Historical Fantasy

REVIEW:  River of Stars by Guy Gavriel Kay

REVIEW: River of Stars by Guy Gavriel Kay

Dear Mr. Kay, I’ve been a fan of your books since I read The Lions of al-Rassan and lamented the fact that it was a standalone. While I haven’t read every GGK book published, I’ve read enough to know that they are part of an impressive and imaginative body of work. When I learned that(…)

REVIEW:  Heart of the Dragon’s Realm by Karalynn Lee

REVIEW: Heart of the Dragon’s Realm by Karalynn Lee

“Princess Kimri is used to betrayal. Her brother sold her to a king in exchange for swords to defend his lands. King Tathan’s reputation is as fierce as that of his mountain kingdom–where dragons are said to guard the castle walls–but the realms are unstable enough without angering the mountain-king, so Kimri reluctantly agrees to(…)

REVIEW:  The Sweetest Dark by Shana Abé

REVIEW: The Sweetest Dark by Shana Abé

Dear Ms. Abé, As a longtime reader of your fantasy-romance Drakon series (books aimed at adults), I was eager to read your newest book, The Sweetest Dark, which is both related to the Drakon series, and the first book in a new series aimed at readers of YA. You state on your website that The(…)

REVIEW:  Captive Prince, Volumes 1 and 2, by S.U. Pacat

REVIEW: Captive Prince, Volumes 1 and 2, by S.U. Pacat

Dear Ms. Pacat, I thought about reviewing the two volumes of Captive Prince separately, but came to the conclusion that since they are two parts of the same story and absolutely must be read in order, this made no sense. I understand that there will be a third volume out in 2014, and I will(…)

REVIEW:  Something Strange and Deadly by Susan Dennard

REVIEW: Something Strange and Deadly by Susan Dennard

Dear Ms. Dennard, It seems like steampunk books are all the rage these days. I admit I’ve yet to find a steampunk YA that I can really get behind but I keep hoping. And if there’s one thing that steampunk novels can’t seem to do without, it’s zombies. I’m pretty ambivalent when it comes to(…)

REVIEW:  Bitterblue by Kristin Cashore

REVIEW: Bitterblue by Kristin Cashore

Dear Ms. Cashore, While I really liked your debut YA fantasy, Graceling, I was less keen on your second novel, Fire. Graceling had a strong heroine, Lady Katsa, who, along with the man she grew to love, sought to rescue a child princess from an evil king, guarding her independence the whole way, but Lady(…)

REVIEW:  Shadow and Bone by Leigh Bardugo

REVIEW: Shadow and Bone by Leigh Bardugo

Dear Ms. Bardugo, After your debut YA, Shadow and Bone, was recommended to me, I looked it up. What I read about it got my attention, because the book is a historical fantasy set in a world based on Russia. I ordered an ARC through NetGalley and began to read. Shadow and Bone gets off(…)

REVIEW:  Spirit’s Princess by Esther Friesner

REVIEW: Spirit’s Princess by Esther Friesner

Dear Ms. Friesner, I’ve never read any of your books but I’ve certainly heard of you. How could I not? Not only do you have a substantial backlist, you’ve had a long career. Recently, it seems like you’ve turned your attention towards YA retellings of mythological princesses. In this novel, you focus on Himiko, the(…)

REVIEW: Heart of Flame by Janine Ashbless

REVIEW: Heart of Flame by Janine Ashbless

And on the One-Thousand-and-Second night, Scheherazade told this story… By day, Taqla uses her forbidden sorcery to move freely about the city of Damascus in the guise of an old sage. Her true identity known only by her faithful servant woman, Taqla is content with the comfortable, if restrictive, life that keeps her safe from(…)

REVIEW: Crucible of Gold by Naomi Novik

REVIEW: Crucible of Gold by Naomi Novik

Dear Ms. Novik, Though I fretted for almost two years waiting for this book, I can see from your author’s notes that you’ve had a lot to keep you busy having had your own little egg, as the dragons would say, in the interim. Still, what a book you’ve written for us. Excitement, danger, new(…)

REVIEW: Burning Up by Singh, Knight, Kantra and Brook

REVIEW: Burning Up by Singh, Knight, Kantra and Brook

Dear Readers, Burning Up is a new anthology of steamy paranormal novellas from Berkely. I almost never read or review entire anthologies, mainly because it takes me a long, long time to craft four mini-reviews, but in this case I was motivated to do so by my desire to try these stories, all of which(…)

REVIEW: Tangle XY (Anthology edited by Nicole Kimberling)

REVIEW: Tangle XY (Anthology edited by Nicole Kimberling)

Dear Readers, Since this review covers my responses to nine short stories and two novellas, I’ve decided that for the sake of clarity, it would be simper to address this letter to you rather than to eleven authors. Tangle XY is an anthology featuring a variety of same-sex love stories. All the romances here have(…)