Category: Reviews
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Review: Innamorata by Ava Reid
Ava Reid has a talent for blending fantasy romance with grotesque horror to create beautiful and dark stories. After loving Juniper and Thorn and The Wolf and the Woodsman, Ava Reid became one of my favorite fantasy authors of 2024. When I saw her next book, Innamorata pop up on Netgalley, I knew I had… Read more
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Goodbye 2025! End of the Year Wrap Up
Happy holidays! 2025 was a big year, so I’m excited to recap everything! This year I celebrated the 5th anniversary of Word Wilderness in April followed by a summer blog makeover. I’m still really happy with how everything looks and functions, so I’m so glad I took time to refresh everything. I also had my… Read more
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Review: Kill the Beast by Serra Swift
Kill the Beast was marketed as The Witcher meets Howl’s Moving Castle so of course I had to read it. I had no other choice! This review was supposed to be published back in October when it released, but it got sidelined as my schedule filled up. I’m on break for the next couple weeks… Read more
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Review: Raven Stratagem by Yoon Ha Lee
*THIS REVIEW CONTAINS SPOILERS FOR NINEFOX GAMBIT (THE MACHINERIES OF EMPIRE #1)* Ninefox Gambit finished with an explosive (literally) and ambiguous ending, so I was dying to find out what happened next in Raven Stratagem. In a word, Raven Stratagem was unexpected. At every turn, I was taken completely by surprise. The main character doesn’t… Read more
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Review: A Fae in Finance by Juliet Brooks
I love fantasy and anything that make me laugh, so I jump on every comedic fantasy I find (especially one that looks like a romcom). A Fae in Finance seemed like it would be the perfect fit at first, but it just didn’t work for me. I think I may have gone into the book… Read more
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Review: The Isle in the Silver Sea by Tasha Suri
After reading Tasha Suri’s Burning Kingdom’s series, The Isle in the Silver Sea, a standalone fairytale fantasy set in an alternate Britain, is a big transition. When you look a bit closer, both stories contain complex magic systems, lesbian yearning, and anti-totalitarianism/imperialism themes. If these are reasons you enjoy Tasha Suri’s writing, I highly recommend… Read more
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Review: The Bone Ship’s Wake by R.J. Barker
I had to take a break at the end of Call of the Bone Ship’s because I knew The Bone Ship’s Wake was going to pack an emotional punch! The Tide Child Trilogy ended up being such a fantastic epic fantasy series. It’s been a while since I sat down and read through an entire… Read more
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Review: How to Defeat a Demon King in Ten Easy Steps by Andrew Rowe
How to Deafeat a Demon King in Ten Easy Steps by Andrew Rowe was originally self-published but, fortunately for me, recently picked up by Saga Press. Otherwise, I wouldn’t have found this Legend of Zelda-inspired litRPG while browsing NetGalley. My family’s cat growing up was named Zelda, so when a saw a book inspired by… Read more
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Review: Call of the Bone Ships by R.J. Barker
I didn’t even wait to write my review of The Bone Ships before I started Call of the Bone Ships. I loved the first book so I was so excited to jump into the next! I’m happy that I’m getting to read this series after it has already been published so I can read it… Read more
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Review: Unseen by Christy Healy
As someone who reads a lot of standalone fantasy books, I end up reading a lot of retellings. Unseen stood out to me because it’s a retelling of an Irish fairytale I’m unfamiliar with: The Snow, the Crow, and the Blood. I liked getting to read a retelling of a new-to-me fairytale, because the story… Read more
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Using Quotes in Book Reviews
I know I said I was going back to an every other week posting schedule, but it turns out I have a lot of motivation and free time this summer, so I’m posting a little more frequently than that. I am purposely not switching to a weekly posting schedule, because I start medical school on… Read more
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Review: Unbound by Christy Healy
After finishing Call of the Bone Ships I needed a break from emotionally devastating fantasy, so I unwittingly picked up Unbound by Christy Healy only to find it was the most heart wrenching second chance love story ever! My poor heart needs a break! I am a Bookshop.org affiliate, which means I’ll receive a commission… Read more
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Review: Murderbot Season 1
It’s been a while since I read All Systems Red, so Season 1 of Murderbot felt both familiar and new. I loved getting to see Martha Wells’ story reimagined on screen.The Murderbot Diaries by Martha Wells, is a comedic sci-fi series narrated by a rogue security unit that names itself Murderbot. Unfamiliar with autonomy, Murderbot… Read more
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Review: The Bone Ships by R.J. Barker
I’ve found my next obsession: The Bone Ships by R.J. Barker. How could I not fall in love with The Bone Ships when it’s got everything you could want in a nautical fantasy book? A crew of the condemned, swashbuckling adventure, and colossal sea dragons… I am a Bookshop.org affiliate, which means I’ll receive a… Read more
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Review: Heart of Stone by Johannes T. Evans
Heart of Stone is one of those books I’ve been planning to read, and I always seem to forget about it. Part of the reason is I do not own a physical copy so it can’t gaze down at me in disappointment whenever I buy another book like the rest of the books on my… Read more
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Review: Voyage of the Damned by Frances White
Week 5 of the Voyage of the Damned Readalong is meant for final thoughts, so I wanted to review the book overall. I’m glad I read this book as a readalong, because the most fun part was getting to discuss theories for how the book would end. For those just tuning in: Ariana with The… Read more
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W&W 2025 Day 29: Deep Dive: The Kingdom of the Gods by N.K. Jemisin
I picked The Kingdom of the Gods for the Wyrd and Wonder day 29 prompt, Deep Dive, because it concludes such a vast epic fantasy series that spans multiple human generations. Beginning The Inheritance Trilogy is like taking a deep dive into N.K. Jemisin’s fantasy realm. I have a lot of feelings after completing The… Read more
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W&W 2025 Day 19: Albatross: The Priory of the Orange Tree by Samantha Shannon
The Priory of the Orange Tree by Samantha Shannon is a cross-continental epic fantasy standalone. I chose it for the Wyrd and Wonder day 19 prompt, Albatross, because the story centers around a powerful dragon prophesied to emerge from his imprisonment under the sea to destroy the world. Wyrd and Wonder is an annual month-long… Read more
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Mini Reviews: The Broken Kingdoms by N.K. Jemisin and Ninefox Gambit by Yoon Ha Lee
Of the books I read in a year, I review only a small portion. I prefer to read for my own enjoyment, so if I don’t have much to say about a book, I don’t stress about trying to force out a review. However, there are some cases when I’m trying to review a series,… Read more
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Review: Mammoths at the Gates by Nghi Vo
I swear it was January two days ago, but I blinked and now it’s March. I read Mammoths at the Gates last year and meant to write my review right away, but time flew by. Luckily, I’ve gotten in the habit of taking notes while I’m reading books I intend to review, so I already… Read more