iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Fantasy-Faction @fantasyfaction.bsky.social · 09/10/2026

Today @kitvaria.bsky.social reviews Courtney Smyth's The Undetectables! - JI 🐉 "Be gay, solve crime, take naps." "The real heart of the book is Mallory and her #fibromyalgia. This is not token representation. It is woven into everything." fantasy-faction.com/2026/the-und... #booksky 💙📚🪐 #LGBTQ+

The book cover sits in the center of the image. It shows the closeup illustration of a fictional newspaper. In the center is an "ad" with a giant pentagram inside a circle drawn in a purple highlighter. Below the pentagram are three silhouettes. The first three are solid human figures of different heights. The fourth is partly erased and has cat ears. The ad below the center reads, "Magical Detectives. Got cursed or bewitched? Lost one of your socks or a friend?" and then is cut off by the edge of the book. To either side of the main ad are smaller ads including one on the right that shows an old-fashioned bottle of poison. Scattered across the cover are five purple beetles with shiny shells. The background image is various watercolor swatches in a multitude of purples of different shades and shininess.

1164

Fantasy-Faction @fantasyfaction.bsky.social · 08/10/2026

ICYMI: @kitvaria.bsky.social reviews @marklawrenceauthor.bsky.social's Limited Wish! - JI 🐉 "A perfect mix of brain and heart, it will make you think, grin, and turn the pages far too quickly." fantasy-faction.com/2025/limited... #booksky 💙📚🪐 #timetravel #YA

The book cover sits in the center of the image. It shows the title written in electric purple and bright pink outlined in white on a black background. Radiating out from the title are purple-ish digital outlines cascading outward making a tunnel effect. The background image is wavy electric blue lines with white spots of light, vaguely mimicking an organic circuit board.

0166

Fantasy-Faction @fantasyfaction.bsky.social · 07/10/2026

Today @kitvaria.bsky.social reviews L. G. Estrella's Two Necromancers, a Bureaucrat, and an Elf! - JI 🐉 "Man eating plants, giant golems, zombie titans, a bumbling bureaucrat, and a murderous elf all pile into the chaos." fantasy-faction.com/2026/two-nec... #booksky 💙📚🪐 #halloween

The book cover sits in the center of the image. It shows the illustration of a castle in silhouette on a hilltop in the light of a full moon. Bats fly across the sky and a cemetery sits at the bottom of the hill. The background of the image is a photo of a cloudy sky at night.

1134

Fantasy-Faction @fantasyfaction.bsky.social · 05/10/2026

Today our judges review @hollytinsl3y.bsky.social's The Hallows, finalist for this year's Self-Published Fantasy Blog-Off! - JI 🐉 fantasy-faction.com/2026/spfbo-f... #booksky 💙📚🪐 #SPFBO #SPFBOreviews #noir #urbanfantasy #gaslamp (cc: @marklawrenceauthor.bsky.social)

1226

Fantasy-Faction @fantasyfaction.bsky.social · 02/10/2026

Today @summerhanford.bsky.social reviews Sarah Hawley's Servant of Earth! - JI 🐉 "The various peoples, the politics, the physical locations, all rendered beautifully and seamlessly. Servant of Earth is a masterclass in worldbuilding." fantasy-faction.com/2026/servant... #booksky 💙📚🪐🌶️

The book cover sits in the center of the image. It shows a white woman with flowing auburn hair, in a green velvet dress with a red underlining. It is tied at the waist with a golden rope that floats off to the right and left of her. In front of the woman is a highly carved sword with a ruby on its pommel. Around the edge is a gold Art Nouveau frame covered in vines and flowers, and decorated with a carved woman's face at the bottom and six gem stones on the corners and the top. The background of the image is the close up photo of a bush with dark green leaves.

1155

Fantasy-Faction @fantasyfaction.bsky.social · 30/09/2026

Today Christopher Keene gives new readers a new way into Malazan! - JI 🐉 "I’m tempted to defy all common sense and recommendation rules and suggest a reading order that does not align with its release order. For newer readers...start at book two." fantasy-faction.com/2026/why-mal... #booksky 💙📚🪐

The image shows a bulletin board with the first four books of Malazan Book of the Fallen (Gardens of the Moon, Deadhouse Gates, Memories of Ice, and House of Chains) pinned to it with pushpins. Above the last three books are red arrows pointing from each one to the book to its left. Below the books is a larger red arrow pointing from the first book to the last. Below that are three pieces of paper pinned to the board. On the left is a piece of lined paper with a handwritten note that reads: Suggested reading order?? On the right is torn piece of parchment that reads: Why Malazan is So Hard to Recommend, A Fantasy-Faction Article. Between the parchment and the books above it is a torn circular piece of white paper with three question marks written in black marker.

0133

Fantasy-Faction @fantasyfaction.bsky.social · 29/09/2026

Today we are excited to reveal the cover for @davidgreenwriter.bsky.social's new novel! @kitvaria.bsky.social introduces us to A Healer’s Guide to Adventuring, coming soon from @boldwoodbooks.bsky.social! - JI 🐉 Cover art by Jenny Zemanek. fantasy-faction.com/2026/a-heale... #booksky 💙📚🪐

A piece of white paper has been ripped on a slight diagonal to reveal a portion of the book cover beneath it. The cover is mint green with white text and features illustrations of white and yellow daisies, purple lavender, a crescent moon, and a red dragon's tail.

1197

Fantasy-Faction @fantasyfaction.bsky.social · 26/09/2026

Colleen McMillan reviews A Livid Lady’s Guide to Getting Even & Though I Am an Inept Villainess! - JI 🐉 "[They] appeal to the josei and shojo readers who are looking for something similar to isekai that don’t shove female characters to the sidelines." fantasy-faction.com/2026/livid-l... #anime

The two posters sit in the center of the image. The first is for Livid Lady's Guide. It shows a young woman with long silver hair in a white dress suit holding an open book in her right hand while a flat, glowing blue magical circle is balanced in her left. The poster is cut down the middle with everything on the left being sunny and bright and everything on the right being dark and cool. On the left are three women in a library with lilies and marigolds at the bottom. On the right are a woman, a person with short hair, and a little kid with dark purple roses at the bottom. The second poster is for Inept Villainess. It shows two young women, both have long dark hair, and are wearing traditional Chinese robes. The one in the foreground is happy and in the middle of a spin. She is wearing a black and red outfit with a golden comb decorated with red tassels. The woman in the back is looking calmly to the left and is wearing a white and gold outfit with two yellow lotus flowers in her hair. Magical golden butterflies fly across the scene and a shooting star is pictured in the top right corner. The background of the image is an abstract bokeh photo in a gradient of yellow, blue, and red. At the top of the image is "Livid Ladies & Inept Villainesses" and at the bottom "A Fantasy-Faction Anime Review".

022

Fantasy-Faction @fantasyfaction.bsky.social · 25/09/2026

Attention Science Lovers!! #Drexel University is planning on closing the oldest natural history museum in the Americas as of Sept 30th, which is next Wednesday! Please sign this petition to let them know the Academy of Natural Sciences of #Philadelphia needs to stay open!! - JI 🐉 💙📚🪐 #science

Save the Academy of Natural Sciences Museum of Philadelphia! QR code 1: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nxyfBfCrbDw QR code 2: https://actionnetwork.org/petitions/petition-to-keep-the-academy-of-natural-sciences-open-to-the-public

064

Fantasy-Faction @fantasyfaction.bsky.social · 24/09/2026

ICYMI: @kitvaria.bsky.social reviews Deck Matthews's Dust of the Darkness! - JI 🐉 "Exciting, sharp, and with just enough new magic and mystery to keep me hooked...[a] fast-paced adventure that feels much larger than its word count." fantasy-faction.com/2025/dust-of... #booksky 💙📚🪐

The book cover sits in the center of the image. It shows a greenish-gray stone surface cut with crude spiral or moon patterns. In the center of the cover is a spread out pile of black ash or dust. There are two clear spots at the center where you can see through to the stone below. These spots are shaped like eyes and they have wispy plumes of smoke rising from them. The background of the image is a green stone with natural patterning that looks a lot like spirals.

073

Fantasy-Faction @fantasyfaction.bsky.social · 23/09/2026

Today Tom Joyce reviews @itsaaronnhall.bsky.social's The Legend of Uh! - JI 🐉 "Hall’s sharp observational humour, clever wordplay, and willingness to lean into the bizarre bring to mind the late Terry Pratchett [and] Douglas Adams." fantasy-faction.com/2026/the-leg... #booksky 💙📚🪐

The book cover sits in the center of the image. It shows a cartoon illustration of a green field with a forest behind it on the right and snowcapped mountains behind it on the left. Large puffy clouds float in a sky that fades from purple to orange at the horizon. In the clouds a wyvern's silhouette can be seen. Standing in the field, and taking up most of the image, is the word "UH" made to look like it's carved from a rust colored gem. Above it floats a cream colored banner with the words "The Legend Of" written in slate blue. Sitting at the foot of the UH is an open treasure chest filled with gold and a pink bikini top. The background of the image is a sunset sky in the same colors as the sky on the cover.

082

Fantasy-Faction @fantasyfaction.bsky.social · 23/09/2026

Ooo! There's a video game one too! I _know_ I'm missing something important in this one. - JI 🐉 #my9games #videogames

My 9 Games: Minecraft, Chrono Trigger, Final Fantasy Tactics, Stardew Valley, Planescape: Torment, Adventure, Animal Crossing, Tetris, Hero's Quest: So You Want to Be A Hero (Quest for Glory I).

2111

Fantasy-Faction @fantasyfaction.bsky.social · 23/09/2026

I know I'm missing something important, but these are the ones that came to mind first. - JI 🐉 #my9animes #anime #aminesky

My 9 Animes: Spirited Away, Trigun, Soul Eater, Cowboy Bebop, Transformers (original TV show), Unico in the Island of Magic, Nutcracker Fantasy, Hellsing, The Big O.

121

Fantasy-Faction @fantasyfaction.bsky.social · 22/09/2026

ICYMI: @kitvaria.bsky.social reviews @suzannahrowntree.bsky.social's novella, A Study in Sirens! - JI 🐉 "Sometimes you just want a quick escape into a world you already love, and that is exactly what this novella delivers." fantasy-faction.com/2025/a-study... #booksky 💙📚🪐 #historicalfantasy

The book cover sits in the center of the image. It shows an antique black and white photo of a female opera singer from the Victorian era. She is dressed in armor, including a helmet with a feather, a spear in her right hand, and a round shield in her left. The bottom half of the photo is covered with a magenta pink splash of paint. The background of the image is a watercolor wash in the same pink color.

1132

Fantasy-Faction @fantasyfaction.bsky.social · 21/09/2026

Today our judges review @tbcart.bsky.social's Jester, finalist for this year's Self-Published Fantasy Blog-Off! - JI 🐉 fantasy-faction.com/2026/spfbo-f... #booksky 💙📚🪐 #SPFBO #SPFBOreviews (cc: @marklawrenceauthor.bsky.social)

1239

Fantasy-Faction @fantasyfaction.bsky.social · 18/09/2026

Today Stuart Cripps-Schnoor reviews Joel Minty's epic fantasy debut, Purge of Ashes! - JI 🐉 "Grabs you and holds you in its grip, drawing you into knife-edged politics, relentless conflict, and deeply human relationships." fantasy-faction.com/2026/purge-o... #booksky 💙📚🪐 #epicfantasy #indieauthor

The book cover sits in the center of the image. It shows three people standing on one side of a giant hanging scale made of dark metal. In the front is a Black woman with a shaved head holding a spear. She is bent over and holding onto the edge of the scale scanning the area ahead of her. In the back left is a white woman with long blond hair in a white outfit. She has her right hand out in front of her and is causing small stones to levitate in her palm. In the back left, shoulder to shoulder with her, is a white man with medium length dark hair in silver chainmail and a blue cloak. He is drawing his sword from its scabbard. Around them ash and fiery embers rise up from below, filling the sky above with thick smoke. The background of the image is the blurred photo of burning ash-caked embers.

0102

Fantasy-Faction @fantasyfaction.bsky.social · 15/09/2026

Happy Book Day to Fall Red Empire, the final book in @kerosero.bsky.social's Burn Red Skies trilogy! 🎉 To celebrate, Kerstin stopped by the blog to give us some advice on finishing a book! - JI 🐉 fantasy-faction.com/2026/fall-re... #booksky 💙📚🪐 #epicfantasy #dragons #authorsky

The cover sits in the center of the image. It shows a gold dragon made of sharp spikey shapes surrounded by tendrils of white flame on a dark background spattered with gold pinpricks of stars. The background image is the close-up of a sheet of gold leaf in the same color as the dragon.

0215

Fantasy-Faction @fantasyfaction.bsky.social · 14/09/2026

Today @summerhanford.bsky.social reviews Morgan Ryan's A Resistance of Witches! - JI 🐉 "An adventure-filled read, full of a great deal of witchcraft, villains we can all get behind hating...strong female leads... and an epic quest." fantasy-faction.com/2026/a-resis... #booksky 💙📚🪐

The book cover sits in the center of the image. It shows a watercolor illustration of a shamrock-green spiral flowing through a night sky of golden stars. In and amongst the tiny stars are equally small magic and alchemical runes in the same golden color. Spread around the center of the spiral are various phases of the moon done in white. Some of the full moons have the silhouette of World War II era airplanes flying across them. Two red parachutes are seen from above drifting into the center of the spiral, a large one and a small (farther away) one. The smaller parachute is directly over the center of the spiral and there is a person dressed in a darker red hanging from it and about to descend into the full moon at the spiral's center. The background of the image is a starry sky with nebula's in a matching pale green.

0112

Fantasy-Faction @fantasyfaction.bsky.social · 11/09/2026

Christopher Keene reviews @abraham.bsky.social's The Dagger and the Coin series! -JI🐉 "[It's in an] exclusive category of media that has gotten me...hyped about a subject I normally wouldn’t have given a passing glance. In this case: economics." fantasy-faction.com/2026/the-dag... #booksky 💙📚🪐

The image shows the five book covers from the series. Top row, from left to right: The King's Blood shows a silver battle axe with a flaming red sunset behind it. The Dragon's Path shows an elaborate sword with a dragon hilt, with a field and cloudy blue sky behind it. There is a black gorge burnt through the field with red running through it like a river. On one side of the field are silhouettes of men on horses looking on. The Tyrant's Law shows a golden caldron decorated with dragons with billowing yellow flames rising up from it. The flames end in dragon heads, and the caldron is in what looks like the hall of a prison. Bottom row, from left to right: The Widow's House shows a silver shield decorated with a dragon, with blood splattered across it. Leaning against it is a silver spear, also decorated with a dragon. Behind them is a raging turquoise sea under cloudy skies. The Spider's War shows the sharp steeple of a tall building overlooking a city far below. The steeple is so tall there are clouds below it partially obscuring the city. The dark shape of a dragon flies through the clouds and in the far distance are mountains. The whole cover has a green tone to it. The background of the is a darkening cloudy sky. "The Dagger and the Coin" is written above the books and "A Fantasy-Faction Series Review" is written below them.

0155

Fantasy-Faction @fantasyfaction.bsky.social · 09/09/2026

Today Angela Boord asks the question: Is trope marketing ruining literature? - JI 🐉 "[This] is really a gripe about how books are being written to compete in a crowded marketplace...In other words, trope is sliding from “shared motif” to “cliché”." fantasy-faction.com/2026/is-trop... #booksky 💙📚🪐

The image is a photo of the aisle in a bookstore. On the right half of the image is a shelf of books seen from the side. On the left half is the back end of the aisle. The image is done in browns, creams, and greens. Over the image are the words, "Is Trope Marketing Ruining Literature?" and "A Fantasy-Faction Article".

1237

Fantasy-Faction @fantasyfaction.bsky.social · 07/09/2026

Today our judges review Benjamin Barreth's No More Levels, finalist for this year's Self-Published Fantasy Blog-Off! - JI 🐉 fantasy-faction.com/2026/spfbo-f... #booksky 💙📚🪐 #SPFBO #SPFBOreviews #LitRPG (cc: @marklawrenceauthor.bsky.social)

0177

Fantasy-Faction @fantasyfaction.bsky.social · 02/09/2026

Today Tom Joyce reviews Andrew Givler's Ironbound! - JI 🐉 "While the early chapters evoke familiar staples of the genre, the story explodes into a tense, character-driven narrative that balances brilliant worldbuilding with high-stakes combat." fantasy-faction.com/2026/ironbou... #booksky 💙📚🪐

The book cover sits in the center of the image. It shows a white man in a white desert robe with a scabbard on his belt and a sword in his right hand. His hair is short and brown and his skin is covered in electric patterns of glowing yellow veins. He is standing on a dune of pale pink sand overlooking a stone city in the distance at the foot of purple mountains. Next to him stuck in the sand is another sword, this one slightly cracked and broken. The background of the image is a top down photo of a sand dune in a similar color to the cover.

082

Fantasy-Faction @fantasyfaction.bsky.social · 01/09/2026

ICYMI: @kitvaria.bsky.social reviews Evan Leikam's Anji Kills a King! - JI 🐉 "I was instantly hooked by the premise...Fans of character-driven journeys and morally gray decisions will find plenty to enjoy." fantasy-faction.com/2025/anji-ki... #booksky 💙📚🪐

The book cover sits in the center of the image. It shows a cliff side topped by a crumbling castle. Climbing up the rocky face are two figures. One in a long brown coat with short brown hair and the other with long white hair, a bird mask, and two swords on their belt. The cliff "face" is actually shaped like the bird mask the second figure is wearing, with white hair framing the cliffs and a cavern at its center appearing to be a crying eye whose tears create a small waterfall. The background of the cover is a sunset starting with yellowy-orange, fading to pale yellow, and then into teal. The background of the image is the same sunset colors, but reversed with teal at the top and orange at the bottom.

0101

Fantasy-Faction @fantasyfaction.bsky.social · 31/08/2026

Today Stuart Cripps-Schnoor gives us a place to start reading in the Warhammer Fantasy universe, with a review of three series: Darkblade, Gotrek & Felix, and Cado Ezechiar! - JI 🐉 fantasy-faction.com/2026/warhamm... #booksky 💙📚🪐 #warhammerfantasy #warhammer

The image shows four book covers. In the top right are two of the Cado Ezechiar books: The Dead Kingdom and The Hollow King. Both show a pale male vampire in bronze armor and a dark cape carrying a huge sword. On Hollow King he is walking through an ancient city and his cape is turning into bats. On Dead Kingdom he is ready to strike out and behind him is a pale female pharaoh figure with glowing gold eyes. In the bottom left are two more books Trollslayer and The Daemon's Curse. Trollslayer shows a overly muscley male dwarf with a red beard and mohawk. He is wearing golden bracers and no shirt, and is carrying a massive war-axe. Behind him is blond man with a brown cape, holding a large sword. Daemon's Curse shows a pale man with long dark hair in full plate mail riding on a green raptor decked out in spikey armor attached with chains. The are standing on a snowy mountain top. The background of the image is a wash of dark bronze and pale gold watercolor.

1136

Fantasy-Faction @fantasyfaction.bsky.social · 28/08/2026

ICYMI: @kitvaria.bsky.social reviews @justinaireland.com's YA alternate history, Dread Nation! - JI 🐉 "This is not just a fun historical fantasy with zombies, it’s also a sharp reminder of how oppression adapts, no matter the circumstances." fantasy-faction.com/2025/dread-n... #booksky 💙📚🪐

1123

Fantasy-Faction @fantasyfaction.bsky.social · 27/08/2026

ICYMI: @kitvaria.bsky.social reviews Deck Matthews' The First of Shadows! - JI 🐉 "Fast, fun, and flawed, with great characters, smooth prose, and one unforgettable blind POV." fantasy-faction.com/2025/the-fir... #booksky 💙📚🪐 #disablity #blind

The book cover sits in the center of the image. It shows a black stone background carved with concentric circles. In the center of the circles is a large purple stone with whisps of darker purple clouding it like smoke. The concentric circles also have smaller concentric circles placed evenly around their perimeter similar to electrons on an atom. The background of the image is deep purple smoke.

1103

Fantasy-Faction @fantasyfaction.bsky.social · 26/08/2026

Today @kitvaria.bsky.social reviews @caseyblair.bsky.social's A Coup of Tea! - JI 🐉 "A Coup of Tea is the literary equivalent of wrapping your hands around a warm mug on a rainy afternoon." fantasy-faction.com/2026/a-coup-... #booksky 💙📚🪐 #cozyfantasy #tea

The book cover sits in the center of the image. It shows a deep purple ceramic teapot with a light purple vine pattern sitting on a wooden table in front of a fireplace. The steam lifting from the spout is bright purple and around the base of the teapot are bright indigo magical sparkles. There is a watermarked frame around the outside of the cover made up of lines, vines, and heart shapes. The background of the image is the photo of a fire in a fireplace.

0115

Fantasy-Faction @fantasyfaction.bsky.social · 24/08/2026

Today our judges review Hiyodori's Carrion Saints, finalist for this year's Self-Published Fantasy Blog-Off! - JI 🐉 fantasy-faction.com/2026/spfbo-f... #booksky 💙📚🪐 #SPFBO #SPFBOreviews (cc: @marklawrenceauthor.bsky.social)

0167

Fantasy-Faction @fantasyfaction.bsky.social · 21/08/2026

ICYMI: @powjay.bsky.social reviews @tkingfisher.com's What Moves the Dead! - JI 🐉 "Creepy mushrooms, a run-down gothic mansion...Kingfisher’s ability to write such loveable and funny characters no matter the setting is a true gift." fantasy-faction.com/2025/what-mo... #booksky 💙📚🪐

The book cover sits in the center of the image. It shows a pale hand reaching up from the bottom of the cover. But the hand is covered in vertical cracks from which are growing a plethora of mushrooms: a collection of yellow, orange, and red chanterelles; some morels; and white death caps. The background of the cover is green with faint lines branching off from the hand like veins on a leaf. The background of the image is a close up of a group of yellow chanterelles.

0111

Fantasy-Faction @fantasyfaction.bsky.social · 20/08/2026

ICYMI: @kitvaria.bsky.social reviews Patrick Dugan's The Ashen Orb Bounty! - JI 🐉 "Sometimes, you just want a fun, tropey quest with a lovable crew, and this book hits that sweet spot perfectly." fantasy-faction.com/2025/the-ash... #booksky 💙📚🪐 #dndsky

The book cover sits in the center of the image. It shows a silver sword sitting against a dark gray background. The edges of the cover are a dull gold frame made to look like the edges of a stained glass window with an arched top. The background of the image is smokey-colored stone.

071

Fantasy-Faction @fantasyfaction.bsky.social · 19/08/2026

Today @kitvaria.bsky.social reviews Benedict Jacka's An Instruction in Shadow! - JI 🐉 "If you like your magic systems meaty, your politics layered, and your heroes refreshingly short on cash, this series is worth your time." fantasy-faction.com/2026/an-inst... #booksky 💙📚🪐

The book cover sits in the center of the image. It shows a red background with a muted sunburst design taking up the whole cover. Framing the edges and giving the center a diamond shape, are filigrees of golden, stylized leaves. At the top of the frame is a shield of gold with a red chevron and three keys. At the bottom is a crow with wings outspread. Amongst the rest of the design, and mirrored on each side are rubies, brown cats, silver daggers, and human femur bones. In the background, right above the crow, is the silhouette of the Tower Bridge in London. The background of the image is a blue sunburst, mirroring the book's cover.

093

Fantasy-Faction @fantasyfaction.bsky.social · 18/08/2026

ICYMI: @kitvaria.bsky.social reviews Angela Holder's The Tale of Gurion Thricebound! - JI 🐉 "The pacing allows for a deeper emotional and philosophical engagement with the characters and world, and I found myself fully drawn in." fantasy-faction.com/2025/the-tal... #booksky 💙📚🪐

The book cover sits in the center of the image. It shows a white man with short gray hair and a salt and pepper beard wearing white robes. His hands are palms up in front of him and they are glowing with a bright yellow light that is rising up in the form of tiny golden sparkles all the way to the top of the cover. On his left shoulder is a large gray rat looking at the viewer. The man is standing on a marble balcony overlooking an overcast sea. The background of the image is a photo of a similarly dark sea with clouds hanging above it. And where the sparkles from the cover should end, they are continued onto the photo and off the top of the image.

050

Fantasy-Faction @fantasyfaction.bsky.social · 17/08/2026

Today Colleen McMillan reviews the BL anime, The Summer Hikaru Died! - JI 🐉 "By creating a queer horror story, while also making it a coming-of-age tale, Mokumokuren does an excellent job straddling the genres." fantasy-faction.com/2026/the-sum... #moviesky #anime #LGBTQIA

The image shows a close up of the movie poster. It shows the two main characters Hikaru (on the left) and Yoshiki (on the right). Hikaru is facing left but is looking at Yoshiki. He has white hair, gray eyes, and is wearing a white button-down shirt. Yoshiki is facing away from the viewer but his head is turned to look at us. He has dark hair, dark eyes, and is wearing a white collared shirt. On the back of the shirt is a super-imposed close up of Hikaru's face, but his right eye is red and glowing and the left side of his face is covered by a black blob filled with abstract designs. The pair are standing in the sun with a forest and rolling mountains behind them. At the top of the image are the words: The Summer Hikaru Died. And at the bottom: A Fantasy-Faction Anime Review.

032

Fantasy-Faction @fantasyfaction.bsky.social · 15/08/2026

Today we have the pleasure of helping reveal the cover for Kerstin Espinosa Rosero's (@kerosero.bsky.social) final book in her Burn Red Skies series, Fall Red Empire! - JI 🐉 fantasy-faction.com/2026/fall-re... Cover art by Franziska Stern! #booksky 💙📚🪐

The image shows a highlight from the book cover. It consists of sharp yellow spikes and white flowing tendrils on a dark field with yellow pinpricks of stars in the background. The words, "Cover Reveal for Fall Red Empire by Kerstin Espinosa Rosero," are written over the image in red.

194

Fantasy-Faction @fantasyfaction.bsky.social · 14/08/2026

Today @alyalyoops.bsky.social gives us Fantasy Fodder for the Frugal Reader or How to Read Fantasy for FREE! - JI 🐉 "Finances are feeling tighter and strained for readers across the globe...[but] there are a plethora of free reading opportunities!" fantasy-faction.com/2026/reading... #booksky 💙📚🪐

The image shows a photo of an aisle in a library. It is brightly lit and the ceiling above is made of glass. In a tan box overlaying the top of the image are the words, "Fantasy Fodder for the Frugal Reader: Reading for FREE." At the bottom of the image is a brown box with the words, "A Fantasy-Faction Article."

073

Fantasy-Faction @fantasyfaction.bsky.social · 12/08/2026

Today @kitvaria.bsky.social reviews @heinerdewendt.bsky.social's Dawn of Silence! - JI 🐉 "A post-apocalyptic world full of strange corners, a found family that actually works, and enough ideas to fuel a whole series." fantasy-faction.com/2026/dawn-of... #booksky 💙📚🪐 #postapocalyptic

The book cover sits in the center of the image. It shows a man with gray skin in a sleeveless vest of black with buckles down the front. He is wearing gauntlets that end at his elbows and has feathers on the top of his arms, running from his shoulders to the gauntlets. He has wild black hair and a face painted to look like a skull. Behind him is a brick wall where you can see the full moon just peeking around its edge. The only color in the blue-gray image is a glowing orange patch of skin on his cheek. The background of the image is the close up photo of a crumbling cement wall.

0103

Fantasy-Faction @fantasyfaction.bsky.social · 11/08/2026

ICYMI: @powjay.bsky.social reviews Lev Grossman's The Magicians! - JI 🐉 "The classes are at times dark, intense, and often unique. I was really impressed as I’ve read quite a bit of academia settings and found this one really unusual." fantasy-faction.com/2025/the-mag... #booksky 💙📚🪐

The book cover sits in the center of the image. It shows a large, gnarled tree with yellow-green leaves standing in a waterlogged meadow. There is a thick fog, but behind the tree we can just make out a few more trees in the distance. The background of the image is a photo of a foggy orchard dotted with small fruit trees. The rising sun is just barely able to shine through the heavy mist.

161

Fantasy-Faction @fantasyfaction.bsky.social · 10/08/2026

Today @summerhanford.bsky.social reviews @jrdawson.bsky.social's The Lighthouse at the Edge of the World! - JI 🐉 "[It] takes a deep dive into trauma and suffering, and looks at how a person can, possibly, claw their way back out." fantasy-faction.com/2026/the-lig... #booksky 💙📚🪐 #magicalrealism

The book cover sits in the center of the image. The viewer is looking out from a large arch-shaped window with a glass ceiling above them. The view out the window is of a starry night sky hanging over the Chicago skyline, its lights glistening into the waters of Lake Michigan. Standing between the skyline and the window is a lighthouse, its pale light almost overshined by the stars and city lights behind it. The background of the image is a photo of the Chicago skyline, also taken from the waters of Lake Michigan.

1103

Fantasy-Faction @fantasyfaction.bsky.social · 08/08/2026

ICYMI: @kitvaria.bsky.social reviews Phil Williams' (@fantasticphil.bsky.social) A Winter’s Mercy! - JI 🐉 "A dark, muddy, and deeply human military fantasy that manages to be both brutal and heartwarming." fantasy-faction.com/2025/a-winte... #booksky 💙📚🪐

The book cover sits in the center of the image. It shows a white woman in full military combat gear carrying a rifle. She is standing with her back to a mountain lake surrounded by autumn trees. Nestled by the edge of the lake is an old town with a tall church steeple. A few places in the woods have plumes of smoke rising from the forest. The background of the image is a photo of some orange-brown maple leaves floating on the surface of the water. The light from above reflects back too, revealing the trees and blue sky above the water.

093

Fantasy-Faction @fantasyfaction.bsky.social · 07/08/2026

Today Christopher Keene reviews books 1 & 2 of James Islington's Hierarchy series! - JI 🐉 "The twists throughout [both books] have kept me coming back, and none so much as the ones at the end of [The Strength of the Few]." fantasy-faction.com/2026/hierarc... #booksky 💙📚🪐

The books' covers sit at the center of the image. The first is The Will of the Many. It is a navy blue background with four gold line-drawings of different styles of Roman columns. Each column is shattered in its center. The second cover is The Strength of the Few. It shows the illustration of a desert done in cool taupe tones. Taking up the upper half of the cover is a pristine great pyramid shining in the setting sun. Racing toward the pyramid, seeming to be flying over the dunes, are figures in flowing white robes, all with a sword drawn in each hand. The background of the image is a close up photo of a cross section of a geode, the layers making a wave pattern and the colors matching the dunes. Above the covers is written: The Hierarchy Series. Below is written: A Fantasy-Faction Review.

192

Fantasy-Faction @fantasyfaction.bsky.social · 06/08/2026

ICYMI: @kitvaria.bsky.social reviews @jspinkmills.bsky.social's YA urban fantasy, Heart Blade! - JI 🐉 "This is a really engaging story that had me hooked right from the start. I read it in two evenings and could hardly put it down." fantasy-faction.com/2025/heart-b... #booksky 💙📚🪐 #YAbooks

The book cover sits in the center of the image. It shows an illustration of the close up of a sword blade. Reflected in the blade are the images of two people: a white young woman with short, curly, dark hair in a sleeveless leather vest, and behind her is a young white man with short blond hair and a jacket with a tall collar. Surrounding the blade are magenta roses. The background of the image is a photo of roses in the same color.

182

Fantasy-Faction @fantasyfaction.bsky.social · 05/08/2026

Today @kitvaria.bsky.social reviews John Champaign's Merchant Magician! - JI 🐉 "If you want urban fantasy with a protagonist who’ll bargain with a leprechauns just as well as washing dishes without complaint, this one’s for you." fantasy-faction.com/2026/merchan... #booksky 💙📚🪐

The book cover sits in the center of the image. It shows a stone stairway in an old alley rising up ahead of the viewer. In the center of the stairs, either ascending or descending is the dark shadow of a person. The whole image is in blue-gray tones and is covered with mysterious fog. The background of the image is the photo of a different set of stone stairs, this time with the color matching the yellow font of the book's title.

0173

Fantasy-Faction @fantasyfaction.bsky.social · 05/08/2026

I bring this up because I just came across a cover for the story that is an GenAI slop image. And not only did someone make an AI book cover for this story, it is also the current _default image_ on the story's Goodreads page. 😑 2/? www.goodreads.com/book/show/22...

A book cover for "There Will Come Soft Rain" made by GenAI. Image shows a city being destroyed by an atom bomb and a family house standing in the foreground. It is AI slop and if you can't see it, then consider yourself lucky.

Screenshot of the Goodreads page for "There Will Come Soft Rain" by Ray Bradbury with an AI slop image as its cover.

111

Fantasy-Faction @fantasyfaction.bsky.social · 04/08/2026

ICYMI: @powjay.bsky.social reviews @scalzi.com's When the Moon Hits Your Eye! - JI 🐉 "The character work was really fun. A variety of people who all react in such different ways to this shocking and potentially life-threatening phenomenon." fantasy-faction.com/2025/when-th... #booksky 💙📚🪐

The book cover sits in the center of the image. It shows the an astronaut standing on the surface of the moon taking a selfie. But the moon has been replaced by a giant moon-shaped piece of Swiss cheese. The rest of the cover is a sky full of stars. The background of the image is a close up photo of a piece of Swiss cheese.

2122

Fantasy-Faction @fantasyfaction.bsky.social · 03/08/2026

Today Stuart Cripps-Schnoor reviews @jeffvandermeer.bsky.social's Veniss Underground! - JI 🐉 "A haunting tale of science, crime, and human transformation through poetic prose, vivid worldbuilding, and deeply flawed characters." fantasy-faction.com/2026/veniss-... #booksky 💙📚🪐 #newweird

The book cover sits in the center of the image. It shows different animal eyes, in unnaturally bright colors, floating on a solid purple background. The eyes appear to be melting, and paint of different colors is dripping down onto the eyes below them. The background of the image is tiger fur in an unnaturally bright orange.

082

Fantasy-Faction @fantasyfaction.bsky.social · 01/08/2026

Today @kitvaria.bsky.social reviews Kevin A. Davis' Atlanta’s Guide to Cryptids! - JI 🐉 "If you like your paranormal mystery light on drama and heavy on character dynamics, this is a decent place to start." fantasy-faction.com/2026/atlanta... #booksky 💙📚🪐 #urbanfantasy

The book cover sits in the center of the image. A light-skinned Black woman with a curly styled afro, in a black pantsuit with a white button down shirt stands facing the viewer. Her hands are surrounding a ball of light floating in the air. One hand above and one hand below. Emanating from the ball are three comets of orange and yellow light that are encircling her with sparks. The bottom half the cover behind her is the Atlanta, GA skyline bathed in red light. The top half of the cover is a slate blue dragon's head with red eyes looking past the woman and at the viewer. The background of the image is a photo of the Atlanta skyline at dusk.

082

Fantasy-Faction @fantasyfaction.bsky.social · 29/07/2026

"The world is too full of living, breathing magic to choose GenAI over human art." Fantasy-Faction is proudly anti-GenAI, and will never knowingly post anything made by a non-human entity. (Unless robots or animals gain sentience or we make first contact with aliens or another dimension.) #booksky

The image shows a photo from inside Antelope Canyon in Arizona. The viewer is looking up at a night sky full of stars. The opening in the cave makes a reverse S-shape bisecting the image from top to bottom. Across the image is the text from the post.

1304

Fantasy-Faction @fantasyfaction.bsky.social · 28/07/2026

ICYMI: @kitvaria.bsky.social reviews Kaleigh McCann's The Darkness Calling! - JI 🐉 "A refreshing focus on sibling dynamics, morally complex characters, and a story world that dares to be ruthless...[a] character-driven, shadow-laced fantasy." fantasy-faction.com/2025/the-dar... #booksky 💙📚🪐

The book cover sits in the center of the image. It shows the illustration of a rocky mountain peak, its top and slopes blanketed in snow. Below it is a forest of dark pine trees, and above it a night sky full of stars and lit by a full moon. Across the bottom of the image is a splattering of blood originating from off the page. The background of the image is a photo taken in a Rocky Mountain pine forest with tall trees to either side of the book cover.

071

Fantasy-Faction @fantasyfaction.bsky.social · 27/07/2026

Today Tom Joyce reviews A. P. Beswick's A Forest of Vanity and Valour! - JI 🐉 "Imaginative, fast-paced and full of memorable ideas, with character arcs that kept me invested from beginning to end." fantasy-faction.com/2026/a-fores... #booksky 💙📚🪐 #RobinHood #retelling

The book cover sits in the center of the image. It shows the illustration of a man in gray with a long sword in one hand and a short sword in the other, walking towards the viewer through a misty wood. The only color in the image is the man's emerald green hooded-cloak. The background image is the photo of a real life misty wood, with a carpet of green moss, matching the man's cloak.

0104

Fantasy-Faction @fantasyfaction.bsky.social · 24/07/2026

Today @lyndseyluther.bsky.social interviews author @scottlynch78.bsky.social about "what he’s currently up to, his recent foray into acting, and—yes, because I know you’re wondering—the status of The Thorn of Emberlain." - JI 🐉 fantasy-faction.com/2026/scott-l... #booksky 💙📚🪐 #fantasybooks

The image shows a portrait of Scott Lynch in a 3/4 view looking to his left. Surrounding his photo are the covers of the four books in his Gentlemen Bastard series: The Lies of Locke Lamora (top left), Red Seas Under Red Skies (top right), The Republic of Thieves (bottom left), and The Thorn of Emberlain (bottom right). Below the covers is a swath of red-orange with the words, "Fantasy-Faction Interviews Scott Lynch". The background image is a photo of a canal in Venice.

0313