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: ‘Star Trek Picard: Second Self’ by Una McCormack

A suffering refugee population on a remote planet, a dangerous war criminal, and a (slightly) disgraced intelligence officer looking for their next move. These three things come together on Ordeve, a planet with a long and complicated history, in Una McCormack’s Star Trek Picard: Second Self.   [Note: While I am reviewing this novel independently and honestly, it should be noted that

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Book Review: ‘The Shining City’ (Our Broken Earth Book 2) by Demitria Lunetta

Mal has been walking for a long time. He’s looking for somewhere better, somewhere that isn’t poisoned by the toxic things humanity has done to the Earth. He started his journey with a large group of friends and family but one by one they all died. Now it’s just him. Mal is looking for the mythical “shining city”. If he can

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Book Review: ‘Star Trek: Strange New Worlds: The High Country’ by John Jackson Miller

In the year 2259, the U.S.S. Enterprise heads off to a planet so remote that it is only known by its surveyor’s catalog entry, FGC-7781 b. They’re investigating the disappearance of Braidwood, a civilian anthropological expedition that had been missing for almost a year. What they discover on FGC-7781 b is something that no one was expecting. Find out just what

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Book Review: ‘Liberty & Justice for All: An Xavier’s Institute Novel’ by Carrie Harris

In this latest book review from my reading nook here at The Cosmic Circus, I’m reviewing the novel that started the Marvel: Xavier’s Institute series, Liberty and Justice for All by Carrie Harris. In this introductory novel, two young students of the New Charles Xavier School go on a training mission. It’s their first time flying solo and it’s supposed to

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Book Review: ‘Ruin and Rising: A Grishaverse Novel’ By Leigh Bardugo

Alina is in a precarious position. She has basically become the prisoner of the Apparat. Trapped deep underground, far from the sunlight she needs, Alina is unable to use her powers. She needs to find the third amplifier to defeat the Darkling, but first, she has to find a way out from under the mountain and from under the Apparat’s control.

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Book Review: ‘Star Wars Jedi: Battle Scars’ by Sam Maggs

Star Wars Jedi: Battle Scars is the latest novel straight from the Star Wars universe. It tells the story of Cal Kestis and the crew of the Stinger Mantis between the events of the Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order and Star Wars Jedi: Survivor games. While you don’t have to read the book to play Jedi: Survivor, is it still worth

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Book Review: ‘The Betrayed: A Dawning of Muirwood Novel’ by Jeff Wheeler

The Betrayed is the third book in the Dawning of Muirwood trilogy by Jeff Wheeler. Wheeler’s take on the famous Arthurian legend is told from an unexpected viewpoint. Instead of following Arthur or Merlin, or even Guinevere or Lancelot, Wheeler builds his story around a young abandoned girl named Eilean. In the previous two books, Eilean found her affinity for magic,

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Book Review: ‘Siege and Storm: A Grishaverse Novel’ by Leigh Bardugo

Join Alina as she tries to defeat the Darkling and save Ravka in Leigh Bardugo’s Siege and Storm. This is Bardugo’s second Grishaverse novel in the Shadow and Bone Trilogy. [ Warning: My review of Siege and Storm contains spoilers to this book and its predecessor Shadow and Bone (read the review here). Find this and many other books we’ve reviewed

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