SFINCS finalist review: BLACKCAP

SFINCS finalist review: BLACKCAP by Benjamin Aeveryn

I’ve read the novella for the SFINCS competition as a part of the Team Behind the Musings.

Speculative Fiction Indie Novella Championship aka SFINCS (pronounced “sphinx”), is a yearly competition to recognize, honour, and celebrate the talent and creativity present in the indie community. It’s a sister competition to both SPFBO and SPSFC, and it highlights greatness in the novella format in all areas of speculative fiction (fantasy, science fiction, horror, etc.)

The following is my honest review and all opinions are my own.

Synopsis

The Judas Blossom

Historical fantasy is among my favourite if not the favourite fantasy subgenre. When Stephen Aryan’s new book was announced I was intrigued not only by the synopsis but also by the author’s choice of setting and period. The Judas Blossom is the 1st instalment in a Persian-inspired fantasy trilogy titled The Nightingale and the Falcon. I was fortunate enough to get an eARC of this book through NetGalley courtesy of Angry Robot Books.

Dark Water Daughter

Dark Water Daughter by H. M. Long is among my most anticipated book releases for this summer. This bewitching swashbuckling flintlock fantasy adventure on the high seas caught my attention when I first read the synopsis. I was lucky to receive an eARC of the book through Edelweiss+, courtesy of Titan Books. To say I devoured this book in 2 days’ time back in May would be an apt description of my reading process. The reviewing part took longer because I really wanted to give the author and her amazing book a more coherent review it deserved for making me feel all the feels.

The Malevolent Seven

I received an ARC of this book through NetGalley, courtesy of Quercus Books.

Sebastien de Castell and his works came highly recommended by a few members of the Fantasy Fellowship Discord Book Club, so when I noticed that the eARC to his latest book, The Malevolent Seven, was available on NetGalley I jumped at the chance to read it. The tantalising first sentence that opens the humorous tongue-in-cheek book description confirmed my hunch that I would love this book from the very start.

“Seven powerful mages want to make the world a better place. We’re going to kill them first.”

The Malevolent Seven by Sebastien de Castell

The Blood of the Spear

The Blood of the Spear by indie author Mark Timmony is the 1^st book in the epic fantasy series The Eye of Eternity. The book was Fantasy Fellowship’s indie read for April 2023, and the Fellowship is currently doing an Indie Spotlight tour on Instagram (which I’m a part of). I first read The Blood of the Spear in January and I reviewed the book. The review that I’m posting on the blog is a part of my Review Reloaded series in which I go over some of my previously written and published book reviews and give them a bit of a makeover.

The Blood of the Spear is a classic epic fantasy book, with intricate world-building. From the start of the book, it is very clear that the author dedicated a lot of thought, time and attention to the creation and development of Athmay (the world of The Eye of Eternity series). Every aspect of world-building: from geography to history, cultures, magic systems and creatures that inhabit this world are developed with care.