Home of the Alpha Showdown, and one-stop shop for urban fantasy, paranormal romance and fantasy news and reviews.
The Temptation of Immortality by Tom Doyle In my American Craftsmen trilogy, what could possible tempt a magician-soldier or psychic spy? Readers of my first book discover that these powerful craftspeople come from long family lineages that have accumulated more money than any individual will get to use in their own lifetime. But that is of course the heart of the problem: some craftspeople want more... 
The Queen and the Cure (The Bird and the Sword #2) Amy Harmon Published: May 9, 2017 (Amy Harmon) 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 stars Note: While this review will be spoiler free, it will reference the previous book. If you haven’t started this series yet, check out VBC’s review of book... 
Bannerless (Bannerless Saga #1) Carrie Vaughn Published: July 11, 2017 (John Joseph Adams) Purchase: Book Depository or Amazon Review source: copy provided by publisher in exchange for an honest review Reviewed by: Beth Rating (out of 5): 2 stars Enid lives in the United States—or what remain of them, decades after civilization fell and was virtually destroyed. A time where girls get birth control... 
Reincarnation Blues Michael Poore Published: Aug. 22, 2017 (Del Rey) 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 stars Milo is an old soul. In fact, he’s the oldest soul in existence. To be exact, he’s lived 9,995 lives. Milo has yet to achieve Perfection, the one thing that would send him along to... 
The Rise and Fall of D.O.D.O. Neal Stephenson and Nicole Galland Published: July 13, 2017 (William Morrow) Purchase: Book Depository or Amazon Review source: purchased Reviewed by: Beth Rating (out of 5): 2 stars D.O.D.O. The Department of Diachronic Operations. A sort of black ops department that figures out how and why magic disappeared from our world, and then works out how to make magic work again.... 
Raid K.S. Merbeth Published: Jul. 25, 2017 (Orbit) Purchase: Book Depository or Amazon Review source: copy provided by publisher in exchange for an honest review Reviewed by: Margaret Rating (out of 5): 3 stars Clementine is a bounty hunter in the post-apocalyptic land known as the wastes. It’s a desert landscape dotted with small, ramshackle villages that survive on scavenged bottled water and canned... 
The Fifth Doll Charlie N. Holmberg Published: July 25, 2017 (47North) Purchase: Book Depository or Amazon Review Source: copy provided by publisher in exchange for an honest review Reviewed by: Amy Rating (out of 5): 3.5 Matrona has always tried to be the dutiful daughter her parents expect her to be. She stays on top of her chores and never complains. She’s even gone so far as to agree to marry the man... 
Winter Tide (The Innsmouth Legacy #1) Ruthanna Emrys Published: April 4, 2017 (Tor) 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 Aphra is…not like the other humans around her. Oh, she can mostly pass for one, but it’s the telling little details that give her away as a monster. Not monster as in... 
The Waking Land Callie Bates Published: June 27, 2017 (Del Rey Books) Purchase: Book Depository or Amazon Review Source: copy provided by publisher in exchange for an honest review Reviewed by: Beth Rating (out of 5): 5 stars Ripped from her family at gunpoint at the age of five, Lady Elanna has been raised by the king who took her. She has been treated more or less as a daughter, and she has no desire to... 
Down Among the Sticks and Bones (Wayward Children #2) Seanan McGuire Published: June 20, 2017 (Tor) 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 Note: While this review will be spoiler free it may reference previous events. If you haven’t started this series yet, check out VBC’s review of book... 
