Cannonball Read 18

Sticking It to Cancer One Book at a Time
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A prime example of how a poor narrator can almost ruin a book

Phantasma (Wicked Games #1) by Kaylie Smith

May 8, 2026 by kfishgirl Leave a Comment

As you can probably tell from the title of my review, I listened to this as an audiobook. I didn’t fully dislike the book, but the narrator’s portrayal of the main character had me annoyed. Ophelia is a budding necromancer, and she’s reeling from the sudden death of her mother. She has to basically take over the family business of bringing back people’s loved ones for closure before she’s fully trained or ready. There’s a whole game aspect (some might call it the plot) with […]

Filed Under: Audiobooks, Fantasy, Fiction, Romance Tagged With: demons, ghosts, hell, Kaylie Smith, wicked games

kfishgirl's CBR18 Review No:16 · Genres: Audiobooks, Fantasy, Fiction, Romance · Tags: demons, ghosts, hell, Kaylie Smith, wicked games ·
· 0 Comments

KKK Demon Hunters

Ring Shout by P. Djeli Clark

May 7, 2026 by stegolily 1 Comment

Ring Shout is set in 1915 Georgia, where Maryse Boudreaux and her friends Chef and Sadie work as bootleggers by day, and demon hunters by night. But unlike their K-pop counterparts, this trio of demon hunters is after Ku Kluxes: terrifying, pointy-headed monsters that fill the ranks of the KKK alongside regular (also monstrous) Klansmen. Ku Kluxes feed on hate, and in Jim Crow-era Georgia, there is plenty of that to go around.  But with Chef’s explosives expertise, Sadie’s sharpshooting abilities, and Maryse’s magical sword, […]

Filed Under: Fantasy, Fiction, Horror Tagged With: P. Djèlí Clark

stegolily's CBR18 Review No:17 · Genres: Fantasy, Fiction, Horror · Tags: P. Djèlí Clark ·
· 1 Comment

I guess my reading vibe this year is slanting towards cozy and comforting

The Last Father-Daughter Dance: A Short Story by Lisa Wingate

Legends & Lattes (Legends & Lattes 1) by Travis Baldree

May 7, 2026 by kfishgirl 1 Comment

I don’t know if you can call this first book exactly cozy, but it was definitely comforting.  Along with the storyline, there’s something comforting (to me at least) about a short story. There are character arcs, plot twists, and usually everything is tied up by the end. It calms the soul to not have to wait! This book is about a woman reconnecting with her ailing father. Kalista is an Olympian, and her father was a long-time high school coach. He’s scheduled for heart surgery […]

Filed Under: Audiobooks, Fantasy, Fiction, Short Stories Tagged With: Lisa Wingate, Travis Baldree

kfishgirl's CBR18 Review No:3 · Genres: Audiobooks, Fantasy, Fiction, Short Stories · Tags: Lisa Wingate, Travis Baldree ·
Rating:
· 1 Comment

A brilliant (but bloody) blend of history and fantasy

He Who Drowned the World: The Radiant Emperor Duology Book 2 by Shelley Parker-Chan

May 7, 2026 by ElCicco Leave a Comment

This finale to Shelley Parker-Chan’s The Radiant Emperor Duology was outstanding. As with the first book (She Who Became the Sun), Parker-Chan focuses on the political and military machinations of a handful of ambitious individuals, each desperate for power and/or revenge. Parker-Chan has created complex characters who, despite their violent and frequently perverse proclivities, can also occasionally inspire pity. The court intrigues and double crossings had me on the edge of my seat, and the battles — sometimes featuring very hungry ghosts — were harrowing. […]

Filed Under: Fantasy, Fiction Tagged With: #fantasy, cbr18, ElCicco, Fiction, He Who Drowned the World, Shelley Parker-Chan, The Radiant Emperor Duology

ElCicco's CBR18 Review No:22 · Genres: Fantasy, Fiction · Tags: #fantasy, cbr18, ElCicco, Fiction, He Who Drowned the World, Shelley Parker-Chan, The Radiant Emperor Duology ·
Rating:
· 0 Comments
Seasons of Glass and Iron

Amal El-Mohtar Excels at Writing Fairy Tales

Seasons of Glass and Iron by Amal El-Mohtar

May 7, 2026 by Tracy Leave a Comment

I really enjoyed this collection of short stories and poems, most of which are based in science fiction and fantasy and heavily influenced by themes of oppression and freedom. Some of them hit more than others, as was expected, with my clear favorites being the ones that had the most fairy tale-like feel. I loved that sort of “tip of my tongue” feeling for one of them because El-Mohtar was drawing from existing tales, and I appreciated the way she could make them feel like […]

Filed Under: Fantasy, Poetry, Science Fiction, Short Stories Tagged With: Amal El-Mohtar, Anthology

Tracy's CBR18 Review No:21 · Genres: Fantasy, Poetry, Science Fiction, Short Stories · Tags: Amal El-Mohtar, Anthology ·
Rating:
· 0 Comments

When did Frenemies become a word?

Dragon vs. Unicorn: Friends or Frenemies? by P.J. Hoover and Lisa Wiley

May 6, 2026 by BlackRaven Leave a Comment

Dragon vs. Unicorn: Friends or Frenemies? by P.J. Hoover and Lisa Wiley (illustrator) might be, if not the first, one of the first or few Choose Your Own Adventures books I have read via an online reader (though it is currently available).  Online reading of a CYOA is not an easy task, unlike this book which is a quick read for the adult and a decent read for the at least five and up (around a young nine) crowd.  Unicorn and Dragon are two friends […]

Filed Under: Children's Books, Comedy/Humor, Fantasy, Fiction, Graphic Novels/Comic Books, Health Tagged With: Choose Your Adventure, emotions, Feelings, friendship, Lisa Wiley, P.J. Hoover, P.J. Hoover and Lisa Wiley, Social Themes

BlackRaven's CBR18 Review No:128 · Genres: Children's Books, Comedy/Humor, Fantasy, Fiction, Graphic Novels/Comic Books, Health · Tags: Choose Your Adventure, emotions, Feelings, friendship, Lisa Wiley, P.J. Hoover, P.J. Hoover and Lisa Wiley, Social Themes ·
Rating:
· 0 Comments
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