Tag Archives: high fantasy

Review: The Sleepless by Jen Williams

Blogger's Favorites, Book Review and Content, Fantasy, Young Adult/Teen 12-18, , , , , , ,
The Sleepless by Jen Williams

The Sleepless
Jen Williams
Wednesday Books
Published September 30, 2025

Amazon | Bookshop | Goodreads

About The Sleepless

Godkiller meets Powerless in this epic gods-and-monsters romantic fantasy from British Fantasy Award-winning author Jen Williams.

Welcome to a world where gods and monsters roam the earth . . .

Elver is the guardian of the wild and dangerous monster forest. Saved from the brink of death by a god, her skin will poison anyone she touches.

Artair is on a mission—one that takes him face-to-face with Elver at her most ruthless. But her defenses are useless when she discovers he’s the only human impervious to her deadly gift. For Artair isn’t human: he’s one of the Sleepless, cursed to share his body with an evil spirit.

Lucian inhabits their body while Artair sleeps, and he is hell-bent on manipulating Elver for his dark purposes. But Elver is harbouring secrets too, and she has her own reasons for feigning an alliance with these two souls.

Caught in the crossfire of gods, monsters, and a dangerous magic they can barely understand, it is only a matter of time before the paths the three of them choose to take will set alight the very foundations of their world.

With a love triangle like you’ve never seen it, incredible world-building, brilliant writing, and a dangerous quest, The Sleepless will have you spellbound.

My Review

Yeah, I have to give the cover copy credit; this book definitely had me spellbound by the end. The story world is so different. In some ways, there’s so much worldbuilding that I felt really immersed in the pantheon of gods and their history with each other. Both main characters are deeply devoted to their way of life. They come from very different backgrounds, but they find some critical common ground. Both are incredibly isolated, and they’ve each assumed their lives must be that way. Their experiences make it impossible for them to return to those isolated, closed lives, though. I loved that for them, and I love that as part of their character growth.

Lucian is also a really interesting character. I flip-flopped back and forth on how I felt about him multiple times. Is he misunderstood? Evil? Has he changed because of Elver’s kindness? What happens if he recovers his memories and remembers who he was?

There’s also a very slow-burning romance/love triangle in the story. I wasn’t sure how I’d feel about it, but actually, I think the author pulls the romance together nicely.

This is the first part of a duology, and the ending shows that. There’s a partial resolution, but it’s clear that the characters have more still to do before they can be truly free.

The Sleepless is the first novel by Jen Williams that I’ve read, and I definitely want to read more. Currently, the conclusion to the duology is scheduled for publication in May 2026. I’ve already got it on my list to read next year!

Content Notes

Recommended for Ages 14 up.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
Strong profanity used a few times.

Romance/Sexual Content
Kissing. Brief, very vague reference to sex.

Spiritual Content
The story world contains a pantheon of gods, each of whom have different abilities, temples, and followers. One god demands blood sacrifices in exchange for power or attention. Another god uses light to burn away the presence of magic from other gods, which sometimes causes death.

Violent Content
Situations of peril. A group of people throw a child over a cliff into the sea to appease a god. (She does not die.) Some characters do not sleep. Instead, when they go unconscious, another person “wakes up” inside them and that alternate person is sometimes violent. These Sleepless are imprisoned in a monastery where their others cannot hurt anyone. One character intends to sacrifice others to their god in exchange for power. One character’s touch is toxic to humans. She uses this to incapacitate or hurt those who wish to harm her or her allies. Brief battles between characters occur. References to the death of children as a result of a conflict between gods.

Drug Content
Characters drink alcohol at one point. It’s unclear whether they knew the drinks were alcoholic. They received them while hiding from pursuers.

Note: This post contains affiliate links, which do not cost you anything to use but help support this blog. I received a free copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are my own.

Review: In the Hall of the Dragon King by Stephen Lawhead

Coming of Age, Fantasy, Young Adult/Teen 12-18, , , , , ,

In the Hall of the Dragon King (Dragon King #1)
Stephen R. Lawhead
Thomas Nelson
Published on September 11, 2007 (Originally published in 1982)

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Goodreads

About In the Hall of the Dragon King
Carrying a sealed message from the war-hero Dragon King to the queen, Quentin and his outlaw companion, Theido, plunge headlong into a fantastic odyssey and mystic quest. Danger lurks everywhere in the brutal terrain, and particularly in the threats from merciless creatures, both human and not-so-human.

While at the castle, the wicked Prince Jaspin schemes to secure the crown for himself, and an evil sorcerer concocts his own monstrous plan. A plan that Quentin and Theido could never imagine.

In the youth’s valiant efforts to save the kingdom and fulfill his unique destiny, he will cross strange and wondrous lands; encounter brave knights, beautiful maidens, and a mysterious hermit; and battle a giant, deadly serpent.

My Review
I first read this book when I was in seventh grade or so and definitely in a high fantasy phase of reading. (I was also a huge fan of the Heralds of Valdemar series by Mercedes Lackey.) While I don’t read too much high fantasy these days, I still enjoyed the medieval feel and scope of the story and Quentin’s character. I also liked that though the queen isn’t a major character, she doesn’t stay behind the castle walls waiting for things to be solved—she’s right there with the team on the adventure to rescue her king, and clearly is a strong woman unafraid of battle.

I also liked the way that Toli’s people, described as a gentle, reclusive woodland tribe, end up being powerful allies against a pretty fearsome enemy that Quentin and his team face. There’s something Tolkien-ish about that sort of reversal of power, if that makes sense? Anyway, I thought it was pretty cool.

The storytelling is what I would describe as more gentle. It’s not a book that will have you flipping page after page on the edge of your seat but more tells an interesting story with a focused plot and worthy cast of characters. To today’s teens it might feel a bit dated, but I think that actually works in favor of this genre whereas it might be a problem in others.

While there’s some magic content, the story also contains a strong mapping to Christian theology in its exploration of a god known as Most High who desires relationship with the characters and speaks through visions and signs. See the notes below for other information about content.

Fans of high fantasy or authors like Donita Paul and Bryan Davis will want to give this one a read.

Recommended for Ages 12 up. (True story… I was about 12 the first time I read this book.)

Cultural Elements
Most characters appear to be white, but Quentin befriends the brown-skinned prince of a woodland tribe named Toli. Toli voluntarily becomes Quentin’s servant, and tries to explain to Quentin how among his people, to serve is a great honor.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
None.

Romance/Sexual Content
None.

Spiritual Content
Quentin first serves a god named Ariel at a temple. But once he leaves the temple, he’s no longer eligible to serve the god anymore. He meets a forest hermit, Durwin, who serves another god, called the Most High, which maps to Christian theology. Quentin experiences a call and vision from his new god and commits his life to serve the Most High.

The villain, a necromancer, performs some dark magic, including controlling what appear to be dead warriors.

Violent Content
Some descriptions of battle scenes get a bit gory—they’re brief but sometimes intense.

Drug Content
References to drinking ale (like you’d expect per a medieval culture).