SPFBOXI Cuts the Second – With a Second Semifinalist!

A Fallen Hero by Sara A. Noë

Full Review

This was definitely a unique take on ghost stories, to be sure. It reads a bit like an offshoot of the unwilling test subject or breeding program trope, where we don’t see these kids so much as the prisoners in their day to day habitat, but much more so the aftermath of having lived that way on them.

I liked Cato as a character and rooted for him to win the day. The book ended in… not a cliffhanger, but it left the story open for more (this is the first in a series after all). It didn’t reach the exact ending I wanted for Cato, but it did end in a way that I wasn’t mad about it. I may just pick up the next book to see if what I wanted to happen did.

If you’d like an interesting take on a ghost story, I’d definitely recommend A Fallen Hero. It didn’t quite make the semifinalist position, but it was definitely in the running.

Taking Flight by Kelly Scriven

Full Review

I enjoyed this book. It was short, quick to read, and while it was often predictable (mostly in the romance elements), I still found myself reading it well into the wee hours of the morning because I was enjoying it so much.

Sira was an interesting character and I wanted her to succeed in her endeavor to become the first female airship pilot. James was an even more interesting character, and while I thought the relationship between the two of them was a bit on the tropey side, I still really liked the way that it played out.

I had a solid 7.5/10 stars of fun with Taking Flight. I hope that one day, I can find the time to read the next book in the series, because I’d like to see where these two end up and how they get there. If you like the idea of a steampunk-adjacent magical adventure with some romance included, you just might like Taking Flight.

The Moonlight Lies by Aengie Scevity

Full Review

This story is told from the protagonist Cassie’s point of view and tells the story of her taking the place of the Child of the Prophecy who refused to do their part in saving the world. It’s told in the first person, and she can be funny at times. I thought that the story was engaging and well written. I cared about what happened to the characters, and I was pleasantly surprised to see a bit of tarot theme enter in there as well.

This story had a nice sort of ‘found family’ trope, and I love a good found family dynamic. Elidi, Roland, and Cassie became close friends over the course of their adventures and I loved seeing the underdog character find her people.

There were things I was not expecting to happen, and I am not very easily taken by surprise, so it was a nice feeling to be a bit blindsided by a twist. I really enjoyed myself with it right up until the very end. The ending to this one soured a book that I was enjoying quite a lot, but all the same, I think people who are into the Prophesized Hero story that has been shaken up a bit and made just a bit queer, and just a bit about finding out who you really are when it really counts may just enjoy this one.

The Raven’s Revenge by K.J. Wagner

Full Review

I enjoy a good pirate story. I had a couple of complaints along the way, but I did read this book mostly in one sitting. It’s a very fast paced read. Slate is (of course) a pirate, and while he cares deeply for his sisters, he can be brutal with a lot of others, especially anyone who is not an elf. He’ll kill people if necessary, and sometimes if not quite necessary. He will constantly try and justify everything he does, which got a tad annoying at times and I thought his redemption arc, so to speak, was a little bit much, but all told, I did enjoy this read. 

This book had an interesting world, with an interesting representation of elves, but also of dwarves. We mostly meet elves who are pirates, who act… well… like pirates. It gives an interesting antithetical view from the traditional sort of elves that one sees in fantasy, who are often depicted as graceful and soft-spoken. Dwarves especially are interesting in this book because they have…. wings?

I would recommend The Raven’s Revenge to people who like a pirate story, and who like fantasy tropes that have been shaken up a little bit. 

Lemon Balm by Artemis Quinn

Lemon Balm is the story of Cypress, who is living their best life when they are attacked by a vicious dog, leaving them with strange symptoms. After months and months of every medical test they could have done, they still don’t know what is wrong. They find themselves buying a very cheap abandoned church in the woods, only to find after the sale goes through that it isn’t abandoned after all and is the home of Acanthus, a very old vampire.

Acanthus is coming off of a long, long sleep when they find that a seemingly ignorant werewolf has moved into their home. Shenanigans ensue!

I just couldn’t get into this one, unfortunately. I didn’t really vibe with Cypress, and while Acanthus was interesting, they were not interesting enough to balance it out. Nonetheless, if you like an interesting queer vampire/werewolf story, you may want to check this one out!