A review by timefliesaway
Espada: The Will of the Blade by Anabel Colazo

adventurous dark hopeful inspiring mysterious reflective relaxing tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

A hidden gem. 
 
Didn’t expect the inside to be in the same beautiful colorful art as the cover! Surely is a very unique artstyle and quite mesmerizing to look at. The color palette as well as the designs are just hypnotic and fit the vibe of the world so well! Even though it plays around the Middle Ages, there’s something modern about it (not taking about the sci-fi aspect, just the way they dress, talk and all), and the art enhances that well. 5/5 stars for that alone. 
 
While there’s no romance as the main plot, there’s a lot of queer casualty & subtext. For example, it was kind of implied that two women can have biological kids (because magic?). Or that adoption is just as normal. The queen at least is bi/pan/poly, completely open about it, and no one cares about Ania’s little romance with her best friend Elisa either. They were so cute together (and I’m proud of my gaydar for having shipped them since the first page XP). No labels, completely normal. 
 
The characters are all really interesting and serve their purpose, but sometimes fell a little flat. Most have only one goal, and while they also have flaws, it’s all stereotypical, not in-depth. Although the main characters had some development, they too don’t feel that whole. 
I suppose that also has a lot to do with the length and pacing. It starts very slow, takes its time with slice of life and spends many pages following Ania’s daily idle life (which I didn’t mind, I love that trope!). But then in the 2nd half suddenly realizes that the end is nigh, that maybe the publisher doesn’t want more than 200 pages or so, that it needs to be rounded up now. While the ending is quite self-explainable, I found it a bit too rushed, a bit too open in some cases. 
 
I genuinely hope there’ll be a sequel, because there is so much potential for more. (Especially regarding the cute sapphics. I mean, let me quote them: “And the end of the world with you doesn’t sound like a bad plan.” <3) 
 
What I also found interesting was the Spain ‘versus’ Ireland. It wasn’t labeled as such, but the southern queendom looks a lot inspired by Spanish culture (and the artist is Spanish), whereas the northern kingdom seems Irish. Plus some asian-like cultures mixed in both lands. Not a combination I’ve seen before, especially cause northern kingdoms are usually always Vikings. A cool world-building aspect I would’ve wished to dive in more... 
 
Overall I enjoyed the read a lot though, and definitely recommend it to fantasy and sci-fi fans alike! And especially if you love slice of life with a bit of action! 
(Some other reviewers have said that it’s not suitable for teens, but I disagree. There may be bits of blood, but nothing worse than Disney’s 20th Century animation movies. I’d set the suitable age to 12 or even younger.) 
 
~ 
 
Thank you to Oni Press on Netgalley for an eARC. 
 
-07.04.25