Nikky Lee's Blog, page 5
January 11, 2023
Book Review: A Prayer For The Crown-Shy by Becky Chambers
Title: A Prayer for the Crown-Shy (Monk & Robot, #2)
Author: Becky Chambers
Publisher: Tordotcom
Page count: 152
Genre: sci-fi, utopia
Rep: LGBTQ+, non-binary
Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐
If you want a short, comfort read that leaves you feeling like you're sipping on a toasty beverage of your choice (tea, hot chocolate, mulled wine—take your pick), Becky Chambers' Monk and Robot series is one of my go-to recommendations.
In this novella, the story more or less continues on from where the first book finishe...
January 4, 2023
Book Review: Manipulator’s War by Elise Carlson
Title: Manipulator’s War (Ruarnon #1)
Author: Elise Carlson
Publisher: Self published
Page Count: 482
Rep: Non-binary, LGBTQ+, POC
Rating: ⭐⭐⭐.5
I can’t say I’ve encountered anything so far that mixes epic and portal fantasy (think: a YA version of Game of Thrones meets Narnia). Nonetheless, Manipulator’s War, the first book of the Ruarnon trilogy, combines these two very different styles of fantasy, along with their classic, must-have tropes, to weave an intricate coming of age story that expl...
December 23, 2022
Book Review: Fatewalker by Robinne Weiss
Title: Fatewalker (Fatecarver #2)
Author: Robinne Weiss
Publisher: Sandfly Books (self published)
Page count: 328
Genre: YA fantasy
Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Robinne Weiss' Fatecarver series is back with Book 2: Fatewalker. After discovering the deceit of the Treekeeper Council posing as gods to her people, Kalish returns to her homeland with the goal of freeing her people from the influence of the Council and helping the Treekeeper people throw off the yoke of their Council oppressors. She dreams of a futu...
December 3, 2022
10 Questions with A.E. Bennett
A.E. Bennett (she/her) lives in Washington, D.C. She is originally from North Carolina.
1. Tell us a bit about yourself! Where do you call home and what do you write?Well, hello there. I’m A.E. Bennett, author of The Serrulata Saga. My books are a blend of sci-fi, fantasy, speculative, fiction, romance, and horror. (I know – that’s a lot of genres!) Currently, I live in Washington, D.C.
2. What drew you to that particular genre?I read a lot of sci-fi, fantasy, and horror as a kid, so I’ve alway...
December 2, 2022
Book Review: A Master of Djinn by P. Djèlí Clark
Title: A Master of Djinn (Dead Djinn Universe #1)
Author: P. Djèlí Clark
Publisher: Tor
Genre: Historical fantasy, alternative history, mystery/detective
Page count: 396
Rating: ⭐⭐⭐✨(3.5)/ 5
If I were to sum up A Master of Djinn in one word, it would be ‘intellectual’. Where other books I’ve read this year run high on emotion and atmosphere, this tale managed to pull me in with its clever alternative history, worldbuilding and mystery. Set in 1912 in an alternate Cairo, humanity and the supernat...
November 26, 2022
Book Review: The Devil And The Loch Ard Gorge by Leanbh Pearson
Title: The Devil And The Loch Ard Gorge
Author: Leanbh Pearson
Publisher: Black Hare Press (Indie)
Genre: gothic horror
Page count: 58
Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
In the way of great gothic horror, this short novella oozes atmosphere and foreboding. Told through the eyes of Seána as she muses on her failings some years after the events that changed her life, we quickly learn things do not end well for her. But like all great stories, it’s about the journey rather than the destination; and once I was teased wi...
November 11, 2022
Book review: Of Honey and Wildfires by Sarah Chorn
Title: Of Honey and Wildfires (Songs of Sefate #1)
Author: Alicia Wanstall-Burke
Publisher: Self published
Page count: 387
Rep: Disability (illness), LGBTQ+, F/F, Trans
Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Of Honey and Wildfires first pinged on my book radar several years ago when I saw its cover shared on social media (and what a beauty it is)! Since then, I’ve encountered multiple readers who do nothing but sing praises for this book.
And they were 100% right to do so. I ca...
November 3, 2022
Book review: The Legend of Black Jack by A.R. Witham
Title: The Legend of Black Jack
Author: A.R. Witham
Publisher: Nepenthe House (self published)
Page count: 495
Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐✨ (4.5/5)
The Legend of Black Jack is one of those middle-grade novels that defies its age category. This coming-of-age portal fantasy is absolutely brimming with adventure, action, quests and found family, and as a mid-thirty-something, I was a far cry from the book’s target audience, but that sure didn’t stop me from enjoying the hell out of it. The closest comparisons of ...
November 1, 2022
10 Questions with Joyce Reynolds-Ward
Joyce Reynolds-Ward has been called "the best writer I've never heard of" by one reviewer. Her work includes themes of high-stakes family and political conflict, digital sentience, personal agency and control, realistic strong women, and (whenever possible) horses. Joyce is a Self-Published Fantasy Blog Off Semifinalist, a Writers of the Future SemiFinalist, and an Anthology Builder Finalist. She is the Secretary of the Northwest Independent Writers Association, a member of the Science Fiction a...
October 30, 2022
Book Review: Blood of Heirs by Alicia Wanstall-Burke
Title: Blood of Heirs (The Coraidic Sagas #1)
Author: Alicia Wanstall-Burke
Publisher: Self published
Page count: 335
Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐
One for fantasy fans who like their stories gritty, epic, and with a side of magic and monsters. If you love the Night Watch component of Game of Thrones mixed with the outcast prince trope and clan/family politics, you’ll find this series opener a page-turner.
This book is a dual POV that weaves the two seemingly unrelated stories of Lidan, the teenage heir to the T...
