"Rijou's rancorous Court of Blades falls silent as the duellist crosses the marble floor." In Rijou, justice is served by way of court-appointed duels. But when each of the Great Houses trains their second-born as champion duellists, and the wealthy can afford to pay top rates to hire the best stand-ins - how fair is … Continue reading Our Lady of Blades – Sebastien de Castell
"The first deep chill of winter had fallen over Tibbet's Brook." Once, the town of Tibbet's Brook was an epicentre for demon attacks from the Core, but those days have thankfully passed. Selia Barren's years of fighting demons have been exchanged for sorting out the arguments among her fellow residents, as the town speaker. That … Continue reading Butter Cookies and Demon Claws – Peter V Brett
"Selena picked her new home for no better reason than the dog laid down on the porch." As much as I love T Kingfisher's writing, I'm always a little cautious approaching one of her horror novels - I have this annoying habit of liking my sleep undisturbed 😉 So let me start off by saying … Continue reading Snake-Eater – T Kingfisher
"You ask how many ages had the Carryx been fighting the long war?" More suddenly than anyone could have been prepared for, the lives of a group of academic researchers pivot from interdepartmental backstabbing to the unimaginable: alien invasion, capture, and being whisked off to an alien world. That their new lives still revolve around … Continue reading The Mercy of Gods – James SA Corey
On the night of a State dinner (with Australia), a dead body is found in the White House. Time to call in the world's greatest consulting detective - no, no, not that one! - Cordelia Cupp. There's no crime Cupp can't solve, but then again the politics of America's governmental hub might prove a bigger … Continue reading The Residence (season 1)
"Clara stood outside a stranger's tent, holding a naked sword in her hands." Istvhan is a paladin - or rather, he was before his god, the (slightly misnamed) Saint of Steel died. The death was an extremely traumatic event for his followers, and the berserker paladins mostly did not fare well. Now there are seven … Continue reading Paladin’s Strength – T Kingfisher
"'Why do you feed the cats, othala?'" I'm delighted to have another chance to spend time with Thara Celehar, a Witness for the Dead who we first met in The Goblin Emperor and is now treating us to a third book from his own point of view. Celehar is a prelate of one of the religions that … Continue reading The Tomb of Dragons – Katherine Addison
"Once upon a time, a knight came riding into the holler." The Knight and the Butcherbird comes with the description, "A dystopian fairy tale" and honestly I can't beat that. And I am in awe of how much of a world is conjured up in just 36 pages! The post-apocalyptic setting feels all-too bleak, with … Continue reading The Knight and the Butcherbird – Alix E Harrow
"On the day the Teller of Small Fortunes came to Necker, the village was in an uproar because the candlemaker's would-be apprentice had lost all the goats." Tao is a fortune teller, leading a lonely sort of existence travelling the lands with just her mule, Laohu, for company. She only tells small fortunes - that … Continue reading The Teller of Small Fortunes – Julie Leong
"Later, not a single person will recall seeing the lady board the flight at Hobart Airport." What would you do if someone told you how and when you're going to die? That's the question faced by the passengers on an otherwise unremarkable - just delayed - flight, when a fellow traveller starts to make some … Continue reading Here One Moment – Liane Moriarty
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