Eleni A.E. | FanFiAddict https://fanfiaddict.com A gaggle of nerds talking about Fantasy, Science Fiction, and everything in-between. They also occasionally write reviews about said books. 2x Stabby Award-Nominated and home to the Stabby Award-Winning TBRCon. Wed, 25 Jun 2025 11:58:03 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.8.1 https://fanfiaddict.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/cropped-FFA-Logo-icon-32x32.png Eleni A.E. | FanFiAddict https://fanfiaddict.com 32 32 Review: Red Tempest Brother (The Winter Sea #3) by H.M. Long https://fanfiaddict.com/review-red-tempest-brother-the-winter-sea-3-by-h-m-long/ https://fanfiaddict.com/review-red-tempest-brother-the-winter-sea-3-by-h-m-long/#respond Wed, 25 Jun 2025 11:57:51 +0000 https://fanfiaddict.com/?p=102836
Rating: 9.5/10

Synopsis:
The epic naval fantasy trilogy concludes, as Sam, Mary and Benedict play a deadly game of war and espionage on the high-seas. Perfect for fans of pirate-infested waters, magical bestiaries and battling empires, by authors such as Adrienne Young, L. J. Andrews and Naomi Novik.
In the wake of the events of Black Tide Son, Hart flees into pirate-infested waters to shelter on the island where former rogue James Demery and the Fleetbreaker, Anne Firth, now rule.
Reeling from their discoveries about the truths of the Mereish-Aeadine war, Mary and Samuel hover on the precipice of a terrible, world-altering choice – they can stay silent and maintain their good names, or they can speak out and risk igniting total war across the Winter Sea.
Meanwhile, Benedict captains The Red Tempest, a lawless ship of deserters and corrupted mages in search of an Usti spy with incendiary stolen documents. Benedict is determined to make the truth known, consequences be damned.
As rumours spread of a new Ghistwold sprouting in the Mereish South Isles, Mary and Samuel sail once more into intrigue, espionage and an ocean on the brink of exploding into conflict. They must chart a course toward lasting, final peace, at the heart of the age-old battle for power upon the Winter Sea.

Review:

Hello again dear reader or listener, I hope you are well and your summer is off to a great start. I cannot say the same unfortunately, due to a loss in the family, but I am here because I turned to what comforts me most and that is stories. Especially ones I know are a safe haven.

Thanks to the lovely folk at Titan Books, I have once again been graced with an early peek at my most anticipated read of the year. This time, with the epic conclusion to a series that has become very dear to my heart. You know the feeling when you’re positively vibrating for the last installment but you’re also not ready to let the story and characters go? Long caused me this in spades with her Winter Sea trilogy! How very dare.

Minor spoilers for books 1 & 2 of the series ahead. Very minor, I promise. Borderline non-existent even.

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again verbatim: H. M. Long raises the bar on what epic high-seas fantasy and character work are supposed to be. And she does so spectacularly, by grabbing you by the proverbial lapels and flinging you into edge of your seat action, humor, and so much heart.

This third and final installment only cemented it further by wrapping up this transporting tale in the most satisfying of ways, for many a reason.

Long picks up the story not much time after the events of Black Tide Son and the author takes no issue with plunging you directly into intense and breakneck action right from the get go. The opening 25% truly felt like the Donald Glover meme from Community, with me, the unsuspecting reader, cheerily walking into a room (see, port, iykyk) in flames and it all going progressively more and more downhill from there. Fittingly, I should add, considering who our first pov protag is in this book. Long puts your feelings through the wringer from the very first chapter, sometimes in a good way, sometimes in a bad one, but whatever the context, you are inevitably reeling. But it hurt so good, as they say. In fact, if I had to describe the overall effect this book had on me it would be by saying it was killing me softly for all of its 416 pages.

Long shines in her character work the most, and that is where the heart of this trilogy lies, for her protagonists have grown and developed so much throughout the course of the story that I felt actual pride for them, as if they were my own friends succeeding and maturing. Not to do any disservice to the plot itself of course, as it was twisting and winding, and also optimally paced, in a way that propels you forward without tiring you out, yet you never quite know where it’ll lead next or which otherworldly monster might suddenly appear to ruin a character’s day. If book two was a slow-burn under some aspects, book three has nothing slow about it. It looks back at you once and boisterously tells you to keep up with a roguish smile.  And you will, even pushing through the proverbial stitch in your side, because you will simply not want to put this book down.

It is nearly impossible to do all the central themes of this book justice without spoilers and I do not want to risk diluting effect of the previous two books if you haven’t read them yet, dear reader, so I need to be vague. But trust me when I say that if you’re looking for a trilogy with well-rounded and perfectly imperfect characters that you can’t help but root for, even the antiheroic ones you least expected to be siding with, then this is the series for you. From proper villain decay to restitution and responsibility, from questions of agency and freedom to finding one’s path forward even if it’s not what you’d originally wanted or expected.

The world of the Winter Sea is one of mesmerizing magic, high stakes, unforgiving elements, and badass action. Its cadre of characters do not leave you wanting, avoiding clichés and presenting archetypes in a way that is fresh and rich. There truly is something for everyone, be it camaraderie to die for, a romantic plot that will have you clutching your chest from the feels (they are goals, just chef’s kiss goals), political intrigue and conspiracies whose threads you seek to unravel along with the protagonists, wisecracks and humor that hit the spot every time, or moral frustrations that will have you pulling your hair as the characters learn priorities and which way their loyalties lie. Because nothing is ever quite as it seems and even when you think you know the characters and their drives by the third book, they will still surprise you. Not in a rug pull way of “the author needed an ex machina and this was the easiest way, character consistency be damned”, but in a way that still makes perfect sense for each character arc. Said in a better way, I was always pleasantly surprised but never confusedly shocked.

Not only was I immensely satisfied with how Mary and Samuel faced the action and where they eventually ended up but also with the ways they both grew as individuals and as a team overall throughout the trilogy – seriously the development of his attitude toward Mary going from “must protect the helpless damsel because I’m a gentleman” in book one, onto “the damsel is actually a highly capable and lowkey feral and formidable woman” throughout book two, and finally “we’re safer and more effective when working as a team” with book three, was utterly impeccable – but I am truly bowing to Long’s mastery in delivering a true antihero, whose guts I positively hated in book one, and for whom, by the end of this third book, I was feeling my chest tighten in sympathy to his struggle to redeem himself in order to be worthy of something I will not spoil. Hell, even his journey to accepting whether he wanted to in the first place, held me veritably captive.

Like, I am not sure I can fully explain to you dear reader how unforgiving of a person I am over certain things, and the fact that Long never once panders or sweeps anything under the rug to make the character more palatable and to wrap things up in a neat bow, was masterful. She instead works hard to show the nuance and difficulty in the rehabilitation and penance and the work they must still do to make up for their past. That, I could get behind so well. Bluntly put, she doesn’t excuse the asshole but at least you get to understand him and maybe even hope he will make the right choices going forth. Simply the fact that you are rooting for that to happen after the events of the first book alone, is testament to an expertly woven tale by a powerhouse storyteller.

Red Tempest Brother is everything you want in a series conclusion. It reunites you with beloved characters one last time, keeping you on the edge of your seat the whole time, while enthralling you with wondrous and epic ambiance you’ve loved and have been transported by throughout the whole series. The Winter Sea trilogy is one I will find myself rereading often in the future and if you haven’t yet started it, dear reader or listener, now is your chance to binge the whole thing in one go. Trust me, you’ll want to.

This final installment comes out July 8th so run to preorder it now; an epic tale of brave and sassy seafarers awaits.

Until next time,
Eleni A.E.

P.S: as always, a major shoutout to mah boy Charles who is truly the mvp in every single one these books because he is Best Boi™ and the ever delightful foil to someone else. No, I will not elaborate.

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Review: The Vengeance (The Vampires of Dumas #1) by Emma Newman https://fanfiaddict.com/review-the-vengeance-the-vampires-of-dumas-1-by-emma-newman/ https://fanfiaddict.com/review-the-vengeance-the-vampires-of-dumas-1-by-emma-newman/#respond Wed, 07 May 2025 16:10:11 +0000 https://fanfiaddict.com/?p=97622
Rating: 7/10

Synopsis:
Morgane grew up at sea, daughter of the fierce pirate captain of the Vengeance, raised to follow in her footsteps as scourge of the Four Chains Trading Company. But when Anna-Marie is mortally wounded in battle, she confesses to Morgane that she is not her mother.
The captain of the enemy ship reveals he was paid to kill Anna-Marie and bring Morgane home to France and her real family. Desperate to learn the truth about her lineage, Morgane spares him, leaving the Vengeance and everything she knows behind.
Her quest reveals a world of decadence and darkness, in which monsters vie for control of royal courts and destinies of nations. She discovers the bloody secrets of the Four Chains Trading Company, and the truth about her real mother’s death, nearly twenty years before…


Review:

Hello again dear reader or listener, I am back with another Arc review, this time curtesy of the lovely folk at Solaris, aaaand it is an ambivalent one. So, with thanks to the publisher, here are some of my honest thoughts.

The best way to sum up my feelings for this book overall would be to say that I did enjoy what I read for the most part, but I was disappointed not to find what had been promised. Newman shows no lack of writing skills for sure, in fact what we do get reads really smoothly and I’ll get into all the good stuff properly in a moment. But I’m not sure I’d confidently say she hit the mark on the target she set out either. The Vengeance is being promoted as a swashbuckling pirate adventure set in a version of Alexandre Dumas’s world haunted by vampires. And yet there is a surprising lack of the paranormal and not quite as much pirating or swashbuckling as implied. Without spoiling it, I feel the need to warn you that the paranormal bits we do get are a whiff of one thing around the 70% mark and a quick vampiric presence in the last 15% ish of the story, not counting the epilogue.

Pacing was another odd one here in that the writing kept me engaged, I was following along swimmingly and eager to see what would happen next, but it felt both rushed and not at times? What I mean is, I got to the end of what narratively felt like the first of say three acts, and I looked to my progress bar to see I was 65% in? And yet it had felt as if the story was barely getting started! Which isn’t even to say that nothing happens. A lot does but it all feels as build up and scene setting? I can see how this book would work as the opening act or even the prologue of a series and yet it presents as a self-contained story leaving no actual narrative loose ends. Still somehow, we get 20 chapters worth of said build-up, only for everything to be resolved in the next two and a half, barely giving the reader the time to even register the aforementioned vampires or be really impacted by the villain in any significant way, and then an epilogue which was lovely (don’t get me wrong) but still felt like I barely had time for any of the final act to sink in. This book could’ve easily been at least a hundred pages longer, hell, it might’ve benefitted from it, allowing the author to enrich some of the more diluted or rushed moments of this story.

I don’t mean to be harsh here though, because as I said, I did enjoy what I read. The characters are interesting, some of the backgrounds provided very intriguing and definitely something I’d like to see explored more in future books. Morgane’s arc of being a fish out of water, almost quite literally hah, was entertaining as much as it was a good device to showcase all the inconsistencies or hypocrisies of polite society in France of the 1660s, and mainly of the vampiric oppression that is hinted at later in the story. The characters that act as foils against her were also well developed, especially the young governess Lisette, and I’d argue their relationship was the only thing that was truly allowed to progress and develop at a steady and more natural pace throughout the story. It made for wholesome moments of respite in between the chaos chasing Morgane from the moment she sets foot on French soil, and complemented her brash pirate personality very nicely. My only peeve with her was her obtuse naiveté to reach a certain goal when everyone she meets and their mother tell her it’s not worth it, based on first hand experience. But I don’t begrudge that actually because it makes for a more complex character trying to hold onto what she tells herself to make things make sense. It doesn’t mater that the reader knows it will not work out from the very beginning, because we get to follow along with a young woman who thinks she knows how the world works and realizes she’s still got a lot of growing to do.

Also, I know I said that we don’t get nearly enough pirating and swashbuckling but what we do get is really good and well researched/rendered. Which is probably why I was disappointed not to see enough of it, when the author clearly has the ability to put it on the page vividly and atmospherically. Newman doesn’t give a sanitized version of what piracy looked like and it just gives the reader a more nuanced and vivid picture. I wanted more of the crew and definitely more of the ship life antics that can translate to life on land the way you see in Pirates of the Caribbean for example. This book works well enough as a historical fantasy but it deserved to be allowed to breathe and lean into the paranormal aspects and ambiance more.  

A quick glance around other reviews showed me that overall, this seems to be a bit of the consensus around this book and I felt a little relieved cause I initially feared it was just being me being persnickety. Newman has a really solid boned story and, had it been allowed to flourish better, it could’ve been an excellent new entry in the swashbuckling subgenre but, as it is, it is one to be embarked on with tempered expectations.

Until next time,
Eleni A.E.

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Review: A Spell for Change by Nicole Jarvis https://fanfiaddict.com/review-a-spell-for-change-by-nicole-jarvis/ https://fanfiaddict.com/review-a-spell-for-change-by-nicole-jarvis/#respond Mon, 05 May 2025 22:27:16 +0000 https://fanfiaddict.com/?p=97351
Rating: 8.5/10

Synopsis:
In this sumptuous, atmospheric historical fantasy set in post-World War One Appalachia, three outcasts with misunderstood magical gifts search for their place in the world while battling the dark forces that circle their community.
Kate Mayer has always been troubled by visions of the future. No matter what she does, her disturbing premonitions come to pass—often with terrible consequences. But Kate has a secret: swirling, romantic dreams of a strange boy, and a chance meeting in the woods.
Oliver Chadwick Jr. returned from the Great War disabled, disillusioned, and able to see the dead. Haunted by the death of his best friend, Oliver realizes that his ability to communicate with spirits may offer the chance of closure he desperately seeks.
Nora Jo Barker’s mother and grandmother were witches, but she has never nurtured her own power. Always an outsider, she has made a place for herself as the town’s schoolteacher, clinging to the independence the job affords her. When her unorthodox ideas lead to her dismissal, salvation comes in the form of a witch from the mountains, who offers her a magical apprenticeship. Yet as she begins to fall for another woman in town, her loyalties pull her in disparate directions.
Rumors of a dark force stalking the town only push Kate, Oliver, and Nora Jo onwards in their quest to determine their own destinies. But there are powers in the world stronger and stranger than their own, and not all magic is used for good…

Review:

Hello again dear reader or listener, I need you to picture the terrified child holding a cross meme and, instead of the cross, to picture a box of antihistamines, and that is me currently with everything blooming all around me. I love spring, I do. My hay fever however, oh she chuckles maniacally. Why should you care about all this? No reason whatsoever!

With thanks to the team at Titan for offering an eARC of Nicole Jarvis’ latest book, let’s get to my honest thoughts that are actually relevant, shall we?

I was fresh off watching Ryan Coogler’s Sinners (and Loving it – seriously go watch that movie it is incredible) when this book came to my attention and to say the timing was excellent is an understatement. Supernatural happenings in a 1920s southern American town? Gimme. Also, having read Jarvis’ debut The Lights of Prague and greatly enjoying it, I knew this was an author I wanted to read more from. The final decider in me picking this up was the byline “For fans of Katherine Arden”, which I am, most ardently.

I’ll see myself out. Blame the Zirtec.

With Jarvis’ story set right after the first World War, I could see the connection to Arden’s The Warm Hands of Ghosts, a book I deeply loved and still think about. As well as for the ghostly happenings of course. But that’s not all A Spell for Change was!

Told through three POVs that I liked each for the own merits, Jarvis navigates the fraught lives of three individuals who are about to learn how far they are willing to go to fight against the injustices of their society. For truly if you were disabled, a woman, Black, or queer, in Tennessee of the ‘20s you were definitely not having a roarin’ time. Jarvis does not shy away from showing the realities of racism, classism, and overall lack of rights for anyone that wasn’t an abled white man. But she does so in ways that are so deceptively simple and to the point, and yet to visceral and evocative that you can’t help but feel everything the characters do, or at the very least easily relate to them in one way or another. The helplessness of it all truly hits hard. The author takes her time to build up tensions and foreshadow what is to come so well that you always find yourself intrigued and needing to know more but also unable to shake off a sense of wrongness that permeates everything.

Jarvis also renders ambience so well, from the deceptive warmth but not quite of Spring, to the stifling summer heat, or the chill that offers relief from it but also brings goosebumps on your skin typical of deep caves. Moreover, she presents us with more horror elements than I was expecting, which was a delightful and welcome surprise. They created the right juxtapositions to all the soft and tender moments that really make you care for the characters and their budding – yet forbidden – relationships. By weaving the natural beauty of the land into the lives of the protagonists, while also underscoring it with the horrific echoes of the past she rendered a deeply layered canvas of a story that resonates with the modern reader. Even her tackling of PTSD, and how it was viewed/understood at the time, was done very well, which is something I always keep an eye on.

Although the first half of the book is fairly slow going, which in my opinion was not a bad thing as it was not a slog, the second half ramps up onto an action-packed final act that shifts several gears and delivers more than one gut punch, but also offers super satisfying resolutions that I was glad to see. In fact, Jarvis does such a good job of building it all up, enriching it with folklore and stories passed down through generations, and thus making you care for all the things that are at stake if the protagonists don’t succeed at getting to the bottom of the mysteries even more. And yet that sense of wrongness, of something coming to ruin everything they have fought so hard for, would not leave me. I was ready to get hurt, dear reader. And I kinda was, not gonna lie to you, but it all made so much sense for the story and where each character was with their life that I was not even mad about it in the end. Did I want to shake the characters a bit from time to time? Sure. But that to me is a sign of good writing because I was invested rather than indifferent and just waiting to see where the story would go!

A Spell for Change is everything you want in a leisurely weekend read: it is a heartfelt, intriguing, and at times eerie tale of defiant people trying to carve out space for themselves to peacefully exist true to themselves, in a world that tries to tell them they have no right to. It presents us with food for thought while also granting escapism, wonder, and supernatural phenomena that I will not spoil the exact nature of. Ultimately it is a story about love, both familial and romantic, that pushes us to be better and fight for more.

The book comes out tomorrow May 6th through Titan Books and if anything I mentioned has you curious, dear reader, I suggest you run to grab a copy!

Until next time,
Eleni A.E.

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Review: Blood on Her Tongue by Johanna van Veen https://fanfiaddict.com/review-blood-on-her-tongue-by-johanna-van-veen/ https://fanfiaddict.com/review-blood-on-her-tongue-by-johanna-van-veen/#respond Fri, 04 Apr 2025 15:35:06 +0000 https://fanfiaddict.com/?p=93326
Rating: 9.5/10

Synopsis:
The Netherlands, 1887. Lucy’s twin sister Sarah is unwell. She refuses to eat, mumbles nonsensically, and is increasingly obsessed with a centuries-old corpse recently discovered on her husband’s grand estate. The doctor has diagnosed her with temporary insanity caused by a fever of the brain. To protect her twin from a terrible fate in a lunatic asylum, Lucy must unravel the mystery surrounding her sister’s condition, but it’s clear her twin is hiding something. Then again, Lucy is harboring secrets of her own, too.
Then, the worst happens. Sarah’s behavior takes a turn for the strange. She becomes angry… and hungry.
Lucy soon comes to suspect that something is trying to possess her beloved sister. Or is it madness? As Sarah changes before her very eyes, Lucy must reckon with the dark, monstrous truth, or risk losing her forever.


Review:

Hello again dear reader or listener, let me tell you about the latest book to keep me up so late I heard the morning birds begin to sing before I realized I should probably go to sleep (it was 5 am). Unfortunately, I can’t really do it justice, but I’ll try my best.

With thanks to Poisoned Pen Press for granting my NetGalley request, here are my honest thoughts.

You might not know this about me, dear reader, but I am a big fan of all things Gothic, and I don’t mean the romanticized or sanitized idea of Gothic or Victorian which can be entertaining to an extent. I mean the gritty, bewildering, harrowing, enthralling, and hauntingly dark, true Gothic. So it was with immense pleasure that I found Johanna van Veen’s new book, Blood on Her Tongue, met those expectations to the fullest. In fact, I might argue that van Veen has raised the bar on what Gothic Horror ought to be. Just make sure to heed her warnings at the beginning.

This book feels like watching a Robert Eggers movie, more specifically Nosferatu (and not merely for the vampiric elements), but even better. Just as promised in her author’s note, van Veen weaves such a rich and thick atmosphere that you can cut it with a knife (or a fountain pen, iykyk), and it is, for lack of a better word but still very apt, delicious. Her prose is lyrical and Romantic, optimally paced to build up suspense and dread until it finally delivers macabre blows that leave your ears ringing. In the best way. Even knowing what you are in for does not prepare you for the visceral emotions this book will draw forth, and they will be many.
Truly all of the research that went into writing this story shines through, showing unapologetically and without any restraint the realities of women in the late 19th century who dared show anything even resembling emotion and wit past what was deemed acceptable in polite society.

Whether the disquieting happenings are supernatural or the product of a very sick mind, the true horrors lie not only in body horror or violence but in the stigmatization of the mentally ill, and in the harrowing lack of agency or power granted to women by those who deem themselves as above. I use the word granted here on purpose as well, because just as the protagonist slowly and painfully realizes it herself, the reader is fully aware that she is not among allies in a society that sees women as ornamental and with only utilitarian purposes (e.g. child bearing and housekeeping) at best.
What I found exceptionally rendered here is that, if you’re a female reader, you catch on to all of the above straight away, because well, no need to state the obvious, but, if you’re not, the author has done such a subtle and expert working in of all the details to well and truly display this that it is impossible for you to not be fully immersed in the terror, resentment, pain, helplessness, and anger, and understand it all fully.

Not for the faint of heart, Blood on Her Tongue claws its way into you and doesn’t let go till the extremely satisfying ending, because I support women’s rights but boy do I support women’s wrongs in such contexts. You might feel like you should be looking away at times while being utterly unable to do so in what is potentially one the most thorough, raw, powerful yet sensitive but no holds barred, portrayal of hysteria, both as it was understood and weaponized (because van Veen absolutely goes there and Good For Her) at the time, and how we understand it now.

This is a story about power dynamics, about true heartbreak, about all the good and the bad in sibling relationships, especially those teetering on the codependent, and about all the ugly and hidden feelings we carry and might act on. It is rife with themes one could discuss for hours, be it its place within Queer literature, the narrative use of sex and sensuality, the patronizing nature of those that mean well but actually do more harm, about the way each character reveals their true self under pressure, and about what does one do once such a revelation is made?
It is a story about extremes in a world that abhors them, and it is a story about a woman who tries to navigate it all trying to remain sane and eventually having to decide what that even means or if it’s worth holding on to.

If you enjoy Gothic horror, sharp social commentary, intelligent explorations of character and psychology and dynamics, or even if you just want an evening full of transporting storytelling, you will love Blood on Her Tongue. I can’t recommend it enough.
Just be wary gazing into the dark too long, it has teeth. Until next time,

Elen A.E.

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Review: The Feeding by Anthony Ryan https://fanfiaddict.com/review-the-feeding-by-anthony-ryan/ https://fanfiaddict.com/review-the-feeding-by-anthony-ryan/#respond Mon, 10 Mar 2025 18:08:37 +0000 https://fanfiaddict.com/?p=91480

Synopsis:
The New York Times bestselling author Anthony Ryan’s The Feeding is a brilliant postapocalyptic novel that finds the sweet spot between commercial, literary, and creepy. Perfect for fans of Justin Cronin, M. R. Carey, and Alexis Henderson.
Fifteen years ago the feeders rose from the shadows to transform the world into a graveyard. The few survivors exist in fortified settlements surrounded by the empty ruins of a destroyed civilization. For years the citizens of New City Redoubt have relied on an elite cadre of Crossers to navigate the feeder infested wasteland between settlements in order to trade for vital supplies. But the Outside is becoming ever more dangerous, and the ranks of the Crossers grow thinner with every crossing.
Layla, only a child when the Feeding destroyed the old world, spends her days scavenging the ruins for valuable scrap and her nights helping her adoptive family eke a living from the Redoubt’s only movie theatre. Now, with her father slowly dying, Layla resolves to join the Crossers to retrieve the medicine that can save him. Smart, ruthless, and fast on her feet, Layla quickly gains the respect of her fellow Crossers. But, in a world lost to the deadliest predators, can even the most cunning prey survive?

Review:

Hello again dear reader or listener, I am here to say I succumbed to the mood reader in me while still maintaining some modicum of responsible reviewer conduct by making sure what I did read was an ARC. The fact that this comes out in August is beside the point.

With thanks to the Blackstone Publishing team for this early review copy then, allow me to list all the reasons why you need this new postapocalyptic thriller on your TBRs.

For those who don’t already know, Anthony Ryan has been an auto-buy author for me for years. I don’t even read the plot blurbs, I see he’s got a new book coming, I do the grabby hands. Reason being he has proven his skill time and time again in many a subgenre of SFF. Be it under his name and, in recent years, he’s also joined the ranks of post-apocalyptic horrors and thrillers under the pen name A.J. Ryan. I was actually surprised to realize his first foray into the genre, Red River Seven, came out two years ago!

Now, I deeply enjoy his fantasy epics, some more than others, as is natural when an author has a certain scope in their writing. But with this new upcoming book I think I can safely say that I love the hell out of his post-apocalyptic thrillers!

With The Feeding, Ryan continues to prove he is an expert at rendering vivid and powerful ambiance even through the simplest and most straightforward of plots. His characters are all memorable even when not overburdened with details or backstories that would fill pages. Instead, we get right into a captivating story of survival, pervaded with riveting action made all the more thrilling by the high stakes, and interspersed with, at times, a certain pragmatic poignancy that drives the emotional impact in fully.

Parts I Am Legend, parts The Last of Us, and with perhaps a certain whiff of Fallout or Mad Max-esque fortified settlements, (just to name drop a few IPs in there for the vibes for ya) The Feeding stands on its own two feet as a brand-new entry among the ranks of post apocalypse without any of the tired clichés but with all of the beloved tropes you want to find in this subgenre. And bear in mind, this is not a zombie book. Not quite.

Also, much like Red River Seven, this book gives you the feeling of a videogame novelization and at this point I am asking, begging even, somebody at Naughty Dog, Rockstar, or Bethesda, to give this author a contract to write for them. We digress.

Set 15 years into the apocalypse, Ryan successfully plays the difficult balancing act of determining how much has humanity tried to hang onto the social contracts of civilization as we know it and how much they’ve shed and moved past to make the best of what they have now. Are all old rules and conventions still relevant? Or should they for that matter? What is the point past which you say “Fuck it, I am changing things because holding onto the past is pointless”? That is arguably one of my favorite themes within postapocalyptic fiction and seeing the ways in which each author tackles it is always interesting to me. Needless to say, I found Ryan’s answers to these questions intriguing while also grounded. Utilitarian but also without the level of cynicism this genre is often prone towards. All the while keeping certain details purposefully vague so as to not set it in one specific/recognizable location – the world did end after all. It is left to the reader to decide where the story is happening.

Compared to the slow and inexorable building dread and mystery that characterized Red River Seven, the narrative pace of The Feeding is speedy, uncompromising, and to the point, keeping you on your toes while still pulling the rug under you any time you feel safe enough to take a breath. Being fast on your feet is not nearly enough in this world. Past the walls keeping what is left of humanity safe, sentimentality or weakness will get you or those around you killed. And yet still, the author doesn’t sacrifice character likeability for their ruthlessness, nor does he leave you wanting for details that slowly build a mystery within what initially seemed a simple enough action plot going from point A to point B.

I was also very pleased by the lack of answers for certain things. Yes, you read that correctly, I loved the questions that remained, or the missing context at times. It grounded this story with the realistic rendering of lack of information one expects after world ending events. We take so much of what we know for granted after all, and books like this are a reminder of that.

Finally, I am a simple movie nerd, I see pop culture Easter eggs, I get a boost of serotonin.  

In short, The Feeding is pretty much everything you want in a postapocalyptic horror. You can take it as a “simple” yet badass action flick that’ll have you enthralled for the duration of the ride, with its scares, thrills, and cinematic storytelling. Or, you can give it an extra minute to ponder the underlying themes it allows for without beating you over the head with them. My only real qualm with this book is that I wanted more of it regardless of how satisfying yet a little bitterwseet the end was.

The Feeding comes out through Blackstone Publishing in the US, and through Orbit Books in the UK (under the A.J. pen name) August 26th, and if anything I said piqued your interest, dear reader, this is exactly the book you need on your shelves!

Until next time
Eleni A. E.

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7 Favorite Leading Ladies for International Women’s Day https://fanfiaddict.com/7-favorite-leading-ladies-for-international-womens-day/ https://fanfiaddict.com/7-favorite-leading-ladies-for-international-womens-day/#respond Sat, 08 Mar 2025 15:19:08 +0000 https://fanfiaddict.com/?p=91398 Hello again dear reader or listener!
It is a bright and sunny day in Italy, the weather is getting warmer, and my pollen allergies are on the horizon.

However! It is International Women’s Day and in honor of that I thought of listing 7 of my favorite leading ladies written by some of my favorite female authors across recent SFF! These characters are all different examples of womanhood and inspiring in their own respective ways. Be it for their character traits, their drives and goals, the varied types of femminity they present, the journeys they go through, or the catharsis they achieve for the reader who sees themselves in them.
In no particular order then:

H.M. Long’s Mary Firth in The Winter Sea Trilogy is what you call an iconic Queen (TM). If you liked Elizabeth Swan from Pirates of the Caribbean you’re going to love Mary.
Paired with her no nonsense attitude, her character development throughout the first two books is strong and ongoing and I cannot wait to see how she faces the coming challenges in book three!


Tamra and Raia are not only an excellent entry in the found family pantheon but they exemplify the power of determination and stubborness against all odds, in this fantasy standalone by Sarah Beth Durst.
The drives behind each of them might be different but the goal is the same, i.e. take power over their lives away from those who stole it and claimed it as their own. If they solve political conspiracies in the process, well that’s an added bonus!


If you support women’s rights, but Hell if you don’t also support women’s wrongs, Anna from Jennifer Thorne’s Diavola is the character you can relate to the most. Not least because of all the feelings of secondhand anger, aggravation, and frustration that come from dysfunctional family gatherings. Diavola is not only a darkly humorous hell of a good time, but its ongoing commentary on so much of what it means to be the kind of woman that doesn’t fit simple/trad molds hits the spot oh so well.


With Laura Iven in The Warm Hands of Ghosts, Katherine Arden adds to her cadre of powerful leading ladies. It is no secret this book affected me deeply and part of the reason why is for how human it was. This story was so many things, with one being an unapologetic and unfiltered view of a woman’s reality during the First World War. How far might she go to save her brother and what walls does one need to build or let fall to make it through to the end? And what do you do after everything? Laura is a potential answer to all of those questions and a mirror through which you can see yourself more clearly.


Fantasy with lots of Body Horror? Check.
Distaster Bisexual? Check.
Brb, I’m gonna go fight a god? Check.
Karys Eska in Kerstin Hall’s Asunder is not only the biggest mood for every harried freelancer everywhere, but she is the imperfect protagonist of one’s dreams. Hall gives us a fully rounded, ever evolving, troubled woman doing her very best in the face of frankly pretty shitty odds. And it is superb.


Loulie al-Nazari in Chelsea Abdullah’s The Stardust Thief is another hardworking woman (TM) that has no time for other people’s messes and yet she is wrapped up in one despite her best efforts. Loulie is an interesting and imperfect character who needs to learn that independence does not come at the sacrifice of depending on others and letting them aid you. I loved the start of her journey in this first book and I cannot wait to see how it continues and how she will grow into a bigger and better badass than she already is, as The Sandsea Trilogy continues.


Andrea Stewart is no stranger to writing strong, well rounded leading ladies, and even though it is pretty hard to pick out a favorite from her (as of this post) four published works, for the purposes of this list I’m focusing on Hakara from The Gods Below. For an extremely simple reason too. She is one of the characters I’ve related to the most in recent times because of her dark or sassy sense of humor at the most inopportune moments. If it’s a coping mechanism, it’s nobody’s business.


What about you dear reader/listener? Who are some of your favorite leading ladies or female authors that never fail to inspire, entertain, comfort, or make you feel seen?

Do you agree with my picks? And if you haven’t read any of these books yet, you know what my next words will be: run don’t walk to read them, you have such treats ahead!

Until next time,
Eleni A.E.

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Review: I Am Made of Death by Kelly Andrew https://fanfiaddict.com/i-am-made-of-death-by-kelly-andrew/ https://fanfiaddict.com/i-am-made-of-death-by-kelly-andrew/#respond Tue, 18 Feb 2025 16:49:15 +0000 https://fanfiaddict.com/?p=89813
Rating: 8.5/10

Synopsis:
Following the death of his father, Thomas Walsh had to grow up quickly, taking on odd-jobs to keep food on the table and help pay his gravely ill mother’s medical bills. When he’s offered a highly paid position as an interpreter for an heiress who exclusively signs, Thomas — the hearing child of a Deaf adult — jumps at the opportunity.
But the job is not without its challenges. Thomas is expected to accompany Vivienne wherever she goes, but from the start, she seems determined to shake him. To make matters worse, her parents keep her on an extremely short leash. She is not to go anywhere without express permission. She is not to deviate from her routine.
She is, most importantly, not to be out after dark.
A selective-mute, Vivienne Farrow hasn’t said a word in years — not since going missing in Red Rock Canyon when she was four years old. No one knows quite what happened to her out in the dark. They only know that the sound of her voice is now as deadly as a poison. Anyone who hears her speak suffers a horrible death.
Ever since that fatal family vacation, Vivienne has been desperately searching for a way to regain control of both her voice and her body. Because the face staring out of the mirror isn’t hers. It’s something with teeth.
Thankfully, Vivienne has a plan. She’s finally found someone who claims to be able to perform a surgical exorcism. She just needs to find a way to get rid of Thomas first. But Thomas can’t afford to walk away, nor is he willing to abandon the mysterious girl he’s quickly falling for, no matter what dark powers threaten to swallow them both whole.

Review:

Hello again dear reader or listener, do you fancy reading some YA horror? Perhaps with a dark romance, a teeny dash of eat the rich, but mostly an awful lot of body horror and supernatural phenomena of the eldritch variety?

Well, curtesy of the lovely folk over at Scholastic, I have just the thing for you! With thanks for the eARC, do come along for me to tell you more about this book that surprised me, and I didn’t want to put down, while still stumbling a little on occasion.

I had mentioned in the past that I’d felt myself ageing out of enjoying YA and, for the most part, that remains true. And I’m not here to say I like this book despite it fitting in that target group, or that it didn’t feel YA, so that’s why I liked it. I find that an unnecessary disservice, truth be told. This book very much felt YA and it fit into its bracket perfectly. It was the right kind of YA you could say, then. The kind that is written well, neither juvenile nor NA (hazy as that category itself is) disguised as YA to reach more sales, if you get my drift. It had the big and sweeping emotions that I felt at that age and that I chuckle fondly at now because I’m a more mature person and see them for what they were, while finding them no less valid.

If the above felt convoluted, apologies, I have a splitting headache while writing this, so things make a different sort of sense in my head atm.

Now then, I’ve been meaning to read Kelly Andrew for ages as almost all her books have really intriguing sounding premises for yours truly. My Gothic horror loving lil heart simply cannot resist.  I even have The Whispering Dark in digital waiting to be read. And oh, what an amusing coincidence of sorts that turned out to be.

Why? Do you ask. Because despite there not being any mention of this fact anywhere in the promo (aside from the author’s own page) I Am Made of Death is an interconnected standalone with Andrew’s other books. And given that I have found I enjoy this genre all the more the less I know about it going in, I hadn’t gone onto said author’s page to know more about the book itself other than seeing the gorgeous cover and reading the blurb.  

All of this to say, I might’ve been happier had I known. So, I am telling you, dear reader, so you can learn from my mistakes.

Andrew does a good enough job in order to allow this story to stand on its own two feet despite the interconnectedness with the others but, as mentioned earlier, there is the occasional stumble in that she forgets perhaps that the reader might not have read her other books. In fact, I found this story dang near perfect up until well into 70%, after which, shared characters started to appear, not merely piquing my curiosity as to their own background, but making me feel like I was missing important lore, relevant, albeit some times more and some times less, to the current plot. Luckily in the frenetic pace of the last 20% of the book I didn’t really have time to sit and look around confused a la Travolta for too long because I was busy reading on to see how it would all pan out.

But what about what worked great besides the absolutely badass premise of a girl being selectively mute because her voice can kill? Character dynamics for one. Andrew presents the reader with a double pov, which I always love, where both Vivienne and Thomas are relatable in their own ways and the author’s writing lays a lot of the groundwork for us to empathize with them easily and for their growing bond to be believable. The enemies-to-lovers is peppered in oh so well with a lightness to it that counteracts the heaviness of the rest of the story. Just as Thomas becomes a sort of lifeline for Viv, so do the antics that define that initial tension between them work to make sure the reader isn’t too overexposed to the horrors so that they become white noise. Andrew’s pace is also amazing and the smooth transitions from what is reality and what a hallucination keeps you on your toes throughout, without confusing you.

The author weaves ambiance, emotion, aesthetics, and pacing so damn well that you’re always wanting to read one more chapter, and the next one, until it is two am and you still don’t need sleep but you need answers.

The other thing that worked really well for me were some of the themes, among which trying to find yourself and who you want/can be separate from what others need/expect you to be. The author adapts this in two different ways for each protag and, Hell, I am ten years older than these characters and I am still struggling with that stuff.

Ongoing existential crisis, whomst? We digress.

Pair to that, finding the person for whom you are enough as you are without needing to hide or change parts of yourself, and you have a wonderful cocktail of both feels and sweeping narrative that makes you invested in both the characters and the story! Must also mention a good dose of yearning as a treat. Hat tip to you Ms. Andrew.

So, in all, if you’re ok with the mild confusion caveats, which again, fairly navigable, I Am Made of Death by Kelly Andrew comes out March 4th, and you should definitely preorder if you’re looking for anything like what I’ve touched on. And, if you’re worried about getting the connections, you have plenty of time to go ahead and read Andrew’s other books first, just in time for release!

I am definitely looking forward to reading more from this author and seeing how the whole picture comes together even more!

Until next time,
Eleni A.E.

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Review: Dark Hope (A Carpathian Novel #38) by Christine Feehan https://fanfiaddict.com/review-dark-hope-a-carpathian-novel-38-by-christine-feehan/ https://fanfiaddict.com/review-dark-hope-a-carpathian-novel-38-by-christine-feehan/#respond Tue, 07 Jan 2025 13:33:54 +0000 https://fanfiaddict.com/?p=86396
Rating: 9/10

Synopsis:
Silke Vriese Reinders knows a war is coming. The demon slayer has seen it over and over again in the cards—and the battle won’t just be for the survival of her remote village, but for all mankind. Silke knows the only way to win will be with the help of the Carpathians. A fact that fills her with trepidation, as she is fated to be the lifemate to one of the ancient supernatural warriors—bound to a complete stranger and responsible for his soul.
One of the oldest, most dangerous Carpathians, Benedek Kovak is more beast than man. Locked away for centuries, the only thing that has stopped him from becoming one of the monsters he’s sworn to defeat is the thought of his lifemate. When Benedek senses the impending danger, he sets out to find her before it’s too late. But their enemy has laid a trap that pushes him closer to turning than ever before.
For so long Benedek has felt nothing. Now, some dark art is compelling him to indulge in cravings he thought long buried. He has no hope that anyone can restore what’s left of his tainted soul, but Silke is nothing like he imagined. Perhaps she’s strong enough to fight back the darkness. Perhaps together they can defeat an adversary hell bent on destroying them all….

Review:

Hello again dear reader or listener, I hope you’re recovering from the festivities, food hangovers, and family time. For my part, I recently had the chance to “gift” my mom an arc of this book, curtesy of the team at Berkley. In fact, when the FFA team were offered an eArc, my ears perked at the author’s name as she is one of my mom’s favorites.
So, here we are for the first time with a (ghost-written) review from the woman affectionately known as GG among the FFA team, and the one who made me the reader I am today in leading by example.


Feehan’s Carpathian series is one I have been following avidly for years, preordering every book, and then setting everything aside to binge read each one the moment they are out. I have re-read each installment more than once while waiting for the next release as well. In other words, this is a world I know well and an overall storyline I’ve loved for many years.

I was glad to see that even after all this time, the author maintains her writing quality throughout this series, even so many installments in. Truly, you always feel completely immersed in the settings and story because of her evocative and detailed writing. That said however, in the last three books, something I can’t quite put my finger on precisely, has changed, in either the editing, or Feehan’s writing voice itself. It doesn’t quite feel exactly up to par with all of her other books, with something of a dip here and there that made me feel as if something small were missing. Hence making this book a little short from perfect. To be expected with so many entries in a series though, with some installments being stronger than others!

As for the characters of Dark Hope, I was eagerly waiting this male protagonist’s storyline and, with this entry, we finally get to see all of his background and inner turmoil through the eyes of the female protag, thanks to the telepathy present. Their bond grew organically through this device, and it helped the reader follow along nicely so that we could truly root and feel for this relationship. Moreover, Feehan always makes sure to avoid power imbalances between couples, building an equal partnership between the two protagonists in all things. She doesn’t rely on tired clichés to create strains between them, even though immortal soulmate tropes can usually fall into that. I find that Feehan navigates this trope expertly, making it a point to highlight the importance of consent and free will. They also both grow and develop as characters in tandem, each teaching the other how to live in the present, in ways that can be fun, but also moving.

Another thin I love about Feehan’s writing is how she also develops wider character bonds and relationships throughout, and she continues the trend with this book. All of the supporting characters embellish and enrich the story, only making you more invested and curious to see their own eventual pov books in the future. This also means that past main couples remain present in the future stories, in a way that doesn’t sideline them, so the reader doesn’t miss them at all.

I read this arc within a day, and I am already feeling like a reread! But more than that, it pleases me greatly that Feehan continues to deliver these stories full of heart and passion, with a narrative voice and pacing that flow so smoothly, you never want to put the book down. And when you do, you’re just dying for the next one!

Dark Hope by Christine Feehan is out today, and if you were wondering if it’s worth continuing this amazing series, the answer is most certainly yes! And even though these books do work as interconnected standalones, so you could technically jump in at any point in the series, I do recommend reading them in release order.

Until next time,
Eleni A.E. & Zina

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Cover Reveal: The Diplomacy of the Knife (Four of Mercies #2) by C. M. Caplan https://fanfiaddict.com/cover-reveal-the-diplomacy-of-the-knife-four-of-mercies-2-by-c-m-caplan/ https://fanfiaddict.com/cover-reveal-the-diplomacy-of-the-knife-four-of-mercies-2-by-c-m-caplan/#respond Thu, 02 Jan 2025 13:50:25 +0000 https://fanfiaddict.com/?p=86163 Hello again dear reader or listener! Tis a brand new year and guess what? I have brand new goodies. As a treat! As always, it is a pleasure helping our resident crackhead Golden Retriever energy levels co-blogger and Indie author, Connor M. Caplan, reveal his latest book cover. Rolls off the tongue nicely, doesn’t it?

I’ll say one thing, these book covers just get sexier and sexier.

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Cover Artist: Fay Lane
Link: https://faylane.com/  

Blurb:
Petre Mercy’s had a rough time since he rode home on a cyborg horse. He’s lost a hand that’s been replaced with a mess of steel and piano string, broke his thyroid-powered sword, and helped ignite a civil war that’s engulfed the countryside.
His sister, The Queen, has ordered him to root out any traitors in Mercy House. But Petre can hardly ferret out the truth from his siblings, let alone a vast network of spies with counterplots. And every day more turncoats move against him.
If he has any hope of putting down this uprising, he’ll have to work with a sister he’s still learning to trust. But his enemies are one step ahead of him at all times. And they’re hiding in the last place he’d think to look.

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The long awaited sequel to SPFBO 9 Finalist, The Fall is All There Is, comes out this February 20th and you can pre-order it right here!

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C.M. Caplan is the author of the SPFBO9, BBNYA, and Indie Ink Awards Finalist, The Fall Is All There Is. He’s a quadruplet (yes, really), autistic, and has a degree in creative writing. If you enjoy his books, you can rate them on Goodreads and Amazon.

You can also follow him on Twitter(X) @cmcaplanwrites, Instagram @thecmcaplan, and Bluesky @cmcaplanwrites.bsky.social


Until next time,
Eleni A. E.

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Eleni’s Top Reads of 2024 https://fanfiaddict.com/elenis-top-reads-of-2024/ https://fanfiaddict.com/elenis-top-reads-of-2024/#respond Thu, 26 Dec 2024 15:03:55 +0000 https://fanfiaddict.com/?p=85655

Hello again dear reader or listener, it’s been a minute! Wish I could say it was because I’ve been busy reading and crunching for my end of year list but I’d be kinda lying and you know I’d never do that to you. But I was busy preparing something else that begins with a c and rhymes with attention, and I think you’ll enjoy that even more when its time comes.

I’ve decided to do something a little different than my usual top five for this year’s top reads given that, while I may not have totaled an awful lot of books over the past year, the majority were pretty dang great. So, I figured I’d treat you to a longer list and the ensuing cover extravaganza! As always, if I’ve reviewed these here, I’ll link that to the book title so you can have some fun with my longer rambles, if you so wish.

With a solid mix of various subgenres, you will find highly anticipated sequels, standalones, or brand-new series openers that hold onto you from beginning till the end.

But it really all boils down to: Böök Hella Gud, Trust This Greek, Go Buy.


So then, I don’t normally set these in any particular order but this round I’ll highlight two books above all others:

The Unkillable Princess (The Kystrom Chronicles #2) by Taran Hunt – because A) It was arguably my most highly anticipated sequel in recent memory and I truly loved it so damn much, B) it deserves all the love, as does the author, AND C) it hasn’t come out yet so you can run to preorder it so that you can bask in all its gloriousness this coming February.

Sophomore slump? Taran Hunt doesn’t know her. The Unkillable Princess brashly kicks down the door in a swagtastic entrance, to announce to everyone that it is broader in scope, better in everything, and very ready to destroy all of your emotions. What do you get when you mix together spy thriller tropes, sci-fi shenanigans, and a found family that is killing you softly throughout? Guess you’ll need to find out yourself.

The Warm Hands of Ghosts by Katherine Arden – is a historical fiction book that moved me to tears (a very rare feat) and that I think everyone should read at least once in their lifetime regardless of genre preference. I don’t know what kind of otherworldly sorcery Arden imbues her words with to make them feel so visceral, poignant, truthful, beautiful and powerful. I’ve rarely felt with the depth that I have through her writing, even when it’s over extremely simple or seemingly mundane things. Her story was about loss and war and human nature, and trying to heal after going through an actual end of the world. It was deeply beautiful as it was harrowingly painful, in what I can only describe as the way you fully grasp your surroundings in the first quiet moments after a rush of adrenaline or intense fear. It was simplicity after chaos, that feeling of sound returning slowly in stages after something sudden and loud caused your ears to ring.


And now for the rest of the gems in no particular order:

The Gods Below (The Hollow Covenant #1) by Andrea StewartThe Gods Below is a grand start to a series which promises even more twists, intrigues, feels, romance, political machinations, and magic! Nailing the psychology of different kinds of trauma, cultish manipulation, the weight of familial expectations, and the forced shouldering of responsibilities that you are ill-prepared for or didn’t deserve, Stewart presents readers with a story full of heart and drive and stubbornness.


Diavola by Jennifer Marie Thorne – As much darkly humorous as dread inducing and unsettling, this book will take you on a terrible ride you will both enjoy and loathe in almost equal measure because the horrors are not merely supernatural. Wrapping up in an extremely satisfying manner makes it all worth it though.


Crucible of Chaos (Court of Shadows: Prelude) by Sebastien De Castell Other than being a Masterclass in creative and devastating insults, this standalone mystery thriller brings together elements reminiscent of The Name of the Rose, Don Quixote, and the darkest of the Sherlock Holmes tales. De Castell presents the reader with a dark mystery which very much embodies the aphorism ‘The road to Hell is paved with good intentions’. And where one very tired and battered man needs to solve the crimes holding the monastery of Isola Sombra hostage, before something worse comes to pass.


Vampires of El Norte by Isabel Cañasis everything you could possibly wish for in a Mexican gothic, with rich folklore, beautiful and atmospheric prose, complex characters, and a forbidden romance rooted in cultural and historical authenticity, to die for. Cañas wrote a nuanced and emotionally intelligent story, deeply rooted in the bonds of love, honor, pride, and hope.


Asunder by Kerstin HallHall weaves a tale of darkness and trauma and healing and tentative bonding despite it all, expertly and without pulling any punches. This fantasy horror story is gory, it is dark, and it will take you by surprise in more ways than one. On top of that, Hall gave her own spin to forced proximity and when I say it worked so well! Ferain’s banter in the face of adversity paired with Karys’ pragmatism and aggravations made for such a complementary dynamic.


Deep Black (Arcana Imperii #2) by Miles Cameron Cameron has written a diverse and multicultural mix of characters that live rent free in my heart and we all deserve them in our lives. The banter, the camaraderie, the feels, not to mention the romance. I am unwell, dear reader. And so will you be, once you fall into this action-packed sequel, rife with space action, small moments (that nonetheless feel big) between protagonists you live for, and the ongoing unravelling of a galaxy wide conspiracy.


Black Tide Son (The Winter Sea #2) by H.M. LongAmping up everything I loved in book one, tensions where higher, problems bigger, foes more inscrutable and insidious, but our characters were stronger as well, surer of their respective powers, but also still not overpowered and invincible. Not to mention, this book is an absolute masterclass in villain decay done right! I am still applauding it months later. Long raises the bar on what epic high seas fantasy and character work are supposed to be. And she does so spectacularly, by grabbing you by the proverbial lapels and flinging you into edge of your seat action, humor, and so much heart.


The Undertaking of Hart and Mercy by Megan BannenWith a letter exchange premise inspired by the 1998 Hanks and Ryan movie, You’ve Got Mail, Undertaking is an enemies-to-lovers romcom that is both full of romance and aggravations (the good kind), but also endless heartfelt family or found family moments. It is a charming, at times whimsical, and endearing adult romantic comedy with lots of heart, nuanced relationships, cozy LGBTQ+ rep, foulmouthed characters, and a soft yet passionate romance that doesn’t take itself too seriously nor is it afraid to have flawed characters.


Play of Shadows (Court of Shadows #1) by Sebastien de Castellis many things, just like its crew of colourful characters, but most of all, it is a fast-paced joy-ride from start to finish, filled to the brim with swashbuckling action, multilayered protagonists, bombastic and/or bawdy personalities, and self-aware melodrama, that is in no way held back by the dark events and ominous foes it presents. Was Play of Shadows occasionally unhinged and off the rails? Absolutely! Did it suffer for it in any way? Not one damn bit.


The Silverblood Promise (The Last Legacy #1) by James LoganLogan’s writing is evocative and his worldbuilding strong. While he does lean into all the tropes, he makes sure to keep them fresh and interesting so that you don’t feel like it’s the nth high fantasy tale you’re reading, but rather that you get to cozy down with a comfort read even if it is the first time you’re enjoying this story. Embellished with lots of aggravated heroes, strong women, mysteries aplenty, stealth and thieves, bustling fantasy cities, and dangerous creatures, to boot.



Finally, two honorable mentions that are books I am currently reading and will hopefully finish by year’s end, yet I can already tell you they belong in this list.

The Bone Shard Daughter by Andrea Stewart – after the emotional damage she caused me with Gods, I figured why not double down and keep reading this author? What could possibly go wrong?

Once a Monster by Robert Dinsdale – another emotional damage legacy read from the author of The Toymakers, a book I still think about regularly even five years later. I see the pain on the horizon with this one, and it’ll likely ruin me all over again.

If you made it this far, thank you and treat yourself to a cookie, dear reader. I hope you found something that caught your eye to keep you company in the new year! And, as always, you can find me on Twitter or BlueSky if you’re looking for more specific incentives to read any of these, or you want to nerd over them.

Until next time,
Eleni A.E.

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