BLACK SALT QUEEN, non-Western woman-led fantasy for successful (self-)gifting

BLACK SALT QUEEN (Letters from Maynara #1)
SAMANTHA BANSIL
Bindery Books | Violetear (non-affiliate Bookshop.org link)
$3.99 ebook, available now

Rating: 4.75* of five

The Publisher Says: There can be no victory without betrayal.

Hara Duja Gatdula, queen of the island nation of Maynara, holds the divine power to move the earth. But her strength is failing and the line of succession gives her little comfort. Her heir, Laya, is a danger—a petty and passionate princess who wields the enormous power of the skies with fickle indifference. Circling the throne is Imeria Kulaw—the matriarch of a traitorous rival family who wields recklessly enhanced powers of her own—with designs to secure a high-ranking position for her son and claim the crown for her family. Each woman has a secret weakness—a lover, a heartbreak, a lie. But each is willing to pay the steepest price to bring down her rivals once and for all.

Filled with passion, romance, betrayal, and divine magic, Black Salt Queen journeys to a gorgeous precolonial island nation where women—and secrets—reign.

I RECEIVED A DRC FROM THE PUBLISHER VIA NETGALLEY. THANK YOU.

My Review: Filipina Author Bansil gives us a gorgeously written, beautifully described fantasy epic in a secondary world that feels fresh to me. I'm not the biggest reader of fantasy...I've lost fifty pounds!...but mostly it's because I am *mortally*tired* of Eurocentric settings that retell European history plus magic. I'm old, I studied history, I read about history, so I'm maybe a bit jaded because I read mostly European slants on the world's broad sweep of history. The problem with being an Anglophone reader is it has too little variety of subject and viewpoint. We need more translated non-fiction, fiction, trashy novels, sci fi...everything.

This book doesn't need to be translated, nor does it need to be viewed through any lens but that of fantasy worldbuilding. It's rooted in precolonial Philippine culture, adding fantasy elements; this is a part of world history I'll bet big money most of my fellow old white people have less knowledge of this cultural milieu than they do of Middle Earth...very few of y'all need any context to know who Bilbo, Frodo, Gandalf, Legolas are or represent.

Getting onto fantasy worlds requires investing into the worldbuilding required for you to feel mise-en-scène. When someone doesn't enjoy that process' iteration in a particular work, they call it "infodumping." The first third or so of this story is more worldbuilding and conflict-establishing narrative. I enjoyed it, though I know the pace suffers for its necessary thoroughness. (The drug, akin to Dune's spice, that enables the powerful to wield their powers, is more present than the powers themselves.) Shorthand available to Eurocentric story settings isn't ready to hand here.

My favorite quality of the story told here, first in a projected series that I very much want to happen, is that every power-wielding woman in this story is aware of her power's cost, to her and to those she uses it for and on. They are women, not girls learning the ropes as is so deeply, tediously common. They've ruled their world for a while, they're now being responsible and planning for the succession to power as they realize mortality is no longer distant. Imeria and Duja are shrewd, flawed people with many problems to solve, many characters to assess, many judgments to render. (Note to Duja: think twice about your idea of Laya.)

I would give the book all five stars but for the straight "romance" building up for Laya. It's not gonna work out, which is not my problem with it; it's that the two are waaay too young to be in this situation and Duja is, perhaps calculatedly, not helping Laya figure anything out. It's a niggle, really, because I can certainly see why this happens; it's just...well...to me, it's brutal to play with people you *can* help out.

So that's my missing quarter star explained. I think, on balance, I'd eagerly push this story at fantasy readers fourteen and up, slightly more to women than men. Any younger giftee whose taste you're passingly familiar with would be a good target for receiving one.

LIGHTFALL, starting a fantasy series featuring interestingly different vampires

LIGHTFALL (The Everlands Trilogy #1)
ED CROCKER
St. Martin's Press (non-affiliate Bookshop.org link)
$14.99 ebook, available now

Rating: 4* of five

The Publisher Says: An epic fantasy of vampires, werewolves and sorcerers, Lightfall is the debut novel of Ed Crocker, for fans of Jay Kristoff’s Empire of the Vampire and Richard Swan’s The Justice of Kings.

No humans here. Just immortals: their politics, their feuds—and their long buried secrets.

For centuries, vampires freely roamed the land until the Grays came out of nowhere, wiping out half the population in a night. The survivors fled to the last vampire city of First Light, where the rules are simple. If you’re poor, you drink weak blood. If you’re nobility, you get the good stuff. And you can never, ever leave.

Palace maid Sam has had enough of these rules, and she’s definitely had enough of cleaning the bedpans of the lords who enforce them. When the son of the city’s ruler is murdered and she finds the only clue to his death, she seizes the chance to blackmail her way into a better class and better blood. She falls in with the Leeches, a group of rebel maids who rein in the worst of the Lords. Soon she’s in league with a sorcerer whose deductive skills make up for his lack of magic, a deadly werewolf assassin and a countess who knows a city’s worth of secrets.

There’s just one problem. What began as a murder investigation has uncovered a vast conspiracy by the ruling elite, and now Sam must find the truth before she becomes another victim. If she can avoid getting murdered, she might just live forever.

I RECEIVED A DRC FROM THE PUBLISHER VIA NETGALLEY. THANK YOU.

My Review: Vampires without humans to prey on. An entire culture with interesting status systems and hierarchies, with clandestine power networks, with careful proscrpitions against naked greed. I who hate vampire stories salute you, Author Crocker, for using the creaky, worn-out leather of the ill-fitting shoes in a new way.

What works best for me is the alternating first-person PoV narration. It really gives Author Crocker's chops at atmospheric detail presentation a showcase. I wasn't surprised that this meant the book's very dialogue-heavy as a result. The details are there, but spoken. I was probably able to ignore my general vampire weariness because it's used as a quite effective anti-capitalist metaphor, for which *chef's kiss* Author Crocker. I presume his lifelong Mancunian residence coupled with his heritage there has inflected this attitude. Works for me. Sam's plucky working-class girl attitude was also deployed well as a lens through which she sees the world of First Light. We are not trapped in the C-suite, or the scullery, by Author Crocker's use of this round-robin of PoVs.

It felt to me as though the choice of vampires as the baddies was fairly...predictable, and the use of immortality as a placeholder for generational wealth was the driver of the choice. It works; it's got the virtue of clarity and immediate familiarity, but does not add to the novelty of the western-fantasy tropes of ruling elite skulduggery due to greed. There are werewolves and sorcerers in the mix as well, used for violence and for their dark-academia stranglehold on knowledge. These are all expected in a fantasy story. It made the reason there are no humans left in this world a very oddly remote-feeling bit of lore, not a visceral development of plot.

Not that it necessarily needed to be. It's been a long time since there were humans in this storyverse. I mention it because it is part of my larger sense of mild dissatisfaction with the story as told. That skulduggery I mentioned is all wrapped in the same sense of characters discussing things, not things happening. While puzzle-solving, such as Sam's efforts to fix blame for Lord Azzuri's son Red's murder, are best handled this way, it can become less effective when it is the central narrative strategy. It requires the occasional "as you know, Bob," trap to be fallen into. Sometimes the passive voice is necessary, but it always feels to me like a stage magician's patter...too obviously hiding something.

These are my crotchets and concerns. I'm not the world's most voracious fantasy-novel consumer. I'm at best a dilettante, so I could easily be very out-of-step with the main currents in the genre. I'll say that I did NOT like Jay Kristoff's series, and I did like this book, and I'll read the next one. Why, you ask, when I've just been moaning about so much of it? Because its real-world resonances resonate with me, because it is a well-thought-through world so easy to invest in, because the political/intrigue/conspiracy bits are very much my jam at this moment in history. I'll single out the mapmaker of the book for some appreciative praise: Including the map was a good call, and the way it's presented is excellent. It's a story I feel speaks of and in our historical passage. Because, most importantly of all, I liked the experience of reading it even while I saw its imperfections.

A bit like meeting someone special you can see yourself falling in love with, just not this very minute.

THE SECRETS OF ALABURG (Alaburg University #1) has maps and cool character art on its Ammy page!

THE SECRETS OF ALABURG (Alaburg University #1)
GREG WALTERS (tr. Patrick Moffatt)
Kindle edition (non-affiliate Amazon link)
$3.99, or free to read on Kindle Unlimited

Rating: 3* of five

The Publisher Says: A hideous beast with glowing red eyes ambushes Bryn on his way home through the forest. After a narrow escape, the sixteen-year-old must flee with his foster father Gerald to the only place that promises Âlaburg University, where humans, dwarves, elves, and orcs come together to study the Colors of Magic.

Bryn soon discovers he can use all three magical colors, which renders him powerful and dangerous at the same time. Will he learn to channel his powers with the help of his unlikely new friends and secure peace for the land, or will he become the one who spells out doom for the enlightened nations of Razuclan?

I RECEIVED A DRC FROM THE PUBLISHER VIA NETGALLEY. THANK YOU.

My Review: Aged-up wizarding school story but without the added transphobia that so appalls and offends me, though with forced heteronormativity...just let Bryn be a kid without a love interest!

That series wasn't the first iteration of the story, so no talk of "ripping off," please. In that case everyone owes the Mauschwitz people royalties for that revolting rodent's "The Sorcerer's Apprentice" bit in 1940's Fantasia. Or the composer, Paul Dukas, of that bit owes at least a nod to Goethe for the poem from 1797; which is a nod to Classical sources that likely derive from ancient Egyptian sources. This idea, laddies and gentlewomen, does not belong to, nor was it originated by, the transphobic Scottish woman.

Thank all those useless gods.

Okay, well, that's one hobbyhorse ridden. Now why did I give the read three stars? Simple. I'm tired of this story. Let this field lie fallow a few generations. The translator from the original German, Patrick Moffatt, did an okay job. I don't know what he had to work with, but it's pretty much all "low, green armchair"s and "dust dancing in golden light beam"s level stuff. It works; it's not clunky; but I remember no specific line at all.

So a serviceable read? Yep. I resent not one minute of those five hours. I don't think I'd say yes to a DRC of #2 in the series...just not that excited. The folks who love the special-orphan-learns-magical-truth books will eat it up with a spoon. On current evidence, that's a whole huge heap of y'all. PLUS there's seven of 'em and the series is completed!

I am not now, nor have I ever been, a massive fan of this plot. Earthsea thrilled me as a ten-year-old; the transphobic woman's book had to be read due to FOMO; other than that I'm a resolute take it or leave it guy fatigued into resistance by ubiquity. YMMV, and most likely will, so give it a whirl. It's low risk for these prices, and free on KU means you're really not risking anything except time.

SEEKER, the first book of The Sentinel Archives, indie fantasy novels with an edge

SEEKER (The Sentinel Archives #1)
SAMUEL GRIFFIN
Panthe Press (non-affiliate Amazon link)
$5.99 Kindle edition, available now

Rating: 3.75* of five

The Publisher Says: "Today I am equipped with the knowledge that my future was to be far greater, more exciting, and more disturbing than anything so simple as my young imagination could then conjure. Indeed, looking back, my forecast was positively quaint. I ask myself a question often, and it is this: if I had understood all that was to befall me, would I have run, that day, or exulted?

I find I do not know."

Ancient leviathans have stirred from their long slumber. Their scent song marks where they might be found but only to those who have the means to somewhat hear it: Sentinel Archivists.

Shay Bluefaltlow finds herself training to become such a specialist when she is forced into indentured servitude. Her new home, the city of Fivedock, is strange and unfamiliar, as are her new companions: a belligerent surgeon, a remarkable little boy, and a formidable Sentinel Archivist tasked with teaching Shay the terrifying ways of the trade.

Her unanticipated position requires rigorous training, diligent study and a strong constitution. Shay, afraid she is unequal to the prodigious task but desperate to impress her superior, struggles to prove herself.

When war breaks out across the Concord, the office of the Sentinel Archivist is threatened by a terrible betrayal. And Shay has secrets of her own.

Packed with era detail to bring the world to vivid life, realistic, but with strong fantastical elements, a rich regency voice, and a bewitching touch of strangeness, Seeker is an immersive first-person fantasy for adults.

Griffin does for regency era fantasy what Robin Hobb did for medieval: this isn’t just a fiction, this is a living and breathing world you dunk yourself in. An intimate journey with real characters. With incredibly accomplished, enchanting prose, and a beating heart of a story.

I RECEIVED A DRC FROM THE PUBLISHER VIA NETGALLEY. THANK YOU.

My Review: You like fantasy novels more than I do. I promise you this is true. So why did I get a DRC of this title?

To see if there are cracks in my walls of resistance. And, well, I like this novel just fine. The ideas don't cause me to roll my eyes...the worldbuilding, in other words, does iits job with reasonable facility...but neither did the idea of an orphan-special-chosen-one meets scoobygroup cause me to get all excited. Executed well, or I'd've made tracks for the door; still, not the most energizing choice for this fantasy agnostic.

The faux-archaic tone, for some reason, hit me the right way. I was surprised by this, honestly because I usually find it arch and/or tedious. Author Griffin did a good job finding a middle ground between those unpleasant poles. As a result, I really enjoyed the read.

It moves slowly. The first half of the book is just not paced correctly, in that there were many times scenes went on way too long, and I was sorely tempted to shut the Kindle and move on to other things. That I didn't is honestly a little miracle. The Archivists kept me going. I wanted to know what the heck this was all connected to. But keep in mind I'm not a fantasy-novel reader as a rule. Maybe you fantasy aficionados will respond differently. Those who like the trend towards library- and archive-centered stories could, in particular, find something special.

Why I think you should give it a chance really boils down to that. You read the genre? Read widely! Wider than usual, for you "high-fantasy" folks. Much on a par for those who loved Susanna Clarke's magisterial Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell. Magic and fantasy, books and lore, people and quests, just belong together. Come get some more.

THE STORMLESS SERIES: Stormless #1 & The Fire King #2

STORMLESS (Stormless #1)
NICK STITLE
Blazecrest Publishing (non-affiliate Amazon link)
$6.99 Kindle edition,available now

Rating: 3.5* of five

The Publisher Says: The world you are about to enter is very different from the one you know.

Auris is a place of storms and chaos where seven violent Tempests rule the land, wreaking havoc across the continent. Only the Summoners, bearers of powers not unlike those of the divine Tempests themselves, have the strength to stand against the tyranny of the storms. Society depends upon the enigmatic Summoner-empowering Crystals for survival... Yet when a Summoner bearing powers that should not exist appears on Arvendon’s doorstep, the world begins spiraling into chaos.

Castien Varic, a common soldier, finds himself in the throes of a coming war. He embarks on a mission with the most legendary of Auris’s Summoners, hoping to discover the truth behind the resurfacing of the Ancient Summoner.

Faelyn Titansworn, heir to the largest of Auris’s empires and one of the most powerful Summoners in the world, finds himself lost in his father’s shadow. When a conspiracy threatens to destroy all that he knows and loves, Faelyn takes it upon himself to save not just his kingdom, but all of Auris.

Asteros Silverglade bears the powers of a god. Two years in the past, he, along with five others of his Sect, uncover the hidden secrets that the world has tried to erase. Yet they soon learn that the mysteries of the baffling event known as the Vanishing—the war that somehow caused over half of Auris’s Summoners to disappear without a trace—run far deeper than they could’ve ever imagined.

These three heroes walk the threads of fate, together weaving an epic tale of magic, war, love, and loss. Together these individuals will forever change Auris’s future. Empires will shatter, Tempests will be Unbound, but destiny will prevail as these heroes face their fated ends.

This is Stormless.

I RECEIVED A DRC FROM THE PUBLISHER VIA NETGALLEY. THANK YOU.

My Review: First novels usually have issues...this one has mostly fantasy-novel ones. Male characters predominate, and they are the ones we get to know. The female characters, therefore, are there to dress the stage up for the males...sadly all too typical in most genres, especially Chosen One fantasy narratives like this. The author, as a counterweight to this, understands pacing quite well. He uses the templates of fantasy that are well known and well developed. This is not a knock, since there really is little reason to mess with a generations-old template unless you have to. Many others do not bother to do so, and they have far less command of their material than Author Stitle does.

And now a word about our author: He is all of seventeen. For someone that age to have the fluency and the grasp of the mechanics of storytelling that he does is *remarkable*. If you need a good reason to read this particular fantasy novel, there it is. Will you come away from the read enlightened and changed by the power of the storytelling? No. Will you be entertained for the trip you take with these dudebros through Auris?

Fantasy fans surely will. I came to this read expecting to be annoyed and frustrated, but willing to try because someone seventeen does not lightly just write a novel. I was ready to applaud him for doing this difficult task, but criticize his output. Here I am, not his natural reader, saying you should give this book your time.

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

THE FIRE KING (Stormless #2)
NICK STITLE
Blazecrest Publishing (non-affiliate Amazon link)
$6.99 Kindle edition, available now

Rating: 3.5* of five

The Publisher Says: Immediately following the shocking events of the Solstice, Castien Varic finds himself forced to leave his home city for good. With an unlikely team, Castien sets off for the city of Celes, hoping to find an explanation for Ilyana’s betrayal.

Arvendon’s crown falls to a grieving Faelyn Titansworn as the young king grapples with his father’s death. At the guidance of the treacherous Illusomancer Eithor, Faelyn travels to Cyfalion in a misguided attempt at revenge.

Finally, the Emissary shows Asteros Silverglade the secret histories of Auris, revealing that there is far more to the continent’s past than Asteros had believed.

The Fire King brings the Stormless Series to new heights, elevating the stakes and bringing Auris to life like never before. Surprising twists and riveting action sequences build toward two spectacular battles involving all of Auris’s greatest forces. The world of Stormless will evolve in unimaginable ways, forever changing the rest of the series.

This is The Fire King

I RECEIVED A DRC FROM THE PUBLISHER VIA NETGALLEY. THANK YOU.

My Review: Literally picks up where the previous book leaves off. Feels more like one long book simply cut in half, in which case I say good decision! This afforded me the chance to rest between battles. This is a thing that the characters get little chance to do.

We are still within the male-dominated narrative of Western European high fantasys Chosen One plot. Betrayal, sadness, and loss are the dominant modes for most of the book. I think it bears repeating that Author Stitle is a seventeen-year-old writing sensitively and well about heavy, hard topics that many much older can do less with than he does. This is very impressive inner-directed writing, given the general trope of fantasy for tormented heroes. These men grieve realistically.

Still fully within genre conventions, though. Nothing breaks the mold...but it does not need to when it is molded so well.

A new fantasy author is born. Try him out.