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3.95 AVERAGE
3.95 AVERAGE
The women written in this book were horrible. They were either too weak to do anything or controlled by their emotions. This world is sexist, fine that happens in fantasy books *eyeroll*, but I would like my female characters to fight they system they were put in and not also think that they themselves are weak or that they are hysterical cause emotion cause a man said so.
Reviewed by: Rabid Reads
Apologies in advance for the length, but it couldn't be helped. I loved and hated parts of this book equally . . . and that means long. *shrugs awkwardly*
Our story opens with a horrific prologue in which a bunch of immortal Vulcans-on-steroids (meaning they don't respect other lifeforms) are exterminating their "diseased" children b/c they're:
1. Afflicted with the physical "rot" of age.
2. Brains are likewise rotting b/c FEELINGS.
Basically, b/c they're human.
Fast forward a few thousand years (far enough that the unaging race of logic monsters is nothing more than a myth), and our story is mostly told from the alternating perspectives of two brothers, both the sons of the Emperor, both sent away as boys to train, but to different places, for entirely different purposes.
Kaden, the heir, is sent to live with a bunch of monks. Presumably to learn discipline, humility, etc.
When we meet him, he's on year eight of the ten assigned, and b/c I'm a fool of a Took, I didn't immediately make the connection between the "emptiness," taught by the monks and the aforementioned logic monsters . . .
Suffice it to say, I was more than a little bit disturbed that our future leader was being groomed by a bunch of religiousCRAZIES zealots, whose main goal was to achieve a twisted version of Enlightenment. (As it turned out, there was a good reason, but I didn't know that then.)
And that was on top of the brain-eating monster SPIDERS that had recently begun to plague the livestock.
Now would be a could time to discuss a couple of my PEEVES:
1. I hate structured religious orders in fantasy.
They're boring.
Warrior Priests, Paladins, etc. are bad enough, but these guys don't even fight.
It's like being stuck in some Buddhist monastery, but without the childlike simplicity and joy of the Dalai Lama, b/c these monks are all about the corporeal punishment.
2. I HATE SPIDERS.
ALL spiders. Even the ordinary teeny, tiny brown ones. How do I feel about giant (maybe INTELLIGENT) brain-eating spiders?
SO. A lot of personal hurdles for me (more later).
Fortunately, Valyn's POV seemed more my style . . .
It started well enough--I do love my assassins, so being stuck on the Assassin Island of Training (which just happens to be right next to Outlaw/Pirate Island) was an excellent break from themonotony monastery.
And as frustrating as it was, I appreciated that Valyn wasn't the BEST.
He's been beaten bloody "dozens of times" by Yurl, the superior fighter and Bad Guy. He was soundly defeated in his pre-Trial match. He's resigned to lose to Annick in his sniper test, b/c he recognizes that she's better than he is.
Such obstacles should allow his intelligence, his ability to strategize, the "leadership" potential we keep hearing about shine . . . BUT. Instead, he seems emotional and prone to drawing rash conclusions.
Which brings me to my next peeve . . .
There are two main schools of thought in regard to character development:
1. Begin with flawed characters who make mistakes but learn from them, thus developing through (shared) experiences.
2. Begin with competent characters and develop them by slowly revealing key details about their past, so the reader feels like she's getting to know them.
I infinitely prefer the second option.
I have no patience for characters making stupid decisions and (slooooooowly) learning the hard way. Give me insight into whatever made them who they currently are, b/c this kind of thing:
Oh, hello, Adare, impulsive firstborn daughter of Emperor. Nice to meet you. Maybe we'll see you again in another dozen POV changes, and you can do some other fool thing to make me not like you.
But as irritating as it was to watch Adare do the thing she knew she shouldn't be doing (b/c just couldn't help it?), Valyn was who really made me lose my mind:
Except there WAS.
Then he laments his reckless behavior:
YEP. He did all those things. But did he learn his lesson?
NOPE:
So you see . . . Not only does he not learn his lesson, he forgets there's a lesson to learn. He even convinces himself that he's exercised caution in the past, which, I can assure you, he hasn't.
And that last quote? It's from 91%.
Other problems:
1. 50(ish)% of the plot "twists" were obvious as soon as the foundation was laid. Of the remaining 50(ish)%, most took the next most obvious path. There were only one or two things I didn't guess by the second try.
2. Despite the obviousness of what was going on, the characters kept right on scratching their heads. At times, these obvious things were even stated OUT LOUD:
Huh. So she does. I wonder if IT'S A SETUP.
3. HUMANS DON'T HAVE PURPLE EYES.
4.
Oh, how nice. Kaden was able to accomplish in a visualization exercise what many of the monks spend their ENTIRE LIVES trying to achieve with varying levels of success. Neat trick.
5.
Funnily enough, I felt the same way, and without the benefit of having achievedEnlightenment the vaniate.
When Gwenna got so angry about Valyn not harnessing himself in properly when we first met them (b/c distraught over news of father's death), I'd hoped it was b/c she liked him.
Enter Lin. A cardboard placeholder as far as I can tell. Blah. <------there's actually two problems in there.
BUT.
As irksome as all of those things were, it's clear that Staveley has unrealized potential.
His writing can be alternately hilarious:
Or beautiful:
And while I didn't connect with many of the secondary characters, there were glimpses of brilliance:
SO. Will I be reading the next book? Probably not any time in the near future. But eventually . . .? I could see it happening. And LOTS of other people absolutely loved it (including book bff). It's possible this was a case of it's-not-you-it's-me. B/c monks. And SPIDERS. And purple eyes. (Among other things.) Your call.
Apologies in advance for the length, but it couldn't be helped. I loved and hated parts of this book equally . . . and that means long. *shrugs awkwardly*
Our story opens with a horrific prologue in which a bunch of immortal Vulcans-on-steroids (meaning they don't respect other lifeforms) are exterminating their "diseased" children b/c they're:
1. Afflicted with the physical "rot" of age.
2. Brains are likewise rotting b/c FEELINGS.
Basically, b/c they're human.
Fast forward a few thousand years (far enough that the unaging race of logic monsters is nothing more than a myth), and our story is mostly told from the alternating perspectives of two brothers, both the sons of the Emperor, both sent away as boys to train, but to different places, for entirely different purposes.
Kaden, the heir, is sent to live with a bunch of monks. Presumably to learn discipline, humility, etc.
When we meet him, he's on year eight of the ten assigned, and b/c I'm a fool of a Took, I didn't immediately make the connection between the "emptiness," taught by the monks and the aforementioned logic monsters . . .
Suffice it to say, I was more than a little bit disturbed that our future leader was being groomed by a bunch of religious
And that was on top of the brain-eating monster SPIDERS that had recently begun to plague the livestock.
Now would be a could time to discuss a couple of my PEEVES:
1. I hate structured religious orders in fantasy.
They're boring.
Warrior Priests, Paladins, etc. are bad enough, but these guys don't even fight.
It's like being stuck in some Buddhist monastery, but without the childlike simplicity and joy of the Dalai Lama, b/c these monks are all about the corporeal punishment.
2. I HATE SPIDERS.
ALL spiders. Even the ordinary teeny, tiny brown ones. How do I feel about giant (maybe INTELLIGENT) brain-eating spiders?
SO. A lot of personal hurdles for me (more later).
Fortunately, Valyn's POV seemed more my style . . .
It started well enough--I do love my assassins, so being stuck on the Assassin Island of Training (which just happens to be right next to Outlaw/Pirate Island) was an excellent break from the
And as frustrating as it was, I appreciated that Valyn wasn't the BEST.
He's been beaten bloody "dozens of times" by Yurl, the superior fighter and Bad Guy. He was soundly defeated in his pre-Trial match. He's resigned to lose to Annick in his sniper test, b/c he recognizes that she's better than he is.
Such obstacles should allow his intelligence, his ability to strategize, the "leadership" potential we keep hearing about shine . . . BUT. Instead, he seems emotional and prone to drawing rash conclusions.
Which brings me to my next peeve . . .
There are two main schools of thought in regard to character development:
1. Begin with flawed characters who make mistakes but learn from them, thus developing through (shared) experiences.
2. Begin with competent characters and develop them by slowly revealing key details about their past, so the reader feels like she's getting to know them.
I infinitely prefer the second option.
I have no patience for characters making stupid decisions and (slooooooowly) learning the hard way. Give me insight into whatever made them who they currently are, b/c this kind of thing:
It is no slight to you, Baxter Pane had argued, staring at her with those rheumy eyes of his, but women are not suited to the Ministry. They are too…fickle, too easily transported by their emotions.
Adare swallowed a curse. And here I am, allowing myself to be transported by my emotions.
Oh, hello, Adare, impulsive firstborn daughter of Emperor. Nice to meet you. Maybe we'll see you again in another dozen POV changes, and you can do some other fool thing to make me not like you.
But as irritating as it was to watch Adare do the thing she knew she shouldn't be doing (b/c just couldn't help it?), Valyn was who really made me lose my mind:
“Off the bird, Laith,” Valyn snapped. “Now.”
He wasn’t angry at his Wing. They were playing by the book, playing it safe, but there was no benefit to a pointless standoff with a dozen Aedolians.
Except there WAS.
Then he laments his reckless behavior:
In his eagerness to save his brother, he had led his Wing directly into harm’s way, had ignored the signs, spurned sensible caution, and now, unless he figured some way to cut them all loose, they were going to die here in the shadow of an unnamed mountain at the end of the world.
YEP. He did all those things. But did he learn his lesson?
NOPE:
For as long as he could remember, he’d tried to weigh his options, to think before acting, to make the wise choice. It had all ended in ashes...
So you see . . . Not only does he not learn his lesson, he forgets there's a lesson to learn. He even convinces himself that he's exercised caution in the past, which, I can assure you, he hasn't.
And that last quote? It's from 91%.
Other problems:
1. 50(ish)% of the plot "twists" were obvious as soon as the foundation was laid. Of the remaining 50(ish)%, most took the next most obvious path. There were only one or two things I didn't guess by the second try.
2. Despite the obviousness of what was going on, the characters kept right on scratching their heads. At times, these obvious things were even stated OUT LOUD:
Spoiler
“So let’s get this straight,” Gwenna said, shaking her head. “Some poor bastard on a ship tells you the Kettral are trying to kill you. Then Manker’s collapses. Then it seems like Annick tries to drown you. Then Annick shoots you in the shoulder.”
“Annick shows up a lot in this story,” Laith added.
Huh. So she does. I wonder if IT'S A SETUP.
3. HUMANS DON'T HAVE PURPLE EYES.
...caught up in the spell of those violet eyes, that cascading black hair...
4.
Spoiler
“Now let her go,” Tan said. “Open your hand and let her fly away.”
Slowly, Kaden opened his fingers, reluctant to let the thrush escape his grasp. It seemed important that he hold her, for some reason, that he clutch her to him … but Tan had said to let her go and so, ever so lightly, he let her slip from his fingers.
“She’s flying now,” he whispered.
“Watch,” Tan replied.
Against closed lids, Kaden watched as the bird dwindled, smaller and smaller against the great blue of his mind’s vast sky, smaller and smaller until she was a smudge, a speck, a pinprick on the great open emptiness of the heavens. And then she was gone. Blankness filled his mind.
Oh, how nice. Kaden was able to accomplish in a visualization exercise what many of the monks spend their ENTIRE LIVES trying to achieve with varying levels of success. Neat trick.
5.
Tan would live, or he would die.
Funnily enough, I felt the same way, and without the benefit of having achieved
Spoiler
I felt the same way when Lin died, too. Oh, when Valyn inner-monologued about soldiers not dying in daydreams, I felt a twinge of pain on his behalf, but, honestly, I spent the time up to that point being annoyed by her existence.When Gwenna got so angry about Valyn not harnessing himself in properly when we first met them (b/c distraught over news of father's death), I'd hoped it was b/c she liked him.
Enter Lin. A cardboard placeholder as far as I can tell. Blah.
BUT.
As irksome as all of those things were, it's clear that Staveley has unrealized potential.
His writing can be alternately hilarious:
Gwenna had tied her last would-be suitor to a dock piling and left him there for the tide. When his friends finally found him, he was sobbing like a baby as the waves washed over his face.
Or beautiful:
Maybe this is what they want us to learn, he thought to himself blearily. There are two worlds, one of life and one of darkness, and you cannot inhabit both. It seemed like a good lesson for a Kettral, a lesson that could never be learned on the earth itself, not in a thousand days of swordplay and barrel drops, the kind of lesson that had to be bleached into the bone.
And while I didn't connect with many of the secondary characters, there were glimpses of brilliance:
“Hey, Sharpe,” one of the men bellowed down at Gwenna. It was Plenchen Zee—thick as a barrel but damned near impossible to kill, if the stories were true. Someone had sliced out one of his eyes, and he’d taken to filling the cavity with all sorts of unsettling things: stones, radishes, eggs. Today a ruby bulged jauntily from the socket.
SO. Will I be reading the next book? Probably not any time in the near future. But eventually . . .? I could see it happening. And LOTS of other people absolutely loved it (including book bff). It's possible this was a case of it's-not-you-it's-me. B/c monks. And SPIDERS. And purple eyes. (Among other things.) Your call.
The first couple of hundred pages bothered me a bit, as I am fed up with abundant badass narcissists and pointless evil in Fantasy novels. However, this story really grew on me, and the characters too. There was even a great explanation for some of the fucked up shit that happened. The story has grown real interesting, and there's a few on-the-mark plot twists.
An epic story starts here, don't miss out!
An epic story starts here, don't miss out!
4.5 stars
THIS WAS GOOOOD. A bit predictable but awesome nonetheless.
RTC
THIS WAS GOOOOD. A bit predictable but awesome nonetheless.
RTC
adventurous
dark
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
I really liked this book! After the murder of the emperor, this book follows his three children: one raised by monks, one by warriors, and one in their father’s court. All raised to be his blades once he’s gone.
Not very fast paced, but consistently intriguing, I can’t wait to see what happens next!
Not very fast paced, but consistently intriguing, I can’t wait to see what happens next!
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
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:
No
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Murder
Moderate: Bullying
Minor: Sexual assault, Sexual content
DNF @50%
This is so boring…
I might pick it up again later. But I don’t think I will.
This is so boring…
I might pick it up again later. But I don’t think I will.
EXCELLENT!!! very nearly 5 stars but i just had a few quibbles
1. the amount of gore/death felt kinda excessive at times, but that might just be me
2. the training was unrealistically hard. like seriously??????? you really think that kind of treatment would fly? yeah sure they supposedly pretend they don't care that these kids are royals but there's no way they'd be put in such acute danger so regularly. that would be an immediate threat to the political stability of the entire known world of this dang book. UNREALISTIC
3. i want more adare. personally i feel like valyn was fairly well developed, kaden a little less so, and adare was definitely the least fleshed-out of the perspectives. i love her and i want more of her.
aside from those, i just wanted to say that this was an Emotional Rollercoaster because one of the characters has the same name as the boy i like and also i developed a mild crush on valyn w/in abt 5 pages. i miss ha lin and i think she was a tad underdeveloped.
1. the amount of gore/death felt kinda excessive at times, but that might just be me
2. the training was unrealistically hard. like seriously??????? you really think that kind of treatment would fly? yeah sure they supposedly pretend they don't care that these kids are royals but there's no way they'd be put in such acute danger so regularly. that would be an immediate threat to the political stability of the entire known world of this dang book. UNREALISTIC
3. i want more adare. personally i feel like valyn was fairly well developed, kaden a little less so, and adare was definitely the least fleshed-out of the perspectives. i love her and i want more of her.
aside from those, i just wanted to say that this was an Emotional Rollercoaster because one of the characters has the same name as the boy i like and also i developed a mild crush on valyn w/in abt 5 pages. i miss ha lin and i think she was a tad underdeveloped.
A grim and dark military fantasy story about the children of the emperor, and what they do when the emperor dies. There are three major characters.
Valyn, who is in elite military training, and the most enjoyable character to read. Following the brutal efforts to become a soldier, and solve the mystery surrounding an assassination attempt on his life.
Adare, who was just there. She seems like a cool character to learn about, but has total of 5 whole chapters in the book.
And lastly Kaden, who is in a monastery learning to become a monk. Kaden's story has the most impact on what the greater scope of the series could be. But his story is so enjoyable to read simply because of the philosophy and thought exercises that he must endure to become a monk. They're very interesting and the level of enlightenment that the monks are searching for, feels very attainable in the real world.
At times the prose felt off, either it was slightly repetitive. It felt like in the author's desire to be adult with their prose, they hit the synonym button to find a "better" word for the situation. Almost all of the times, this works really well, painting a vivid and lush picture of the world. But there are some times where the word choice feels disjointed.
Overall, I had a great time with this book. It was really fun to read, even though it just ends, with very little resolution. I'm excited to read the next book in the series.
Valyn, who is in elite military training, and the most enjoyable character to read. Following the brutal efforts to become a soldier, and solve the mystery surrounding an assassination attempt on his life.
Adare, who was just there. She seems like a cool character to learn about, but has total of 5 whole chapters in the book.
And lastly Kaden, who is in a monastery learning to become a monk. Kaden's story has the most impact on what the greater scope of the series could be. But his story is so enjoyable to read simply because of the philosophy and thought exercises that he must endure to become a monk. They're very interesting and the level of enlightenment that the monks are searching for, feels very attainable in the real world.
At times the prose felt off, either it was slightly repetitive. It felt like in the author's desire to be adult with their prose, they hit the synonym button to find a "better" word for the situation. Almost all of the times, this works really well, painting a vivid and lush picture of the world. But there are some times where the word choice feels disjointed.
Overall, I had a great time with this book. It was really fun to read, even though it just ends, with very little resolution. I'm excited to read the next book in the series.
4.75/5
“Kadan took a deep breath and turned from the darkness to the darkness, rotating in the blank void like a star turning in a starless night, and prepared to mount the path once more.”
Brian Staveley. Let that name sink in, burrow, and live in your brain. Let it fester and wriggle until you’ve no option but to seek it out and slowly let it slither from your mind as you read this book. The Emperor’s Blades is a book that eases you into a false sense of security with what you think you know about plot armor and the path of storytelling. It’ll lead you where you think you’ll be safe, only to throw you down a secret corridor that you felt like you should’ve seen long ago.
The Emperor’s Blades follows the lives of three royal siblings separated by distance and time. For the past eight years, each of them have been submerged in the brutal training of their respective factions. Kadan, heir to the empire, endures the cruelty of a remote monastery where he is learning to unlock ancient powers. His brother Valyn is preparing for his final trials within the Kettral, the deadliest fighting force in the empire. While their older sister, Adare, is battling politics within the capital. Murder and deception visit the siblings in different ways but are far more connected than they realize. Their training is important now more than ever, but will it be enough to stop what’s coming?
This first installment in the Chronicle of the Unhewn Throne has a thrilling plot that includes training montages, detective work, supposedly extinct creatures, a unique world that blends history and religion, and untrustworthy characters. There is a lot I love about this book and having my expectations subverted is high on the list. When I thought I had it figured out, Staveley put a wrench in my budding theories. Instead of leading us down the path of a red herring, distracting us with a sub-plot that goes nowhere, Staveley throws us off his trail by showing us parts of the whole. These sub-plots are distracting the reader from the truth until Staveley hardens those threads to iron and suddenly, we’re wondering to ourselves why we hadn’t seen it before? There are some poignant twists and turns in this book that just blew me away. I was entirely enraptured by the discoveries and misjudgments that resulted in the characters explorations into the violence that they had to fight against.
This book is brutal. No one is safe. The siblings, specifically Kadan and Valyn, are put through severe abuse while training. They are beaten, poisoned, threatened, and nearly killed by people who are meant to be teachers to them. What is so fascinating about this is that Staveley is able to make me care about these characters despite their cruel methods. Tan, a monk in charge of training Kadan holds nothing back as he uses hand and cane to beat lessons into the future emperor. However, when faced with the possibility of his demise, I found myself praying to all the fantasy gods that he’d live to see another day. In spite of the physical and emotional toll of Valyn’s ruthless training the voice of The Flea, a seemingly compassionless Kettral veteran, is consistently speaking in Valyn’s mind to give him strength and courage through the worst of his trials. Staveley has the ability to change my mind about characters and maintain the humanity in a world so brutal.
The prose is exceptional. Staveley describes the world with beautiful detail, but what is most notable is the time he take to tell us how each character feels. Their thoughts and inner turmoil at facing a difficult decision are not glossed over. The dialogue between the characters is engaging with some great witty insults. There was a fair amount of creative swearing that made for some truly hilarious exchanges. Many of the best scenes were just people talking with each other, and if an author can mesmerize me with conversation then, something is being done right.
The Emperor’s Blades is a character-driven book. Staveley makes sure that before we enter any plot too deeply, we’re on the edge of our seat, hoping to see our beloved characters make it to the end. What I love most about this book is the attention Staveley gives to the side characters. Their developments and their relationships with the heroes of this story are explored and given time to grow. Valyn’s Kettral Wing had to learn to trust and work together in a way that made me want to file adoption papers for every single member of that group! The camaraderie within the Wing and the bond of shared abuse inside Kadan’s monastery was the ember that sparked this book into a raging fire for me. I so deeply care about so many of these characters that it fills me with dread because I just know not everyone is going to make it to the end of this series and I cannot bear to lose a single one of them! The bond between the siblings is also a wonderful addition to the story. Despite being separated by nearly a decade, there is still a cemented cord that binds them together. They are strangers to each other, but Staveley walks the line of distance and love so well that their reunions and divisions are not only believable but relatable.
I have but one issue with this book. I’ve explained how much I love Staveley’s character work. His focus on Kadan and Valyn is incredible and the amount of time he gave to the side characters is an impressive feat of writing that I’ve only seen in a few authors. However, his attention to Adare, the older sister and one of the three main characters, lacked the same devotion. Adare receives five chapters in the entire book. Now, what Staveley is able to accomplish with such a few amount of chapters is again, an impressive feat of writing, but I wasn’t as in tune with her decisions as a character because of how little page time she had. I was able to connect with her and enjoy her chapters immensely, but not to the same extent I was in consuming Valyn’s and Kadan’s perspectives. I am thinking that she is in the process of a drastic character change in book two, which I am already a few chapters into. So, I am hopeful she will gain more time with us as readers to solidify her purpose within the story.
As with a lot of my books, I split my time between reading my physical copy and the audiobook. At the end of the audio, I was treated to a short story, The Last Abbot of Ashk’lan, which does not appear in the physical copy I own. It’s a fantastic addition to the story from the perspective of a side character we’ve come to love. I absolutely loved it, and it’s a treat to read if you’ve read The Emperor’s Blades already. Do not read it unless you’ve finished the first book as it contains major spoilers. I’ve written a separate spoiler-free review of it on Goodreads if anyone would like to check it out.
I am utterly blown away by Staveley’s storytelling skills. So much so that I panic bought the rest of his books and plan on reading them as soon as I possibly can. I am devouring book two and I can already see how the story is just going to get darker with much higher stakes.
“Kadan took a deep breath and turned from the darkness to the darkness, rotating in the blank void like a star turning in a starless night, and prepared to mount the path once more.”
Brian Staveley. Let that name sink in, burrow, and live in your brain. Let it fester and wriggle until you’ve no option but to seek it out and slowly let it slither from your mind as you read this book. The Emperor’s Blades is a book that eases you into a false sense of security with what you think you know about plot armor and the path of storytelling. It’ll lead you where you think you’ll be safe, only to throw you down a secret corridor that you felt like you should’ve seen long ago.
The Emperor’s Blades follows the lives of three royal siblings separated by distance and time. For the past eight years, each of them have been submerged in the brutal training of their respective factions. Kadan, heir to the empire, endures the cruelty of a remote monastery where he is learning to unlock ancient powers. His brother Valyn is preparing for his final trials within the Kettral, the deadliest fighting force in the empire. While their older sister, Adare, is battling politics within the capital. Murder and deception visit the siblings in different ways but are far more connected than they realize. Their training is important now more than ever, but will it be enough to stop what’s coming?
This first installment in the Chronicle of the Unhewn Throne has a thrilling plot that includes training montages, detective work, supposedly extinct creatures, a unique world that blends history and religion, and untrustworthy characters. There is a lot I love about this book and having my expectations subverted is high on the list. When I thought I had it figured out, Staveley put a wrench in my budding theories. Instead of leading us down the path of a red herring, distracting us with a sub-plot that goes nowhere, Staveley throws us off his trail by showing us parts of the whole. These sub-plots are distracting the reader from the truth until Staveley hardens those threads to iron and suddenly, we’re wondering to ourselves why we hadn’t seen it before? There are some poignant twists and turns in this book that just blew me away. I was entirely enraptured by the discoveries and misjudgments that resulted in the characters explorations into the violence that they had to fight against.
This book is brutal. No one is safe. The siblings, specifically Kadan and Valyn, are put through severe abuse while training. They are beaten, poisoned, threatened, and nearly killed by people who are meant to be teachers to them. What is so fascinating about this is that Staveley is able to make me care about these characters despite their cruel methods. Tan, a monk in charge of training Kadan holds nothing back as he uses hand and cane to beat lessons into the future emperor. However, when faced with the possibility of his demise, I found myself praying to all the fantasy gods that he’d live to see another day. In spite of the physical and emotional toll of Valyn’s ruthless training the voice of The Flea, a seemingly compassionless Kettral veteran, is consistently speaking in Valyn’s mind to give him strength and courage through the worst of his trials. Staveley has the ability to change my mind about characters and maintain the humanity in a world so brutal.
The prose is exceptional. Staveley describes the world with beautiful detail, but what is most notable is the time he take to tell us how each character feels. Their thoughts and inner turmoil at facing a difficult decision are not glossed over. The dialogue between the characters is engaging with some great witty insults. There was a fair amount of creative swearing that made for some truly hilarious exchanges. Many of the best scenes were just people talking with each other, and if an author can mesmerize me with conversation then, something is being done right.
The Emperor’s Blades is a character-driven book. Staveley makes sure that before we enter any plot too deeply, we’re on the edge of our seat, hoping to see our beloved characters make it to the end. What I love most about this book is the attention Staveley gives to the side characters. Their developments and their relationships with the heroes of this story are explored and given time to grow. Valyn’s Kettral Wing had to learn to trust and work together in a way that made me want to file adoption papers for every single member of that group! The camaraderie within the Wing and the bond of shared abuse inside Kadan’s monastery was the ember that sparked this book into a raging fire for me. I so deeply care about so many of these characters that it fills me with dread because I just know not everyone is going to make it to the end of this series and I cannot bear to lose a single one of them! The bond between the siblings is also a wonderful addition to the story. Despite being separated by nearly a decade, there is still a cemented cord that binds them together. They are strangers to each other, but Staveley walks the line of distance and love so well that their reunions and divisions are not only believable but relatable.
I have but one issue with this book. I’ve explained how much I love Staveley’s character work. His focus on Kadan and Valyn is incredible and the amount of time he gave to the side characters is an impressive feat of writing that I’ve only seen in a few authors. However, his attention to Adare, the older sister and one of the three main characters, lacked the same devotion. Adare receives five chapters in the entire book. Now, what Staveley is able to accomplish with such a few amount of chapters is again, an impressive feat of writing, but I wasn’t as in tune with her decisions as a character because of how little page time she had. I was able to connect with her and enjoy her chapters immensely, but not to the same extent I was in consuming Valyn’s and Kadan’s perspectives. I am thinking that she is in the process of a drastic character change in book two, which I am already a few chapters into. So, I am hopeful she will gain more time with us as readers to solidify her purpose within the story.
As with a lot of my books, I split my time between reading my physical copy and the audiobook. At the end of the audio, I was treated to a short story, The Last Abbot of Ashk’lan, which does not appear in the physical copy I own. It’s a fantastic addition to the story from the perspective of a side character we’ve come to love. I absolutely loved it, and it’s a treat to read if you’ve read The Emperor’s Blades already. Do not read it unless you’ve finished the first book as it contains major spoilers. I’ve written a separate spoiler-free review of it on Goodreads if anyone would like to check it out.
I am utterly blown away by Staveley’s storytelling skills. So much so that I panic bought the rest of his books and plan on reading them as soon as I possibly can. I am devouring book two and I can already see how the story is just going to get darker with much higher stakes.