Fantasy Book Reviews | Self-Publishing Review

Review: Black River Lantern by Alex Grass

Black River Lantern by Alex Grass

A surreal carnival of horrors, Black River Lantern by Alex Grass is a genre-spanning novel of dangerous powers, cruel fathers, and the secrets that shape our lives.

The Maravicos Carnival is a legendary institution in the town of Kayjigville, but so is the temper and ambition of Papa Maravicos, who will do anything to keep the family business thriving. After escaping from his father’s never-ending cycle of abuse and pain, Eddie Maravicos is dragged back to this torturous circus, armed with the surprising new power to read minds. It doesn’t take long for his father to capitalize on this new […]

John Staughton, Senior Reviewer2020-10-23T07:13:13+02:00October 23rd, 2020|Categories: Book Reviews, Lead Story|Tags: Fantasy Book Reviews|

Review: Enok and the Womb of Gods by A. SkoroBogáty

Enok and the Womb of Gods by A. SkoroBogáty

In the richly woven fantasy, Enok and the Womb of Gods by A. SkoroBogáty, a character named Enok living in a pre-Creation time will make discoveries that presage Biblical events.

The story begins at the isolated home of Eyda, now in her four hundred and eighty-seventh year, having given birth to thirty-eight children. On this day she is surprised by a visit from Sess, her youngest. On a trading boat he has brought a large figurine. To her horror, Eyda sees it is a miniature statute of the goddess-god who condemned her to death as a burnt offering, a fate […]

SPR2020-11-13T09:07:24+02:00September 23rd, 2020|Categories: Book Reviews|Tags: Fantasy Book Reviews|

Review: Prophase: A Present Tale by M. Street

Prophase: A Present Tale by M. Street

An ever-expanding and engaging coming-of-age novel, Prophase: A Present Tale by M. Street takes readers on a wild ride past every boundary of our reality. A young girl with a mysterious lineage, and her heart firmly planted in the forest, must come to terms with an incredible destiny, while keeping her secrets safe and her family in one piece, in this magical, eye-opening story of growing up.

Piper Walker, the enigmatic protagonist of this imaginative story, may seem normal at first glance, with a solid core of friends, a steady boyfriend, and a busy schedule at school, but the circumstances […]

John Staughton, Senior Reviewer2020-10-13T02:59:03+02:00September 21st, 2020|Categories: Book Reviews|Tags: Fantasy Book Reviews, YA Fantasy Book Reviews|

Review: The Art Stone by Jesse A. Ellis

The Art Stone by Jesse A. Ellis

An unlikely group of young heroes converges for an epic quest to defend an ancient artifact in The Art Stone by Jesse A. Ellis, the first book of the Echoes of Elybion series. In classic fantasy fashion, the stakes are infinitely high, and the odds of success are incredibly slim.

The transformation of these adolescent characters over the course of the novel is remarkable; managing a coming-of-age story for multiple main players is ambitious, but Ellis pulls it off well. As their mystical world continues to crumble, a long-lost stone – one of the first twelve creation stones from the […]

John Staughton, Senior Reviewer2020-09-16T09:08:44+02:00September 15th, 2020|Categories: Book Reviews, Lead Story|Tags: Fantasy Book Reviews, YA Fantasy Book Reviews|

Review: Dragon’s Mist by Randy Cruts, Art by Marco Cosentino

Dragon's Mist by Randy Cruts

Author Randy Cruts and artist Marco Cosentino deliver a wickedly entertaining YA graphic novel in Dragon’s Mist, an unexpectedly riveting ride through the imagination of a young boy, Charlie. Imaginary friends and epic quests are a staple of childhood, making this book deeply relatable for young readers, and nostalgia-inducing for older ones.

After a chance encounter with an Irish priest – a water-loving cousin of dragons – Charlie’s imagination springs to life, spinning out an entire world of adventures to explore. The regular introduction of new characters, from god-like guardians and titanic best friends to shape-shifting villains and avian […]

John Staughton, Senior Reviewer2020-10-05T07:33:23+02:00September 1st, 2020|Categories: Book Reviews|Tags: Comics & Graphic Novels Reviews, Fantasy Book Reviews, YA Fantasy Book Reviews, Young Adult Book Reviews|

Review: The Chronicles of the Virago Book II: The Apprentus by Michael Bialys

The Chronicles of the Virago Book II: The Apprentus by Michael Bialys

Makenna Grace Gold comes into her own as a legendary heroine in Chronicles of the Virago: The Apprentus by author Michael Bialys. With a tongue-in-cheek vein of humor running throughout, this is a powerful and endearing story of an extraordinary young woman with the fate of the world hanging in her hands.

Following his embarrassing defeat against Makenna’s awakened abilities, Malvado Seaton may be licking his wounds, but he is far from surrendering. Ms. Creante, a violent Demonesse and Seaton’s trusted killer, is desperate to regain Seaton’s trust, and is determined to exact her revenge on the young protagonist.

The […]

John Staughton, Senior Reviewer2020-08-28T06:22:58+02:00August 8th, 2020|Categories: Book Reviews|Tags: Fantasy Book Reviews, YA Fantasy Book Reviews, Young Adult Book Reviews|

Review: Gray Wolf (Legends of Ansu Book 1) by J.W. Webb

Gray Wolf (Legends of Ansu Book 1) by J.W. Webb

Author J.W. Webb introduces his sprawling fantasy universe with Gray Wolf, the first book in the expansive Legends of Ansu trilogy. Set before and unrelated to the events of the Crystal King trilogy, this sweeping story is a foundation stone for other pieces of this author’s swelling saga.

After losing his entire family to raiders and the fickle Sea God, Corin al Fol becomes an orphan overnight and is saved by a mysterious sorceress who hints at a path for revenge, and then disappears. Years pass and Corin finds ways to survive, falling in love with an innkeeper’s daughter and […]

John Staughton, Senior Reviewer2020-08-26T02:51:34+02:00August 7th, 2020|Categories: Book Reviews|Tags: Fantasy Book Reviews|

Review: Blood Feud: A Legends of Ansu Novel by J.W. Webb

Blood Feud by J.W. Webb

Steeped in shadowy secrets, buried powers, and richly drawn villains, Blood Feud is the fantastic first book in a new trilogy of the Legends of Ansu saga by J.W. Webb. The lives of three unlikely heroes are thrown together to face a dark evil rising up from the past in this fast-paced and well-penned adventure.

Jaran Saerk is not a Northman to be trifled with – one of the most fearsome warriors under Imperial Shen’s command with a short temper and a mastery of death-dealing. However, the whispered words of a dying man rip Jaran more than 25 years into […]

John Staughton, Senior Reviewer2020-08-10T02:24:22+02:00July 10th, 2020|Categories: Book Reviews, Lead Story|Tags: Fantasy Book Reviews|