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3.63 AVERAGE
3.63 AVERAGE
I gave it a second shot and liked it much better the second time around.
mysterious
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
This was a fun and quick read, quite different from most other fantasy that I've come across. It's basically a combination of traditional fantasy elements (kings and queens and swords and stuff like that) with an urban fantasy type writing style and paranormal detective type plot. If that sounds awkward... It totally wasn't. It worked. It wasn't perfect; there were some weird little inconsistencies, and some story points that were a little too happily-ever-after for me, not to mention a lot of right-place-at-the-right-time involved in solving the case, but despite all of that it was still a fun ride. I just went with it, didn't dwell too much on the little things, and ended up enjoying it quite a bit. Three and a half stars, and I'll definitely be continuing on in the series.
I entered into this book fully prepared to enjoy it. Who wouldn't enjoy a fantasy/noir mystery mash-up. It screamed enjoyable read. The problem was Mr. Bledsoe did not push it far enough. It was not dark enough to be a true noir, and there just was not enough fantastical elements to feel like a true fantasy novel.
I'm still going to try the next book in the series, because I see potential here, but this book really should have been called The Sword-Edged Bland
I'm still going to try the next book in the series, because I see potential here, but this book really should have been called The Sword-Edged Bland
The Sword-Edged Blonde is fun, if pretty insubstantial. I feel like Alex Bledsoe has a strong writer in him, but in this book, he was still finding his voice. Hard-boiled detective fiction mixed with heroic fantasy is a catchy genre blend, and that was the reason I picked this up despite terrible cover art. The genres are far from being seamlessly stitched; there's much more mystery than fantasy here, and the fantasy that is here is a bit vague.
Bledsoe also has a tendency to cling a little too tightly to Chandlerisms and other stereotypes of the mystery genre. Women are by and large objectified for the sake of description, Eddie conveniently knows EVERYONE, and the usually brief descriptions are frequently cartoonish and over-the-top, which wouldn't be bad if I felt like that was what Bledsoe was going for, but the tone of the novel is rather uneven. There's a distinct sense that the author, like many writers, had to write himself into Eddie LaCrosse, and he didn't do enough re-writing earlier on to make him entirely consistent and defined. He's a likable character, though he's little more than an archetype. 'Eddie' is just one of many modern-Earth-sounding names that feel awkward and anachronistic in the setting.
It's definitely not BAD; it's always enjoyable and entertaining. It just ends up being kind of pedestrian. This isn't a book you'll go to if you're looking for epic scale and high stakes. This is more or less a slightly above-average, old-school mystery novel with the serial numbers filed off and swords pasted over the guns. I probably will eventually pick up later volumes in the series, as I think Bledsoe visibly hits his stride throughout the course of the novel, but I'm not rushing out to get them.
Bledsoe also has a tendency to cling a little too tightly to Chandlerisms and other stereotypes of the mystery genre. Women are by and large objectified for the sake of description, Eddie conveniently knows EVERYONE, and the usually brief descriptions are frequently cartoonish and over-the-top, which wouldn't be bad if I felt like that was what Bledsoe was going for, but the tone of the novel is rather uneven. There's a distinct sense that the author, like many writers, had to write himself into Eddie LaCrosse, and he didn't do enough re-writing earlier on to make him entirely consistent and defined. He's a likable character, though he's little more than an archetype. 'Eddie' is just one of many modern-Earth-sounding names that feel awkward and anachronistic in the setting.
It's definitely not BAD; it's always enjoyable and entertaining. It just ends up being kind of pedestrian. This isn't a book you'll go to if you're looking for epic scale and high stakes. This is more or less a slightly above-average, old-school mystery novel with the serial numbers filed off and swords pasted over the guns. I probably will eventually pick up later volumes in the series, as I think Bledsoe visibly hits his stride throughout the course of the novel, but I'm not rushing out to get them.
A 4.5 from me. A blend of a noir mystery and sword-and-sorcery style fantasy that worked well. Looking forward to more of Eddie's adventures.
It seems that my views are at odds with many others here, which just goes to show that different thing appeal to different people. The cover blurb seemed interesting...a cross between detective noir and fantasy. There are essentially two directions an author can go when combing two genres like this. Hopefully both will be done well, and blended to great effect. Alternatively, neither will be done well, and (usually) as a result any effort to blend the two genres will fail. Unfortunately, IMHO this novel falls mostly into the latter category. It was OK, but it could have been so much better. A little more action (with appropriate detail to fighting technique), a little more attention to transitions in the plot, and so forth would have done a world of good.
In light of the second Eddie LaCrosse book's release, I decided to re-visit this first one. I decided I was a little too harsh on it when I first read it, and wanted to make it up to it. I don't know if it was my general mood at the time (there was a lot going on in my life in that period) or what, but I didn't give this book a fair shake. Now I feel I have, and I really really liked it. Sure, there's a lot of urban fantasy these days, but most of the time they take a modern story, add some hard-boiled, add some fantasy, and go from there. This, this is a fantasy story written almost exactly following the hard-boiled rulebook. And that's just neat. Eddie's a great character, his past is teased but not jammed down your throat, and there's always something to keep you turning the pages as fast as you can. It took me a while to come around, but I'm going to start recommending this book to everyone I can.
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated