A Snake Among Swans is a tough novel for me to rate. With Godkiller, also written by Hannah Kaner, being one of my favorite fantasy novels ever, my expectations were high for a new world and cast of characters from the same author. Like Godkiller, A Snake Among Swans has a complex cast of characters with differing motives, an interesting enough magic system, and a high stakes political setting.

Whenever a new King Arthur retelling releases, I trip over myself to read it. In the case of The Witch Below the Dreaming Wood, I was even more excited to read this one because it was written by H.G. Parry, the author of The Scholar and The Last Faerie Door, and The Magician’s Daughter. Parry always manages to create such uniquely magical experiences in her novels, so I was anxious to see how that applied to The Witch Below the Dreaming Wood, which follows Nimue and her relationship with Merlin. 

What a title, am I right? I knew I had to read Hopeless Necromantic. From the very first page, the novel kept surprising me. I had never considered the exact pitfalls of raising someone from the dead before, which in retrospect, seems remarkably shortsighted of me. Main character Sikras “Catseye” Nikabod, who is no stranger to horrified—er, unsatisfied—customers, has it all figured out, down to the fine print.

When I read the blurb for The Dragon Has Some Complaints, I immediately pictured the classic three-headed dragon meme, where each head has a wildly different personality. Whether or not that is where the inspiration for this novel comes from, this three-headed dragon—named Garrodigh—does have very distinct personalities. Each head is referred to by their position on the body of the dragon—Centerhead, Upperhead, and Bottomhead, and formerly, Lefty.

The Last Contract of Isako is a difficult novel for me to rate. It has so many things I love—a strong heroine in her later years, a male character who wields cunning more effectively than his triggersheath, and incredibly interesting world building. Unfortunately, that same world building that I found so fascinating was also, well, depressing.  “To Serve is to Live.

Despite being someone who grew up happily reading Meg Cabot’s Mediator and The Princess Diaries series, I realized I hadn't read any of her books for adults. I stumbled across The Magic We Made,a romantic novel involving witches on NetGalley, and decided there was no time like the present. Like all of Cabot's books, The Magic We Made has her distinctive blend of humor, quirkiness, and relatability. 

Rolls and Rivalry, the latest in Kristy Boyce’s Gaming and Romance series, shifts focus from Dungeons & Dragons tabletop adventure to color guard rivalry.

In my advanced age, I’ve come to prefer friends-to-lovers over enemies-to-lovers. I’ve found the latter to be a trope that’s nearly impossible to execute well, often rushing past the trust and transformation that make these romances truly satisfying. But every now and then, a truly—shall we say—irresistible premise comes along, and I wade back into the genre. The Irresistible Urge to Fall For Your Enemy…

The Undercutting of Rosie and Adam tries very hard to make its demi-god main character, Rosie, likeable and relatable, but it falls woefully short with its six foot five beauty. Though Rosie is supposed to be every bit as fiery as her red hair and eyes, I just found her to be rather flat. I wanted to like her, I really did, but the biggest conflict in her life can be boiled down to the fact that she has daddy issues (her dad’s one of the oldest gods, the Trickster), and that she can’t die, or rather, stay dead.

Selena leaves her emotionally abusive relationship with only $27, her dog Copper, and nowhere obvious to go. She heads into the desert looking for her eccentric Aunt Amelia, and instead finds herself in a town that knows everyone’s business, a house full of secrets, and something in the desert that never really left. Snake-Eater is another example of why T. Kingfisher…

I’m going to be honest, I’m not sure what I was thinking when I requested Tailored Realities. There are two wolves inside of me: The one that hates short stories and the one that loves Brandon Sanderson and wants to read all of his work. The second wolf came out on top, so I requested the ARC. Was Tailored Realities enjoyable with Brandon’s signature world-building and magic systems?

Blood for the Undying Throne is the sequel to one of my favorite books of last year, Blood of the Old Kings. That first novel in The Bleeding Empire series featured one of the most unique magic systems I’ve encountered in a fantasy book in years, where the corpses of sorcerers are used as power generators. Blood for the Undying Throne…

An old friend from my Overwatch days popped into Discord the other week (shout out to you, Nathan) and casually mentioned a game called Peak. I’d never even heard of it. My interest was—you guessed it—peaked (ba-dum-tis). I was skeptical. How fun could a mountain climbing game really be? Turns out…very. Peak is a uniquely charming blend of humor, strategy, chaos, and teamwork that’s somehow both cozy and adrenaline-fueled.

Every gamer has that one hill they’re willing to die on—the game everyone else slept on, hated, or dismissed—but you’ll defend until the end of time. For me, that list of games I'm ready to defend is…kind of long. Over the years, I’ve fallen hard for games that either launched to mixed reviews, got overshadowed by bigger titles, or just didn’t get the respect they deserved.

From the title, I expected a feminist take on The Princess Bride. What I got instead—as the author’s note later confirmed—was a Celtic-medieval fantasy version of Legally Blonde that takes itself seriously. It’s an inspired premise, but unfortunately it didn't quite resonate with me as much as I would have liked. The Princess Knight follows Princess Clía, who, after being jilted by her betrothed, Prince Domhnall, sets out to prove her worth by enrolling in the world’s most prestigious battle academy (which he also attends).

We’ve all been there—the dreaded reading slump. That dark time when your TBR pile glares at you accusingly, asking, “Why can’t you just sit down and read?” Or worse, “Why can’t you even finish a single book?”  Sometimes the cure is as simple as picking up something fast-paced and irresistible (or, let’s be honest, adding another book to the pile). These ten science fiction and fantasy picks have rescued me from slumps in the past—and I hope they can pull you back into reading too, especially when the gaming console or Netflix starts calling your name.

The Jasad Crown is the sequel to The Jasad Heir and the final book in the Scorched Throne duology, which comes to a stunning close. I was so excited for this release that I reread the previous entry, one of the most successful portrayals of enemies-to-lovers I’ve ever read, so that it would be fresh in my mind. Because I held The Jasad Heir in such high regard (I think I enjoyed my reread even more than my initial read of the novel), my expectations for this sequel were equally high and that made some of the choices here more difficult to reconcile.

Behooved is a grown horse girl’s dream come true in novel form. The story follows Bianca Lilliana as she journeys to a neighboring country to wed their heir to the throne, Aric. This marriage will secure an alliance between their two nations. Bianca and Aric immediately get off on the wrong foot, which soon magically becomes a hoof—at least in Aric’s case—when an assassination attempt gone wrong turns Bianca’s new husband into a white horse and she is framed for his disappearance and murder.

This week’s Top Ten Tuesday theme is a Summer Freebie—pick any topic that fits under the summery sun. And while the calendar insists it’s June, someone clearly forgot to tell the weather. It doesn’t feel like summer yet... and honestly, I don’t feel much like summer yet either. Lately, motivation has been in short supply. So instead of fast-paced adventures or epic quests, I’ve been craving softness—

This week’s Top Ten Tuesday theme is all about animal companions—real or fantastical. Naturally, I had to veer into the fantasy realm, so I'm sharing fantasy novels with animal companions. Here are some of my favorite magical sidekicks: enchanted horses, gods of white lies, otter-like creatures that mysteriously sprout antlers, sarcastic unicorns, and (of course) dragons. They’re not ranked by cuteness—because honestly, how could I ever choose?

Well, the author who single-handedly made me like science fiction has done it again with The Two Lies of Faven Sythe. The second I saw that Megan E. O’Keefe had written another book, I had to read it as soon as humanly possible. And it did not disappoint, like all of O’Keefe’s works, The Two Lies of Faven Sythe features spectacular and creative world-building, loveable characters, and a thrilling story with a twist.

This week’s Top Ten Tuesday theme is books with travel—but as a devoted dragon enthusiast, I couldn’t resist breathing a little fire into it. So instead of planes and passports, we’re diving into fantasy quests: heists, kidnappings, long-lost relatives, and all the delightful chaos that comes with leaving home and (probably) picking up a sword, staff, or broomstick. Top Ten Tuesday…

Hive: Madders of Time is a fast-paced thrill ride that drops both new readers and returning fans of the author, D.L. Orton, into a time-bending adventure where the fate of the world hangs in the balance. With references sure to delight science enthusiasts and pop culture fans alike, Hive brings a fun sense of humor and an easygoing style to a story packed with intensity.

This week's theme for Top Ten Tuesday is Ways in Which My Blogging/Review Style Has Changed Over Time .  Top Ten Tuesday was created by The Broke and the Bookish in June of 2010 and was moved to That Artsy Reader Girl in January of 2018. It was born of a love of lists, a love of books, and a desire to bring bookish friends together.

This week's theme for Top Ten Tuesday is Authors Who Live In My State/Country (submitted by Jennifer @ Funk-N-Fiction.) Top Ten Tuesday was created by The Broke and the Bookish in June of 2010 and was moved to That Artsy Reader Girl in January of 2018. It was born of a love of lists, a love of books, and a desire to bring bookish friends together.

Whenever I want to read something light, fun, and quirky, I have a tendency to reach for an Ali Hazelwood novel. I enjoy her brand of humor and like reading her portrayal of women in typically male dominated fields. Check & Mate is no exception to these hallmarks of Hazelwood’s writing, as it features a young woman, 18- year-old Mallory Greenleaf, entering the professional chess world.

This week's theme for Top Ten Tuesday* is Books with the Word “” in the Title (Choose a word and find ten books with that word in the title.) So naturally, I have chosen to feature books with the word dragon in the title. Terribly original, I know. But to make things a little more exciting, I've tried to pick novels with dragons in the title that I've already read and/or reviewed and also are less widely known.

A roundup of book reviews and bookish discussion posts that were on the radar of A Literary Escape during the month of April 2025.

Every once in a while a book comes along that feels like a warm hug and that's Violet Thistlewaite is Not a Villain Anymore. This novel is a cozy fantasy romance all about the magic of second chances. It features a compelling female protagonist, just enough of a high stakes plot, and a happy ending. Violet Thistlewaite is Not a Villain Anymore…

Top Ten Tuesday was created by The Broke and the Bookish in June of 2010 and was moved to That Artsy Reader Girl in January of 2018. It was born of a love of lists, a love of books, and a desire to bring bookish friends together. This week’s theme is books that surprised me in a good or bad way.

When I first saw the trailer for Stellar Blade, I was intrigued, mostly in spite of myself. Another game featuring an overly sexualized female protagonist catering to a male audience—do we really need yet another one of those? Well, months later, the demo rolled out, and I played it. To my surprise, I immediately loved the Souls-like gameplay (something I usually despise), the world-building, and was incredibly interested in the story.

Top Ten Tuesday was created by The Broke and the Bookish in June of 2010 and was moved to That Artsy Reader Girl in January of 2018. It was born of a love of lists, a love of books, and a desire to bring bookish friends together. This week's theme is unpopular bookish opinions!  (You can share opinions surrounding being a reader, a book reviewer, etc.

I was drawn to picking up Fear the Flames because I am a simple woman, I always want to read anything with dragons in it. And the premise seemed pretty interesting, a lost heir/princess trying to take back her five dragons from her evil king of a father with the help of a bloodthirsty commander of another nation. What’s not to like?

Top Ten Tuesday was created by The Broke and the Bookish in June of 2010 and was moved to That Artsy Reader Girl in January of 2018. It was born of a love of lists, a love of books, and a desire to bring bookish friends together. This week’s theme is Books with Springy Covers. Naturally, I had to incorporate my love of the fantasy genre, so I'm sharing fantasy books with covers featuring all things spring—pastels, flowers, and sunshine.

If there's one fairy tale that I have never felt particularly attached to, it’s Snow White. But I figure if anyone could put a spin on it and make me actually like it, it'd be T. Kingfisher. Though Hemlock & Silver is a very unique take on the fairy tale, I didn't find it as compelling as some of the author's other works, like…

Top Ten Tuesday was created by The Broke and the Bookish in June of 2010 and was moved to That Artsy Reader Girl in January of 2018. It was born of a love of lists, a love of books, and a desire to bring bookish friends together. In honor of April Fool's day this week's theme is Books You’d be a Fool Not to Read. 

A roundup of book reviews and bookish discussion posts that were on the radar of A Literary Escape during the month of March 2025.

Top Ten Tuesday was created by The Broke and the Bookish in June of 2010 and was moved to That Artsy Reader Girl in January of 2018. It was born of a love of lists, a love of books, and a desire to bring bookish friends together. This week's theme (03/25/2025) is Books I Didn't Finish (DNFed). Feel free to tell us why, but no spoilers. 

At one of my last visits to Barnes and Noble, I peeped a copy of Blood Over Bright Haven, which had an employee notecard under it proclaiming that it was perfect for fans of Fullmetal Alchemist. Well, as someone who watched both the original anime and the Brotherhood version, I was intrigued. So, I added Blood Over Bright Haven to my TBR and finally got around to reading it lately. 

Top Ten Tuesday was created by The Broke and the Bookish in June of 2010 and was moved to That Artsy Reader Girl in January of 2018. It was born of a love of lists, a love of books, and a desire to bring bookish friends together. This week’s theme is Books on my Spring TBR List.  I know there are plenty of readers out there with very scheduled TBR lists, with some people planning there reads down to the season, the month, or even the week, but I am definitely not one of those people.

I came across Potions, Poisons, and Policies on Booktok, and thought this novel, focusing on a magical school turned upside down by a love potion, sounded fun. When I came across the book a second and third time, I was naturally intrigued by the idea of academic rivals, who are the only ones unaffected by the affliction of a schoolwide love potion, and reluctantly team up to find an antidote.

Top Ten Tuesday was created by The Broke and the Bookish in June of 2010 and was moved to That Artsy Reader Girl in January of 2018. It was born of a love of lists, a love of books, and a desire to bring bookish friends together. This week’s theme is Books that Include/Feature (for example: unreliable narrators, coming of age, darkness vs.

Rebel Witch is the anticipated follow up to Heartless Hunter, a romantasy involving the forbidden feelings between a witch named Rune and a witch Hunter named Gideon. Though I've come to view enemies to lovers as a romantic trope that is almost impossible to flawlessly pull off, I really enjoyed Heartless Hunter and watching the cat and mouse relationship between Gideon and Rune unfold.

Top Ten Tuesday was created by The Broke and the Bookish in June of 2010 and was moved to That Artsy Reader Girl in January of 2018. It was born of a love of lists, a love of books, and a desire to bring bookish friends together. This week’s theme is Things Characters Have Said (Maybe a character said something really profound or romantic or hilarious or heartbreaking.

Being a lifelong Nessie enthusiast, when I saw Under Loch and Key, a romance novel where the main male character is under a curse that turns him into the Loch Ness Monster at night, I knew I had to pick it up. Unfortunately, even with the very original premise, the execution of Under Loch and Key just didn’t work for me.

Top Ten Tuesday was created by The Broke and the Bookish in June of 2010 and was moved to That Artsy Reader Girl in January of 2018. It was born of a love of lists, a love of books, and a desire to bring bookish friends together. This week’s theme is Books Set in Another Time (These can be historical, futuristic, alternate universes, or even in a world where you’re not sure when it takes place you just know it’s not right now.)

After reading Gods of the Wyrdwood, I was on the fence about wanting to read its sequel, Warlords of Wyrdwood. Though I loved the world building and wanted to know what happened to the characters, the darker tone of the novel made it harder for me to read it. But after some initial hesitation, I decided to continue on with the series, and boy, am I glad I did.

Top Ten Tuesday was created by The Broke and the Bookish in June of 2010 and was moved to That Artsy Reader Girl in January of 2018. It was born of a love of lists, a love of books, and a desire to bring bookish friends together. This week’s theme is Books I Never Reviewed (Share the titles of books you never reviewed on your blog/tiktok/insta/etc.