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A review by samuelson_obi
The Ember Blade by Chris Wooding
4.0
I’d heard about “The ember blade” near a year ago and from the then early reviews I waited with anticipation for its release on audible.
I’d previously been introduced to Chris Wooding’s work when I read “Poison” nearly 10 years before; so, I already knew that he could write fantasy.
Now onto the book, the first instalment in the “Dark water legacy”.
To describe my experience in one word, I’d use, unexpected.
To start with it seemed to follow the common fantasy staple. Main character has it all, sort of. Main character is rich, sort of, things are going well, characters are having adventures, a land under occupation. Then a catastrophic event happens to turn things upside down.
These are not spoilers by the way. From that point onward, I was kept on my toes. Rather than just following the main, or should I say first characters we are introduced to a few more. A noble knight, a mysterious druidess, a warrior full of vengeance and hate.
Each character had their own motivations, their own past and their own secrets.
There were journeys through abandoned fortresses, plenty of lore, a shamanic type of magical system and a heist for a sword that could be used as a rallying point for the resistance.
The threat of the dread-knights dogging the character’s steps, served to create that sense of urgency and looming danger. I had no clue as to where this journey was going to take me.
This novel made me doubt motivations, made me wander and question, made me fear for the safety of those I rooted for and had me gasping in surprise and cheering our heroes’ triumphs, as well as wince in sympathy at their failures. I experienced the characters grow incrementally and possibly glimpse who they would or could become. The ending was satisfying, leaving some questions unanswered for the next instalment in the series. Can’t wait.
The fantastic narration by Simon Bubb suited this epic rich world, with a diverse character voice and accent repertoire, I never felt confused as to who was who.
This was a 4 stars for me; I really liked it.
If you enjoyed “The memory, sorrow and thorn” trilogy, I think you would enjoy this one to. But with a twist of lemon.
I’d previously been introduced to Chris Wooding’s work when I read “Poison” nearly 10 years before; so, I already knew that he could write fantasy.
Now onto the book, the first instalment in the “Dark water legacy”.
To describe my experience in one word, I’d use, unexpected.
To start with it seemed to follow the common fantasy staple. Main character has it all, sort of. Main character is rich, sort of, things are going well, characters are having adventures, a land under occupation. Then a catastrophic event happens to turn things upside down.
These are not spoilers by the way. From that point onward, I was kept on my toes. Rather than just following the main, or should I say first characters we are introduced to a few more. A noble knight, a mysterious druidess, a warrior full of vengeance and hate.
Each character had their own motivations, their own past and their own secrets.
There were journeys through abandoned fortresses, plenty of lore, a shamanic type of magical system and a heist for a sword that could be used as a rallying point for the resistance.
The threat of the dread-knights dogging the character’s steps, served to create that sense of urgency and looming danger. I had no clue as to where this journey was going to take me.
This novel made me doubt motivations, made me wander and question, made me fear for the safety of those I rooted for and had me gasping in surprise and cheering our heroes’ triumphs, as well as wince in sympathy at their failures. I experienced the characters grow incrementally and possibly glimpse who they would or could become. The ending was satisfying, leaving some questions unanswered for the next instalment in the series. Can’t wait.
The fantastic narration by Simon Bubb suited this epic rich world, with a diverse character voice and accent repertoire, I never felt confused as to who was who.
This was a 4 stars for me; I really liked it.
If you enjoyed “The memory, sorrow and thorn” trilogy, I think you would enjoy this one to. But with a twist of lemon.