Fantasy Book Reviews

A fresh reinvention of classic mythology, Tales of the Bacchae: Queen of the Dead by Brian Andrew is a thrillingly creative work of mythic fantasy.

Persephone, the mischievous daughter of Demeter, is a minor goddess with a wealth of ambition, and takes the ultimate hellish risk by accompanying Hades to the Underworld as his queen. Koalemos, a humble farm boy whose heart was captured by Persephone’s silver tongue, is taken under the pitying wing of the revelry-loving Bacchus, who promises to help the boy on his romantic quest. Tangled in the machinations and manipulations of the gods, Koalemos embarks on […]

Raising the stakes on the first installment of The Rise of Penumbra series, The Dark Mountain by Yona Katz is a fantasy novel full of dark mystery, magic, and romance, rewarding readers with its wonderfully creative premise and precise attention to detailed world-building.

Kadmiel is only 21, but he holds the highest position at the Dark Mountain under the leadership of powerful and secretive Hosheh, a Star exiled from his reign in the sky. Kadmiel acts as a right-hand man as they work incessantly to build an army able to challenge the Valley of Stars and wage a war against […]

Whimsical, wildly creative, and laced with contemporary wisdom, Baumed by Chris Kassel is an innovative addition to Oz-inspired lore.

Dorothy awakes from her legendary time away, which her guardians suspiciously deny, saying she had been in a brief comatose state. Auntie Em and Uncle Henry insist that she never left the house, let alone Kansas, but Dorothy’s unforgettable adventure was surely more than a dream…right? Undaunted by skepticism, Dorothy employs her Emerald City lessons to expose the manipulative men and women behind the curtain in her very real world, where the consequences for her community are as dire as anything […]

Legend mixes with mortality in An Ocean Life by T.R. Cotwell, an unpredictable dive into the nuances of nature and the loyalty of the human heart.

When a perennial entrepreneur takes a vacation to Hawaii, he intends to reconnect with his family and disconnect from the world of investors and startups. However, he soon learns that the wrecking ball of his career isn’t the biggest danger in his life when he undergoes an inexplicable transformation during an early morning dive session. Using his lifetime of marine knowledge and his newfound abilities, he must find his way back to his freshly […]

In a mystical crawlspace under Heaven, one rebellious angel dares to rewrite the rules of reality and destiny in Collapse of the Time Web by Q E Daniels, a thrilling puzzle of mythological proportions.

Frustrated by the endless self-destruction of entire worlds, and the apparent indifference from other gods of the Pantheon, Meandyra the time-braider sets out with a new plan for her next creation. Interfering in the worlds she is meant to observe is strictly forbidden, but her defiant creativity refuses to be suppressed. However, as the braids of time begin to loosen in multiple worlds, portals start to […]