#SPFBO9 : 4th Review
19 September 2023
Filed under #SPFBO
Tags: 4th Review, Hiyodori, SPFBO, The First and Last Demon
What is SPFBO 9? This is a competition where authors of self-published fantasy can enter their work. The objective to find a winner out of the 300 entries submitted. Ten judges (or judging teams) each receive 30 entrants. Each judge/team will eventually submit one finalist to the second round where a winner will eventually be decided upon. Check out Mark Lawrence’s post here to look at this year’s entrants, judges and allocations list.
My introduction post can be found here and also the Critiquing Chemist recently posted their first elimination post. I posted my first ‘cuts’ last week. My second elimination post can be found here.
This week I will be aiming to post a review a day (7 in total) followed by an announcement of my Semi-Finalists.
These reviews are in no particular order and have been randomly selected.
My fourth review is for The First and Last Demon by Hiyodori
This is going to be an odd type of review for me because I’d like to share with you as little as possible about the actual story. I found this such a unique read, the writing is good, the author pulls you in immediately and provokes a strong interest in finding out more and I think I’ve only read a few books that manage to successfully bring together so many different elements and defy pigeon-holing.
So, what exactly can I tell you without actually telling you anything. The basics.
As we begin the story we immediately meet our main character Char. Char has been awakened from a form of magically induced statis. Her only companion seems to be Vesper, a demon that she shares a magical bond with. .Char and Vesper together are what you might call a force of nature. A living weapon and the hero of Jace. The two are rolled out (if you will) whenever their nation is under threat (the demon can wield incredible power and Char is her human host (or I liked to think of her as a gateway and tether). In between times they sleep. In this way, Char is granted long life, the bond to the demon provides her with a certain level of protection and slows the aging process and the enforced sleep means she spends years at a time in enforced slumber, timeless. Therefore although Char has been alive for centuries she’s probably about 20 years of age. The two find themselves in Glorybower City. It’s different from how they remember and not just by way of the usual changes a city experiences. The place is abandoned, nature is taking back control, strange creatures lurk and a protective bubble seems to encase the centre of the city, nothing comes in and nothing goes out. On top of this, Char’s memory is a thing in tatters. She rarely remembers past events beyond a brief spattering of who and where she is. On the flip side Vesper does remember everything, and lets just say she’s in a bad mood. A very bad mood and, of course, Char hasn’t the faintest notion why. And Vesper isn’t interested in sharing what the latest mission is or why she’s so furious.
A complicated conundrum, you’re not quite sure what’s going on because the MC isn’t quite sure what’s going on and you are absolutely compelled to keep reading.
In terms of characters, this may be one of the smallest casts that I’ve read, Predominantly, and for a large portion of the book we deal with Vesper and Char. Two further characters join the fun and games (Wist and Clem) they come from a part of the world that would normally make them the natural enemies of Char and Vesper. The two are very confident, sometimes helpful, sometimes watchful in a way that reminds you of a cat watching a mouse. One of these characters has powerful magic – you’re never quite sure if they are adversaries or friends. They almost come across as guides – pulling or pushing their agenda.
You could almost liken this to a locked room mystery because the scope of the story remains fairly small being contained to a small portion of the city. The small cast of characters also plays into this, it feels intimate and at the same time unreliable. And there’s the mystery of why Char and Vesper have been awakened, and why the city is in such a state.
I liked the writing. The author treds this fine line where you’re on the cusp of thinking where could this possibly be going next, and then things get shaken up, you’re maybe thinking can these two characters carry the whole story and then, what do you know, like a mind reader the author introduces a couple of unexpected characters that really test the boundaries.
Magic, demons, contemporary setting, elements of sci fi (this is a modern world after all), a run down abandoned city, a small cast of characters, moments of absolute horror and a twisted ending that left me shocked. Is grim-gothic a thing? Oh, an a slow burn romance. Did I miss anything? Oh yes, that title *cue a round of applause*.
This is a book that took me by surprise and effortlessly held my attention.
I received a copy courtesy of the author for which my thanks. The above is my own opinion.
Here’s my first review for Of Thieves and Shadows (The Heart of Quinaria #1) by BSH Garcia.
Here’s my second review for Dark Innocence by PJ Alexander
Here’s my third review for The Bone Spear by Alexander Layne
#SPFBO : My Second Batch of Books – Update
1 August 2020
Filed under #SPFBO, Book Reviews
Tags: My Second Batch of Books, SPFBO, Updae
The 1st of June marked the start of the sixth Self Published Fantasy Blog Off (details here.) My Introductory post is here. My first batch of books post is here and my first update is here. My post outlining my second batch of books can be found here and today’s post provides my update for that batch.
The aim of these updates is to provide feedback on each batch of books. I aim to read at least 30% of all my books and then make a decision whether to roll any books forward from that batch. Any books that I decide to roll forward I will continue reading and provide a review and a decision about whether that book will be a semi finalist. I will provide mini reviews for the books that are being cut. I will not rate these books as I think it will be difficult to do so having only read the first third of the book.
Below are the books from the second batch and my decision about which will be cut or rolled forward. I realise this is really difficult for all the authors and so I want to state plainly that I don’t find these cuts easy to make or enjoyable. However, I do have to make cuts. I can have only one finalist by the conclusion of the first half of the competition and so 29 books will eventually be removed.
Burn (Desert Deities, #1) by G. E. Hathaway
Burn is a book that I was really curious about and to the point that I read up to was a very engaging read. Set in Tucson this has a post apocalyptic feel. The world became over reliant on modern technology and so when everything crashed life became almost impossible. I must say this gets off to a very good start and pacing certainly isn’t an issue.
We meet a few characters who become entangled in helping an unusual woman who has strange abilities and who is being followed or chased by another very powerful character. Liam, Noah and Ellie are the main characters and the unusual woman and man that they are helping/running from are the deities referred to in the book’s description.
At the point I read up to I found this intriguing and easy. I had a few minor issues but nothing that spoiled my enjoyment and I would be interested in returning to this book to complete at a later stage.
Conclusion : Cut
Ranger’s Oath (Arc of Radiance/Fall of Radiance #1) by Blake Arthur Peel
Unfortunately Ranger’s Oath has been withdrawn from the competition so I will not be providing a review at this point.
Knightmare Arcanist (Frith Chronicles #1) by Shami Stovall
At the point I read up to I really enjoyed this one and so I’m rolling it forward and will provide a review at a later stage when I will also make a decision about whether or not this will be a semi-finalist.
The Edge of Nothing (The Lex Chronicles #1) by Crystal Crawford
The Edge of Nothing is a book that gets off to a very quick start with the introduction of Lex who seems to be being held captive although he has no idea why. Lex manages to escape and makes the acquaintance of a young woman. The two immediately encounter some very unusual events and this coupled with the fact that Lex seems to have no memory of who he is or where he is, coupled with the fact that he is experiencing strange visions does make for a slightly perplexing start. I have mixed feelings about this book. I thought the writing was easy enough to get along with but at my cut off point I hadn’t really been able to fully engage with the characters or story. Partly, this is a result of the author maintaining the mystery of what is actually going on here and I recognise that reading further would probably start to uncover answers, unfortunately, at the point I read up to I find that the Edge of Nothing isn’t quite working out for me.
Conclusion : Cut
Mid-Lich Crisis by Steve Thomas
I have deferred reading Mid-Lich Crisis to a later batch as I will be picking up the audio version which will be available shortly so no review at this point.
Chains of Blood (The Chaos Cycle #1) by M.L. Spencer
This is another book that really does hit the ground running. As the book begins we meet Rylan Marshall, a soldier returning home. As he walks home he is viciously attacked, he discovers his son has been murdered, his daughter abducted and himself in the strange position of having magical power forced upon him and also being forced to make a dark oath that really bodes very ill.
In fairly short order we discover that Rylan isn’t quite who he thought. He’s the son of a demon, a man hated by many but also believed a hero by others – all depending on which side of the fence you’re sitting.
At my cut off point things were really hotting up, war seemed imminent and Rylan had already had a couple of attempts on his life.
This is another of my books that I would like to return to if time allows but at this point I’m rather reluctantly setting it to one side.
Conclusion : Cut
#SPFBO 6 – Saturday Snapshots : Excerpt – Curse of the Jenri by Stephanie Barr
20 June 2020
Filed under #SPFBO, Book Reviews
Tags: #SPFBO 6, Curse of the Jenri, Saturday Snapshots, Stephanie Barr
The 1st of June marked the start of the sixth Self Published Fantasy Blog Off (details here.) Whilst the competition is taking part I’d like to post excerpts from some of the books that have entered the contest. If you’d like to make use of this space to post a teaser to entice readers then let me know in the comments.
Today’s teaser comes from one of the books in my first batch (for which I will be posting an update soon) : Curse of the Jenri by Stephanie Barr:
** Excerpt **
“Everything points to you having unnoticed, but apparently significant, magical abilities, as yet untapped.”
“Significant? Does it have to be significant? Couldn’t I just have a smidge, a tiny-tiny taste? And we don’t have to tap it, do we?”
“I fear your talents must be great. The greatest magic wielders tend to be somewhat resistant to others’ spells, but rarely to the extent you are. Still, there are select bloodlines without talent who are naturally difficult to ensorcel. I knew nothing of your home province, so I had just assumed you to be of one of these bloodlines.”
Put me on your shoulder, please. I like to be up high, asked the only totally black kitten, pawing at his leg.
Absently, Tander complied. “Well, that must be it. Magic resistance must just run in my family.”
“Magical talent also runs in bloodlines, which is why the Jenri are universally gifted, although to varying degrees.”
“The people in my family were always warriors. There are no spell-slingers in my family, none, I tell you. There aren’t but a handful in the whole of Amerland.”
“How far back in your family have you history?”
“Well, we’ve held kingship of Amerland for three gen—well, it doesn’t matter how far back we go. What I’m telling you is that no one in our family is magical.”
Glendana smiled indulgently as a silver tabby kitten peeked out from Tander’s tunic. “How do you know? You didn’t know you were talented.”
“I’m not! Weren’t you listening? I can’t weave spells. Never could.” Tander grabbed a fluffy gray kitten that was crawling up his leg, underneath his tunic. “Will you be still? Why don’t you all take a catnap or something?”
“Ever try?” Glendana asked calmly as Wanting sleepily curled up on her own shoulder.
The purring black kitten on his shoulder said, I’m sleepy, but I’m cold. Bring someone else to sleep up here.
“Ever try what?” Tander demanded, distracted, as he dumped the gray kitten next to the black.
“Casting spells,” Glendana continued patiently, not letting her amusement touch more than her eyes.
Put me up there, too, demanded a tan-and-black striped kitten.
Tander picked the striped kitten up and regarded it sternly. “I don’t need a bunch of kittens giving me orders. Besides, you can’t all fit up there.” With that, Tander tossed the kitten onto his wide shoulder, where it immediately curled up with its two siblings and began purring.
I can sleep right here. It’s warm, said the kitten in his tunic, purring against his chest.
“Oh, well, if you’re comfortable, I am overjoyed,” Tander said. “Where are the last two?”
Asleep in the pouch, the tortoiseshell thought sleepily.
“Well, that’s something, anyway. Now, if you all don’t mind, I’m trying to talk to Glendana.” Tander took a deep breath. “Now, Glendana, what were you asking?”
“Have you ever tried to use magic?”
“No! Alright? No! I’m a warrior. All I ever wanted to be was a warrior, and not a warrior like you Jenri, a swordsman, plain and simple. You ever seen me with a sword?”
“Yes. You are a gifted swordsman.”
“Thank Bastor for small favors! That’s what I do, all I want to do. I don’t have magic blood. I don’t want magic blood. I just want to kill people with my sword. Is that so wrong?”
** Ends **
The world of the Jenri is a dangerous, primitive world, where women are prized as chattel, but the Jenri women, every one from the eldest archivist to the smallest babe, strike fear into battle-hardened mercenary hearts. It is a world where battle steeds are mythical beasts and magic is as deadly a weapon as a sword. Those who wield both are doubly dangerous and those who cross them are thrice damned. The Jenri are mistresses of all these things. If you love one of these marvelous women, you must best her in a contest of her choosing to win her love in return.
These were women who needed no one to take care of them. Until now.
#SPFBO wrap up post
Another SPFBO competition concludes, on a wonderful high note I think. This is going to be a quick post to highlight the finalists and the results. Feast your eyes on the 10 finalists:
And, *drum roll* here are the finalists in order with their average scores and links to Goodreads:
- The Sword of Kaigen 8.65
- Fortune’s Fool 8.35
- Blood of Heirs 8.30
- A Tale of Stars and Shadow 7.75
- Kalanon’s Rising 7.70
- Never Die 7.70
- Beggar’s Rebellion 7.25
- Blade’s Edge 6.90
- A Sea of Broken Glass 5.85
- Spark City 4.80
I would like to congratulate ML wang for such a fantastic final score. There were some incredible books submitted this year and so this is a truly impressive achievement. I heartily recommend you take a look at the finalists – there’s something here for everyone and I’ve had a great time reading them. My thanks to all the authors who submitted their books – there wouldn’t be a competition without you and, commiserations, there can be only one winner after all, but I hope everyone took something more away from the competition in terms of friendships made. Finally a massive thank you to Mark Lawrence for organising the competition and all the other judges for making it possible, not to mention creating a nail biting finale.
Will there be a SPFBO 6? I think so, but keep your eyes on Mark Lawrence’s blog for further news on that front.
#SPFBO Stage 2
The first stage of the Self Published Fantasy Blog Off is now complete which means we have ten finalists lined up for stage two. For this stage of the competition I will be assigning each of the nine books I need to read a number from 1 – 9 and then I will use a randomly selected sequence generator to give me the reading order.
Today I would like to highlight the ten finalists. You can follow the progress of each book here. Now, feast your eyes on these lovelies – I can’t wait to get started on this line up:
Blood of Heirs (The Coraidic Sagas #1) by Alicia Wanstall-Burke :
Lidan Tolak is the fiercest of her father’s daughters; more than capable of one day leading her clan. But caught between her warring parents, Lidan’s world begins to unravel when another of her father’s wives falls pregnant. Before she has time to consider the threat of a brother, a bloody swathe is cut through the heart of the clan and Lidan must fight, not only to prove her worth, but simply to survive.
Ranoth Olseta wants nothing more than to be a worthy successor to his father’s throne. When his home is threatened by the aggressive Woaden Empire, Ran becomes his city’s saviour, but powers within him are revealed by the enemy and he is condemned to death. Confused and betrayed, Ran is forced to flee his homeland, vowing to reclaim what he has lost, even if it kills him.
Facing an unknown future, and battling forces both familiar and foreign, can Lidan and Ran overcome the odds threatening to drag them into inescapable darkness?
Beggar’s Rebellion (Resonant Saga #1) by Levi Jacobs:
The Councilate controls everything except the truth. I have nothing save my discovery—but with this shall I destroy an empire.
Tai Kulga lost the rebellion and his best friend on the same day, stripping him of his will to live even as a strange power flooded his bones. When the friend returns as a spirit guide, it feels like a second chance—but his friend is not who he was, and the Councilate is not done oppressing his people. When trouble with lawkeepers lands Tai’s surviving friends in a prison camp, he must go underground to find the last of the rebels and convince them to break his friends free.
Along the way he meets Ellumia Aygla, runaway Councilate daughter posing as an accountant to escape her family and the avarice of the capital. Curious about the link between spirit guides and magic, her insights earn her a place among the rebels, and along with Tai’s power help turn the tide against the colonialists.
But as the rebels begin to repeat the Councilate’s mistakes, Tai and Ellumia must confront their own pasts and prejudices, before the brewing war turns them into the monsters they fight.
Never Die by Rob J Hayes – this is the finalist that I chose (already reviewed here)
Ein is on a mission from God. A God of Death.
Time is up for the Emperor of Ten Kings and it falls to a murdered eight year old boy to render the judgement of a God. Ein knows he can’t do it alone, but the empire is rife with heroes. The only problem; in order to serve, they must first die.
Ein has four legendary heroes in mind, names from story books read to him by his father. Now he must find them and kill them, so he can bring them back to fight the Reaper’s war.
Blade’s Edge (Chronicles of Gensokai #1) by Virginia McClain
Mishi and Taka live each day of their lives with the shadow of death lurking behind them. The struggle to hide the elemental powers that mark the two girls as Kisōshi separates them from the other orphans, yet forges a deep bond between them.
When Mishi is dragged from the orphanage at the age of eight, the girls are unsure if or when they will find each other again. While their powers grow with each season-cycle, the girls must come to terms with their true selves–Mishi as a warrior, Taka as a healer–as they forge separate paths which lead to the same horrifying discovery.
The Rōjū council’s dark secret is one that it has spent centuries killing to keep, and Mishi and Taka know too much. The two young women have overcome desperate odds in a society where their very existence is a crime, but now that they know the Rōjū’s secret they find themselves fighting for much more than their own survival.
Spark City (Spark City Cycle #1) by Robert J. Power
Erroh has a plan. A simple plan. It’ll never work.
Despite his family’s warrior pedigree, he’d rather gamble and drink while living from one tavern to the next. But when his wanderings bring him upon a gruesome slaughter of innocents he is torn from carefree ways.
Spark City is on the horizon and with it the mysterious trials of The Cull. After a life spent rejecting his birth right, the time has come to pick up his sword and accept his destiny.
With an army marching forward, and unlikely companions buy his side, does Erroh have what it takes to stop the coming war?
Spark City is the gripping first novel in Robert J Power’s new epic fantasy series. If you like spectacular combat, unlikely heroes, and slow burn romance, you’ll love this thrilling tale.
The Sword of Kaigen (Theonite) by M.L. Wang
A mother struggling to repress her violent past,
A son struggling to grasp his violent future,
A father blind to the danger that threatens them all.
When the winds of war reach their peninsula, will the Matsuda family have the strength to defend their empire? Or will they tear each other apart before the true enemies even reach their shores?
High on a mountainside at the edge of the Kaigenese Empire live the most powerful warriors in the world, superhumans capable of raising the sea and wielding blades of ice. For hundreds of years, the fighters of the Kusanagi Peninsula have held the Empire’s enemies at bay, earning their frozen spit of land the name ‘The Sword of Kaigen.’
Born into Kusanagi’s legendary Matsuda family, fourteen-year-old Mamoru has always known his purpose: to master his family’s fighting techniques and defend his homeland. But when an outsider arrives and pulls back the curtain on Kaigen’s alleged age of peace, Mamoru realizes that he might not have much time to become the fighter he was bred to be. Worse, the empire he was bred to defend may stand on a foundation of lies.
Misaki told herself that she left the passions of her youth behind when she married into the Matsuda house. Determined to be a good housewife and mother, she hid away her sword, along with everything from her days as a fighter in a faraway country. But with her growing son asking questions about the outside world, the threat of an impending invasion looming across the sea, and her frigid husband grating on her nerves, Misaki finds the fighter in her clawing its way back to the surface.
Fortune’s Fool (Eterean Empire #1) by Angela Boord
A secret affair. A disfiguring punishment. A burning need for revenge.
Kyrra d’Aliente has a bad reputation and an arm made of metal.
Cast out of the safe and luxurious world of silk to which she was born, played as a pawn in a game of feuding Houses, Kyrra navigates a dangerous world of mercenaries, spies, and smugglers while disguising herself as a man.
War destroyed her family and the man she loved.
Vengeance is within her grasp.
But is she willing to pay its price?
Kalanon’s Rising (Agents of Kalanon #1) by Darian Smith
Solve the murder. Stop the war. Save the world.
Sir Brannon Kesh spent years building a new life as a physician, leaving the name Bloodhawk and the war that spawned it behind. But when the King’s cousin is murdered, duty calls him back. The crime scene suggests dark magic and the evidence points to the ambassador of Nilar, an alluring woman with secrets of her own, who sees Bloodhawk as little more than a war criminal.
As bodies pile up and political ramifications escalate, Brannon must join forces with a vain mage, a socially awkward priest, and a corpse animating shaman to solve the murders and prevent another war. But who can he trust when the phases of a bigger plan take shape?
The Risen are the greatest danger Brannon has ever faced. If he and his team cannot stop the killer then all of Kalanon – and the world – will descend into darkness.
A Tale of Stars and Shadow by Lisa Cassidy
Dumnorix princess and born warrior, Talyn Dynan was the finest fighter of her generation. With her Callanan partner at her side, she was invincible, reckless, a death-knell to their enemies. But after her partner is torn away from her, Talyn is left broken, wracked with guilt and unable to regain the confidence she once had. Could an unexpected mission to the mysterious country of Mithranar, home of the magical winged folk, be the thing that saves her? Or will the danger and secrets she finds there finally break her completely?
The Shadowhawk lives a life in the shadows. Constantly hunted for his criminal exploits, yet desperate to help the human folk of Mithranar who are oppressed by their winged folk rulers, he haunts the streets of Dock City. The arrival of a foreign warrior threatens to upset the carefully balanced life he leads, but when she begins to offer a hope for the humans he’s only ever dreamed of, can he risk trusting her?
And unbeknownst to both, a mysterious foe stalks the dark corners of Dock City. One that answers to a single purpose…
Vengeance.
A Sea of Broken Glass (The Lady & The Darkness #1) by Sonya M. Black
Secrets have a price.
After enduring weeks of torture and being convicted of witchery, Ris escapes, only to discover the Darkness and the Lady are hunting her. They need the magic that sings within her.
Creator of all, the imprisoned Lady needs Ris, her last vessel, to find the Heart of Creation. The Darkness seeks to corrupt the vessel and retain his hold on the Lady, and with it, the world.
Ris finds help from a pair of Paladins of Light who aid her in cleansing the evil taint from the lands. As her power grows, so do her questions. How can she restore balance to the world and free the Lady? Should the Lady be trusted or is she as much at fault for the evil in the world as the Darkness? With powerful demons War, Ruin, and Plague at her heels, Ris struggles to stay alive as she tries to unravel the secrets hidden within her before it’s too late.
Secrets that may cost Ris her soul even if she does succeed.
Books and travelling with Lynn 