http://fantasybookcritic.blogspot.com

Book links: Amazon, Goodreads
ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Michael R. Fletcher lives in the endless suburban sprawl north of Toronto. He dreams of trees and seeing the stars at night and being a ninja. He is an unrepentant whiskey-swilling reprobate of the tallest order and thinks grilled cheese sandwiches are a food group.
Publisher: Michael R. Fletcher (April 13, 2026) Page count: 353 pages Formats: ebook, paperback

“Once we were the Death of Suns, the dark before the dawn. Now, we are a mirror smashed, the sharp slivers put back together wrong, the reflection splintered and distorted. We stare at ourselves, recognizing the face and yet knowing something is missing.”

That line pretty much sums up what The Lord of the Empty Mirror is doing, and what Khraen is at this point. Not a man so much as a collection of pieces arguing with each other.

I loved the original Obsidian Path trilogy, so I went in with high expectations and this didn’t disappoint. Khraen is hunting the shards of his heart but also he's against one that represents the worst (or maybe most honest) version of himself. The part that understands power, control, conquest. Which means you get two Khraens. Sort of.

One is trying to fix things and unite the world, stop a god, and maybe do a bit less mass murder along the way. The other version is much more focused on conquering everything, trusts no one, and absolutely don’t let feelings get in the way. 

Bringing in another POV, especially one tied so closely to Khraen himself, works surprisingly well. It allows to dive into one of the series’ core ideas of how memory shapes identity. Who you are, what you remember, and what you choose to become aren’t cleanly separated here. Fletcher really digs into that, and it pays off.  If you take a man, break him into pieces, and then put him back together… which version is real? The one trying to be better, or the one who remembers how effective being worse used to be?

Plot-wise, there’s always something happening and it never drags. I liked the twists, but I won't spoil them for you. 

Also, it’s properly grim. Every solution costs something awful. There’s a moment where Khraen casually weighs how many souls something is worth, and it doesn’t feel out of place. That’s the level we’re operating on.

Khraen himself is, well, still Khraen. Powerful, determined, and capable of making deeply questionable decisions with full confidence. There were a few “why would you do that” moments, but they always track. He’s not stupid, he’s just very committed to his own logic, which is sometimes worse.

The ending is going to split people. If you didn’t like how the original trilogy wrapped up, this won’t fix that. It follows the same idea and you get no neat closure or the sense that everything is finally “done.”

For me, it was perfect since it fits the series. But if you’re looking for clear answers and everything tied up nicely, you won’t get that here.

TL;DR: I loved it.

TODAY IS THE DAY!

We have chosen our champion, and we’re excited to announce the winner and runners-up.

First, we want to thank all SPFBO participants. We sincerely appreciate your involvement in the process. 

After getting through the batch of thirty books, we’ve picked five semi-finalists. Here they are in alphabetical order:

CARRION SAINTS by Hiyodori - In its authors words "Carrion Saints is a sapphic enemies-to-lovers romance between an immortal saint and a severed head." And that's it, in a nutshell. We highly appreciated Hiyodori's unique take on the trope, bitter-sweet ending and excellent writing. If you like character-driven conflict, this one sticks.

PILGRIM by Mitchell Lüthi - Dust, faith, politics, and people making difficult choices for reasons that make sense to them. It’s immersive without feeling like a lecture, and the amount of research into various cultures, religions and traditions must've been insane. Not fast, but worth checking out.

THE INHERITED BLADE by Jye Sorensen - it connects two storylines: one with lots of running for survival, one about inheriting unwanted responsibilities. It takes a bit to balance, but when it does, it clicks nicely. Good if you like character contrast and gradual build.

THE SINS OF STEEL AND SHADOW by Steve Pannett - Fast, scrappy, and very aware that most problems can (unfortunately) escalate into violence. Bail is a great guide through a cruel city, and the book rarely slows down long enough for you to get bored. Not deep, but reliably entertaining. Most of us will read the sequel as soon as it hits the shelves.

THE UNNAMED by M.S. Masood - It has a rich world, and skillfully pictures a slow unraveling of belief. The tension comes from watching someone realize their entire worldview might be wrong and not liking that realization one bit. Heavy at times, but well-written and engaging.

CHOICES CHOICES

At this stage, we had to decide how to evaluate one good book against another and whether it was at all possible to come to some sort of fair and objective decision. We tried to base our choice on the following criteria (listed in alphabetical order):

• Characterization
• Editing
• Personal Enjoyment
• Plotting
• World-building
• Writing Style

You can almost hear the drumroll, can't you? Or is that just the sound of SPFBO followers holding their breath?

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Without further ado (because we know you're just dying to know), the story that has danced its way into the finals is 

 

Congratulations to Hiyodori , and good luck in the finals! 

We're sending Carrion Saints to the finals with a rating of 8.0/10.

 Buy The Republic of Memory

FORMAT/INFO: The Republic of Memory will be published by Saga Press on May 5th, 2026. It is 480 pages long and available in paperback, ebook, and audiobook formats.

OVERVIEW/ANALYSIS: Two hundred years ago, the Sarafina set out on a journey to a new planet. While thousands of people sleep in cryogenic pods, generations of living crew members work to keep the ship running smoothly and ensure the safe delivery of the sleepers to their new home. But when a crisis faces the ship, a growing number of people begin to ask a critical question: Do they still want to dedicate every aspect of their lives to serving and protecting people they've never met?

The Republic of Memory is an engrossing tale of a ship in crisis that also digs into some juicy existential questions. What do you do when your ship's values and identity no longer align with the civilization that gave the ship its mission in the first place? Why are the lives of those in cryostasis more honored than the lives of the people who keep the ship running today?

I really enjoyed how the disaster that hits the ship really forces its everyday inhabitants to question things that they've taken for granted and to see the contradictions in their lives. They revere those in cryo as "ancestors," and consider the journey to their new planet as a sacred mission, but the culture of the ship has fundamentally changed since it began its voyage. If the crew were to wake the ancestors today, would they even get along with those who woke up?

To explore all these facets of a culture in upheaval, the story skips around to several different viewpoints over the course of the book, from a mid-level administrator to a teen street artist to the head of a rebel faction. While a few POVs get more of the lion's share of the tale, it's almost hard to point to the "main" characters of this book as there are so many POVs. And yet it is done in a way that is never confusing, as many characters show up in other POV chapters; you are now simply getting a different angle of the same story. It gives a pretty broad look at the different ways people are handling the crisis and grappling with the choices put before them and really enjoyed seeing the different cultures and parts of the ship.

Where I'm a little more mixed is in how well the author engaged with one of the unique aspects of the ship. On this generation ship residential areas are divided not by nation or by job description, but by the language a person speaks. Dividing on those lines is supposed to allow residents more flexibility in migration, as anyone can learn a language but they can't change their religion or heritage. And I did enjoy some of the ways the author plays with language. For instance, when listening to the voice of an ancestor, the current ship inhabitants hear it as "ye olden days" style language, but in flashbacks, the dialogue is perfectly normal.

But language is also supposed to be a huge barrier between the different berths. In fact, there's a whole occupation dedicated to translation, as only Admin people speak English as a primary language, and common folk need a Translator to process paperwork. Aside from some initial encounters with Translators, however, language didn't seem to cause too much friction. I myself grapple if this was the intent, that language evolves to its needs and people will find a common language. But as this is being sold as a linguistic sci-fi, it didn't feel like the author did enough with it.

The Republic of Memory is exactly what I was hoping for: a deep dive into a fully realized culture that has uniquely evolved in support of its mission. I really enjoyed the many different POVs it used, and how well fleshed out this microcosm of civilization felt. I am eagerly awaiting the next installment in this journey and can't wait to see how the crew evolves in the aftermath of this first crisis.

 

Book links: Amazon, Goodreads

ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Over a writing career that spanned three decades, Philip K. Dick (1928-1982) published 36 science fiction novels and 121 short stories in which he explored the essence of what makes man human and the dangers of centralized power. Toward the end of his life, his work turned toward deeply personal, metaphysical questions concerning the nature of God. Eleven novels and short stories have been adapted to film; notably: Blade Runner (based on Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?), Total Recall, Minority Report, and A Scanner Darkly. The recipient of critical acclaim and numerous awards throughout his career, Dick was inducted into the Science Fiction Hall of Fame in 2005, and in 2007 the Library of America published a selection of his novels in three volumes. His work has been translated into more than twenty-five languages.

First published February 1, 1974 Page count: 204 pages Formats: all Literary awards: Hugo Award Nominee (1975), Nebula Award Nominee (1974), Locus Award Nominee for Best Novel (1975), John W. Campbell Memorial Award for Best Science Fiction Novel (1975)

There are, broadly speaking, two kinds of bad mornings.

The first is when you wake up late, miss your alarm, and step on something on the way to the bathroom.

The second is when you wake up and discover that you do not legally, socially, or bureaucratically exist, which is considerably worse.

Jason Taverner experiences the second kind. And it’s a strong start. In fact, it’s such a strong start that the rest of the book spends a fair amount of time trying to catch up with it. 

In the world Jason wakes up to, authority is everywhere, and it makes a routine of invigilating people. Taverner himself was a celebrity, and he spends most of the book trying to get his life back. Understandable, but it makes him less interested in big questions about identity and reality than in the more practical issue of not being arrested.

Anyway, he’s not awful to read about, but he’s also not that interesting. The book hints that losing everything might change him, but it mostly doesn’t. He stays focused on getting his life, status, comfort, and place at the top back. There are a few chances for him to actually connect with people, but he tends to fumble them or just move past them. That might be the point, but it doesn’t make him more engaging. That said, scenes describing his confusion and panic impressed me. And his attempts at explaining what love is are quite good.

Still, people around him are much more interesting. Buckman, in particular, is a fascinating character who knows a lot about life and certain life altering substances. 

The structure is loose. Taverner moves through a series of encounters, each of which feels like it is going somewhere, but often isn’t. Characters appear, say something interesting, and then vanish. The explanation of the mystery didn't shock me since I read most books by Philip K. Dick and also his biography. But I won't spoil it.

So, did I like it? Mostly. There is something here, a sense that people are stuck being themselves, even when the world shifts under their feet. In the end, it’s an interesting book that never quite becomes a great one. It's full of good parts, just loosely assembled. You can see why people remember it. You can also see why they argue about it.

It makes it worth a read, I guess.

 

Buy The Fake Divination Offense

FORMAT/INFO: The Fake Divination Offense will release on May 19th, 2026 from Bramble Romance. It is 336 pages and available in paperback, ebook, and audiobook formats.

OVERVIEW/ANALYSIS: It's time for a new chapter in Orok's life. He's starting the rawball season on a new team, and ready to make a clean break with the Church of Uzroth (patron god of aggression). But when Orok protects cheerleader Alexo at a bar, the Church of Uzorth approaches Orok and Alexo with a proposal: be part of a fake relationship for the season to give the Church a needed PR boost, and they'll sponsor Alexo off the bench and onto the main cheerleading squad. Orok's already attracted to Alexo and he can see how much the sponsorship would mean to the man, so he agrees to the deal. But while genuine sparks fly between Orok and Alexo, Alexo has dangerous secrets in his past - ones that threaten much more than a simple sponsorship.

The Fake Divination Offense is an adventure-filled fantasy sports romance that's about all kinds of love: self-love, platonic love, and yes, romantic love. Main character Orok is a half-giant, raised in a church that believes its followers should resolve all conflict through physical violence and posturing, and should always be the alpha in the room. (Quick Note: Although Orok struggles with his church in this book, this is a queernorm world, and none of his struggles have the slightest thing to do with homophobia.) While Orok doesn't follow his church's tenets, he also wrestles with his own belief that relying on his friends just drags them down. He shouldn't bother them with his problems, he should be strong enough to deal with them on his own. Learning to accept his friends' help is just one journey this quiet giant goes on.

What's nice about this romance is that although it's a fake-dating story, from the jump Orok makes it clear to Alexo that he's interested in a real relationship. There's no dancing around what's pretend and what's real; the two have frank conversations about their feelings and what their boundaries are. That doesn't mean there aren't secrets or that their relationship is perfect. But as someone who hates when miscommunication is used, it was nice to not have to deal with "is any of this real?" type story-lines.

Speaking of not-perfect, Orok is a possessive person by nature. While he is constantly checking in on Alexo and his wants and boundaries, Orok is also the kind of person who sees the person he loves and thinks "this person is MINE, I will protect them at all costs." Naturally, Alexo has been written as the kind of love interest who is fine with this dynamic, but if possessiveness isn't your cup of tea, you might bounce a little on this. But as Alex is in a certain amount of danger throughout the story from nefarious individuals, it's a dynamic that does make sense, as Orok will do whatever it takes to keep his love safe, whether it's sucking up to people he doesn't like or physically defending Alexo from a villain.

I did also enjoy the fantasy sports aspect of the storyline. Orok plays a fantasy sport called rawball (the name is a play on a D&D term) that vaguely resembles football if magic was allowed. The rules of the sport aren't important; what IS important is Orok's journey to integrating with his new team. After a bad experience with his previous team, Orok is constantly looking for his teammates to undercut him, ignore him, or outright attack him. Learning to let go of past social traumas and to open up to his teammates is part of Orok's own growth, and a story I really enjoyed watching.

The Fake Divination Offense is another lovely story of love, healing, and acceptance from Sara Raasch. I've really enjoyed this romance duology and look forward to checking out more of her work in the future!

 

Book links: Amazon, Goodreads
ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Cameron Sullivan was born in Perth, Western Australia. He grew up with the dark fantasy and horror icons of the ’80s and went on to study classics and creative writing at the University of Western Australia.
After several years working and studying in Italy and the UK, he returned to Australia and settled in Melbourne. He will easily lose a weekend to a good book, a new recipe or games of any kind.
Publisher: Tor Books (February 24, 2026) Page count: 544 (Hardback) Formats: all

Sebastian Grave is a centuries-old occult practitioner, who makes a living off the dead. He shares his body with a demon, Sarmodel, who is extremely effective, provided you don’t forget what it is.
The story opens with a dead girl, a curse, and a misunderstanding involving a witch’s bone. It works because it’s fun, well-written but also shows that in this world the supernatural is not mysterious so much as procedural. Things happen for reasons and Sebastian’s job is to find them.
Soon, things get complicated. A young nobleman, Jacques d’Ocerne, arrives with a summons tied to an old, unfinished contract concerning a Beast of Gévaudan. Against his better judgement, Sebastian agrees to return there.
And so a journey starts, and it's not a cheerful one. It involves mud, infection, poor financial planning, and mayhem. From there we follow a few timelines, learn about demons, church politics, and follow a thread of doomed romance. The shifting timelines are handled well enough that you don’t feel lost, and there’s a steady drip of reveals that keeps things moving.
I enjoyed the business of the supernatural most. The scenes involving it are grim, and often carry a dry edge of humor that lands well with me. I also loved Sarmodel’s presence. I mean, he is Sebastian’s inner voice that has opinions about how edible his clients are. The conversations between them are some of the strongest parts of the book.
Jacques, on the other hand, functions as an obstacle with legs. His secrecy, pride, and general refusal to communicate make sense once explained, but the explanation arrives late. Until then, much of the interaction follows a familiar pattern where Sebastian asks a reasonable question, Jacques refuses to answer it, and both suffer for it. Repeatedly.
There’s also Livia - Sebastian's secretary (well, not really but I won’t spoil everything for you) and a succubus. She feeds on desire and leaves very little behind when she is done. Her chapters and scenes are some of the most entertaining in the story. She says what she wants, goes after it, and resents every rule that stops her halfway. On the page, she’s lively. In the audiobook, she’s something else entirely. Imogen Church narration is brilliant, rich, theatrical and over the top in the best way.
Structurally, the book is uneven. After an excellent opening, the middle section sags. Things happen, but they don’t always feel like they’re building toward something larger. The central threat (the Beast, the old contract) waits too long while the story circles smaller conflicts and Sebastien's history.
That said, the atmosphere is consistently good, the writing remains entertaining and both POV characters have strong and memorable voices. So yes, The Red Winter is carried by its characters.

Official Rachel Aaron WebsiteOfficial Travis Bach WebsitePre-order Death Has Joined The PartyRead the first two sample chapters over hereListen to an audio sample narrated by Nicholas Cain
Rachel Aaron and Travis Bach have announced a new series which is a whole new genre for both of them. Behold the fantasbulous cover of the MANA RUNNERS Book 1 titled Death Has Joined The Party which releases tomorrow (April 7th 2025)



OFFICIAL BOOK BLURB: Welcome, sentient races one and all, to the centennial season of the greatest collaboration between mortals and gods! The most thrilling, most deadly, most watched spectacle ever put on in any realm…Mana Runners!

The infinite dungeon below Whitepeak, the famous City of Wizards, has reset itself once again, bringing new traps, new monsters, and new, never-before-seen challenges to this historic event. All of your favorite champions from Season Ninety-Nine are back and ready to face what is sure to be the most difficult season of Mana Runners ever attempted. From the lowest Copper Tier to the Platinums who shine at the top, every Runner is ready to lay down their lives defending you from the monsters that lurk beneath the mountain.

All of their sacrifices shall be recorded in the pages of history, but only those blessed with unique powers from the gods can reach the deepest floors. It’s the event that brings sentient races from all over the world together! The spectacle no one can afford to miss! And you can watch it all live thanks to Whitepeak College of Wizardry’s revolutionary sendernet: the only Sending spell network that broadcasts the can’t-be-missed action of Mana Runners straight into your home!

(The Mana Runners Centennial Season is produced by the Whitepeak Dungeon Committee and the Coalition of Rightfully Aligned Gods. Remember, the gods are always listening, so be sure to pray for your favorite Mana Runner to earn them blessings as they battle the unthinkable dangers of the Endless Dungeon!)

Buy Platform Decay
FORMAT/INFO: Platform Decay will be published on May 5th, 2026 by Tor Books. It is 256 pages long and available in ebook, audiobook, and hardcover.

OVERVIEW/ANALYSIS: The mission: secretly extract friendly humans from enemy territory. The location: a planet-sized space port controlled by multiple corporate sectors, with a mix of tourists, workers, and security making life difficult. The target: multiple humans, including...children. Ugh. Murderbot may be up to the task, but that doesn't mean it has to like it. Looks like watching Sanctuary Moon will have to wait...

Platform Decay is that wonderful blend of action and character that reminds me why I love Murderbot. The plot itself is pitch perfect. It's a classic extraction mission: Murderbot must sneak into a planet-sized space port, find its protectees, and escort them to safety. That means we get some stealth and espionage, as well as full-tilt firefights as Murderbot goes about its job. The story might be considered bland were it not for both the constant shifting of environments as Murderbot goes from zone to zone across the station and the trademark deadpan exasperation it has for almost anything humans do.

I would have thoroughly enjoyed my time with this novella if that was all there was, but there are some great character beats scattered throughout that are the cherry on top. Murderbot, you see, is trying some new approaches to processing its feelings after the events of book seven, System Collapse. The result is some small quiet scenes that nevertheless show some growth for Murderbot as it continues its journey to get a handle on this while emotions thing.

At the end of the day, all you really need to know is that Murderbot is back and is operating at peak form. If you're a fan of the series, you'll be well rewarded and if you haven't started yet...why are you reading this review, go start the series!

Book links: Amazon, Goodreads
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Publisher: Page count: Formats:

Jonathan Maberry’s Red Empire is the fifteenth Joe Ledger novel and the fifth Rogue Team International book. At this point, the series is long enough that picking up a single entry without context is a bit like walking into season twelve of a TV show and hoping for the best. Maberry does try to make the story understandable on its own, but the emotional weight, the grudges, and half the revelations only really land if you’ve been here for the long haul.
I have. And that probably means I liked this book more than it objectively deserves.
We finally got the long-promised look into Mr. Church. For years he’s been the most mysterious person in the series - Ledger’s boss, puppet master, and occasional badass. Red Empire finally digs into who he is and where he came from. The answers are satisfying. Maberry reveals a lot, but leaves room for questions. The infamous cookie code, for example, remains unsolved. 
Also, the Red Order is back and that means things will spiral fast. These genetically altered vampire-like warriors take center stage again. Their return ties together a lot of old plot lines. It also allows Maberry to reach deep into history, jumping back to the Crusades and the Black Death. I loved the  historical sections that made a lot of things clearer. 
On the modern-day side, a weaponized version of the bubonic plague may wipe away humanity. Between that and the usual Joe Ledger combat scenes, this book gets very violent. Anyone squeamish should probably look elsewhere. Longtime readers already know the deal and enjoy brutal fights, ugly deaths, and the constant sense that no character is entirely safe.
And yes, some familiar faces die.
Maberry has been thinning the cast regularly for years. Fans are used to it, even if it still stings when it happens. The series has always balanced its action with the sense that these people matter to each other, and when one of them goes down it hurts.
The action itself is fast, loud, and relentless. The last third of the book in particular barely slows down. There’s a long siege inside a sealed London skyscraper where plague, terrorists, and Joe Ledger collide. It’s chaotic, tense, and a lot of fun to read.
After fifteen books, the characters feel like old teammates. Ledger’s grim humor still works. Havoc Team still operates like the world’s most dangerous family. And when Maberry throws them into chaos, it’s easy to get pulled along.
In the end, Red Empire isn't the tightest book in the series but it is one of the most revealing. It finally opens the door on Mr. Church’s past, pushes the Red Order storyline forward in a big way, and reminds readers why this series has lasted so long.

 

Read FBC's SPFBO11 First Update (Lukasz's batch)
Read FBC's SPFBO11 Second Update (Jack's batch)Read FBC's SPFBO11 Third Update (Mihir's batch)Watch FBC's SPFBO11 Fourth Update (Lisa's batch)

And here's our last update before we pick a finalist amongst five semi-finalists. Check Chels's thoughts on her batch and see who's her semi-finalist!

Book Review: The Caretaker by Marcus Kliewer

Buy a copy here - U.S | U.K.

Book links: Goodreads

BLURB: Follow the Rites...
Nothing less than the survival of humanity is at stake.

From Marcus Kliewer, a new “titan of the macabre and unsettling” (Erin A. Craig, #1 New York Times bestselling author), comes a supernatural horror about a young woman who accepts a caretaking job from Craigslist, only to discover the position has consequences far greater—and more dangerous—than she ever could have imagined.

EXCITING OPPORTUNITY:
Caretaker urgently needed. Three days of work. Competitive pay. Serious applicants ONLY.

Macy Mullins can’t say why the job posting grabbed her attention—it had the pull of a fisherman’s lure, barbed hook and all—vaguely ominous. But after an endless string of failed job interviews, she's not exactly in the position to be picky. She has rent to pay, groceries to buy, and a younger sister to provide for.

Besides, it’s only three days’ work…

Three days, cooped up in a stranger’s house, surrounded by Oregon Coast wilderness.

What starts as a peculiar side gig soon becomes a waking nightmare. An incomprehensible evil may dwell on this property—and Macy Mullins might just be the only thing standing between it, and the rest of humanity.

Follow the Rites...

Follow the Rites...

Follow the Rites...
AUTHOR: Marcus Kliewer is a writer and stop-motion animator. His debut novel We Used to Live Here began life as a serialized short story on Reddit, where it won the Scariest Story of 2021 award on the NoSleep forum. Film rights were snapped up by Netflix, and it was acquired by Simon & Schuster for publication even before it had been extended into a full-length novel. He lives in Vancouver, Canada.
Follow him on Instagram @marcus_kliewer for exclusive book updates / writing things / stop motion animation & a lot of pet videos.
Publisher: Atria Books  (April 21, 2026), Bantam (April 23, 2026)Page Count: 320 pagesFormats: hardcover, ebook, audio
REVIEW: I thought this was really clever.
It's one of those that does the jump scares well, and provides a compulsive story that gets more and more intense and heads to a bang of a finale. Before anything else though, be warned, it contains a protagonist who suffers from depression and has tendencies of suicidal ideation.
Macy has had a bad life so far, and there seems to be nothing bright lined up. She is unemployed, responsible for her younger sister after the unexpected death of their father, and everything she does only takes a turn for the worse. Until she finds a three day gig to take care of a huge mansion and follow strange rites to the T. The pay and bonus are unbelievable, so despite her sister's insistence to stay away, she accepts it.
The more I think about it, the more I think I like it. I want to say so much about this, but that will spoil it. It delivers well on the combination of horror with mental health. The main character can be annoying and seems to get more and more incompetent as the book progresses, which kind of is the point. It's a horrifyingly good metaphor for how downward spirals can be, when every action seems pointless and the only consistent feeling is that of being a failure.

After all, what is the more terrifying than your own mind working against you?

Book links:

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Publisher: Length: Formats:

Carrion Saints opens after the end of the world. The great cities are gone, only small towns, quiet hills, and monsters remain.

Crow is an immortal saint who looks like a monster and sometimes acts like one. She has wings, red eyes, and the weary patience of someone who has watched empires rise, fall, and rebrand. She arrives in a small village with a local monster problem. The monster, known as the Woman in the Hills, lives under a large magnolia tree and eats hunters. This arrangement has been going on for some time. The villagers are not thrilled, exactly, but they’ve adjusted. Crow has already fought so called Great Adversaries and so she accepts to slay the monster. The confrontation doesn’t go as planned.

Magnolia is a chatty severed head attached to a tree. She finds the one crack in Crow and pries it open. The dynamic between them works incredibly well. Magnolia chatters, taunts, philosophizes while Crow mostly endures. Sometimes she pushes back, but sometimes she can’t. She also wants to do the least harm possible, but the story keeps forcing her into situations where harm is unavoidable. 

I like Hiyodori’s writing, but sometimes I wish she condensed things more. There are long stretches of conversation between Crow and Magnolia that are conceptually interesting but start to circle the same ideas of power, choice, mortality, and what it means to be a saint. The philosophical back-and-forth feels overextended. 

The worldbuilding is intriguing but not fully explored. We hear about the other Great Adversaries, the long decline of the world, the strange ecology of monsters and saints. It’s compelling in outline, but much of it stays offstage. This keeps the story focused, which is good. It also makes the setting feel a touch abstract.

That said, the book makes two near-omnipotent beings arguing on a hill feel tense. Their conflict is about who understands the other’s weaknesses first. I’ll add that Magnolia is a great antagonist because she’s not frothing with rage. She’s amused. Curious. Almost affectionate in a warped way. Crow’s quiet fury and Magnolia’s gleeful prodding create a steady, uncomfortable tension. 

Emotionally, the book feels heavy. It’s about grief that never quite fades. About living so long that loss becomes sediment. If the book has a weakness, it’s that its pace can feel flat in the middle. The stakes are clear, but the story sometimes pauses to explain things rather than letting events reveal them. 

Overall, Carrion Saints is a strong Dark Fantasy that keeps things personal and intriguing throughout. It’s also my second book by Hiyodori and I’m becoming a fan.

 Buy The Fox and the Devil

FORMAT/INFO: The Fox and the Devil was published on March 10th, 2026. It is 368 pages long and available in hardcover, ebook, and audiobook formats.

OVERVIEW/ANALYSIS: Five years ago, Anneke's father Dr. Van Helsing was murdered by a mysterious woman. Anneke has been on the hunt ever since, using her skills as a detective to consult on unusual cases across Europe. And after five years, Anneke finally has a lead on her father's killer. Along with a crew of other unusual detectives, Anneke will need to figure out the method to the killer's madness so they can stop her once and for all. But when the killer makes the unusual move of leaving behind a letter for Anneke, the two find themselves drawn into a relationship that is far more than cat and mouse.

The Fox and the Devil is an engrossing supernatural murder mystery across Europe. I really liked watching the early 20th century methods of detective work, and watching our crew start to put together a profile of the killer. I like watching smart people do their thing, and in this, The Fox and the Devil succeeds. The growing shift towards treating the case as supernatural also happens well. Our characters are coming from a point of view of vampires and other such creatures are purely myth; but after a few incidents, they take the evidence that they have and realize that their killer may be something other than human.

Unfortunately, The Fox and the Devil also tries to be a dark love story and in that aspect, it fails. We are told from nearly page one that Anneke has an intense obsession with the killer that goes beyond a desire for revenge. It's very hard for me to get into relationships where I'm just told "these two people have a history and chemistry, go with it." As a result, the dark romance between Anneke and the killer Diavola just didn't land for me. I like watching the build up of a relationship, and short of that, I want to actually see some tension and chemistry. I didn't get that in this story.

On the whole, The Fox and the Devil works well as a supernatural tale, as a group of detectives slowly piece together that their killer is something inhuman. I enjoyed the globetrotting adventure and the mystery tale itself, even if I didn't love the central relationship.

 

Official Author Website
Buy Mushroom Blues over HERE
Mushroom Blues was Adrian M. Gibson's debut and FBC's SPFBOX Finalist, it was also the joint highest scorer of SPFBO 10. But that's not what we are here to reveal.
Thanks to Adrian, we are super thrilled to reveal the cover for the next Fungalverse story in the Hofmann Report series titled A MURDER MOST FUNGAL (releasing on 16th June 2026)
The brilliant & bloody art is by Katerina Belikova & cover design is done by Adrian himself:

Pre-order A Murder Most Fungal on Amazon
Add A Murder Most Fungal on Goodreads 
OFFICIAL BLURB: The knives are out in this fast-paced, standalone Fungalverse novel. Set several months after the events of Mushroom Blues, this side story combines the culinary wonder of Jiro Dreams of Sushi, the kitchen chaos of The Bear, and the explosive tension of Hong Kong crime thrillers.
In the aftermath of the “Fuyu Massacre,” riots and whispers of revolution continue to plague the Hōpponese capital of Neo Kinoko. As a result, the iron grip of a foreign military occupation tightens day by day. Amidst this, Pocho Jiro, a once-renowned makizushi chef, has chosen to cook for Duncan MacArthur—the Coprinian Military Governor in Hōppon—as his personal chef... and indentured servant.
A run-in with dangerous fungal gangsters sets off a chain of events that Pocho cannot escape from. He’s left with two choices: Assassinate MacArthur, or watch his beloved sister die in front of his eyes. Will Pocho take up his knife and prepare MacArthur’s final meal?
You can also view Katerina Belikova's spectacular art of the book in its full glory below:

Book links: Amazon, Goodreads

ABOUT THE AUTHORS: Douglas Preston is the author of forty books, both fiction and nonfiction, thirty-two of which have been New York Times bestsellers, with several reaching the number 1 position. He is the recipient of numerous writing awards in the US and Europe, including a shared Edgar Award and an honorary Doctor of Letters degree from Pomona College. From 2019 to 2023 he served as president of the Authors Guild, the nation's oldest and largest association of authors and journalists.

Lincoln Child is the co-author, with Douglas Preston, of such highly-acclaimed thrillers as CROOKED RIVER, OLD BONES, VERSES FOR THE DEAD, CABINET OF CURIOSITIES, and RELIC, the latter two of which were chosen by an NPR poll as among the 100 greatest thrillers ever written. He has also published seven thrillers of his own, most recently the Jeremy Logan books FULL WOLF MOON and THE FORGOTTEN ROOM. 26 of his joint and solo books have become bestsellers, 3 of which debuted at #1 on the New York Times list. He lives in Sarasota, Florida.

Publisher: Grand Central Publishing (January 27, 2026) Length: 384 p Formats: audiobook, ebook, paperback

I’ve been following this series for years, and I’m still eager to check a new Pendergast book out whenever it appears.

Pendergast: The Beginning isn’t a continuation of his latest adventures, but a prequel. Preston & Child go back to 1994 and watch Aloysius Pendergast start his FBI career in his hometown of New Orleans. He’s a rookie agent, and, as expected, already a problem for his superiors.
Pendergast’s new partner and mentor, Dwight Chambers, believes in procedure and paperwork. Pendergast believes in Pendergast. He goes undercover without clearing it and ignores protocol when it suits him. He also solves things no one else even sees.
They take the case of a corpse with its arm surgically removed. Soon there are more bodies and more missing arms. The case covers secret university experiments, psychic research, and a killer whose motives are rather peculiar.
For me, it was extremely fun. Pendergast himself is already fully formed. Pale, impeccably dressed, sharper than others. He’s also already driving his Rolls-Royce making Sherlock Holmes-level deductions while everyone else is still staring at the body. In other words, you won’t be getting a clumsy, uncertain young version of him. He arrives on the page exactly as we know him.
The villains lean toward the theatrical. The plot doesn’t try to be deep. You can often see where it’s heading, and while I guessed most of the turns, I didn’t mind.
If you’re already a fan, you’ll likely enjoy this return to the beginning. If you’re new, it’s an easy entry point since the end of the book leads directly to the events pictured in Relic 30 years ago.

 

FORMAT/INFO: The Book of Fallen Leaves was published by Orbit Books on March 17th, 2026. It is available in paperback, ebook, and audiobook formats.

OVERVIEW/ANALYSIS: Nearly two decades ago, the Gensei clan was nearly wiped out after their failed attempt at rebellion. Prince Sen, one of the only survivors, managed to barely escape due to the help of Rui and her peasant family. Now new tensions are stirring in the imperial court as two factions try to usurp power from the weak hold of the current emperor. Sen is soon forced to choose between remaining neutral with his adopted clan or joining an army intent on war and avenging the Gensei household. But the most pivotal person in the coming conflict may be the peasant Rui, who is slowly realizing that the gods are using her to enact schemes of their own.

The Book of Fallen Leaves makes a valiant attempt to be the next great dark political fantasy, but is just too slow and muddled to succeed. I usually avoid comparisons to Game of Thrones at all costs, as it is a highly overused comp, but you can definitely see the touchstones here. There's a huge cast of characters, multiple clans and vassal clans forming alliances and plotting betrayals, and a splash of mystical elements in the background. And when the story finally gets going in the back half of the book, a lot of those elements really clicked and came together.

Unfortunately, it takes a very long time to get there. The first half of the story spends a significant amount of time with Sen and Rui, two characters who I ultimately did not really care about. We spend a lot of time getting to know them as they go through a year of events, watching lots of angst as they grapple with their futures. We don't spend nearly enough time in the first half of the book with characters who are actually influencing the diplomacy and politics of the empire.

The writing style itself was very flowery. On the one hand, there were definitely some beautifully written sequences that painted the scene of the dawn on the day of a big battle or as a character is making a pivotal choice. On the other hand the prose tended to refer to characters indirectly, using titles or descriptions, or by having a character obliquely talk about them in reference to some past event. This all made it hard initially to understand the faction alliances, even with a hand character list at the front of the book.

I'm all for authors making me piece together a fantasy world through context, but understanding alliances and factions in a political fantasy is key to enjoying the story. If I can't track who is working with who (or supposed to be working with who) then the impact of the political maneuvering fails to land. Once I had untangled those threads, the story worked a lot better for me, but it took far too long to get there.

Lastly, the magical fantasy elements of the story were a bit haphazardly used. No one uses magic in this world; instead, there are gods and supernatural creatures that roam and have their own agendas. But after an initial intriguing opening chapter with such a creature, the supernatural elements vanish from most of the story. When they finally re-enter the scene, they talk in riddles and never give a direct answer, to the point that for some of these beings, I never figured out what their agenda was. At least one god had a use for Rui, but I honestly can't tell you if Rui fulfilled her destiny in this book, or if it's a reveal in the sequel.

At the end of the day, The Book of Fallen Leaves had a lot of potential, but just couldn't suck me in. I will say that the back half of the book was significantly more engaging than the beginning. By that point, however, my overall frustration couldn't be surmounted. I wish this was a story I wanted to recommend to people, but ultimately I can not.

 

Read FBC's SPFBO11 First Update (Lukasz's batch)
Read FBC's SPFBO11 Second Update (Jack's batch)

Aah SPFBO, we are back in a new time period for the start. I got my batch of six titles and I was off. With all six books, I read 20% of them before deciding whether to read each title in its entirety. For me, this time all six titles were very cool looking. Mine is the third batch to be read and you can read what Lukasz and Jack thought of their batches in the links above.

My thanks to all six authors for their submission and being brave to submit their babies for being reviewed by unknown people. It takes a special kind of mental fortitude to toil away in creating these stories and then setting them free into the world for being read and judged. I applaud you all.

So here are my thoughts on all of them:

Chalmach Chronicles by Torbjørn Øverland Amundsen – I started my SPFBO read with this book because I found the blurb to be very intriguing. In my previous years in SPFBO, I read a book like this, and I had enjoyed it immensely. The Chalmach Chronicles follows on in this manner, and I very much enjoyed it. Each story was a different one and highlighted the magic present within the world as well as the different aspects of the city. I really enjoyed how the author showcased the city’s geographical aspects within each story as it added to the story’s depth. The stories also reference characters from the other stories, and this adds to the plot depth.

Overall I would really recommend this book as I very much enjoyed it for its ingenuity, and I will be buying the sequel as well.

 

Night of The Illumination by Jacob Montanez – Night Of The Illumination is an epic fantasy that has dark edges and great prose. I enjoyed reading this book but had to DNF it around the 50% mark as the book’s pace had slowed down significantly. This book had a lot of epic feel to the main plot, it was also very dark. The world settings are constantly hinted at but never properly revealed

I think I wasn’t the right reader for this story. The writing style is very in-depth and while it isn’t the purple kind, it has beauty to it. Overall, this would be great for those who are looking for something different. Think along the lines of Mark Lawrence, Michael R. Fletcher and Brian Staveley, Jacob Montanez is a writer with a unique voice and style.

 

The Golden Scarab of Balihar by Michael Grayford – The Golden Scarab was a fun and fast read set in a world that’s reminiscent of South-West Asia. The writing was very succinct, and the pace of the story was smooth. Overall I enjoyed this story wherein the female MC uses her wits  and the world has a very Arabian nights feel. This story flowed quickly and was a bit predictable but that’s not a knock on the book or the author. The humour quotient especially with the Jinn is a solid factor for the enjoyment of the story and alongside the brilliant and plucky protagonist is a plus for the story. 

This is a good effort, and it's a fun twist on the Aladdin fable but it’s also geared for newer fantasy readers and older/experienced fantasy readers might not find anything new within bar the settings. I would easily see this story be in much demand for younger (tween and teenage) readers and would make a great animated show or movie. This 

 

The Dragon of the Dread Deep by C.D. McKenna – This was a book which I was most excited for as it featured nautical fantasy and pirates. I finished this book as quickly as I could as it featured dragon riders, action and magic. For me however, this book had a very slow start but the characters, especially the main protagonist Cassian was enticing enough for me to continue. As I read on, I realized this book while a standalone is set in the world of the Vorelian Saga books. There might have been nods to the main events but because I haven’t read those works, I couldn’t tell.

The story kicks into proper gear by the middle and from there it’s all about battles, treachery, dragon magic and being decent in a cutthroat world. I wouldn’t call this world grimdark but it occupies the space nicely between dark and grimdark fantasy. There’s not a lot of good people, just folks with various plans and agendas and some who are trying to do the decent thing. The world introduced within is a complicated one and for fans of high fantasy, will be very pleased.

The Dragon of the Dread Deep is a dark fantasy that explores how doing the right thing can lead to more problems. Full of magic, action, betrayals, TDOTDD is a book for those looking to get lost in a complex world.

 

The Sins of Steel and Shadow by Steve Pannett – The Sins of Steel & Shadow was another title which beguiled me with its blurb. This is a world wherein humans and vampires co-exist with simmering tensions and navigating these landmines is out protagonist Bail Neren. He is deemed a Turned, not entirely Vampyr but far away from a human. Hated by one and deemed lowly by other, Bail often stays in the shadows for his safety.

TSOSAS is a dark, gritty story with strong focus on characters.  For me, I enjoyed the slow reveal of the world, Bail’s cautious wanderings in the world and his alliances within the city. There’s a proper mystery afoot within the main plot and this book is very much for fans of Daniel Polansky and RJ Barker.

I had read the previous book by this author and while that was a western fantasy, this book was another different one. The mystery plot was nicely unveiled and the ending was a complete shocker for me. For readers who enjoy  character-driven stories, mixed in moral ambiguity, socio-political intrigue, and low fantasy settings, this book will be for you.

 

Throne of Darkness by Spencer Russell Smith – I’m going to say this right upfront this is one of the wildest fantasy books I’ve read since I started reading fantasy in 1999-2000. The prologue is like Wheel Of Time epic but juiced up with BSG SF richness.

There’s no way for me to describe it but to implore readers to just read and decide for themselves. This book is for lovers of Tolkien, Sanderson and Christopher Ruocchio, those worldbuilding gods whose skills leave us readers wowed. Spencer Russell Smith can easily labelled in their level as one can easily see in this book. Besides the worldbuilding, this book has a lot of characters and it is action-packed to its gills. The story while straightforward, does require a lot of attention as the author drops us into the world of Efruumani and handholds us while giving us all the details and intricacies of the system within (I very much was reminded of my first read of R. Scott Bakker’s The Darkness That Came Before)

For me, this was such a wild read, that I had no comparison for it. The writing does take a while to adjust to and the prose is kept steady because of the way the main story unfolds. I had to go with the flow a lot as I was trying to take in all the world info and story details. This wasn’t the most enjoyable way, but this story demanded as the main story occurs over the space of 4 days and some hours and it ends with an explosive resolution that’s buttressed with two epilogues. 

All I will say about Throne Of Darkness is that this book is unlike any that you have read before, and while it does have its shortcomings (prose, information overload), the story pace, worldbuilding and magic system (gem, metal based, and light enhanced) simply overpowers those flaws. This is one of those titles which will have its fans and detractors in equal order but it is a hidden gem and Spencer Russell Smith can be proud of what a unique story he has envisioned. Throne Of Darkness is a unique science-apocalpytic epic fantasy in a league of its own. Read it and find out where you stand in its wake.

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So after finishing my lot, I had a very heavy choice to make. There were four obvious titles which I read and while they challenged me, each of them was enjoyable in their own special way. So I would like to highlight these four titles and implore SPFBO readers to check them out as it’s only due to the nature of the competition that I must select one among these four:

1) Chalmach Chronicles

2) Throne of Darkness

3) The Dragon of the Dread Deep

4) The Sins of Steel and Shadow

 

For choosing my SPFBO semifinalist, it came down to my personal enjoyment as to which book provided a full story and had the least flaws. I must apologize to all the authors as I don’t mean to imply that there was anything wrong with their stories. In choosing one among these four, the remaining three aren’t unworthy. They would have been my top choice in any previous edition, and I hope readers do check them out irrespective of my choice below….

So, without any further waiting, my SPFBO semifinalist is

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The Sins of Steel and Shadow by Steve Pannett was the one book which I enjoyed the most and will be putting forward for my FBC co-judges to read in our quest to select a finalist. Many congratulations to Steve Pannett and my commiserations to all the authors in my lot of six. I want to thank you for allowing me to read your books and giving me an opportunity to provide my thoughts on them. 

Book links: Amazon, Goodreads
ABOUT AUTHORS: J.A.J. Minton is the pen name for Jakob, Amy, and John Minton, a family living in North Carolina. Together, they produce and host the YouTube channel, "Talking Story: A Fantastical Fiction Channel." Between them, they have lived nine lives in theatre, comic book retail, indie filmmaking, academia, undercover shopping, dog kennel cleaning, advertising copywriting, old-school video store management, and hot dog delivery for Harlan Ellison. This is their first book.
Publisher: Keyhole Books (May 15, 2025) Page Count: 461 pages Formats: audiobook, ebook, paperback

Discovery is an ambitious book and you notice that immediately. It opens big with strange forces moving pieces on a board humanity barely understands, Then it quickly shifts into newsroom, and later missing expeditions, and government secrecy. It’s juggling cosmic horror, conspiracy thriller, historical mystery, and character drama all at once.
Surprisingly, a lot of it works.
The mystery surrounding the Rosie expedition hooked me, fast. Something clearly went very wrong in the South Pacific, and the slow reveal through letters, tapes, and investigations kept things exciting. I also enjoyed the newsroom scenes. Nessa Decker is a good lead because she reacts how a reasonable person would - she’s cautious, skeptical, and trying to separate fact from spectacle while everything grows increasingly hard to explain.
The atmosphere is great, too. The horror always hangs in the background. Even when characters are just talking in offices or arguing over evidence, there’s an unease that something larger is already in motion.
That said, ambition sometimes works against the book.
The prose gets dense and performative, especially early on. Long monologues and stylized narration slow the pacing when the story would benefit from getting to the point faster. The cast is large, and while many characters are memorable, it takes time to understand who matters most. The shifting perspectives add scope, sure, but also feel unfocused. Just as you start to vibe with it, the book moves elsewhere. Eventually the pieces come together, but the middle stretch demands patience.
Tone is another mixed success. At times the book balances dark humor, horror, and thriller elements well. At other moments, the theatrical style feels excessive. The story clearly enjoys its own weirdness, which is part of the appeal, but it tends to lean a bit too hard into it.
Still, the central mystery remains compelling, the cosmic ideas are unsettling in a good way, and the gradual realization of what humanity may have uncovered gives the later sections weight. You start with a missing expedition. You end up asking much larger questions about knowledge, power, and whether some discoveries are survivable at all.
It’s uneven, but interestingly so. Even though I struggled in places, I’m glad I’ve read it.

 

Buy This Kingdom Will Not Kill Me
Read Mihir's Review!

FORMAT/INFO: This Kingdom Will Not Kill Me will be published by Tor Books on March 31st, 2026. It is 480 pages long and available in hardcover, ebook, and audiobook formats.

OVERVIEW/ANALYSIS: While waiting long years for the third and final book to come out in her favorite dark fantasy series, Maggie has had plenty of time to obsessively read the first two books in the trilogy. Which is why when she wakes up in an unfamiliar city, it doesn't take her long to realize she's in the world of Kair Toren - and the events of book one are just beginning to happen. With no clues as to how to return to her own world, Maggie decides she might as well try to help Kair Toren out and prevent a deadly civil war that will destroy the city and many of her favorite characters. Of course, Maggie's knowledge only helps her figure out things written in the books...and as she quickly remembers, this is a series with an unwritten ending....

This Kingdom Will Not Kill Me is a smart and engaging portal fantasy that grounds the story by taking the stakes of its fantasy world seriously. When we meet Maggie, she's been in Kair Toren for a few days, and has already come to terms with the fact that somehow, some way, she's in a fantasy setting, one that is every bit as brutal as it is portrayed in the book. Maggie doesn't try to carelessly pull shenanigans or run off to romance a tall dark handsome hero. Instead, she decides that if she accepts that this world and these people are real, then she has to do everything in her power to stop the deadly future that will destroy countless lives.

One thing I really liked about the approach to this story is that Maggie doesn't set herself up in the castle in the middle of the limelight. She decides to work from the shadows, hoping to nudge events while staying unnoticed. She rallies a crew, establishes some connections, and tries to become a credible source of information without drawing too much interest. In this game of intrigue, Maggie knows all the story threads; it's just a matter of figuring out which ones to pull.

There were a few times I felt like Maggie's "trick" of knowing things about people or events was a little overdone, occasionally making her feel like a one-trick pony as she rattles off another monologue detailing intimate knowledge of a character's backstory. But there's enough other things going on that those were minor bumps in the road. There's still so much skullduggery, blackmail, and tense negotiations that I frequently found myself forgetting that Maggie was from our world, until an occasional throwaway line would reference Netflix. It does genuinely feel like another gripping dark fantasy novel, which is key to making this story work.

The other slight hiccup was the romance subplot. While there were many parts of the romance in this book that I liked, it also started to veer into a trope that isn't my favorite. Time will tell how things play out in the long run, but I definitely preferred some sections over others.

(For those curious, this is a no spice story, and the romance subplot IS a subplot. This is not a fantasy romance.)

For a story featuring a protagonist who should know how everything is supposed to go, This Kingdom Will Not Kill Me had plenty of twists and turns. The more Maggie meddles, the more unexpected things become as events unfold differently. I have a feeling we'll be fairly off the rails when the second book comes around, and I am absolutely dying to see where things go.

 

Book links: Amazon, Goodreads
ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Mark Lawrence was born in Champaign-Urbana, Illinois, to British parents but moved to the UK at the age of one. After earning a PhD in mathematics at Imperial College London, he went back to the US to work on a variety of research projects, including the “Star Wars” missile-defense program. Since returning to the UK, he has worked mainly on image processing and decision/reasoning theory. He never had any ambition to be a writer, so he was very surprised when a half-hearted attempt to find an agent turned into a global publishing deal overnight. His first trilogy, The Broken Empire, has been universally acclaimed as a groundbreaking work of fantasy, and both Emperor of Thorns and The Liar’s Key have won the David Gemmell Legend Award for best fantasy novel. Mark is married, with four children, and lives in Bristol.
Publisher:Ace (March 24, 2026) Length: 416 pages Formats: all

I’ll read anything Mark Lawrence writes. This is partly loyalty, partly curiosity, and partly trust. Mark never writes the same book twice. His series always feel different from each other. Daughter of Crows might also have his best cover yet (which is impressive, given how good the Library trilogy looked). It’s also his best novel so far.
Now. I love The Book of the Ancestor with my whole heart, but this? This is bloody brilliant.
Rue is the reason. She is sharp, furious, stubborn, and held together by scars and bad memories. Fantasy rarely gives us elderly female leads, and almost never ones this dangerous or this compelling. I loved watching her limp, calculate, remember, and kill. The other half of fun is figuring out who she used to be.
The book runs on two timelines: present-day Rue hunting the mercenaries who destroyed her quiet life, and past Rue being forged into what she became. The past sections take us through a childhood that would make a nightmare ask for a night-light, and then to the Academy of Kindness - a school whose definition of kindness involves death rates. One hundred girls enter. Three leave. The rest, well, they contribute to the curriculum.
Interestingly, the past sections add backstory but also continue to reframe everything. The twists are all strong, starting early and tightening as the timelines converge. You can play detective if you want; the clues are there, but chances are just when you think you’ve solved it, another revelation will prove you were wrong.
I loved how Lawrence played with mythology here. Daughter of Crows incorporates a fascinating take on Furies, vengeance cults, divine bargains, and afterlife journeys. A heady mix, but it’s done well. The world runs on old laws, older gods, and the idea that justice and cruelty might be the same blade held at different angles. That theme shows up everywhere, from the Academy’s philosophy to Rue’s own moral math.
Daughter of Crows is dark. Children die. Mercy is rare and some scenes edge into horror. At times, it makes other grimdark novels look like they brought a candle. And yet the book still finds space for dry, perfectly timed humor. My favorite line comes when Rue considers bringing proof of her kills:
“She had considered bringing the heads from Debban's hut and tossing them before her when challenged, but the brothers had been balding beneath their caps, and heads without hair were awkward to carry.”
That line tells you everything about Rue. Practical. Violent. Mildly inconvenienced by logistics.
The story moves when it should and slows down only when it matters. The violence hits hard but never feels there just for shock value. The prose is sharp and purposeful. Lawrence always seems to know when to let a moment breathe and when to end it.
I finished it with one clear thought: I may have just found my favorite book of 2026. It’s going to take something extraordinary to beat it.