#SPFBO – Not a Review : Finalist Reading Schedule, Book #1
22 November 2021
Filed under Book Reviews
Tags: Book 1, Christopher Mitchell, Finalist Reading Schedule, Finalist Spotlight, Magelands Eternal Siege #1, Not a Review, SPFBO, The Mortal Blade
Stage 1 of the SPFBO competition is now complete and Stage 2 has now commenced.
During Stage 2 The Critiquing Chemist and I will read, review and score the remaining 9 finalists as will the other judges until a winner is revealed. We have randomly selected our reading order and have already started reading. These ‘Not a Review’ posts are my way of shining the spotlight on each of the Finalists as they become our next read. Today, I’m posting details of our first finalist: The Mortal Blade (Magelands Eternal Siege #1) by Christopher Mitchell. The Mortal Blade is the Booknest’s Finalist and below is a little more information about the book:
A city ruled by Gods, a mortal champion, a misfit girl and a disobedient dragon…
Stolen from his home, Corthie Holdfast has arrived in the City of the Eternal Siege as a new Champion.
He must fight alongside the Blades, whose lives are dedicated to the defence of the City against the hordes of monstrous Greenhides; or die at the hands of the Gods who rule.
Maddie Jackdaw, a young Blade, faces her last chance. Thrown out of every unit defending the City, either she takes on a new role, or she will be sent to the Rats, a company of misfits given the perilous tasks beyond the Great Walls.
Her new role, if she takes it, will bring her face to face with her deepest fears, for beneath the walls, in a secret and hidden lair, lies a dragon, imprisoned and waiting…
Author InformationI love deserts, which is too bad as I live in Scotland, but the mountains, glens and lochs more than make up for it. My other love is Greek Tragedy, especially Euripides, and I also read history, science, fantasy, and pretty much anything about the Beatles…
#SPFBO – Not a Review : Finalist Reading Schedule, Book #8
24 April 2021
Filed under Book Reviews
Tags: #SPFBO, Alexander Darwin, Finalist Reading Schedule, Not a Review, The Combat Codes
300 books 10 Judges 1 winner
The 1st of June marked the start of the sixth Self Published Fantasy Blog Off (details here.) My Introductory post is here. Stage 1 is now complete and the finalists can be found here .
During Stage 2 I will read, review and score the remaining 9 finalists as will the other judges until a winner is revealed. As with previous years I have given each of the 9 books a number and randomly selected a reading order. Today’s post is to highlight the eighth book I will be reading and provide information regarding that particular finalist. The first finalist I read was Shadow of a Dead God by Patrick Samphire. This was a great start to the finals and my review can be found here. My second book was The Fall of Erlon by Robert H Fleming which I posted my review here. My third book was Shaun Paul Steven’s Nether Light, my review for which can be found here. My fourth book was a Norse myth inspired story called Darkness Forged by Matt Larkin and my review is here.. My fifth book was A Wind from the Wilderness by Suzannah Rowntree and here is my review. My sixth book was Black Stone Heart by Michael R Fletcher, reviewed here. My seventh book was Last Memoria by Rachel Emma Shaw and my review can be found here. Today, I’m posting details of the eighth finalist – The Combat Codes (The Combat Codes Saga #1) by Alexander Darwin. I’ve already made a very good start on this one and hope to post my review on Monday. Here are the details:
The Combat Codes is the finalist put forward by The Fantasy Book Critic. Here’s a little more information:
“We fight, so the rest shall not have to.”
In a world where single combat determines the fate of nations, the Grievar fight so that the rest can remain at peace.
Cego is a mysterious Grievar boy forced to fight his way out of the slave Circles into the world’s most prestigious combat school.
At the Lyceum, Cego will learn a variety of martial arts from eclectic teachers, develop deep bonds of friendship and fight against contentious rivals to climb the school’s rankings.
But, Cego will find far more than combat studies at the Lyceum. He will find the mystery of his past unraveled by forces greater than he could ever imagine.
Author Information:Alexander Darwin is a fantasy / science fiction author with an unabashed reverence for combat sports. He spends his days getting humbled on the mats, staring at the unwritten pages of his next novel, and questioning the dumb luck that landed him his wonderful wife and two daughters.
#SPFBO – Not a Review : Finalist Reading Schedule, Book #7
15 April 2021
Filed under Book Reviews
Tags: #SPFBO, Finalist Reading Schedule, Last Memoria, Rachel Emma Shaw
300 books 10 Judges 1 winner
The 1st of June marked the start of the sixth Self Published Fantasy Blog Off (details here.) My Introductory post is here. Stage 1 is now complete and the finalists can be found here .
During Stage 2 I will read, review and score the remaining 9 finalists as will the other judges until a winner is revealed. As with previous years I have given each of the 9 books a number and randomly selected a reading order. Today’s post is to highlight the fifth book I will be reading and provide information regarding that particular finalist. The first finalist I read was Shadow of a Dead God by Patrick Samphire. This was a great start to the finals and my review can be found here. My second book was The Fall of Erlon by Robert H Fleming which I posted my review here. My third book was Shaun Paul Steven’s Nether Light, my review for which can be found here. My fourth book was a Norse myth inspired story called Darkness Forged by Matt Larkin and my review is here.. My fifth book was A Wind from the Wilderness by Suzannah Rowntree and here is my review. My sixth book was Black Stone Heart by Michael R Fletcher, reviewed here. My seventh book is Last Memoria by Rachel Emma Shaw (I would mention that I have now finished reading this one and will be reviewing it very soon). In the meantime here are the details:
Last Memoria is the finalist put forward by The Weatherwax Report. Here’s a little more information:
A character driven and heartbreaking, dark-fantasy thriller about flawed people making flawed decisions. Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind meets Joe Abercrombie.
Sarilla has learnt one thing from stealing memories. Everybody lies.
There’s nothing Sarilla hates more than stealing memories, but the king forces her to take them to keep his subjects in line. She wants to escape to where nobody knows what she is or what she can do, but her plans go awry when she runs into Falon.
Falon has a six month void in his memories that he’s desperate to restore. He doesn’t know why they were taken or what they contained, nor why the man he loves is acting so cagily about what happened during that time. He hopes to use Sarilla to get back his stolen memories and doesn’t care what she wants or why she’s desperate to escape. She will help him get them back, whether she wants to or not.
Slytherin author with a Hufflepuff soul. ❤
https://linktr.ee/RachelEmmaShaw
Rachel Emma Shaw is a London based author. She started writing as an escape from her PhD in neuroscience and has never stopped. She lives in a house slowly being consumed by plants and loves being outdoors. She will frequently attempt to write her books in local parks, only to inevitably end up falling asleep in the sun. If you want her to hurry up and write more books then wish for rain. Her best work is done when it’s stormy outside.
Her debut novel is Last Memoria, a story about love, lies and memory thieves.
Her website: https://rachelemmashaw.wordpress.com/
Her e-mail newsletter: https://mailchi.mp/b736c7485e1c/rache…
Her Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Rachelthesto…
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Her Pintrest: https://www.pinterest.co.uk/paintedre…
Her Twitter: https://twitter.com/RachelEmma_Shaw
#SPFBO – Not a Review : Finalist Reading Schedule, Book #4
6 February 2021
Filed under Book Reviews
Tags: Darkness Forged, Finalist Reading Schedule, Kitty G, Legends of the Ragnarok Era #1, Matt Larkin, SPFBO
300 books 10 Judges 1 winner
The 1st of June marked the start of the sixth Self Published Fantasy Blog Off (details here.) My Introductory post is here. Stage 1 is now complete and the finalists can be found here .
During Stage 2 I will read, review and score the remaining 9 finalists as will the other judges until a winner is revealed. As with previous years I have given each of the 9 books a number and randomly selected a reading order. Today’s post is to highlight the fourth book I will be reading and provide information regarding that particular finalist. The first finalist I read was Shadow of a Dead God by Patrick Samphire. This was a great start to the finals and my review can be found here. My second book was The Fall of Erlon by Robert H Fleming which I posted my review here. My third book was Shaun Paul Steven’s Nether Light, my review for which can be found here. Today’s post is to highlight the fourth book I will be picking up.
My fourth finalist will be :
| Darkness Forged by Matt Larkin |
Darkness Forged (Legends of the Ragnarok Era #1) by Matt Larkin is the finalist selected this year by Kitty G. Kitty’s review can be found here and below is the description and author details:
Vengeance is Wrought. Darkness is Forged.
The greatest crafts on Midgard come from the dvergar realm of Nidavellir. Volund, a gifted smith and once apprentice to the dvergar, escaped their dark realm to find solace in the arms of a valkyrie.
Nine years of respite.
And then she was gone.
Volund will do anything to get her back. But his reputation precedes him, and a cruel king knows the weapons Volund forges can win his wars. Imprisoned in the king’s forge, Volund’s only hope to escape is to find his wife. If he can’t, more than the forge’s darkness will overtake him.
Matt was born and raised in Virginia, and graduated from the College of William and Mary there. His lifelong love of fantasy began with The Hobbit. This led him to start writing his own stories at a young age. His primary influences are mythology and history. He now lives in Florida with his wife.
Find out more at https://www.mattlarkinbooks.com
#SPFBO – Not a Review : Finalist Reading Schedule, Book #3
3 January 2021
Filed under Book Reviews
Tags: Book #3, Finalist Reading Schedule, Nether Light, Not a Review, Shaun Paul Stevens, SPFBO
300 books 10 Judges 1 winner
The 1st of June marked the start of the sixth Self Published Fantasy Blog Off (details here.) My Introductory post is here. Stage 1 is now complete and the finalists can be found here .
During Stage 2 I will read, review and score the remaining 9 finalists as will the other judges until a winner is revealed. As with previous years I have given each of the 9 books a number and randomly selected a reading order. Today’s post is to highlight the third book I will be reading and provide information regarding that particular finalist. The first finalist I read was Shadow of a Dead God by Patrick Samphire. This was a great start to the finals and my review can be found here. My second book was The Fall of Erlon by Robert H Fleming which I posted my review for yesterday. Today’s post is to highlight the third book I will be picking up.
My third finalist will be :
| Nether Light by Shaun Paul Stevens |
Nether Light is the finalist selected this year by The Fantasy Inn. Their review can be found here and below is the description and author details:
Take a journey through a world punished by a dark, imprisoned magic. A world where children are given poison. A world where your talent is decided by the state.
A world where reality is breaking down.
When refugee Guyen washes up in the land of his enemy, he knows he will fight, but soon finds himself falling down a well of wonder and improbability.
Can he survive a system designed to oppress him? Can he tame his anger to unleash his potential? Can he see his enemy for what they truly are?
Nether Light is a gritty, heart-wrenching tale of high magic and high stakes, loves lost and friendships gained, set in an oil-lit, 18th century world far, far away.
And it’s full to the gills with epic fantasy, plotting, scheming, and racy, jaw-dropping, immersive adventure. What more could you ask for?
For fans of Patrick Rothfuss, Brandon Sanderson, Neil Gaiman, Mark Lawrence, V.E. Schwab, Ed McDonald, Brian McClellan.
Please note: This book contains mature themes.
Author:Born in London in 1972, Shaun spent his formative years in the shadows of the dreaming spires of Oxford, before moving to Nottingham where he graduated with a degree in English and Media.
Shaun lives in Brighton, on the south coast of England, where he splits his time between fiction, geekdom, and garlic bread.
Find out more at shaunpaulstevens.com
Twitter : spstevenswriter
Books and travelling with Lynn 