#SPFBO – Cover Competition
6 July 2018
Filed under Book Reviews
Tags: #SPFBO 2018, Cover Competition, Final Three Contenders
A part of the Self Published Fantasy Blog Off is the cover competition that is held before all the reading and judging commences. This is a lovely way to get the ball rolling and gives all the entrants another shot at having their book highlighted in a really positive way. All ten judges pick three favourite covers from their own batch of books. There is then a vote to decide the favourite out of the 30 covers submitted.
I can’t tell you how difficult this was. I definitely wanted more than three. Now, being a sole blogger I can’t really vote on the books so I just have to go with my gut feeling. No amount of humming and ahhing has helped. I’ve been backwards and forwards deliberating and I can say for the record that you people (my authors) have made this almost impossible. At the end of the day there are some quality covers – check them out here. I eventually narrowed it down to about eight contenders but the three I’m entering into the competition are as follows:
My 3 cover contenders:
Sorry to all the others, I realise it’s not much consolation but I liked so many of your covers and the standard this year is fantastic. To check out the other entries put forward this year look here.
Friday Face Off : The north wind doth blow, and we shall have snow
Here we are again with the Friday Face Off meme created by Books by Proxy . This is a great opportunity to feature some of your favourite book covers. The rules are fairly simple each week, following a predetermined theme (list below) choose a book, compare a couple of the different covers available for that particular book and choose your favourite. Future week’s themes are listed below – the list has been updated to help out those of you who like to plan ahead – if you have a cover in mind that you’re really wanting to share then feel free to leave a comment about a future suggested theme. This week’s theme:
The north wind doth blow, and we shall have snow – a cover that is windswept
Wow, I struggled with this theme. I could have used a book that I’ve previously used but didn’t want to do so. And I did come up with another couple but they didn’t work out either. Then I came across The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms (Inheritance Trilogy #1) by N.K. Jemisin – some of these covers are definitely windswept (or windy at least) – phew:
My favourite is:
Which is your favourite?
Next week – a cover featuring a ghost or spectre
Future themes: (if you’re struggling with any of these themes then use a ‘freebie’ of one of your favourite covers)
13th July –‘There’s more of gravy than of grave about you’ – a cover featuring a ghost or spectre
20th July -‘In winter with warm tears I’ll melt the snow’ – A cover featuring icicles or snow
27th July – “I saw huge buildings rise up faint and fair, and pass like dreams.” – a cover that is steampunk
3rd August – “Moonlight drowns out all but the brightest stars.” – a cover featuring a starry sky
10th August – ‘…Christine, who have torn off my mask and who therefore can never leave me again! – A cover with a mask
17th August – ‘Knock, knock… ‘who’s there?’ – A cover featuring a door ajar or closed
24th August – ‘To be a legend, you’ve either got to be dead, or excessively old!’ – A cover with a title featuring the word ‘legend’
31st August – ‘“Come buy our orchard fruits, Come buy, come buy’ – A cover featuring a goblin or dwarves
7th September – ‘Mirror, Mirror on the wall – A cover featuring a queen
14th September – “He had killed man, the noblest game of all, and he had killed in the face of the law of club and fang.” – A cover featuring a wolf or wolves
21st September – ‘I wandered lonely as a cloud’ – a cover featuring clouds
28th September – Eyes wide shut – a cover featuring eyes
5th October – “He sounded like a man who had slept well and didn’t owe too much money.” – A cover that is ‘noir’
12th October – “The impossible could not have happened, therefore the impossible must be possible in spite of appearances.” – A cover for a mystery novel
19th October -“If I cannot inspire love, I will cause fear!” – A horror cover
26th October – Trick or treat – A halloween inspired cover
2nd November – ‘Remember, remember the fifth of November,’ – A cover inspired by Bonfire Night
9th November – ‘All right! They’re spiders from Mars! You happy?’ – A cover feturing a critter of the eight legged variety
16th November – There is no terror in the bang, only in the anticipation of it.’ – A scary cover
23rd November – ‘The child is in love with a human. And not just any human. A prince!’ – A cover featuring a mermaid/man
30th November – “..the children of the night. What music they make!” – a cover with a vampire
7th December – ‘I am Aragorn son of Arathorn; and if by life or death I can save you, I will.’ – A cover featuring a hero
14th December -“Heavy is the head that wears the crown” – A cover featuring a crown
21st December – ‘ho, ho, ho’ – A seasonal cover
28th December – A freebie – choose one of your favourite titles and compare the covers
2019
4th January – A cover that is fresh – New beginnings for a New Year
11th January – ‘I know I have the body of a weak and feeble woman, but I have the heart and stomach of a king’ – A cover that depicts a novel set in the Tudor period
18th January – A cover featuring an Amulet – either in the cover or title
25th January – ‘Be kind whenever possible. It is always possible.’ – A cover featuring a monk/priest/person of the cloth
1st February – A comedy cover
8th February – ‘Hi little cub. Oh no, don’t be ssscared.’ – A cover with snakes
15th February – A heart – for Valentine’s day past
22nd February – “Woe, destruction, ruin, and decay; the worst is death and death will have his day.” – A cover with abandoned building/s
1st March – ‘who will buy this wonderful morning’ – A cover featuring a shop or market
8th March – ‘Two little fishes and a momma fishy too’ – A cover featuring a fish/fishes or other sea creatures
15th March – ‘Beware the moon, lads.’ – A cover with a shapeshifter
22nd March – ‘A horse, a horse, my kingdom for a horse’ – A cover featuring a king
29th March – “I thought unicorns were more . . . Fluffy.” – A cover featuring a unicorn
5th April – ‘nomad is an island’ – A cover featuring a desert landscape
12th April – ‘Odin, Odin, send the wind to turn the tide – A cover featuring a longboat
19th april – ‘It was the best of times, it was the worst of times – A cover featuring a school
Ravencry (Raven’s Mark #2) by Ed McDonald
Blackwing (Raven’s Mark #1) was one of my favourite books last year. Ed McDonald was a new voice on the grimdark scene, his debut was rich in creativity and it was one of those books that although it brimmed with brutality also managed to maintain a sense of hope and an element of much needed humour. Ravencry is the second in series and I was very keen to pick this one up and read once again the trials and tribulations of Captain Ryhalt Galharrow. I will say from the outset that Ravencry does not disappoint.
It’s been four years since the siege. Galharrow seems to be fairly settled in terms of an important position, a decent home and the respect of his colleagues. It doesn’t take a genius though to see that he hasn’t fully come to terms with certain events and alcohol plays a large part in keeping him propped up.
Within a few chapters it becomes fairly obvious that trouble is once again brewing, although on the face of it it’s difficult to pin down exactly what shape it will take. A stolen artefact, countless visions of a ‘bright lady’ that have led to a disturbing growth in numbers of a new religious cult coupled with the appearance of some suspicious characters – who become even more suspect when it’s discovered that they’ve already died at least once already – these things just don’t sit well.
I’m not really going to go into the plot at all. For me, I did find that it meandered a little at the beginning before becoming a real threat – which, is fair enough. It took time for Ryhalt to investigate things and at first he was floundering a little until the penny finally dropped and the realisation of what was actually about to take place became evident.
What I thoroughly enjoyed about Ravencry was the return to a world that has been so well established and the joy of spending time with characters that are simply great to read about. Galharrow, and Nenn, are such persuasive characters. Galharrow in particular. He’s so easy to read and such a great narrator. He gets himself into countless desperate situations that there really doesn’t seem any likelihood of coming back from and yet with sheer determination he manages to find a way, be it swimming through a filthy canal, scouring the sewers or once again tracking into the very heart of the Misery with all its evil critters and haunted beings in order to stop a force against seemingly impossible odds.
I also admit that I love the style of writing. Mr McDonald has a vivid imagination and a way with words that makes the world and the terrors it holds simply jump off the page. There’s no shortage of death and heartbreak in these pages and the author undoubtedly made some difficult decisions. There are numerous fights and skirmishes and unspeakable crimes and I’m hard pressed to decide which is worse between the horrors unfolding in the City or Galharrow’s own personal journey through hell when he spends more time than is wise in the Misery. I’m probably painting a grim picture here but with good reason I think. Strangely enough, although the overall threat didn’t seem quite as real in this instalment (or at least the focus seems to have changed) the death and subsequent despair undoubtedly reached a high.
In terms of criticisms. No deal breakers here fortunately. Thankfully this doesn’t fall victim to ‘middle book syndrome’. I think the only thing I would mention is that I felt the pacing of the first half stalled a little. I also felt an element of near death experience fatigue on behalf of Galharrow – in fact I don’t know how he just didn’t fall over into a ditch and stay there at one point because he seemed to have had such a lot thrown at him and certainly more than most people could survive. That being said – I am relieved that he didn’t fall into said ditch.
Overall this was a great read and one that really sets the stall out for the final instalment. A fine demonstration of writing prowess and an author to keep firmly on the ‘must read’ list.
I received a copy through Negalley, courtesy of the publishers. for which my thanks. The above is my own opinion.
Bitter Sun by Beth Lewis
Set during the heatwave of 1971 Bitter Sun is a coming of age story that takes a sharp look at the rotten core of a small midwestern town. Having read The Wolf Road by Beth Lewis I was excited to pick this one up and in terms of writing prowess the author delivers. This isn’t my go to type of read, lacking the elements of fantasy or sci fi that I tend to steer towards but there is a hint of magical realism towards the conclusion and the slow build of tension, the dizzy summer heat and the escalating sense of menace and small town claustrophobia feel so real that you can practically cut the atmosphere in the story with a knife. I can’t deny that I read elements of this with a lump in my throat from trying to hold back the emotion.
Narrated by John the story takes place over a three year period. John and his sister Jenny spend all their free time with their friends Rudy and Gloria at a secret den they’ve built away from the prying eyes of town. Their summer days sound almost idyllic until they discover a dead body in the lake they usually spend hours swimming in, a young woman with no form of identification, shot and unceremoniously dumped. As though the whole experience isn’t harrowing enough Jenny becomes obsessed over the victim and relentless in her determination that the four should investigate, a need that becomes more insistent when the authorities seem to have little motivation in uncovering the murderer or even finding the identify of the young woman in question. It’s as though Jenny herself has a desperate need – one that is powered by her own miserable home life and the very real threat that she herself seems to face.
Set against a backdrop of a rural town in decline the story doesn’t shy away from the nasty. Abuse, negligence bullying and depravity are the order of the day. John and Jenny’s mother is a bitter drunk who takes out her frustration with life on Jenny – to such an extent that she is oftentimes afraid to go home. Rudy’s home life is equally beleaguered with a violent father and brother who the majority of the town are afraid to even look in the general direction of and Gloria, whilst her rich parents and glamorous home seem to be the envy of many, spends a lot of time alone and is all but being raised by ‘the help’. Added to this is the fact that the town is in decline. The Vietnam war draft adds a layer of fear to the residents who already mostly live in abject poverty, struggling to find work and turning to seek solace in the bottom of a bottle. The opening chapters don’t paint a pretty picture to be honest and yet as the story unfolds you begin to realise that the corruption that infects the town runs much deeper.
It’s difficult to say too much more about Bitter Sun without giving away spoilers. This is a desperate and heartbreaking story. The prose is absolutely stunning and in fact holds you quite mesmerised in it’s spell until the conclusion. It’s not a cheery story and I’m not going to pretend otherwise. There are horrors taking place in this town and what really adds an extra layer of disbelief is the way that people in the town simply look the other way. The lies and deceit are deeply entrenched in fear. If nobody sees the problem then it doesn’t need to be addressed which gives licence to a whole bunch of vile characters to do whatever they want to feed their own desires. Draw the curtains and look away.
To be honest, it’s not new territory or ground breaking in many respects but it is so well written that the beauty of the prose keeps you hooked to the end. And, I can say that my fear for the main characters was so very real that I could almost taste it. I felt the horror that they felt as their worlds began to fall apart and their innocent illusions were ripped apart. Particularly John. He was so determined and yet so naive. He seemed to blindly run into situations and you just wanted to stop him – and yet, in spite of his actions, whatever eventually happened had a feeling of inevitability. I realise I’m probably sounding a little mysterious but it really is difficult to elaborate further.
The low down is this is a story of four young people and their rather bleak journey into adulthood. There are rude awakenings and heartache aplenty and it won’t be for everyone although there’s also a glimmer of hope. I try, as a rule, to shy away from comparisons but for me this author has a feel of DuMaurier or Tartt – a truly gifted writer with a way with words that compel you to read her stories even if, at first, they might not seem to be your usual bread and butter. A harsh tale, beautifully told.
I received a copy through Netgalley, courtesy of the publisher, for which my thanks. The above is my own opinion.
Can’t Wait Wednesday : Someone Like Me by M.R. Carey
4 July 2018
Filed under Book Reviews
Tags: Can't wait Wednesday, M R Carey, Someone Like Me, Wishful Endings
“Waiting On Wednesday” is a weekly meme that was originally created by Breaking the Spine. Unfortunately Breaking the Spine are no longer hosting so I’m now linking my posts up to Wishful Endings Can’t Wait Wednesday. Don’t forget to stop over, link up and check out what books everyone else is waiting for. If you want to take part, basically, every Wednesday, we highlight a book that we’re really looking forward to. This week my book is : Someone Like Me by M.R. Carey. I am so excited for this book. So. Excited. Here’s why:
SHE LOOKS LIKE ME. SHE SOUNDS LIKE ME. NOW SHE’S TRYING TO TAKE MY PLACE.
Liz Kendall wouldn’t hurt a fly. She’s a gentle woman devoted to bringing up her kids in the right way, no matter how hard times get.
But there’s another side to Liz—one which is dark and malicious. A version of her who will do anything to get her way, no matter how extreme or violent.
And when this other side of her takes control, the consequences are devastating.
The only way Liz can save herself and her family is if she can find out where this new alter-ego has come from, and how she can stop it.
Due for publication November 2018 – get in my life!
Books and travelling with Lynn 