Let's Go Fantasy
Review: Shadows of the Sorcerers by Joan Marie Verba
This is in the same series as Secrets of the Sorcerers, which I read in the past. It’s a pretty standard high fantasy. A rogue sorcerer has found his way back from the world to which he was banished…with an army and bent on conquest. With sorcerous weapons.
The book is simply about the defenses against him – with a nod to COVID-19 lockdowns that I suspect a lot appreciated. It’s also very short…barely a novel. If you’re looking for a quick read, you don’t need to have read the previous books to enjoy this one…although you probably should.
I found it enjoyable, if a little straightforward. It’s very much not a book that requires a lot of thought to understand…maybe a good beach read for next year? It’s that kind of a book. I do like the characters.
CW: Death of a fairly young person…she might still be a teenager.
Review: Revin’s Heart by Steven D. Brewer
I will say…the protagonist of this book is a bit of a Gary Stu (eidetic memory, magic, lots of physical abilities, hot…)
I don’t really mind that much, but if you do mind you might have an issue.
Revin is a young trans man who initially ran away from home disguised as a boy to avoid being married at a young age, and later realized he was actually a boy. Which likely happened. He goes through all kinds of adventures, many of them ludicrous. This is, after all, a book that includes airship pilots. (It’s not steampunk, though, it’s fantasy with airship pirates. There’s no steam involved anywhere).
There’s a pirate captain named Will, because of course there’s a pirate captain named Will. He’s gay.
This is a very queer, very fun book, if you can look past the fact that the protagonist can do anything, and if he can’t do it, he can learn.
(And when I say he’s hot, I mean he ends up with three love interests, although he seems to definitely prefer women. But people are definitely throwing themselves at him).
It’s ridiculous, but it’s fun. And it has airship pirates. Always points for airship pirates.