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SLAYING PARADISE

From the Legend of The Iron Warrior series , Vol. 1

A pulpy Christian misfire with a comic book–like plot.

Holiday imagines a godly superhero in this debut Christian fantasy novel, the first in a series.

San Diego police officer Travis Holiday likes being a cop. He sees it as a life of service, allowing him to help people through their most difficult moments. His career comes to a screeching halt, however, when his car veers off the highway in the middle of some dense fog. A bearded man in a white gown appears and pulls the broken Travis out of his vehicle, miraculously healing his shattered bones. Travis isn’t dead; this man, Mark, tells him, “You’ve been chosen to defend others in God’s name.” Despite his faith, Travis isn’t thrilled by the news—he has a wife and son he desperately wants to go home to—but he doesn’t have a choice in the matter. Mark takes him to a new place, a spiritual battleground between good and evil called Carnage Coast, where he is to serve as the Iron Warrior, a soldier for God in his war against Lucifer. Once they arrive in the temptation-ridden city, Travis finds a house waiting for him, complete with an underground superhero lair. It turns out he also has a day job: owner of the WWE-like Carnage Coast Wrestling Association. As Travis acclimates to his position, he begins his vigilante work for God (which mostly involves beating up people who get rough with women in alleys). In the meantime, Lucifer has recruited a new soldier of his own: alcoholic sex worker Lynda Lynch, who is willing to use her sexuality to win him souls in exchange for powers to hurt those who have long hurt her. Lucifer has one man in mind for Lynda to seduce: Travis Holiday. Can Travis remain a pure warrior of God, assisting vulnerable women while remaining true to his wife and son, or will he be merely the latest man to fall victim to the temptations of Carnage Coast?

The author throws himself into this invented world with enthusiasm, and there are some fun ideas here. (Readers who are just looking for some vigilante violence in an underworld milieu will find plenty of it.) Unfortunately, Holiday’s prose is flat and expositional, and every sentence arrives with a clunk: “The Iron Warrior is the one who is strong, hardened and dedicated to serving others. Iron signifies hardness and strength. It doesn’t bend or give way to pressure. Warriors, fight for something greater than themselves. They develop themselves so they can be strong enough for others.” The simplistic manner in which the story is told makes it ill-equipped to deal with the many disturbing and violent events of the plot—Lynda, for example, is sexually assaulted as soon as readers meet her. Holiday the author clearly means for Holiday the character to be a kind of Christian Batman, but it simply doesn’t work—the novel is neither theologically nor psychologically rigorous enough to reconcile its Christian messaging with its crude interest in sex, blood, and profanity. A pulpy Christian misfire with a comic book–like plot.

Pub Date: May 5, 2024

ISBN: 9798324850081

Page Count: 267

Publisher: N/A

Review Posted Online: July 9, 2024

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BURY OUR BONES IN THE MIDNIGHT SOIL

A beautiful meditation on queer identity against a supernatural backdrop.

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Three women deal very differently with vampirism in Schwab’s era-spanning follow-up to The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue (2020).

In 16th-century Spain, Maria seduces a wealthy viscount in an attempt to seize whatever control she can over her own life. It turns out that being a wife—even a wealthy one—is just another cage, but then a mysterious widow offers Maria a surprising escape route. In the 19th century, Charlotte is sent from her home in the English countryside to live with an aunt in London when she’s found trying to kiss her best friend. She’s despondent at the idea of marrying a man, but another mysterious widow—who has a secret connection to Maria’s widow from centuries earlier—appears and teaches Charlotte that she can be free to love whomever she chooses, if she’s brave enough. In 2019, Alice’s memories of growing up in Scotland with her mercurial older sister, Catty, pull her mind away from her first days at Harvard University. And though she doesn’t meet any mysterious widows, Alice wakes up alone after a one-night stand unable to tolerate sunlight, sporting two new fangs, and desperate to drink blood. Horrified at her transformation, she searches Boston for her hookup, who was the last person she remembers seeing before she woke up as a vampire. Schwab delicately intertwines the three storylines, which are compelling individually even before the reader knows how they will connect. Maria, Charlotte, and Alice are queer women searching for love, recognition, and wholeness, growing fangs and defying mortality in a world that would deny them their very existence. Alice’s flashbacks to Catty are particularly moving, and subtly play off themes of grief and loneliness laid out in the historical timelines.

A beautiful meditation on queer identity against a supernatural backdrop.

Pub Date: June 10, 2025

ISBN: 9781250320520

Page Count: 544

Publisher: Tor

Review Posted Online: March 22, 2025

Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 15, 2025

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SHIELD OF SPARROWS

A thrilling, immersive tale that shows that some bargains demand more than just a crown.

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A reluctant princess is thrust into deadly political intrigue in Perry’s sweeping, high-stakes romantasy.

Odessa is the overlooked and underestimated princess of Quentis, whose life takes an unexpected turn when a deal is struck between her father and the formidable Turan warriors force her into an arranged marriage with their enigmatic prince, Zavier Wolfe. Intended as a mere formality to secure trade routes and military alliances, the betrothal spirals into something far more dangerous when ancient magic, a ruthless Guardian, and a looming war threaten to upend everything she knows. Finally emerging from the shadow of her seemingly perfect half sister, Mae, Odessa must navigate court politics, monstrous creatures, and her own uncertain place in a world where survival often depends on strategy rather than strength. As tensions rise, she finds herself entangled with the dangerous, enigmatic Guardian—a man whose silver eyes hold secrets of their own. Perry’s worldbuilding is lush and immersive, crafting a kingdom rife with old magic, deadly beasts, and political machinations that add depth. The pacing is relentless, carrying Odessa from one life-altering event to another as she grapples with duty, defiance, and a destiny she never chose. Her internal conflict is compelling, torn between the expectations placed upon her and the fierce independence that threatens to make her an outcast in her own kingdom. Romance simmers as Odessa struggles to reconcile her obligations with her growing attraction to the Guardian, whose past is as shadowed as his reputation. Mae is introduced as Odessa’s political foil, and although her presence drives much of Odessa’s internal drama—being constantly overshadowed or underestimated—she’s mostly seen through Odessa’s perspective. Her motivations, ambitions, and political maneuverings might have benefited from deeper exploration to give more nuance to the power dynamics. However, Perry’s evocative prose and intricate plotting make for a gripping tale. Readers looking for a slow-burn romantasy with rich political intrigue and a protagonist forced to create her own fate will find much to enjoy.

A thrilling, immersive tale that shows that some bargains demand more than just a crown.

Pub Date: May 6, 2025

ISBN: 9781649378514

Page Count: 528

Publisher: Entangled: Red Tower Books

Review Posted Online: March 26, 2025

Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 15, 2025

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