Search Results

I love a ragtag crew on a quest (you can check out other titles with this theme that I've reviewed here I love a story about a ragtag crew on a quest (you can check out other titles with this theme that I've

Grossman's reimagined Arthurian legend gives center stage to a ragtag band of misfits, celebrates diversity I loved the twist on Arthurian legends, in which an unlikely young upstart and a ragtag group of aging

Lostetter's standalone science fiction is a story about robots, a ragtag space crew, friends like family echoes of Martha Wells's Murderbot books centered around a grumpy, skeptical AI, as well as a wonderful ragtag

search on the blog) for lists of science fiction reads I've loved, or for individual titles or aspects ( ragtag

She must rely on an unlikely, ragtag group of new collaborators and friends--creatures of all types,

Salvagers space opera series offers diverse characters, strong women, a heist setup, and, ultimately, a ragtag hotshot racer who's on the run, a has-been treasure hunter looking for redemption, and the rest of the ragtag

Chambers's Wayfarers series, young Rosemary feels lucky to have landed the job of clerk for the quirky, ragtag Lostetter Lostetter's standalone science fiction is a story about robots, a ragtag space crew, friends

She must rely on an unlikely, ragtag group of new friends and collaborators to make her business a success

unforgiving planet, and her desperate journey across the ice along with Iska, her formerly feral wolf, and a ragtag

Two of these share one of my favorite setups (a ragtag crew with heart has adventures in space; The Long Chambers's Wayfarers series, young Rosemary feels lucky to have landed the job of clerk for the quirky, ragtag Lostetter Lostetter's standalone science fiction is a story about robots, a ragtag space crew, friends

that space opera series offers diverse characters, strong women, a heist setup, and, ultimately, a ragtag

in the space opera series offers diverse characters, strong women, a heist setup, and, ultimately, a ragtag

Lostetter Lostetter's standalone science fiction is a story about robots, a ragtag space crew, friends Chambers's Wayfarers series, young Rosemary feels lucky to have landed the job of clerk for the quirky, ragtag

Bardugo's Alex Stern series, Hell Bent, in which grumpy, tough, magical, irresistible Alex assembles a ragtag

Chambers's Wayfarers series, young Rosemary feels lucky to have landed the job of clerk for the quirky, ragtag

much of this one coming, but the action-packed fight for justice coupled with the promise of a clever, ragtag

She's beginning to wonder if good can possibly overcome evil in this interminable war, but her ragtag

echoes of Martha Wells's Murderbot books centered around a grumpy, skeptical AI, as well as a wonderful ragtag

much of this one coming, but the action-packed fight for justice coupled with the promise of a clever, ragtag Salvagers space opera series offers diverse characters, strong women, a heist setup, and, ultimately, a ragtag

to a Small, Angry Planet, the first in Becky Chambers's science fiction series about a big-hearted, ragtag Chambers's Wayfarers series, young Rosemary feels lucky to have landed the job of clerk for the quirky, ragtag

becoming a detective (which are based on watching police shows), his youthful belief that he and a ragtag

05 The Bright Sword by Lev Grossman Grossman's reimagined Arthurian legend gives center stage to a ragtag

Chambers's Wayfarers series, young Rosemary feels lucky to have landed the job of clerk for the quirky, ragtag

06 The Bright Sword by Lev Grossman Grossman's reimagined Arthurian legend gives center stage to a ragtag

Other books I've loved with ragtag space crews include Activation Degradation, The Long Way to a Small

She's beginning to wonder if good can possibly overcome evil in this interminable war, but her ragtag

As the Confederates' surrender looms, Simon's ragtag band plays for officers from both sides of the conflict

Chambers's Wayfarers series, young Rosemary feels lucky to have landed the job of clerk for the quirky, ragtag

Chambers's Wayfarers series, young Rosemary feels lucky to have landed the job of clerk for the quirky, ragtag

Bovalino's story hooked me with a main protagonist who's a female knight, her best-friend mage, intriguing magic, a terrifying destiny, showstopping secrets, danger and adventure, and a deep romantic connection. I loved every bit of the first book in Bovalino's Hand and the Heart series. Captain Grey Flynn is a knight pledged to protect the mage Kier, who she has known since she was a child. She is not only a blade but a source of magic, a well. Unbeknownst to others, she and Kier have gone through a forbidden process to become tethered, so that magic flows between them like an unspoken language. But Grey is also secretly in love with Kier. Early in the story Grey, Kier, and choice members of their army are assigned to the protection of a young woman and told to spirit her through the mountains to safety. She is believed by many to be the key to the land's future and the heir to its magic. But she is not who the army thinks she is...and Grey herself is hiding an enormous secret about her own identity, which not even Kier knows. This, my friends, is my sweet spot for romantasy. There is no Outrageous Character Swooning meant to stand in for actual character development or used as a shortcut to attraction and bonds. Bovalino offers a wonderful in medias res introduction to the deep emotional and platonic, affectionate connections between Grey and Kier. What keeps the main protagonists apart is a realistic-feeling set of emotional barriers intended to preserve their lifelong friendship--the stakes of messing with their friendship are understandably high. And Grey's secret is significant; it keeps her somewhat at an emotional distance from Kier. All of this feels warranted. As danger intrudes upon the story and everything Grey and Kier have known feels up in the air, their relationship changes, and the dramatic development of a romantic relationship when death is breathing down their necks feels warranted, perfectly complicated, and heartstoppingly saucy. When the swooning arrives, it's after Bovalino has set the perfect stage for it. The magic in Bovalino's world is strange and the circumstances around the island feel like a grayscale, murky pause in the book's action and a potentially heartbreakng tease of a second chance. The pacing sloooowed during this section, but I was invested. I found the ending a little bit unsatisfying, but I didn't expect the direction the story took, either. Bovalino doesn't offer easy answers, but messy, fought-for, and deserved resolutions. I loved this. I listened to The Second Death of Locke  as a library audiobook on Libby . Please check out these Bossy reviews of medieval-set books . You can click this link for more books about knights. More from V. L. Bovalino The second book in the Hand and the Heart series is currently scheduled for publication in fall 2026 and is titled The Thief and the Traitor Bride . Bovalino writes young adult novels under the name Tori Bovalino; this is her first book for adults.

I loved every bit of the story of willful, sometimes grumpy pirate Amina al-Sirafi and her quest, her strategic swearing, her strength, her fierce loyalty, and her messy, grand, swashbuckling adventures. “Amina, if you insist on going in alone, at least stop caressing your dagger.” I listened to the first installment in Shannon Chakraborty's Amina al-Sirafi fantasy series, The Adventures of Amina al-Sirafi as an audiobook, narrated by the fantastic Lameece Issaq and Amin El Gamal. Amina is a notorious former pirate--ruthless, scandalous, and invincible--who has dropped out of sight and settled down to raise her young daughter alongside her strong-willed mother. Then a mysterious, wealthy matriarch preys upon Amina's need for funds--and her desire for one final, glorious success. Amina soon finds herself entangled in a dangerous ocean quest to rescue a young woman, while fighting to keep her own family safe. “Men find it easier to believe they have been swindled by a witch than outwitted by a woman.” This reads like a grown-up (profanity is used strategically and to great comic effect) fairy tale, and I delighted in the story itself as well as the varied cast of characters--including a dreaded, intriguing, infuriating, potentially devastating blast from the past (ahem: demon!) who throws Amina for a loop--and vice versa. For her seafaring voyage, she enlists the help of certain trusted shipmates from long ago, and while Amina once thought of herself as a one-woman show, despite having had a full crew, her old friends prove their mettle and take initiative at key points, reminding Amina that it's not her against the whole world. "The gang's all back together...we should rob something!" The Adventures of Amina al-Sirafi is fun, funny, and smart, and I was hooked on the lightning-fast banter; the gruff and independent, saucy, and irresistible main protagonist in the feminist Muslim character of Amina; and the sea adventure with various fantastical elements. Chakraborty offers some closure to book one while setting up a sequel. I am alllll in on this series and can't wait for the second installment. Do you have any Bossy thoughts about this book? Shannon Chakraborty also writes under the name S. A. Chakraborty and is the author of the Daevabad Trilogy: The City of Brass, The Kingdom of Copper, and The Empire of Gold.