Illborn (The Illborn Saga #1) by Daniel T. Jackson
Religion takes front and center stage in this book. It was pretty interesting to explore how religious beliefs influence people’s behaviors, mindsets, and actions.
Never Die (Mortal Techniques #1) by Rob J. Hayes
If you’re looking for noble characters with a strong sense of right and wrong, happy endings, and damsels in distress, this book is not for you.
Lightblade (Lightblade Saga #1) by Zamil Akhtar
The organic development of Jyosh and the skills progression is indicative of a well-thought-out plot, especially how training can be completed in a Tel’aran’rhoid-like place.
Children Of the Quicksands By Efua Traore
I think this is very reminiscent of many Nigerian children today (the torn from cultural roots part), which is sad because we are losing our cultural values fast, and they may be gone forever.
The Starless Sea by Erin Morgenstern
The characters in this book are numerous, and it’s no surprise that my favorite character is Zachery Ezra Rawlins. He is a weird and queer guy, and I really enjoyed reading about his character development
The Atlas Six (The Atlas #1) by Olivie Blake
The author’s style of writing and world-building is not unnecessarily complex, making the book an easy read. The switch in POVs makes for an exciting change in pace and format throughout the book. Nico, Libby, and Reina’s POVs are baseline YA, while Callum, Parisa, and Tristan lend more jaded experiences.
Dragon’s Mage (Ragond’s Witch Hunter #1) by Ava Richardson
So this is a YA book, and going into it, I expected the regular YA tropes. While there were a few tropes here and there, it wasn’t as much as I expected.
The Mountains Rise (Embers of Illeniel #1) by Michael G. Manning
The book, rather than being plot-based, is character-based. It follows the development of a character from being a juvenile psycho to being mature.
The Way of Shadows (Night Angel #1) by Brent Weeks
The entire thing is a complex weave of even more complex characters, themes of violence, betrayal, love and redemption.
Oathbringer (The Stormlight Archive #3) by Brandon Sanderson
The plot becomes more complex here as the author continues from where he left off in Words of Radiance. So far, I have a feeling the main storyline is yet to start.