Hi all. As you probably know. I’ve been the judge for Fantasy Book Review’s allocated 30 books for the Self Published Fantasy Blog Off. I am posting this on my silly little hobby blog as FBR is a review library sort of site and doesn’t tend to have these sort of blog articles. I have had a great group of 30 books. I would say after Fantasy Book Critic, we have arguably had the best batch of books this year.
So… A countdown of our finest books/ semifinalists and then… introducing our finalist…
6= R.K Thorne – Mage Slave – Our best YA fantasy with magic and romance
“Mage Slave is a well-crafted fantasy that is beautifully written with interesting characters, a fascinating magic-scheme, and an intriguing romance that seems a lot more real than rom-com. (Well, as real as it can in a world where people can turn into chipmunks!)”
6= Jennifer Anne Davis – Cage of Deceit – Our best YA fantasy political thriller
” Cage of Deceit’s an exciting, absorbing political fantasy experience that is expertly polished with reference to the writing and editing. Davis already seems to have a large following and I can understand why. A highly enjoyable SPFBO tale that younger fantasy book lovers will probably adore.”
6= Christian Ellingsen – The Silver Mask – Our best flintlock complex fantasy
“A well-written flintlock and alchemy fantasy novel infused with a healthy dose of social pomp and political intrigue”
3 – Craig Shaefer – Winter’s Reach – Our best adult intense political fantasy
“A stunning dark fantasy narrative with all the double-crossing, deceit, blackmail and political chaos you could hope for.”
2 – JA Andrews – Our best positive epic fantasy/ noblebright
“The overall reading experience was definitely a positive one and I think a lot of readers will get a lot of enjoyment out of reading this and other works by Andrews. A Threat of Shadows is a fun fantasy with some well-placed twists and the lead protagonist, Alaric, is a character worth following, the success of his quest one in which you will find yourself rooting for”
And the winner is
Here’s a picture of a penguin
And the winner is…
1 – Rob J. Hayes – Where Loyalties Lie – Our best adult fantasy/ grimdark/ pirate adventure
“Piratical grimdark mastery, superbly written, with utterly engaging characters”
It’s half 2 in the morning here so sleepybyez for me soon. See you soon gang and I can’t wait for phase two. Good luck to all the finalists and thank you to everyone who entered a book that Fantasy Book Review got to judge. You are all super talented. Keep up the good work. Peace x
You and I Books 
Cute penguins. My list has skyrocketed (earlier, it was just sniffing the clouds) after each of you started publishing the top ten list. I think I won’t read a single book next year. Just to see if I can live without them. But that would be the right kind of New Year resolution- the one we never keep. 😛
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