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 […]
Book Reviews
80 posts
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 […]
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 […]
Sunbolt by Intisar Khanani The winding streets and narrow alleys of Karolene hide many secrets, and Hitomi is one of them. Orphaned at a young age, Hitomi has learned to hide her magical aptitude and who her parents really were. Most of all, she must conceal her role in the […]
The Lord of Dreams by C. J. Brightley When a fairy king grants a human wish, there’s more at stake than dreams. Claire Delaney has a good life, despite her adolescent angst. But she wants more. In a moment of frustration, she wishes to be “the hero.” What she actually […]
Wolfskin by W.R. Gingell ‘If you want adventure, you have to march right up to it and kick it in the shins . . .’ At fourteen, barefoot and running wild, Rose is delighted to be apprenticed to Akiva, the witch of the forest. She thinks it will be all […]
Fire in the Blood by W.R. Gingell A princess in a dragon-guarded tower. The prince who is to rescue her. The prince’s ensorcelled dragon. And one enchanted keep that might just be enough to kill them all… It’s widely known that Princess Kayami Koto is held captive in the Enchanted […]
A Keeper’s Tale: The Story of Tomkin and the Dragon by JA Andrews Tomkin Thornhewn, youngest son of the Duke of Marshwell, has a problem: he’s not heroic. Regardless of his aspirations, the bookish, untrained young man is better suited to recording the deeds of heroes than being one himself. […]
A Threat of Shadows by JA Andrews Once Alaric was a Keeper. He protected the land with his knowledge and his magic. He advised the queen. Once he was a good man. Until, in a futile attempt to save his dying wife, he delved deep into dark magic, betraying everything […]
The Ocean at the End of the Lane by Neil Gaiman A brilliantly imaginative and poignant fairy tale from the modern master of wonder and terror, The Ocean at the End of the Lane is Neil Gaiman’s first new novel for adults since his #1 New York Times bestseller Anansi […]
Much of this post originally appeared on my blog at cjbrightley.com. I’ve added reviews by other authors where possible. A while ago I wrote an overview of noblebright fantasy, which you can find on my site and here on Noblebright.org. I want to make noblebright fantasy a recognized subgenre of fantasy the way […]