Synopsis:

New York Times bestselling author Sarah Beth Durst invites you to her new standalone novel nestled on a far-away island brimming with singing flowers, honey cakes, and honeyed love. The hardcover edition features beautiful sprayed edges.

Terlu Perna broke the law because she was lonely. She cast a spell and created a magically sentient spider plant. As punishment, she was turned into a wooden statue and tucked away into an alcove in the North Reading Room of the Great Library of Alyssium.

This should have been the end of her story . . . Yet one day, Terlu wakes in the cold of winter on a nearly-deserted island full of hundreds of magical greenhouses. She’s starving and freezing, and the only other human on the island is a grumpy gardener. To her surprise, he offers Terlu a place to sleep, clean clothes, and freshly baked honey cakes—at least until she’s ready to sail home.

But Terlu can’t return home and doesn’t want to—the greenhouses are a dream come true, each more wondrous than the next. When she learns that the magic that sustains them is failing—causing the death of everything within them—Terlu knows she must help. Even if that means breaking the law again.

This time, though, she isn’t alone. Assisted by the gardener and a sentient rose, Terlu must unravel the secrets of a long-dead sorcerer if she wants to save the island—and have a fresh chance at happiness and love.

Funny, kind, and forgiving, The Enchanted Greenhouse is a story about giving second chances—to others and to yourself.

Review:

I was sent an early copy by Tor in exchange for an honest review.

For me a 3-stars is a good rating, it means I enjoyed it and would recommend it, but it didn’t stand out, or had some issues to me

This was an enjoyable read, but I had a few things that didn’t quite make it a 4/5-star read. I haven’t read The Spellshop, but this isn’t a direct sequel and while it is set in the same universe you can read this as a standalone. I went in expecting a romantasy, but I somehow never quite connected with the romance.

He’s a grumpy gardener used to spending all of time alone. She got turned into a statue for years as a punishment for using magic when she wasn’t allowed to. She gets sent to his greenhouse-filled island so she can try and help stop the enchanted greenhouses’ from failing. Overall it’s a good story, with the various enchanted greenhouses providing wonder and interesting backdrops. It’s set in Winter, an odd choice for a Summer release, so I’d argue that you should hold off reading this until the colder months arrive!

I wanted to be invested in the romance but I just… wasn’t. With this genre of books you know who going to be the couple, and yet I still didn’t really see the romance blossoming, and when it was I just wasn’t all that sold? The middle dragged a bit and I think this is when the romance should’ve been in full bloom, but somehow it didn’t do it for me.

I enjoyed the storyline of the long-dead sorcerer, the exploration of the island, the theme of family and forgiveness. It all comes together to make a good story that just dragged on a tiiiiny bit too long. As the cover suggests there is indeed a flying cat, but Emeral stops being a bit part of the story fairly early on, which was quite the shame!

A good story with a romance that just didn’t quite capture me. This is a book for cosying up with in the winter months and for dreaming of your own enchanted greenhouse.

Synopis:

The Saxons have returned and their war bands stalk the land. The lords of Britain look only to their own survival, unable or unwilling to unite as they once did under Arthur.

And in a monastery hidden in the marshlands of Avalon, a novice monk prepares to take his vows. However, two strangers – the wild-spirited, Saxon-killing Iselle and the ageing warrior Gawain – will pluck him from his sheltered existence and his world will be turned upside down.

Together they will go in search of the last druid, to find the cauldron of a god, and to raise an army to hold the darkness at bay.

And as they journey, so the novice will cast aside his training and embrace his legacy.

For he is a warrior born.

His name is Galahad. And he is the son of Lancelot . . .

Review:

Lancelot, by Giles Kristian, was one of my most unanticipated favorite reads of early 2025. I’d heard glowing reviews, but even so, I wasn’t expecting to love it as much as I did. The beauty of the prose and the power of the story carried me away, and the ending lines still consume my thoughts as some of my favorite of all time.

I’ll confess I approached the sequel: Camelot, with some trepidation. Lancelot was written as a standalone novel that told a full and complete story. Sure, there were some loose ends that could be wrapped up, but none were truly meaningful, and certainly nothing that demanded a sequel.

But at the same time, I was excited to return to Kristian’s vivid world and deep characters. I certainly didn’t wait long before cracking open the second book of the trilogy and diving in.

I was greeted by a story even more unexpected than the first, a story that pulled me in and kept the pages turning until the very last sentence.

In an attempt to avoid spoilers, I will say little about the plot. The story takes place in the same brutal world as the first, in which the remnants of Arthur’s army and allies struggle against the never-ending waves of the Saxon invasion. Camelot focuses on Galahad, the son of Lancelot, as he finds his way through a murderous and dangerous environment.

Much of what I said about Kristian’s first story remains true here. The prose is rich in both style and description, painting a vivid world that lives and breathes as its characters suffer. The names and places of the Arthurian legends are familiar, though their roles are largely of Kristian’s invention. This story, by its nature, is even more a reimagining of the Arthurian tale than a retelling. It takes us in directions Mallory never would have considered.

There are strong themes of legacy and consequence running throughout these pages. Galahad is a character of contradictions, and his journey of resolving those contradictions forms the beating heart of the story. The choices of the first novel are analyzed anew from a future perspective, reminding the reader constantly that a person’s legacy is rarely as straightforward as history makes us think it is.

It’s a powerful tale, and one that has lingered in my mind these last few weeks. Kristian is cementing himself as one of my favorite new (to me) writers, and I’m tremendously excited to tackle the third book in the series soon.

Synopsis

Light dims on humanity’s reign over the galaxy.

Charlus Vaughn, a teenage refugee, escapes deadly machine justice with her penitent mother.

Rescued by a data-pirate crew, she falls into the path of ancient arachnid machinations that propel her back towards her mysterious origins and the heart of her unknown heritage.

Review

I haven’t been able to read books in the last few months due to personal circumstances in my life. But there is nothing like a good DB Rook, book to hook you back into the world of reading, and damn did he not disappoint.

DB Rook is back and has bodly stepped into the world of Sci-fi, and it’s absolutely fantastic. Residuum is a novella from what looks to be a future series release A Darkening Dawn. And if the series is anything like this visceral dark short beauty, I can’t wait.

Residuum reminds me of a mash up between Gaurdians of the Galaxy and The Terminator, where the good guys versus robots programed to wipe out the human population across the galaxy. For the authors’ first time writing sci-fi, it shows that he is a master of his craftsmanship.

I love DB Rooks writing, with each book he releases, they go from strength to strength. His prose are wonderful to digest. His world-building and setting are brilliant. From start to finish, you are hooked and drawn into a dark tale that fills you with chills. Residuum is fast-paced, action-packed, and beautifully character driven.

What i loved about this story is that it’s really dark and that the author is able to mix in hilarious and humorous moments when things are looking very bleak for the characters. My favourite characters were Tapedeck and Shadwell, a robotic hero and an Insectoid limb ripper, and the other characters are just as lovable.

In this story, DB Rook throws you straight into a massacre. Our main protagonist, Charlus, and her mother, Merrian, are on the run after night of terror from the black bots sent into terminate the human population. Deposited on a strange planet, they are running blind into chaos and only have each other. With kept secrets and betrayal, will they survive from being hunted down. Only time will tell.

If you haven’t read or checked out DB Rooks books or Novellas. His Callus and Crow book from The Wayward World Chronicles is excellent, a fantasy dystopian dark tale full of goodness. I very highly recommend for all fantasy lovers…

Synopsis:

Druss, Captain of the Ax, is the stuff of legends. Tales of his battles are told throughout the land, and the stories expand with each telling. But Druss himself grows older, until finally, the warrior turns his back on glory and retreats to his mountain lair. There he awaits his old enemy: death. 

But far below, the barbarian Nadir hordes are on the march. All that stands between them and the Drenai people is a mighty six-walled fortress, Dros Delnoch—a great citadel that seems destined to fall. If it does, the Nadir will sweep inexorably across the land, killing all who oppose them.

Reluctantly Druss agrees to come down from his mountaintop to lead this last, hopeless fight. Lost causes mean nothing to him—he has fought in such battles a thousand times in a thousand lands. And he is a hero to inspire a new generation of warriors. He is Druss the Legend.

Thus begins David Gemmell’s most celebrated novel—an unrivaled classic of mythic heroism and magnificent adventure. . . .

Review:

I’ve officially had people telling me to read David Gemmell for years now. He’s a writing legend best known for his Heroic Fantasy tales. Legend is his first novel and probably one of his best-known works, and often recommended for newcomers to Gemmell’s work. I chose it mostly on a whim, but I’m glad that I did.

Of the plot summary, there is little to say. The story focuses almost exclusively on the siege of the walled city of Dros Delnoch by the Nadir invaders. An aging legend named Druss, Captain of the Ax, is convinced to fight one last time against truly hopeless odds. What follows is very much a classic siege story, filled with action, betrayal, page-turning tension, and magic.

It wasn’t the plot, though, that seized my attention. It was the characters and the heart with which they’re written. These are hard men and women, shaped by hard times and constant strife. They’re not as complex as what we’ve come to expect in more modern fantasy, but they’re compelling all the same.

The Siege of Dros Delnoch is a tale of bravery, courage, and honor, and I’ll confess, is exactly the sort of story I’m a sucker for. Gemmel is rightfully considered one of the foundational voices in Heroic Fantasy, and after reading Legend I better understand why.

Legend was published in 1984, and while it still largely holds up, there are some signs of its age. The very ending of the story, in particular, incorporates a fair amount of deus ex machina that probably wouldn’t survive a developmental editor these days. That being said, I was enjoying the characters enough that I was in a pretty forgiving mood.

If you’re looking for a tale of honor in warfare, loads of action, and compelling characters, Legend is a great book to crack open.

Krystle Matar’s Legacy of the Brightwash is a book I’ve slept on for too long, but I’m glad I finally read it.

It’s increasingly hard to find good fantasy reads these days, as it almost seems that I’ve exhausted the trove of good ones, only now struggling through the genre’s dregs. So, it makes me happy when, once in a while, I stumble upon good recommendations such as this.

Synopsis

Legacy of the Brightwash is a dark fantasy story mainly told from the eyes of Tashue, a war hero turned cop of a Dominion that uses the supernatural talents of a special category of its populace to power its steam industry.

All is well in Tashue’s city until the day the corpse of a youth washes up on the banks of the Brightwash. What happens afterward is a chain of grim events, each more significant than the last, that will shake Tashue’s formerly unwavering faith in his government and the law.

And, what will he do, caught between his desire to free his son from the Rift, a cornerstone of the institution he helped build, and the proddings of the elite seeking to use him for political gain, even as revelation after revelation makes him question everything he stands for?

Review

Legacy of the Brightwash is a delightfully written, grimdark, steampunk story with a surprisingly well-written romance subplot.

Dark fantasy isn’t typically synonymous with dewy-eyed characters, but the author cleverly positions this element as a much-welcome backstory alongside the expectedly tenuous and grim main plot.

It’s all so brilliantly done!

The romance between Tashue Blackwood and Stella Whiterock aside, the story is quite engrossing for the first half of the book until things slow for a bit before the climax in the final few chapters. That’s not bad pacing, in my opinion, but I felt that there was more than enough going on for the author to weave the threads of intrigue as thickly from start to finish without slowing down the intensity.

Still, it’s a great read!

The author’s writing style is dialogue rather than narrative-heavy, which, coupled with the relatively simple writing style, makes for a very easy read, especially with the mushier scenes.

There are also a number of interesting secondary characters, even if I feel that we ought to have seen more of Ismael Saeati.

Final Thoughts

As good as Legacy of the Brightwash is, you get the feeling the closer you come to the end of the read, that everything in the book is but a teaser of more exciting things to come in the next book. I’ll certainly be reading it!

About the Reviewer

Ojo Akinwale is a budding writer, editor, and literary community builder who holds a degree in Archaeology and is an avid fan of the Chelsea football club and the Wheel of Time series (the books). A student of war, when not reading about dark lords and mercenary bands, he can be found poring over texts on history, politics, science, and technology.
Ojo is also the editor-in-chief of Littafi – Africa’s biggest digital literary and art interface. Honest critic, reviews, insights, news and recommendations from all genres.

Book and Movie Reviews, News, Recommendations and Merch

Synopsis:

Nearly a thousand years ago, the tyrant-sorcerer Mordechai betrayed his people, forged a weapon of darkness, and led an assault against the Middle Kingdoms to claim the throne of Reality. He slaughtered the defenders, broached the Shimmering Door, ascended to the Unseen Realm, and sought to make himself a god at the Heart of the World. Only at the last moment was he thwarted—by the sacrifice of a young woman, Lightbringer, who slew the Servant of Darkness and ended his terrible campaign.

But now evil stirs in ancient strongholds, and blood-rituals claim the lives of innocents throughout the cities of the world, and fearsome shadow-monsters have reappeared to feast upon the living. The Servant has been resurrected. His armies have grown. His power has swelled. And he has resumed his bloody war against the free world. Again he marches for the Shimmering Door and the Heart of the World; and now there are few who remain to stay his hand.

Only a young forest girl, Ashera Eldibara, has any hope of standing against Mordechai. She bears the Sword of Light, the fabled weapon of her predecessor, and its magic hums in her bones. Others stand at her side as protectors and guardians—a wizard, a warrior, and a huntress, each prepared to sacrifice all in the last desperate struggle against the Servant of Darkness.

But they are few, and Ashera is young and untrained, inexperienced in the ways of magic and warfare—and the monstrous armies that she faces are vast and powerful . . . and already hunting her.

The Servant is not just a love letter to classic high fantasy, this is a John Cusack holding a boombox up to the Mount Rushmore of classic high fantasy: Tolkien, Brooks, Jordan, and Weis/Hickman.

Woodland girl, Ashera, is tied to an ancient prophecy and like all good classic fantasy stories, and she is tasked with defeating a resurfaced dark lord. What unfolds in these ~800 pages is a journey we’ve seen plenty of times but can never ever get enough of. Add in some excellent side characters and we have ourselves a boiling pot of porridge.

I mean it when I say this is classic fantasy to a ‘T’. We have a champion and a dark lord after the World’s Heart. We have the Light v Dark, aka good v evil. We have swords of Light and Dark (oh my). We have a ‘farmboy/girl save the world’ trope. We have demon beasties who are just here to kill Team Good Guys/Gals. We have dark wizards who work for the dark lord. Good wizards who help our champion. A literal slow build journey from humble beginnings to prophecized leader. Literal Prophecies (this is obvious since the series title is Prophecy of the Five). Woodland elves. Dwarves. Faeries. This tome is bursting with classic fantasy concepts and each one of them is reverent to the very idea of said tropes, almost to a fault (of which I absolutely adore).

And while we’ve seen so many books trying to adhere to the classic style and the greats, it really takes a deft storyteller to make you feel like you are witnessing something new. Greer is one of the most gifted storytellers I’ve read in awhile, hands down. His cozy-ish Garden Knight stories are so visceral, so elegant in their prose, I knew without a doubt The Servant would be the same. And it was! The prose, the pacing, the characters and their arcs, just so well done. The almost 800 pages felt like 200 because I was so engrossed in this story. Greer is a master at painting a scene, letting it breathe as needed. He doesn’t just ram details down your throat, hoping you catch the taste of what he is cooking, no he simmers on low, throwing in dashes of lore, pinches of action, heaps of character.

That said, I can see how this won’t be a story for everyone. It’s classic for a reason: it takes its time. We spend nearly 150 pages with Ashera in her home village before the shit hits the fan. Much of what happens here seems like it shouldn’t have a point other than being fluff, but trust me, it all serves a purpose to build up Ashera’s arc. Characters we meet are given so much life, and when things happen, you feel terror for them when the demon beasties and bad wizards show up. And even when Ashera finally leaves her home and begins her book 1 plot (there are 5 planned books in this series), it still takes its time, especially when it comes to her learning her magic. So if you are looking for fast pacing and all out action, you won’t get this here.

The vast majority of this book is told through Ashera’s POV, probably close to 85% or more. She, like every farmboy/girl character before her, starts off very naive to things, but she isn’t just a cardboard cutout for worldbuilding to be dumped on. She has a lot of character depth in the beginning, especially her relationship with her sister Kyrina and the twins Talia and Tovin (who also have magic). There is a realness to the relationships in this book and I commend Greer for making sure to build these up as they define Ashera throughout the book. The other two POVs are Penedur (a warrior sent to protect her, think Aragorn) and Cenhelm (a guard working for the dark lord). Penedur is fun, and he helps guide Ashera in a great way, slightly turning the hardened warrior trope on its head a bit. Cenhelm is barely seen, we only meet him way later in the book, but I have to assume we will get more with him in the rest of the series. We also have Kirin as our resident good wizard, and then Shayelin, a character I won’t delve into for spoiler reasons.

I won’t lie, I don’t read a ton of classic fantasy as much anymore, mainly because it’s hard to stand up next to the greats, or to even take those classic tropes and make them fresh again. But it was super refreshing with The Servant. I cannot wait until book 2, I just know Greer will give me another great story! So if you need some classic fantasy in your life, definitely go pick this up when it releases on June 28!

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 8^th 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.

TL;DR Review: A new approach to leveling up and gaining power. A progression fantasy hero unlike any other, and a fresh addition to the genre.

Synopsis:

Power is not given. It’s taken.

In the Tze Empire, spirits and demons rule the wilds, but Ring Warlocks control civilization. For Rimon, the son of a courtesan and lowest in society, Ring Warlocks seem like gods.

Each has their own magic drawn from Titans, and they can do whatever they please, regardless of how it affects the prefectures they rule.

But when a chance encounter places one of the ancient and powerful rings in Rimon’s hands, everything changes. For there is a trick to the rings, and Rimon sees through the test given to him.

Suddenly, he is no longer a player at the fringes of power; he is a Ring Warlock and granted his own territory.

Determined to make sure his prefecture thrives, Rimon must contend with jealous rivals, demons seeking his ring for themselves, and forces he cannot yet name, all while mastering his new abilities. He will prove even the lowest can rise to challenge gods.

Rimon will have to grow twice as strong as his rival warlocks just to survive in this new Progression Fantasy Adventure by Shami Stovall, the Dragon-Award winning author of Knightmare Arcanist!

Full Review:

Words of Power impressed me with its ability to play within genre lines while also striking out in the direction of the fresh and new!

In this story, we’re introduced to Rimon, a brothel-born slave whose job is to care for the courtesans under the brothel’s roof. But when the danger to one of those closest to him compels him to act, he finds himself with the opportunity to seize power—in the form of a magical ring that binds him to an ancient titan, granting him abilities beyond his wildest imagining.

His choice imbues him with death magic, but it’s done cleverly so things are not quite as they first appear. As we discover his abilities along with him, his path to power becomes clear.

Only he doesn’t go about things as we expect. He’s elevated to the station of ruler of the entire province in which he was born a slave, but rather than seizing power with both hands, he takes a clever, cunning approach to infiltrating the highest echelons of his realm to see how things really work behind the Ring Warlock’s back. Once he’s got the information he needs, he’ll make his move and claim his throne.

The character’s thoughtful, measured, and above all, decent approach to every situation made him a protagonist I really enjoyed. It had a really upbeat tone that made the story very enjoyable and left me feeling lighter and happier with every chapter because no matter how hard things got, I could always count on the character to at least try to do what’s right. In a world filled with grimdark and dark fantasy where everyone is some shade of moral gray, it’s always a pleasure to read a character who chooses the route of goodness and decency.

The world was fascinating, too. It’s filled with spirits, demons, titans, great beasts, powerful magical forces, and grand threats that promise great adventures the farther in we go. For now, though, it was enough to simply want to learn about the small day-to-day aspects of running the province and building his community of people he can count on to help him be a good, wise, and just ruler.

There are challenges and dangers aplenty, but as Rimon assembles his collection of hand-picked allies, he’ll grow stronger—until he can challenge powers far beyond his.

Words of Power is an excellent introduction to a new progression fantasy series, one that prioritizes intelligence and decency over the ability to punch or blast enemies. It’s a more thoughtful progression fantasy series I am very much looking forward to continuing!

Synopsis:

Inspired by the hit podcast The Women of Marvel and co-written by the #1 New York Times bestselling coauthor of Beautiful Creatures, this eye-opening and engaging book celebrates the women who have helped make Marvel one of the most successful comics and entertainment companies in the world.

Rating: 9/10

Review:

Written by Margaret Stohl, novelist and comic book writer (The Life of Captain Marvel, Black Widow: Forever Red), with Jeanine Schaefer and Judith Stephens, Super Visible: The Story of The Women of Marvel Comics is an essential record of Marvel from its Mad Men 60s to its more diverse and never more popular present. Thanks to the oral histories interspersed within the book from dozens of key female figures, you get a front-row seat to the mythic origins of Marvel.

Many comic book fans pride themselves on their knowledge of comic lore, but even the most Jeopardy-ready superfans will find this essential text illuminating and rewarding. You simply can’t put the book down. As soon as Stohl delivers a peek into the famed Marvel Bullpen – The Virginia Schedule, for example – you’re pulled into the advent of the X-Men, and then their pop culture explosion in animation and beyond.

The book gives a long overdue look behind the comic book page to reveal how instrumental women have always been to the publisher. The book begins with a bang: Patricia Highsmith, the legendary writer probably best known for The Talented Mr. Ripley and The Price of Salt, the basis for the movie Carol, worked for Timely Comics in the 30s before Marvel was truly Marvel. While some names are likely familiar to comic book fans, many are not, but in quick, effortless fashion, the book introduces figures who feel like old friends.

Women responded to fan mail as Stan Lee, wrote the Bullpen Bulletin famous for its direct address from Stan to the reader, and also ran interference – literally – at the office door. As women became more creatively involved in the 1980s, with Ann Nocenti and Louise Simonson among those whose contributions were legendary for X-Men fans, Marvel Comics began to distinguish itself in the industry.

Nocenti, who elsewhere has spoken of the fight scene in superhero comics as a ‘tumor,’ laments in her comments that she felt as though she couldn’t be pigeonholed as a ‘female writing female characters.’ That led her to write several (amazing!) runs on very masculine titles like Daredevil and The Punisher. The same goes for Louise Simonson, who avoided the trap many female-led titles fell into, being canceled after only a few issues by focusing on group books. Her efforts were essential to the X-Men’s 80s and 90s legacy.

The book also establishes that women’s contributions in the indie scene benefited Marvel and the industry. Trina Robbins, among others, were instrumental in bringing women into the creative fold and then the spotlight with Big Apple Comix and other titles. Robbins’ ability to move back and forth between New York and California, as well as bring established creators with her into the indie space, had a profound influence on the 80s indie boom that eventually yielded Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, among others.

The book is a welcome insight into an aspect of comic book history many are unlikely to know much about, but everyone should.

Synopsis:

Set in a world where magic is forgotten, monsters lurk in the dark woods, and honorable soldiers are few, this utterly gripping epic fantasy tells the story of two flawed humans, an out-of-practice wizard and a hot-headed sargent, who are thrust into the heart of a mystery that threatens to unravel their kingdom’s fragile peace. 

Shunned by the soldiers he commands, haunted by past tragedies, Sargent Holt Hawley is a broken man. But the child of a powerful ally has gone missing, and war between once peaceful nations is on the horizon. So, he and his squad have been sent to find a Vigilant. They are a rumored last survivor of an ancient and powerful order capable of performing acts of magic and finding the lost. But the Vigilants disappeared decades ago. No one truly expects Hawley to succeed.

When he is forced to abandon his men, he stumbles upon a woman who claims to be the Last Vigilant. Enelda Drake is wizened and out of practice, and she seems a far cry from the heroes of legend. But they will need her powers, and each other, to survive. For nothing in the town of Scarfell is as it seems. Corrupt soldiers and calculating politicians thwart their efforts at every turn.

And there are dark whispers on the wind threatening the arrival of an ancient and powerful enemy. The Last Vigilant is not the only myth returning from the dead.

Review:

Putting together a well-crafted mystery within an expansive fantasy world is no easy feat, but Mark A. Latham managed to combine both with his latest book The Last Vigilant, the first in a new series. 

Even more than the mystery or the world, Latham’s two protagonists are the best part of the book — a great foundation he can build a multi-book series off of. First up, we’ve got Sargent Holt Hawley — a career soldier who has seen things and done things he can’t undo. His past haunts him even as he tries to fulfill his duties, which takes him to a remote woods at the beginning of the novel to find a Vigilant. 

Understanding what a Vigilant is will go a long way to understanding the book. Years before the events of this book, there was an entire order of VIgilants — people capable of magic and almost like agents of the FBI of Latham’s fantasy world. Hawley’s quest to find a Vigilant brings him to the doorstep of Enelda Drake — the title character. She was once a powerful Vigilant and as the book progresses we see that wisdom and power slowly reveal itself as the mystery at the core of the book becomes apparent as well. 

Of course, if we have a mystery, it’s only natural to put a character in the “Sherlock” role and that is Drake. And just like Sherlock had his own eccentricities, Drake has her own, including social anxiety and other quirks that present themself from time to time. If Drake is our Sherlock, then Hawley is the “Watson,” the eyes and ears for the audience. In that role, I’m not sure if he succeeds quite as well since Hawley has some major trauma from his past he must deal with, putting his career and his life in jeopardy just as the case is ready to reach its apex. 

It’s only natural that there will be comparisons to Robert Jackson Bennett’s Ana and Din books (A Tainted Cup and its sequel A Drop of Corruption). Bennett’s books are truly some of the best books I’ve read the past two years, so the comparison is a little unfair, but both are mysteries and both are fantasy novels, so the comparisons will come. 

The book’s pacing is a little lethargic at times and characters do a lot of talking in rooms, but when the action comes, it really hits you over the head. The mystery at the heart of the novel appears bad but a tad benign early on, but the brutality of the truth is horrific when it’s all revealed. Overall, the ending is fantastic and Latham really sets up the characters for future sequels and has them in roles that are both at the same time new and old for them. 

I enjoyed The Last Vigilant and look forward to what Latham has up his sleeve for the second Kingdom of Oak and Steel novel. 

Thank you to Orbit for providing this book for review consideration via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.