Trevor Warren’s debut The Terror and the Sword is the first book in the Hueik Trilogy, and it’s an ambitious medieval-inspired fantasy that tackles vampire mythology with impressive worldbuilding. Set in a war-torn continent where ancient threats resurface, the novel presents a morally complex antihero called Bowv as he is released from captivity to deal […]

Robin McMillion’s new book The Children of the Children is an ambitious cult drama that tackles religious manipulation with extreme realism. Set during the final years of the Cold War, the novel presents a chillingly believable apocalyptic religious community where charismatic leaders wield absolute control, followers surrender their autonomy, and children pay the ultimate price for […]

Unstuck is a little self-help guide that tackles low self-sabotage and self-worth, a topic we can all relate to (at least I can). Set against the backdrop of our achievement-obsessed culture where productivity equals worth, the book presents a non-punitive approach to personal growth. In some ways, it’s like a compassionate antidote to hustle culture […]

T.L. Shane’s debut Spark in the Underground City is an ambitious dystopian thriller that tackles gender politics with unflinching boldness. Set four centuries after “The Last War,” the novel presents a totalitarian underground society where women hold all political power, men are relegated to dangerous lower levels, and laboratory breeding has replaced traditional families. In […]

I admit I got pretty excited to read this book when I found out it’s written from the perspective of a cat, or a woman in a cat’s body to be more accurate. Thankfully, I wasn’t dissapointed. Jeff Chapman has written something genuinely unique in The Great Contagion: A Merliss Tale. I can’t imagine it’s […]

When I picked up Zac Cannon’s Slantwise, I had no idea what type of book it was going to be by the cover art and title. Turns out, this is Appalachian noir at its finest. If you’re a fan of shows like True Detective, or if you’ve been captivated by novels like Winter’s Bone or The Devil All the […]

The cover of Exile: Part I – From an Antique Land by Anthony Hodge immediately drew me in with its heavy The Odyssey vibes. The book opens with an epigraph from Shelley’s Ozymandias, which I can’t help but associate with Breaking Bad now. From the first page to the last, Hodge builds an immersive world […]

The Dragon Djinn (The Songs of Dathos, Book 1) by Kirby Warner is clearly a labor of love, and that passion radiates from every page. If I had to describe it, I’d say it’s what you’d get if The Chronicles of Narnia, Eragon, and a helping of Stranger Things horror had a child—ambitious, sprawling and […]

Let me be clear from the start: if you’re looking for escapism, this is not the book for you. Duped in America is a deeply political novel, rooted firmly in 2017 America, and it wears its convictions on its sleeve. I’m not American, but I remember this period vividly (I followed the election closely), and […]

If Black Mirror, Blade Runner, and Amazon Prime’s Upload had a literary lovechild, it would be Derek Cressman’s Virtuality (released this very day!). This is satirical dystopian sci-fi that feels less like fiction and more like a documentary from ten years in the future, one where we’ve all willingly plugged our brains into the algorithm […]

Having previously reviewed The Shadow of the Albatross, the first Greg Travers adventure, I was eager to dive back into the world of MI5 intelligence operations and high-stakes espionage. I enjoyed the first book and found it to be a fun, classic-style thriller. The Cerberus File continues where the first book started, expanding the scope […]

Frik’s Needle (Book one of the Freehilt Chronicles) by GL Charlebois immediately announces itself as a fantasy novel with ambitions. Opening with a world map, a foreword and an epigraph from Plotinus declaring that, “Mankind is poised midway between the gods and the beasts,” this is the kind of fantasy that makes me slightly intimidated, […]