I can’t remember where I saw this prompt – I really should have written it down right when I started drafting this post. Oh well. But anyway it was about listing your favorite authors from A-Z! A lot of my favs have names that begin with the same letter so it was fun to go through the books I’ve read and remember authors that I love but don’t talk about much, or ones whose books I read long ago. I’ll list their names and a little bit about which books of theirs I love!

I don’t know if many of you keep track of who the publisher is for the books you read, but in general I don’t. There are so many! And the big publishing houses publish so many books it’s hard to keep track. There are a few exceptions for me, and today I’ll be recommending one in particular: Tor.com Publishing!

With the help of his commanding officer, a genetically engineered ex-soldier fights back against the government that created him and others like him to be expendable slaves.
Halvor Cullen, a genetically-engineered and technology implanted ex-solider, doesn’t see himself as a hero. After getting out of the service, all he’s interested in is chasing the adrenaline rush that his body was designed to crave. Hal knows he won’t live long anyway; vat soldiers like him are designed to die early or will burnt out from relentlessly seeking the rush. His best friend and former CO, Tyce, is determined not to let that happen and distracts him by work salvaging crashed ships in the Edge. But after a new crewmember—hacker-turned-tecker, Vivi—joins their band of misfits, they find a sphere that downloads an alien presence into their ship…

Thank you SO much to Angry Robot for providing me with an eARC via NetGalley! You guys are the best!

Space!!! The final frontier!! Wait, can I say that? Has Star Trek copyrighted that or something? Anyway….the point is…I love space and space adventures! This book was a wonderful found family space adventure, and I enjoyed every minute of it.

There are so many great elements of this story. I already mentioned found family, which is one of the best tropes of all time. But also the morals of genetic engineering, potential corrupt government, sentient robots/AIs, and more. I won’t go into more detail, because you all just need to go read it for yourselves!

Chloe Neill brings her trademark wit and wild sense of adventure to a stunning seafaring fantasy starring a dauntless heroine in a world of magic and treachery.

Kit Brightling, rescued as a foundling and raised in a home for talented girls, has worked hard to rise through the ranks of the Isles' Crown Command and become one of the few female captains in Queen Charlotte's fleet. Her ship is small, but she's fast--in part because of Kit's magical affinity to the sea. But the waters become perilous when the queen sends Kit on a special mission with a partner she never asked for.
Rian Grant, Viscount Queenscliffe, may be a veteran of the Continental war, but Kit doesn't know him or his motives--and she's dealt with one too many members of the Beau Monde. But Kit has her orders, and the queen has commanded they journey to a dangerous pirate quay and rescue a spy who's been gathering intelligence on the exiled emperor of Gallia.
Kit can lead her ship and clever crew on her own, but with the fate of queen and country at stake, Kit and Rian must learn to trust each other, or else the Isles will fall....

Thank you so much to Berkley Books for providing with an eARC via NetGalley!

I think by now we all know that I am a sucker for both ladies in charge, and enemies to lovers romances. So I know that you are all just SO shocked that this book would be something I enjoyed hahaha. This was a very fun adventure story!! There were a few things that I think could be improved, but overall there wasn’t anything I majorly disliked. I am definitely looking forward to the sequel!

From the New York Times bestselling author of Star Wars: Resistance Reborn comes the first book in the Between Earth and Sky trilogy, inspired by the civilizations of the Pre-Columbian Americas and woven into a tale of celestial prophecies, political intrigue, and forbidden magic.
A god will return
When the earth and sky converge
Under the black sun
In the holy city of Tova, the winter solstice is usually a time for celebration and renewal, but this year it coincides with a solar eclipse, a rare celestial event proscribed by the Sun Priest as an unbalancing of the world.
Meanwhile, a ship launches from a distant city bound for Tova and set to arrive on the solstice. The captain of the ship, Xiala, is a disgraced Teek whose song can calm the waters around her as easily as it can warp a man’s mind. Her ship carries one passenger. Described as harmless, the passenger, Serapio, is a young man, blind, scarred, and cloaked in destiny. As Xiala well knows, when a man is described as harmless, he usually ends up being a villain.
Crafted with unforgettable characters, Rebecca Roanhorse has created an epic adventure exploring the decadence of power amidst the weight of history and the struggle of individuals swimming against the confines of society and their broken pasts in the most original series debut of the decade.

I sat here trying to start this review for like 30 minutes and had no idea what to say. Mostly because I was stuck thinking about how the book itself started, and how my review will pale in comparison to the impact of that first chapter.

I’ll start with the obvious, and the basics. Black Sun is a brutal, intense, and immersive novel set in a high fantasy world inspired by cultures of the pre-Columbian Americas. That alone should honestly make you want to read it, since we all know that high fantasy is oversaturated with worlds inspired by medieval Europe. DIVERSIFY YOUR READING!!!