rocksandroles 's review for:

The Sword-Edged Blonde by Alex Bledsoe

3.0

adventurous dark mysterious medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Plot

Strong character development: No

Loveable characters: Yes

Diverse cast of characters: No

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

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Pretty good book, it sort of read like a DnD campaign that the DM hasn't fully written and throws some twists into mid story with no real idea of the repercussions they'll have later on. There were a few threads I would have liked to see tied up, but over all it was a satisfying read.
Content warning for SA:

Rape and sexual abuse play an oddly pivotal role in this story, from the main character's backstory all the way up to his actions at the end of the book. Including these themes are not inherently a reason to write off a book for me, but I would have liked to see them portrayed in a more negative light.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Ableism, Body horror, Child death, Confinement, Rape, Sexual violence, Cannibalism

Ableism:

The main baddie is physically disabled as a result of him raping a woman. Troubling connotations.>