Book Reviews
Fantasy Book Reviews
Reviews of current and classic fantasy books geared more toward adults. While I try not to give away all of the surprises, fantasy book reviews will include major plot points as well as advisories concerning graphic violence, explicit sexual content, and violence of a sexual nature which might be a trigger experience for certain readers. I will be reviewing both traditionally published and self-published fantasy novels, series, and short stories. The Rating System
My rating system is based on five possible stars. Content will receive a G, PG, PG-13, or an R. For example, the first book of the Harry Potter series (yes, I know it's young adult but it works for this example) would receive four stars (those first couple of chapters dragged horribly). It would receive a content rating of PG for mild violence and potentially frightening content — I mean who didn’t gasp when Professor Quirrel turned around and Voldemort was on the back of his head? In contrast, the first book in the Game of Thrones series would receive five stars. It would receive a content rating of R for extensive graphic violence, explicit sexual content, and sexual violence.
Romance fantasy reviews will receive similar designations, potentially even an NSFW label so you may identify any popular or best-selling works to avoid if you are reading to your children. While we are not prudes, some books are meant for adults and we believe in preserving the innocence of childhood for as long as possible. Please let me know if you think I've missed the mark on any of your favorite fantasy novels.
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The Black Company – Fantasy Book Review
Alchemical Words reviews the epic military fantasy, The Black Company by Glen Cook I decided to expand my fantasy books reading list reading, including fantasy books that I might not normally choose. I’ve spent hours scouring the net for lists of Top 10 Fantasy Books, Top 25 Fantasy Books, Best Fantasy Books of All Time… You get the idea. I’m sure a lot of you have done similar searches in the past or, who knows, you may be searching for a new read right now. One series of books that seems to pop up on almost everyone’s list is the Black Company books by Glen Cook. I checked on BestFantasyBooks.com…
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The Viscount’s Son – Fantasy Book Review
Alchemical Words reviews the paranormal fantasy book: The Viscount’s Son by author Aderyn Wood I just finished a reread of The Wheel of Time series (Yep. The whole thing. All 4+ million words of it. It’ll take me a while to do those fantasy books reviews) and was looking for a literary palate cleanser. I was looking for a read that was in a different genre, something that I could finish in a sitting or two. Maybe something a little dark, tart or spicy. I came across a novella, The Viscount’s Son by Aderyn Wood. I borrowed the Amazon Book description: ‘The Viscount’s Son’ is a fictional blog that tells…
