We divided our batch into five smaller ones. Here's the list of our books and judges who'll read them. If something catches your attention, add it to your Goodreads TBR.

Our judging process is straightforward. Each of the five judges is assigned (randomly) six books and can select one of them as a semi-finalist if they believe it's a material for a potential finalist. Each judge determines their own approach to reading their set of six books. We then evaluate each other's semi-finalists and assign ratings. The book that receives the highest score is chosen as the finalist. 

By having five team members involved in reading each semi-finalist, we hope to counter any potential bias.

While we'll try to post our thoughts on each book, it may not always be possible. Ideally, we'll announce a semi-finalist after going through a batch of six books, but there may be instances when we don't select any book from a particular batch. We'll provide proper reviews for our semi-finalists.

We want to ensure that our reviews reflect our honest opinions about the books we read. If your book isn't selected, it doesn't mean that it's a poor-quality book, but simply that it didn't match our tastes. The books we love might not always be the ones that you like and vice versa. We'll do our best to select the book that we feel is the best of our lot, irrespective of the sub-genre it belongs to within fantasy.

We're excited to discover new books and titles! That being said, we would like to share a few thoughts. Firstly, covers matter. They sell your books, so try to make them as visually appealing as possible. While cover art can be expensive, it's worth looking for artists building their portfolios or using professional book templates when the budget is an issue. We want readers to notice your books, and having unappealing cover art may deter potential readers from even opening your book.

Having your book's metadata in the proper places is also important. SPFBO's biggest strength is in providing a free spotlight to books, so don't deprive yourself of this opportunity by not listing your book on Goodreads or listing it with an outdated cover or no metadata. This can confuse potential readers and make them lose interest.