Here I will be posting books that I loved and that I recommend.
Of course, being the science fiction/fantasy buff that I am, only books in those genres will be featured here.
FANTASY
A SIGN IN BLOOD
Epic fantasy
by Marion Sipe
While investigating her father’s murder, Chadri never meant to get involved in politics. She arrives in Mesaceal with her mentor Nathias and a wild talent for blood magic, but soon finds it won’t be enough to stop a brutal attack on her family home. After befriending a queen who is forced to fight to win her crown, and learning of rumors about the theft of a sleeping god, Chadri is caught up in a web of conflict spanning two nations. Trapped within the tightening threads, she must unravel the secrets surrounding her father’s death, or die the same way he did.
465 pages. 165,000 words.
Find A Sign in Blood at the following distributors:
TRANQUILITY’S BLAZE
Epic Fantasy
By Krista D. Ball
Links:
“What will I do? What I do best. I’ll find him and I’ll kill him. And then I’ll kill Garran’s murderer.” Even if the killer is my sister.
A half-breed and a female, Lady Bethany clawed her way to the ranks of the Elven Service’s top military elite. They only knew her as their champion against Magic, and not the daughter of a Goddess. She’d expected a long, rewarding life protecting those under her care. But that was before her twin sister returned from exile, addicted to brutal Magic and human sacrifice, twisted inside, and abusing ancient prophecies to overthrow their mother and destroy everything Bethany holds sacred.
The world will burn in flames and innocents will die, unless Bethany can stop it. Unless she can take the life of her own sister.
Verdict: cool, strong heroine, great action, heavy decisions, tension. Good stuff!
YOUNG ADULT
INCOMING ALERT (Book 1)
By Arlene Webb
Link: amazon
How Not to Celebrate your Century Birthday:
Tell overprotective parents you’ll be fine.
Phase to a parallel dimension to amuse yourself with humans and choose a name.
Arrive flat on your face.
Learn you’re unique among immortals, and not in a good way.
Hello, Earth. Boy’s victory dance on top of a cafeteria table
doesn’t last long.
She’s looking at me? Seriously? Jubilation vanishes when he realizes the young woman gawking at his trembling two-inch form–which should be invisible–is as frightened as him.
Major screw up that he is, he ignores everything he’s been told about survival and shifts
larger without first refilling his phase-depleted veins.
Then comes the icing on what’s sure to be his last birthday cake. After denying
he’s crawled out of the meatloaf, he bonds with the mortal. Not only is he
drawn to a first century name that guarantees anger and ridicule, it’s doubtful
he’ll survive this birthday, let alone celebrate another.
Opinion: ehehe… You’ll love Caron, seriously, you will. He’s so funny and cute, and his adventures with his brothers are just great, packed with action and heart-wrenchingly moving. A great novel, and I can’t wait for the sequel.
WRITERS’ GUIDES
What Kings Ate and Wizards Drank
A Fantasy Lover’s Food Guide
Equal parts writer’s guide, comedy, and historical cookbook, fantasy author Krista D. Ball takes readers on a journey into the depths of epic fantasy’s obsession with rabbit stew and teaches them how to catch the blasted creatures, how to move armies across enemy territories without anyone starving to death, and what a medieval pantry should look like when your heroine is seducing the hero.
Learn how long to cook a salted cow tongue, how best to serve salt fish, what a “brewis” is (hint: it isn’t beer), how an airship captain would make breakfast, how to preserve just about anything, and why those dairy maids all have ample hips.
What Kings Ate will give writers of historical and fantastical genres the tools to create new conflicts in their stories, as well as add authenticity to their worlds, all the while giving food history lovers a taste of the past with original recipes and historical notes.
Verdict: I LOVED this book! So funny and so informative. A must-read for fantasy writers and readers (and history buffs)
