Tag: Books

Book Review: DragonFire and Other Nonsense by Bethany Meyer

Book Review: DragonFire and Other Nonsense by Bethany Meyer

I haven’t posted as many reviews this year as some other years, as a consequence of reducing the volume of books I read in order to take my time with books that I really enjoy. Let me start by saying, this book was definitely worth the time.

(Required disclaimer that though I received a free copy to review, the following opinions are my own.)

Since this book concludes the Scorch trilogy, here is the blurb from book one rather than DragonFire itself:

What is Robbing Centaurs and Other Bad Ideas about?

Wick the tree messenger is bound for success. His career as a messenger is better than it’s ever been, and he’s on the fast track to getting an even more important job as a councilor. But before he can succeed, word spreads that a thief is after the most powerful magic in Aro, the Heather Stone, and stealing it piece by piece. To be safe, Wick is entrusted with moving one of the stones to a safer location.

On his journey, Wick is overtaken by the thief himself, a seraph named Archer, but Archer’s plans as he explains them are nothing like what everyone thinks. Wick doesn’t know what to believe, but Archer seems so sure. Wick’s options are limited: ignore Archer and keep his piece of the Heather Stone out of potentially dangerous hands, or choose to trust this thief and the warning he brings.

Something is coming. An ancient scourge that could destroy all of Aro. All that stands in its way are an uncertain messenger and an untrustworthy thief.

If he chooses wrong, Wick could lose everything.

Prior to reading DragonFire and Other Nonsense, I went back and reread both Robbing Centaurs and Other Bad Ideas and World Saving and Other Disasters–and I’m quite happy to have done so, both because Continue reading “Book Review: DragonFire and Other Nonsense by Bethany Meyer”

What is Your Cover Saying? – 4 Keys to Quality Cover Design

What is Your Cover Saying? – 4 Keys to Quality Cover Design

Adapted from “Clean Fantasy and Boring Cover Syndrome,” originally published Nov. 28, 2017

Since subscribing to a number of clean fantasy authors’ newsletters, I’ve come across a disappointing trend. A lot of clean fantasy books have really unimpressive covers. The same is often true of indie authors, as a whole. You know the old adage “don’t judge a book by its cover,” and that’s great in principle, but when it comes to books, readers really do judge books by their covers. As a reader myself I can attest to this. Heck, it’s why I’m writing this post.

The fact is, that’s not a bad thing. Cover art should Continue reading “What is Your Cover Saying? – 4 Keys to Quality Cover Design”

Top Reads of 2024

Top Reads of 2024

This list does not include rereads such as the last two books of the Wingfeather Saga (having started rereading the series in 2023) or the Truth series by Dawn Cook, which were also highlights among last year’s reading–or Structuring Your Novel by K.M. Weiland, which I reread when outlining Thunder early this year.

Asterisked links are BookShop affiliate links. This means that if you buy through these links I make a commission at no extra cost to you. And the cool thing about BookShop is that it supports local small bookstores in the US!

The Story Raider and The Story Hunter by Lindsay A. Franklin

I read The Story Peddler all the way back in 2022, but unfortunately didn’t get around to finishing the series until early this year. Fortunately, that didn’t impede my enjoyment any! It was pretty easy for me to get re-situated in the story, and the strengths I had noted in the first book–namely, the way that the two Continue reading “Top Reads of 2024”

Book Review: Princesses, Spies, & Other Modern Lies by Hannah Carter

Book Review: Princesses, Spies, & Other Modern Lies by Hannah Carter

Twenty Hills Publishing is a fairly new publishing house that caught my attention earlier this year as a Christian publishing house that tries to emphasize Christian values and light-centered stories without requiring those stories to be 100% squeaky clean in every context. When I entered a giveaway over the summer, one of the entries was to sign up to one of their street teams, so I ended up receiving an ARC of Princesses, Spies, & Other Modern Lies to review and was glad to have the opportunity to read something from Twenty Hills Publishing.

(Required disclaimer that though I received a free copy to review, the following opinions are my own.)

What is Princesses, Spies, & Other Modern Lies about?

The country of Umbra is caught in a war between its magical history filled with spellcasters and the new modern revolution. At the core of this civil war is the missing princess, who is prophesied to end the war and put the spellcasters back in a position of power.

To figure out where the heir is, the spellcasters throw a ball and invite all twenty-year-old women to see if one of them is the princess.

Though she’s forced to attend, Hazel Cartwright has no magical powers, so she can’t possibly be the missing heir . . .

Right?

Princesses, Spies, & Other Modern Lies is a short story full of political intrigue, a missing princess, magic versus modernity, banter, and spies.


This story starts off with a very Anastasia-esque premise, albeit Continue reading “Book Review: Princesses, Spies, & Other Modern Lies by Hannah Carter”

Book Review: World-Building for Writers by H.C. Harrington

Book Review: World-Building for Writers by H.C. Harrington

I recently discovered the existence of a couple of worldbuilding books I hadn’t previously come across in my searching, to my mingled dismay (that I had managed to miss them) and delight (that there are actually more authors writing about this topic). One was a series, and its collected volumes are huge, so it’s on the list to get later, but one was a reasonable impulse-buy price so I grabbed it, so here I am today with a review of World-Building for Writers!

What is World-Building for Writers about?

You Can Build A World

For many authors, there’s nothing that slows down their writing process more than world-building. Whether it’s deciding on what types of fantastic beasts to include in their stories or how to name characters and locations convincingly H.C. Harrington, Amazon Best-Selling Author of the Daughter of Havenglade Series, explains step-by-step how to create deep and engrossing worlds while saving time.

World-Building For Writers breaks down hundreds of examples of effective world-building from novels, films, and television to demystify the process, make it enjoyable, and help readers unleash the inner voice they never knew they had for creating worlds.

Prepare to enter the realm of your own imagination.

“In your hand is a map of creative imagination, good habits, and practical examples to ensure that you build a world that’s fun and functional, that births heroes, cultivates epic tales, and inspires awe in readers.”-Dustin Porta, author of The Dragon’s Hide

Review

Let me get the negatives out of the way first, most of which are fairly minor or Continue reading “Book Review: World-Building for Writers by H.C. Harrington”