Senior Reviewer Debbie Wiley
I don’t remember the first fantasy novel I ever read but I do remember the first one I fell in love
with. JRR Tolkien’s THE HOBBIT
captivated me like no other book had, taking me on a long and winding quest where creatures
of legend lived and breathed. Since that long-ago time in 8th grade, I’ve soared
on the backs of dragons with Anne
McCaffrey, attended wizarding school with Harry Potter and JK Rowling, and gone on a quest with
a talking cat with Tad Williams.
Diving into other worlds is one of the biggest allures of fantasy novels. Marshall Ryan Maresca has done a
marvelous job at world building, crafting four series set in the same world. THE THORN OF DENTONHILL, the
first book in the Maradaine series,
caught my attention initially and features a mage student at the local university who has a
secret life as a crime fighter against a major crime boss. The Madalaine Constabulary series now
has three books in it, including the most recent one, A PARLIAMENT OF BODIES. Not only
is the Madalaine Constabulary
series my favorite of the four, but A
PARLIAMENT OF BODIES is my favorite book out of all of his books. The intertwining
pieces are starting to fit together as we have references to the Thorn and includes characters
from the Streets of Maradaine and
the Maradaine
Elite series. Marshall Ryan Maresca expertly weaves together the various perspectives of
law enforcement, thieves, warriors, and a local mage student and his friends. Each group
views the troubles in Maradaine differently, and it’s the sheer brilliance of Marshall Ryan
Maresca that is pulling these diverse perspectives together to show us one heck of an
underlying conspiracy!
Jennifer Estep is another master
at world building as her Crown of
Shards series takes us into the political intrigues and assassinations surrounding the
Queen of Bellona. It’s hard to say a lot about this phenomenal series without revealing a lot of
spoilers so just know I lost a lot of sleep reading each book as it made its way to my hands!
The first book, KILL THE QUEEN,
delves into just how diabolical the political intrigues can be as we start to get a sense of the
court of Bellona, along with meeting the Black Swan gladiator troupe. The inner workings of
the gladiators are fascinating and add a whole new depth to the world building! Jennifer Estep
crafts a world where very few can be trusted and the heroine, Evie, must always watch her
back. The second book in the series, PROTECT THE PRINCE, starts to expand the world past Bellona as Evie travels
to Andvari in an attempt to secure a new alliance with them. I love how Jennifer Estep mixes in
action with world building as we have these beautiful descriptions of the ornate Andvari court
soon followed by intense action scenes with assassins.
Maxym M. Martineau’s first book
in <i>The Beast Charmer</i> series, KINGDOM OF EXILES is yet another stunningly good fantasy tale. We meet
Leena Edenfrell, an exiled Charmer with a bounty on her head. Leena has her own bestiary and
it’s fun getting to know some of the creatures who inhabit Maxym M. Martineau’s world. As KINGDOM OF EXILES is only the first
book in the series, we are just starting to get an idea of the breadth and scope of the world.
The world of the Cruor assassins is almost as fascinating as that of the Charmers and I look
forward to spending more time in this richly envisioned world where creatures as vastly
different as Poof and the Mistari exist!
And lastly, but definitely not the least, is one of my personal favorites in the genre: Anne Bishop and her two series set in
the same world, The Others and
The World of the Others. Anne
Bishop entranced me years ago with her Black Jewels series, but the two series featuring the Others blow me away! Set
in an alternate version of Earth where humans are not the top predators, The Others delves into deep issues
such as racism, diversity, and slavery/human trafficking through a fictional world. The earth is
populated by humans, terra indigene, the cassandra sangue, Elementals, and the all too
fearsome and deadly Elders. WRITTEN
IN RED first introduces us to this world and four more books focus on the events of the
Lakeside Courtyard as we get to see how the world politics impact a small group of individuals
we grow to love. ETCHED IN BONE
is the last book to focus on the Lakeside Courtyard, but fortunately Anne Bishop expands the
world outside of Lakeside and we visit two new towns trying to follow the format of Lakeside in
LAKE SILENCE and WILD COUNTRY. If you love dark
fantasy, then Anne Bishop’s The
Others series should be on your shelves!
I’ve mentioned only a sampling of the great fantasy novels I’ve had the pleasure of reading
recently but there are far more out there as the genre is still going strong. What are some of
your favorite fantasy novels?
SOME OF THE BOOKS MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE:
Maradaine Constabulary #3
Mixing high fantasy and mystery, the third book in the Maradaine Constabulary series
follows Inspectors Satrine Rainey and Minox Welling as they track down a dangerous
murderer.The city of Maradaine is vexed by the Gearbox Murders: a series of gruesome deaths
orchestrated by a twisted mechanical genius. With no motive and no pattern, Inspectors
Satrine Rainey and Minox Welling--the retired spy and untrained mage--are at a loss to find a
meaningful lead in the case. At least, until the killer makes his most audacious exhibit yet: over
a dozen victims in a clockwork deathtrap on the floor of the Druth Parliament.
The crime scene is a madhouse, and political forces conspire to grind their investigation to a
halt. The King's Marshals claim jurisdiction of the case, corruption in the Constabulary thwarts
their efforts, and a special Inquest threatens to end Minox's career completely. Their only ally
is Dayne Heldrin, a provisional member of the Tarian Order, elite warriors trained in the art of
protection. But Dayne's connection to the Gearbox Murders casts suspicion on his motives, as
he might be obsessed with a phantom figure he believes is responsible.
While Satrine and Minox struggle to stop the Gearbox from claiming even more victims, the
grinding gears of injustice might keep them from ever solving these murders, and threaten to
dismantle their partnership forever.
Fantasy [DAW, On Sale: March 26, 2019, Mass Market
Paperback / e-Book, ISBN: 9780756412661 / eISBN: 9780756412678]
Can the Gearbox
Murderer be stopped?
***
Crown of Shards #2
Magic, murder, adventure, and romance combine in this second novel in the exciting
Crown of Shards saga from New York Times and USA Today
bestselling author Jennifer Estep.Everleigh Blair might be the new gladiator queen of Bellona, but her problems are far from
over.
First, Evie has to deal with a court full of arrogant, demanding nobles, all of whom want to get
their greedy hands on her crown. As if that wasn't bad enough, an assassin tries to kill Evie in
her own throne room.
Despite the dangers, Evie goes ahead with a scheduled trip to the neighboring kingdom of
Andvari in order to secure a desperately needed alliance. But complicating matters is the
stubborn Andvarian king, who wants to punish Evie for the deaths of his countrymen during
the Seven Spire massacre.
But dark forces are at work inside the Andvarian palace, and Evie soon realizes that no one is
safe. Worse, Evie's immunity to magic starts acting in strange, unexpected ways, which makes
her wonder whether she is truly strong enough to be a Winter Queen.
But Evie's magic, life, and crown aren't the only things in danger—so is her heart, thanks to
Lucas Sullivan, the Andvarian king's bastard son and Evie's . . . well, Evie isn't quite sure what
Sullivan is to her.
Only one thing is certain—protecting a prince might be even harder than killing a queen…
Fantasy [Harper Voyager, On Sale: July 2, 2019,
Paperback / e-Book, ISBN: 9780062797643 / eISBN: 9780062797650]
***
The Beast Charmer #1
Fantastic Beasts meets Assassin’s Creed in this epic,
gripping fantasy romance from debut author Maxym M. MartineauFANTASY ROMANCE
Exiled beast charmer Leena Edenfrell is in deep trouble. Empty pockets forced her to sell her
beloved magical beasts on the black market—an offense punishable by death—and now
there's a price on her head. With the realm's most talented murderer-for-hire nipping at her
heels, Leena makes him an offer he can't refuse: powerful mythical creatures in exchange for
her life.
If only it were that simple. Unbeknownst to Leena, the undying ones are bound by magic to
complete their contracts, and Noc cannot risk his brotherhood of assassins...not even to save
the woman he can no longer live without.
Fantasy | Romance
Paranormal [Sourcebooks Casablanca, On Sale: June 25,
2019, Mass Market Paperback / e-Book, ISBN: 9781492689386 / eISBN:
9781492689393]
***
The Others #5
After the Elders cleansed and reclaimed many human towns, Lakeside Courtyard has emerged
relatively unscathed, though Simon Wolfgard, its wolf-shifter leader, and blood prophet Meg
Corbyn must work with the human pack to maintain the fragile peace. But all their efforts are
threatened when Lieutenant Montgomery’s shady brother arrives, looking for a free ride and
easy pickings.
With the humans on guard against one of their own, tensions rise, drawing the attention of the
Elders, who are curious about the effect such an insignificant predator can have on a pack.
But Meg knows the dangers, for she has seen in the cards how it will all end: with her standing
beside a grave. . . .
Fantasy [Roc, On Sale: February 6, 2018, Mass Market
Paperback / e-Book (reprint), ISBN: 9780451474506 / eISBN: 9780698190450]
***
World of the Others #2
In this powerful and exciting fantasy set in the world of the New York Times
bestselling Others series, humans and the shape-shifting Others will see whether they can
live side by side...without destroying one another.There are ghost towns in the world—places where the humans were annihilated in retaliation
for the slaughter of the shape-shifting Others.
One of those places is Bennett, a town at the northern end of the Elder Hills—a town
surrounded by the wild country. Now efforts are being made to resettle Bennett as a
community where humans and Others live and work together. A young female police officer
has been hired as the deputy to a Wolfgard sheriff. A deadly type of Other wants to run a
human-style saloon. And a couple with four foster children—one of whom is a blood prophet—
hope to find acceptance.
But as they reopen the stores and the professional offices and start to make lives for
themselves, the town of Bennett attracts the attention of other humans looking for profit. And
the arrival of the outlaw Blackstone Clan will either unite Others and humans...or bury them all.
Romance Paranormal | Fantasy Urban [Ace, On Sale: March 5, 2019,
Hardcover / e-Book, ISBN: 9780399587276 / eISBN: 9780399587283]
The WILD
COUNTRY can be deadly....
The Others is a
series that I will never get tired of!
Glorious and
engrossing paranormal makes you feel like delicious human prey
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