Today I’m posting an update for my first batch of SPFBO books (which can be found here).  This year I’m teaming up with the lovely ladies from the Critiquing Chemist and we split the batch of books equally – which gives me a little more time this year.

This month I read and reviewed my first four books and today I’m providing my feedback on which books will be cut or rolled forward.  At this point I’m not making any decisions on semi-finalists as the semi finalists will be decided by both blogs before agreement on a finalist is reached. We will each put forward hopefuls and then take it from there.

I would mention that this is ultimately the most difficult part of the competition for judges and authors.  I don’t find making cuts easy to be honest however it’s the nature of the competition.  There can be only one. I would also like to thank the authors of the books that are highlighted today for taking the decision to throw their hat into the ring.  It can’t be easy and I definitely applaud you for taking this step.

This month certainly got off to a great start.  I completely read all four books and I don’t think I could have asked for four more different reads.  A historical, alternate reality, portal book, UF with a unique concept, epic/high fantasy with intriguing magic and a YA high school adventure with witches and fae.  This is why I love fantasy.

All that being said I won’t keep you waiting longer, below are my first four books.

Stranded (The Shorten Chronicles #1) by Rosalind Tate

Sophie Arundel is stranded in history, stuck in a grand house in 1925 England. Thankfully, she has her faithful dog Charlotte with her. Oh, and fellow student Hugo, annoying and charming in equal measure.

Baffled by upper-class rules, courted by boring suitors, Sophie is desperate to get back to the twenty-first century, but the only way home is through a hidden portal — and she must work with Hugo to unlock its secrets.

As one clue leads to another, Sophie and Hugo discover that history is unfolding differently. Mobs rule the streets. And when chaos turns into a deadly revolution, anyone in a grand house is fair game.

Sophie and Hugo are running out of time…

My review is here.

In a nutshell, Stranded is a very easy to read, cosy mystery.  There is a slow romance building and the attention to detail in terms of the period is very well done and interesting.  Clearly the author enjoyed writing this and it shone through.  I did have a couple of criticisms but nothing that left me wanting to put the book down.  It is a little light in terms of the fantasy elements however.

Conclusion: Cut

***

Graves Robbed, Heirlooms Returned (Reed Lavender #1) by Ashley Capes

At least when you’re Death’s nephew the bad guys literally have nowhere to hide, right?

Meet Reed Lavender, a mostly-human detective with the uncanny ability to hear the final words of the dead. But on this case he’ll need more than his usual tricks to solve the murder of a teen runaway – he’ll need something that just might be more trouble than it’s worth – the help of his ragtag Reaper-cousins.

But the deeper Reed digs the more he realises there’s something far bigger and darker beneath his city, something vast, something that is ripening to rot…

My review is here.

In a nutshell this is urban fantasy.  I loved the  concept of this one and also the writing.  The pacing is very fast, probably, for me, a little too fast as I found myself wanting to slow down a little and let things develop, take a breather maybe.  I have to say though that this was entertaining to read and I would definitely pick up more books in the series to see what the author comes up with next.  I think my real issue is I would have liked this to maybe take a little more time with the set up as I felt like I wanted  more  somehow.

Conclusion : Cut

***

Deathborn (Sovereigns of Bright and Shadow #1) by CE Page

Corruption is a disease with no cure that ends with a rapid descent into madness and violence. And until now it only targeted mages.

When an infected warden shows up challenging everything Margot thought she knew she is thrown into the chase to find the impossible cure. But to understand this new revelation she needs someone who knows possession … She needs Nea and lucky for Margot, her warden friend Garret has been tasked with tracking the rogue necromancer down.

Garret is used to dealing with dangerous mages so this should be like any other job: find the mage and deliver her to the king. But from the moment he finds Nea he is dragged into a deadly game of dark secrets and brutal machinations. Now he must make a choice: deliver Nea as promised and place a weapon in the hands of a madman or deny his king and change the lives of wardens and mages forever.

My review is here.

Conclusion : Roll Forward (I won’t elaborate further at this point, my review is linked above)

***

One of Us: the City of Secrets by ML Roberts

The witch wants her dead, the fae want her alive, the police want to bring her in for questioning. High school should not be this way.

Olivia knows the rules: study hard, never lie, do unto others, but when a witch makes the rules and the others are fae, telling the truth will get her locked up.

Last month she saw the impossible, now she sees it again. She tells herself it’s all in her head. How else explain a shining man who fell out of nowhere or a student who died but still lives?

She carries on with her usual activities: volleyball, pop quizzes, a favor for Mom, but denial won’t make it go away. When she thinks it can’t get any worse, it does.

Friends, enemies, the police, someone is lying. If not one of them, one of us.

My review is here.

In a nutshell this is YA high school fantasy.  I think it got off to a slightly shaky start, maybe a little bit of clunky dialogue here and there and perhaps a little overly drawn out in terms of really getting started.  But, once the action began I confess to being very entertained.  For me, it felt like the author gained in confidence as the story progressed and there was a chaotic, crazy popcorn munching vibe going on.  Yes, I enjoyed this,,the story hooked me as things progressed and I wanted to know what was going on.  There, however, is the rub. I did finish the story on a slight note of confusion, I know that there are more books (or is it book?) planned but I didn’t come away from this with a real understanding of motivations in terms of the central ‘baddies’. I admit that I’m not really the target audience for this one, but I think with a little more polish it would definitely be a series I could see myself continuing to read.

Conclusion : cut

My thanks again to the authors.

I will be posting my second batch of books very soon.