olga Werby
Worldbuilding: Aided the story
Plot: Mostly clear Characters: Roles are clear
Storytelling: Minimalistic
Immersion: Didn’t want to put the book down Emotional Response: Engaging
Thought Provoking: New ideas came up
Cover: Adequately represents the story Couldn't put it down! Great Slice of Life small town family drama story with sprinkles of magical realism! |
Daughter of the Beast by E C Greaves
Worldbuilding: Piqued curiosity
Plot: Straightforward Characters: Roles are clear
Storytelling: Balanced
Immersion: Satisfying, fulfilling experience Emotional Response: Engaging
Thought Provoking: New ideas came up
Cover: Matches the story well Content Warnings: children killing animals Entertaining story about an imprisoned teenage fae girl named Zyntael being captured by vicious sentinent wolf beasts called Vulkar and raised by their leader as her daughter. Great adoptive mother/captive daughter bond, author uses the word stuff a lot. |