SPFBO X is now underway and the books allocated.  I’ve divided my books into three sets of five.  Hopefully tackling one batch of five per month for the next three months.

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 more about all the other entrants and judges over on Mark Lawrence’s blog.  This year I am again teaming up with the Critiquing Chemist.

This year I am planning on reading the first 25% (or for those larger books the first 100 pages) of all the books in my allocation.  This way I will quickly gain an idea of the books that I want to continue to read.

I’ve managed to read the first 25% of my first batch of books.  At the moment I haven’t made any firm decisions, I am planning to read  further with a couple of titles at least before posting an update.

Without further ado let’s take a look at my second batch of books.

A Song to Wake A Thousand Sorrows by Michelle Manus

A woman with unimaginable power. A king hellbent on ruling the world. An ancient force that could mean salvation or destruction.

The survivor of a brutal childhood, Clare Brighton craves the kind of wealth and notoriety that will mean the horrors of her past can never again touch her. With nothing but a battered guitar and a Songweaver’s talent, she comes to the capital of the Faelhorn Provinces, determined to gain her place.

But there is another, more dangerous power that dwells within Clare. An entity she calls the Song, it is ancient and fathomless…and no longer content to be held in the cage she has trapped it in. It is a power the ruthless Jackal King has long been searching for, and should he discover she possesses it, the cost will be far greater than her life.

Clare has sworn that she will never again let anyone control her. But escaping the Jackal King’s notice will require the one thing she never wanted to help. It will come first from the two lords who have taken her under their wing. Next from the second prince of Faelhorn, who Clare alone knows is not what he seems. And finally, from the Song itself.

The Song has the strength to save her—if it doesn’t destroy her first.

***

Changeling by Arista Holmes

Fey go missing in the mortal realm. Everyone knows that.

When Lizzy’s mother is the next to vanish she’s expected to grieve and move on. Instead, Lizzy wants to find out what happened, but the answers she seeks can’t be found in the fey realm of Arbaon.

With the help of her best friend, Booker Reed, Lizzy’s determined to retrace her mother’s final steps… straight through an illegal portal and into the mortal realm.

Whatever leads she expected to find, it wasn’t an academy of vampires, and a world stalked by their rabid cousins—the kavians.

Forced to rely on the vampires for protection, and secluded away behind the high walls of Speculo School, it quickly becomes clear not everyone is pleased with Lizzy and Booker’s investigation. With danger building the further they dig, the two fey need to decide if the closure they seek is worth risking their lives for.

But the longer they remain amongst the vampires, the more Lizzy suspects that her answers lie with the deadly kavians instead.

***

Touched by Magic by Celine Jeanjean

I’m Apiya. No, I’m not a badass magical assassin. I’m a barber to the supernatural.

My magic is very weak and very niche—it works best with keeping things clean.
I know. I can sense your awe at my power already. And I’m sure you can see why barbering suits me well.

Although now that I’ve mastered the art of trimming a weretiger’s regrowth, my biggest challenge is fielding the insults of the shop’s cat. Sometimes I wish I had enough magic to go deeper into the city’s magical underbelly.

You know what they say—be careful what you wish for.

Everything changes when a pair of forest fae come into the shop one night, asking for help to protect their youngling. Something’s got them properly spooked, but they won’t say what.

If it’s big and bad enough to scare the fae, it’s most definitely powerful enough to make a mouthful of me—probably a small mouthful, at that. And now that the fae have come to me, whatever’s after them is also after me.

My weak magic and a sarcastic cat for backup are unlikely to be enough to keep me alive and save the fae youngling.

There is someone who’s willing to help me—Sarroch. Arrogant, unpleasant, wealthy, and I don’t even know what kind of magical creature he is beneath his human form. Or what his motives are in offering to help.

I have no idea if I can trust him, but I’m so short on allies, I might not have a choice. I just hope I’m not making a huge mistake…

Grab Touched by Magic to see if I make it. Oh, and don’t get offended if the cat insults you…

***

The Fate Of by JE Lynn

Evangeline is a cleric at the Church of Stars – an institution dedicated to healing and taking care of the people of Lovern amid a mysterious plague. After being warned that there is a cult infiltrating her beloved home, she starts her investigation. She aims to uncover the truth of who they are and what they want while maintaining her secretive relationship with her childhood friend.

Dianthus, memoryless and with nowhere else to go, has been living with the city’s royal family ever since they awoke five months ago, found confused and delirious by the youngest prince. They’ve become accustomed to the family’s lavish lifestyle, ignoring the burden of discovering their past identity in favor of the comfort they offer, but as the days move forward and a courtship with the crown prince begins, they start to find that they can only turn away from themselves for so long.

Harr is a wayward assassin who recently joined a strange circle of collaborators pursuing immortality. Haunted by the memories of her past and profession, she works to find the key to living forever while trying not to lose her head in the process.

The Fate of is the first novel in a seven book series set in a dark fantasy world with inspiration taken from the cosmic horror and gothic genres. It follows three protagonists as they slowly uncover parts of a larger conspiracy that threatens the peace of their city but none of that will matter if they can’t overcome themselves.

***

The First Assignment by Billy Kramer

Dead.

Seventeen-year-old Shawn Turner no longer belongs to the world of the living. Armed without a heartbeat, he starts his afterlife as a reaper. After being given the name of a person destined to die in the next seven days, he must go out and collect their soul.

As Shawn separates himself from the living and moves below ground, he attends Wayward Academy which teaches him the training and traditions all first-year reapers need to know to perform their duty.

The only thing is, Shawn isn’t sure he can handle this new responsibility. Dying at seventeen, Shawn never got to make the impact he wanted. So, when an opportunity arises, he has a choice to make. Does Shawn stay in his lane as a reaper, or go out of his way to make a difference?

***

Good luck everyone