#SPFBO : Semi-Finalist and Cuts Announcement (2)
27 October 2020 
300 books 10 Judges 1 winner
The 1st of June marked the start of the sixth Self Published Fantasy Blog Off (details here.) My Introductory post is here.
You can find my updates for batch 1, batch 2, batch 3, Batch 4 and Batch 5 by clicking on the links.
During the past week I have reviewed the final five of the ten books that I rolled forward. Today I am announcing the cuts from that batch of five together with the final semi finalists (my first announcement can be found here). I would say, again, that these cuts have been very difficult because I’ve enjoyed all of the books from both batches and so the decision comes down to really very minor issues. My apologies to the authors from this next round of cuts and congratulations to the Semi Finalists.
Knightmare Arcanist (Frith Chronicles #1) by Shami Stovall
I enjoyed the Knightmare Arcanist. It has a lot going for it, plenty of action and a school type setting where students who have bonded with a magical mythical creature come to learn. Plenty of student bonding and adventure with a central mystery and an ending that promises more. My review is here.
Conclusion : Cut
Trial of Thorns (Wicked Fae #1) by Stacey Trombley
This is a book that I was looking forward to very much, I love stories of the fae and this one didn’t disappoint. The main gist is that the land of the fae is being attacked by a plague, the fae are holding trials to find a champion to meet the problem head on. The central character has been banished but makes her return to take part in the trials – even though the other participants all want her dead. I think readers who enjoy reading stories of the fae might like this one. There is also a slow burn romance that I imagine will progress in the next novel. My review is here. Also, please note that we have a new cover:
Conclusion : Cut
The Child of Silence by Joseph O.Doran (The Burning Orbit Book 1)
The Child of Silence is an impressive novel with a unique protagonist, some strong world building and a surprise ending. There’s a lot going on in this one with rebellion and war and then an unexpected element at the conclusion. I enjoyed this although it could benefit from a little sharpening. My review is here.
Conclusion : Cut
Voice of War by Zack Argyle (Threadlight #1)
Voice of War is an impressive debut. The writing gains in confidence as the story progresses and we follow, in the first instance two very different protagonists. This is a story that captured my attention early and kept me intrigued. My review is here.
Conclusion : Semi Finalist
Tuyo by Rachel Neumeier (Tuyo #1)
Tuyo is a very well written, character centric novel. This is a tale of friendship that is found where least expected and a story of enemies joining together to address a greater threat. My review is here.
Conclusion : Semi Finalist
Books and travelling with Lynn 
Congrats to the semi finalists! This is getting so exciting😁
Thanks Tammy 😀
Thanks for sharing my new cover! And congrats to the semi-finalists
No problem. I thought Trial of Thorns was really good and I will definitely grab a copy of the second book at some point. Thanks so much for entering SPFBO 😁
Well done to all the semi-finalists and to you, Lynn, for making some tough decisions when it came to which books to cut. 😅
They were very tough decisions when it came down to it – but there can be only one.
Lynn 😀
Congrats and good luck to all the authors!
Thanks 😀
Huge congratulations to everyone who made it this far – that is an achievement in itself! And all the best to the semi-finalists. It sounds as if the competition this year has been of an extremely high standard.
It was a very high standard indeed and very impressive.
Lynn 😀
I feel like the cuts are always the hardest part, I don’t envy you this!
The cuts are the hardest part. It’s so difficult to choose when you come down to the last few.
Lynn 😀