Blood for the Undying Throne is the sequel to one of my favorite books of last year, Blood of the Old Kings. That first novel in The Bleeding Empire series featured one of the most unique magic systems I’ve encountered in a fantasy book in years, where the corpses of sorcerers are used as power generators. Blood for the Undying Throne…

An old friend from my Overwatch days popped into Discord the other week (shout out to you, Nathan) and casually mentioned a game called Peak. I’d never even heard of it. My interest was—you guessed it—peaked (ba-dum-tis). I was skeptical. How fun could a mountain climbing game really be? Turns out…very. Peak is a uniquely charming blend of humor, strategy, chaos, and teamwork that’s somehow both cozy and adrenaline-fueled.

Every gamer has that one hill they’re willing to die on—the game everyone else slept on, hated, or dismissed—but you’ll defend until the end of time. For me, that list of games I'm ready to defend is…kind of long. Over the years, I’ve fallen hard for games that either launched to mixed reviews, got overshadowed by bigger titles, or just didn’t get the respect they deserved.

From the title, I expected a feminist take on The Princess Bride. What I got instead—as the author’s note later confirmed—was a Celtic-medieval fantasy version of Legally Blonde that takes itself seriously. It’s an inspired premise, but unfortunately it didn't quite resonate with me as much as I would have liked. The Princess Knight follows Princess Clía, who, after being jilted by her betrothed, Prince Domhnall, sets out to prove her worth by enrolling in the world’s most prestigious battle academy (which he also attends).

We’ve all been there—the dreaded reading slump. That dark time when your TBR pile glares at you accusingly, asking, “Why can’t you just sit down and read?” Or worse, “Why can’t you even finish a single book?”  Sometimes the cure is as simple as picking up something fast-paced and irresistible (or, let’s be honest, adding another book to the pile). These ten science fiction and fantasy picks have rescued me from slumps in the past—and I hope they can pull you back into reading too, especially when the gaming console or Netflix starts calling your name.

The Jasad Crown is the sequel to The Jasad Heir and the final book in the Scorched Throne duology, which comes to a stunning close. I was so excited for this release that I reread the previous entry, one of the most successful portrayals of enemies-to-lovers I’ve ever read, so that it would be fresh in my mind. Because I held The Jasad Heir in such high regard (I think I enjoyed my reread even more than my initial read of the novel), my expectations for this sequel were equally high and that made some of the choices here more difficult to reconcile.

Behooved is a grown horse girl’s dream come true in novel form. The story follows Bianca Lilliana as she journeys to a neighboring country to wed their heir to the throne, Aric. This marriage will secure an alliance between their two nations. Bianca and Aric immediately get off on the wrong foot, which soon magically becomes a hoof—at least in Aric’s case—when an assassination attempt gone wrong turns Bianca’s new husband into a white horse and she is framed for his disappearance and murder.

This week’s Top Ten Tuesday theme is a Summer Freebie—pick any topic that fits under the summery sun. And while the calendar insists it’s June, someone clearly forgot to tell the weather. It doesn’t feel like summer yet... and honestly, I don’t feel much like summer yet either. Lately, motivation has been in short supply. So instead of fast-paced adventures or epic quests, I’ve been craving softness—

This week’s Top Ten Tuesday theme is all about animal companions—real or fantastical. Naturally, I had to veer into the fantasy realm, so I'm sharing fantasy novels with animal companions. Here are some of my favorite magical sidekicks: enchanted horses, gods of white lies, otter-like creatures that mysteriously sprout antlers, sarcastic unicorns, and (of course) dragons. They’re not ranked by cuteness—because honestly, how could I ever choose?

Well, the author who single-handedly made me like science fiction has done it again with The Two Lies of Faven Sythe. The second I saw that Megan E. O’Keefe had written another book, I had to read it as soon as humanly possible. And it did not disappoint, like all of O’Keefe’s works, The Two Lies of Faven Sythe features spectacular and creative world-building, loveable characters, and a thrilling story with a twist.

This week’s Top Ten Tuesday theme is books with travel—but as a devoted dragon enthusiast, I couldn’t resist breathing a little fire into it. So instead of planes and passports, we’re diving into fantasy quests: heists, kidnappings, long-lost relatives, and all the delightful chaos that comes with leaving home and (probably) picking up a sword, staff, or broomstick. Top Ten Tuesday…

Hive: Madders of Time is a fast-paced thrill ride that drops both new readers and returning fans of the author, D.L. Orton, into a time-bending adventure where the fate of the world hangs in the balance. With references sure to delight science enthusiasts and pop culture fans alike, Hive brings a fun sense of humor and an easygoing style to a story packed with intensity.

This week's theme for Top Ten Tuesday is Ways in Which My Blogging/Review Style Has Changed Over Time .  Top Ten Tuesday was created by The Broke and the Bookish in June of 2010 and was moved to That Artsy Reader Girl in January of 2018. It was born of a love of lists, a love of books, and a desire to bring bookish friends together.

This week's theme for Top Ten Tuesday is Authors Who Live In My State/Country (submitted by Jennifer @ Funk-N-Fiction.) Top Ten Tuesday was created by The Broke and the Bookish in June of 2010 and was moved to That Artsy Reader Girl in January of 2018. It was born of a love of lists, a love of books, and a desire to bring bookish friends together.

Whenever I want to read something light, fun, and quirky, I have a tendency to reach for an Ali Hazelwood novel. I enjoy her brand of humor and like reading her portrayal of women in typically male dominated fields. Check & Mate is no exception to these hallmarks of Hazelwood’s writing, as it features a young woman, 18- year-old Mallory Greenleaf, entering the professional chess world.

This week's theme for Top Ten Tuesday* is Books with the Word “” in the Title (Choose a word and find ten books with that word in the title.) So naturally, I have chosen to feature books with the word dragon in the title. Terribly original, I know. But to make things a little more exciting, I've tried to pick novels with dragons in the title that I've already read and/or reviewed and also are less widely known.

A roundup of book reviews and bookish discussion posts that were on the radar of A Literary Escape during the month of April 2025.

Every once in a while a book comes along that feels like a warm hug and that's Violet Thistlewaite is Not a Villain Anymore. This novel is a cozy fantasy romance all about the magic of second chances. It features a compelling female protagonist, just enough of a high stakes plot, and a happy ending. Violet Thistlewaite is Not a Villain Anymore…

Top Ten Tuesday was created by The Broke and the Bookish in June of 2010 and was moved to That Artsy Reader Girl in January of 2018. It was born of a love of lists, a love of books, and a desire to bring bookish friends together. This week’s theme is books that surprised me in a good or bad way.

When I first saw the trailer for Stellar Blade, I was intrigued, mostly in spite of myself. Another game featuring an overly sexualized female protagonist catering to a male audience—do we really need yet another one of those? Well, months later, the demo rolled out, and I played it. To my surprise, I immediately loved the Souls-like gameplay (something I usually despise), the world-building, and was incredibly interested in the story.

Top Ten Tuesday was created by The Broke and the Bookish in June of 2010 and was moved to That Artsy Reader Girl in January of 2018. It was born of a love of lists, a love of books, and a desire to bring bookish friends together. This week's theme is unpopular bookish opinions!  (You can share opinions surrounding being a reader, a book reviewer, etc.

I was drawn to picking up Fear the Flames because I am a simple woman, I always want to read anything with dragons in it. And the premise seemed pretty interesting, a lost heir/princess trying to take back her five dragons from her evil king of a father with the help of a bloodthirsty commander of another nation. What’s not to like?

Top Ten Tuesday was created by The Broke and the Bookish in June of 2010 and was moved to That Artsy Reader Girl in January of 2018. It was born of a love of lists, a love of books, and a desire to bring bookish friends together. This week’s theme is Books with Springy Covers. Naturally, I had to incorporate my love of the fantasy genre, so I'm sharing fantasy books with covers featuring all things spring—pastels, flowers, and sunshine.

If there's one fairy tale that I have never felt particularly attached to, it’s Snow White. But I figure if anyone could put a spin on it and make me actually like it, it'd be T. Kingfisher. Though Hemlock & Silver is a very unique take on the fairy tale, I didn't find it as compelling as some of the author's other works, like…