Tales from the Circle

  Kir's Fury is the second book in the Godeena Codex. I loved the first book, Godeena, which stood well enough on its own with a satisfying story that wrapped up nicely, but I was definitely thrilled when I found out the author had written a second book. Because I wanted to dive in right away, I decided not to re-read Godeena, and this showed me that Kir's Fury also works fairly well as a stand alone, though of course, I would still recommend reading Godeena first!  This book has a much wider focus, showing us many different planets, characters from various different civilizations, and all kinds of interesting tech levels and even some supernatural powers. It felt epic in scale, which I really loved. It starts on the planet Godeena, six years after the events of the first book, and starts with the archaeologist Diana and her team doing their explorations of that planet, trying to uncover the secrets of the lost civilization that once inhabited it. What they uncover exposes a t...

It's only April, but I already know this book is going on my top reads of the year. Sarah Mensinga has written another excellent fantasy book with unique world-building, excellent character development, a wonderful exploration of systemic problems within a society, and lots of magic and adventure! Shimmerdark starts off in the claustrophobic environment of a cave where the main character Xylia is sheltering from vicious nocturnes with a few others during a month-long darkness. I wasn't necessarily hooked right from the start with this introductory chapter, but I've read another book by the author and I know she's got excellent world-building skill so I kept reading and was soon glued to the pages. The story and world became extremely interesting as Xylia and her friends got rescued from the island they'd been shipwrecked on and went back to their intriguing world. I particularly love how the steampunk-like technology is woven in with the magical powers that exist in...

Heartscale is an excellent book exploring the relationships between dragons and humans in various different kingdoms. I had picked up and put down several books before reading this one, unable to find one that caught my interest. Then I picked up Heartscale and I was into it from the start. It follows the story of two main characters who discover and form bonds with dragons. One of them, Graith, is a farmer living in a land where dragons are feared and killed on sight - a land where dragons were hunted down and killed off years ago. He finds an injured dragon in his barn one night. The second character is a girl, Nerie, who finds a way to go see the hatching of the dragon egg in the royal palace. In her kingdom, the dragons choose the next ruler and give them legitimacy. Both storylines are gripping right from the start. Around the 20% mark I found the story dragged a little bit because it was following the minute details of their lives, but a couple of chapters later it became very in...

Between the Shade and the Shadow by Coleman Alexander is a unique fantasy novel that has excellent characterization, wonderful world-building, and is full of action that had very personal stakes. Basically, it's awesome and has certainly earned a place among the best books I've read this year - and in the past few years, really. I think you should all go read it so I'll try to keep my review as spoiler-free as possible. The main character Ahraia is a spriteling who lives with her family in the depths of woods. In order to grow into a full-fledged sprite and gain the status and acceptance that comes with that she has to go through a process of training that ends with her sprite test. As Ahraia progresses along this path she starts to uncover some of the mysteries of her society and the woods they live in and she faces some very difficult decisions when she starts to question whether her people's ways are right. This growing understanding of how her society works and her...