* Disclaimer *
Everyone is different and likes and dislikes different things. Reading is no exception. One person’s all time favorite might seem to bland or too high stakes for another. That being said, the opinions of our judges in this contest are just that, opinions. Just because we let a book go, doesn’t mean it isn’t good. It could be your next favorite, who knows?
However, since this is a contest, there can be only one winner. Hence it is necessary to work our way down to our favorite from our batch of thirty titles. We will be letting books go five at a time, until we reach our semi-final list for Round One. These groups of five are being let go in no particular order. So, the books we say goodbye to today are not worse than books we let go in the next batch. They are just the first ones we read that didn’t quite click with us as a group.
If you have no idea what I’m talking about, you can learn more about the contest here.
Today we say goodbye to our second group of books from Round One of SPFBO#7. In this group of five are some intriguing concepts, good writing, and interesting characters. Unfortunately, for different reasons, they didn’t stack up against the rest of the competition.
Here are our Second Five to Fall.
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The Lightning Knight by Sean P. Valiente
Po Pondarion has always dreamed of becoming a true knight. What he doesn’t know is he’s destined to save the world and reignite the spark of magic within it.
But this isn’t his story, it’s mine. See, I once thought magic was only the stuff of fairytales, and I was wrong. I’m doing my best to protect, train, and mentor Po as we search for the key to unlock magic before a dangerous secret group gets there first.
I mean, while that all seems a bit much to take on for a sixteen year-old, that’s because it is. Here I was just planning on courting the girl of my dreams, figuring out what I wanted to do with my life, and trying not to get into too much trouble. But things can never be that easy, can they? I guess if it were easy, it wouldn’t be me.
I am Oliver Quartermaine, and my life is about to get a lot more complicated.
This YA fantasy is yet another take on the school of magic, but with a slight twist. In this world magic is not only forbidden, even talking about it can get you arrested or even killed. It has a fun group of characters who very quickly get involved in things teenagers should not have to be involved in.
Our judges thought the book started well, its writing and characters enough to keep us engaged. Unfortunately, as the story went along it started to slow down. The biggest downside and the part that got many to stop reading was its sameness. I think our group of judges might just be over magical schools filled with magical teenagers. But if that’s your thing, this book could be your next favorite!
The Museum of All Things Lost & Forgotten by A. R. Henle
Bea detests snap decisions. Better to take time, examine options, and make informed choices. Order above chaos, always: in life and magic.
Her new job in a magical museum suits her to a T. Lead tours through the public displays? Easy peasy. Run mapping sweeps to keep abreast of the ever-changing back rooms? The best kind of adventure.
Until she stumbles across an unattended child lost in a long-forgotten forest. Restoring the child to her parent begins an adventure requiring Bea move fast—or risk catastrophe.
Would you like to visit a magical museum? Or better yet work in one? In this story that is where our main character is interning. And all the judges agreed the concept of a museum that rearranges itself in a labyrinth of new pieces of the past, curated by beings who have been lost to time was wonderful!
In fact, the overall concept and worldbuilding in this book is some of the best we’ve seen in the contest. Here, however, is where the however goes.
While the story, characters, and worldbuilding are fascinating and unique, we all agreed the book needed a good deal of editing. Not in the grammar and spelling mistakes kind of way, in a more general, “this needs help from an editor” way. If/when this story does get an in-depth edit, I will be first in line to see what awaits in this mysterious museum. Props to the author, you have an incredible imagination, and with a little polish, we think this book will shine.
The Pirate’s Scourge by Chris A. Jackson
Nothing is more dangerous than a warrior enslaved.
Upon the lawless Blood Sea, mariners survive by wits, cunning, and skill. Pirate captain Kevril Longbright is a survivor. With his own ship, a faithful crew, and an ambitious partner handing him fat merchant prizes, he is truly the scourge of the sea, free and beholden to none.
Or is he?
Accepting jobs from Jhavika Keshmir is far easier than scouring the sea for his own targets. But when Kevril captures a mystical truthsayer, Preel, he learns that the truth can be both a blessing and a curse.
Preel reveals the foul enchantment behind Jhavika’s uncanny ability to convince others to do her bidding. Far from being his own master, Kevril is a slave to Jhavika’s every command. Enraged by her lies and manipulations, the pirate captain embarks upon a perilous quest for freedom. But enslavement can take many forms, and Kevril finds himself increasingly drawn to Preel and her mysterious talent.
Who knew the truth could be so damning, so freeing, and so seductive?
This is another title that I think just hit our group the wrong way. The writing is good, the characters are good, and the concept is interesting. But for some of us it was too technical and not fast paced enough.
However, if you are big fan of tales of the high sea and/or love pirates mixed with magic and a dash of romance, then you should definitely get this book! Unfortunately, it just didn’t stand out enough in the crowd of contestants in our group to make it to the next round.
Seven Ways to Kill a King by Melissa Wright
She was born a princess. They made her an assassin.
Myrina of Stormskeep was dead. Everyone knew the princess had been slain when the murderous lords of the Storm Queen’s Realm stole her mother’s throne to crown themselves kings.
But far away in Smithsport hides a dark-haired girl known as Bean. Each night when the last flame is snuffed inside the Blackwater Inn and her need for secrecy devoured by the darkness, Princess Myrina plots the death of seven kings.
One will seem an accident.
Two a coincidence.
By three, they will know.
But vengeance rarely goes according to plan. The worst of the kings holds her sister—rightful queen and heir to the realm—captive. If Lettie isn’t freed before she comes into her magic, the kings will hold her power as well.
Myrina can let nothing stop her, even the boy from her past who ignites feelings she long ago buried. With the help of her loyal bloodsworn Cass, the shadow princess will have her revenge.
Vowed to enact retribution and rescue her sister with no more than her wits and a sword—and the last of her queensguard—this YA fantasy is perfect for fans of Shielded and The Princess Will Save You.
Avenging a betrayal and saving a kingdom, two staples of fantasy fiction. This story follows a princess trying to save her kingdom and her sister (the rightful heir) by killing the seven kings that took their mother’s place. The writing in this book was clean, invocative, and overall easy to follow. The story concept of having to kill of multiple kings to reclaim the throne was unique.
However, most of the judges agreed that the story itself needed to be fleshed out more. With seven different kings and mini-kingdoms involved, spending more time on making the plans, then enacting them would have helped both the pacing and the depth of the characters and world. It wasn’t a bad book, but it was very compact and felt rushed in places. One of the judges even suggested it might make a better series, than a standalone, with each book bring us closer to retaking the kingdom. Overall, it didn’t hold up to the other books in the contest, so we had to let it go.
We Seek No Kings by T. Thorn Coyle
In a world of djinn, elf, yakshini, and troll, one woman has only her sword.
Jenny rides hard, fights hard, drinks hard, and lusts hard. A motorcycling Knight of the Steel Clan, she is sworn to protect the autonomous township of Go No More. But trouble stalks the land, carrying the stench of rotting corpses left for crows.
After the Great Reckoning, the sideways realms grew closer. Magic returned to the human world. In this time of magic, Jenny has none. Her comrades say they trust her, but does Jenny trust herself?
Anandita wants only to raise her child, gather her herbs, and help those in need. Still mourning her disappeared partner, she avoids Jenny’s heated gaze and goes about her work, tending to the township’s bodies and hearts. But who will tend hers?
Jenny and Aanandita are challenged to rise beyond their fear and sorrow.
The Knights must ride.
They ride for Go No More.
Xena, Warrior Princess meets Sons of Anarchy in this post-apocalyptic epic fantasy adventure!
A post-apocalyptic world where the boarders between the lands of magic and earth have weakened, where magic returns after a nuclear war, and our heroes are doing their best to survive in the small society they’ve created from the ashes. Add in a diverse cast and half-trolls on motorcycles and you have all the pieces to tell a fantastic story.
And while the premise and the prose were good, unfortunately a lot of the story seemed to get lost in the weeds. Worldbuilding through short info-dumps, and a lot of telling instead of showing, made it hard to sink into the story as much as we would have liked. And while the diverse cast was awesome, the characters’ fixation on sex not only didn’t fit in a lot of the places it popped up, it also broke up the flow of the story. Overall, a great concept, but not great enough to beat out its competition.
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We would 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 A. A. Freeman, Julia Kitvaria Sarene, Kartik Narayanan, Kerry Smith, Lynn K., 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 me, Jennie Ivins, via DM (Facebook/Twitter).
Title image by Free-Photos.
Julia Kitvaria Sarene