fantasy Archives - The Gilmore Guide to Books https://gilmoreguidetobooks.com/tag/fantasy/ Connecting Books and Readers One Review at a Time Sun, 01 Feb 2026 23:26:07 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.9.4 https://gilmoreguidetobooks.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/cropped-books-on-table-2-150x150.jpg fantasy Archives - The Gilmore Guide to Books https://gilmoreguidetobooks.com/tag/fantasy/ 32 32 38398750 The Poet Empress https://gilmoreguidetobooks.com/2026/02/the-poet-empress/ https://gilmoreguidetobooks.com/2026/02/the-poet-empress/#respond Mon, 02 Feb 2026 08:28:19 +0000 https://gilmoreguidetobooks.com/?p=19489 The Poet Empress is a debut by Shen Tao, set in 650AD China in the kingdom of Tensha. The current emperor is dying and two of his sons are vying for the throne.  One of them, Terren, needs a bride and concubines, so a nationwide search is begun. During the approval process he randomly chooses […]

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]]> https://gilmoreguidetobooks.com/2026/02/the-poet-empress/feed/ 0 19489 Spinning Silver https://gilmoreguidetobooks.com/2026/01/spinning-silver/ https://gilmoreguidetobooks.com/2026/01/spinning-silver/#respond Wed, 14 Jan 2026 08:46:45 +0000 https://gilmoreguidetobooks.com/?p=19412 In Spinning Silver author Naomi Novak takes the components of the fairytale Rumpelstiltskin and separates them in the same way the heroine in that story had to separate the straw to weave into gold. From seemingly unimportant, innocuous bits of chaff, Novak spins an entire storyline and then brings it all together for mesmerizing reading. […]

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]]> https://gilmoreguidetobooks.com/2026/01/spinning-silver/feed/ 0 19412 2025 Best Backlist https://gilmoreguidetobooks.com/2026/01/2025-best-backlist/ https://gilmoreguidetobooks.com/2026/01/2025-best-backlist/#comments Thu, 01 Jan 2026 08:57:57 +0000 https://gilmoreguidetobooks.com/?p=19443 I couldn’t exit the year without an acknowledgement of the backlist books that kept me afloat in 2025. While there were excellent new books released in 2025 these six special novels, all published in previous years found me when I needed books to provide an escape, thrill me, make me laugh, and even break my […]

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]]> https://gilmoreguidetobooks.com/2026/01/2025-best-backlist/feed/ 6 19443 Katabasis by R.F. Kuang https://gilmoreguidetobooks.com/2025/10/katabasis-by-r-f-kuang/ https://gilmoreguidetobooks.com/2025/10/katabasis-by-r-f-kuang/#comments Mon, 27 Oct 2025 07:39:19 +0000 https://gilmoreguidetobooks.com/?p=19377 I’ve read and enjoyed both of R.F. Kuang’s adult novels (Babel, Yellowface) so was looking forward to her latest, Katabasis. A Greek word meaning “going down or descending” this chunky novel is about Alice Law, an American student getting her graduate degree in Magick from Cambridge. The title refers to Alice’s descent into Hell to […]

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]]> https://gilmoreguidetobooks.com/2025/10/katabasis-by-r-f-kuang/feed/ 3 19377 Starter Villain https://gilmoreguidetobooks.com/2025/09/starter-villain/ https://gilmoreguidetobooks.com/2025/09/starter-villain/#comments Mon, 29 Sep 2025 07:12:23 +0000 https://gilmoreguidetobooks.com/?p=19352 Hello, lovely readers! You may have noticed that The Gilmore Guide to Books doesn’t look the way it usually does. Instead of brief excerpts of the books I’ve reviewed, the landing page now contains the full review for every book. It is clunky and not how I like things to look. Sadly, it’s been almost […]

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]]> https://gilmoreguidetobooks.com/2025/09/starter-villain/feed/ 2 19352 The Adventures of Amina al-Sirafi https://gilmoreguidetobooks.com/2025/09/the-adventures-of-amina-al-sirafi/ https://gilmoreguidetobooks.com/2025/09/the-adventures-of-amina-al-sirafi/#comments Mon, 01 Sep 2025 07:10:39 +0000 https://gilmoreguidetobooks.com/?p=19291 Sometimes all you need in your reading is a raucous tale of adventure and fun and I found it in Shannon Chakraborty‘s novel, The Adventures of Amina al-Sirafi. Amina is a middle-aged woman, a mother, a former pirate who once captained the ship that terrorized merchants and the wealthy alike throughout the Indian Ocean. After […]

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]]> https://gilmoreguidetobooks.com/2025/09/the-adventures-of-amina-al-sirafi/feed/ 2 19291 July Reading Wrap-Up https://gilmoreguidetobooks.com/2025/07/july-reading-wrap-up-7/ https://gilmoreguidetobooks.com/2025/07/july-reading-wrap-up-7/#comments Thu, 31 Jul 2025 07:40:17 +0000 https://gilmoreguidetobooks.com/?p=19258 My surprise over the disappearance of July probably comes as no surprise as I seem to lament how quickly the months go on a regular basis now. It’s a disconnect from the feeling that we’re years into this president’s term based on the chaos and toxicity. The only thing keeping my poor psyche from exploding […]

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]]> https://gilmoreguidetobooks.com/2025/07/july-reading-wrap-up-7/feed/ 4 19258 January Reading Wrap-Up https://gilmoreguidetobooks.com/2025/01/january-reading-wrap-up-8/ https://gilmoreguidetobooks.com/2025/01/january-reading-wrap-up-8/#comments Fri, 31 Jan 2025 08:28:54 +0000 https://gilmoreguidetobooks.com/?p=18942 Wrap-up is the perfect word for this January. One, it is COLD here in Seattle. Flannel sheets cold which makes for cozy reading. Two, for the first time in a very long time a month has felt like it lasted a year. I went from my normal head shake over “where did this month go” […]

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]]> https://gilmoreguidetobooks.com/2025/01/january-reading-wrap-up-8/feed/ 11 18942 My 9 Favorite Books in 2024 https://gilmoreguidetobooks.com/2024/12/my-9-favorite-books-in-2024/ https://gilmoreguidetobooks.com/2024/12/my-9-favorite-books-in-2024/#comments Fri, 27 Dec 2024 08:18:40 +0000 https://gilmoreguidetobooks.com/?p=18858 As I started reviewing my reading year there was one stat that jumped off the chart at me. Of the 13 five-star books I read this year my favorite 9 were backlist (published before 2024). I’m sure publishing analysts could provide an easy explanation (fewer books published in an election year) or a psychologist something […]

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]]> https://gilmoreguidetobooks.com/2024/12/my-9-favorite-books-in-2024/feed/ 4 18858 What I’m Reading Now https://gilmoreguidetobooks.com/2024/11/what-im-reading-now/ https://gilmoreguidetobooks.com/2024/11/what-im-reading-now/#comments Tue, 05 Nov 2024 08:33:15 +0000 https://gilmoreguidetobooks.com/?p=18761 I’m trying to keep it simple this week with what I’m reading now because there is no knowing where my head is going to be after today. If you’re a regular reader of this blog then you already know where I stand so I won’t belabor the point. Suffice it to say, I’m not sure […]

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