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A review by felinity
Blades of the Old Empire: The Majat Code, Book 1 by Anna Kashina
3.0
3.5 stars
A somewhat familiar fantasy plot: with a crown at stake the political arena has become murky; only the steadfastness of the bought mercenaries can protect the king and his heir, but someone is working against them...
While some plot elements and the overall characterizations were verging on predictable, most of that may be ascribed to the occasional lack of subtlety in both plot and dialogue. Nonetheless, it drew me into the conspiracy and kept me reading.
The rankings of the mercenaries, the powers involved, the Mirewalkers and the Forest Mother, all served to add a unique touch to the traditional story (though there were times when I could almost hear maniacal laughter from The Bad Guy). An enjoyable story, and a series I wouldn't mind continuing.
Disclaimer: I received a free ARC from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
Note: The author has let me know that many print and electronic copies are missing Chapter 49, a key chapter. My ARC did contain this chapter, but you may wish to check your own copy before reading - go to http://angryrobotbooks.com/blades if yours is affected.
A somewhat familiar fantasy plot: with a crown at stake the political arena has become murky; only the steadfastness of the bought mercenaries can protect the king and his heir, but someone is working against them...
While some plot elements and the overall characterizations were verging on predictable, most of that may be ascribed to the occasional lack of subtlety in both plot and dialogue. Nonetheless, it drew me into the conspiracy and kept me reading
Spoiler
despite the repeated use of the ACME-bag-of-tricks-magic herb and - unfortunately - more unrequited love. At least the love triangle wasn't fully realized, as the center remained apparently unaware of the problemThe rankings of the mercenaries, the powers involved, the Mirewalkers and the Forest Mother, all served to add a unique touch to the traditional story (though there were times when I could almost hear maniacal laughter from The Bad Guy). An enjoyable story, and a series I wouldn't mind continuing.
Disclaimer: I received a free ARC from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
Note: The author has let me know that many print and electronic copies are missing Chapter 49, a key chapter. My ARC did contain this chapter, but you may wish to check your own copy before reading - go to http://angryrobotbooks.com/blades if yours is affected.