C. Rae D’Arc’s Dreaming Beauty has all the elements of a fairy tale retelling as well as several surprises. The first in a series, Dreaming Beauty combines the fantasy and romance of a fairy tale with the snark and modern sensibility of a contemporary. This combination worked with great success […]
Odriel’s Heirs, the first in a high fantasy series by Hayley Reese Chow, is an exciting YA adventure with a rich world and history. In the distant past, a demon named Nifras invaded the southern portion of the country with his hordes of the undead. The god Odriel gifted three […]
Gordon Greenhill’s second MG novel in his The Relics of Errus novels, Plight of the Rokan Boy, starts off quite differently from the first in the series. The initial offering of Relics mirrored the spirit of the beginning of The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe. This second entry starts […]
Flight of the Skycricket by Gordon Greenhill has Narnian DNA but stands on its own as a middle-grade fantasy adventure. The story of three young girls who travel to another world where science and myth are the same—yet still debated—brings Lewis’ themes into the twenty-first century. And while the novel […]
At first, this novel doesn’t appear to be a retelling of Snow White. Its main character, Arabella, is already a princess, and readers might believe this is a fairy tale continuation. Arabella is savvy and mischievous at the start of the story, a characteristic Snow White might have acquired during […]
“A few bad investments—well gambles—had cost him his horse, his good sword, and most of his travel fund.” In the first chapter of To Court a Queen, we are introduced to our hero, Sir Devin Carlton. Because he is anxious to get home after losing so much, he strays from […]
The collection of Supernatural Fairy Tales has the subtitle Fairy Tale Inspired Paranormal Short Stories. And despite the fairy on the cover gazing at a mystical sky, most of these short stories are set in modern day with realistic characters. Half the fun is guessing which fairy tale inspired which […]
Blue de la Cour is a simple farmgirl and alchemist who helps her father in his alchemy shop. She has plans to help the homeless of her native land of Balavata and to expose a number of injustices in her native homeland. Yet, she must be careful. Blue has magic […]
The latest flash fiction anthology from Havok is based on colors and entitled Havok: Prismatic. For the past four books, I’ve rated the super short stories, all 1000 words or under, from 1 to 10 to determine my favorites in two categories. However, many stories still tied for the highest […]
In Adventurer’s Spirit speculative novel by Amanda Schmidt, cultural tensions escalate between two races: the Sunstons and the Trilumas. Caught in the middle are Alyxzandra and Jared, two people who deeply care about each other. The book starts with a horrific genocide, leaving our main character, Alyxzandra without a family […]