#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
#SPFBO : Stage 1 Complete
31 October 2020
Filed under Book Reviews
Tags: A Wind from the Wilderness, Alexander Darwin, Black Stone Heart, Darkness Forged, Justin Lee Anderson, Last Memoria, Matt Larkin, Michael R Fletcher, Nether Light, Patrick Samphire, Rachel Emma Shaw, Robert H Fleming, Shadow of a Dead God, Shaun Paul Stevens, SPFBO, Stage 1 Complete, Suzannah Rowntree, The Combat Codes, The Fall of Erlon, The Lost War, Voice of War, Zack Argyle
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.
You can find my updates for batch 1, batch 2, batch 3, Batch 4 and Batch 5 by clicking on the links and my finalist announcement can be found here.
So, the first stage of the competition is now complete, 10 finalists have been chosen, the finalist page over at Mark Lawrence’s blog can be found here but for quick reference below are all the finalists with links to Goodreads:
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Last Memoria by Rachel Emma Shaw
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The Combat Codes by Alexander Darwin
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The Lost War by Justin Lee Anderson
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Black Stone Heart by Michael R Fletcher
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Darkness Forged by Matt Larkin
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Voice of War by Zack Argyle
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The Fall of Erlon by Robert H Fleming
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A Wind From the Wilderness by Suzannah Rowntree
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Shadow of a Dead God by Patrick Samphire
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Nether Light by Shaun Paul Stevens
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Congratulations to all the finalists and good luck in Stage 2 😀
#SPFBO : Finalist announcement
28 October 2020
Filed under Book Reviews
Tags: Finalist Announcement, SPFBO, Threadlight #1, Voice of War, Zack Argyle
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.
You can find my updates for batch 1, batch 2, batch 3, Batch 4 and Batch 5 by clicking on the links.
So, today I will announce my finalist. To be honest, this has been a very difficult choice to make. I had four semi-finalists chosen and all are very good reads that I highly recommend. I can say that in my deliberations each of these books has been my finalist at some point and I think they would all be worthy of moving forward to Stage 2. That being said, I had to make a choice and so without further ado my finalist this year is:
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Voice of War (Threadlight #1) by Zack Argyle (check out the new cover)
My three semi finalists are:
My congratulations to Zack Argyle, commiserations to all the other authors who took part. I had a fantastic batch of books and the decisions this year have been ridiculously difficult due to the excellent. I highly recommend the three SFs and in fact I still have a couple of other books to complete and review that I will post at a later stage.
Good luck to all the finalists moving forward.
My reviews for all four books are below:
#SPFBO : Semi-Finalist and Cuts Announcement (2)
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.
You can find my updates for batch 1, batch 2, batch 3, Batch 4 and Batch 5 by clicking on the links.
During the past week I have reviewed the final five of the ten books that I rolled forward. Today I am announcing the cuts from that batch of five together with the final semi finalists (my first announcement can be found here). I would say, again, that these cuts have been very difficult because I’ve enjoyed all of the books from both batches and so the decision comes down to really very minor issues. My apologies to the authors from this next round of cuts and congratulations to the Semi Finalists.
Knightmare Arcanist (Frith Chronicles #1) by Shami Stovall
I enjoyed the Knightmare Arcanist. It has a lot going for it, plenty of action and a school type setting where students who have bonded with a magical mythical creature come to learn. Plenty of student bonding and adventure with a central mystery and an ending that promises more. My review is here.
Conclusion : Cut
Trial of Thorns (Wicked Fae #1) by Stacey Trombley
This is a book that I was looking forward to very much, I love stories of the fae and this one didn’t disappoint. The main gist is that the land of the fae is being attacked by a plague, the fae are holding trials to find a champion to meet the problem head on. The central character has been banished but makes her return to take part in the trials – even though the other participants all want her dead. I think readers who enjoy reading stories of the fae might like this one. There is also a slow burn romance that I imagine will progress in the next novel. My review is here. Also, please note that we have a new cover:
Conclusion : Cut
The Child of Silence by Joseph O.Doran (The Burning Orbit Book 1)
The Child of Silence is an impressive novel with a unique protagonist, some strong world building and a surprise ending. There’s a lot going on in this one with rebellion and war and then an unexpected element at the conclusion. I enjoyed this although it could benefit from a little sharpening. My review is here.
Conclusion : Cut
Voice of War by Zack Argyle (Threadlight #1)
Voice of War is an impressive debut. The writing gains in confidence as the story progresses and we follow, in the first instance two very different protagonists. This is a story that captured my attention early and kept me intrigued. My review is here.
Conclusion : Semi Finalist
Tuyo by Rachel Neumeier (Tuyo #1)
Tuyo is a very well written, character centric novel. This is a tale of friendship that is found where least expected and a story of enemies joining together to address a greater threat. My review is here.
Conclusion : Semi Finalist
Books and travelling with Lynn 