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A review by thewulverslibrary
The Ember Blade by Chris Wooding
5.0
The Ember Blade by Chris Wooding was an absolute delight and one of the best fantasy novels I've read. I can definitely see myself continuing with this series. This is a really long story of revenge, redemption and anarchy. A country conquered and colonised by an Empire and our characters doing everything they can to overcome the odds.
This is a really long book and one of the flaws is that it definitely feels that way sometimes. There can be sagging, some little relevancy (so far) and some scenes that potentially could have been trimmed but the opening chapters are a carefully built craft that begin to snowball down a hill. This turns into a fast and exhilarating ride towards the end that leaves us wanting more.
Wooding's prose is written well and he implements his words carefully. There are no hard words being used for the sake of intelligence and the way he describes the struggle of the characters is nothing short of inspiring. The character building and plot twists are executed almost perfectly and can leave you with your mouth open for the rest of the book. There are real consequences for our characters and their actions and Wooding doesn't sugar-coat the story with quick fixes or diluted scenes for the sake of moving the story forward. The characters interact so strongly and their own personal suffering is a forefront for how they are built.
Wooding dictates culture and backgrounds so intricately set in a world both credibly and immersive. The Ember Blade holds some well-worn fantasy tropes as rebellion, love triangles, prophecies and mythical creatures but the way he has blended and mixed it all is utterly refreshing. There is a real fearful anticipation of what happens next whilst turning the page and the eventual payoff and ending hit so well that i completely admire the quality of this novel and can't wait to become overwhelmed with the rest of the series.
In my opinion, The Ember Blade is a fantastic reminded of both nostalgia and new intensity that prove that new fantasy can be done just as well as older fantasy. I would strongly recommend to pick up The Ember Blade.
This is a really long book and one of the flaws is that it definitely feels that way sometimes. There can be sagging, some little relevancy (so far) and some scenes that potentially could have been trimmed but the opening chapters are a carefully built craft that begin to snowball down a hill. This turns into a fast and exhilarating ride towards the end that leaves us wanting more.
Wooding's prose is written well and he implements his words carefully. There are no hard words being used for the sake of intelligence and the way he describes the struggle of the characters is nothing short of inspiring. The character building and plot twists are executed almost perfectly and can leave you with your mouth open for the rest of the book. There are real consequences for our characters and their actions and Wooding doesn't sugar-coat the story with quick fixes or diluted scenes for the sake of moving the story forward. The characters interact so strongly and their own personal suffering is a forefront for how they are built.
Wooding dictates culture and backgrounds so intricately set in a world both credibly and immersive. The Ember Blade holds some well-worn fantasy tropes as rebellion, love triangles, prophecies and mythical creatures but the way he has blended and mixed it all is utterly refreshing. There is a real fearful anticipation of what happens next whilst turning the page and the eventual payoff and ending hit so well that i completely admire the quality of this novel and can't wait to become overwhelmed with the rest of the series.
In my opinion, The Ember Blade is a fantastic reminded of both nostalgia and new intensity that prove that new fantasy can be done just as well as older fantasy. I would strongly recommend to pick up The Ember Blade.