The Magician’s Elephant – Kate DiCamillo In a highly awaited new novel, Kate DiCamillo conjures a haunting fable about trusting the unexpected — and making the extraordinary come true. What if? Why not? Could it be? When a fortuneteller’s tent appears in the market square of the city of Baltese, orphan […]
Yearly Archives: 2017
36 posts
Welcome! I’m W.R. Gingell, and I’ll be your host today! With me are nine other authors (it’s okay, I didn’t kidnap them; they’re with me in spirit—no, wait, now it sounds like they’re dead). Let me start again. With me are nine other authors; together, we’re the collective behind the […]
Luminous: A Noblebright Fantasy Boxed Set This is a fantastic boxed set (ebook only) of ten noblebright fantasy novels. They’re clean and noblebright, appropriate for YA and adult readers. I’ve raved about several of these books before, but others are new to me and I’m so glad to have discovered […]
Gregor the Overlander – Suzanne Collins In the irresistible first novel by the author of The Hunger Games, a boy embarks on a dangerous quest in order to fulfill his destiny — and find his father. New cover art coming July 1st! In the first novel of the New York […]
The Beautiful Ones – Silvia Moreno-Garcia “Truly one of the most beautiful books I’ve read in a long time. This sweeping tale of love lost and found is told with old-world elegance and grace with just the right touch of magic.” —M.J. Rose, New York Times bestselling author Antonina Beaulieu is in […]
This blog post originally appeared on Nicholas Kotar’s site and is reprinted with permission. Ask pretty much anyone what is the one pop-cultural event that they’re waiting for more than any other this year. What do you think they’ll answer? The new “American Gods” show? Marvel Hero-du-jour: Episode 4,302? The […]
Jaunten – Honor Raconteur Twenty of them finally poured out into the open street. They quickly split up, coming in at a full run that slowed about ten feet away from us. I watched with a cynical eye, as they spread out in a semi-circle, blocking our path. One of […]
The Dragon Slayer’s Son – Robinne Weiss Nathan is shocked to learn that his father is dead, and even more shocked to learn that he died in the line of duty as a dragon slayer. Everything he thought he knew about his father was a lie. But he has no […]
Dare – Tricia Mingerink Courage could cost him everything. Third Blade Leith Torren never questions his orders or his loyalty to King Respen until an arrow wound and a prairie blizzard drive him to the doorstep of the girls whose family he once destroyed. Their forbidden faith and ties to […]
Heirs of Grace – Tim Pratt Recent art school graduate Bekah thought she’d hit the jackpot: an unknown relative died, and she inherited a small fortune and a huge house in the mountains of North Carolina. Trey Howard, the lawyer who handled the estate, is a handsome man in his […]
The Facefaker’s Game – Chandler J. Birch For fans of Brandon Sanderson and Scott Lynch, a fantasy about a clever young beggar who bargains his way into an apprenticeship with a company of thieving magicians and uses his newfound skills in a vendetta against a ruthless crime lord. Ashes lives […]
Seeds of Discovery by Breeana Puttroff Quinn Robbins wasn’t the kind of girl who had adventures. She wasn’t even the kind of girl who got invited to parties at Bristlecone High School. And she definitely wasn’t the kind of girl who would follow a boy she knew nothing about over […]
Elantris by Brandon Sanderson – This gets a wholehearted five stars out of five! Reader thoughts: Wow just doesn’t cover it. After reading this book (and the Alcatraz series), I became a Brandon Sanderson fan. All of his books feature characters who are clever and always try their best to […]
Memories of Ash by Intisar Khanani In the year since she cast her sunbolt, Hitomi has recovered only a handful of memories. But the truths of the past have a tendency to come calling, and an isolated mountain fastness can offer only so much shelter. When the High Council of […]
Masque by W.R. Gingell – I loved this. Seriously loved it. It’s classed as dark fantasy on Amazon, but don’t be turned off if you’re not into “dark”… most of the characters are absolutely charming and the world is far from grimdark. It’s “dark” because there is indeed bloody murder; […]
The Bone Knife by Intisar Khanani Rae knows how to look out for family. Born with a deformed foot, she feigns indifference to the pity and insults that come her way, learning to be wary of all things beautiful. So Rae instantly distrusts their latest visitor: an appallingly attractive faerie […]
City of Masks by Mike Reeves-McMillan – Another enjoyable book by an author I trust to write good, likable characters. This book was thoroughly fun, and the epistolary style worked exceptionally well for the story. About as far from grimdark as you can get. I found it charming and appropriate […]
Calling by Angela Holder – This is a novella-length prequel to The Fuller’s Apprentice, and it introduces Elkan Farmerkin, the wizard and mentor in the novel above. It stands alone but is also an excellent addition to the series. It’s permafree. Elkan wants to become a farmer like his father, until a […]
Spindle by W.R. Gingell – I have discovered another favorite indie author. This was the first book I read by Gingell, and it’s a retelling of Sleeping Beauty. That was never my favorite fairytale, and I haven’t really jumped into the fairytale retelling trend anyway. But I decided to take a […]
Traitor’s Masque by Kenley Davidson – A lovely retelling of Cinderella. I particularly enjoyed the way the prince was portrayed, as well as how Trystan’s (Cinderella’s) character changed and grew through the story. The plot wasn’t overly complex, but it added depth and emotion to the bare bones of the tale we […]
I first came across the term Noblebright a few months ago, and was intrigued by it. I imagined it would apply to works of High Fantasy, akin to Tolkien, (whose writing I love) without the gritty realism characteristic of Grimdark fantasy. Having read the definition of the term on C. […]
The Fuller’s Apprentice by Angela Holder – I picked this up on a free promotion, but it’s well worth purchasing. This is a clean fantasy series, and this first book is a unique coming-of-age young adult story. It’s clean but doesn’t completely shy away from some uglier, darker parts of life. But […]
It is rare and splendid event when an author is elevated from the underground into the international literary establishment. In the case of England’s best-known and best-loved modern satirist, that event has been long overdue. Terry Pratchett’s profoundly irreverent Discworld novels satirize and celebrate every aspect of life, modern […]
Playing Hearts by W.R. Gingell – Did I mention I liked Gingell’s writing? I totally do. This one is free to her newsletter subscribers (and since I am a fan, I subscribed immediately) but also for sale if you don’t want to subscribe. It’s obviously loosely based on Alice in […]
Raven by Pauline Creeden – I didn’t realize when I picked up this book that it was Christian fantasy (it’s clear on Amazon, I had just forgotten when it came up in my Kindle); I think it will appeal to non-Christians too. I also didn’t realize it was steampunk when […]
Auckland Allies by Mike Reeves-McMillan – I’ve been a fan of Mike’s writing for a while, and we’re friends on social media (isn’t the internet great? Mike is a Kiwi and I live outside Washington, D.C.; without the internet, we would probably never have even known each other existed. But […]
The Firethorn Crown by Lea Doué The crown is her strength. The crown is her weakness. Princess Lily, the eldest of twelve sisters and heir to a mighty kingdom, desperately seeks a break from her mother’s matchmaking. Tradition forbids marriage with the man Lily loves, so she would rather rule […]