And a deadly ritual has been set in motion that, if successful, could disastrously alter the course of the future. Three innocent girls have been kidnapped. And so Tanner wandered into an average adulthood alone, while Saul wandered into something altogether…different.īut when a case of mistaken identity unexpectedly throws Tanner and Saul back together after twelve long years of separation, the brothers find themselves stumbling through a race to stop a dangerous magic conspiracy that’s been building in the shadows of the world for generations. Then a terrible accident sent Saul spiraling down a delinquent path that ultimately spurred him to run away from home. Until they were eleven years old, identical twins Saul and Tanner Reiz were inseparable. “Even the strong force of fate can’t blow the coming storm off course.” If you have no idea what we’re talking about, you can learn more about the contest here. Many readers may find something to love in these books, and we wish the authors well in their creative journeys.

Just because a book appears in this or any batch of eliminations from our team doesn’t mean it’s a bad book it simply means a majority of us didn’t find it strong enough to consider as a finalist (you can find an explanation of our process here). To reflect the range of opinions across the Fantasy-Faction team, the reviews below are constructed of direct quotes from the judges’ comments. Every author who tosses their book-baby into the SPFBO pool should remember this and take heart in the knowledge that whether the baby sinks or swims has a lot to do with the pool. Whether a book thrills or bores depends as much on the reader as the author-check out the reviews of any famous book and you’ll see a plethora of single stars. Some readers will see classical character and narrative arcs, while others perceive a dull landscape of tired tropes. As my friend and colleague GR Matthews has written in these introductions many times, reading is a subjective exercise.

Ancient Ruins by Benjamin Medrano