Wouldn't you like to be here?'
We've all been waiting so bad for this sequel!
Finally TJ Klune invites readers back to Mr. Parnassus Orphanage for magical Children at Masyas Island and offers a welcome reunion with the beloved Characters.
It'll definitely make you happy! Klune continues to spin the heart-warming tale and this book is just as beautiful to read and as captivating as the first volume!
Who wouldn't love to be part of this magical family?

Imagine we could evacuate certain people from certain points in history to save them from gruesome deaths, thereby making them expats of time: This is Bradley's marvelous debut novel in a nutshell. But there's so much more to it, because this is a novel that delightfully juggles with many different genres to break them apart in very playful and clever ways. With humour, ease, and charming understatement, Bradley weaves a wide spectrum of political and societal criticism into a slow-burn rom-com/spy-thriller/sci-fi time travel plot. Undoubtedly at the centre of the story is Graham Gore, a commander of the Franklin Expedition who is rescued from the Arctic ice and becomes the protagonist's love interest. That "The Ministry of Time" is ultimately Bradley's way of dealing with an obsession she had with the real Gore and his tragic fate is something that becomes apparent in every single sentence - Gore is so lovingly and vividly crafted, he "leaps off the page" (forgive my platitudes). His unbelievably authentic reactions to everything the 21st century throws at him is what give this novel its true spark.

A feel-good read about a monk who wants more from life. Set in a futuristic world where humans finally live in a sustainable way in harmony with nature after an environmental catastrophe generations ago.
What I loved most here are the interactions between monk and robot. The robot (named Mosscap after the first thing it saw after 'awakening') has a curious personality and is easily enthused by almost anything which makes it absolutely adorable and one of my all-time favorite fictional characters.
For fans of 'The House in the Cerulean Sea'!

I've heard only good things about this series and with it winning both the Hugo AND the Nebula Award, it had been on my reading list for quite a while.
Just finished reading it aloud to my friend over the course of a few days (the book is unfortunately pretty thin) and we had a blast. We both were very amused by the protagonist here, a security robot who develops a life of their own but still pretends to take orders. All it really wants though is watching soap operas on the entertainment feed!

The hauntingly epic illustrations help make this inventive sci-fi story set in 1997 in an apocalyptic post-war US especially absorbing.
Afterwards you'll never be able to look at VR-technology the same way again... Stalenhag will make you look at it in an indeed VERY different, creepy light.

"The Adventures of Amina Al-Sirafi" is an entertaining read for anyone seeking a captivating blend of history, magic, and quirky badass characters. With its richly imagined medieval seafarer world set against the backdrop of the Arabian Sea, this book is a delightful adventure that lingers in the heart and mind long after the final page.

It's the first in a trilogy and one of my absolute favorite books of 2023!

'The Name of the Wind' is narrated by a young insufferable genius who often gets in trouble because of his wit and nerve alone.
I'm putting off rereading the series until the loooong-awaited third novel 'The Doors of Stone' is finally published (God only knows when that'll happen though), so it's been some years since I've last delved into the world of Temerant but what I still remember vividly are:
- the narrator's persevering fight for the life he wants to live
- the epic friendships
- the vast mysterious magic university
- Rothfuss's constant appreciation for music and libraries
- a love story that will make you want to pull your hair out in despair for them to finally be together!!
These are only a few perks to make it one of my favorite books of all time, and definitely my favorite Epic Fantasy series. I know that millions of other readers feel the same way - it's one of the best rated books on goodreads and I've never met anybody who didn't enjoy this novel!

If you're intending to pick up this book, which I would highly recommend, buckle up, because it will take you on a turbulent space voyage of emotions. On board with you: our flawed but loveable heroine Katrina Nguyen, teenage runaway and violinist, and an only partly human cast of quirky characters. You'll visit an intergalactic hideout disguised as a donut shop, various music competitions influenced by a literal demon and a historically patriarchal violin shop on the cusp of change. The queer rep here is wonderfully nuanced - there's hard-hitting depictions of Katrina's experience as a trans woman, heartwarming found family moments and a joyful lesbian romance. While it has its lengths and some moments that I found to be a tad too solemn, I thoroughly enjoyed the journey this book took me on.

I love, love, love this light novel! Maomaos story catches the reader right from the start and the quite dry and sarcastic writing style is just so fun to read. I liked the light novel even more than the Manga. So who ever liked the Manga and the Anime should read the books, because it goes a lot deeper into the story around Maomao and Jinshi than those two.

Samantha Shannon has done it again! When I read The Priory of the Orange Tree in 2019, I was so impressed that such a long high fantasy book not only shined in terms of its intricate worldbuilding and masterful storytelling, but also its extremely well-developed characters and emotional impact. This prequel delivers on all of the same aspects, while presenting its own new and exciting tale.

Shannon is a master of crafting relationships. This moves from a macro level of international politics and religious conflicts over court intrigue to a micro level of interpersonal relationships. All of these levels are interwoven and create a complex and rich picture of Shannon's fantasy world. Her beautiful prose brings this picture to life. You can't help but root for the characters in this book; I found myself especially connecting with Wulf and Dumai's storylines. I love how intrinsically queer and feminist this series is, defying gender norms and tackling themes of (bodily) autonomy and sisterhood.

Eine ehemalige Ork-Abenteurerin hängt nach 22 Jahren ihr Schwert an den Nagel und möchte im kleinen Universitätsstädtchen Thune ein Café eröffnen? Klingt genau nach der Verschnaufpause, die man sich als Lesende ab und an wünscht. Erst einmal steht ungemein viel Arbeit an: Möbel schreinern, Mitarbeiter:innen anwerben, Kaffee im pseudomittelalterlichen fantastischen Städtchen bewerben und sich gegen leicht mafiöse Strukturen wehren. Aber ein schicksalshafter Stein schenkt dem ganzen Vorhaben eine große Portion Glück. Viv, die oben benannte Orkfrau lernt im Laufe des Romanes eine Reihe von neuen Bekannten und Freund:innen kennen, die ihr helfen, ihren Traum eines Cafés und eines richtigen Zuhauses zu erfüllen. Tandri, Cal, Timble - man muss sie einfach alle lieben. Wer sich einmal von gewaltig-epischer Fantasy ausruhen möchte und eher einen Blick in das sogenannte Hope Punk -Genre werfen möchte, wird hier in eine sehr positive, warme und heimelige Welt geführt. Konflikte existieren auch hier, aber das optimistische Weltbild ist in jeder Zeile spürbar. Etwas mehr Worldbuilding hätte dem Buch gut getan, aber der kleine Figurenkosmos (Found-Family-Topos!) und die charmanten Orte Thunes überzeugen eigentlich schon zur Genüge.

A special treat for anyone who has read and loved the Mistborn Trilogy.
Legitimately named 'A Secret History' I won't spoil any of the story here. Let me just say that it revolves around one of the most beloved characters in Sanderson's Cosmere universe, so don't miss out!

This is a good book. It works very well as a time-travelley whodunit, with an interesting take on intertextuality ("Sea of Tranquility" makes multiple references to Mandel's other novels). However, "perfect is the enemy of good" - as a big fan of Mandel's work in general, to me this doesn't seem to be quite up to her usual standards. It's got an extremely tight-knitted, fast plot, which makes it very readable, but left me longing for that specific kind of awe-inducing let's call it complete incompleteness her other books tend to have. Here, her characters seem to be driven by plot and not the other way round. With Mandel's skill set as a writer, and all the cool, complex, literary stuff you can do with time travel, I simply feel like this could have been even better. But then again, I do admit that my expectations were probably way too high. You won't regret reading this.

Those people unfortunate enough to have read my bio on here will know that fantasy is a genre away from which I usually shy as far as possible. It was therefore with trepidation that I followed several colleagues' recommendation to pick up this book.
Fifty pages and several days later, and I came within millimetres of abandoning it. Although I could see its interest for many (and Clarke's skill as a writer), it was exactly what I dislike about fantasy novels - invented worlds with questionable internal logic etc.

Twenty more pages and I was completely, hopelessly hooked. So much indeed that I read the last hundred-ish pages in one late-night sitting.

So much did I love this book that I am incredibly unwilling to ruin its magic by providing any spoilers. All I'll say is, when reading it, I kept thinking, "This is like a better, pithier version of Donna Tartt's 'A Secret History'". If this is fantasy and it can be this good, I need to change my bio sharpish.

Eine ehemalige Ork-Abenteurerin hängt nach 22 Jahren ihr Schwert an den Nagel und möchte im kleinen Universitätsstädtchen Thune ein Café eröffnen? Klingt genau nach der Verschnaufpause, die man sich als Lesende ab und an wünscht. Erst einmal steht ungemein viel Arbeit an: Möbel schreinern, Mitarbeiter:innen anwerben, Kaffee im pseudomittelalterlichen fantastischen Städtchen bewerben und sich gegen leicht mafiöse Strukturen wehren. Aber ein schicksalshafter Stein schenkt dem ganzen Vorhaben eine große Portion Glück. Viv, die oben benannte Orkfrau lernt im Laufe des Romanes eine Reihe von neuen Bekannten und Freund:innen kennen, die ihr helfen, ihren Traum eines Cafés und eines richtigen Zuhauses zu erfüllen. Tandri, Cal, Timble - man muss sie einfach alle lieben. Wer sich einmal von gewaltig-epischer Fantasy ausruhen möchte und eher einen Blick in das sogenannte Hope Punk -Genre werfen möchte, wird hier in eine sehr positive, warme und heimelige Welt geführt. Konflikte existieren auch hier, aber das optimistische Weltbild ist in jeder Zeile spürbar. Etwas mehr Worldbuilding hätte dem Buch gut getan, aber der kleine Figurenkosmos (Found-Family-Topos!) und die charmanten Orte Thunes überzeugen eigentlich schon zur Genüge.

This book needs to be better known! I can't recall ever reading a story as wholesome as this one; especially in the predominantly gloomy Fantasy genre.
Just as in "Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children", the plot revolves around orphaned youths with magical abilities - one more endearing in their quirks that the other. That's about the only common thread though. While the "Miss Peregrine's" series relies on the spooky and strange atmosphere, the crux of the matter in this story is the character development of the protagonist, Linus. His evolution from miserable case worker defined by the "Rules and Regulations Handbook" to a happy healthy human surrounded by loved ones is heart-warming and simply delightful! Moreover, Klune advocates for diversity and openness towards those who are different than 'normal' in an unobtrusive way.
Reading this wonderful book made my heart ache in so many ways. It has a very good chance of becoming my favorite this year - and it's only January!

Book 1 in the Great Cities Series

This book is an ode to New York - a city unique enough to be its own living and breathing entity. N.K. Jemisin took this notion seriously and let the city come alive indeed: through the five main characters in this book - each representing one of New York's boroughs. Highly imaginative - I was intrigued!

A dark simple fairytale of a mysterious family, loneliness, ghouls and a desolate parallel world.
I can't say that I was really invested in the characters but they were well enough formed to distract me from the real world.

I must admit though that I liked the idea of the story more than Schwab's realization.

This novel is unjustly very obscure, a fact that the new reissue from Dörlemann is hopefully helping to change. Originally published in 1926, it tells the story of unmarried auntie Lolly who, out of the blue, vacates her post as an unpaid housemaid to her brother's family, to move to an obscure village in northern England. For the first time in her life, and much to her family's consternation, Lolly does what she wants and it involves cats, midnight dances, a very peculiar village and - Satan.
Utterly charming and uplifting, the novel's lighthearted treatment of such themes as the lack of prospects for women, loneliness and ageing is borne out by Lolly's esprit and its just rewards. It's a classic of early lesbian literature and should absolutely be read more.

A short and comparatively easy-to-read British classic from 1886 about the duality of human nature. Stevenson's linguistic eloquence is a pleasure to consume!

Valhallaaaaaa!

I'm totally hooked with this book!
In her debut novel 'Black Shield Maiden', Willow Smith brings African and Celtic mythology into an exciting dialogue. Unravels a captivating story whose feminist and social themes couldn't be more topical. She creates an ingenious thought construct that she consistently and excellently thinks through an suprising end. I promise you'll be amazed by her iconic ideas! I'm not a fan of series but can we please follow Yafeu and Freydis story through twelf or maybe twenty five more volumes? Unless I absolutely love it, I can just say: hell yes! This is exactly how literature should be done!

I liked this book a lot more than Sophie Kims other book. Her writing improved a lot and both characters are fun to read, and the story is entertaining. The story takes place in the 1990th and Kim Hani and Seokga are the typical enemies to lovers but both have a lot of pride, so the fights are funny to read, because both want to be better than the other.
This book is for Korea fans and for fans of good urban fantasy.

Eine ehemalige Ork-Abenteurerin hängt nach 22 Jahren ihr Schwert an den Nagel und möchte im kleinen Universitätsstädtchen Thune ein Café eröffnen? Klingt genau nach der Verschnaufpause, die man sich als Lesende ab und an wünscht. Erst einmal steht ungemein viel Arbeit an: Möbel schreinern, Mitarbeiter:innen anwerben, Kaffee im pseudomittelalterlichen fantastischen Städtchen bewerben und sich gegen leicht mafiöse Strukturen wehren. Aber ein schicksalshafter Stein schenkt dem ganzen Vorhaben eine große Portion Glück. Viv, die oben benannte Orkfrau lernt im Laufe des Romanes eine Reihe von neuen Bekannten und Freund:innen kennen, die ihr helfen, ihren Traum eines Cafés und eines richtigen Zuhauses zu erfüllen. Tandri, Cal, Timble - man muss sie einfach alle lieben. Wer sich einmal von gewaltig-epischer Fantasy ausruhen möchte und eher einen Blick in das sogenannte Hope Punk -Genre werfen möchte, wird hier in eine sehr positive, warme und heimelige Welt geführt. Konflikte existieren auch hier, aber das optimistische Weltbild ist in jeder Zeile spürbar. Etwas mehr Worldbuilding hätte dem Buch gut getan, aber der kleine Figurenkosmos (Found-Family-Topos!) und die charmanten Orte Thunes überzeugen eigentlich schon zur Genüge.

I liked this book a lot more than Sophie Kims other book. Her writing improved a lot and both characters are fun to read, and the story is entertaining. The story takes place in the 1990th and Kim Hani and Seokga are the typical enemies to lovers but both have a lot of pride, so the fights are funny to read, because both want to be better than the other.
This book is for Korea fans and for fans of good urban fantasy.

What chance does a young drucrafter with no training have of surviving in a world where the super-rich control everything? In Benedict Jacka's brilliant new series opener 'Inheritance of Magic', even magic can be bought. The young protagonist Stephen Oakwood accidentally finds himself caught between the fronts of one of London's most influential elite families. In order to survive, he must outwit enemies who are richer, stronger and more powerful than he is. Fast-paced urban fantasy in a world full of scheming dynasties and hostile patriarchs. I had great fun reading it and I'm really looking forward to the second volume, which Jacka promised would be published in mid-October 2024.

Samantha Shannon has done it again! When I read The Priory of the Orange Tree in 2019, I was so impressed that such a long high fantasy book not only shined in terms of its intricate worldbuilding and masterful storytelling, but also its extremely well-developed characters and emotional impact. This prequel delivers on all of the same aspects, while presenting its own new and exciting tale.

Shannon is a master of crafting relationships. This moves from a macro level of international politics and religious conflicts over court intrigue to a micro level of interpersonal relationships. All of these levels are interwoven and create a complex and rich picture of Shannon's fantasy world. Her beautiful prose brings this picture to life. You can't help but root for the characters in this book; I found myself especially connecting with Wulf and Dumai's storylines. I love how intrinsically queer and feminist this series is, defying gender norms and tackling themes of (bodily) autonomy and sisterhood.

You're looking for a Fantasy Series that will consistently keep your attention? Try "The Mistborn Trilogy". "The Final Empire" is the first volume in the series.
Sanderson is king when it comes to the invention of magical systems and to the building of worlds - an epic adventure full of fantastic characters awaits you!
P.S.: If you're more into standalones give "Elantris" by Brandon Sanderson a go - it's just as great!

Was für ein grandioser 2. Band!
Bereits der Einstieg fühlte sich explosiv und aufregend an. Man findet sich direkt im Geschehen wieder. Ein konfliktträchtiges, mitreißendes und spannendes Geschehen.
Ich hatte den Eindruck, dass der Umgangston rauer als im ersten Band war. Und ich muss sagen, dass mir das sehr gefallen hat.
Die Handlungen und Entwicklungen der Charaktere sind raffiniert und tiefgründig. Ängste, Sorgen und Kämpfe echter.

A special treat for anyone who has read and loved the Mistborn Trilogy.
Legitimately named 'A Secret History' I won't spoil any of the story here. Let me just say that it revolves around one of the most beloved characters in Sanderson's Cosmere universe, so don't miss out!

Wahnsinn was zwischen diesen Seiten steckt. Liebe, Verrat, Intrigen, Machtspiele.
Jella Benks schafft es, das perfekte Gefühlschaos hervorzurufen. Starke Protagonist:innen, glaubhafte Lügen, echte Emotionen und vor allem geschickte Täuschungen, werden hier ganz groß geschrieben.

The Speculative Teachers' Lounge

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