BBNYA Semifinalist Spotlight Tour | 3rd September 2021

 

 

 

Dear Bookbugs,

 

 

 

Today’s spotlight is quite special. As you are aware, I am a part of the Book Bloggers Novel of the Year Award Panel, 2021 also known as the BBNYA panel. Being a panelist, I am thrilled to be a part of the spotlight tours for the  BBNYA books shortlisted for the semifinals. All these books are rated highly by the panelists involved for them to have made the cut. 

 

 

If you aren’t aware of the BBNYA awards, it is an annual award for indie books. BBNYA is organised by TheWriteReads in association with The Folio Society. The best part about BBNYA is that it is read and scored by book bloggers from all over the world.

 

 

 

Alright, without any delay let’s take a look at the semifinalists under spotlight for the day.

 

 

1)More Than Us by Ryan Jones

 

 

 

Blurb

 

 

What will a single moment do to Lora’s life? When on a chilling, winter evening she
discovers Harper in a time of need. When the past decides to make a reappearance,
what can you do? What happens when your childhood home is not yours anymore?
The two worlds of Harper and Lora collide and an unconventional friendship forms.
Together, they must learn to navigate their complicated pasts, but strictly as friends.
More Than Us steers through the complexities of mental illness and loss and
showcases that we are all more than our pasts.

 

 

Author Bio

 

 

Ryan Jones is a writer and editor residing in Southwestern Ontario. She loves a
good book, a good cup of tea and snuggles from her cats. She strives to find the
silver lining of every situation in life and hopes to inspire and comfort people through
writing literature.

 

 

 

2) Kings and Daemons by Marcus Lee

 

 

 

 

Blurb

 

 

‘What the gods give with one hand, they take away with the other, for if you are
gifted, you shall also be cursed.’
—–
In the Ember Kingdom, a dying land riven by famine and disease, Daleth the evil
Witch-King plots his conquest of the neighbouring Freestates. Gifted with eternal
youth, his vampiric power is responsible for the decay that afflicts his realm, and now
other kingdoms must fall to quench his never-ending thirst for life.
However, on the cusp of the invasion, Maya, a peasant huntress, is arrested,
Daleth’s soldiers kill an old farmer’s wife, and a young outcast is reluctantly enlisted
into the Witch-King’s army. Three seemingly innocuous events that nonetheless
have the potential to alter the destiny of generations to come.
For Maya is gifted with the ability to heal and can influence the hearts and minds of
men if she but finds the strength to do so. The young recruit carries a gift of reading

thoughts and has no love for the king he serves. As for the vengeful farmer … he’s
an ancient warrior gifted in reaping souls who now seeks to fulfil a long-forgotten
oath against unbeatable odds.
The world will soon be soaked by the blood of war, but with these three individuals’
lives inescapably entwined, the faint light of hope begins to shine. Alliances will have
to be forged, enemies convinced to become friends, and a flicker of love given a
chance to become a flame for there to be a chance to fight the encroaching darkness
of the Witch-King’s evil.
—–
The Gifted and the Cursed. A dark fantasy trilogy set in a dystopian land, with heroes
that are at times more demonic than the evil they face. The bloody battles, quests for
revenge and fights for survival are artfully balanced with a light romance, tales of
redemption, and the breath-taking beauty of Maya’s gift.

 

 

 

 

Author Bio

 

 

 

Writing hasn’t always been a serious hobby for me … but it has always been there,
lurking in the shadows, serving me well when called upon.
 
As I look back over the years, I realise I was guilty of writing many short stories, as
well as poetry, and I'd like to think, that even if they were never intended to be
published, they were nonetheless warmly received by the intended recipients.
​
Then in 2019, I was inspired to write not just a short story, or poetry, but a book.
Then, suddenly, one book turned into a trilogy and a labour of love, and it was a love
I wanted to share with the world.
​
So, here we are. The pandemic that put my career in sport on hold also gave me the
opportunity to lavish time on my alternative hobby, and now I’ve started, I don’t
intend to stop.

 

 

 

 

 

There we go. Those are the semifinalist spotlight books for the day. If you haven’t read them yet, you’re missing some good books. After all, these books are here because a majority of book bloggers scored them high out of sixty five other books. 

 

 

 

Happy reading everyone!!