Badass Main Character ✓ Female Main Character ✓ Heart-Wrenching ✓ Rebellion ✓ Witty and Gritty ✓
Category: Grimdark
Review Priest of Bones by Peter McLean (War for the Rose Throne #1)
“Where is the difference between holy and possessed? I wondered. When does miracle become magic, magic become witchcraft? Is it in the nature of the deed itself, or in the eye of the beholder? Is it decided in the telling after the fact, and if so does it depend on who does that telling?” Sarcastic…
The Darkness That Comes Before – R. Scott Bakker (Prince of Nothing Book #1)
“Faith is the truth of passion. Since no passion is more true than another, faith is the truth of nothing.” So what’s the book about? Maithanet, the ruler of a thousand temples, calls for a holy war against the infidels – an enterprise that attracts a wide variety of profiteers and interested parties. Somewhat less…
A Little Hatred – Joe Abercrombie
The Age of Madness 1 “When one man knowingly kills another, they call it murder! When society causes the deaths of thousands, they shrug and call it a fact of life.” So what’s the book about? In a world where the proverbial dagger in the back is taken literally, it is dangerous without allies. This…
We Lie with Death – Devin Madson
The Reborn Empire 2 “When you’ve lived out of the world as long as I have you realize how foolish such things as titles and gold are. You begin to measure wealth in knowledge and respect instead.” So what’s the book about? In Kisia’s conquered north, a new empire is born, the Empire of Levanti….
A Crown for Cold Silver – Alex Marshall
The Crimson Empire 1 “Fear is the Sword and Scepter of the Church and the Crown. Fear is the Shackles Upon Your Limbs. Fear is the Blindfold You Wear. Fear is the Poison in Your porridge, making You Sick. Making You Die. The pope Laughs as You Weep. She drinks Your Tears. The queen smacks…
The Burning God – R.F. Kuang
The Poppy War Series – Book 3 “You don’t fix hurts by pretending they never happened. You treat them like infected wounds. You dig deep with a burning knife and gouge out the rotten flesh and then, maybe, you have a chance to heal.” So what’s the book about? Rin does not give up despite…
The Dragon Republic – R.F. Kuang
The Poppy War Series – Book 2 “People will seek to use you or destroy you. If you want to live, you must pick a side. So do not shirk from war, child. Do not flinch from suffering. When you hear screaming, run toward it.” So what’s the book about? After the great battle, the…
The Poppy War – R.F. Kuang
The Poppy War Series – Book 1 “I have become something wonderful, she thought. I have become something terrible. Was she now a goddess or a monster? Perhaps neither. Perhaps both.” So what’s the book about? As a war orphan, young Rin is at the mercy of her opium-smuggling foster parents and has only one…
We Ride the Storm – Devin Madson
“Do not make assumptions about things you know nothing about. An emperor serves his people. The day the people serve the emperor is the day the empire falls. Remember that, Miko, if nothing else. War profits no peasant.” So what’s the book about? An empire is on the verge of collapse and three fighters become…
The Reading Stray 