Home of the Alpha Showdown, and one-stop shop for urban fantasy, paranormal romance and fantasy news and reviews.
Blood and Tempest (Empire of Storms #3) Jon Skovron Published: Nov. 21, 2017 (Orbit) Purchase: Book Depository or Amazon Review source: purchased Reviewed by: Amy Rating (out of 5): 4 stars Note: While this review will be spoiler free, it will reference previous books. If you haven’t started this series yet, check out VBC’s review of book 1, Hope and Red. The end of Bane and Shadow left our main... 
Markswoman (Asiana #1) Rati Mehrotra Published: Jan. 23, 2018 (Harper Voyager) Purchase: Book Depository or Amazon Review source: copy provided by publisher in exchange for an honest review Reviewed by: Amy Rating (out of 5): 4.5 stars After earning her first “mark” Kyra, at nineteen, has become the youngest current Markswoman for the Order of Kali, the oldest of the five Orders in Asiana. The Orders... 
Win It Wednesday is back, and we have a just-released sci-fi goodness up for grabs today with Sarah Tarkoff’s Sinless. It’s the first in her Eye of the Beholder series, and sounds super good. In Grace Luther’s world, morality is physically enforced. Those who are “good” are blessed with beauty, while those who are not suffer horrifying consequences—disfigurement or even death. The daughter of a cleric,... 
City of Brass (The Daevabad Trilogy #1) S.A. Chakraborty Published: Nov. 14, 2017 (Harper Voyager) Purchase: Book Depository or Amazon Review source: purchased Reviewed by: Beth Rating (out of 5): 4 stars Nahri is a con—she uses her fake “talents” to “heal” those who may be possessed by spirits, and then she charges fees, steals what she can, and disappears. She does have some talent—she knows when... 
Heart on Fire (Kingmaker Chronicles #3) Amanda Bouchet Published: Jan. 2, 2018 (Sourcebooks Casablanca) Purchase: Book Depository or Amazon Review source: copy provided by publisher in exchange for an honest review Reviewed by: Jo Rating (out of 5): 4 stars Note: While this review will be spoiler free, it will reference previous books. If you haven’t started this series yet, check out VBC’s review of book... 
Artemis Andy Weir Published: Nov. 14, 2017 (Crown) Purchase: Book Depository or Amazon Review source: copy provided by publisher in exchange for an honest review Reviewed by: Beth Rating (out of 5): 3.5 stars The Moon. Long a dream of mankind to not only visit, but maybe—someday—to colonize. In Andy Weir’s Artemis, that dream has become a reality. Let me say this before I go any further into this review:... 
Jade City (The Green Bone Saga #1) Fonda Lee Published: November 7, 2017 (Orbit) Purchase: Book Depository or Amazon Review source: copy provided by publisher in exchange for an honest review Reviewed by: Beth Rating (out of 5): 3 stars Jade has power, for those who can wield it. With that jade comes physical strength, unique abilities, and power over others. There are two clans who control the mining and... 
Win It Wednesday is back and we have a delicious fantasy romance for one lucky VBC reader. You might have caught Amy’s early review of The Sea King by C.L. Wilson recently. If it piqued your interest, but you weren’t up to date on the series, it’s cool. You know we have your back with the book recs. We have three copies of The Winter King, which is the first book in the Weathermages of Mystral series. We... 
The Tethered Mage (Swords and Fire #1) Melissa Caruso Published: October 24, 2017 (Orbit) Purchase at: Book Depository or Amazon Review Source: Copy provided by publisher in exchange for an honest review Reviewed by: Amy Rating (out of 5): 4 stars In the Serene Empire, those who possess strong magic develop a mage mark that shows itself as a colored ring around the iris of the eye. Those who begin to show... 
The Sea King (Weathermages of Mystral #2) C.L. Wilson Published: October 31, 2017 (Avon) Purchase at: Book Depository or Amazon Review Source: Copy provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review Reviewed by: Amy Rating (out of 5): 4 stars Note: While this review will be spoiler free, it may reference previous events in the series. If you haven’t yet started, check out VBC’s review of The... 
