Category: Serena’s Reviews

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Book: “The Devils” by Joe Abercrombie

Publishing Info: Tor Books, May 2025

Where Did I Get this Book: ARC from the publisher!

Where Can You Get this Book: WorldCat.org | Amazon | IndieBound

Book Description: Holy work sometimes requires unholy deeds.

Brother Diaz has been summoned to the Sacred City, where he is certain a commendation and grand holy assignment awaits him. But his new flock is made up of unrepentant murderers, practitioners of ghastly magic, and outright monsters. The mission he is tasked with will require bloody measures from them all in order to achieve its righteous ends.

Elves lurk at our borders and hunger for our flesh, while greedy princes care for nothing but their own ambitions and comfort. With a hellish journey before him, it’s a good thing Brother Diaz has the devils on his side

Review: I’m one of those rare modern fantasy readers who HASN’T already read a Joe Abercrombie book it seems. But rather than start with one of his trilogies, I was excited to see that he was releasing a new book/series this spring, thus giving me a great entry point!

I’m on the record with how difficult I believe it is to write ensemble casts in these sorts of books. Nailing down one unique character with a compelling arc and clear point of view is difficult enough. Now do it multiple times! But here Abercrombie illustrates how well a properly portrayed and established ensemble can elevate a fairly simple story to something much more! At its core, this is a fairly standard questing fantasy, with our group travelling the continent to reach a defined point, meeting enemies along the way. What carries it, however, is this amazing group of characters who make up our little troupe.

The simplest way to put it, perhaps, is this is essentially the epic fantasy version of “Suicide Squad.” Not all of our characters are outright villains, but many of them have some level of darkness to their past. By slowly adding layers to these characters, the author neatly side steps the pitfall of these characters falling into overt fantasy stereotypes. Something that would be all too easy when you have a cast made of up werewolves, elves, undying knights, vampires, snarky thieves, etc. All the good stuff us fantasy readers are all too familiar with! However, here, each goes beyond many of the initial assumptions brought in by the sort of fantasy creatures/characters they are.

Our werewolf is a Viking who relies on her poor memory to cope with the death of her friends, often at her own hands. Our elf is just misunderstood, her ability to turn invisible mirroring how she feels in the group itself. Our sorcerer, ahem, “magician” just wants out of this whole freak show, sure that he is more powerful than everyone around him. And, of course, our thief is a con artist now caught up in a con that has gotten out of control! That’s only touching on some members of the cast! Throughout it all, whenever it felt like the characters were getting a bit lost in the extreme violence on the page or even some of the humor, Abercrombie always managed to pull it back to a humanizing moment, dealing with themes regarding penitence, grief, and what we owe one another.

Speaking of violence and humor, as I said, I haven’t read this author’s work before, but I do know that he is known for his dark fantasy. So I went in with an expectation of reading a grimdark fantasy novel, even though those are not necessarily my favorite of the fantasy subgenres. However, I wasn’t expecting just how funny this book was! Even in the midst of some of the most gruesome fight scenes that I’ve come across, I often found myself chuckling out loud. I will say that while most of the humor hit home for me, I did find a bit too much emphasis on bodily function humor. Perhaps this just comes from living in a household with three boys (my husband and two sons), but I only have so much tolerance or interest in reading jokes about farts, even if they’re incredibly well written.

Overall, I really loved this book! It was action-packed, hilarious, and full of a cast of characters of which I could never quite settle on a favorite! It’s truly a testament of the author’s steadiness at the wheel when I was only ever excited to see what the next character had to say! It’s hard to remember a book where I didn’t have at least one dud POV character. But here, they were all excellent! If I had to pick favorites, perhaps Vigga (werewolf) and Balthazar (sorcerer/magician) might come out on top. But honestly, they were all great. If you enjoy epic fantasy, definitely give this one a shot! I will only warn that it is definitely high on the violence, but I think the excellent humor balances this out well.

Rating 9: How to write “grimdark fantasy” without all of the “grim.” Abercrombie hits it out of the park with this one!

Reader’s Advisory:

“The Devils” can be found on this Goodreads list: 2025 Adult Fantasy & Science Fiction.

This post may contain affiliate links for books we recommend.  Read the full disclosure here.

Book: “A Letter from the Lonesome Shore” by Sylvie Cathrall

Publishing Info: Orbit, May 2025

Where Did I Get this Book: Netgalley!

Where Can You Get this Book: WorldCat.org | Amazon | IndieBound

Book Description: Former correspondents E. and Henerey, accustomed to loving each other from afar, did not anticipate continuing their courtship in an enigmatic underwater city. When their journey through the Structure in E.’s garden strands them in a peculiar society preoccupied with the pleasures and perils of knowledge, E. and Henerey come to accept – and, more surprisingly still, embrace – the fact that they may never return home.

A year and a half later, Sophy and Vyerin finally discover one of the elusive Entries that will help them seek their siblings. As the group’s efforts bring them closer to E. and Henerey, an ancient, cosmic threat also draws near. . .

Previously Reviewed: “A Letter to the Luminous Deep”

Review: While I didn’t end up enjoying this one quite as much as the first, I’ll say at the start that, all things considered, this is a wildly creative and beautiful duology! It’s especially successful in its depictions of anxiety and mental health, as well as its use of “historical” or “academic” language.

This book picks up pretty much right where the previous one left off. But unlike the first one, which slowly built to its action, this one came in hot right from the start! Immediately, we begin uncovering so many new layers of history and magic that make up this world. Like E. and Henerey, the reader is left trying to piece together what exactly is going on, always just on the cusp of understanding, without being able to put the entire puzzle together until the end of the book. I had a few theories here and there, but not only was I wildly off base most of the time, but I never even got close to guessing how things would finally wrap up!

I also continued to greatly enjoy all four of the main characters. As I referenced above, this book stands out for its incredible representation of mental health and struggles with anxiety. E.’s journey is one of self-discovery, self-acceptance, and coming into her own, compete with her unique strengths! Her struggles were never hand-waved away, but they also didn’t define her. And E. herself had much to say when others began seeing her only through this lens. It was honestly refreshing. I feel like I’ve read a number of books that have attempted to tackle mental health, chronic pain, or similar struggles. But too often authors seem to create characters whose only personality or sense of self is completely wrapped up in this one aspect of themselves. E. acknowledges and explains her own limitations, but we also see her continue to push her own boundaries, always trying to find new ways to follow her passions and dreams.

I also really enjoyed the continued romance between E. and Henerey. This is the kind of cozy fantasy that I enjoy. It’s soft, quiet, and respectful. But it also wasn’t dull, without exhaustive details about mundane everyday events. Theirs is an untraditional love story, but it was all the more beautiful for it!

I also continued to love the writing style of this book! As a lover of historical fiction, I’m always drawn to this sort of verbose style, full of long, complicated sentences and large vocabularies. I also think the use of the epistolary style works really well. The action is definitely on the slow side, but by telling the story in this format, the author was able to set out little clues that the reader would have to then wait to put together as more information was slowly doled out via various other letters or journal entries.

I will say, however, that this book didn’t quite reach the highs of the first book. I enjoyed all the reveals about the greater reality of these characters’ world and histories, but because this information didn’t come until the very end, the reader has to live with a lot of questions for the majority of the story. The pacing was also a bit too slow towards the middle of the book. I was invested enough in the characters and the writing itself to be carried through this lull fairly easily, but it was a notable difference between this one and the first, which was so tightly paced.

Overall, this was a fantastic sequel! So many mysteries were explored and revealed, and the duology concluded in a way that I truly could never have predicted. If you enjoyed the first book, definitely give this one a go! And if you’re a fan of cozy fantasy and enjoy a historical-feeling writing style, this is definitely the duology for you!

Rating 8: Pure whimsy and lyricism, with a lovely understated love story at its heart!

Reader’s Advisory:

“A Letter from a Lonesome Shore” can be found on these Goodreads lists: 2025 Adult Fantasy & Science Fiction and Regency Fantasy.

This post may contain affiliate links for books we recommend.  Read the full disclosure here.

Book: “Anji Kills a King” by Evan Keikam

Publishing Info: Tor Books, May 2025

Where Did I Get this Book: ARC from the publisher!

Where Can You Get this Book: WorldCat.org | Amazon | IndieBound

Book Description: Anji works as a castle servant, cleaning laundry for a king she hates. So when a rare opportunity presents itself, she seizes the chance to cut his throat. Then she runs for her life. In her wake, the kingdom is thrown into disarray, while a bounty bigger than anyone could imagine lands on her head.

On her heels are the fabled mercenaries of the Menagerie, whose animal-shaped masks are magical relics rumored to give them superhuman powers. It’s the Hawk who finds Anji a surly, aging swordswoman who has her own reasons for keeping Anji alive and out of the hands of her fellow bounty hunters, if only long enough to collect the reward herself.

With the rest of the Menagerie on their trail, so begins an alliance as tenuous as it is temporary—and a race against death that will decide Anji’s fate, and may change the course of a kingdom.

Review: While I enjoy fantasy romance, I also really love epic fantasy, so I was excited when I saw Tor coming out with this debut fantasy novel. It sounded like an odd mix of classic fantasy tropes (a quest-based story featuring various monsters/challenges along the way) paired with a bit of wackiness (that mostly came from this cover, which I like, but is definitely unique!) And honestly, those impressions were pretty spot on!

The story definitely strikes an interesting tone. The world itself is violent, grim, and full of danger. But at the same time, there is a comedic dash to much of the writing, giving the entire thing a strange feeling of chuckling through horror. To speak further to the grimdark nature of the story, in many ways the story highlighted the often understated discomfort and misery that would accompany quests like this. Our characters spend the majority of their time freezing, tired, and often underfed. Nothing about this sounds like a good time. There are no grand shots of a line of characters making their way through majestic mountain-scapes. Instead, it is much more realistic portrayal of the sheer misery that would make up much of a journey like this.

On top of that, the story doesn’t shy away from darkness. No character is safe from horrible outcomes, so definitely don’t go into this one with any expectations of invisible safety nets around main characters, animals, or children. There was crying, I’ll say that much.

But, again, this story isn’t just a slog of depression. For one thing, the action and pacing was nonstop, so even if dark things were happening on the page, everything was moving along so fast that the reader is already swept into the middle of another action set piece before they’ve had a chance to truly feel the effects of the previous scene’s action. On top of that, our main character and secondary main character were so strong that they easily balanced out some of the rougher bits of grimdark action (this last point is a preference thing to some extent, as grimdark has never been my favorite subgenre in fantasy fiction, but is very popular on its own for other readers!)

Anji was fantastic. Here is a character who truly embodies the concept of “too stubborn to die.” The world kicks her down about a million times, and yet she keeps fighting, even in the face of odds that are severely stacked against her. Hers is also a story of confronting the realities of the world and the trade offs found in every decision, even if it was the right one at the moment.

Anji’s impulsivity and, to a weird extent, naivety about the world is balanced by the Hawk, the legendary warrior tasked with bringing Anji to justice for her crime of killing the king. As the story unravels, we learn more about the Hawk’s background and her own complicated moral code. Here, again, is a imperfect character who is living with the results of her choices. Dealing with the consequences of one’s choices and actions, be those known or unknown consequences, was a big theme of the book, and I think the author did a great job of mostly presenting questions to the reader, without preaching any simplistic answers. Instead, the reader is left to grapple with the fact that sometimes there are no fully “good” answers to the problems of the world.

Overall, this was a fantastic read! There are definitely elements of the story that will be familiar to epic fantasy fans, but everything is tied together so well as to make the entire thing feel like a breath of fresh air. And, like I said before, the odd balance in tone between incredibly grim events alongside a more light style of storytelling made for a very unique-feeling read. I definitely recommend this one to epic fantasy fans!

Rating 9: An incredible debut and a breath of fresh air to epic fantasy fiction!

Reader’s Advisory:

“Anji Kills a King” can be found on this Goodreads list: Can’t Wait Sci-Fi/Fantasy of 2025

This post may contain affiliate links for books we recommend.  Read the full disclosure here.

Book: “Labyrinth’s Heart” by M. A. Carrick

Publishing Info: Orbit, Aug. 2023

Where Did I Get this Book: from the publisher!

Where Can You Get this Book: WorldCat.org | Amazon | IndieBound

Book Description: Ren came to Nadežra with a plan. She would pose as the long-lost daughter of the noble house Traementis. She would secure a fortune for herself and her sister. And she would vanish without a backward glance. She ought to have known that in the city of dreams, nothing is ever so simple.

Now, she is Ren, con-artist and thief. But she is also Renata, the celebrated Traementis heir. She is Arenza, the mysterious pattern-reader and political rebel. And she is the Black Rose, a vigilante who fights alongside the legendary Rook. 

Even with the help of Grey Serrado and Derossi Vargo, it is too many masks for one person to wear. And as the dark magic the three of them helped unleash builds to storm that could tear the very fabric of the city apart, it’s only a matter of time before one of the masks slips—and everything comes crashing down around them.

Previously Reviewed: “The Mask of Mirrors” and “The Liar’s Knot”

Review: This will be another tough review to write, but for different reasons than I usually experience. I’ve absolutely loved this trilogy so far. In hindsight, I almost want to go back and give both of the other books 10 ratings! They’re the kind of stories that have characters who stick with you, popping up in my mind long after I’ve turned the last page. So it’s a weird situation to now finish up the trilogy and…just like it, not adore it! The struggle in writing up my thoughts, then, is that I may come across as more critical than the book deserves on its own merits. It’s still an excellent book in the end!

I’ll start with the unequivocal good parts. The writing. Across the board, all three books have been so incredibly well written. Natural dialogue, vivid descriptions, and a steady hand at the wheel throughout, never losing a sense of tone or place, even while balancing a million characters, cultures, and magic systems. It’s even more impressive that two authors worked together to write this! It’s absolutely seamless, and I have to wonder how they even pulled it off.

Beyond that, the world-building continues to impress. This is a fully-formed world, complete with various cultures and peoples, all with long histories that we see impacting the choices made today. Further, there are no purely good or purely evil sides to many of the complicated situations that arise. The authors carefully navigate the concepts of necessary revolution while equally condemning wanton violence or the easy slip into simply swapping positions, leaving the wrong-doing still present, if now in different hands. Extremism is rightfully identified and denounced, no matter the histories involved, and instead a focus on working together and living alongside those who are different is clearly emphasized.

The story also started out just as strong as the rest. Indeed, for the first third of the book, I was convinced that this would also end up as a 9 or 10 level read for me. This section had all the hallmarks of what I loved from the first two books: a clever Ren, a morally grey Vargo, and an emphasis on characterization, giving the reader ample opportunity to see even small moments play out between all the characters we’ve come to love so thoroughly. It was only as the book continued that I began to have problems, and it really came down to two things: Ren’s character arc (to lesser extent, Vargo as well), and the attempt to wrap up every loose thread.

To tackle the characters stuff first, while the story started out strong, character-wise, as we got more into the thick of the resolutions to the various plot lines, the characterization began to fall through the cracks. I remember mentioning in my review of the second book that I was beginning to have minor quibbles with the character arch of Ren and Vargo, both having to do with the wavering of their characterization from the first book. Unfortunately, that was doubled-down on here. For his part, Vargo pretty much lost all of his moral ambiguity, instead reacting with nothing but love and understanding to almost every reveal sent his way. Which, sure, I want him to get all the found family connections he ultimately ends up with, but it was all just so…easy, no conflict to speak of.

For her part, Ren became the most special of all the special snowflakes by the end of this book. She was still a well-written character, unlike many characters who end up with this nickname given to them, but the problem remained. By the end of the book, a character joking introduces her listing off all the unique, important roles that she now inhabits. And while it’s played for laughs, it also unintentionally highlights the problem. Ren was at her best when she was a con woman, deftly navigating numerous roles and goals while also trying to balance the deeper feelings and connections she was developing with those around her. Here, after that first third of the book is done, we pretty much lose all of the cleverness or greyness of this character. Again, someone makes a joke at one point that Ren “saves the world through talking.” And it’s true! And that’s bad!! Especially because, for a character like Ren, if she was going to solve problems through talking, it should be through clever manipulation and schemes. Instead, the book devolves into numerous speeches about togetherness and understanding that miraculously solve pretty much every problem or conflict.

Further, some of the joy of the first two books was seeing Ren slowly learn to expand her understanding of family to characters like Vargo, Grey and the Traementis family. Well, here, that’s all blown out of the water by the absolute deluge of family units Ren finds herself apart of. The reason the ties between Ren, Vargo, Grey, and Traementis family worked was due to the sheer amount of page time devoted to developing them. These later connections don’t have that and also worked against these established characters, as we spent less time between the ones we care about, as Ren was overrun by the various family groups that now surround her.

And lastly, this book suffers from a severe case of “Return of the King” syndrome. You know what I’m talking about: a story that ends up with numerous, seemingly endless, endings. And here, it feels like the endings start up near the half way point! There was a lot that needed to be wrapped up in this book already. But the authors didn’t help themselves by adding new characters and new histories on top of what they already had to deal with.

Beyond that, there seemed to be an almost compulsive need to wrap up every ill that ever befell this world. And look, I don’t love grimdark fantasy, and I honestly think that the fantasy genre as a whole, and particularly epic fantasy, needs to come out of the haze inflicted upon it by “Game of Thrones,” the idea that a fantasy story isn’t “serious” if it isn’t full of horribleness and tragedy. So I applaud the authors for proving that this needn’t be the case.

Unfortunately, it feels like they went too far in the other direction! The main plots lines being wrapped up well? Great! But then it began to feel as if every character was being neatly paired up, every historical ill-doing was magically made right, and any point of character conflict was easily resolved with a few short words and a hug. And the magic system was totally abused in the service of this goal! Need some past wrong figured out? Something something magic! It all began to feel like too much. And with everything so, SO neatly resolved, it started to feel unrealistic, undercutting the real pain and heartache that was at the heart of all of the characters’ motivation, up to this point.

I think one of the strangest take aways from this book was the feeling that it was both too long and too short. Too long, because numerous scenes and plot points didn’t seem to go anywhere and could have easily been lifted (even while keeping the strong scenes between members of the core cast!). And too short because a full half of the book had to be devoted to wrapping up the entire trilogy with ending after ending coming in quick succession. Instead, had this been split into two books, some of these ending could have been dealt with in one book, leaving the others to the final book.

Wow, so this ended up being way longer than I had intended, but it turns out I had a lot to say! Overall, however, I still loved Ren, Grey, and Vargo. The love story between Grey and Ren is one of my favorites in a long time, and the writing across the entire trilogy was excellent. This one may trip a bit at the end, but it by no means undercuts the strength of the entire trilogy and my emphatic recommendation of it to all fantasy fans!

Rating 8: Too many endings and some wobbly characterization brought this one down a bit, but it was still a satisfying conclusion to an excellent trilogy!

Reader’s Advisory:

“Labyrinth’s Heart” can be found on these Goodreads lists: Renaissance and Tudor Fantasy and Genius Protagonists ( who DEMONSTRATE actual thinking in intricate plots).