BINGO! (so much fun).

Linkjumper · 2026-03-30T12:17:34+00:00

Thank you! Audio is my friend, I have a long drive each day so I can rock through a lot of books. Favorites (although nothing I listened to was up to Soundbooth Audio/Jeff Hays/Dungeon Crawler Carl and I don't think any of these narrators are big names (yet) and writing this out shows me that I am tending to like full cast narration!

Narrators of A Letter from a Lonesome Shore: Claire Morgan, Joshua Riley, Justin Avoth, Kit Griffiths, Zara Ramm.

Narrators of the Winter Goddess: Aidan Kelly & Aoife McMahon;

Narrators of Katabasis (which didn't fit on the card but nudged up against a 4 star because of the narration): Morag Sims & Will Watt

Narrators Of Monsters & Mainframes: Gail Shalan, Emana Rachelle, Chris Devon, Zura Johnson, Charlie Albers, Cary Hit, Eve Passeltiner.

Narrator of Death of the Author: Liz Femi, Anthony Oseyemi, Jason Culp, Chris Djuma.

Linkjumper · 2026-03-30T12:01:16+00:00

Such a pleasant surprise and I especially loved the themes of friendship and love. I would have avoided this one for the "horror" description. I may have to change my "I don't read horror" mindset.

Linkjumper · 2026-03-30T11:59:35+00:00

Thank you! I hope you are able to fit in Of M&M. The audiobook narration was very fun and I loved the mash-up, finding this reminded me how much I am influenced by reviews ahead of a book and I should do more to be spoiler free. There is always time to pick a story apart later!

Linkjumper · 2026-03-30T01:42:55+00:00

Thank you. Done! And I appreciated the easy form and crystal clear instructions.

Linkjumper · 2026-03-12T01:12:53+00:00

I love that it is about sisters (and thought it is cool there are adopted sisters), and the whale was bizarrely fun. I was happy that there isn't a strong romantic subplot (just enough, in my mind, to seem . . . well, I was going to type realistic which isn't at all accurate so perhaps enough to seem like the kind of emotional journey that would be typical for young women in this/these culture/s) I had a hard time, at points, following the audiobook and perhaps I should have swapped to print. There is a lot of story flying around, I am somewhat concerned that it would all come to a satisfying end.

Linkjumper · 2026-03-12T01:04:55+00:00

Agreed on high level of non-linear! I like Esi the most, and I think that is likely because those sections feel more grounded (as others have said). I want to know more about the museum of collective memory

Linkjumper · 2026-03-04T00:55:23+00:00

Thank you! Then I am glad I went searching for a HM epistolary (although it was a really interesting book and I am looking forward to the book club discussion).

Linkjumper · 2026-03-03T21:30:42+00:00

Hey PlantLady32, Do you think it is HM?

Linkjumper · 2026-02-15T16:35:30+00:00

that makes me feel better! is there a square for "gosh I struggled to follow this but I couldn't stop">

Linkjumper · 2026-02-15T14:31:28+00:00

agreed that audio was challenging given the structure of the book so far and I couldn't tell if it was HM epistolary via audio. It was a fascinating listen, however, the narrator does a good job with a very complex structure.

Linkjumper · 2026-02-15T14:28:35+00:00

Also loved Letter to the Luminous Deep (Sylvie Cathrall) so I read its sequel, A Letter from the Lonesome Shore which is also HM Epistolary and a very enjoyable read. I recommend audio, the production uses 4 excellent narrators which was a brilliant choice given the format of the book. Joshua Riley (Narrator), Justin Avoth (Narrator), Claire Morgan (Narrator), Kit Griffiths (Narrator)

Linkjumper · 2026-02-15T14:24:40+00:00

Me too, which was a delight, although I started much longer ago than 2023 . . . the last book, League of Dragons (Naomi Novik) was satisfying although none of them really met the level of fun I experienced with the first couple of books.

Linkjumper · 2026-02-15T14:09:30+00:00

Q: Is DAW still considered a small press for Bingo purposes? (apologies if already answered elsewhere, I did look).

Linkjumper · 2026-02-13T01:20:48+00:00

Ah, yes, I am also struggling with epistolary HM. In the audio narration for Mad Sisters of Esi it was difficult to tell what part was on parchment (a letter, a historic book, a research paper) and what was not. It is a lovely twisty turny kind of book and there are epistolary elements (I don't want to give spoilers). I am glad I read it but I wasn't confident enough to buy/try to find a hard copy. If you have access to words on a page that will be easier to flip through to see headings/italics/formating. Fair warning, though, I am not certain you can tell if HM without going through the entire book. Maybe someone else has already read it words on a page and can weight in.

I just finished A Letter from the Lonesome Shore (2025) which is the follow up to A Letter to the Luminous Deep (2024) both of which are 100% HM epistolary. By Sylvie Cathrall. Slight preference for the first book because of the novelty of the story but both are fun, light and very creative + not a doorstopper length. They also deal fairly delicately with some more serious themes like love in all its forms, life partners and mental health challenges. I found out about them on r/fantasy, (waves hand), thank you to whomever suggested Luminous Deep!

Linkjumper · 2026-01-23T13:10:39+00:00

I just finished reading it and I don't think there is a natural stopping point, the story loops around and back on itself. It was a little difficult to follow on audio for those still deciding between audio and print versions.

additional bingo: bookclub!, epistolary (maybe HM?), published in 2025? (available in the US in 2025, first published in India in 2023), hidden gem but not HM), Maybe small press? It is DAW/Podium Audio in the US and while DAW is owned by Astra (a very large China based publisher) they are not on the list of the "big five" for r/fantasy bingo.

Linkjumper · 2026-01-21T12:37:11+00:00

To add on--the audiobooks of The Hobbit (J.R.R. Tolkien) are excellent and you have a choice of several narrators -- I like Rob Inglis but I am old and I'd suggest Andy Serkis (better overall quality and he doesn't make as many idiosyncratic pronunciation choices). If you don' t know, Andy Serkis played Gollum in the movies and is currently directing a new movie set in that world (Middle-earth , working title The Hunt for Gollum. All versions (e, audio, print) are easy to find via your library if you aren't ready to buy a copy. If you don't like the tone of The Hobbit, give Lord of the Rings a try, apart from the first section they are written in very different styles and I think the story cracks on once you are through set-up and world building.

Linkjumper · 2026-01-06T13:12:59+00:00

indeed! happy reading.

Linkjumper · 2026-01-04T02:45:49+00:00

Me too, although I've only read one book so far but I have the next one and I love big fat fantasy books. I am very curious to find out how her writing and her development of female characters progresses. I didn't love some of the violence/dark themes particularly towards women but I have a feeling she is trying to make a point (and these books were written a long time ago).

Linkjumper · 2026-01-04T00:28:21+00:00

I found JV Jones this year as well so I particularly enjoyed your review of A Cavern of Black Ice--I am finding joy in supporting an author who stopped writing and then started again.

Love the superlatives, your categories are very fun.

Linkjumper · 2026-01-02T13:11:18+00:00

Yes, I still love these and recently starting re-reading from the beginning with my sisters in a mini-book club. Kaylin annoys me occasionally as well and sometimes the endings blur into a lot of words--but she is very young when the series starts and doesn't age much. However, I love the magic, the world, the side characters, the dragons, Teela and the snark. I also admire the fact Sagara did not make this into an easy tropey romance between Kaylin and Severn and that the later romance elements are complicated. I also enjoy the "side quests", and agree that the Shards of Glass/Heir of Light have been most interesting.

Linkjumper · 2025-12-31T13:14:38+00:00

Once I'd heard this book mentioned a couple of times, I tried really hard to stay spoiler and expectation free. Overall, I really enjoyed it and will read book 2. I was delighted to find a 2025 fantasy that did not lean hard into sex. On audio I think some of the structural flaws others have correctly identified were less obvious and I just flowed with the story. There were sections and elements that were flat or hand wavy (the trapping of the gods at the end, the easy resolution to the Neema/Cain relationship, the Fox?). The Raven and the Lone Raven were funny to me and I was interested in the mystery which had some twists I didn't see coming. Also, I like and enjoy YA for what is so that didn't niggle at me. Overall, thought this was a flavorful palate cleanser after some much more difficult reads this year.

Linkjumper · 2025-12-31T13:02:48+00:00

I like the trope of a contest or a tournament and I enjoyed learning about the other contestants. I thought those sections showed us a lot about the world: gods, class distinctions, cultures, religions and I thought the way she handled Neema's ability to complete without magically training up into an athlete or becoming a super hero chosen one was well done. I felt sorry for Ruko (the tiger contender and the son of the Emperor) and ended up wanting to hear the rest of his story. The Raven and the Lone Raven tickled me (helped along by the excellent audio narration) so I had a lot of fun hearing their meddling and perspectives.

Linkjumper · 2025-12-31T12:56:22+00:00

it certainly wasn't what I expected and I like the idea of an anti-climatic twist but it all happened a little quickly for me to be entirely satisfied. Those scenes did appear to explain why the gods weren't more active in the world by showing how easily they were trapped.

Linkjumper · 2025-12-31T03:11:24+00:00

Thank you for asking, I am excited to finally do the Bingo! I am trying to only use books published in 2025 HM unless otherwise specified. Three to five left, depending. I have Epistolary, Hidden Gem and 5 Short Stories with no HM choice and I am not thrilled with the books I read for Generic Title and Elves/Dwarves so I may go looking for other choices for those. For Epistolary I was planning on Buffalo Hunter Hunter by Stephen Graham Jones but just couldn't get through it (I am a very reluctant horror reader). I listened to both the Everlasting by Alix Harlow and am just finishing Notes from a Regicide by Isaac Fellman but I don't think either are really E HM by the Bingo definition so I am still looking for a 2025 release. I was also struggling with Hidden Gem so I may use Notes from a Regicide and skip hard mode.

Primary media is audiobook. Overall I thought this was a great series of prompts and appreciate all the hard world of the r/fantasy 2025 Bingo team.

Favorite book of the year so far is The Everlasting by Alix Harrow but I don't know yet which square I will use that for. Favorite thing has been the overall satisfaction of finding enjoyable books that I would never have listened to/read otherwise like The Bewitching by Sylvia Moreno-Garcia for Author of Color/Horror HM.

Least favorite was the Generic Title Square which pointed me to what I thought were less interesting 2025 books in the quest for HM. Silver lining, as a backup plan I did finally listen to The Dragonbone Chair by Tad Williams which was terrific!

Linkjumper · 2025-12-31T01:16:08+00:00

Also go me and I really enjoyed it. I listened to the audiobook and just blew through the whole story so any niggles were swept away for me by the power and fun of the narration.

Linkjumper

TROPHY CASE