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rowena_m_andrews's review against another edition
5.0
Grim, dark, bloody… and I love every moment of it.
Now, this is not the first time I’ve read Godblind, or even the second or third… and yet every time I read it, it feels like a punch in the gut and falling in love all over again. Now, this is certainly not a book for the faint of heart, and it shows that from the very beginning with some very bloody sacrifice, and it goes from there – blood and torture, violence and sacrifice, and yet it is far more than that. It is humanity in all forms and at all levels, pushed to the limits through choice, fate and circumstance.
This is a world where the Gods are real and shape many aspects of people’s lives – in very different ways. It’s a brilliant exploration of what people will do for faith, and how that can be twisted from a single person to an army, to an entire people. The worldbuilding is done through the characters, it’s through their eyes that we see faith and tradition, political intrigue, love and family, and fighting – it’s all shaped by the world, but it is through their actions and voices that we are shown the world. And this world feels so real because of it, especially as there are so many twists, layers between layers, that you can’t help but be entirely immersed in it.
There are a lot POV characters, and for me, each and every one of them regardless of what side of the conflict they were on stood out vividly. They are brilliantly drawn, each with their own voice and view on the world and proceedings around them. Not only does this offer us varied views on the world, on the situation and plans (which is fantastic in a story of twisted threads, betrayals and opposing views). There is also great diversity in the characters, both POV and secondary, and this book and series stands out for me because of its female characters. Who are wonderfully strong, flawed and human in an uneven world, where some are welcomed to fight, others have to fight to be able to, and others fight because there is no other choice. This is not to say that there is no balance, and in this book, both men and women are vulnerable, have courage, need rescuing and are the rescuers – people bound by blood, both familial or shed in war or in the name of faith.
In terms of the main POV characters – I have a very definite bias for Crys throughout the entire series, I loved him from the moment we met him, and my heart twisted for him so many times, the threads of his story gripping me. That said, I loved all the characters – even the Blessed One and her bloody hammer were fascinating and understandable, you might hate them and what they’re doing, but you can see why they are on that path. Gilda has a special place in my heart- I would like to possess even half her heart and compassion, and if I was to take Crys out of consideration I would have to say that Mace Koridam and Tara Carter were probably very high on my list of favourites. But I would struggle to choose, and that is due to the sheer strength of the characterisation and writing.
The multiple POVs and the relative shortness of the chapters mean that Godblind is fast-paced and it really lends to the urgency of the situation and makes it really difficult to put down once you’re caught up in the events. There are moments when it is so intense, that it is hard to breathe, and you are so involved in the characters – their fates, their relationships (especially when Gods and battles lie between them), that you care deeply about the outcomes.
Honestly, I could talk for days about this book – this series – and still not come close to summing it up, or how I feel about it. Godblind is something different, something that has gripped me and refuses to let go, so here is to the Trickster and lots more rereadings.
Now, this is not the first time I’ve read Godblind, or even the second or third… and yet every time I read it, it feels like a punch in the gut and falling in love all over again. Now, this is certainly not a book for the faint of heart, and it shows that from the very beginning with some very bloody sacrifice, and it goes from there – blood and torture, violence and sacrifice, and yet it is far more than that. It is humanity in all forms and at all levels, pushed to the limits through choice, fate and circumstance.
This is a world where the Gods are real and shape many aspects of people’s lives – in very different ways. It’s a brilliant exploration of what people will do for faith, and how that can be twisted from a single person to an army, to an entire people. The worldbuilding is done through the characters, it’s through their eyes that we see faith and tradition, political intrigue, love and family, and fighting – it’s all shaped by the world, but it is through their actions and voices that we are shown the world. And this world feels so real because of it, especially as there are so many twists, layers between layers, that you can’t help but be entirely immersed in it.
There are a lot POV characters, and for me, each and every one of them regardless of what side of the conflict they were on stood out vividly. They are brilliantly drawn, each with their own voice and view on the world and proceedings around them. Not only does this offer us varied views on the world, on the situation and plans (which is fantastic in a story of twisted threads, betrayals and opposing views). There is also great diversity in the characters, both POV and secondary, and this book and series stands out for me because of its female characters. Who are wonderfully strong, flawed and human in an uneven world, where some are welcomed to fight, others have to fight to be able to, and others fight because there is no other choice. This is not to say that there is no balance, and in this book, both men and women are vulnerable, have courage, need rescuing and are the rescuers – people bound by blood, both familial or shed in war or in the name of faith.
In terms of the main POV characters – I have a very definite bias for Crys throughout the entire series, I loved him from the moment we met him, and my heart twisted for him so many times, the threads of his story gripping me. That said, I loved all the characters – even the Blessed One and her bloody hammer were fascinating and understandable, you might hate them and what they’re doing, but you can see why they are on that path. Gilda has a special place in my heart- I would like to possess even half her heart and compassion, and if I was to take Crys out of consideration I would have to say that Mace Koridam and Tara Carter were probably very high on my list of favourites. But I would struggle to choose, and that is due to the sheer strength of the characterisation and writing.
The multiple POVs and the relative shortness of the chapters mean that Godblind is fast-paced and it really lends to the urgency of the situation and makes it really difficult to put down once you’re caught up in the events. There are moments when it is so intense, that it is hard to breathe, and you are so involved in the characters – their fates, their relationships (especially when Gods and battles lie between them), that you care deeply about the outcomes.
Honestly, I could talk for days about this book – this series – and still not come close to summing it up, or how I feel about it. Godblind is something different, something that has gripped me and refuses to let go, so here is to the Trickster and lots more rereadings.
deadgoodbookreviews's review against another edition
4.0
Full review up on my blog: http://bit.ly/2scVMZF
My main problem with multiple POV epic fantasy is and always will be that it without fail takes me a good third of the book to work out who is who. I have to keep flicking back chapters (which is hard to do on a kindle) to remind myself which particular person’s viewpoint we are currently seeing and whether they are a goody or a baddy. In this book, sometimes this was a little easier because they bad guys tended to be really bad. Like, graphic descriptions of torture bad.
The vast majority of the characters we follow in this story were male. Or if that wasn’t the case it did feel quite male dominated which I’ve come to expect from this kind of fantasy at this point. There were some great female characters. There’s the damaged ex-slave with a secret past, the strong female army captain in a male environment and, of course, the evil queen. These characters felt really fleshed out which was definitely necessary in this world (I switch off if there are too many male characters for too long cause I just can’t relate). Having said that, there were some cool male characters both good and evil whom the story follows, to reveal them would be a little spoilery so I’m going to let you discover it for yourselves.
This book is pretty brutal, I’m not going to lie. If you’re not comfortable reading about violence, bloodshed, torture and sexual assault (comfortable is the wrong word) then this is not the book for you. If you have a particular trigger that you want to know about then please feel free to ask me in the comments or direct message me on twitter (@judithcmoore) and I’ll be happy to let you know.
All in all I did enjoy this book, even though this isn’t my favourite genre to read it was well written for the most part, though things did get a little confusing towards the end. This is the proposed opening to a trilogy so I can see there is a way to go yet. In general, if this is the kind of book you enjoy reading then this is a good example of the genre.
My rating: 4/5 stars
By the way, I received a free digital advanced review copy of Godblind from the publisher (Talos) via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own!
My main problem with multiple POV epic fantasy is and always will be that it without fail takes me a good third of the book to work out who is who. I have to keep flicking back chapters (which is hard to do on a kindle) to remind myself which particular person’s viewpoint we are currently seeing and whether they are a goody or a baddy. In this book, sometimes this was a little easier because they bad guys tended to be really bad. Like, graphic descriptions of torture bad.
The vast majority of the characters we follow in this story were male. Or if that wasn’t the case it did feel quite male dominated which I’ve come to expect from this kind of fantasy at this point. There were some great female characters. There’s the damaged ex-slave with a secret past, the strong female army captain in a male environment and, of course, the evil queen. These characters felt really fleshed out which was definitely necessary in this world (I switch off if there are too many male characters for too long cause I just can’t relate). Having said that, there were some cool male characters both good and evil whom the story follows, to reveal them would be a little spoilery so I’m going to let you discover it for yourselves.
This book is pretty brutal, I’m not going to lie. If you’re not comfortable reading about violence, bloodshed, torture and sexual assault (comfortable is the wrong word) then this is not the book for you. If you have a particular trigger that you want to know about then please feel free to ask me in the comments or direct message me on twitter (@judithcmoore) and I’ll be happy to let you know.
All in all I did enjoy this book, even though this isn’t my favourite genre to read it was well written for the most part, though things did get a little confusing towards the end. This is the proposed opening to a trilogy so I can see there is a way to go yet. In general, if this is the kind of book you enjoy reading then this is a good example of the genre.
My rating: 4/5 stars
By the way, I received a free digital advanced review copy of Godblind from the publisher (Talos) via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own!
anastaciya's review against another edition
2.0
Oh, the pain... I wanted to like it. I truly did. But just couldn't make myself care. It was so hard to follow
jessni's review against another edition
2.0
Definitely hits the mark of being a dark fantasy - there were several scenes that were verging on difficult to read. I like the overall story and Dom is such a fascinating character.
The biggest downfalls are that this book seem like more of a setup for the next two rather than its own story. Also, the constantly switching perspectives, and the sheer number of them, often made it difficult to remember who was who, develop a connection with many of the characters, or sometimes be fully present in a scene because they keep switching so suddenly.
The biggest downfalls are that this book seem like more of a setup for the next two rather than its own story. Also, the constantly switching perspectives, and the sheer number of them, often made it difficult to remember who was who, develop a connection with many of the characters, or sometimes be fully present in a scene because they keep switching so suddenly.
mylogicisfuzzy's review against another edition
2.0
Started off interesting enough but soon became predictable, weak, basic, no character development. This is grimdark wannabe, seriously overhyped.
jamesnotlatimer's review against another edition
4.0
I should probably let the book sink in a bit more, but I read it in quite a frenzy - it is, after all, a very intense book, picking up pace and power like a snowball running downhill. This made it a surprisingly quick read as well - yet again demonstrating that short chapters really help me, the "just one more" effect gobbling up the pages. I put off reading it a bit because I worried it wouldn't be quite to my taste - and, in the end, I was right - but I enjoyed it immensely nonetheless. Perhaps I should reevaluate my tastes a bit...
It's a very visceral and bloody book, to be sure, but I'm not convinced it's grimdark inasmuch as there is a blatant distinction between good and evil, and it's not as cynical as some books. Frankly, I really enjoyed reading about competent, compassionate people trying to do the right thing - and often succeeding - rather than being continually punished for the naïveté of being decent.
The POV shifts between a handful of characters, giving you a wide-yet-narrow view of the spiraling conflict. By this I mean that each POV seems quite nearsighted, giving you a very tight-focus view of what's right in front of them and how they are dealing with it, how they feel. As I said, it's visceral, but also a bit claustrophobic at times. Still, by darting around you do get a sense of the bigger picture and occasionally get a chance to catch your breath.
This intensity means that, in some respects, not a lot happens in the book from an overall viewpoint. Yes, a lot happens to each character, but the book covers only a few months, with a few quick jumps in the middle. It's very much a book one, setting the stage for the second book, which I will now definitely have to find space for on the TBR.
It's a very visceral and bloody book, to be sure, but I'm not convinced it's grimdark inasmuch as there is a blatant distinction between good and evil, and it's not as cynical as some books. Frankly, I really enjoyed reading about competent, compassionate people trying to do the right thing - and often succeeding - rather than being continually punished for the naïveté of being decent.
The POV shifts between a handful of characters, giving you a wide-yet-narrow view of the spiraling conflict. By this I mean that each POV seems quite nearsighted, giving you a very tight-focus view of what's right in front of them and how they are dealing with it, how they feel. As I said, it's visceral, but also a bit claustrophobic at times. Still, by darting around you do get a sense of the bigger picture and occasionally get a chance to catch your breath.
This intensity means that, in some respects, not a lot happens in the book from an overall viewpoint. Yes, a lot happens to each character, but the book covers only a few months, with a few quick jumps in the middle. It's very much a book one, setting the stage for the second book, which I will now definitely have to find space for on the TBR.
linwearcamenel's review against another edition
3.0
3.5. I don't usually like grimdark, but this was better than some of the others I've read. Maybe because there actually was some politics mixed in with all the battles, which isn't something I've found in most of the grimdarks I've read. I also liked the characters much better than in others I've read.
Of course, the world still isn't very fleshed out, with little backstory on the religion that is supposedly the central conflict in the story, but that seems to be standard across the genre.
Of course, the world still isn't very fleshed out, with little backstory on the religion that is supposedly the central conflict in the story, but that seems to be standard across the genre.
kittyg's review against another edition
4.0
*I was sent this for free from the publisher in exchange for a review*
This book is a new release set to come out on the 15th of June in the UK and I wanted to read it just before so I could review it for then (which, yay, I managed!). I requested this when I heard it was a new Grimdark book written by a lady - something I've not really read before - and I haven't read any Grimdark in a fair while so it seemed like a perfect collision of circumstances.
This is the story of a world trying to forge on after the banishment of the Red Gods. These Gods are brutal and cunning, manipulative and bloody. They've been banished from the main area of the world and are now just worshipped by the few Mireces who live away from their previous lands. The Gods require constant sacrifice so people are often brutally ripped to shreds and destroyed in the name of the Gods - it's not a place you'd want to live! They also keep slaves who they have captured so that they can be served by them and then destroy them at leisure.
The other kingdom we follow, Rilpor, is a thriving and bustling kind of medieval setting. This place is governed by a King who is sadly going mad after the loss of his beloved Queen to an unknown assassin. Unfortunately for Rilpor, the loss of control the King is showing starts to open the door for malevolence to creep in and eventually we see a drastic turn of events in the form of the most graphic and nasty torture scene I've read in a long while - so fair warning!!
Overall I enjoyed a lot of this story but the second half did feel a lot stronger to me. It seems like this story is a pretty solid and exciting start to the series, and I anticipate the next book being even better as this one is a debut. I found the magic interesting and the gore sickening, but overall it was a quick grimdark read with some quality moments and interesting characters and character choices.
3.75*s which I've rounded to a 4*s overall. :)
This book is a new release set to come out on the 15th of June in the UK and I wanted to read it just before so I could review it for then (which, yay, I managed!). I requested this when I heard it was a new Grimdark book written by a lady - something I've not really read before - and I haven't read any Grimdark in a fair while so it seemed like a perfect collision of circumstances.
This is the story of a world trying to forge on after the banishment of the Red Gods. These Gods are brutal and cunning, manipulative and bloody. They've been banished from the main area of the world and are now just worshipped by the few Mireces who live away from their previous lands. The Gods require constant sacrifice so people are often brutally ripped to shreds and destroyed in the name of the Gods - it's not a place you'd want to live! They also keep slaves who they have captured so that they can be served by them and then destroy them at leisure.
The other kingdom we follow, Rilpor, is a thriving and bustling kind of medieval setting. This place is governed by a King who is sadly going mad after the loss of his beloved Queen to an unknown assassin. Unfortunately for Rilpor, the loss of control the King is showing starts to open the door for malevolence to creep in and eventually we see a drastic turn of events in the form of the most graphic and nasty torture scene I've read in a long while - so fair warning!!
Overall I enjoyed a lot of this story but the second half did feel a lot stronger to me. It seems like this story is a pretty solid and exciting start to the series, and I anticipate the next book being even better as this one is a debut. I found the magic interesting and the gore sickening, but overall it was a quick grimdark read with some quality moments and interesting characters and character choices.
3.75*s which I've rounded to a 4*s overall. :)
sunsoar25's review against another edition
3.0
The premise of Godblind by Anna Stephens sounds pretty fantastic, but unfortunately it never quite lived up to my high expectations. I wanted to like this grimdark fantasy so much more. If only I wasn't so lost half the time and didn't have as much trouble characters keeping the characters straight in my mind this could have been great. Plus, a map - a map really could have helped as well. I doubt I'll be back for the sequel.
tomlloyd's review against another edition
3.0
A solid debut, but one that never full gripped me. I enjoyed it, but didn’t quite connect with it as deeply as you’d like, not helped by a few missteps. The billing of it being a grimdark also didn’t help probably since it wasn’t quite what I thought I was going to be reading. It’s actually more my sort of book since it’s really a traditional epic fantasy type, but without the grand scale of battles, intricacy or strong personalities that I’d be looking for from the genre (not necessarily all of those together, but something to hang its hat on at least). There’s the odd nasty scene, but to my mind if you don’t show brutality in epic fantasy, usually the genre with the highest body count, you’re not being honest about what you’re writing and she doesn’t disappoint there. Maybe I’m just old and inured, but the violence didn’t strike me as anything other than appropriate to the situation and grimdark for me is more a sensibility that people are shit and we’re all going to die, rather than pointing out bad things happen in war.
So, my issues in a nutshell. The bad guys were bad, the good guys were good, the battles ok and the politics/intrigue rather basic with not a lot in terms of world-building/history of the gods despite their direct impact on events. The good guys who were really bad guys were obviously bad guys and the lack of surprise was compounded by a certain bluntness in how they approached it all. The characters were human enough rather than just being a handful of tropes, flawed as people are and should be on the page, but the way the book was constructed it felt like there was a surprise due – instead it was a trad epic with lots of POV threads but few I cared much about, without a defining feature to distract me from that. The tunnels fight almost hit that, but again, something about it just didn’t quite click for me and this is a genre where, I’ve learned to my cost, is all about how the reader connects with it.
Crys was the biggest problem for me, it was hard to see why the prince would take a chance on someone unknown when he was kinda naughty but basically a decent guy. A lot hinged on him Then his escape from captivity – one scene he was a prisoner, the next he wasn’t. I read back to check so I’m pretty sure I never missed anything, but it meant I expected him to be a mole all the way through the rest of the story – which wouldn’t have made sense for their plan but at least it would explain why the scene was missed out. And then the relationship thread, seemed almost chucked in with no prelude that I’d noticed towards his prejudice – then what seemed like an overly swift acceptance of his new circumstances with not a lot of what he must have been dealing with. Again, not enough of a focus to be a major point, but something that seemed too pointedly made to be more background.
As for the rest of the Wolves, apart from Dom they blended into one really, while Dom bugged me for so much being hinted at as though there was a prequel I’d missed, and something about his shame and the blood oath just didn’t click for me.
Overall, a good novel that some people will love, but I’m afraid I wasn’t one of them.
So, my issues in a nutshell. The bad guys were bad, the good guys were good, the battles ok and the politics/intrigue rather basic with not a lot in terms of world-building/history of the gods despite their direct impact on events. The good guys who were really bad guys were obviously bad guys and the lack of surprise was compounded by a certain bluntness in how they approached it all. The characters were human enough rather than just being a handful of tropes, flawed as people are and should be on the page, but the way the book was constructed it felt like there was a surprise due – instead it was a trad epic with lots of POV threads but few I cared much about, without a defining feature to distract me from that. The tunnels fight almost hit that, but again, something about it just didn’t quite click for me and this is a genre where, I’ve learned to my cost, is all about how the reader connects with it.
Crys was the biggest problem for me, it was hard to see why the prince would take a chance on someone unknown when he was kinda naughty but basically a decent guy. A lot hinged on him Then his escape from captivity – one scene he was a prisoner, the next he wasn’t. I read back to check so I’m pretty sure I never missed anything, but it meant I expected him to be a mole all the way through the rest of the story – which wouldn’t have made sense for their plan but at least it would explain why the scene was missed out. And then the relationship thread, seemed almost chucked in with no prelude that I’d noticed towards his prejudice – then what seemed like an overly swift acceptance of his new circumstances with not a lot of what he must have been dealing with. Again, not enough of a focus to be a major point, but something that seemed too pointedly made to be more background.
As for the rest of the Wolves, apart from Dom they blended into one really, while Dom bugged me for so much being hinted at as though there was a prequel I’d missed, and something about his shame and the blood oath just didn’t click for me.
Overall, a good novel that some people will love, but I’m afraid I wasn’t one of them.