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: ‘Doctor Who: The Fires of Pompeii’ by James Moran

In Doctor Who: The Fires of Pompeii by James Moran the Doctor and his companion Donna are aiming for a nice relaxing day in (relatively) ancient Rome. But after they land, the duo realizes that they missed their mark by a couple of hundred miles and landed in Pompeii instead. Worse, the famous eruption is happening soon. Really soon. Like tomorrow!

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Book Review: ‘Pigs Can’t Look Up’ by Vincent D’Onofrio

Pigs can’t look up, that’s a fact. But don’t they still deserve to see the stars? In Pigs Can’t Look Up one little girl thinks so. And she does everything she can to help her piggie friend see the awe-inspiring sight. Even as she sweetly tries to help her friend, others aren’t so kind to her. Heartbreakingly, she just wishes that

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Book Review: ‘The Sun and The Star: a Nico Di Angelo Adventure’ by Rick Riordan and Mark Oshiro

Being a teenager isn’t easy. Being a teenager in love, even less so. But when you also happen to be the son of Hades and your boyfriend is the son of Apollo difficult doesn’t begin to cover it. In The Sun and The Star (set in the world of Percy Jackson) by Rick Riordan and Mark Oshiro, Nico Di Angelo isn’t

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Book Review: ‘Part of Your World: a Twisted Tale’ by Liz Braswell

It’s a simple question. What if Ursula had won that fateful day? What would it look like for The Little Mermaid’s Ariel and Eric? In Liz Braswell’s Part of Your World that is precisely what happened. Ursula, disguised as Vanessa, marries a bewitched Eric. Ariel believes her true love is stolen and her father is dead so she retreats to Atlantica.

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Book Review: ‘The Phoenix Chase: A Marvel School of X Novel’ by Neil Kleid

Neil Kleid’s The Phoenix Chase is the newest addition to Aconyte book’s Marvel School of X line of novels. This time Kid Omega’s friends get captured and the only way to save them is by turning to those with more experience than him. Working on a team isn’t Kid Omega’s style, but if he’s going to track down the deadly Phoenix

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Book Review: ‘The Lost War’ by Justin Lee Anderson

Resuming normal life after a rebellion isn’t easy. King Janaeus of Eidyn is trying to get the country back on track and he has a mission for the King’s Envoy, and best friend, Aranok. Janaeus wants Aranok, his bodyguard, Allandria, the head of the army, Glorbad, and the head of the navy, Nirea, to travel across the country, retrieve a deposed

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Review: Big Finish’s ‘Doctor Who: Free Speech’

As we keep the Doctor Who 60th-anniversary celebration rolling, we wanted to look at some other adventures of the Doctor, outside the main series. The world of Doctor Who has become so expansive through the extended universe of novels and audio dramas. Big Finish has a wide array of stories and audio dramas, featuring nearly every incarnation of the Doctor. Today’s

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Book Review: ‘The Sword Defiant’ by Gareth Hanrahan

In Gareth Hanrahan’s The Sword Defiant, it’s been twenty years since the Nine vanquished Lord Bone and saved the world. Now those heroes have changed. Some have passed, some have become politicians, some have become magnates, and some are lost. And some continue to fight even as they realize they’re getting too old for it. But now something is coming. Something

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Book Review: ‘Black Cat: Discord: A Marvel Heroines Novel’ by Cath Lauria

Felicia Hardy is arguably the best thief in the world. So when a magical golden apple shows up in New York promising the answer to any one question for the owner, everyone wants Felicia to nab it for them. But she has no interest in golden apples. Instead, a scruffy little teenager has stolen Black Cat’s attention. Casey Beck’s dad has

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Book Review: Harm’s Way: A Star Trek TOS Novel by David Mack

On an undeveloped planet in the neutral zone between the Federation and the Klingon Empire, a scientist has gone missing. In fact, an entire team has mysteriously vanished. Ships from both the Federation and the Empire have sent teams to recover the scientist and any surviving research. But the planet turns out to be hiding a deadly secret. The two teams

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Book Review: ‘When You Wish Upon a Star: A Twisted Tale’ by Elizabeth Lim

In the delightfully twisted tale, When You Wish Upon a Star, from Elizabeth Lim we take another look at the story of Pinocchio. But in a really huge twist, Lim’s tale focuses on an important but often overlooked character, the Blue Fairy. Pinocchio and his trials are kind of peripheral to most of the story, although his fate is extremely important

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Book Review: ‘Doctor Who: The Witchfinders’ by Joy Wilkinson

Doctor Who is celebrating its 60th anniversary this year. So The Cosmic Circus is doing a year-long celebration of this incredible show. For my part, there’s a whole series of books based on the show. I’ll be doing a few reviews on these books throughout the year. In the first book I’m reviewing, Joy Wilkinson’s Doctor Who: The Witchfinders, the 13th

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