Welcome to The C.K. Beggan Bookish Blog! If you’re looking for your next read, titles are listed alphabetically and divided by indie and traditional publishing. (If you look closely enough, you may even find some non-fantasy books.) And while you’re here, don’t forget to check out the author interviews and special features, which include book lists by theme!
Fiction
Reviews of the best (and my favorite) fantasy and speculative fiction novels I’ve come across so far, all by indie authors.
Atheist’s Angel (Anna Velfman)
The Borderlands Princess (Ophelia Wells Langley)
Bride of the Shadow King (Sylvia Mercedes)
The Cracked Slipper (Stephanie Alexander)
The Crown Plonked Queen (Andrew Einspruch)
The Cursebound Thief (Megan O’Russell)
A Darkness at the Door (Intisar Khanani)
The Daughter of Earth (Callie Pey)
Daughter of Shades (Silvia Mercedes)
Droplets of Magic (Emily Bybee)
The Eastie Threat (Andrew Einspruch)
An Enchantment of Thorns (Helena Rookwood & Elm Vince)
Enchanting Fate (Ashley Evercott)
The Fool and the Sparrow (Dana Fox)
The Fox and the Briar (Chesney Infalt)
Frozen Hearts and Death Magic (Day Leitao)
Guardian of Talons and Snares (Anastasis Blythe)
Heart of Cinders (J. Darlene Everly)
Her Dreadful Will (Rebecca F. Kenney)
The Lily Gate (Hanna Sandvig) – coming soon
Maiden of Candlelight and Lotuses (Anastasis Blythe)
Married by Fate (Jenny Hickman)
Married by War (Sarah K.L. Wilson)
Married by Wind (Angela J. Ford)
Music of the Night (Angela J. Ford)
Of Heists and Hexes (S.L. Prater)
Of Roses and Rituals (S.L. Prater)
Of Silver and Secrets (Sylvia Mercedes)
Of Smoke and Shadow (Ophelia Wells Langley)
Phoenix Heart, Season One, Episode One: Ashes (Sarah K.L. Wilson)
The Prince and the Poisoner (Helena Rookwood)
A Promise of Thorns (Helena Rookwood & Elm Vince)
The Purple Haze (Andrew Einspruch)
Rise of the Fire Queen (Alisha Klapheke)
The Road to Farringale (Charlotte E. English)
Stolen by the Shadow King (Alisha Klapheke)
Sting Magic (Sarah K.L. Wilson)
The Thief and the Throne (Helena Rookwood)
A Trial of Thorns (Helena Rookwood & Elm Vince)
Throne of Sand (Helena Rookwood & Elm Vince)
To Carve a Fae Heart (Tessonja Odette)
Twelve Days of Faery (W.R. Gingell)
Warrior of Blade and Dusk (Anastasis Blythe)
Wizardom Legends: Thief for Hire (Jeffrey L. Kohanek) – coming soon
Nonfiction
My favorite books in the fantasy, noir, literary and speculative fiction genres that have been released by traditional publishers.
Alanna: The First Adventure (Tamora Pierce)
All the Horses of Iceland (Sarah Tolmie)
Children of Blood and Bone (Tomi Adeyemi)
The Chosen and the Beautiful (Nghi Vo)
The City of Brass (S.A. Chakraborty)
Crown of Midnight (Sarah J. Maas)
The Cruel Prince (Holly Black)
The Empress of Salt and Fortune (Nghi Vo)
Gods of Jade and Shadow (Silvia Moreno-Garcia)
The Hacienda (Isabel Cañas) – live 10/31/22
Six Crimson Cranes (Elizabeth Lim)
Skin of the Sea (Natasha Bowen)
A Song Below Water (Bethany C. Morrow)
Talking to Dragons (Patricia C. Wrede)
Tempests and Slaughter (Tamora Pierce)
The Theft of Sunlight (Intisar Khanani)
Throne of Glass (Sarah J. Maas)
Velvet Was the Night (Silvia Moreno-Garcia)
When the Tiger Came Down the Mountain (Nghi Vo)
Witches Steeped in Gold (Ciannon Smart)
A new category! In which I do my best to pose thoughtful questions to some of my favorite indie authors.
Anastasis Blythe, live October 1, 2022 – 11 Questions with Anastasis Blythe, author of Guardians of Talons and Snares
Chesney Infalt, June 3, 2022 – 10 Questions with Chesney Infalt, author of The Fox and the Briar
Anna Velfman, April 15, 2022 – 10 Questions with author Anna Velfman, author of Snowblind
Andrew Einspruch, May 25, 2021 – Questions with the hilarious, award-winning author of The Light Bearer
Helena Rookwood and Elm Vince, April 10, 2021 – Questions with the co-authors of An Enchantment of Thorns
From Ask an Indie Author to trivia to Book Lists, find blog posts featuring by topic, writing tips andIndie Author Spotlights.
Indie Author Spotlight: Tessonja Odette – August 2022
Of Thieves and Shadows cover reveal! (BOMM tour) – live 8/23/22
Rise of the Fire Queen is here! (Book News) (8/7/22)
Ask an Indie Author with Ashley Evercott – How I make my book covers shine on social media? (7/15/22)
Indie Author Spotlight: Anthea Sharp – June 2022
Six of Crows month content (June 2022)
8 Fantasy Books with Delicious Cliffhanger Endings (Including Six of Crows)
9 Fantastic quotes from the Six of Crows duology
10 Books to read after Six of Crows
Kaz Brekker and my Fjerdan heist level character hangover
Trivia: Do You Know Kaz Brekker?
Trivia: How well do you know Six of Crows?
Trivia: How well do you know the Six of Crows duology characters?
From Storm and Shadow cover reveal! (BOMM tour) – 5/30/22
16+ Awesome Asian-Inspired Fantasy Worlds – 5/27/22 – A book list with settings from the Middle East to the Pacific Islands
Weaver cover reveal! (BOMM tour) – 5/10/22
Vow of the Shadow King cover reveal (BOMM tour) – 5/4/22
A Throne of Shadows Cover reveal! (BOMM tour) – 4/28/22
A Darkness at the Door cover reveal – 4/22/22 – in which I discuss the Dauntless Path series and reveal the fabulous cover
Retellings to Thrill Any Fantasy Reader – A complete list of fairy tale and classic book retellings I’ve reviewed on the blog
Supporting Diversity in Fantasy – A mission statement for the blog, plus links to authors who feature diverse characters in their work
Lessons from Bestsellers Part I (Using Contrast to Create Depth) – Learning from Hannah and Leo in The German Girl, by Armando Lucas Correa
Lessons from Bestsellers Part II (Using Contrast to Create Depth) – A look at the many sides of Ali in S.A. Chakraborty’s City of Brass
Lessons from Bestsellers Part III (Using Contrast to Create Depth) – A mystery and a terrible truth rounds out Bethany C. Morrow’s A Song Below Water
5 Awkward Situations to Make Your MC Shine – Examples of awkwardness that endear main characters to readers in some of my favorite books