Fantasy Book Reviews

★★★½

It doesn’t take long for the excitement to start in A Blaze of Beginnings, the new novel by A.K. Rohner, as readers are dropped right in the middle of a family mystery that could change all of their lives forever. What unfolds is a coming-of-age tale with more than a few supernatural twists, as Aaron James, the intrepid teenage hero, is catapulted into a world of danger and intrigue where the only thing that can save him is a bold heart and one powerful talisman.

The crux of the plot is a magical ring that Aaron is given […]

★★★★

Growing up and getting trapped in adult life is something that most people eventually face, but while reading The Fairytale Chicago of Francesca Finnegan, a charming and magical book by Steve Wiley, it is almost possible to forget about the inexorable progress of time. With a main character who is teetering on the edge of forgetting about magic forever, this novel is a touching and thought-provoking ride through nostalgia, memory and the promises of youth. Wiley’s sharp, tongue-in-cheek style of writing makes the pages fly and the Chicago skyline makes a stunning backdrop for this mystical romp.

Richard […]

★★★★

The action in Storm of Arranon begins on the very first page, and doesn’t let up from there, and author R.E. Sheahan delivers an unforgettable and epic story. Readers are instantly plunged into the mayhem of this fantasy universe, which is filled with sinister assassins, merciless conquerors, death warriors, magical allies and more secrets than two worlds can contain.

Erynn Yager, a cadet training to fight for her world, is introduced early on, and she has all the classic signs of a fantasy heroine. As the first book of a trilogy, it is important that Sheahan makes the young […]

★★★

Becca Ketelsleger’s new female-led fantasy saga, Rightful Heir, Book Two of the Penhalion Legacy, will be welcomed by fans who enjoyed the previously released Book One Noble Warrior, serving as the sequel, with characters from the previous book making an appearance here once again.

Adventurous 16-year-old Detta Antille is a normal enough girl who lives with her “Ma” on a small farm in the village of Fraunc, somewhere far from the sumptuous royal castle where her brother resides, in Bryton. But when her mother dies, she must travel with her brother to the royal city, where he serves […]

★★★½

Fantasy literature is in a Renaissance at the moment, and many new authors from around the world are doing their best to tap into this resurgent realm and engage that readership. In The Prouds by Laith Taher, readers are welcomed into a vaguely recognizable world of power struggles and royal conflicts that we see so often in fantasy sagas. The plot is about as straightforward as it can get in the fantasy realm, possibly revealing the fact that the author is making more of a philosophical statement than a literary one.

Following an epic battle between Jarvis and King […]