As our SPSFC team finishes reading our ten quarterfinalists out of our first round allotment, I will be posting review roundups and official scores. As you read our thoughts on these ten books, keep in mind that we have a variety of tastes on this team, and a low score does not necessarily indicate a… Continue reading SPSFC Quarterfinalist Review: Day 115 on an Alien World by Jeanette Bedard
When I was making my first pass through my SPSFC team’s first-round allotment, Jeannette Bedard’s Day 115 on an Alien World immediately stood out. With this book being a competition entry, I had no background and didn’t even realize it was a sci-fi mystery novel. So when bodies dropped in the first chapter, it got… Continue reading Sci-fi Novel Review: Day 115 on an Alien World by Jeannette Bedard
The Solid-State Shuffle is another entry in my team’s first round batch of Self-Published Science Fiction Competition (SPSFC) novels. After reading extended previews of each book, we picked ten quarterfinalists to read to completion in search of the three semifinalists that we would pass to the other teams. I had mixed feelings about my introduction,… Continue reading Sci-fi Novel Review: The Solid-State Shuffle by Jeffrey A. Ballard
Peter Hartog’s Bloodlines is the second novel I read in full as part of the Self-Published Science Fiction Competition, where my team sampled 10-20% of the 30 books assigned to us and then voted on ten to read to completion. But, unlike in my previous SPSFC review, I was a no vote on Bloodlines, putting… Continue reading Sci-fi/Fantasy Novel Review: Bloodlines by Peter Hartog
Kate Sheeran Swed’s Bypass the Stars holds the distinction as the first book I read in full in my capacity as SPSFC judge. It was one of 30 books randomly assigned to my team, and we collectively voted it as one of ten to continue past the first 20%, so reading this book was decided… Continue reading Sci-fi Novel Review: Bypass the Stars by Kate Sheeran Swed
I like big, chunky epic fantasies. I grew up on Shannara, and The Wheel of Time remains an all-time favorite. But the longer my TBR gets, the more I feel the opportunity costs of starting a doorstopper, and the more I gravitate towards shorter books. Which is why, despite having enjoyed her other work, and… Continue reading Fantasy Novel Review: The Curse of the Mistwraith by Janny Wurts
There may not be a book with more hype in my online circles this year than Tasha Suri’s epic series-opener The Jasmine Throne. It promised pretty much everything I like in a book, with a character-focused slow build and layers of intrigue in a non-Western setting. The only question–depending mostly on my library–was whether I’d… Continue reading Fantasy Novel Review: The Jasmine Throne by Tasha Suri
It finally happened. After a decade of skepticism, I gave in and dipped my toe into what may be the most popular adult fantasy series of the last ten years, reading Brandon Sanderson’s The Way of Kings. The Way of Kings is very much an epic fantasy opener, introducing three major storylines bound for convergence… Continue reading Fantasy Novel Review: The Way of Kings by Brandon Sanderson
My read of Lobizona is another triumph of fantasy Bingo. Although I had a blogger friend raving about Romina Garber’s new YA series, I saw little buzz elsewhere in my fantasy spaces, and it would’ve likely passed me by entirely if I hadn’t been seeking options for the Latin American Author square. And, as the… Continue reading Fantasy Novel Review: Lobizona by Romina Garber
I’ve heard only positive things about Silver in the Wood since its debut in 2019, but the premise—cozy fantasy romance between a melancholy magical creature and a newcomer to his forest—wasn’t really in my wheelhouse, and it was easy to get lost amidst so many other excellent new releases. So, in keeping with the theme… Continue reading Fantasy Novella Review: Silver in the Wood by Emily Tesh
