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.

Our batch of 30 books was split equally between myself and the Critiquing Chemist’s team.  I have now completed my batch and announced my semi finalists and the CC have also now chosen their three semi finalists.

My three semi finalists can be found here.

So, today is my final review of the three semi finalists put forward by the Critiquing Chemists.   A Rival Most Vial by RK Ashwick.

ARMV was my final SPFBO book and I will say it was a great way to conclude phase 1.  This is a cosy fantasy story that feels like a great big hug of a book.

Imagine, if you will, you’re on the Google Maps equivalent of the fantasy world.  You pan out (I mean, really pan out).  Orcs and goblins are terrorising the countryside, men and elves are forming alliances, dragons are awakening – one sleepy eye surveying their stash of gold.  Now, zoom in.  Zoom in a bit further.  Zoom in some more.  Perhaps just a tad more.  And here we are.  Rosemond Street.  More to the point we’re on the doorstop of a quaint looking shop that sells potions for all your adventuring needs.  No politics, no sweeping or majestic settings, no bloody battles.  Instead we look at the everyday lives of those who cater for those taking part in battles and dallying with dragons.  On Roasmund street you can find the finest crafted armour, any number of gadgets, wands and healing potions and other necessities aplenty.  But right now, we have a problem, a newcomer is on the block – a rival potion shop!  The calamity is real.

Okay, so I’m joking around a little here, but also, I’m being perfectly serious.  This is a deliciously cosy fantasy.  I’m not saying that we don’t encounter any threats at all (particularly when cleaning underground drains or looking for bright blue moss) but for the most part this is a delightful story with engaging characters, found family and fantastic representation.  Seriously, I would love a bunch of friends like these.

Ambrose is the prickly potion expert whose livelihood is threatened when Eli’s Elixir’s opens.  The two rivals get off to a tricky start although the other shopkeepers try to encourage them to be friends.  They find themselves being commissioned to undertake a piece of work for the Mayor which is both tricky and lucrative and from there, a tentative friendship begins to develop. What could possibly happen?  *wiggles eyebrows meaningfully*

In one way ARMV doesn’t necessarily bring anything new to the scene, this is cosy fantasy and in that respect you can pretty much expect that you’ll have a lovely read and probably come away quite enchanted.  I, for one, am quite happy to be enchanted on any number of occasions though so I’m certainly not knocking that.  What I would add though is that this is very well done, it made me smile and when I finished reading I felt genuinely happy with the ending and the characters and world that I’d been so absorbed with.  On top of this the author has a great way of twisting things round, orcs that make delicate jewelry and mama bear types who are always ready with a pot of tea and some home baked cookies but also run the local blacksmiths forging weapons and armour.  Tropes that are breaking the rules, or at least putting things on their heads a little in a very satisfying manner.

My favourite part of the story was Ambrose.  I liked his rival Eli too, and the two of them share alternating perspectives, but Ambrose felt more like the predominant character here and thankfully he’s easy to like.  Prickly and a little proud he may first appear but he is dealing with his own issues underneath that exterior and is a wound up bunch of nerves and anxiety.  In fact both these characters are dealing with their own quite different issues and these play really well into the story and give it added depth.

This is fast paced, fun, amusing and frankly illegally cute and cosy.  I can see a great series in the making with this one.  There’s so much scope here that it’s a bit mind boggling and I hope that the author has many more books planned.

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

Tomorrow, we will be announcing our finalist.