rg9400's reviews
229 reviews

Master Of The Void by Wend Raven

adventurous mysterious medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

Read for SPFBO 9. To be honest, I went into this book with some nervousness because it seemed to have the least visibility of the finalists, and my tastes don't align a ton with Covers with Cassidy (their finalist). That said, I was very surprised by how much I enjoyed it! It actually took an idea I had in my head as something I was wondering why more fantasy books did not play with, and executed it pretty well. That said, I recognized what I wanted, so I sorta expected the plot beats. Didn't really matter much to me though. It was also the only finalist that was truly epic fantasy, and I enjoyed its approach. The side characters aren't always the most fleshed out, but the two main characters are pretty strong. I loved the concept. A few slight negatives. The world was a bit surface level, and this actually became a bit of a problem near the end when some of the politics and lore became way more relevant. I struggled with POV switching within a chapter. I am not a fan of this, though I can see how seeing an event from one character, then suddenly jumping and following a character they were just talking to could lead to interesting insights. But it sometimes confused me. Finally, despite it not having a series on GR, it is very much not a standalone. It kinda made sense near the end when I was wondering how the author would wrap everything up. 

A Rival Most Vial by R.K. Ashwick

lighthearted reflective relaxing

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

Read for SPFBO 9.  This is a cozy slice of life fantasy, very lighthearted and comfortable. II liked that some of the side characters had a bit more depth in this one compared to something like Legends & Lattes, and similarly the main characters were a bit more fleshed out with slightly more interesting struggles. I did think that the first 80% was strong, but the last 20% was more rushed, fluffy, and just less engaging overall, so it didn't land the same emotional punch as some of my favorites in this style. Still entertaining, and for fans of cozy fantasy, a very easy recommendation.

The Last Fang of God by Ryan Kirk

adventurous dark fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.5

I think the concept of this book is pretty strong -- a father and daughter relationship that revolves around a concept of sacrifice for family. However, I think the very short length of the book impacted its ability to deliver on the premise quite a bit. I am all for efficiency in terms of writing, especially in regards to large exposition dumps for the world at large. My struggle with this book was not related to the fact that a lot of the world and lore felt a bit surface level, though I do think that is true. However, it's that the character development is simply not given enough time to breathe. We are told large shifts in characters without actually seeing them develop, and motivations tend to be quickly changed to suit the plot. The premise implies a very internal, personal, character driven story, yet that's not how it is written. I often struggled to find the daughter's anger toward her father believable or understandable. Sometimes, dramatic moments between characters are resolved in a paragraph. And the writer sometimes just tells us that something happened in a conversation without actually even showing us that conversation. 

My goal is to not leave a negative review, so I wanted to highlight that the action sequences are pretty good as is the atmosphere. I feel like it was more a case of focus being on one thing, with the stuff I care about falling to the side.

Bookshops & Bonedust by Travis Baldree

lighthearted relaxing medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

To be honest, I didn't love Legends & Lattes. I don't mind cozy, low-stakes fantasy, but for some reason, that book never really landed for me. I think the repetition that resulted in a formula was a large reason why, and the characters felt mostly surface level. Bookshops & Bonedust addresses some of my concerns. It doesn't have as much of a formula to it, and though the themes are repeated a lot, I didn't find myself growing tired of it. The overarching plot felt more developed and interesting, and theme of a transient stop on the road worked better for me. Similarly, books were more interesting as the central focus compared to coffee/pastries. I still felt the characters and their relationships to be fairly underdeveloped though, and compared to some of the other cozy fantasy I've read this year, it's still not as good as I would like. But I feel like it's a step in the right direction, and a solid choice for fans of the original 

Hills of Heather and Bone by K.E. Andrews

adventurous dark emotional inspiring reflective tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

Read for SPFBO 9. Holy crap, this standalone book bowled me over. Beautiful and poetic, filled with creatures and landscapes (and food) from Scottish mythology, exploring grief and anxiety, dark and cozy cottagecore, adventurous with tense action, flowery (literally), and romantic. I think this is one of the best books I've read this year, and I don't really know what else to say. I highly highly recommend it. Full 5/5 marks 

Daughter of the Beast by E.C. Greaves

adventurous dark mysterious medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

Read for SPFBO 9. It's an interesting premise about a personal story, with a lot of the politics, prophecies, and magic happening in the background, instead focusing on the coming of age and identity struggles. I do wish it went further and deeper with its exploration of identity with its setup. The main character too easily resolves some of the nuanced conflicts internally. The prose was an area I struggled with in this one. The author does have a voice, but it often sounds a bit awkward structurally (at the sentence level). 

My main issue with the book though was the ending. I was excited to learn the secrets that our protagonist had been chasing or struggling to comprehend. In that regard, it reminded me of The Wickwire Watch. But whereas I thought that book was able to deliver on that frustrating teasing, I didn't get that sense here. The ending doesn't answer anything really, and instead, it's very rushed and glosses over major events and changes very quickly. It felt very strange compared to the pacing of the rest of the book. 

Cold West by Clayton W. Snyder

dark reflective sad fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

Read for SPFBO 9. This was a personal preference issue as I do not enjoy stories this bleak or brutal, and I'm not a huge fan of the Western genre. The prose is evocative and strong, and the worldbuilding in such a limited page count is impressive and efficient. So it may not have been for me, but if one of those things interest you, this is a very good bet

Murder on the Lamplight Express by Morgan Stang

adventurous dark funny mysterious fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

I'm going to read every single book future book that will be written in this series

Murder at Spindle Manor by Morgan Stang

dark funny mysterious fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

I really enjoyed this book. It's definitely heavily inspired by Agatha Christie with the tropes of the guests trapped in a mansion due to a storm and the classic Golden Age inspired detective. However, it throws a variety of fantasy things into the mix. My one criticism would be that the mystery aspect wasn't as clever as the best of Christie's novels, but that's about it. I inhaled the book otherwise. I loved the zany characters that almost seemed out of something like Knives Out, and the humor was actually a welcome surprise. At the same time, the world feels mysterious and haunting, with plenty of hints towards all the different monsters infecting the world. I saw a review that compared it to Soulsborne, and I can see that claim due to the Victorian setting and some sections that almost veer into horror. A really effective mix of elements propped up with a strong and distinctive voice, all while being extremely efficient. 

I must note that this type of mystery is very much my thing, and so I am certainly biased because I am unaware of any other fantasy book that is so much this type of story. And so it fits my tastes almost perfectly. But regardless, highly recommend it. My favorite of the SPFBO finalists so far.

 

The Wickwire Watch by Jacquelyn Hagen

dark lighthearted mysterious relaxing slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

Read for SPFBO 9. This is a very unconventional book. It's like a cozy found family style book of a gang of thieves, but also kind of set against a variety of mysteries and horrors. That's both a strength and a weakness of the book. Jacquelyn Hagen is so adept at revealing information, so when you finally get answers, they hit so hard and so well. The last few chapters were fantastic, and they genuinely have me curious for more. And the mysteries put us in the shoes of our protagonist where we truly do not know what to believe, and we have to puzzle through all the different perspectives and misinformation ourselves. So they are effective in that regard

But at the same time, I went through so much of this book not enjoying the cozy sections. I wanted to move away from various slice of life chores to get on with unraveling what was truly going on. Those sections are mainly near the beginning and the ending, and they are effective. But a lot of the middle feels like treading water. And I get that people enjoy that style of story, and it gives the characters more depth. Hell, I do as well. But it clashes with the rest in my opinion. Like the darker sections of the book are fantastic, and then going to a battle of corralling geese? I struggled with that switch in genres.

But this is what makes the SPFBO books so interesting. They often are willing to be unconventional and experiment with these types of structures and stories. And I think the ending has me thinking I might read the sequel even if I was iffy before. Also, side note, the audiobook uses this echo style narration a few times that is so effective to lend atmosphere to those sections. Granted, it's like used for maybe 20 lines, but still, really cool, and wish more audiobooks did that (and this one used it more).