Michael Gruneir profile

Place of birth: Toronto Ontario Canada

Michael Gruneir's 17 reviews

Trial of Stone by Andy Peloquin (Heirs of Destiny)

Trial Of Stone, the debut in a new 5 book series by the ever-prolific Andy Peloquin, is the perfect novel for fans of multi-POV epic fantasy in the vein of Brandon Sanderson and John Gwynne. It tells the stories of Issa, Evren, Kodyn, and Aisha, who each have very different missions, but as the story progresses, become more and more int...

8.7/10

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Darkblade Assassin by Andy Peloquin (Hero of Darkness)

I had heard great things about Andy Peloquin’s work and i always love finding prolific authors, so delving into Darkblade Assassin to begin the massive epic tale of The Hunter Of Voramis had me intrigued and full of anticipation.The Hunter is an assassin, and at the novel’s beginning, more or less a lone wolf. FromT...

8.5/10

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Never Die by Rob J Hayes

This story is pure adrenaline. From the very first line through its twisty conclusion, Never Die showcases Rob Hayes’ talent in creating interesting and memorable characters while placing them in ever-escalating life-or-death situations. This is a story of vengeance and honor, delivered with the style and speed of an expert katana...

8.7/10

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Burning Ashes by James Bennett (Ben Garston)

There is truly a special place in my heart for James Bennett’s work. His debut novel for Orbit, Chasing Embers serves as my re-introduction to Fantasy fiction. In fact, it began my love affair with Grimdark, and particularly, the wave of UK based authors that have become prominent over the years.The Ben Garston series is market...

8.5/10

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Indentured Magic by James A Eggebeen

I was fortunate enough to receive an advance reading copy of Indentured Magic by James Eggebeen and while I had been unfamiliar with the author’s previous work, the premise sparked my interest.A disgraced sword master goes on a quest for redemption which finds her investigating a human trafficking ring that targets young girls ...

8.5/10

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Shattered Dreams by Ulff Lehmann (Light in the Dark)

One of my author friends recommended Ulff’s first book to me with high praise. Apparently, this book was in the works for twenty years, which was intriguing. surely it seemed like the type of epic doorstopper I was clamouring for after reading a lot of shorter books.Upon reading the first few pages I knew I was in for something...

9.1/10

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100 Miles and Vampin by C T Phipps (Straight Outta Fangton)

As a fan of Charles Phipps’ work and having thoroughly enjoyed book one of his Vampire based Urban Fantasy series “Straight Outta Fangton”, I couldn’t wait to delve in to the Advanced Reader Copy of Book 2.Now as everyone knows, sequels are often hit or miss. Very often, writers and filmmakers will overuse the...

9.1/10

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The Lore of Prometheus by Graham Austin King

Graham Austin-King knows how to challenge conventions with his storytelling. He’s not afraid to write about uncomfortable themes and the depravity of human nature. His last novel Faithless was an absolutely fantastic read centered around a subterranean dungeon based society. It was a dark claustrophobic nightmare of a book.I was sen...

8.6/10

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The Thousand Scars by Michael R Baker (Counterbalance)

I'm relatively new to military Fantasy. That said, I'm quite certain that Michael Baker has crafted an absolutely fantastic novel.The Thousand Scars begins with a war between two parties, the Balian Empire and the Dominion.We are led to believe based on point of view perspectives that the Balian Empire is the faction to root ...

8.2/10

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The Hod King by Josiah Bancroft (The Books of Babel)

Have you heard of the podcast Crit Faced? It’s the one where five fantasy authors record themselves playing Dungeons and Dragons each week. Josiah Bancroft is one of them. His character, Jean Mallerme, is a bard – one of the more challenging occupations to role play, but one of great versatility. Through Bancroft’s ful...

9.6/10

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Exile by Martin Owton (The Nandor Tales)

In the expansive world of indie fantasy, it's easy to note the abundance of dark, edgy novels, with many authors attempting to out-shock their peers.I'm a Grimdark fan, but I began my fairly late entry in to Fantasy fiction with Epic series like Sanderson's Stormlight Archive, and Robin Hobb and Pat Rothfuss' work so ...

7.7/10

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Steel, Blood and Fire by Allan Batchelder (Immortal Treachery)

I'll begin by stating that I'm a huge fan of humor in Fantasy. I devoured Terry Pratchett's entire Discworld series after hearing it compared to Douglas Adams. I enjoyed Nicholas Eames' offerings Kings of the Wyld and Bloody Rose which to me were an excellent mix of classic fantasy and a more modern and subtle approach to satire....

8.5/10

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The Cost of Betrayal by David Dalglish (Half-Orcs)

Beautiful, twisted, gothic, tragic, unrelenting, magical, imaginative, intense, horrific, bone-chilling, philosophical, polarizing, comforting and warm, cold and claustrophobic, humorous, chaotic, cinematic, mesmerizing.  Oh... and quite simply one of the best books I've ever read. Without giving anything away, book 2 o...

9.2/10

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Straight Outta Fangton by C T Phipps (Straight Outta Fangton)

Reading Straight Outta Fangton was a true experience. It just might be the most fun I've had reading a book in a long time. I will preface this review by stating that I have been a fan of Charles Phipps' work since my first experience with his Supervillainy series which I devoured quickly. Very few authors can handle pro...

8.4/10

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Scribes by James Wolanyk (The Scribe Cycle)

Fantasy as a genre is polarizing among true literature connoisseurs. Despite many novels and series spanning lengthy epic-sized tomes, authors are often criticized for being trite, or too detached or disengaged from the real world. I happen to love the genre, although I have agreed with the critics on many occasions as well. I have read some exc...

8.8/10

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Knights of the Dead God by James Jakins (Mikaia Goretusk)

So first off I would like to state that James Jakins is one of my favorite authors. The first volumes in his other two series (Thunder's War and Jack Bloodfist) were exceptional. He knows how to connect with the reader by always staying one step ahead and offering Easter eggs and references to past books and characters, and like the best ind...

9.2/10

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King of Assassins by RJ Barker (The Wounded Kingdom)

I received an advanced copy of King of Assassins in exchange for an honest review. Thank you to RJ Barker and Nazia and Jenni at Orbit. *This may contain slight spoilers for the trilogy*Well, The Wounded Kingdom trilogy. Where should I start? I can safely say in the (almost) two years I have been reviewing that this is my favourite t...

9.7/10

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