Fantasy Book Reviews | Self-Publishing Review

Review: Ardent Wings on Jealous Skies by Z. Bennett Lorimer

An imaginative coming-of-age adventure that soars with epic potential for an entire series, Ardent Wings on Jealous Skies (Tales of Ciel #1) by Z. Bennett Lorimer is a timely tale of lofty dreams, destiny, and revolution.

A decade after Maug the Butcher’s brutal attack that orphaned Vanna, Effie, and Kai, the protective rule of the Celestial Armada perseveres, despite the tithes and conscription demanded of the inhabitants of the Zephyr Isles. However, not every Zephyrii is content with the Celestials’ rule, and the forced retirement of a legendary Wing Commander signals a powerful shift in the politics and power balance […]

John Staughton, Senior Reviewer2025-10-10T17:30:34+02:00October 10th, 2025|Categories: Book Reviews, Latest Book Reviews|Tags: Fantasy Book Reviews|

Review: The Young by Nicholas John Powter

A sword and sorcery adventure set in a vibrant and violent land, The Young by Nicholas John Powter is a compact father-and-son character drama in a wildly creative setting. In The Deluge, where gods of the day and devourers of the night are locked in constant struggle for the souls of the living, a grief-stricken warrior must once again don his armor to defend the realm against encroaching evil.

Sven’s pastoral retirement is shattered when a murderous cult leader attacks his home and nearly beheads his son, Fren, launching them both on an arduous quest to root out a sinister […]

John Staughton, Senior Reviewer2025-09-23T16:05:27+02:00September 23rd, 2025|Categories: Book Reviews, Latest Book Reviews|Tags: Fantasy Book Reviews|

Born of the Gods by Craig Zeppelin

An inventive fantasy tale fronted by a hard-hitting heroine, Born of the Gods: Origins Book One (The Resin Chronicles) by Craig Zeppelin delivers an action-laden plunge into a paradise lost.

Grieving the loss of her deity, and cursed with mystical abilities after a suicidal clash of the gods, Arleia seeks a new divine master, rather than wandering as a high priestess without anything to worship. Venturing into the realms of scheming gods and facing down the monstrous mortals who serve as their playthings, Arleia is determined to unravel the mystery of her matriarch’s murder, no matter how many times she […]

John Staughton, Senior Reviewer2025-09-10T17:28:40+02:00September 10th, 2025|Categories: New Releases|Tags: Fantasy Book Reviews|

Review: Veinbound by Anne Pengelly

Hauntingly epic prose and one fierce firebrand of a protagonist make Veinbound: The Red Bargain by Anne Pengelly a must-read novel for fans of thought-provoking dark fantasy.

In a realm where blood can be burned as magical currency, paying one’s debt is a matter of life and death, and the Red Church always comes to collect – desperate to control the wielding of all sanguinary powers. Nyxa Reddane has been an orphan from birth, raised by a hedge priestess who taught her the workings of blood rites, simple healing spells, and how to eat the sins of the suspicious townsfolk […]

John Staughton, Senior Reviewer2025-09-23T16:05:39+02:00September 4th, 2025|Categories: Book Reviews|Tags: Fantasy Book Reviews|

Pnĕumä: The Celestial Beings Trilogy by Eli Liszt

A forbidden romance between a spiteful warrior and a mesmerizing mortal threatens the delicate balance of races on Earth in PNĔUMÄ by Eli Liszt.

Jovianus Moreau may be the future leader of the five tribes of Celestial Beings living in delicate, hidden harmony among humans, but that doesn’t prevent this freshly graduated loner from falling fast and hard for the entrancing Simone. Their deepening connection could mean a death sentence for them both, but his obsessive desire for such a lesser being forces him to reexamine every unfounded belief he once held about mortals. Through heartbreak, betrayal, and separation, their […]

John Staughton, Senior Reviewer2025-08-29T11:18:10+02:00August 29th, 2025|Categories: New Releases|Tags: Fantasy Book Reviews, Romance Book Reviews|

True Winter (A Series of Four Seasons Book 1) by Q.K. Petty

A scythe-wielding demon arrives in Alabama to reclaim a sacred weapon that could win an ancient war in True Winter by Q.K. Petty, an exhilarating first chapter of a new urban fantasy saga.

Tasked with finding a biblical relic for a cult-killing faction called The House of David, Eden Dowler is a nearly immortal hunter with a drinking problem and a string of bodies left in his wake. A psychopath named Whiteface and his sect of masked killers are also dead-set on recovering St. Peter’s cursed shackles, leaving heads literally rolling on the streets of Mobile. Tangled in this bloody […]

John Staughton, Senior Reviewer2025-08-28T15:48:54+02:00August 28th, 2025|Categories: New Releases|Tags: Fantasy Book Reviews, Urban Fantasy Book Reviews|

Review: Windslash: The Last Elemental by Chris Bennett

An unlikely hero rises to save the world from a dormant evil in Windslash: The Last Elemental by Chris Bennett, an imaginative and energetic debut fantasy.

On the mythical island of Atlantis, a young student of the Wind named Timaeus discovers an incredible ability: he is able to tap into all four elemental powers – wind, fire, earth, and water – a rare gift only mentioned in prophecy and legend. This unexpected prodigy must master all four forms of elemental magic before he loses control or is consumed by his unprecedented access to such raw power. Forced to prove himself […]

John Staughton, Senior Reviewer2025-08-20T18:26:03+02:00August 20th, 2025|Categories: Book Reviews, Lead Story|Tags: Fantasy Book Reviews|

Review: The Floating Lake of Dressa Moore by George Allen Miller

A visionary and whip-smart fantasy, The Floating Lake of Dressa Moore by George Allen Miller is a whimsical adventure with a brilliantly off-kilter cast.

Lakes, towns, and entire chunks of continents are hanging inexplicably in the sky after an epic clash between the last dragon and the last wizard ripped reality asunder with a magical tsunami. The final moments of those two mystic titans remain immortalized in time, frozen by an explosion of magic. Fascinated and determined to unravel this enigmatic puzzle, two eccentric scholars, Jonathan Braxton and William Watts Worthwaddle, embark on a bold expedition to Dressa, the heart […]

John Staughton, Senior Reviewer2025-09-04T16:52:27+02:00August 11th, 2025|Categories: Book Reviews|Tags: Fantasy Book Reviews|