C. J. Daley

This is a debut epic fantasy from a new voice in the indie community. I saw the cover and was intrigued, and the author offered me a copy to give it a read.

This novel has the tone and scope of a classic fantasy. The reader can feel the world is large, rich in history, and that each place fits into the world for a different reason. There is culture, intrigue, and mystery, as well as one hell of an epic opening.

Lorian, an inquisitor and servant of the aristoi, travels the world seeking out those who break the rules and use forbidden magics. He is a formidable character who, while not entirely likable, sees his way into multiple situations where he is outnumbered our out-powered just to ensure others are safe.

There is definitely some notes of Martin within the story, where the undead, especially in the winter cold, bring to mind the whitewalkers, however there are some fouler beasts at play here too. And just like with Martin, I do wish the undead being included would have come to more of a head. Especially because I was so interested in them.

While the opening is huge, the climax of the story is much more about the culmination of threads from earlier and the alleviation of the mystery, than any set of action beats. With that there is additional mystery, as well as room for so much more. This reads like a story spanning weeks/months within a series that could span even years.

In intriguing debut with an awesome cover, and so much lore that you’re going to need book two immediately.

Cassandra Campbell did a great job with the audio, giving life to each character and the horrors that follow.

A lottery pick they never thought they’d win, Ana and Reid just won a spot at the Deptford. The affordable apartment seems too good to be true, and even after the birth of their first child left Ana paralyzed from the waist down, they decide to accept, regardless of the single elevator and high floor. Moving isn’t easy on anyone, but harbored resentments, a nearly one year old, and perhaps some evilness, all culminate into one wicked transition.

For me, with the old building, the famous, richer inhabitants, and the down-on-their-luck newbies, this had reminiscent notes of Sager’s Lock Every Door. And while I have not read Salem’s Lot or Rosemary’s Baby (yet), I can tell that those comparison titles are where Cassidy imbues his horror elements over Sager’s thriller feels. And I really enjoyed how the author bleeds anxiety and paranoia into his characters differently. Ana takes on the more literal approach, with her suspecting something is wrong and trying to get away. And then Reid is the slower, irritability that permeates over time. His job, his wife, his friends, the littlest things start to tip him over, and I feel like the author handles that very well.

This sort of slow burn infestation of fear works really well for this novel. Reid just wants to provide and do what’s best for his family. A few things going terrible wrong? Well that can just be chalked up to the moving stress, can’t it?

While trying to stay as spoiler free as possible, the twist in the end with how each parent differed, did surprise me in the best way and I’m glad I rooted for who I did. I enjoyed this take on the Jewish ‘vampire’ and the inclusion definitely made it something unique.

Old buildings and history are the heart of NYC, just make sure the ones you move to don’t have a literal heart…

Received this one from NetGalley, so thanks to them and Tordotcom! The narration done by Helen McAlpine was awesome. Good accents, differing tones and variations. Nice and quick.

This has all the feel of an old school classic fantasy, without any of the additional background world building or lore. As a novella, it gets to the point awfully quick, while some of the additional bits that the author dropped did make the world feel whole to me, like maybe they knew it much deeper than they wrote it out. For me, that works quite well. There’s certainly a line where a lack of information can feel like it’s genuinely missing, but this toed that line just enough with its epitaph-esque interlude chapters, bringing a historical background to why they are on the hunt. IE., a complete and somewhat linear story that doesn’t stray from the plot, while appearing to take place in a whole, fleshed out world/universe.

This novella feels like it spawned from the single line of, “I am no man” and went on from there to become its own thing. A feminist, sapphic dragon hunting novella that packs a punch against toxic masculinity and gender roles. And Knight Maddileh is knocking down those barriers and putting mouthy squires in their places.

This was quick, enjoyable, and features quite a twist that I was not ready for. I do wish the actual situation with the dragon was longer, as it appeared like it would be the focal point, and with such a beautiful cover, I was imagining Smaug or GoT level battles in my mind, but there is certainly room for more…and an already announced sequel.

Received this one from NetGalley, so thanks to them and Tordotcom! The narration done by Helen McAlpine was awesome. Good accents, differing tones and variations. Nice and quick.

This has all the feel of an old school classic fantasy, without any of the additional background world building or lore. As a novella, it gets to the point awfully quick, while some of the additional bits that the author dropped did make the world feel whole to me, like maybe they knew it much deeper than they wrote it out. For me, that works quite well. There’s certainly a line where a lack of information can feel like it’s genuinely missing, but this toed that line just enough with its epitaph-esque interlude chapters, bringing a historical background to why they are on the hunt. IE., a complete and somewhat linear story that doesn’t stray from the plot, while appearing to take place in a whole, fleshed out world/universe.

This novella feels like it spawned from the single line of, “I am no man” and went on from there to become its own thing. A feminist, sapphic dragon hunting novella that packs a punch with its toxic masculinity and gender roles. And Knight Maddileh is knocking down those barriers and putting mouthy squires in their places.

This was quick, enjoyable, and features quite a twist that I was not ready for. I do wish the actual situation with the dragon was longer, as it appeared like it would be the focal point, and with such a beautiful cover, I was imagining Smaug or GoT level battles in my mind, but there is certainly room for more…and an already announced sequel.

I received an audible code from the author for review, John Pirhalla does a good job with the narration, offering up a nice southern drawl and differing, distinct voices for each character.

I was interesting in this one and it was on my radar for the cover alone. I actually only read the blurb after starting it! This is an alt history novel that mixes fantasy, action, and humor into its gunslinging antics. Elias Faust is the marshal of Blackpeak, and while he may only believe in shooting people that deserve it, he does seem to do so an awful lot. A fist fight here, some disagreements there, larceny. The first couple of parts of the book start off with typical, mostly time period correct, tomfoolery. The fantasy element is quite toned down, and I found that it worked well with its slower buildup (the fantasy buildup is slow, the novel is not). And within this groove I found myself really enjoying it.

The later part of the book, when things started heating up, the fantasy element is heightened as well, and within that I struggled a bit. The magnate is out for revenge, trying his hardest to wrangle up Faust and stop him from turning his entire plot topsy-turvy. There are celestial beings(?), as well as semi-conscious reanimated corpses, and then a strange somewhat Trueblood-esque coyote situation that confused me a bit. A bunch of which kind of felt like possible eldritch town-lore, but lacked a bit of the horror and darkness to solidify it for me. Faust’s ability to survive and be guided felt kind of fantasy dream sequence-y to me, which is something I always struggle with.

Regardless, for a unique blend of western and fantasy, this gunslinging marshal does have a lot of fun to offer. And with the audio, it was an effortlessly fun thing to listen to. The dream sequence part, which I avoided details because [spoilers] is a known personal issue for me, and I’m sure others will not feel the same whatsoever. So grab your colts, load em, and saddle up.