#SPFBO Spotlight : the fourth set of books. Update
4 September 2016
Filed under Book Reviews
Tags: #SPFBO 2016, Fourth Round of books: update, Mark Lawrence, The Amber Isle
This is my fourth batch of books for the SPFBO. From my second selection of five I still have two books that I need to decide between and will update on that outcome shortly. For details of the SPFBO check here. I chose my first five books to look at during the course of May and my update post for the first five is here. The book that I took forward at that stage was Rebel’s Honor by Gwynn White review here. My update for the second set of five is here. The update post for my third set of books is here and today I’m giving an update on the fourth set of books.
The book choices are being randomly chosen. I’m aiming to read about 20% of each book or five chapters (which I think should be enough to give me a fair idea of whether or not the book could be my potential final choice). Basically, if one of the books is standing out above the other four then that will be the clear choice from that section.
My next set of five are below. I’ve added underneath each a synopsis (taken from Goodreads) and a short synopsis of my thoughts on the content that I’ve read so far. Unless I read the book fully I’m only giving brief comments on each book so apologies if these seem a little abrupt but basically I’m just trying to give a very brief view of why I’ve not taken that book forward.
1. Melody of Demons by Ros Jackson
In her home village, Aivee is worse than nobody. If her secret identity as a half-demon leaks out, she’s dead. But in the capital city she will reinvent herself as a dancer. She’ll be wealthy, and adored by thousands. Nobody will be able to hurt her.
Will they?
Nori knows how cruel the city can be. She’s lost her mother to its plagues, and lately her younger sister has joined the ranks of its disappeared. But she’s not giving up. The ruling classes think they can treat people worse than beasts and strip them of their human rights. Powerful factions want to keep the epidemic of missing people a secret. Well, they can eat her blades.
Nori joins a group of vigilantes fighting for answers, and voices in her head urge her to recruit Aivee to the cause. These vigilantes are bumbling amateurs, as likely to get themselves killed as to save anyone. But Nori is changing, going mad, lusting for battle and remembering centuries-old conflicts. She will whip them into shape, or die trying.
Bloodthirsty gangs, inhuman mages, and dragon gods have it in for the people of Kaddon city.
Yes, Nori is mad. But she’s not nearly even.
I have mixed feelings on this one. I think the start was a little hit and miss for me and I was thinking that this one wouldn’t work out. It has picked up though as the focus has moved to the City. I think at the moment I’ll put this one down as I might potentially return to read a little further.
2. Rescuing Pavra by Terra Lorin
On the planet of Avadonya, handsome yet brutal shapeshifters called the Beasts raid a small Bormian village, kidnapping young females. A young Beast named Romi wins the youngest captive Pavra in a challenge and takes her as his prize to save her from the hands of the other Beasts. As the years pass and Pavra transitions into womanhood, she and Romi fall in love and thus ensues their romance.
Meanwhile, twins Gael and Gion head a group of young Bormians to rescue their younger sister Pavra and the other females taken on that fatal night two years ago. Will the eleven young Bormians be able to battle these shapeshifting Beasts, who outnumber them, and are just as deadly in their beastly incarnation? Not to mention the other dangers they must face along the way, even before they reach the Beasts’ lair.
Action, adventure, romance, and surprises are in store for this band of brave heroes as they encounter fairies, ogres, gigantic creatures, more shapeshifters and other friends and foe on their courageous rescue mission.
I’m just going to be totally honest and say this isn’t really for me – I can see how this might appeal to some people with this whole idea of men/beasts living in the jungle – and let’s face it they’re all portrayed as gorgeous specimens of manly hunkyness. And there are certain elements of this that are really quite intriguing – the fae elements, the idea that the band of would be rescuers who set off to search for the kidnapped women are now on a quest to find a ‘wise woman’ type of character – these elements of the story were easy to read and could in themselves have turned into a good quest type story but for me I think the man/beast idea could do with more development. I just can’t figure out what the story is trying to be and the whole neanderthal man beating his chest and kidnapping women from their homes – it doesn’t work for me I’m afraid.
3. Pathfinders by Aidan J Reid
– In the darkest corners of your mind, they hunt –
Norman Adams’ life changes in an instant when he experiences his first lucid dream. The watershed moment reveals an alternate world of consciousness which compels the young man to explore the boundaries of reality.
He meets an eccentric librarian, Stephen Breagal, whose interest in the topic seems to know no limits and they strike up an unlikely friendship.
Soon however, the dream turns into a nightmare when Norman is involved in an accident sending him into a coma. Under the apprenticeship of Breagal, loyal but sceptical friend Victor James volunteers to use the librarian’s pioneering techniques to enter Norman’s dream state and finds the horror trapping him there.
The race is on to rescue their friend as together they search the deepest, darkest recesses of the mind – a place where nightmares are born.
This is definitely an intriguing concept that I was looking forward to reading. On the whole I found the chapters I read quite interesting and if this wasn’t an elimination scenario I probably would have read further to see how this one would develop, but, as it is, and having read over 20% of the story, I think this is quite a slow burner and I found my attention was not always completely focused.
4. Bronze Magic by Jennifer Ealey
Bronze Magic, a fantasy novel of 484 pages, is the first in a series that track the woodfolk legend of Tarkyn, Guardian of the Forest. It is written in an easy flowing style that makes it accessible to both teenagers and adults. The major protagonist, although powerful, spends much of his time trying not to intimidate people, while memorable characters battle with issues of trust, cultural differences and respect against a background of magic and action:
In Eskuzor, land of sorcerers, Prince Tarkyn, tempestuous and strong in magic, is forced to flee from his brother the king, leaving a trail of death and destruction behind him.
After days on the run, he wanders into the woodlands in the company of an old wizard, only to find himself unable to leave. Even worse, Tarkyn is horrified to discover that he is the unwelcome, bitterly resented liege lord of an elusive people whose oath to him has been spellbound to the welfare of their forest. The prince, moved by his unwilling liegefolk’s plight, modifies his expectations. On the other hand, one woodman, Waterstone, puts aside his own prejudices to offer Tarkyn his friendship, persevering in the face of the prince’s mistrust.
Bounty hunters are tracking Tarkyn. Wolves and sorcerers are hunting the woodfolk.
Battling the woodfolk’s resentment, Tarkyn holds true to his duty as their liege lord to fight with them against wizard-driven storm, captivity and exposure of their existence to the world beyond the forest. As Tarkyn works side by side with his liegefolk, he not only develops friendships and acceptance but also gains new powers which transform him, in the eyes of the woodfolk, into a figure of their legends, the guardian of the forest.
Despite this, their mutual trust is fragile and when Tarkyn discovers that his liegefolk have been concealing the existence of woodfolk not sworn to him, he is driven to extreme lengths to repair the schism in woodfolk society that his presence has caused, so that they can stand united against the greatest threat in their history.
I think this book has a lot of potential but it suffers from over wordiness which slows down the pace. From the chapters I read I would say that the main character needs more development as he feels a bit one dimensional at the moment and his feelings don’t really come across. I also think the dialogue needs to be a bit more snappy as it comes across a little bit ‘staged’.
The Amber Isle by Ashley Capes
Roguish Never is on a quest to lift a curse on his blood and to learn his true name; but upon joining a group of treasure-hunters he soon finds himself unearthing world-altering secrets that have long lain dormant within the mysterious Amber Isle.
I enjoyed this one, I had a few niggles and I would have liked a longer story – this feels a little like the first step of a journey but definitely one I would like to continue reading. In fairness to the author I’m not sure at this stage I would put this forward to the next round as it’s only a fairly short story but I did enjoy it.
From the fourth round The Amber Isle was my favourite read.
The Amber Isle (Book of Never #1) by Ashley Capes #SPFBO ’16
21 August 2016
Filed under Book Reviews
Tags: #SPFBO 2016, Ashley Capes, Book of Never #1, The Amber Isle
The Amber Isle by Ashley Capes is the first book I opened amongst Batch No.4 of my self published fantasy blog off books. (Details here). I haven’t finished my round up of for the batch yet but as I read all of this (nearly in one sitting) and found it an enjoyable read I’m reviewing it now. Just to be clear – I haven’t chosen a favourite out of this batch as yet because I’m not at that stage but I like to review the books I complete.
We start the story by meeting with Never who seems to be something of a rogue, likeable at that, who lives with a curse. Or maybe it isn’t a curse – maybe it’s a blessing? His search for clues about his own identify, a mystery that seems unanswerable, has led him to steal a precious map that leads to the Amber Isles, a treasure map this may be but Never is more interested in the pursuit of knowledge. His theft has led to pursuit by a man called Harstas and the army he commands and Never is barely one step ahead as the story opens.
The story is only short (around 130 pages) and is fast paced leading to a fairly quick read. I enjoyed the style of writing and didn’t have any particular criticisms in that respect. A quest style adventure story we pick up what’s going on as the story progresses and in the same way the author starts to give an idea of the world in which Never lives. The early chapters set the scene and Never soon arrives at his destination where he makes the acquaintance of a couple of hunters who are on the island seeking treasure and joins with one of those to continue the search. From hereon in the story is fairly action packed firstly as the two travel the island encountering danger along the way in the form of rope bridges, sea monsters and sea men and then turns into an almost Indiana Jones type quest as they make their way through the labyrinth of tunnels at the heart of the island which seem to be beset by triggers and traps and cryptic doorways with secret codes.
The main character Never is likable although fairly thinly sketched at the moment. The supporting cast were, I suppose a bit weak and need to be built upon – there is also the promise of a further character, who only made a brief and rather unexplained presence rejoining the quest at some stage – or at least I’m hopeful that that may be the case. The mystery that Never seeks answers to remains unsolved at the conclusion of the book in fact this has a taster type feel to it leaving the ending open with possibilities for future reading. I’m rather hopeful that in future instalments Never’s band will expand – I’m hoping for more of the green caped character that we met at the start, perhaps a little more filler in relation to the hunter who joined Never on the Isle and perhaps to make the acquaintance of Never’s brother who holds the promise of more mystery to come.
In terms of criticisms – I can’t really put my finger on it but I have the feeling of something lacking at the moment. Maybe it’s because this story feels like it should be much longer and clearly there will be more instalments so that criticism will hopefully be answered but at the moment I’m just missing that critical element that makes me go from enjoying a book to loving it. At the moment I guess I have the feeling of having picked up a book and then found a good chunk of it missing – not a bad thing I suppose as further instalments are clearly intended.
On the whole, I enjoyed this read. It’s an entertaining quest that feels at this point like the tip of the iceberg. An adventure story with good pace, plenty of action and a conclusion that leaves me wanting more.
#SPFBO Spotlight : the third set of books.. Update
14 August 2016
Filed under #SPFBO, Book Reviews
Tags: #SPFBO 2016, Fourth batch of books
This is my third batch of books for the SPFBO. From my second selection of five I still have two books that I need to decide between and will update on that outcome shortly. For details of the SPFBO check here. I chose my first five books to look at during the course of May and my update post for the first five is here. The book that I took forward at that stage was Rebel’s Honor by Gwynn White review here. My update for the second set of five is here. This is my third update post and I’ve now chosen my fourth set of books.
The book choices are being randomly chosen. I’m aiming to read about 20% of each book or five chapters (which I think should be enough to give me a fair idea of whether or not the book could be my potential final choice). Basically, if one of the books is standing out above the other four then that will be the clear choice from that section.
My next set of five are below. I’ve added underneath each a synopsis (taken from Goodreads) and a short synopsis of my thoughts on the content that I’ve read so far.
1. Lightning Rider by Jen Greyson
For Evy Rivera, thunderstorms have always caused her physical pain, but she’s never known why. When a record-setting storm arrives on the same night her father finds ancient ancestral documents, Evy is set aglow with mysterious tiny lightnings she can command.
Even worse, she alerts some people in the universe who’ve been looking for her family for a very long time.
Thrown back into ancient Spain and tasked with killing a Spanish legend, she must train alongside Constantine, a sexy yet obstinate Roman warrior. He teaches her how to wield her lightning as a weapon, through more errors than trials. With a relationship as explosive as their late-night training sessions, Evy and Constantine battle their push-pull relationship while trying to ignore the two-thousand-year difference in their birthdates.
Ilif Rotiart, her quasi-mentor, is appalled at Evy’s skill. He would prefer to train her father and keep Evy on the sidelines—where women belong. Evy has a feeling Ilif is keeping something from them, but she must play nice until she uncovers the truth. And if he’s lying, it will be the worst day of his four-hundred-year life.
Penya Sepadas claims she’s Evy’s rightful trainer, and she has the prophecy to prove it. Penya doesn’t share Ilif’s misogynistic attitude, but she does have her own agenda…and her own secrets.
Evy must sort through the lies and find the truth behind her family’s time-traveling past before the wrong history obliterates the future. She’s spent her whole life fighting for her place. Now, as the first female lightning rider, she’ll dedicate her existence to fighting to save the world.
But will Evy learn to manage her lightning and find the truth before it’s too late?
I liked the idea behind this story involving time travel using lightening as a medium, I thought it was a really unique idea. The thing with time travel books though is that they’re so difficult to pull off once you start delving into the theory. In this particular book the people going back in time have the ability to change the outcomes of event- for the better of course – however that gives me conundrums right away, space time continuum etc! Leaving all that aside though and just delving into the story I thought it got off to a very quick start. I did have a few issues however, I felt that Evy was very quick to accept the things that were happening to her and to her father – in fact the two of them acted remarkably calmly given what they were going through. Perhaps that’s just a family trait or maybe something to do with the ability to time travel overall but I just thought the two of them were a little bit too easy to accept what was going on and this coupled with Evy’s over exuberance at times just sat wrong for me. I was also puzzled about the father changing age – again, that didn’t really sit right for me. Not a bad start to the story overall though.
2. Stolen Guardian by R.A. Meenan
On the southern tip of the Yelar Peninsula, towering over the beach cliffs of the Desi Sea, lies the Defender Academy, the highly advanced military complex of the country of Zedric.
Near the top of the ranks is Izzy Gildspine, Golden Guardian of the Zyearth Defenders. Izzy’s not sure she deserves her title. Her healing powers are strong, though they’re nothing compared to the elemental powers of her partner, Matt Azure. But she can’t let her doubts get in the way of her job. The Defenders hold up the Golden Guardians as legends and she has to make sure she lives up to that expectation.
However, Izzy’s fears come true after a routine flight spirals into an out-of-control crash on a contaminated island campground, crawling with invincible monsters. To make matters worse, she and Matt find a friend and fellow Defender in the woods, half mad after being hounded for days by a foreign invader controlling the strange creatures.
The horror becomes personal when Matt is enslaved by their foe, forcing Izzy to make a terrible choice. Should she follow her heart and save him, or perform her Golden Guardian duty and kill him? The fate of all Zyearth hangs in the balance and she must decide soon before the choice is made for her.
I must admit that I wondered how I would get on with this one but so far have found it very entertaining. I’m not sure it would be my SPFBO book because for me it veers more towards sci fi/military than epic fantasy – however, I’ve read 30% of the book already and, whilst I might have a few niggles here and there, overall I’m just enjoying it and finding it to be an entertaining story so hopefully, time allowing, I might pick this one up again at some point to see how it concludes.
3. All the Saints are Dead by Douglas Milewski
Astrea is no place for a good woman, especially when she’s one of the floating city’s dragon riders. With space at a premium, and the ground full of disintegrating empires and vengeful expatriates, it’s a race to see which will chew her up first – her mother, her city’s corrupt and lethal politics, or her dragon.
Yet Targa grasps for hope wherever she can find it – in her new promotion to group leadership, in the power that it gives her to hire better riders, or the prodigy that she seeks who might just turn the dragon rider project around. Will it be enough to tip the balance, to save her city, her life, or even her soul?
It’s dangerous to be a good woman on Astrea, where all the saints are dead.
I think that All the Saints are Dead could turn into a very intriguing story but as it is and given that I’m only reading the first 20% I don’t feel like it’s really captured my attention enough to continue reading. The writing is good and the story seems to, at least at the moment, centre more on the politics of being a dragon rider and the corruption at the heart of the system involved in choosing new riders. The main character Targa has been promoted as the result of the death of the previous leader – killer by her own dragon – this is apparently something that all riders come to expect. So, a very dangerous job and not an ideal world. I think that this could be a very intriguing story given time but at the moment I confess myself feeling detached from any of the characters.
4. Bride of the Midnight King by Kat Parrish
Bride of the Midnight King is a paranormal romance with a fairy tale twist–Bride of the Midnight King. A vampire version of Cinderella set in a fabulous fairy tale land. A coming-of-age tale based on one of the most beloved fairy tales of all time, Bride of the Midnight King melds the romantic/classic Cinderella story and a richly textured vampire mythology to create something unique.
And the story begins with …once upon a time
The land was called Eindar, and those who lived there called it “home,” but those who lived beyond its borders called it “The Divided Kingdom” because it was a place where humans and vampires shared the land but divided the day’s hours into sunlight and shadow, and there were only a few whose lives were lived in both realms.
Eindar had once been ruled by a royal house of humans, but that era ended when the last human king—Lorant the Third—took a vampire wife and died, leaving the kingdom in her care. Queen Isix abdicated in favor of her son Adraxus, and the sons of his line had occupied the throne of the Shadow Palace ever since.
By custom, the vampire kings choose human consorts to rule by their side. A king chose his consort for any number of reasons, but rarely was love involved. Or so it was until the last consort of King Idrax died, leaving behind a most unusual bequest. Lady Judita’s final gift to the kingdom and the king she’d loved was a complete surprise, and it changed …everything.
Bride of the Midnight King is a novella (30K), the first in a series of stories inspired by the classic fairy tales retold by the Brothers Grimm in which “Cinderella” takes place in a world where vampires and humans coexist.
I read all of Bride of the Midnight King as it was only a short story, a retelling of Cinderella in which the rulers of Eindar are vampires. At the start of the story the current King’s consort passes away leaving a bequest that he chooses his next consort based on heart rather than head and as such she has organised a large ball for all of the ladies of the land to attend. As fairytale retellings go this was an interesting and quick read. I would say that I felt that the first half of the story was more enjoyable than the second half as the story flagged a little for me as it progressed, losing a little of the fairytale ‘style’. I was also puzzled about why the retelling involved vampires – I don’t particularly have a problem with that detail but was just puzzled as to why as the vampire nature of the king and his family didn’t seem to play any particular aspect in the story and for that matter they could just as well have been fae/werewolves or humans. A quick and easy read, I think the narration loses it’s charm a little as the story progresses and I’m not 100% certain about all the storyline choices.
5. As the Crow Flies by Robin Lythgoe
For a thief, getting caught is never a good thing. Getting caught by a wizard is even worse.
“One more job” meant that Crow, a notorious thief, could retire with Tarsha, the woman of his dreams, but “one more job” may just mean his life.
When he sets out to abscond with that last brilliant treasure and seek a life of ease and pleasure with the jewel of his heart, Crow seriously underestimates his mark, the Baron Duzayan. Under threat of death by poison, Crow is coerced into stealing an improbable, mythical prize. To satisfy the wizard’s greed and save the life of his lady love, he must join forces with Tanris, the one man he has spent his entire career avoiding.
But what’s a man to do when stealing that fabled prize could level an empire and seal his fate?
From a dungeon black as night, to the top of a mountain peak shrouded in legend, a man’s got to do what he must.
Until, of course, he can think of a better plan…
As the Crow Flies is the book I intend to fully read and review for this particular batch of books. So far I’m enjoying the story and the writing – that being said I do have certain niggles but I’m keen to see how this one pans out and how the characters develop.
#SPFBO Spotlight : the fourth set of books..
This is my fourth batch of books for the SPFBO. My update from the third selection of five will follow shortly. For details of the SPFBO check here. I chose my first five books to look at during the course of May and my update post for the first five is here. The book that I took forward at that stage was Rebel’s Honor by Gwynn White review here. My update for the second set of five is here. My post for the third batch is here.
The book choices are being randomly chosen. I’m aiming to read about 20% of each book or five chapters (which I think should be enough to give me a fair idea of whether or not the book could be my potential final choice). Basically, if one of the books is standing out above the other four then that will be the clear choice from that section.
My next set of five are below. I’ve added underneath each a synopsis (taken from Goodreads) and also linked up the titles so they’re easy to check out.
1. Melody of Demons by Ros Jackson
In her home village, Aivee is worse than nobody. If her secret identity as a half-demon leaks out, she’s dead. But in the capital city she will reinvent herself as a dancer. She’ll be wealthy, and adored by thousands. Nobody will be able to hurt her.
Will they?
Nori knows how cruel the city can be. She’s lost her mother to its plagues, and lately her younger sister has joined the ranks of its disappeared. But she’s not giving up. The ruling classes think they can treat people worse than beasts and strip them of their human rights. Powerful factions want to keep the epidemic of missing people a secret. Well, they can eat her blades.
Nori joins a group of vigilantes fighting for answers, and voices in her head urge her to recruit Aivee to the cause. These vigilantes are bumbling amateurs, as likely to get themselves killed as to save anyone. But Nori is changing, going mad, lusting for battle and remembering centuries-old conflicts. She will whip them into shape, or die trying.
Bloodthirsty gangs, inhuman mages, and dragon gods have it in for the people of Kaddon city.
Yes, Nori is mad. But she’s not nearly even.
2. Rescuing Pavra by Terra Lorin
On the planet of Avadonya, handsome yet brutal shapeshifters called the Beasts raid a small Bormian village, kidnapping young females. A young Beast named Romi wins the youngest captive Pavra in a challenge and takes her as his prize to save her from the hands of the other Beasts. As the years pass and Pavra transitions into womanhood, she and Romi fall in love and thus ensues their romance.
Meanwhile, twins Gael and Gion head a group of young Bormians to rescue their younger sister Pavra and the other females taken on that fatal night two years ago. Will the eleven young Bormians be able to battle these shapeshifting Beasts, who outnumber them, and are just as deadly in their beastly incarnation? Not to mention the other dangers they must face along the way, even before they reach the Beasts’ lair.
Action, adventure, romance, and surprises are in store for this band of brave heroes as they encounter fairies, ogres, gigantic creatures, more shapeshifters and other friends and foe on their courageous rescue mission.
3. Pathfinders by Aidan J Reid
– In the darkest corners of your mind, they hunt –
Norman Adams’ life changes in an instant when he experiences his first lucid dream. The watershed moment reveals an alternate world of consciousness which compels the young man to explore the boundaries of reality.
He meets an eccentric librarian, Stephen Breagal, whose interest in the topic seems to know no limits and they strike up an unlikely friendship.
Soon however, the dream turns into a nightmare when Norman is involved in an accident sending him into a coma. Under the apprenticeship of Breagal, loyal but sceptical friend Victor James volunteers to use the librarian’s pioneering techniques to enter Norman’s dream state and finds the horror trapping him there.
The race is on to rescue their friend as together they search the deepest, darkest recesses of the mind – a place where nightmares are born.
4. Bronze Magic by Jennifer Ealey
Bronze Magic, a fantasy novel of 484 pages, is the first in a series that track the woodfolk legend of Tarkyn, Guardian of the Forest. It is written in an easy flowing style that makes it accessible to both teenagers and adults. The major protagonist, although powerful, spends much of his time trying not to intimidate people, while memorable characters battle with issues of trust, cultural differences and respect against a background of magic and action:
In Eskuzor, land of sorcerers, Prince Tarkyn, tempestuous and strong in magic, is forced to flee from his brother the king, leaving a trail of death and destruction behind him.
After days on the run, he wanders into the woodlands in the company of an old wizard, only to find himself unable to leave. Even worse, Tarkyn is horrified to discover that he is the unwelcome, bitterly resented liege lord of an elusive people whose oath to him has been spellbound to the welfare of their forest. The prince, moved by his unwilling liegefolk’s plight, modifies his expectations. On the other hand, one woodman, Waterstone, puts aside his own prejudices to offer Tarkyn his friendship, persevering in the face of the prince’s mistrust.
Bounty hunters are tracking Tarkyn. Wolves and sorcerers are hunting the woodfolk.
Battling the woodfolk’s resentment, Tarkyn holds true to his duty as their liege lord to fight with them against wizard-driven storm, captivity and exposure of their existence to the world beyond the forest. As Tarkyn works side by side with his liegefolk, he not only develops friendships and acceptance but also gains new powers which transform him, in the eyes of the woodfolk, into a figure of their legends, the guardian of the forest.
Despite this, their mutual trust is fragile and when Tarkyn discovers that his liegefolk have been concealing the existence of woodfolk not sworn to him, he is driven to extreme lengths to repair the schism in woodfolk society that his presence has caused, so that they can stand united against the greatest threat in their history.
The Amber Isle by Ashley Capes
Roguish Never is on a quest to lift a curse on his blood and to learn his true name; but upon joining a group of treasure-hunters he soon finds himself unearthing world-altering secrets that have long lain dormant within the mysterious Amber Isle.
#SPFBO Spotlight : the third set of books..
This is my third batch of books for the SPFBO. From my second selection of five I still have two books that I need to decide between and will update on that outcome shortly. For details of the SPFBO check here. I chose my first five books to look at during the course of May and my update post for the first five is here. The book that I took forward at that stage was Rebel’s Honor by Gwynn White review here. My update for the second set of five is here.
The book choices are being randomly chosen. I’m aiming to read about 20% of each book or five chapters (which I think should be enough to give me a fair idea of whether or not the book could be my potential final choice). Basically, if one of the books is standing out above the other four then that will be the clear choice from that section.
My next set of five are below. I’ve added underneath each a synopsis (taken from Goodreads).
1. Lightning Rider by Jen Greyson
For Evy Rivera, thunderstorms have always caused her physical pain, but she’s never known why. When a record-setting storm arrives on the same night her father finds ancient ancestral documents, Evy is set aglow with mysterious tiny lightnings she can command.
Even worse, she alerts some people in the universe who’ve been looking for her family for a very long time.
Thrown back into ancient Spain and tasked with killing a Spanish legend, she must train alongside Constantine, a sexy yet obstinate Roman warrior. He teaches her how to wield her lightning as a weapon, through more errors than trials. With a relationship as explosive as their late-night training sessions, Evy and Constantine battle their push-pull relationship while trying to ignore the two-thousand-year difference in their birthdates.
Ilif Rotiart, her quasi-mentor, is appalled at Evy’s skill. He would prefer to train her father and keep Evy on the sidelines—where women belong. Evy has a feeling Ilif is keeping something from them, but she must play nice until she uncovers the truth. And if he’s lying, it will be the worst day of his four-hundred-year life.
Penya Sepadas claims she’s Evy’s rightful trainer, and she has the prophecy to prove it. Penya doesn’t share Ilif’s misogynistic attitude, but she does have her own agenda…and her own secrets.
Evy must sort through the lies and find the truth behind her family’s time-traveling past before the wrong history obliterates the future. She’s spent her whole life fighting for her place. Now, as the first female lightning rider, she’ll dedicate her existence to fighting to save the world.
But will Evy learn to manage her lightning and find the truth before it’s too late?
2. Stolen Guardian by R.A. Meenan
On the southern tip of the Yelar Peninsula, towering over the beach cliffs of the Desi Sea, lies the Defender Academy, the highly advanced military complex of the country of Zedric.
Near the top of the ranks is Izzy Gildspine, Golden Guardian of the Zyearth Defenders. Izzy’s not sure she deserves her title. Her healing powers are strong, though they’re nothing compared to the elemental powers of her partner, Matt Azure. But she can’t let her doubts get in the way of her job. The Defenders hold up the Golden Guardians as legends and she has to make sure she lives up to that expectation.
However, Izzy’s fears come true after a routine flight spirals into an out-of-control crash on a contaminated island campground, crawling with invincible monsters. To make matters worse, she and Matt find a friend and fellow Defender in the woods, half mad after being hounded for days by a foreign invader controlling the strange creatures.
The horror becomes personal when Matt is enslaved by their foe, forcing Izzy to make a terrible choice. Should she follow her heart and save him, or perform her Golden Guardian duty and kill him? The fate of all Zyearth hangs in the balance and she must decide soon before the choice is made for her.
3. All the Saints are Dead by Douglas Milewski
Astrea is no place for a good woman, especially when she’s one of the floating city’s dragon riders. With space at a premium, and the ground full of disintegrating empires and vengeful expatriates, it’s a race to see which will chew her up first – her mother, her city’s corrupt and lethal politics, or her dragon.
Yet Targa grasps for hope wherever she can find it – in her new promotion to group leadership, in the power that it gives her to hire better riders, or the prodigy that she seeks who might just turn the dragon rider project around. Will it be enough to tip the balance, to save her city, her life, or even her soul?
It’s dangerous to be a good woman on Astrea, where all the saints are dead.
4. Bride of the Midnight King by Kat Parrish
Bride of the Midnight King is a paranormal romance with a fairy tale twist–Bride of the Midnight King. A vampire version of Cinderella set in a fabulous fairy tale land. A coming-of-age tale based on one of the most beloved fairy tales of all time, Bride of the Midnight King melds the romantic/classic Cinderella story and a richly textured vampire mythology to create something unique.
And the story begins with …once upon a time
The land was called Eindar, and those who lived there called it “home,” but those who lived beyond its borders called it “The Divided Kingdom” because it was a place where humans and vampires shared the land but divided the day’s hours into sunlight and shadow, and there were only a few whose lives were lived in both realms.
Eindar had once been ruled by a royal house of humans, but that era ended when the last human king—Lorant the Third—took a vampire wife and died, leaving the kingdom in her care. Queen Isix abdicated in favor of her son Adraxus, and the sons of his line had occupied the throne of the Shadow Palace ever since.
By custom, the vampire kings choose human consorts to rule by their side. A king chose his consort for any number of reasons, but rarely was love involved. Or so it was until the last consort of King Idrax died, leaving behind a most unusual bequest. Lady Judita’s final gift to the kingdom and the king she’d loved was a complete surprise, and it changed …everything.
Bride of the Midnight King is a novella (30K), the first in a series of stories inspired by the classic fairy tales retold by the Brothers Grimm in which “Cinderella” takes place in a world where vampires and humans coexist.
5. As the Crow Flies by Robin Lythgoe
For a thief, getting caught is never a good thing. Getting caught by a wizard is even worse.
“One more job” meant that Crow, a notorious thief, could retire with Tarsha, the woman of his dreams, but “one more job” may just mean his life.
When he sets out to abscond with that last brilliant treasure and seek a life of ease and pleasure with the jewel of his heart, Crow seriously underestimates his mark, the Baron Duzayan. Under threat of death by poison, Crow is coerced into stealing an improbable, mythical prize. To satisfy the wizard’s greed and save the life of his lady love, he must join forces with Tanris, the one man he has spent his entire career avoiding.
But what’s a man to do when stealing that fabled prize could level an empire and seal his fate?
From a dungeon black as night, to the top of a mountain peak shrouded in legend, a man’s got to do what he must.
Until, of course, he can think of a better plan…
Books and travelling with Lynn 