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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
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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
trippyotter's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
This was the first book I've read by Stephen Aryan, and I'm kicking myself for not discovering him before now.
The Judas Blossom is an absolute masterpiece of greed, treachery, and rebellious uprising during the rise and fall of the Mongol Empire. Each of the primary characters has an agenda of their own, but the outcome is the same, free Persia.
I've always been drawn to this moment in history and added in a hint of fantasy? Yes, please!
I can't wait to see how the saga continues.
The Judas Blossom is an absolute masterpiece of greed, treachery, and rebellious uprising during the rise and fall of the Mongol Empire. Each of the primary characters has an agenda of their own, but the outcome is the same, free Persia.
I've always been drawn to this moment in history and added in a hint of fantasy? Yes, please!
I can't wait to see how the saga continues.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Fire/Fire injury, Gore, Injury/Injury detail, Vomit, Blood, Confinement, Gaslighting, Murder, Toxic relationship, War, Infidelity, Kidnapping, Sexual content, and Violence
Minor: Rape and Slavery
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