Welcome back Factioneers! We have come to the end of round one in this year’s Self-Published Fantasy Blog-Off (SPFBO)! Over last month we have announced six semi-finalists. Today we will reveal our ranking of those semi-finalists and our top book of round one!
Let’s begin with our (already announced) 6th place semi-finalist!
6th Place Semi-Finalist
An Ocean of Others by Joshua Scott Edwards (7.69/10)
Remember what’s real or your head will be theirs.
Survival is never easy, but it’s never been harder for Grim, the last bounty hunter in Liwokin. He survived the Great Riot that killed Liwo by the thousands, endured the bloody chaos that ruled the city in its aftermath, and avoided the crushing fist of the Agency created to quell the unrest. Rule of law returned, but following the rules doesn’t put food in your belly.
On a job gone wrong, Grim stumbles into a conspiracy that targets Ulken, the Head of the Agency, a man who has done more to ruin Grim’s life than any other. Struggling to earn honest coin, Grim plans to use this information to rise quickly through the ranks of the organization so an empty purse never worries him again. He becomes a Finger of the Agency, joining a sardonic ranger, two fugitive siblings, a stone-skinned Skardwarf, and a powerful dark mage—none of whom know any better than Grim what they’ve gotten themselves into.
Grim’s Hand soon discovers the Agency’s furtive work is far deadlier than hunting bounties. While fighting to save his home from monsters who once were men, Grim discovers the conspiracy runs deeper than just Ulken and the Agency—what was unleashed is spreading, and if Grim’s sanity doesn’t prevail, it will consume the minds of the Bright Empire and beyond.
An Ocean of Others just barely missed being in the running for our top five, which is why it became our number six semi-finalist.
Quote from Julia:
“I’m not sure I really caught all the little breadcrumbs and information along the way. Not because it was so overly complex, but because the flow of the story was so fast and smooth, my brain went into popcorn mode, and didn’t pay as much attention as it does with the slow and epic times. Too carried away with the next monster, fight or situation to really digest all the little things.”
Quote from Kerry:
“I really enjoyed the ending of this story and especially the scene where the title of this novel comes into play. For a debut author, I think this book is quite commendable.”
Quote from Yaniv:
“This book started out with a serious punch, and in my opinion it’s the strongest of the litRPG in our pile this year.”
All in all, while not perfect, this was a hell of a lot of fun, and most judges breezed through it! (Read our mini review here.)
5th Place Semi-Finalist
The Crew by Sadir S. Samir (8/10)
Varcade fled to the deserts of Harrah to escape his past as an Educator, a member of an order of zealot warrior-monks that aims to shape the world according to their sacred Teachings by force. Varcade makes his living as a reckless sword-for-hire, caring only about himself, until his self-centered lifestyle is turned on its head when he is contracted to recruit a misfit team of unruly assassins and take out the mighty Bone Lord of Akrab.
But the Bone Lord is aware of the plot and sends her band of Dusters to stop them; individuals who have gained bizarre and lethal magical powers by snorting the pulverised bones of dead gods. Hunted by Educators and Dusters in a city-state where an escalating conflict between the human and demon population threatens to boil over in a civil war, will Varcade and his ragtag crew save Akrab from the cruel Bone Lord, or will they make things even worse?
Quote from Adawia:
“With a smile constantly dialed up to eleven, our roguish (anti?)hero had me alternately amazed and flustered. His not-so-winning, but somehow always-winning, ways get him through scrape after scrape on this rather mad adventure—madventure (that’s a word, right?! because this book is a total madventure). It’s been compared to Kings of the Wyld (which I haven’t read, yet) and Deadpool (which I think fits given the ease with which the MC takes out bad guys with little, if any, remorse). I would also compare it to Orconomics given its satirical nature, but the currency in The Crew is life and death as opposed to, well, actual currency.”
Quote from Julia:
“The Crew is something that I rarely see enough of—a big epic fantasy world, with a lot of humour and comedy!
I liked the characters and enjoyed their banter and weird quirks all the way through the book—it’s really the absolute strong suit of this story.”
Quote from Kerry:
“Like reading, humour is extremely subjective, but being a fan of satire and parody, The Crew was a hit for me. Whilst there are definitely serious issues underlying this book, mainly the impact of war, refugees, and xenophobia, the parodying of fantasy character tropes is what stood out.”
Quote Lana:
“Wow this one was a trip! In the best way possible. I had so much fun with it. A scorned spy master putting together an unruly ‘team’ of unlikely heroes to overthrow a tyrannical leader they used to love? I am so here for it. I love the unlikely friends trope and this was done well here. Even though they were pretty bad people from a morality/ethical perspective I was rooting for them to win from the get go.”
Overall, it is zany chaos, quirky anarchy, and just good fun. An easy read that’s not trying to take anything too seriously or be what it’s not. (Read our mini review here.)
4th Place Semi-Finalist
Salt in the Wound by Benjamin Aeveryn (8.08/10)
Our world is lost to time. Only our myths remain.
Centuries after the rain turned, civilization is a distant memory. Once rain was a symbol of hope and harvest. Now it brings only death. Shadowy rainwights form in rainfall, hunting for victims with their long teeth and claws.
Humanity survives in sheltered cities and canvas-covered towns. Travel between these patches of limited safety is rare and dangerous. It’s what Galahad lives for.
While seeking a lost cache of salt—a fortune he plans to use to build a shelter over his hometown—Galahad is betrayed by the friends he holds dearest. They leave him for dead. Unfortunately for them, he lives.
Torn between seeking justice or revenge, Galahad knows one thing for certain: that treasure is his, and he’ll do anything to reclaim it.
Quote from Adawia:
“I love the diversity among the characters, particularly the mental health representation, and that each has a distinct voice and characteristics—there was never any confusion about perspective or story between the two main points of view and multiple plot threads. I enjoyed the pacing and flow, and the dialogue is well done.
An excellent story overall and I look forward to reading book two.”
Quote from Julia:
“It has a character going through becoming disabled, another character who struggles with addiction, there’s intrusive thoughts that make life almost impossible, and there’s a few LGBTQ+ characters as well. These all rounded the story up nicely, and made the world feel more realistic to me.
The characters are all quite flawed, and the more you learn about them, the more you realise it. I thought the character development was well done, and the different problems and points of view well handled. These people all go through quite a lot, and they don’t even know it’s probably only going to get worse. Regardless, on they go, what else is there to do?”
Overall, the story had intriguing characters, captivating plot, and interesting world, and we’re looking forward to learning more about it all in sequels! (Read our mini review here.)
3rd Place Semi-Finalist
Dyer Street Punk Witches by Phil Williams (8.13/10)
Kit hung up her brass knuckles, but the shadows of her past always lingered. Now they’re back to claim her.
Kit “Fadulous” Hamley, magazine editor, activist, and former punk rocker, is a well-known loudmouth in St Alphege’s. She works tirelessly to hold local authorities to account. Some say she’s making up for her criminal youth. Others spread rumours of witchcraft. Only a handful of people know how dark her secrets really are.
When an old friend warns Kit that a former rival has resurfaced, those secrets start to resurface as well. People have gone missing, with body parts and strange symbols left behind, and someone is stalking Kit. The gang she abandoned are scared stiff and her magic-wielding bandmates are long gone. Kit herself is a target, and if she can’t unravel exactly how this new feud connects with her past mistakes, it could kill her.
Decades older, a little wiser, and contrary as ever, Kit’s going to remind them all what a punk witch can do.
Quote from Adawia:
“Kit is the consummate, anti-establishment hardarse who takes crap from no one. In her tireless efforts to give back to the community and make up for the sometimes tragic mistakes of her youth, she reveals secrets that have consumed her, and uncovers more that almost destroy her. And I love her—even when I wanted to shake her and force her to calm down, ask for help, and maybe just share a little.”
Quote from Julia:
“I’m always, always on the lookout for urban fantasy that isn’t actually paranormal romance in disguise, and Dyer Street Punk Witches delivered so well in this. Witches, magic, spells, and curses, and all of it mixed with a troubled past, including some gang rivalry.
The characters are all flawed, and there’s hidden depths to their past as well as mysteries all around. I really loved the shades of grey instead of an easy good versus evil sort of cast. While I wanted to shake the characters at times, I was also able to understand their motivations, and they felt realistic. I hate having people acting dumb and out of character just to drive the plot—and even the stupid decisions here didn’t feel like that. Instead, they felt realistic for who they are, and what shaped them.”
Quote from Yaniv:
“Lovers of urban fantasy on a smaller scale with music magic and kick ass woman lead would probably have their socks knocked off by this one.”
Overall, the background of being a punk, a rebel, a feminist, someone trying to change things for the better—all while not always really being that great a human herself, made Kit a fascinating protagonist to follow. And we can’t wait to read more! (Read our mini review here.)
2nd Place Semi-Finalist
imPerfect Magic by C. N. Rowan (8.17/10)
After hundreds of years of dying, you’d think I would’ve perfected it by now.
One moment I’m a heretical priest in the twelfth century, hunted, hated.
The next, I’m waking up in the nearest corpse. Stuck in a cycle of instant reincarnation, popping back up like a tarnished penny. Fast forward eight hundred years, and you might think I’d learned a thing or two. Nope. All I’ve learned is how to die far too easily, far too often.
Now my territory in the South of France is under threat and I find myself trapped by impossible angel-made runes. If the angels have gone full red lightsaber evil, it might not only be my territory in danger, but the whole of reality itself.
I need to stop whoever is behind this, now. After all, you can’t come back to life, if there’s nothing left to come back to.
Quote from Adawia:
“Love this book, fascinating characters, intriguing plot, great world. A little more wordy and descriptive than I usually like, but that’s a me thing and only hindered my enjoyment a little bit.”
Quote from Julia:
“Absolute strong suits for me:
- – The humour, banter and geeky references
- – The firm friendships
- – Divers cast (different religions & backgrounds)
- – Accepting people as they are (yes, this book is “woke” & I love it!)
- – Plenty of magic & creatures
- – Fast pace & lots of action
- – Mysteries & twists
- – The historical bits felt plausible
Personal triple plus:
- – No whiny romance, or ogling women
For the first in a series, this is already pretty close to perfect for my taste, and I devoured it in no time at all! I for one can’t wait to read more about these characters.”
Quote from Kerry:
“I loved the fact it was set in France rather than the usual UK or North American urban fantasy fare and was extremely impressed with Rowan’s in-depth research of the region, local myths, and the Cathar religion and the truly horrific treatment of them by another Christian Church. The characters were enjoyable and the friendship and found family between them all made for a stronger story.
I did enjoy this book, have now read the second in the series and will definitely read the rest at some point.”
Quote from Yaniv:
“I love humour that helps subset the dark themes. The characters and plot were fun and the historical background mixed with urban setting were awesome.”
Overall, it is a unique urban fantasy with great prose, fascinating characters, and wonderful geeky banter. Julia compare’s it to the Hellequin Chronicles by Steve McHugh, and we highly recommend to those who love the urban fantasy genre! (Read our mini review here.)
1st Place and Our Finalist for Round One
Hills of Heather and Bone by K. E. Andrews (9/10)
The bones of the dead hold stories.
On the fringes of Errigal, Morana longs to exchange a life of hiding for a peaceful one with her husband, Percy. While Percy’s bloodgift lets him grow plants and heal broken bodies, Morana’s a boneweaver, despised and feared because she can hear bones and raise the dead. Morana doesn’t want to be seen as a villain from the old stories and instead spends her time gardening, writing the stories of the dead, and fending off a spiteful chicken.
Morana and Percy’s lives are shattered when a group of Failinis tasked with capturing boneweavers and rogue bloodgifted find them. On the run and battling the elements, ancient creatures, and the loss of all they called home, Morana and Percy search for any sanctuary left in Errigal. Morana must choose between the call in her blood or the family she holds so close to her heart if she and Percy are to survive.
Quote from Adawia:
“This is a beautiful story that has a fairly subdued, almost melancholy tone at times. The opening is deliciously macabre and captivated me right away. When I wanted to read quickly, it’s like the story forced me to slow down, breathe it all in, be in the moment.”
Quote from Julia:
“This was one of the exact books I love SPFBO for—trying books you’d never have picked up, but get totally surprised by!”
Quote from Kerry:
“It was wonderful having a long term married couple as the main characters (none of the angsty ‘will they, won’t they’), and the story of their initial romance as well as the ups and downs of their marriage is interwoven beautifully throughout the book, without it feeling like info dumps.
Having protagonists who aren’t “perfect” is empowering to read too, Morana is tall, gangly, and suffers arthritis, whilst Percy is slight and without his spectacles he is visually impaired—I can relate to both characters as I too suffer aching bones, and without my glasses I’m almost legally blind. These ordinary things make escaping the Failinis so much harder.
And then Morana discovers she is pregnant whilst they are fleeing, which just adds to the trauma (it also made me painfully aware of all those people fleeing wars and climate disasters who have to carry their elderly or sick relatives as well as themselves even whilst they themselves may be suffering). They also have Morghenna, a prickly, unpleasant chicken along for the ride.”
Quote from Lana:
“This one got me in the feels and was a book I didn’t know if I would get on with, but my goodness I loved it! Aand giving Morghenna such a stage to be her sassy self was genius. haha”
Quote from Yaniv:
“This book’s cover is a classic case of don’t judge the content.
Kudos to the author, and in my eyes this is exactly what SPFBO aims to do: give us the chance as readers to find that completely unknown gem, and share it with others.”
Overall, our judges loved this book and suggest it for those that don’t normally read romance heavy books, and of course those that do as well! They have compared it to writing by T. Kingfisher (for its cozy-dark tone), Staci Olsen (Falling Through Stars, for its interesting lore and mythical beings, and its overall similar vibe), and Sarah Chorn (for its disability representation and stunning prose). (You can read our mini review here and our full review here.)
– – –
Congrats again to all our semi-finalists and to our round one finalist K. E. Andrews!
We can’t wait to read the other blogs’ picks and see how well Hills of Heather and Bone does in the final round! And don’t forget to read the full review of Hills here!
We would again like to thank all the authors for letting us read their work! We congratulate you on having the courage to enter the contest and wish you all much success in the future!
Our judges this year are Adawia Asad, Agatha Lopez, Blake Skelton, G. R. Matthews, Lana Taylor, Julia Kitvaria Sarene, Kerry Smith, Robert Max Freeman, Yaniv Rosenfeld Cohen, and Jennie Ivins (me). If you’d like to learn more about us, including our likes and dislikes, you can read about them here.
Any queries should be directed at Jennie Ivins, via DM (Facebook/Twitter).
Title image by Rene Böhmer.
Julia Kitvaria Sarene