#SPFBO9 : 6th Review
21 September 2023
Filed under Book Reviews
Tags: #SPFBO9, 6th Review, Carol Carman, Twicetime
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.
My introduction post can be found here and also the Critiquing Chemist recently posted their first elimination post. I posted my first ‘cuts’ last week. My second elimination post can be found here.
This week I will be aiming to post a review a day (7 in total) followed by an announcement of my Semi-Finalists.
These reviews are in no particular order and have been randomly selected.
My sixth review is for Twicetime by Carol Carman
A witty and charming story, with a mediaeval setting, a sterling cast and a fairytale style retelling of a monster story.
We begin with a certain character (Rudolf) sneaking into his wife’s (Rosa) laboratory to concoct a portion which results in a large explosion, the destruction of aforementioned laboratory and the expulsion of the previously mentioned character through the now exposed wall into the moat below.
Then onto a witch, her magical familiar is a lion that can transform into a cat (or pretty much anything else as and when required). She’s moving out of her cottage (because of course witches are expected to live in cottages) and, in accordance with the Last Will and Returning Wishes, is leaving things in the order expected and also holding a garden sale to get rid of the brikabrak and earn some coins before returning home.
From there we flip back and forth between the two storylines, Rosa ridding herself of a bothersome husband in a very inventive fashion and the witch returning home before the two storylines converge. From there the story becomes a battle of wills between Rosa and her estranged husband who is determined to reclaim the castle (and if his wife should die in the process, well, you know, some losses are expected in these sorts of endeavours.)
Both parties are assisted in their mission. Rudolf is frequently accompanied by his aristocratic friends Yedder and Guildman – one a bit of a bungling, bluffing and blustering, but essentially harmless Lord who does as he’s told and the other, also a Lord, who has a secret and a strong desire to keep an eye on Rudolf and prevent him causing further harm. Rudolf of course is determined to show his two companions how ‘proper lording’ should be carried out.
Meanwhile, Rosa is assisted by a selection of trusty and loyal servants, Beaton the butler, Mrs B the cook, a former bar wench turned laboratory assistant, a witch, a mason and a magical cat. Plus a member of the recently dead, resurrected in order to serve as a bodyguard, although he doesn’t really have the stomach for the task.
This is a loose Frankenstein retelling – loose because the only monster here is Rosa’s husband. It’s full of humour, charm, light, background romance and twisty turny plotlines. I must say that I had a thoroughly good time with this one, humour isn’t always my preferred choice and so I might not have voluntarily picked this one up if it hadn’t fallen into my batch of books and that would have been a real shame.
The characters are easy to like. Although I must give a shout out for Fran and Sooty. The writing really makes great use of anything and everything to do with stereotypes and tropes that feed incredibly well into the humour. There are moments of pure genius in terms of the fantasy elements and overall I thought the plot came together in a really satisfactory and pleasing way. The author weaves little side notes into the story which help to support the setting and I had moments reading where I couldn’t comprehend how the author would ever manage to resolve things but here we are with a conclusion that simply works.
This has a great deal of imagination, a merry old pace, witching, death, resurrection, dwarves, mercenaries and plenty of shenanigans. It does pull at your heart strings and there are elements of sadness in amongst the madness. A book with heart and soul, family, found family and love all told in a delightfully funny style with lashings of tea.
I received a copy courtesy of the author for which my thanks. The above is my own opinion.
Here’s my first review for Of Thieves and Shadows (The Heart of Quinaria #1) by BSH Garcia.
Here’s my second review for Dark Innocence by PJ Alexander
Here’s my third review for The Bone Spear by Alexander Layne.
My fourth review is for The First and Last Demon by Hiyodori.
My fifth review is for The Heron Kings Rampant by Eric Lewis
#SPFBO9 : 5th Review
20 September 2023
Filed under Book Reviews
Tags: #SPFBO9, 5th Review, Eric Lewis, The Heron Kings Rampant
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.
My introduction post can be found here and also the Critiquing Chemist recently posted their first elimination post. I posted my first ‘cuts’ last week. My second elimination post can be found here.
This week I will be aiming to post a review a day (7 in total) followed by an announcement of my Semi-Finalists.
These reviews are in no particular order and have been randomly selected.
My fifth review is for The Heron Kings Rampant by Eric Lewis
This was a very enjoyable gaslight fantasy with political motivations and a twist in the tale. I would mention upfront that the author has written other books in this same world but I would say that this can be read quite easily as a standalone. I did have my doubts about whether I’d flounder a little or feel like I was missing something but that really wasn’t the case (or at least I wasn’t conscious of it). I felt like snippets of history were inserted quite naturally as the story progressed and these didn’t feel cumbersome or make the pace stutter.
The author wastes no time in getting the story off the ground. We meet Castamar (Cast) and Jensine (Jen). The two are going about their business when, to cut a long story short, a terrible explosion rips through the side of the building badly burning Jen and setting about a series of events that will uncover much more than originally expected. Cast is determined to bring to justice the perpetrators and so from that point the plot takes on the form of a puzzle as Cast tries to piece together clues and discover who placed the bomb. The first clue, of course, is that the supposed rebels have left a calling card – their name, daubed on the wall of the burning building – The Heron Kings.
This is a world at odds with itself. Inventions and the industrial age are warring for a footing in an era that isn’t yet totally in love with the idea of letting go of the old ways. A new substance, Vril has changed the way things work and new technologies are springing up everywhere. At the same time Vril can have very dangerous aspects which is the same of any energy source I suppose. On top of that the popularity of the monarchy is in decline, the nobility are jostling to hold onto power and there’s an overall feeling of discontent.
Cast is the central character although we do jump to other situations to witness pertinent happenings around the place. Cast is an alchemist, he’s been around long enough to witness plenty of terrible things – especially during his time in the army. He now has a relatively settled life with his young apprentice, work is satisfying and he’s in demand due to his good reputation. Jen is his apprentice. He rescued her from life on the streets about six years ago and is devastated when she is injured in the terrorist attack.
Yacinthe is an agent of the Cryptarch, I’m not entirely sure how you’d describe the Cryptach, law enforcement, secret service maybe. Yacinthe doesn’t seem against a bit of threatening and bullying to get what she wants.
Ellyx is a member of an underground organisation that I won’t say more about.
Then we have the insurgents -are they the Heron Kings – legends of old, folk heroes to some, their name seemed to become something from a disappearing era before being linked to these terrorist attacks
The story takes us to a few corners of this world and I enjoyed the travel and revelations. There’s plenty of action and the pacing is good (maybe a little lull midway but nothing that threatened my enjoyment).
I wouldn’t say that this brings anything outstandingly unique to the table, I’ve read similar style stories in the past, but, that doesn’t mean a well written new addition isn’t welcome and this is an engaging book with plenty of action and intrigue.
The ending took me by surprise, I had my suspicions about the culprit and in this case I was actually correct (that doesn’t usually happen) but I was shocked by one particular scene and the outcome and can honestly say I really didn’t expect things to go in that direction.
Anyway, a very good, entertaining read that I really enjoyed.
I received a copy courtesy of the author for which my thanks. The above is my own opinion.
Here’s my first review for Of Thieves and Shadows (The Heart of Quinaria #1) by BSH Garcia.
Here’s my second review for Dark Innocence by PJ Alexander
Here’s my third review for The Bone Spear by Alexander Layne.
My fourth review is for The First and Last Demon by Hiyodori.
#SPFBO9 : 3rd Review
18 September 2023
Filed under Book Reviews
Tags: #SPFBO9, 3rd Review, Alexaner Layne, The Bone Spear
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.
My introduction post can be found here and also the Critiquing Chemist recently posted their first elimination post. I posted my first ‘cuts’ last week. My second elimination post can be found here.
This week I will be aiming to post a review a day (7 in total) followed by an announcement of my Semi-Finalists.
These reviews are in no particular order and have been randomly selected.
My third review is for The Bone Spear by Alexander Layne
I was excited that The Bone Spear fell into my batch of books, even before I had the first notion of what to expect that beautiful cover really did wow me, and I will say, having read the book the content is equally impressive.
The opening chapters of this are captivating. We meet Ettarian, a battleworn soldier, tortured by his past and his perceived failures. Ettarian is helped by a seraph named Lasirah who has chosen him to help mankind. She wants him to rally the survivors into fighting back and reclaiming their lost world. We then meet Lasirah, A girl of 16/17 who lives in a town called Halbrook. Lasirah’s mother was killed by a Danir and she has since been raised by her abusive father who has a terrible temper which is often accompanied by flashing fists. Lasirah runs away into the barren lands outside the town walls. She doesn’t have a plan but in a ruined village she meets an Ashir (a child of the Flayed Gods) named Annexus and is taken under his wing. Of course, Annexus has something in mind for Lasirah and is going to mentor her for this chosen path. These two characters are now set upon paths chosen for them, each believing the other is the enemy.
The world is a post apocalyptic ruin. Food is difficult to come by and the water is spoiled. Years ago (I think approx 25-ish) Monsters and Flayed Gods banded together and planned the destruction of humans and their world. Opening giant gates they swarmed through in massive numbers slaughtering and fighting with Gods until humans were on the brink of extinction. The survivors crept away and hid, biding their time and over the years the Danir/Ashir slowly became less organised and fractured.
What I liked about this in particular.
Well, this is a dark story that doesn’t hold back the punches but the writing is really quite beautiful. The execution is polished and the story is well planned and well executed. Make no mistake, this is grimdark, there is horror and there is ick but it doesn’t feel overbearing or gratuitous. This is a harsh world and the monsters that invaded are brutal in the extreme.
There isn’t a huge cast of characters and yet the story is epic. Here we have two characters who are on a route to save mankind (or at least they both believe that to be the case). They are both assisted, one by a seraph, one by a demon which adds this perfect sort of balance.
We do have another character included in the POVs, Davinius, who becomes Ettarian’s second in command. Three POVs with two alternating storylines.
The timeframe here covers a number of years as the two primary characters go about trying to achieve change and the jumps in time were well handled.
The writing is good, particularly the action scenes and the pacing is also really good. I had no problem finishing this in two or three sittings and was always keen to return.
The characters are all well drawn. Ettarian suffers massively with guilt and similarly, Lasirah has her own personal demons to deal with from the past.
I will say that the ending surprised me. I didn’t see that coming at all.
In terms of criticisms. Not really a criticism as such, more for potential readers to be aware, this is dark. The world is shocking in itself but there are also some fairly heavy themes around grief, the effects of war, PTSD which are well incorporated but also add that extra layer of ‘grimness’
I received a copy courtesy of the author for which my thanks. The above is my own opinion.
Here’s my first review for Of Thieves and Shadows (The Heart of Quinaria #1) by BSH Garcia.
Here’s my second review for Dark Innocence by PJ Alexander
#SPFBO9 : 2nd Review
17 September 2023
Filed under Book Reviews
Tags: #SPFBO, #SPFBO9, Dark Innocence, PJ Alexander
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.
My introduction post can be found here and also the Critiquing Chemist recently posted their first elimination post. I posted my first ‘cuts’ last week. My second elimination post can be found here.
This week I will be aiming to post a review a day (7 in total) followed by the announcement of my Semi-Finalists.
These reviews are in no particular order and have been randomly selected.
My second review is for Dark Innocence by PJ Alexander.
This is a book that I was very curious about as other reviewers mentioned it has Wizard of Oz vibes.
As the book begins we meet Liylah, living in hiding in a basement along with her sister Rorah, her best friend, and her boyfriend. We soon learn that civil war has taken place leaving many casualties, the quaint village that the girls and their friends came from has been destroyed and they’ve been left orphans after the death of their parents. Liylah has become responsible for her sister and seems to take on the burden of leaving the hideout to search for supplies for the others. The sisters have a difficult relationship and after an argument Liylah leaves the basement. She’s heard of dark magic and has decided to investigate. Unfortunately, her search leads her to a warehouse that is raided by security forces and during her arrest a strange magic transports Liylah to another place known as Sojor.
Regrettably, Sojor is also in the throes of unrest, dark forces are rising and nowhere feels really safe. Liylah must make her way to the mountains so that the mystics who live there can help her get back home.
So, you can see the Wizard of Oz references. An unhappy young woman (Dororthy), wishes to be anywhere else (apart from Kansas) and finds herself in an unfamiliar and strange new world that she must travel across (Oz), gaining companions (Scarecrow, Tin man, Lion) along the way, surviving dangerous situations and hopefully returning home with the help of magical beings (the Wizard). And, whilst she isn’t accompanied by Toto she does have a soft plush dog that she carries with her constantly. Also, something is following her, it wants what she carries (the Wicked Witch of the West and the ruby slippers). There are other references sprinkled in but those are the main elements.
This isn’t a retelling of the Wizard of Oz though so much as a homage with nods sprinkled here and there.
There are two settings. The place that Liylah originated from. This is a contemporary setting, there are buses, coffee shops, mobile phones, etc. Civil war has taken place and strict control is maintained by harsh security forces. Sojor on the other hand has magical creatures, horses that communicate telepathically, blood hounds that are under the control of a malevolent shadow person, violet mist, etc, On the face of it the two places are very different but scratch the surface and their troubles are very similar.
I did have certain issues with Dark Innocence. I didn’t really connect with Liylah which is a shame because she’s the central character. I found the relationship she had with her sister, for example, a little affected, they bickered but there was no real substance if you follow me. The other issue that I had was you really have to go with the flow with this book. For example, why was there a civil war? Why does the modern world have dark magic? It felt like things were thrown in and left very vague but I think that’s the nature of this type of story. I also did have a pacing issue during the middle of the story, I think things could have been tightened.
Fundamentally, this is a story about family and friends. Liylah is on a voyage of self discovery by the end of which she recognises many home truths that she couldn’t see until she’d undergone the journey. I think this would appeal to a YA audience, particularly given the close character spotlight and the age of the MC.
I received a copy courtesy of the author for which my thanks. The above is my own opinion.
Here’s my first review for Of Thieves and Shadows (The Heart of Quinaria #1) by BSH Garcia.
#SPFBO9 – Slight Change of Plan and 1st Review
16 September 2023
Filed under Book Reviews
Tags: #SPFBO, #SPFBO9, BSH Garcia, Of Thieves and Shadows, Review
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.
My introduction post can be found here and also the Critiquing Chemist recently posted their first elimination post. I posted my first ‘cuts’ last week. My second elimination post can be found here.
Today I was originally planning to post my next round of cuts. However, I realised that the seven remaining titles are books that I read fully, and I also recalled that I undertook to provide a full review for all the books that I read fully. Therefore, today I shall be reviewing the first of those seven books and, all going to plan, I hope to review a book per day this forthcoming week followed by an announcement about my Semi Finalists next Saturday.
My apologies to the remaining authors, I’m sure this will be frustrating as I originally anticipated my announcement in this post – but, I figure writing the reviews after the announcement doesn’t make as much sense.
These reviews are in no particular order and have been randomly selected.
My first review is for Of Thieves and Shadows (The Heart of Quinaria #1) by BSH Garcia..
Of Thieves and Shadows is a very promising start to a series filled with wonderful world building and a fine cast of characters. This is epic fantasy indeed and lovers of multiple point of views and settings that step away from western society with castles and the like, not to mention the inclusion of multiple species, prepare to be happy.
The world here is well thought out. Quinaria is a world poised on the brink of war. The tentative peace is beginning to crumble, the catalyst, the dwindling supply of Nevethium, a renewable source of energy that also promotes health and well being – basically, one of the nations is over using the supply and promoting war in a bid to take over areas where the supply remains – okay, that’s a very ‘in a nutshell’ motivation, there are politics in play here plus greed and the lust for immortality. The nations all feel unique with different cultures and ways. Elaysia’s people, for example live in a complicated network of homes based atop the trees and traversed by bridges, ramps and ladders. Clearly, much thought has been given to the world and the author very thoughtfully includes maps and other material which is a definite bonus.
As the story begins (following a rather dark prologue) we meet first Konor and then Elaysia. Konor is Nyrian, a long lived race (I think he was around 500 years old). Konor is an advisor to Elaysia, the next, and reluctant, heir of Netharem. Elaysia’s parents and brother have all died and Elaysia feels unprepared for the role now being thrust upon her. Two of Elaysia’s close friends are also POVs, a young man called Zavik, who has lived with her tribe since his own was eliminated. Zavik has romantic inclinations towards Elaysia although he keeps his feelings hidden and strives to be helpful always. Jakki, also has romantic notions towards her best friend, although again, she keeps these in check and strives to be a strong and confident warrior. Our final two characters are Lumira, a tough nut thief who is given a second chance and a soldier of Az zar, sent by the All Sovereign on an underhand mission.
The story becomes a mission of sorts. Elaysia is visited by a Goddess who tries to guide her. She searches for long lost storm bird eggs and missing scrolls. Of course, at the same time, Az Zar set their sights on the same prizes. Underneath all this there is darkness stirring. And, on top of this, not everyone is to be trusted.
This is an easy to read story, the writing is confident and there is plenty to pique the interest.
I did have a couple of minor issues. Obviously with a book of this nature with epic scope and multiple POVs it takes some time for the initial set up and in that respect I think in this instance the page count could have been increased to give more depth. And, I sometimes found myself incredibly frustrated with Elaysia. Okay, I appreciate that she’s young, she’s taking a role that she never expected and she has lost her parents and brother, but, some of her decisions were so difficult to comprehend.
Small issues aside I had no problem with this one, there are plenty of characters so it’s more than likely that readers will have their favourites and I feel like the characters will have plenty more opportunity to grow as the series progresses.
I received a copy courtesy of the author for which my thanks. The above is my own opinion.
Books and travelling with Lynn 