You need to sign in or sign up before continuing.
Take a photo of a barcode or cover
4.29 AVERAGE
4.29 AVERAGE
Wat een fantastisch boek! Ben erg nieuwsgierig naar het volgende deel!!
challenging
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Reread, 2022: I totally missed this when I read this book years ago but there's a gay character here!! Not of crucial importance, true, but definitely subtly present
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence, Blood, Religious bigotry, Murder, War, Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Child abuse, Death, Drug abuse, Rape, Sexism, Torture, Kidnapping, Grief, Abandonment, Alcohol
Minor: Animal death, Cursing, Death of parent, Pregnancy, Fire/Fire injury
In exchange for my review, I received this book through a Goodreads giveaway
The beginning was slightly confusing--it's told from the Vernier's POV instead of Vaelin's and there wasn't much introduction to point that out. Once I got past that though, I was sucked in.
I was intrigued that Vernier was willing to listen to Vaelin's side of the story--he was able to admit (grudgingly at first) that he might not have the entire story. Plus, since he was a Chronicler, any history that he could discover was probably great for him even if he wouldn't ever publish it publicly. At the end, while he may have still been angry that Vaelin killed Seliesen, Vernier was seeing the bigger picture and realized that everything that had conspired to bring Vaelin to that point was nothing more than the need for vengeance of two people. He even understood that Vaelin may not have given him the whole story, but he did give him most of what he didn't know.
Watching Vaelin's journey from sad boy, angry that his father would stick him in an Order, to a man who quickly became one of the most legendary people in the Realm. Watching him become a skilled warrior, all the while fighting against the people who only wanted to use him as a means to their own end was very nice.
Can't wait to read Tower Lord!
The beginning was slightly confusing--it's told from the Vernier's POV instead of Vaelin's and there wasn't much introduction to point that out. Once I got past that though, I was sucked in.
I was intrigued that Vernier was willing to listen to Vaelin's side of the story--he was able to admit (grudgingly at first) that he might not have the entire story. Plus, since he was a Chronicler, any history that he could discover was probably great for him even if he wouldn't ever publish it publicly. At the end, while he may have still been angry that Vaelin killed Seliesen, Vernier was seeing the bigger picture and realized that everything that had conspired to bring Vaelin to that point was nothing more than the need for vengeance of two people. He even understood that Vaelin may not have given him the whole story, but he did give him most of what he didn't know.
Watching Vaelin's journey from sad boy, angry that his father would stick him in an Order, to a man who quickly became one of the most legendary people in the Realm. Watching him become a skilled warrior, all the while fighting against the people who only wanted to use him as a means to their own end was very nice.
Can't wait to read Tower Lord!
I sit here trying to think of what I want to say about this book, what words can I use to convince whoever may read this that, yes, it is worth their time.
All that keeps flashing through my head is...
Believe the hype!
There are countless reviews before and after this one that talk about how epic and great this story is. They all speak truth.
So, believe the hype! Read this. its good.
Its better than good...its...GOODEREST!
One of the gooderest stories I have read this year!
That's all I have to say...I don't want to sit here talking about it...I want to go read the next one in the series.
Bye.
Full review now posted!
There’s just something about school stories, be they wizarding schools or battle schools or even schools based in reality, that always just works for me.
I’ve always loved learning, and I love learning vicariously through others, even if the subject matter has no practical application. This is why Hogwarts will always feel like home, and why Battle School and all it inflicted on Ender Wiggin will always resonate for me, no matter how many times I visit. I’ve found another school that resonates, and that’s the within the cloister of the Sixth Order.
Vaelin Al Sorna is delivered to the Sixth Order when he is still just a boy of ten. The masters are harsh and the lessons are harsher, but Vaelin flourishes here. He builds a family from the boys in his training group; a band of brothers, if you will. And those brothers and the deep bond they have with one another is the heart of this story. And the person who keeps that heart beating is Vaelin, their leader and brother and the best of their friends. And Vaelin is aided in his leadership by the blood song, the otherworldly intuition that seems to course through his veins and direct his path, though sometimes Vaelin refuses to heed its cry.
This book reminded me of two other series I’ve read in the past: The Kingkiller Chronicles and A Song of Ice and Fire. As in The Kingkiller Chronicles, we have an incredibly interesting and infamous individual as a protagonist, and we have a framework surrounding the story, this frame being that said protagonist is dictating the true story of their life to a chronicler. Both Vaelin and Kvothe are fascinating characters, who endure much and accomplish much at a young age. Although I enjoyed The Name of the Wind slightly more than Blood Song, I have much more respect for Vaelin. I don’t know that I’ve ever come across another central character in a fantasy novel with more empathy and loyalty and selflessness than Vaelin. I was blown away by his character development.
What reminded me so much of A Song of Ice and Fire in this novel was the magic system. By which I mean that there wasn’t really a system. The magic was mysterious and feared by many, and was never explained in the novel. This made the magic feel ancient and wild, and like it was a foundational element of the created world but alien to the people of that world. I absolutely love unexplained and wild magic, so this was incredibly appealing to me. The users of the Dark - or the Gifted, depending on your point of view - were born with their power, and learned to either nurture, abuse, or ignore that gift depending entirely on themselves and their personalities and situations. I believe that if magic really did exist on Earth, it would resemble this more closely that any learned magic system.
For the first 65% or so of the book, I truly believed that this would be a 5 star book for me, and would take up residence on my favorites shelf. But the last third of the book really dragged for me, focusing too much (for my taste) on war campaigns and sieges than the character development I had loved so much in the first half of the book. I’m not trying to be sexist, but I kept feeling like I would’ve enjoyed the novel so much more had a been male. My friend Petrik (who adored this book) told me that this book partially inspired Red Sister, which I loved, and that Lawrence’s take appealed more to women. I have to agree, though I think that Blood Song has some of the best central character development I’ve ever experienced.
Because I haven’t heard good things about the rest of this series, I will be treating Blood Song as a standalone. If you’re a fan of coming-of-age stories, training schools, and incredible character development, I think you’ll enjoy this book. If you’re a fan of the aforementioned offerings as well as warfare and the ins and outs of battle campaigns, I can’t recommend Blood Song highly enough.
Original review can be found at Booknest.
There’s just something about school stories, be they wizarding schools or battle schools or even schools based in reality, that always just works for me.
I’ve always loved learning, and I love learning vicariously through others, even if the subject matter has no practical application. This is why Hogwarts will always feel like home, and why Battle School and all it inflicted on Ender Wiggin will always resonate for me, no matter how many times I visit. I’ve found another school that resonates, and that’s the within the cloister of the Sixth Order.
Vaelin Al Sorna is delivered to the Sixth Order when he is still just a boy of ten. The masters are harsh and the lessons are harsher, but Vaelin flourishes here. He builds a family from the boys in his training group; a band of brothers, if you will. And those brothers and the deep bond they have with one another is the heart of this story. And the person who keeps that heart beating is Vaelin, their leader and brother and the best of their friends. And Vaelin is aided in his leadership by the blood song, the otherworldly intuition that seems to course through his veins and direct his path, though sometimes Vaelin refuses to heed its cry.
This book reminded me of two other series I’ve read in the past: The Kingkiller Chronicles and A Song of Ice and Fire. As in The Kingkiller Chronicles, we have an incredibly interesting and infamous individual as a protagonist, and we have a framework surrounding the story, this frame being that said protagonist is dictating the true story of their life to a chronicler. Both Vaelin and Kvothe are fascinating characters, who endure much and accomplish much at a young age. Although I enjoyed The Name of the Wind slightly more than Blood Song, I have much more respect for Vaelin. I don’t know that I’ve ever come across another central character in a fantasy novel with more empathy and loyalty and selflessness than Vaelin. I was blown away by his character development.
What reminded me so much of A Song of Ice and Fire in this novel was the magic system. By which I mean that there wasn’t really a system. The magic was mysterious and feared by many, and was never explained in the novel. This made the magic feel ancient and wild, and like it was a foundational element of the created world but alien to the people of that world. I absolutely love unexplained and wild magic, so this was incredibly appealing to me. The users of the Dark - or the Gifted, depending on your point of view - were born with their power, and learned to either nurture, abuse, or ignore that gift depending entirely on themselves and their personalities and situations. I believe that if magic really did exist on Earth, it would resemble this more closely that any learned magic system.
For the first 65% or so of the book, I truly believed that this would be a 5 star book for me, and would take up residence on my favorites shelf. But the last third of the book really dragged for me, focusing too much (for my taste) on war campaigns and sieges than the character development I had loved so much in the first half of the book. I’m not trying to be sexist, but I kept feeling like I would’ve enjoyed the novel so much more had a been male. My friend Petrik (who adored this book) told me that this book partially inspired Red Sister, which I loved, and that Lawrence’s take appealed more to women. I have to agree, though I think that Blood Song has some of the best central character development I’ve ever experienced.
Because I haven’t heard good things about the rest of this series, I will be treating Blood Song as a standalone. If you’re a fan of coming-of-age stories, training schools, and incredible character development, I think you’ll enjoy this book. If you’re a fan of the aforementioned offerings as well as warfare and the ins and outs of battle campaigns, I can’t recommend Blood Song highly enough.
Original review can be found at Booknest.
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
N/A
adventurous
dark
inspiring
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Anthony Ryan mi svojí Písní krve připomněl, proč vlastně tak moc ten fantasy žánru zbožňuji. Pan Ryan se ukázal jako výjimečně dobrý vypravěč, u kterého by vás ani v nejmenším nenapadlo, že to, co čtete, je jeho první dílo. Dokázal mě s naprostou elegancí provést Vélinovým životem, donutil mě otáčet jednu stránku za druhou a s napětím čekat, co dalšího se stane. Svým světem mě uchvátil a neuvěřitelně nadchnul. A nezajímat se o osudy jeho postav bylo zkrátka nemožné. Já osobně jsem objevila svého nového oblíbeného autora a také jednu z nejlepších knih v tomto roce a pevně věřím, že někteří z vás by to mohli mít podobně.
Píseň krve doporučuji všem milovníkům fantasy žánru, tohle je prostě povinné čtení. A i pokud fantasy zrovna neholdujete, nicméně máte rádi výborně vystavěný příběh a nemáte problém s menší surovostí, doporučuji vám se po knize také poohlédnout.
Celá recenze se nachází na blogu: http://yours-fantasy.blogspot.cz/2014/12/recenze-pisen-krve-rv.html
Píseň krve doporučuji všem milovníkům fantasy žánru, tohle je prostě povinné čtení. A i pokud fantasy zrovna neholdujete, nicméně máte rádi výborně vystavěný příběh a nemáte problém s menší surovostí, doporučuji vám se po knize také poohlédnout.
Celá recenze se nachází na blogu: http://yours-fantasy.blogspot.cz/2014/12/recenze-pisen-krve-rv.html
This book was recommended to me by a student who learned I like the Harry Potter series. While it doesn’t compare to Harry Potter, and there was a little too much description of war, I did enjoy the story line and characters. I will continue the series.