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booksthatburn's review against another edition
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
This feels absolutely mid-tier. Nothing specifically bad to say about it, but it fell out of my brain as soon as I finished it.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Injury/Injury detail, Medical content, and War
Moderate: Fire/Fire injury, Death, Fatphobia, Emotional abuse, Toxic relationship, Blood, Gore, Violence, Torture, and Colonisation
Minor: Death of parent, Grief, Pregnancy, and Slavery
narratricenessa's review
adventurous
dark
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
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.
Set in 1260 Persia The Judas Blossom unfurls its fascinatingly poetical and intriguing plot through the points of view of several captivating characters. As I already mentioned, the author’s choice of the historical period and location for the book’s setting intrigued me; mostly because there aren’t many historical fiction or historical fantasy books (that I’m aware of) that are set in this period and region. The 13th century is a tumultuous period around the globe, however, in the location the book’s plot is set in this period is marked by the Mongol invasions of the Islamic world, which began in 1212 with the conquest of eastern Iran. The specific year in which The Judas Blossom is set is characterised simultaneously with the Mongolian expansion further west into the Islamic world (the Levant), but also with disputes over succession in addition to the division and infighting in the Empire.
However, the interested reader does not have to read history or know anything about the historical figures, the region or the period in question to enjoy the book, its characters and its plot. Familiarity with the era, location and historical figures will certainly enhance your enjoyment, but it’s not a requirement. Skilfully and with an exceptional eye for detail, Aryan introduces the reader to the captivating world of 13th-century Persia and beyond. Moreover, the author adeptly achieved a balance between historical accuracy and good storytelling, never sacrificing one for the sake of achieving the other.
To tell the story of The Judas Blossom the author chose (and created) a diverse and distinctive cast of characters: Hulagu Khan (the ruler of the Ilkhanate), his youngest son Temujin, Kokochin (the Blue Princess) – one of Hulagu’s many wives, general Kaivon – a Persian rebel serving in Hulagu’s army (to name just a few key POV characters). The POV characters and how their stories and perspectives are presented to the reader(s) are one of the key ingredients that make this book so magnificently magical. The characters’ diverse backgrounds, experiences, cultures and way of perceiving the world around them is superbly done. The choice of POV characters is not there simply so the reader can have a different perspective, but it also highlights how cultures and states are not monolithic as they can sometimes be perceived.
Character diversity, multiple perspectives and the way the author presents them were among my favourite things in The Judas Blossom. As an illustration, I’ll use Aryan’s portrait of Hulagu Khan (this might be slightly spoiler-y (general spoilers for history, I suppose) so feel free to skip ahead).
“In the shadow of his grandfather, Hulagu, ruler of the Ilkhanate, is determined to create a single empire that covers the entire world. His method? Violence.”
From the blurb itself, it’s clear that Hulagu Khan’s preferred method of dealing with disobedience is violence, which matches what we know about Hulagu from historical sources. However, in this, the ruler of the Ilkhanate is no different than any other ruler (historical or fictional). Hulagu’s brother, Möngke Khan, ordered Hulagu to treat kindly those who submitted to the Mongol rule (bear in mind that “treated kindly” here is a matter of perspective) and to utterly destroy those who did not. Hulagu was vigorous in carrying out the latter part of these orders.
At the same time, Hulagu’s reign was tolerant of diversity (which Aryan highlights in his work) and tolerance to different religions and religious practices was not always so common during this period in Europe. And it is in this case, the portrait of Hulagu Khan (among other things), that the author’s craft truly shines. Although Hulagu is not a person (or in this case a character) the reader will like or love, through Hulagu’s point of view Aryan manages not only to show the readers Hulagu’s perspective and how his mind works but also manages to craft Hulagu’s story in such a way that the readers can understand why he chose to do things a certain way. The readers will not necessarily empathise with Hulagu, or approve/like/tolerate his actions (he’s not a very nice man), however, they will understand why this is so and it will make sense.
As I mentioned several times throughout the text, characters, their portraits and their perspectives are one of the highlights of The Judas Blossom. Aryan’s mastery is shown in the creation of these complex and compelling characters, through whose points of view he tells the story, not just about life in 13th century Persia, but the story about families (both the ones you are born into and the ones you find), friendships, love, sacrifice, diversity of cultures, patriotism, rebellions, oppression, war, conquest, complex political situations etc. He deftly navigates through all these themes and simultaneously enchants the reader with spellbinding storytelling.
I mentioned at the start that The Judas Blossom is a historical fantasy, but so far I haven’t touched upon the fantastical elements in the book. And that is because, compared to the historical part of the story, in this instalment, the fantasy elements are minimal and subtle. If you are familiar with the works of Guy Gavriel Kay, Stephen Aryan’s The Judas Blossom is in a similar vein. However, the subtlety of this book’s magical/fantastical elements should not deter you from reading it – it’s a bewitching story and I cannot wait for the next instalment in this entrancing series.
If you’ve reached the end of this rather rambly review, first of all, congratulations and thank you for reading this far. I believe it was abundantly clear that I was very eager to read The Judas Blossom (historical fantasy being my favourite genre and all) and that I’ve also enjoyed it so much that I’ve purchased a stunning special edition created by The Broken Binding in collaboration with Angry Robot Books. To sum up, I would recommend The Judas Blossom to everyone who likes the following:
- historical fantasy
- multiple perspectives
- complex, diverse and extremely well-developed characters
- intricate and interwoven interpersonal relationships
- captivating and epic storytelling
- (found) family
- political intrigues
- Persian and Mongolian cultures
Content Warnings
Moderate: Violence and Torture
azrah786's review
3.5
[This review can also be found on my BLOG]
**I received a proof copy from Angry Robot Books in exchange for an honest review**
CW: violence, blood, gore, injury, torture, murder, war, genocide, death, child death, infidelity, toxic relationship, vomit, kidnapping, confinement, colonisation, slavery, body shaming, fatphobia, xenophobia
--
An all new Persian historical fantasy retelling, The Judas Blossom is an intriguing blend of real world history and magic.
Taking place in the height of the expansion of the Mongol Empire we follow the lives of 4 key figures. Hulagu Khan, one of the grandsons of Genghis Khan as he leads his army to secure more territory for the empire. Hulagu’s youngest son Temujin who has an aversion to conflict but is determined to somewhat live up to his father’s mandates. Kokochin a young princess from the massacred Bayaut tribe trying to find her place in the world as Hulagu’s newest wife. And Kaivon, a Persian ex-rebel who finds himself in a position to avenge his people by infiltrating the Mongol army.
My knowledge of the Mongol Empire is limited to a handful of names that I can recall from my secondary school history lessons but being unfamiliar with anything about the dynasty or Persian history will not hinder your reading experience in the slightest. Aryan recounts the key events and timeline of the actual history through these characters in an easily accessible way and it is immediately evident how much research and time has gone into the book. His writing is straightforward and effortlessly merges the facts with the more intimate perspectives of the character’s lives making for a comprehensible and entertaining read.
I’m not going to lie it did take me a couple of chapters to really get into the story and that’s because the first chunk more or less focuses on outlining and familiarising the key details of the historic period before the characters drive the story with their individual arcs. Also when it comes to the fantasy side of things the book leans more towards the historical fiction side for the most part which reminded me of Parker-Chan’s She Who Became the Sun. Where this books differs though is in the vivid action and battle scenes.
Hulagu’s chapters offer the most in terms of the factual aspects of the story, narrating the battles as well as touching on movements and key figures of the Empire away from the primary storyline. The intrigue throughout has less of a focus on the court politics and more to do with the scheming and rebellion of those hoping to take the Empire down. Thus Kaivon and Kokochin’s chapters and also those involving the mysterious Twelve were the ones that I was interested in the most. The pacing of the story overall is quite fast so we move through time quite rapidly which I will say left a little to be desired about the development of the relationships between the characters but it all keeps you engaged all the same.
The already established relationships were the stronger of the lot and I found the dynamic between Hulagu and Temujin quite interesting to follow particularly when the magic became more apparent. Temujin’s powers and everything to do with the Kozan seems quite broad at this point but the ending hints that it’ll have a bigger focus in the sequel which I’m looking forward to as well as seeing the main characters’ storylines intersect more!
Final Rating – 3.5/5 Stars
**I received a proof copy from Angry Robot Books in exchange for an honest review**
CW: violence, blood, gore, injury, torture, murder, war, genocide, death, child death, infidelity, toxic relationship, vomit, kidnapping, confinement, colonisation, slavery, body shaming, fatphobia, xenophobia
--
An all new Persian historical fantasy retelling, The Judas Blossom is an intriguing blend of real world history and magic.
Taking place in the height of the expansion of the Mongol Empire we follow the lives of 4 key figures. Hulagu Khan, one of the grandsons of Genghis Khan as he leads his army to secure more territory for the empire. Hulagu’s youngest son Temujin who has an aversion to conflict but is determined to somewhat live up to his father’s mandates. Kokochin a young princess from the massacred Bayaut tribe trying to find her place in the world as Hulagu’s newest wife. And Kaivon, a Persian ex-rebel who finds himself in a position to avenge his people by infiltrating the Mongol army.
My knowledge of the Mongol Empire is limited to a handful of names that I can recall from my secondary school history lessons but being unfamiliar with anything about the dynasty or Persian history will not hinder your reading experience in the slightest. Aryan recounts the key events and timeline of the actual history through these characters in an easily accessible way and it is immediately evident how much research and time has gone into the book. His writing is straightforward and effortlessly merges the facts with the more intimate perspectives of the character’s lives making for a comprehensible and entertaining read.
I’m not going to lie it did take me a couple of chapters to really get into the story and that’s because the first chunk more or less focuses on outlining and familiarising the key details of the historic period before the characters drive the story with their individual arcs. Also when it comes to the fantasy side of things the book leans more towards the historical fiction side for the most part which reminded me of Parker-Chan’s She Who Became the Sun. Where this books differs though is in the vivid action and battle scenes.
Hulagu’s chapters offer the most in terms of the factual aspects of the story, narrating the battles as well as touching on movements and key figures of the Empire away from the primary storyline. The intrigue throughout has less of a focus on the court politics and more to do with the scheming and rebellion of those hoping to take the Empire down. Thus Kaivon and Kokochin’s chapters and also those involving the mysterious Twelve were the ones that I was interested in the most. The pacing of the story overall is quite fast so we move through time quite rapidly which I will say left a little to be desired about the development of the relationships between the characters but it all keeps you engaged all the same.
The already established relationships were the stronger of the lot and I found the dynamic between Hulagu and Temujin quite interesting to follow particularly when the magic became more apparent. Temujin’s powers and everything to do with the Kozan seems quite broad at this point but the ending hints that it’ll have a bigger focus in the sequel which I’m looking forward to as well as seeing the main characters’ storylines intersect more!
Final Rating – 3.5/5 Stars
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Colonisation, Gore, Fire/Fire injury, Genocide, Violence, Blood, Torture, Toxic relationship, Murder, War, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Fatphobia, Slavery, Body shaming, Vomit, Xenophobia, Child death, Infidelity, Kidnapping, and Confinement
jashanac's review
dark
hopeful
tense
medium-paced
4.0
I enjoyed this quite a bit overall! It was a bit slow to start, (makes sense I suppose -- being the first book in a new series) and I wasn't deeply invested in the character relationships, but I really liked the moral complexities the characters were exploring, and watching how they were working to sabotage the Mongol Empire in various ways.
The final 25% or so was VERY intriguing and the fantasy elements were ramped up and oh my GOD I am obsessed with the magical elements that were revealed toward the end... The Old Guard, much?!
The final 25% or so was VERY intriguing and the fantasy elements were ramped up and oh my GOD I am obsessed with the magical elements that were revealed toward the end... The Old Guard, much?!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Religious bigotry, Genocide, Colonisation, War, Gore, Violence, Murder, and Blood
Moderate: Torture, Islamophobia, Sexual violence, Xenophobia, and Fatphobia
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