Iron Flame by Rebecca Yarros
In this follow up the wildly popular Fourth Wing novel, the rebellion – or is it a revolution – steps up. Violet Sorrengail, our hero, finds herself caught between two worlds: the old one she knows but has become disillusioned by. Or the new one, in which she could lose everything. Yes, there are more of the graphic sexy time scenes (which I skip over because they’re not really necessary to the plot), but the actual story itself has grabbed my attention. I’m reading rumors that Fourth Wing is going to be on the screen, so stay tuned for that.
Constance by Matthew Fitzsimmons
In the not too far distant future, clones have become second class citizens. Constance “Con” D’Arcy finds herself missing several months of her life and clones may or may not have something to do with it. I really like Con, the protagonist, and found myself rooting for her as she tries to figure out what is going on. This story has lots of twists if you’re into that. Fitzsimmons has written a sequel called Chance which is on my to read list. If you enjoy authors like Blake Crouch or Michael Crichton, you will probably enjoy Matthew Fitzsimmons.
Chasm City by Alastair Reynolds
I read this a long time ago and I wanted to read it again. And I’m so glad I did. Tanner Mirabel is on a mission to hunt down the man who killed his employer - and also the woman Tanner loves. He ends up on a planet called Yellowstone in an urban setting called Chasm City. This metropolis is set in a giant crater and the entire skyline has been infected with a virus called the Melding. The buildings have been contorted into M.C. Escher-like madness and Mirabel must navigate his way through the maze. But he ends up uncovering more than he bargained for. Chasm City is a standalone science fiction novel with a little bit of action adventure thrown in. It’s part of Reynold’s Revelation Space books, but you don’t have to have read those to enjoy this one. If you like Iain M. Banks or Peter F. Hamilton, you might want to try Chasm City.
The Ebon Knight by James Wood
I saw this on the LibraryThing.com giveaway page and was immediately drawn to its great cover. It’s a fairy tale gone dark. It’s a cautionary tale about a princess and a knight. But the princess has a few secrets. And so does the knight. The Ebon Knight, by James Wood, contains a mix of fantasy adventure and romance which is why it may fall into the category of “romantasy.” The story spends the first half weaving in some worldbuilding and backstory. It zooms off in the second half with more action and the relationship between Ava and Kelso. The author does a good job of balancing the narrative between Ava and Kelso. Both of them come across as the main protagonist while sharing the spotlight. If you are familiar with the show Highlander, you might enjoy this story.
Every Heart a Doorway by Seanan McGuire
Nancy is from our world. But after she finds a way into the underwold where they have a high respect for death, she calls it home. After many years, she finds herself back in our world, but desperately wanting to go back to the underworld. That’s when her parents enroll her in a school where other teens her age find themselves in similar circumstances. They all crave a return to some other dimension where they lived for a time. This is the first book I’ve read by Seanan McGuire and I appreciate how she portrays the bitter emotion of loss and longing. Every Heart a Doorway is a short novella and the first in a series. It can, however, be read as a standalone. If you are into Harry Potter or Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children you should check this one out.
Photo by Pixabay: https://www.pexels.com/photo/close-up-photo-of-glowing-blue-butterflies-326055/
Andrew M. Friday 
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