Book Reviews

In this category, find our book reviews, with a strong focus on fantasy, sci-fi, and horror genres, as well as some movies, comics, or superhero-based stories.

Take a look through the Recommended Reading tag for some great stories to add to your TBR!


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Book Review: ‘Captain Marvel: Shadow Code’ by Gilly Segal

Get ready for another girl-powered Captain Marvel team-up in Gilly Segal’s Captain Marvel: Shadow Code. Iron Man has asked for Captain Marvel’s help. A young student of his who is a pattern genius has noticed a rather worrying one surrounding tech unicorn Digitech. Mara Melamed can’t quite see the big picture yet, but she knows that there is one, and that

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Book Review: ‘Suddenly Super: A Twisted Tale’ by Jen Calonita

Another Twisted Tale that has so far only been released on the other side of the pond, Suddenly Super asks “What if Violet from The Incredibles became an Agent of Syndrome?”. Now before anyone starts freaking out too much, no, Violet doesn’t suddenly become evil. Instead, she’s a confused teen who gets manipulated by an evil man. What happens when an

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Book Review: ‘The City of Stardust’ by Georgia Summers

The Everly family has lived under a curse for centuries. For each generation, one member must be sacrificed to the mysterious Penelope. The reason for the curse has been lost to the Everly family, they simply live with the debt they can never fully pay. Ten years ago, Violet’s mom walked out the door to find a way to break the

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Book Review: ‘The First Shadowdragon’ by Lee Newbery

Lee Newbery’s first book was about the last firefox so it only makes sense that his second book would be about the first shadowdragon. Once again, the citizens of Fargone need help, and they’re turning to Charlie the Great. However, Charlie isn’t feeling so great. Even though he managed to defeat the terrifying Grendilock, he’s still being bullied at school and

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‘Argylle’ by Elly Conway Book Review: Read It Before Seeing The Movie!

Get ready for a spy-thriller-treasure hunting adventure in Argylle by Elly Conway. Aubrey Argylle has been drifting ever since his parents died five years ago. But now he’s gotten the attention of the CIA, and they’ve recruited him for a special ops team. Argylle wasn’t quite sure what to expect working for the CIA, but this team isn’t it. While Argylle

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My Top 23 Favorite Novels Read in 2023

Hello, fellow bookworms. It’s hard to believe that 2023 is over already. There’ve been highs and lows but overall it was a really great year for books. I’ve read well over one hundred books this year, many of them reviewed right here on Cosmic Circus for your perusal. So whittling it down to my top 23 was hard, almost like picking

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Book Review: ‘The Last Firefox’ by Lee Newbery

Charlie is just a normal kid growing up in Wales. And like all kids, he has a few problems. There are a couple of bullies that won’t leave him alone, there’s a killer goose that keeps chasing him, and his parents want to adopt a new little brother or sister. It’s a lot for one kid to deal with. Then something

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Books: ‘Strangers’ by Taichi Yamada is a Simple Yet Haunting Ghost Story

The infamous words of cursed pirate Captain Barbossa, “You best start believing in ghost stories Ms. Turner… Cause you’re in one!” echoed through my head as I read Strangers by Taichi Yamada. Written back in 1987 and translated by Wayne P. Lammers in 2003, Strangers explores grief and the impact it has on someone decades after their initial loss. However, this

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Book Review: ‘The Bitter Crown’ by Justin Lee Anderson

An entire kingdom has been stolen without anyone even knowing. How? Because the one who stole it has memory magic. “King” Janaeus used a powerful magical relic to amplify his power and change the memories of the entire kingdom all at once. Now they all think he is the king and that the rightful king, Mynygogg is trying to steal the

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Audiobook Review: ‘Star Wars: Survivor’s Quest’ by Timothy Zahn

The Essential Legends Collection has been bringing together some of the best and most famous novels from the old Expanded Universe of Star Wars since 2021. The novels get republished under this new line, and are given amazing new cover artwork, for a whole new generation of fans to enjoy and read. Disney sparked some controversy when they decided to scrap

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