Fantasy Book Reviews | Self-Publishing Review

Emperor’s Shadow (Elite Book 1) by Yi Zhu

Emperor’s Shadow (Elite Book 1) by Yi Zhu is a very fine beginning to an exciting new fantasy series. The novel follows two orphans born into a strict caste system. To go up in class is a virtual impossibility in the Glorious Empire. Only those who graduate from the Academy are granted Highborn status. As with other unjust civilizations, revolution is not far behind…

Unlike other fantasy books, which work in their own self-contained fantasy universe, Emperor’s Shadow seems like a contemporary fantasy, a reflection of our current times, as well as past dynasties. This makes the book seem more […]

Henry Baum2015-07-09T11:30:36+02:00July 9th, 2015|Categories: New Releases|Tags: Fantasy Book Reviews|

Review: Cry of the Firebird by Amy Kuivalainen ★★★★

Cry of the Firebird by Amy Kuivalainen Cry of the Firebird is the first book of The Firebird Fairytales by Amy Kuivalainen, a series that promises a fresh twist on the world’s mythologies and folklore.

Anya has always been unusual – an outcast ostracized from the people of her village and raised by her isolated grandfather, Eikki. Burdened with strange visions, Anya’s favorite pastime is drowning her unwanted sight in a bottle of vodka. Her downward spiral into drink and apathy soon come to a jarring halt, however, when Tuoni, the incarnate aspect of death, pays her a visit shortly after Eikki’s murder. Her life is abruptly […]

Dakota Kemp2015-08-05T04:43:32+02:00July 6th, 2015|Categories: Book Reviews|Tags: Fantasy Book Reviews|

Review: Paralysis Paradox (Paradox Consecution Book 1) by Stewart Sanders

★★★★½ Paralysis Paradox by Stewart Sanders

Through a lens, and in remiss of time and space, four lives are lived in parallel. Four lives come together, and regardless of sense and argument, come to acknowledge their paradox: they live together, separately.

One lives as brother to the Count of Anjou, the next as a poor working boy, a third as a girl trapped by the unsaid, and the last, a machine. As an otherworldy device ticks long cycles on a distant bookend of humanity, a lost comrade contemplates, and these immiscible consciousnesses coalesce, with abstracted struggles converging on an immense level of conspiracy. Convoluted co-existence […]

James Grimsby2017-03-24T10:28:41+02:00June 25th, 2015|Categories: Book Reviews, Lead Story|Tags: Fantasy Book Reviews, Science Fiction Book Reviews|

About Mythborn by Author V. Lakshman

“Meet V. Lakshman, the author of the new dark fantasy, Mythborn. This epic tale follows the last seven days of an apprentice assassin’s life, as he struggles to find a way to avoid being sacrificed by his master, to demons. Following the world building tradition of Tolkien or Hobb, but with undertones of the darker Martin and Moorcock, Lakshman artfully breathes new life into the genre. Get ready for ultra-lethal combat, dragons, elves, and dwarves, re-envisioned for fantasy readers around the world. This book is over 200,000 words and is truly the birth of a new name in fantasy!”

I’ve […]

Cate Baum2015-06-12T02:58:28+02:00June 12th, 2015|Categories: Interviews|Tags: Fantasy Book Reviews|

Review: Jeff Madison and the Shimmers of Drakmere by Bernice Fischer ★★★★★

What if there existed a dark kingdom forged on a web of evil spells, with a conniving king plotting to infiltrate the dreams of children all over the world?

Bernice Fischer’s book Jeff Madison and the Shimmers of Drakmere will cast a spell over readers of all ages.

Jeff and Matt Madison think they are normal boys, but they aren’t. When Jeff’s younger brother is whisked away to the kingdom of Drakmere, Jeff knows he has to save Matt. Two cloaked strangers offer their help and tell Jeff and Jeff’s best friend Rhed to leave the rescuing to them. Jeff […]

T B Markinson2017-03-24T10:31:00+02:00June 8th, 2015|Categories: Book Reviews, Lead Story|Tags: Fantasy Book Reviews, Young Adult Book Reviews|

Review: Glyphbinder by T. Eric Bakutis

★★★★½

Glyphbinder, by T. Eric Bakutis, is a high-octane fantasy adventure novel.

At the age of thirteen Kara learned that her mother was dying. Five years later, Kara is close to compiling a cure for her mother. The final ingredient is in the city of Tarna.

Sounds simple, but Kara may not survive the journey to Tarna.

Kara, a Glyphbinder, is being hunted by a madman who unleashes evil creatures and people to abduct Kara and her companions. One by one, Kara loses someone she cares for. What does the madman want from her and why is he so […]

T B Markinson2017-03-24T10:31:17+02:00June 5th, 2015|Categories: Book Reviews|Tags: Fantasy Book Reviews|

Review: Mythborn II: Bane of the Warforged by V. Lakshman ★★★★★

Mythborn II: Bane of the Warforged is an epic, dark fantasy and the second installment in V. Lakshman’s Mythborn Trilogy, following the events occurring in Mythborn: Rise of the Adepts.

In Mythborn’s world, the realms of Edyn and Arcadia are two sides of a cosmic coin. Edyn is a land of physical rules and the home of the mortal races, while Arcadia is a realm of myth – the abode of angels, demons, and legends. The angels and demons of Arcadia – known as Aeris – are the product of the mortal races of Edyn – created and sustained […]

Dakota Kemp2017-03-24T10:32:07+02:00May 27th, 2015|Categories: Book Reviews, Lead Story|Tags: Fantasy Book Reviews|

Review: The Muses by N. L. McEvoy ★★★★

The Muses: Escaping Montague Manor by N. L. McEvoy is a curious blend of fantasy, adventure, science fiction, and thriller that makes for an entertaining read.

When Sarah and Nickolas McGuire’s parents are seriously injured in a car accident in Colorado, they are whisked away to Australia to live with their great aunt Vivian, whom they have never met.

They are shocked when they meet their aunt, who is young looking and extremely unpleasant. They soon learn that she is a scientist who conducts secret experiments in her lab. They don’t trust her, but they can’t figure out why.

While […]

T B Markinson2017-03-24T10:33:13+02:00May 20th, 2015|Categories: Book Reviews|Tags: Fantasy Book Reviews, Science Fiction Book Reviews, Young Adult Book Reviews|