For those who don’t know about SPFBO (the Self Published Fantasy Blog Off) – this is a competition created and run by Mark Lawrence.  The competition is now in its tenth year and you can find out more about all the other entrants and judges over on Mark Lawrence’s blog.

I separated my books into three batches which you can find here, here and here.  Having read the first 25% (at least) I’ve chosen five books that I intend to read further before choosing potential semi finalists to pass to the Critiquing Chemist to read. Today I am posting my second SPFBO review  for The FIrst Assignment by Billy Kramer.

The First Assignment by Billy Kramer is the first in a YA fantasy series with an intriguing concept.

As the book begins we meet Shawn Turner.  Shawn is being escorted to an unknown destination aboard a horse drawn carriage.  Shawn is one of the recently dead, now destined to become a Reaper.  He has no memory of his own death and without much grace to allow him to absorb this new reality he is escorted to his new home, the Wayward Academy, where he, and all the other potential reapers will be thrown into the deep end and expected to catch on fast.

I don’t really want to go into the plot too much for fear of giving away spoilers.  We have a number of new recruits who soon become firm friends.  There is no shortage of action or pacing as the story takes our MC and friends through a number of experiences before assigning them their new designations and escalating to a dramatic finale.

What I liked about this.

The writing is good.  I had a clear picture of the setting and the Academy and I’m also a bit of a sucker for Academy/school settings. 

Shawn is a likable character, he’s clearly struggling (as you would expect given the circumstances) but he’s also keen to fit in and not rock the boat, something that goes horribly wrong when he takes part in his first assignment and his intended target is a person who can see him.  Grounders (i.e. living people) are not able to see reapers – not usually anyway.  This is not only an intriguing development but also an unwelcome one in terms of Shawn’s first outing.

There are a number of twists to the role of the reapers, what it is that they really ‘do’ and why it’s so important.  Again, I don’t want to give that away here.  Even the way reapers are chosen is eventually looked at.

I certainly didn’t have any difficulties reading Shawn’s story and I liked the developments along the way but I did have some niggles which primarily related to a lack of emotional depth and, for me, a feeling that not everything had been logically thought through.  Also, I didn’t really feel that the reapers had any real agency or magic as such which was a bit disappointing in a way.  When they were away from the Academy there was too much focus on how they would eat, where they would sleep, getting from A to B.  They felt very human and I think I expected them to feel different.  I recognise, of course, that I’m not the target audience here and so whilst I sometimes might become bogged down by such issues I also understand that other readers will simply be on board for the ride and the excitement of the chase.  

Overall, an enjoyable and quick read, I liked the writing and there was no shortage of action.

I received a copy courtesy of the author, for which my thanks.  The above is my own opinion.

My review for Fortitude’s Prize by Ceril N Domace can be found here