TODAY IS THE DAY!
First, we want to thank all SPFBO participants. We sincerely appreciate your involvement in the process.
After getting through the batch of thirty books, we’ve picked three semi-finalists. Additionally, two blogs offered Senlin Safety Net options, and we decided to read them to choose the best book.
We’ve enjoyed all of them, and the prospect of sawing off another four entries held no appeal to us. Unfortunately, SPFBO rules require blogs to make tough decisions. Such is the harsh reality of this bloodbath contest.
LUKASZ'S PICK
Awakening The Gods has a moody rhythm, likable and nuanced characters, and an excellent blend of romance, mythology, and adventure that balances lighter parts with dark ones. It's a slow book, but we didn't mind.
JONATHAN'S PICK
Fly With The Arrow has a YA/NA vibe and plays with tropes. But it's fun, engaging, and well-paced. We definitely liked this one. Fans of fae stories and romance shouldn't miss this one.
JEN'S PICK
Kingdom of Essence blends romance, politics, and magic into an intriguing mix. The story provides a satisfying conclusion but leaves plenty to explore in the sequels. Lots of fun here.
Before We Go Blog SSN pick
Spirits of Vengeance by Rob J. Hayes - Spirits of Vengeance is a cool book with fantastic world-building and intriguing action. It's a long book that takes time to set the scene and make things move, but it becomes fully immersive once it does. Kudos to Rob for developing his fascinating Mortal Techniques world. To be clear - we knew it would be an SSN option before you. It's not like we read it in a day :)
Queen's Book Asylum SSN Option
The Umbral Storm by Alec Hutson impressed us with the fascinating "magic" system, the setting, the nice use of tropes, and the action that gains momentum later in the story.
At this stage, we had to decide how to evaluate one good book against another and whether it is at all possible to come to some sort of fair and objective decision. We tried to base our choice on the following criteria (listed in alphabetical order):
- Characterization
- Editing
- Personal Enjoyment
- Plotting
- World-building
- Writing Style
Each of these titles had its own strengths and a few drawbacks. After long and tumultuous discussions, we’ve agreed to pick the finalist amongst the three following titles:
We hate tough choices.
But we have to make them.
Blame Mark Lawrence.
So, without further ado, the FBC finalist for the SPFBO 2021 edition is...
So, without further ado, the FBC finalist for the SPFBO 2021 edition is...
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Congratulations Alec, and good luck in the finals! Thank you, Sarah and Rob, for entering your books. It was the toughest choice in years.
We're sending The Umbral Storm to the finals with a rating of 8/10.
1:30 PM | 
Posted by
Łukasz |
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1 comments:
Wow, what a ride for Alec. Kudos!