Bella's Semifinalist Reviews

Bella has read and reviewed three of the five semifinalists for SFINCS. Here are her reviews!

Silence is Silver by Andrew Watson

We follow the journey of Bas, a youngster being trained to become a warrior in a harsh society. To become a full member of his community, Bas needs to complete tests to prove his worth.

This is a complex world and very well described culture. I found myself quickly immersed in the story and intrigued by the different characters and conflicts posed.

A strong story with epic elements and well-developed characters that left me curious to read the follow-up novels.

Fans of fantasy must check this one out!

Curiouser And... by Jillian Maria

This is the story of Ashlyn Jones, a girl who has always obeyed her parents and never caused trouble. But one afternoon she tries to save a white rabbit trapped and falls… into another world.

We follow Ashlyn’s journey as she seeks to find a way back home and meet many of the characters we are familiar with from “Alice in Wonderland”, but this is not your usual retelling.

This is a journey of self-discovery and redemption. The story builds up slowly, with crucial hints being dropped almost casually and a subtle foreshadowing that perfectly hides the incredible twists and turns of this tale. Each character is well-crafted and carries their own voice from the beginning till the jaw-dropping end. I found myself quickly hooked and could not put it down until it was finished.

Fans of fantasy and fairy tale retellings in particular need to add this book to their library.

The Amber Isle by Ashley Capes

The story follow a man called Never as he seeks clues to unravel the mystery of his past and of a “curse” he carries. Never ends up with a group of treasure hunters bounded for the Amber Isle who is believed to hold a fabulous treasure and also – Never hopes – answers to his life’s quest.

The plot evolves quickly with an adventure pace and plenty of action as Never and his companions face the dangers in the isle. Never has a sharp wit, which I enjoy. Other interesting characters showed up but we heard very little about them.

I felt that after all the perils he faced, Never deserved to have learned a little more about his past.

Overall it was an enjoyable novella for fantasy fans.