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spacebetweenpages's review
adventurous
dark
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Content Warnings
Moderate: Emotional abuse, Kidnapping, Murder, Physical abuse, Blood, Bullying, Violence, Gore, Grief, Body horror, Panic attacks/disorders, Torture, Injury/Injury detail, and Mental illness
Minor: Death of parent and Car accident
lokibernstein's review against another edition
dark
funny
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? Yes
4.5
rania__'s review against another edition
5.0
4.5 stars
“Bravery is the absence of fear in the face of danger. Courage is about facing danger in spite of the fear.”
This book sucked me in from the very first page. The moment I read our main character’s chapter, I knew I was going to fall in love. What I really appreciated is that the MC was so much more different than the one’s you usually see in fantasy novels. For starters, it isn’t a badass female. It’s just a traumatized thief cursed with dark power who’s wanted all over the world. He’s also sassy and morally grey, so what’s not to love about that?
Our second main character is a soft cinnamon roll named Ellen who I’m going protect till my last breath. She just graduated from the police school, which over there is known as Cardplay, and the police are known as Jokers? Pretty creative I would say. I love how everything is to do with a game of cards. Ellen also has a very annoying older brother who had amazing character development and how do I know that you ask? Well because it started with me wishing I could gut him and ended with me going 'aw my poor baby' over him. Amazing progress, really.
The worldbuilding was done so beautifully and I could picture every single detail. Each character is unique in their own way and complimented the story so well. They’re also all queer and diverse which added so much to the story! Overall, I got a very strong anime vibe from the book and I adored it.
“She twirled, white hair and porcelain skin touched silver by the moonlight, with flung water droplets like stars around her. And Iori pictured himself has a meteor among them, no longer caught in this girl’s orbit but plunging helplessly through her atmosphere.”
The romance had to be one of my favourite parts of this book. The slowburn was just so good and when that moment you’ve waited for the whole book finally happens you just squeal out of joy because that’s literally all you can do. You can sense their undeniable chemistry from miles away, and this is one of those scenarios where everyone around them knows they like each other and they’re the only ones who don’t, and it’s honestly so cute!
There was never a dull moment in the plot, and the I have to say, some of the plot twists were really predictable but some of them just caught me off guard. The magic system is also so detailed, and surprisingly, it was really easy to get the hang of it. Overall, I had a lot of fun with this urban fantasy and I can’t wait to read the sequel (I hear it’s already in the works ;)!
“Bravery is the absence of fear in the face of danger. Courage is about facing danger in spite of the fear.”
This book sucked me in from the very first page. The moment I read our main character’s chapter, I knew I was going to fall in love. What I really appreciated is that the MC was so much more different than the one’s you usually see in fantasy novels. For starters, it isn’t a badass female. It’s just a traumatized thief cursed with dark power who’s wanted all over the world. He’s also sassy and morally grey, so what’s not to love about that?
Our second main character is a soft cinnamon roll named Ellen who I’m going protect till my last breath. She just graduated from the police school, which over there is known as Cardplay, and the police are known as Jokers? Pretty creative I would say. I love how everything is to do with a game of cards. Ellen also has a very annoying older brother who had amazing character development and how do I know that you ask? Well because it started with me wishing I could gut him and ended with me going 'aw my poor baby' over him. Amazing progress, really.
The worldbuilding was done so beautifully and I could picture every single detail. Each character is unique in their own way and complimented the story so well. They’re also all queer and diverse which added so much to the story! Overall, I got a very strong anime vibe from the book and I adored it.
“She twirled, white hair and porcelain skin touched silver by the moonlight, with flung water droplets like stars around her. And Iori pictured himself has a meteor among them, no longer caught in this girl’s orbit but plunging helplessly through her atmosphere.”
The romance had to be one of my favourite parts of this book. The slowburn was just so good and when that moment you’ve waited for the whole book finally happens you just squeal out of joy because that’s literally all you can do. You can sense their undeniable chemistry from miles away, and this is one of those scenarios where everyone around them knows they like each other and they’re the only ones who don’t, and it’s honestly so cute!
There was never a dull moment in the plot, and the I have to say, some of the plot twists were really predictable but some of them just caught me off guard. The magic system is also so detailed, and surprisingly, it was really easy to get the hang of it. Overall, I had a lot of fun with this urban fantasy and I can’t wait to read the sequel (I hear it’s already in the works ;)!
doodles_and_books's review against another edition
4.0
Thank you to the author for providing me with a review copy. This has not affected my review, which reflects only my honest opinions.
My full review can be found here!
It feels an integral thing to know that Bloody Spade was originally intended to be a manga, because that influence seeps off the page in the best way—from the way characters (and their outfits, and their whole ass transformation sequences!!) are described, to the magic system (and the battles!), to how the plot itself builds and develops and, ultimately, unfolds.
Bloody Spade reminded me of literally all of my favourite animated shows, and it was just so…bloody fun.(oh no, I think that might count as a terrible pun)
That’s not to say there’s not heavier things that need unpacking—because certainly, there are. Like any of my favourite animes, Bloody Spade manages to balance the low points alongside a whole lot of heart, and a whole lot of humour.
Largely, that comes down to characters. When I say I adored the entire cast, I’m saying that with my whole chest. This is one of my new favourite groups of superqueeros, okay?(technically it’s more magic than superpowers, but you get my drift) The entire cast is the best sort of rambunctious found family, complete with fabulous rep across the board. In particular, Iori and Ellen are the slowburn grump and sunshine pairing of my dreams. I knew I was a goner the minute that Bloody Spade employed the use of my literal favourite trope of all time within the first fifty pages *cough*hurt/comfort*cough* involving these two. The giddy flip-flopping of my heart that they put me through?
"Somehow, she made both him and this savage thing inside him feel safe. Made this room, this mansion, feel less like a prison, and more like a place that could come to have meaning to him."
My full review can be found here!
It feels an integral thing to know that Bloody Spade was originally intended to be a manga, because that influence seeps off the page in the best way—from the way characters (and their outfits, and their whole ass transformation sequences!!) are described, to the magic system (and the battles!), to how the plot itself builds and develops and, ultimately, unfolds.
Bloody Spade reminded me of literally all of my favourite animated shows, and it was just so…bloody fun.
That’s not to say there’s not heavier things that need unpacking—because certainly, there are. Like any of my favourite animes, Bloody Spade manages to balance the low points alongside a whole lot of heart, and a whole lot of humour.
Largely, that comes down to characters. When I say I adored the entire cast, I’m saying that with my whole chest. This is one of my new favourite groups of superqueeros, okay?
aria_'s review against another edition
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
There were many things I liked about Bloody Spade, and a few things I didn’t love as much, but most of all, while reading it I really loved how unique it is. Far too many fantasies follow the same pathway, becoming very much the same but Bloody Spade veers away from this in remarkable ways.
The story is told in a really interesting way, and is rich with many subplots that weave through and around the main narrative, making everything had an incredible amount of depth and meaning. This is all also supported by the complex magic system Willows has created, and I loved reading about the Empowered, and how they lived in the world of Bloody Spade.
Bloody Spade also has excellent diversity in main characters and side characters alike. The use of neopronouns in literature is unfortunately very rare to see, and in general it is sadly uncommon to read about LGBTQ+ characters in fantasy. This was not at all the case in Bloody Spade. I just really loved that aspect of the book.
The use of the third person omniscient narrator was done really, really well. Instead of being confined to one perspective, the reader was really immersed in the story and in the world by being able to see the many different things happening in the plot, and in all the subplots. I’ve found that I sometimes prefer omniscient narrators, or at least books with multiple narrators to a single, so getting to have more of the full story in Bloody Spade was really nice.
I did really enjoy reading about the characters, and I love how many there were who all got their own subplots and personalities and real character arcs. Alexander and Ellen Jane’s relationship was one of my favorites to read about. The two siblings are very much at the center of the plot throughout the book, and have had to go through a lot together. This ends up in a lot of stress on the both of them that creates tension, especially when a certain Keeper falls into their life.
Iori, the Keeper of the Spade, was a really tragic character to read about, and was definitely one of my favorites. The layers to his character arc and role in the story never ceased to amaze me, and I really enjoyed learning more and more about him as the book went on.
I also loved Kyani so much, and I thought that she had an incredible story. Through her perspective, I was able to grasp so much more of the world Willows created in the book, and reading about Kyani’s side of the story offered up a really unique perspective on all of the events of the plot.
There were so many other characters that I liked reading about, but those four were definitely my favorites. Together, they made the book all the more interesting to read, and were really the ones who compelled me to keep going through the book.
But, as much as I liked reading the book, not everything was as perfect. I think that my main issue with Bloody Spade was the pacing. I felt like at times dit ragged down some other parts of the book, and took away from my enjoyment of it. The book just felt really long in places, and I struggled to get through the second third of the book. The first part and the ending went really well, and I thought were written very nicely. It was really just that middle chunk that was a bit more difficult, and that I felt could have moved a bit more quickly. Other than that, I did adore reading Bloody Spade though.
Bloody Spade is a unique and entertaining fantasy novel, with an engaging plot and compelling characters. I really liked reading it, and if you like urban fantasy, slow burn romance, and are on the lookout for a book with excellent LGBTQ+ representation, you should definitely check it out!
Bloody Spade is a unique and entertaining fantasy novel, with an engaging plot and compelling characters. I really liked reading it, and if you like urban fantasy, slow burn romance, and are on the lookout for a book with excellent LGBTQ+ representation, you should definitely check it out!
michellehogmire's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Thanks to BookSirens for a free advance copy of this title, which comes out today Sept. 15, 2021 (happy pub date!). I'm writing this review voluntarily.
It's the seventh anniversary of Reemergence Day, when magic appeared in mundane reality, and another potentially dangerous incident is on the rise. Magic is complicated in the world of Brittany M. Willows' Bloody Spade: between the mythological realms of the Domain and the Void, magic contains elements both light and dark, and society has been deeply impacted by the emergence.
Enter two (seemingly) opposing forces and characters: first, Iori Royne, a young man who controls an incredibly wild kind of magic. As a figure called the Keeper of the Spade, he wields the menacing power of the Void and gets by as a thief, running from the authorities. Our other main character, Ellen Amelia Jane, exists on the other end of the magical spectrum: she's a Joker--a recent graduate of Cardplay, a magical policing force that aims to protect humanity from the darker side of magic. Ellen's brother, Alexander, is the most prestigious member of Cardplay, so things don't go well when she decides to assist an injured Iori. Actually, though, the Jokers will need Iori's help--he knows about the original architects of the Reemergence, and they're going to try to create even more chaos, unless they can be stopped. Throw in an evil inventor/corporation head who's willing to conjure deities, a criminal mobster-esque magical organization called Blackjack, and a woman who's forced to work with the enemy to protect her father, and you have the recipe for an incredibly original fantasy novel.
Author Willows' book contains excellent characters and amazing world building, culminating in an all-out battle for the fate of humanity, both Empowered (magical) and non-magical. Bloody Spade has it all: wonderful ace representation, complicated sibling relationships, and the perfect set-up for a sequel. I wish someone would make this into a video game, because I'd definitely play it!
the_critiques_of_a_fangirl's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
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? Yes
5.0
cloudedreads's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
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? Yes
5.0
I‘ve been looking forward to reading „Bloody Spade“ since I first heard about it in spring, so imagine my absolute joy when I found it on BookSirens and took the last reviewers spot. I devoured the book in just a couple of days and can say, without a shadow of a doubt, that I am glad I have already preordered it and will have my own personal copy come September.
The story begins less than a decade after magic returns to the world; after the Reemergence, some people gained powers and became Empowered, separating them from everyone else, able to do a lot of good – or a lot of evil. Iori is a thief and the Keeper of Spades, one of the four legendary keepers of Suits, but ever since the manifestation of this power, his life has been one tragedy after another. Ellen is an Empowered who lost her parents during the Reemergence and has just become a Joker, part of the ‘magic police’, whose job is to make sure that no one else suffers from a fate like hers. When their paths cross, a criminal and an officer, both have to make hard choices that might influence more than their own lives…
The story is written from multiple perspectives, which made it very easy to get familiar with the characters and the world, and paired with a visual writing style, this was a book that grabbed me by the neck and did not let go until I finished (seriously, I even read it at the breakfast table and during my lunch breaks). I found myself caring about the characters, main and side, due to how genuine they were. An especially important role in that played the different relationships characters had – whether they were siblings, family, friends or romantic partners, I believed them.
Another crucial part of this book for me was the representation, of LGBTQA+ group and of disabilities. Not only was the representation varied (and accurate, from what I, very subjectively, can say), it also felt nice to see more than one character on the ace spectrum in the same story.
All in all, “Bloody Spade” brought me a lot of joy (and the chicken scene at the end of the book made me laugh out loud) in the form of a good story with lovable characters. I can’t wait to return to this world in “Bleeding Heart”!
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
The story begins less than a decade after magic returns to the world; after the Reemergence, some people gained powers and became Empowered, separating them from everyone else, able to do a lot of good – or a lot of evil. Iori is a thief and the Keeper of Spades, one of the four legendary keepers of Suits, but ever since the manifestation of this power, his life has been one tragedy after another. Ellen is an Empowered who lost her parents during the Reemergence and has just become a Joker, part of the ‘magic police’, whose job is to make sure that no one else suffers from a fate like hers. When their paths cross, a criminal and an officer, both have to make hard choices that might influence more than their own lives…
The story is written from multiple perspectives, which made it very easy to get familiar with the characters and the world, and paired with a visual writing style, this was a book that grabbed me by the neck and did not let go until I finished (seriously, I even read it at the breakfast table and during my lunch breaks). I found myself caring about the characters, main and side, due to how genuine they were. An especially important role in that played the different relationships characters had – whether they were siblings, family, friends or romantic partners, I believed them.
Another crucial part of this book for me was the representation, of LGBTQA+ group and of disabilities. Not only was the representation varied (and accurate, from what I, very subjectively, can say), it also felt nice to see more than one character on the ace spectrum in the same story.
All in all, “Bloody Spade” brought me a lot of joy (and the chicken scene at the end of the book made me laugh out loud) in the form of a good story with lovable characters. I can’t wait to return to this world in “Bleeding Heart”!
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
tenoko1's review against another edition
4.0
I really enjoyed reading this book! I was ecstatic about it from the moment I saw the cover! And, yes, the book is Very Anime™ in all the best ways.
The author does a wonderful job of writing this book so you visualize it like an anime in your head, everything from the characters, their interactions, transformation scenes, Moments™, are familiar and easy to imagine. If you are a fan of anime, you will recognize a number of tropes, and your brain supplying you with overlay scenes not necessarily detailed, but familiarity with anime does a lot of work for you, building on what is there by presenting it, mentally, how you know the camera shots and such would be done from storyboard to screen.
I really enjoyed a number of elements in this, the playing card themes, an organization with extraordinary teenagers in training to be the heroes that save the day, expressive cat ears, the magical transformation element is very RWBY and Sailor Moon-- and it's delightful.
One of my favorite early scenes is when the "Jokers"-- the students studying to be heroes-- face off against Iori-- known as the "Keeper of the Spade"-- for the first time. They square off against one another, the Jokers calling forth their weapons as their uniforms becoming costumes, followed by all of them leaping in rushing forward assault against Iori. You can picture the way the frames and angles would switch up and change to capture and emphasize this larger-than-life battle.
I think familiarity with anime is, while not necessary, extremely helpful with this sort of story since it is a genre of its own and relies on a completely different type of storytelling not really seen in the West, with its own tropes, scene transition style, character paradigms, etc.
All of my other favorite moments revolved around Iori and Ellen-- enemies-turned-friends-turned-dot dot dot.
Ellen Jane is the younger of two siblings, newly sworn in as a Joker at Cardplay after graduating-- joining the ranks of her elder brother Alexander, Cardplay’s top Joker. The two of them are orphans, with the head of Cardplay-- Hikaru-- and his right hand and wife-- Elizabeth-- becoming their guardians, then into Found Family dynamic.
For all that they’ve grown up under the same roof, Ellen and Alexander are alike in appearance only. Ellen can’t NOT care about the health and well-being of others, with a kind, patient, and eternally optimistic demeanor that pairs well with it. Alexander’s character is vastly different.
Though initially introduced as a stoic, brooding hero and adoring older brother, you never see that. He’s hot-headed, impulsive, and overly dramatic-- and under the right circumstances, can go out of control like a spark morphing into a forest fire.
The story is at its strongest when it comes to Ellen and Iori, as individuals and when you put the two of them together. They have their own unique complexities, polar opposites in personality and life experiences, but they come together like pieces fitting into place.
I love the flirty moments-- like the ballroom scene-- and the tender moments-- the blanket fort scene-- and I adore the vulnerable moments-- like sharing a bed because neither of them wanted to be alone with their fears and nightmares. I loved the dreamscape sphere at the beginning and the tower rescue toward the end.
They were poignant, perfectly visualized scenes I could see play out like a real anime in my head.
They, more than anything else, carry the story.
Now. Reading enjoyment is subjective, so if you would like to stop reading this with only the positive things in mind, now is the time to do so. Below, I’ll go over the things that either rubbed me wrong as a reader or had the writer part of my brain (hello, ADHD, a brain like multiple computer tabs running at all times) pointing out issues like this was a writing exercise or something I was betaing for a friend, or even how I knew my beta would respond were this a project we were working on.
That's all said because the below is longer than the afore, but only because it requires more detail into why these elements didn't work for me or could have worked better with a bit more sanding and polish to smooth out the edges.
Ready?
You sure? As I said, these things are subjective, and I don’t want to color your reading experience if you haven’t read the book yet.
Alright, this part won’t be quite as linear.
1) There are A LOT of characters thrown at you from the very start. In visual media, this is less of an obstacle, because you’ll visually recognize them even if you don’t remember their name, and the scenes flow easily because of it.
Not the case with written media. I couldn’t remember all their names at the start, so I tried to remember them by association: the girl’s friends. Her brother’s friends. Guy. Girl. Gay. etc. But this was further complicated by names I couldn’t associate on sight were one gender or another. So then it was a lot of trying to remember who that character was, what their gender was, their sexuality, not even mentioning what they looked like. I still don’t have a mental image of what the friends of both siblings looked like. Wondering “Wait, which one are they?” throughout the book really messes with the submersion.
2) There is a lot of narrative dump, exposition, and showing without telling. Everything is spelt out for you, rather than woven in naturally here and there-- like lore on the suits or history-- or letting unspoken things tell their own story, like body language or the items in (or obviously missing from) a room. ‘Visual’ cues that allow the audience to read between the lines and put the picture together themselves. Some things are dumped on you when the story cannot move forward without those things being known-- like Ellen being gray-ace. Rather than us seeing her gym shirt when she runs into Iori, or noting her ring during a conversation when she gestures, a list of visual clues Iori catalogued are dumped in your lap because the direction of the romantic subplot hinges on him not pursuing things with her, at the moment, anyway.
3) Further, there are a lot of things that should have been a continual part of the narrative that were either glossed over or missing altogether. Why does Iori have cat ears and a tail when no one else has animal features? Why aren’t more characters reacting to something so strange? Wonder, awe, curiosity, wariness, rudeness, or just their eyes automatically tracking movement and then looking away? Why don’t we get more reaction from Iori about them? He’s completely different from everyone else in the book, unnaturally made that way, further isolating him from others but it’s never an issue, and it isn’t until much later in the book we’re told why he has them. That’s only compounded when we’re introduced to Kyani, and compounded on top of that is why she’s sick but Iori isn’t-- yet he’s the one with the ‘corrupt’ suit. What do they mean corrupt? How should his suit be if not like this? None of these are cleared up.
3a) Also, Iori’s trauma and the gaps in his memory, what triggers a panic attack versus living with a daily reminder of how different he is now, yet the daily reminders aren't an issue? Or a bigger issue? Mirrors are mentioned, but, again, it’s glossed over like a point that needs to be touched rather than a facet of a three-dimensional character. There’s so much telling rather than showing, not only regarding events but the characters' personalities and how/why they react.
4) I cannot stand Alexander. His entire character arc does not work for me. We’re not introduced to a character, made to love them, and then forced to watch them tragically spiral.
Instead, we’re introduced to an overprotective brother whose actions to protect his sister are actually belittling and condescending. Then, from there, every scene is just him reacting in such an over-the-top fashion and lashing out-- while still somehow being the victim? A victim of Iori’s scheming?? Yet only Alexander can see the Truth™???--, especially because we don’t have any idea why he has such an issue with Iori and is so obsessed with him. Alex genuinely comes across like a psychopath in later scenes where he puts people in danger and assaults Iori just so he can prove he’s ‘right’ and feel validated, having constructed this narrative in his head where he and Iori are arch-enemies in a constant battle with one another.
At one point, I threw up my hands, legit yelling, “Oh my god! Get the fuck over yourself! He hasn’t done anything to you! Iori’s living rent-free in your head while you obsess over him, but Iori never thinks twice about you!!!”
Then, when we get the info dump explaining to us (and Iori) why Alexander has such an issue with him, it just falls horribly flat. His reasons are so over-the-top and illogical, it's incomprehensible how he can believe it. Alexander's thinking doesn’t make sense. Not even a little. Made worse still by it being the first we’re hearing of this major thing he's holding Iori responsible for. Like, Alex, you’re drunk. Stop making an ass of yourself in every scene. Go home.
So, then, we shift from that into Alexander's false defeat, Darkest Night, then redemption arc, but none of it works because you haven’t been made to like him, much less sympathize, and you’re wondering how someone so volatile was, at some point, revered and seen as a model figure and leader.
And all of this with Alexander really hobbles the novel, the effect snowballing as the story continues and the plot points are woven into a streamlined arc rather than separated A-story and B-story, causing the novel to start out strong, stumble, struggle to regain balance, then-- finally succumbing to momentum and gravity-- faceplanting at the finish line.
Like I said, though, YMMV. I *did* enjoy the book a great deal and want to know what happens in the next one, but Alexander’s importance to the plot really worked against the overall story as we weren’t first made to like him, much less understand why he was acting the way he was. It left me trudging through his scenes and only enjoying the ones that didn't involve him.
**Special thanks to the author for sharing a digital copy of this anticipated novel in exchange for an honest review. I really *did* enjoy it.
The author does a wonderful job of writing this book so you visualize it like an anime in your head, everything from the characters, their interactions, transformation scenes, Moments™, are familiar and easy to imagine. If you are a fan of anime, you will recognize a number of tropes, and your brain supplying you with overlay scenes not necessarily detailed, but familiarity with anime does a lot of work for you, building on what is there by presenting it, mentally, how you know the camera shots and such would be done from storyboard to screen.
I really enjoyed a number of elements in this, the playing card themes, an organization with extraordinary teenagers in training to be the heroes that save the day, expressive cat ears, the magical transformation element is very RWBY and Sailor Moon-- and it's delightful.
One of my favorite early scenes is when the "Jokers"-- the students studying to be heroes-- face off against Iori-- known as the "Keeper of the Spade"-- for the first time. They square off against one another, the Jokers calling forth their weapons as their uniforms becoming costumes, followed by all of them leaping in rushing forward assault against Iori. You can picture the way the frames and angles would switch up and change to capture and emphasize this larger-than-life battle.
I think familiarity with anime is, while not necessary, extremely helpful with this sort of story since it is a genre of its own and relies on a completely different type of storytelling not really seen in the West, with its own tropes, scene transition style, character paradigms, etc.
All of my other favorite moments revolved around Iori and Ellen-- enemies-turned-friends-turned-dot dot dot.
Ellen Jane is the younger of two siblings, newly sworn in as a Joker at Cardplay after graduating-- joining the ranks of her elder brother Alexander, Cardplay’s top Joker. The two of them are orphans, with the head of Cardplay-- Hikaru-- and his right hand and wife-- Elizabeth-- becoming their guardians, then into Found Family dynamic.
For all that they’ve grown up under the same roof, Ellen and Alexander are alike in appearance only. Ellen can’t NOT care about the health and well-being of others, with a kind, patient, and eternally optimistic demeanor that pairs well with it. Alexander’s character is vastly different.
Though initially introduced as a stoic, brooding hero and adoring older brother, you never see that. He’s hot-headed, impulsive, and overly dramatic-- and under the right circumstances, can go out of control like a spark morphing into a forest fire.
The story is at its strongest when it comes to Ellen and Iori, as individuals and when you put the two of them together. They have their own unique complexities, polar opposites in personality and life experiences, but they come together like pieces fitting into place.
I love the flirty moments-- like the ballroom scene-- and the tender moments-- the blanket fort scene-- and I adore the vulnerable moments-- like sharing a bed because neither of them wanted to be alone with their fears and nightmares. I loved the dreamscape sphere at the beginning and the tower rescue toward the end.
They were poignant, perfectly visualized scenes I could see play out like a real anime in my head.
They, more than anything else, carry the story.
Now. Reading enjoyment is subjective, so if you would like to stop reading this with only the positive things in mind, now is the time to do so. Below, I’ll go over the things that either rubbed me wrong as a reader or had the writer part of my brain (hello, ADHD, a brain like multiple computer tabs running at all times) pointing out issues like this was a writing exercise or something I was betaing for a friend, or even how I knew my beta would respond were this a project we were working on.
That's all said because the below is longer than the afore, but only because it requires more detail into why these elements didn't work for me or could have worked better with a bit more sanding and polish to smooth out the edges.
Ready?
You sure? As I said, these things are subjective, and I don’t want to color your reading experience if you haven’t read the book yet.
Alright, this part won’t be quite as linear.
1) There are A LOT of characters thrown at you from the very start. In visual media, this is less of an obstacle, because you’ll visually recognize them even if you don’t remember their name, and the scenes flow easily because of it.
Not the case with written media. I couldn’t remember all their names at the start, so I tried to remember them by association: the girl’s friends. Her brother’s friends. Guy. Girl. Gay. etc. But this was further complicated by names I couldn’t associate on sight were one gender or another. So then it was a lot of trying to remember who that character was, what their gender was, their sexuality, not even mentioning what they looked like. I still don’t have a mental image of what the friends of both siblings looked like. Wondering “Wait, which one are they?” throughout the book really messes with the submersion.
2) There is a lot of narrative dump, exposition, and showing without telling. Everything is spelt out for you, rather than woven in naturally here and there-- like lore on the suits or history-- or letting unspoken things tell their own story, like body language or the items in (or obviously missing from) a room. ‘Visual’ cues that allow the audience to read between the lines and put the picture together themselves. Some things are dumped on you when the story cannot move forward without those things being known-- like Ellen being gray-ace. Rather than us seeing her gym shirt when she runs into Iori, or noting her ring during a conversation when she gestures, a list of visual clues Iori catalogued are dumped in your lap because the direction of the romantic subplot hinges on him not pursuing things with her, at the moment, anyway.
3) Further, there are a lot of things that should have been a continual part of the narrative that were either glossed over or missing altogether. Why does Iori have cat ears and a tail when no one else has animal features? Why aren’t more characters reacting to something so strange? Wonder, awe, curiosity, wariness, rudeness, or just their eyes automatically tracking movement and then looking away? Why don’t we get more reaction from Iori about them? He’s completely different from everyone else in the book, unnaturally made that way, further isolating him from others but it’s never an issue, and it isn’t until much later in the book we’re told why he has them. That’s only compounded when we’re introduced to Kyani, and compounded on top of that is why she’s sick but Iori isn’t-- yet he’s the one with the ‘corrupt’ suit. What do they mean corrupt? How should his suit be if not like this? None of these are cleared up.
3a) Also, Iori’s trauma and the gaps in his memory, what triggers a panic attack versus living with a daily reminder of how different he is now, yet the daily reminders aren't an issue? Or a bigger issue? Mirrors are mentioned, but, again, it’s glossed over like a point that needs to be touched rather than a facet of a three-dimensional character. There’s so much telling rather than showing, not only regarding events but the characters' personalities and how/why they react.
4) I cannot stand Alexander. His entire character arc does not work for me. We’re not introduced to a character, made to love them, and then forced to watch them tragically spiral.
Instead, we’re introduced to an overprotective brother whose actions to protect his sister are actually belittling and condescending. Then, from there, every scene is just him reacting in such an over-the-top fashion and lashing out-- while still somehow being the victim? A victim of Iori’s scheming?? Yet only Alexander can see the Truth™???--, especially because we don’t have any idea why he has such an issue with Iori and is so obsessed with him. Alex genuinely comes across like a psychopath in later scenes where he puts people in danger and assaults Iori just so he can prove he’s ‘right’ and feel validated, having constructed this narrative in his head where he and Iori are arch-enemies in a constant battle with one another.
At one point, I threw up my hands, legit yelling, “Oh my god! Get the fuck over yourself! He hasn’t done anything to you! Iori’s living rent-free in your head while you obsess over him, but Iori never thinks twice about you!!!”
Then, when we get the info dump explaining to us (and Iori) why Alexander has such an issue with him, it just falls horribly flat. His reasons are so over-the-top and illogical, it's incomprehensible how he can believe it. Alexander's thinking doesn’t make sense. Not even a little. Made worse still by it being the first we’re hearing of this major thing he's holding Iori responsible for. Like, Alex, you’re drunk. Stop making an ass of yourself in every scene. Go home.
So, then, we shift from that into Alexander's false defeat, Darkest Night, then redemption arc, but none of it works because you haven’t been made to like him, much less sympathize, and you’re wondering how someone so volatile was, at some point, revered and seen as a model figure and leader.
And all of this with Alexander really hobbles the novel, the effect snowballing as the story continues and the plot points are woven into a streamlined arc rather than separated A-story and B-story, causing the novel to start out strong, stumble, struggle to regain balance, then-- finally succumbing to momentum and gravity-- faceplanting at the finish line.
Like I said, though, YMMV. I *did* enjoy the book a great deal and want to know what happens in the next one, but Alexander’s importance to the plot really worked against the overall story as we weren’t first made to like him, much less understand why he was acting the way he was. It left me trudging through his scenes and only enjoying the ones that didn't involve him.
**Special thanks to the author for sharing a digital copy of this anticipated novel in exchange for an honest review. I really *did* enjoy it.
theespressoedition's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
medium-paced
5.0
Thank you to the author, Brittany M. Willows, for providing a digital copy of Bloody Spade for review.
"Bravery is the absence of fear in the face of danger. Courage is about facing danger in spite of the fear.
It's time to be perfectly honest: I have never found a self-published book that I actually enjoyed. Often, they're challenging to read because of the excessive world-building or over-explanation of minute details. That being said, The Bloody Spade blew me away!
I was hooked from the get-go, with the almost Aladdin-like vibes of the opening chapters. I wanted to know more about the morally grey Iori and the incredible magic system (revolving around ink monsters and a deck of cards) that was introduced right away. There wasn't a super slow world-building montage that lasted for most of the book. Nope. This book jumped right into the good stuff!
Ellen didn't fascinate me at first, though I did find her to be quite sweet - if not a bit naive. It took very little time for my indecisiveness about her character to vanish. She's precious and worth protecting at all costs. I appreciated her willingness to see the good in people who maybe didn't deserve it. Without her, the story would've lacked the sugar it needed to combat all the intense action and adventure.
There were a few moments that felt really predictable for me. The story was definitely not lacking in foreshadowing, but I didn't mind. It didn't take away from the thrill. And there were definitely plenty of thrilling moments. I found myself holding my breath during some intense scenes and urging the characters to make certain choices during others. It's not a particularly short book, but it will hold your attention from the beginning to the cliffhanger end.
I appreciated several additions: trigger/content warning page at the beginning of the book, a doctor requesting consent from a patient before touching them, and LGBTQIA+ representation (pansexual and asexual MCs, as well as several demisexual, bisexual, and even aromantic characters).
I'm anxiously anticipating the sequel to this book. I really can't wait to see what happens next to our incredible cast of characters and this unique world!
"Bravery is the absence of fear in the face of danger. Courage is about facing danger in spite of the fear.
It's time to be perfectly honest: I have never found a self-published book that I actually enjoyed. Often, they're challenging to read because of the excessive world-building or over-explanation of minute details. That being said, The Bloody Spade blew me away!
I was hooked from the get-go, with the almost Aladdin-like vibes of the opening chapters. I wanted to know more about the morally grey Iori and the incredible magic system (revolving around ink monsters and a deck of cards) that was introduced right away. There wasn't a super slow world-building montage that lasted for most of the book. Nope. This book jumped right into the good stuff!
Ellen didn't fascinate me at first, though I did find her to be quite sweet - if not a bit naive. It took very little time for my indecisiveness about her character to vanish. She's precious and worth protecting at all costs. I appreciated her willingness to see the good in people who maybe didn't deserve it. Without her, the story would've lacked the sugar it needed to combat all the intense action and adventure.
There were a few moments that felt really predictable for me. The story was definitely not lacking in foreshadowing, but I didn't mind. It didn't take away from the thrill. And there were definitely plenty of thrilling moments. I found myself holding my breath during some intense scenes and urging the characters to make certain choices during others. It's not a particularly short book, but it will hold your attention from the beginning to the cliffhanger end.
I appreciated several additions: trigger/content warning page at the beginning of the book, a doctor requesting consent from a patient before touching them, and LGBTQIA+ representation (pansexual and asexual MCs, as well as several demisexual, bisexual, and even aromantic characters).
I'm anxiously anticipating the sequel to this book. I really can't wait to see what happens next to our incredible cast of characters and this unique world!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Death, Death of parent, Gore, Murder, and Torture
Moderate: Bullying, Cursing, and Vomit