Judge’s report from Bookouture

Winner: Blood and Bloom in Las Vegas

Runner-up: Jane, Forgotten

Blood and Bloom in Las Vegas

Blood and Bloom in Las Vegas grabbed us immediately with a fresh, hooky and original concept. The voice is energetic, easy to read and deeply engaging. We were drawn into the plot immediately and wanted to keep reading. The visual imagery is so striking and memorable with plants growing from a chest cavity, wow: what a crime scene! The synopsis is strong too, it clearly outlines the narrative arc and beats, giving us a confident sense of where the story is headed. The pacing is lively and the characters already felt well developed. It’s a very strong, imaginative premise with great execution that reminded us of Ben Aaronovitch. Well done to the author.

Jane, Forgotten

Jane, Forgotten is such a rich and engaging concept. It presents a wonderfully intriguing mystery around who Jane is, and what happened to her. This is distinctive, compellingly developed and really hooked us in. The concept and writing feel very well suited to the women’s fiction market, and this would sit comfortably alongside writers like Louise Douglas or Harriet Evans. There are lots of intriguing elements such as the red cloak and the gaps in Jane’s story. This has a lot of commercial potential, and we very much wanted to keep reading… Congratulations to the author!

Honourable mentions:

Sunrise on an Unlikely Safari: We were impressed by the engaging, likeable characters and found ourselves emotionally invested in their journeys. Lots of potential here.

The Unraveling of Ivor Unthank impressed us with its quality of writing and depth. It leans more toward the upmarket/reading group end of the spectrum than straight commercial.

Codename Charlotta has lovely prose and thoughtful detail. Leans slightly toward literary/upmarket rather than purely commercial. The writing is assured and compelling.

Parable of an Irish Girl has a vivid setting and pulled us into the story of the two girls. The idea of Ide’s journey into the big house and her relationship with Alice is very promising. With a slightly streamlined opening that brings Ide into these key relationships sooner, this has strong potential.