Congrats to D. N. Bryn for being an SPFBO5 semi-finalist!
We Are The Dead by Mike Shackle
Jen and I both reviewed this exquisite debut from Mike Shackle and loved it.
Jen: We Are the Dead is worthy of your attention. From start to finish this will keep you on the edge of your seat. This is an outstanding debut, you don’t want to miss it.
Timy: Mike Shackle is a fresh voice in fantasy, one we probably needed like a breeze on a hot summer day.
Dispel Illusion by Mark Lawrence
Dispel Illusion brings a most satisfying ending to the Impossible Times trilogy. The threads are closed seamlessly and there aren’t unanswered questions left. Maybe a few smaller ones, but in general, you can’t have much complains. I had high expectations for Dispel Illusion, and it didn’t disappoint. Just as full of heart, and life lessons as the previous books. I highly recommend the whole trilogy if you’d like to dive into a tale about time travelling, love, friendship, decisions and second chances.
Shadows by R.J. Furness
As you might have gathered at this point, Shadows wasn’t really a book that I could enjoy. It has the potential to be intersting, but it just falls flat at the execution. I did like the fox creature though, that was cool. I’m pretty sure as she discovers her talents and the world she’ll learn a lot more about these creatures, the magic and most of all herself. She’ll need it.
SPFBO: King of Ash and Bone by Melissa Wright
We’ve read and reviewed this book for SPFBO5. Please keep in mind these are personal thoughts only. We will update this post as the judges read along and add their opinions. This book has already been eliminated from the competition, but one of us liked it enough to write a full review.
Angel’s Ink by Jocelynn Drake
Despite my complaints, I still enjoyed Angel’s Ink. Books with snarky protagonists are my weaknesses and besides I really dug the idea of a magical tattoo shop. Especially one in which there is at least one person with a great music taste – fun fact, when I almost got my first tattoo, I bonded with my artist over my favourite Hungarian band, so that was cool and set the mood early on. The Asylum Tales (I swear this wasn’t an inspiration for my feature) has the potential to be a good series if it gets a bit cleared up and the world itself gets a bit more attention.
The Ten Thousand Doors of January by Alix E. Harrow
Even though I didn’t fell in love as much with The Ten Thousand Doors, I still recommend it for those who are looking for a heartwarming story about love, about never giving up and taking your life into your own hands. Harrow’s debut novel is absolutely worths the attention and I’m pretty sure she’ll be opening many Doors in the literary world in the coming years.
The Imaginary Corpse by Tyler Hayes
The Imaginary Corpse is one of the most imaginative books I’ve read in a long time. As someone who is a sucker for stuffed animals and battles with anxiety this book really hit close to home. Tyler Hayes debut fantasy novel just ruined me in the best possible way, and not only jumped somewhere near the top of my “Favourite Books Ever” list, but also landed him on my auto-buy list.
A Hero Born by Jin Yong, translated by Anna Holmwood
There is a lot to love in A Hero Born though, and I am thrilled to have had the opportunity to read this Chinese classic.
Shattered Fears by Ulff Lehmann
What Lehmann excels at is weaving an intricate, multilayered story, with complex characters who feel like they could walk out of the pages anytime. Shattered Fears is about battling your demons whether they are real or just in your head. Or are they?