@WS_BOOKCLUB

Thank you to Netgalley for providing me with this book in exchange for my honest opinion. The Magician’s Daughter will be available on February 28, 2023.

The Magician’s Daughter invited me into a world of magic and mysteries, holding me captive until I finished the last word. It was gorgeously written, each word meticulously placed to build an engrossing narrative. The story of Biddy’s desperate venture was a breathtaking one.

Biddy grew up on Hy-Brasil with her magic-wielding caretaker, Rowan, and his familiar. Hy-Brasil is a place of magic, only visible every ten years. Even then, it’s only visible to a select few. Biddy has love, attention, and freedom across the island, but has been asked never to leave. Rowan leaves some nights, flying as a raven on secret errands. He is always back before dawn- until one day, he isn’t. Suddenly, Biddy is included in the reasons for his flights, told why she can’t leave, and is warned of the danger hunting them. From resenting being ...

Thank you to the author for providing me with the book in exchange for my honest opinion. Poems Inspired by True Love is available now.

Some of you who may have noticed the author’s name might be wondering, “Wait- is it that Marcus Lee?” Yup, Poems Inspired by True Love is penned by none other than fantasy writer Marcus Lee, author of The Gifted and the Cursed series and The Mountain of Souls. While romantic poetry is a far cry from the gritty and nuanced fantasy I’m used to from Marcus Lee, it works. This is a versatile author and I am extremely impressed.

One thing that has stood out to me with his fantasy is Marcus’ ability to take the smallest thing and turn it into something deep. Nowhere is this on display as much as it is in Poems Inspired by True Love. This collection follows different stages of romantic love. From infatuation to physical love and love that delights in the everyday experiences with another person, all is included. This isn’t the musings of a surfa...

Thank you to Netgalley and DAW Books for providing me with this book in exchange for my honest opinion. Nightborn: Coldfire Rising will be available on July 18th, 2023.


I fell in love with the Coldfire trilogy, back in the 90’s when I first read it. It was, and still is, one of the most remarkable science fantasy I’ve had the pleasure of reading. Naturally, I was beyond excited by the news that C.S. Friedman was returning to the world of Erna.


When there is such a large gap between books in a series, I always wonder how that will work. Will the author be able to slip back into the voice used to write the books in the first place? Will the new book mesh with the others? I found that Nightborn leans on the same original tone, but adds new threads to the rich tapestry of the plot. The story takes on an even more sinister tone with this prequel, becoming more sci-fi horror than science fantasy. The shift was calculated and perfect.


Nightborn: Coldfire Risin...

Thank you to Shadow Dragon Press and the author for providing me with this book in exchange for my honest opinion. The Magick of Chaos will be available on June 13th. This is book 3 in The Tempest Blades series.

The Magick of Chaos continues the story that has been building from book one. Threads are tied together, new story arcs are introduced, and everything is dialed up to eleven. There is a sense of urgency to The Magick of Chaos that serves to elevate the importance of everything. There was a palpable tension that bled over to my reading experience, leaving me racing through the book, curious to see what would happen next and how things would play out.

The characters are split (all TTRPG fans here are shouting, “Never split the party” but it works magnificently in this case), into two groups both with huge tasks. The failure of these tasks will lead to horrible consequences. No pressure, right?

What I appreciate about author Ricardo Victoria’s writing is his a...

Thank you to the author for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for my honest opinion. Heart of Fire is available now.

The books starts when Camilla, the protagonist, finds a way to see dragons hatch. When a dragon chooses her as its companion, things shift. What was once viewed as something exclusive to the elves (the ability to bond with dragons) is now proven to be available to humans as well. The accepted way of things changes as Camilla faces new challenges and triumphs.

At its heart, Heart of Fire is a book about relationships. Aside from Camilla’s relationship with her brother and her complicated feelings about family, I really liked the relationships with the dragons. I feel like the communication (sort of telepathy) between the different characters and the dragons was used more as character development than as a conversation between the humans and dragons. I found that to be an interesting way to show what a character who is a little reticent- as Ca...

Thank you to Aconyte Books for providing me with this book in exchange for my honest opinion. Shadows of Pnath: An Arkham Horror Novel is available now.

Shadows of Pnath is a rollicking, massively entertaining foray into the world of Arkham Horror. The very first page sets the tone, with the Comte d’Erlette (who is not a very nice character) showcasing just how evil he is. This world of less-than-savory characters, supernatural beings, and hazardous undertakings is established from the get-go. From there, the story moves on to Alessandra Zorzi, sort-of reformed thief. She’s trying to stay on the straight and narrow, but when multiple groups find her, all looking for the same thing (okay, she did steal it in the first place, but that’s beside the point), she gets drawn into a madcap adventure and a race to avoid some seriously nasty consequences.

I enjoyed the heck out myself, reading this book. The characters are all fantastic. It turns out that Shadows of Pnath is a sequ...

Mrs. Covington’s is the delightful, capybara-infused fantasy that everyone needs. While I love a good stabby fantasy, I am finding more and more that books such as this are a smile between pages and everyone benefits from that.

Jacob sets off on his own, bright-eyed and bushy-tailed, looking for adventure (and, really, his place in the world). What he finds is a failing pub with a built-in mascot: a capybara named Mrs. Covington. He purchases the pub and embarks on an adventure unlike any other, one that brings newfound family, confidence, nachos (“nacias”), and treasure hunting.

I loved this wonderful tale! Jacob is a great protagonist, kind-hearted yet with worries and insecurities of his own. He is extremely easy to relate to and even easier to cheer for. You will want him to succeed from the get-go. He is joined by his new partners: Tadrick and Cora. New friendships form as their risky venture experiences both triumphs and setbacks. The more they get to know each othe...

Thank you to Atria Books and Netgalley for providing me with this book in exchange for my honest opinion. The Golden Spoon will be available on March seventh, 2023.

The Golden Spoon was advertised as a mix of Clue and The Great British Bakeoff. That sounded delicious to me (pun intended) and I couldn’t wait to pick it up. While there was a lot to like, there were also some things that just didn’t work for me.

The story features a group of contestants joining their hosts on a large estate to film a baking competition. Each has their own reason to be there and some have nothing to do with baking. Secrets abound. When a body is discovered, the secrets begin to unravel leaving the reader trying to follow the clues and solve the murder.

The book opened with a press introduction of the contestants on the show, a great way to quickly introduce a group of characters without taking a lot of time to break down each one in exacting detail. This lets the author slowly add deta...

The Scarlet Circus is the third in Jane Yolen’s “Circus” series, but you don’t need to read the others to read this one. This particular short story collection is all about love in its many forms. Now, this might seem like an odd read for me seeing as, when it comes to books, I have the romantic sensibilities of a chewed-up piece of gum. That being said, I am a big fan of stories with fairy tale vibes (whether the more lighthearted kind or the darker ones) and I knew that’s what this collection would bring.

Smart, heartwarming, funny, and at times a little dark, The Scarlet Circus has a wide variety of tales. There are no descriptions of sex, which I vastly appreciate (sex scenes are not my thing). Instead, these take on the cadence of stories told around a fire to an appreciative audience. While they all feature love in some shape or form, each story is unique and adds something new to the collection.

I loved the entire book, but a couple stories stood out to me for vari...

Thank you to Rebellion Publishing and Netgalley for providing me with this book in exchange for my honest opinion. And Put Away Childish Things will be available on March 28th, 2023.

Have you ever had a dream that slowly shifted into a nightmare? You wake up, heart pounding, sweat on your brow but you can’t remember the exact moment when your dream became something dark and sinister. That’s And Put Away Childish Things: a dream that becomes a nightmare, one that leaves you unsettled yet engrossed.

As is always the case with Adrian Tchaikovsky, the writing is astounding. He creates, not just a world, but a feeling. Harry Brodie’s discontent with his life becomes the reader’s discontent, his feeling of being trapped, the reader’s. The book begins with a very unhappy Harry working on a kid’s TV show (I immediately pictured Death to Smoochy). He decides to go on one of those interview shows to hopefully remind people he exists and get better acting gigs. Unfortunately for him...

Thank you to the author for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. Mystic Reborn will be available on April 1st.

Mystic Reborn is a sequel to Paladin Unbound so there might be some light spoilers. You really should read Paladin Unbound if you haven’t yet, but I’ll do my best to keep any spoilers to a minimum.

I loved Paladin Unbound and the world Jeffrey Speight had created, so I went into the sequel with ridiculously high expectations. I was not disappointed. Mystic Reborn continues a series that is a masterpiece of epic fantasy. As with Paladin Unbound, I found myself completely drawn in by the story and characters.

The group has been split (I know all TTRPG players are yelling “Never split the party!” at this point), and this decision allowed for both interesting character development and an expansion on both the lore and world itself, without ever becoming an info dump. Seeing the seemingly disparate threads of narrative eventua...

I’m sorry to anyone who will be hit by this book, after I throw it at them while yelling, “READ THIS” at the top of my lungs. I’m guessing there’s a better way to go about sharing my love of The Sword Defiant, but I need everyone to read this. Right now. Just go ahead and stop what you’re doing and pick this up.

Trust me, it deserves to take precedence over unimportant things like going to work (okay, maybe bringing in a paycheck so you can eat is slightly more important, but only slightly).

The Sword Defiant follows Aelfric, one of the Nine heroes who defeated Lord Bone years ago. While the events of that battle are told in the form of memories (not quite flashbacks, just musings of a man who was deeply affected) throughout the novel, this book focuses on the after. After the battle is over and the day is won. After everyone decides that the status quo is what they have to work with. After secrets are revealed, the dark underbelly of larger-than-life legends begins to sh...