Book Review Books General Fiction SCIENCE FICTION - DYSTOPIAN / CYBERPUNK / POST-APOCALYPTIC SCIENCE FICTION - SPACE OPERA / GALACTIC Sword & Sorcery Fantasy

“Ghost of Kotoama” by J. Von Swan

Baldur Sigurdson, the Wolf of Vanaheim (as others have named him), is leading a more settled life when we catch up to him in the second book of The Wolf of Vanaheim series. After saving his world using (ahem) controversial tactics, we find him at the beginning of Ghost of Kotoama serving as the head of the security detail for the stunning diplomatic envoy, Freyja. It seems he’s left his pirate-style tactics behind him in favor of a more civilized approach. Fear not; this Wolf may currently be wearing a tuxedo and appearing like he’s listening to his master. It’s just sheepskin. He’s still the same feral brute we’ve come to love and appreciate.

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Book Review Books Dragons & Mythical Creatures FANTASY - EPIC / HIGH FANTASY General Fiction Military

“Jubrozan Dragon Riders” by Karen L. West

I don’t remember ever seeing a cover for what is obviously a dragon-rider fantasy that also features a K-9 before. I’ll admit: it completely grabbed my attention, and when I read the blurb, I knew I was in for this story. I love a good story about a damaged war vet and his or her often equally damaged K-9 partner. There are several good ones out there, and I’m pretty sure I’ve hit them all. But none of the others were based on the concept of a 75-year-old veteran dying in the VA Hospital only to wake up on a different planet with her former K-9 partner and a race of dragon riders doomed to extinction without her intervention. That’s the concept behind Karen L. West’s Jubrozan Dragon Riders.

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Book Review Books General Fiction Mythological Fantasy YOUNG ADULT FICTION

“Heir of the Otherworld” by L.E. DeLano

Heir of the Otherworld by L.E. DeLano is a Teen and YA fantasy story that follows Rosaleen, the half-human daughter of the Morrigan, the Irish goddess of death and battle. She can see and talk to spirits of the dead. She spends time training, traveling, and living between the world of the living and the dead, while secretly longing for a normal teenage life. With Samhain approaching, the Morrigan prepares her for an important journey through a thin place. The arrival of Brin, an ancient spirit later revealed to be a battle-blessed warrior, may provide the guide they have been searching for. But the ultimate question may lead readers to ponder what all this means.

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