Category: Fantasy

Black Tide Son by H.M. Long

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


BLACK TIDE SON is the second installment in H.M. Long’s pirate fantasy trilogy. This book expands the rich universe of the Winter Sea with more cultures, more monsters, and an unraveling knot of forces at the core of a swiftly intensifying war. It’s a constant chase, careening through alleys, waterways, and levels of reality as the core characters all seek their own forms of redemption amid the swelling supernatural power of the Black Tide. A very fun read!



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Dark Water Daughter by H.M. Long

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


H.M. Long’s lovingly crafted fantasy world in DARK WATER DAUGHTER is immersive, exciting, rich with lore, and absolutely I-want-to-live-in-this-book-worthy. Any fan of a certain pirate-y movie franchise will find themselves an absolute treat here, with just as much magic, action, and tension, but in a frigid winter sea where snow swirls and sailors can see their breath. Absolutely captivating with satisfying payoffs while still retaining enough mystery to propel readers into the sequel with the force of cannon fire. A downright pretty read.



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Year of the Unicorn by Andre Norton

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


Ok, this novel was my first-ever read by Andre Norton, who (as I have now discovered) wrote roughly a million books and is one of the grandmothers of science fiction as we know it. YEAR OF THE UNICORN (1965) was part of her larger Witch World series, but reads just fine as a standalone. Guys, when I tell you that the phenomenal weirdness and wonderfulness of this woman’s imagination floored me, I mean it. Classic fantasy and yet experimental even by today’s standards.

P.s. There are zero unicorns in this book, but don’t let that deter you.

And Andre, I hope you are resting in peace. Your stories live on.



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The Quiet is Loud by Samantha Garner

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


Samantha Garner’s debut novel The Quiet is Loud–fusing tarot symbolism, Filipino / Norwegian mythology, and supernatural abilities–is a fresh take on the concept of people with powers. A multi-layered reckoning with family tensions, the pressure and vulnerability around disclosing identity, and the anxiety created by lifelong guilt, this story is so much richer than its thrilling initial concept. I loved the off-balance exploration of curse vs. blessing and the realistic portrayal of how grief impacts our relationships. (Also, the many descriptions of food are omnipresent and so, SO good.)



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No Gods, No Monsters by Cadwell Turnbull

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


No Gods, No Monsters is surprising, wild, and multifaceted. Cadwell Turnbull shows off his significant writing chops while wielding an interconnected multiplicity of plotlines in this thoughtful urban fantasy. The narration is complex–not only do we have several different time periods and character groups, but the veiled identity of our first person narrator slips in an out of the reader’s consciousness like a spell. Considering the world Turnbull has built, the disorientation feels incredibly fitting. It’s a book to tilt you out of what you thought you knew.



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