Blood Ties

Castings #1

by Pamela Freeman

The Eleven Domains were forged in blood a thousand years ago. The blood is about to flow again.

Bramble is as wild as the animals she follows deep into the forest near her village. Her dark eyes betray her heritage - she's a Traveller, one of the despised original people of the Domains. And for as long as she can remember, she has wanted to take to the Road.

In Turvite, where ghosts drift along dark cobbled streets, Ash must leave his parents, and the Road, to begin an apprenticeship with the only person who will accept a Traveller - the scheming Doronit. But the gods who linger in the gloomy square have other plans for him...

From different ends of the Eleven Domains, death casts Bramble and Ash on journeys across valleys and mountains, and into the dark history of their ancestors.

Genres: Fantasy, Fiction, Epic Fantasy, Magic, High Fantasy, Science Fiction Fantasy, Adult

480 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published January 1, 2007

About the author

Pamela Freeman is an Australian author of books for both adults and children. Most of her work is fantasy but she has also written mystery stories, science fiction, family dramas and non-fiction. Her first adult series, the Castings Trilogy (Blood Ties, Deep Water and Full Circle) is published globally by Orbit books. She is best known in Australia for the junior novel Victor’s Quest and an associated series, the Floramonde books, and for The Black Dress: Mary MacKillop’s Early Years, which won the NSW Premier’s History Prize in 2006.

As of 2015, she will also be publishing historical novels under the name Pamela Hart.

Reviews

[Rusty's Ghost Engine (also known as.......... Jinky Spring) · Rating 3 out of 5]

Review also at
https://edwardsghostengine.wordpress....

There were things I really liked and disliked about this book. On the things I liked were the way the story flowed, the world building and the way this books sets things up for later books.

The writing style I found quite strange and I can’t really explain why. It was like trying a new flavour of candy and not knowing whether you like that taste or not. On the back of my copy it said this was one of the most original and beautifully written fantasy epics of its time.. I don’t exactly beg to differ but at the same time I don’t entirely agree, yes the story was quite original and yes the author managed to fully paint a picture of her world and action scenes but I myself just found the writing a bit weird and hard to grasp (well at first anyway). Oh well it just takes some getting used to I guess.

Like I said before I found the world very well described and I loved all the description of the natural landscapes as those were really brought to life well and had a lovely peaceful feeling about them. The world history was delivered gradually and also it wasn’t exactly spoon fed to us either as there were some parts the author let us imagine ourselves.

Another thing I thought could have been improved was the development of the main characters. I will also add here I really liked the short stories the author made about the backgrounds of people the main characters met as that’s definitely a different way of doing things 😛 However the main characters for me felt rather distant and their personalities could have been explored more. I’m not saying they were cardboard cutouts just that there could have been more to them in their personalities so to say.

This book was good and I will definitely finish the series but in next books I hope things will move a little faster and that I can emphasise more with the lead characters.

[Duckie · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a real mixed bag. On one hand, I liked the way relationships between people were tied to their ancestors' roles as invader/invaded. It was a clear reflection of the author's own Australian background and showed that people are never truly free of their histories. On the other hand:
1) The characters. Ash was well-rounded, but most of the other characters were rather two-dimensional. I found Bramble and her "Cooking and weaving and girl stuff is icky!" attitude annoying. Don't get me wrong, I like a good tomboy female character, but I have little patience with characters whose attitude toward traditionally feminine activities is contempt, rather than simple disinterest. It's petty, and it's a cheap way to write a character. I was also disturbed by the general sense of contempt I felt the author had for most of her non-Bramble female characters. I felt like the author judged one female character more harshly for considering an abortion, than Ash was judged for murdering people. This left me with a really bitter aftertaste after finishing the novel.
2) The pacing. The plot takes around 200 pages to show up. It got better from that point on, but I didn't like having to wade through 200 pages of Bramble bonding with her horse to get there. And I say this as someone who loves horses.
3) The frequent mention of rape to show that this is a Serious Book. It's a major pet peeve of mine when authors do this. Rape is not a gimmick, Mrs. Freeman. Rape is brutal, and violent, and terrifying. Good authors who use rape in their stories include at least one graphic, visceral description of it, so the reader understands the terror the victim feels every time rape appears as a threat. Offhand references like "He took me from the back. Both passages" don't cut it. I should be reading that phrase thinking "Dear God, what a horrific experience for someone to survive." Instead I'm reading it thinking "Wow, that kind of sucks." If you're going to include rape in your novel, Mrs. Freeman, you need to go all the way. Referencing it without ever describing it cheapens the crime, and feeds into the larger cultural perception of rape as something that "kind of sucks but isn't really that bad."
In conclusion, the writing had an easy flow to it and the parts of the book that dealt with ethnic histories and people's attempts to address the wrongs of their ancestral pasts were intriguing. But because of the way the author handled issues like rape and her harshness, almost contempt, for her female characters in general, I'm undecided about whether to continue with the sequels.

[Ana Sofia Ferreira · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a really pleasant surprise! I had it in my bookshelf for some time now and didn't manage to read more than half of it, then I'd drop it, and I don't remember why. But this time, I finally finished it!

This is the story of several people that live in different domains, but we have our three (sort of three) main characters: Bramble, literally a free spirit; Ash, a boy who's training to be a "security guard"; and Saker, the one we least know about but is some kind of wizard. What do they have in common? They are Travelers, people who are cast aside by the "new" people, the people of Acton. The three of them are guided by their blood and, consequently, by the Gods and other superior powers.

This story was slow but a really good surprise. It's completely different from the other fantasy romances I've read, so so different, and it stood out in a good way because of it. I really loved the fact that the characters interact with the Gods and the ghosts, but don't get me wrong, these ghosts have nothing to do with the ghosts in other stories, not is this a horror story. With this said, the worldbuilding IS ABSOLUTELY AMAZING, it's so amazing, it's honestly the strong point of this book, but the characters are so strong as well, it's wonderful. The characters seemed completely realistic and you could relate to them in several levels. As much as I like Bramble and relate somewhat to her, Ash still managed to be my favorite. I found that I could relate a lot to his feelings and his emotions, more so than with Bramble. The emotions the characters feel are extremely well written, that it doesn't exactly get boring although it has very little action. What I also really liked were the small chapters, written in first person, of others characters that Bramble and Ash would encounter on their separate journeys, as it gave us some background for that characters even if they didn't appear ever again. Maybe they'll show up in book two.

Still, what I really liked the most was how this mimicked history and real life, with the invader/invaded type of relationship between "races", and how some were considered superior and the others were seen as low by society. This was really well explained and written throughout the book, and gave it even more "essence".

But sometimes, just sometimes, it would get slightly boring reading the story of a different character that barely had anything to do with the story. Also, the back and forth between POV's sometimes made me slightly angry because I want to know what happens next to Bramble, not Ash, and vice-versa. As it has little action, it can get somewhat boring, but it never makes you really drop the book forever. I'm pretty sure I dropped it before for external reasons and not because of the book itself, as I wanted to come back for it for a long long time. I really liked the ending, but I must also warn you (and I don't know if this is a spoiler so I'll mark it as such, but don't worry, I don't say anything about the fate of the characters nor how it ended) that it doesn't have a cliffhanger nor a climax , but mainly because this is the first book of a trilogy so it was a very good way to introduce the characters and the world, so it was a perfect way to build up the story.

All in all, this is a really different and amazing fantasy story, that grabs elements that make it seem completely different from anything ever written. It's perfectly written, world and character wise, and I could relate to the characters completely, although the pace was just slightly too slow for me, and it doesn't have much action (but IT DOES have action). But I also believe this was the buildup for the second book, and so that one will have more action. Not that that means that it will be better, because the essence of this book is in the details. May the second book be available in a book store near me, I'll buy it.

[Kate Forsyth · Rating 5 out of 5]

Pamela Freeman is best known for her children’s fantasies, the Florimonde books which begins with The Willow Tree’s Daughter, and also for her biographical novel, The Black Dress, about the life of Sister Mark Mackillop. This is her first fantasy for adults and it is utterly brilliant. I haven’t read a fantasy novel that I’ve enjoyed so much for a very long time, and one of the reasons for this is the fresh and surprising structure of the book, which takes the time to tell the stories of a myriad of minor characters that would, in most fantasy books, be merely flat, stock caricatures. Pamela says that her strength is really in short stories, and so what she has done in this novel is interweave small, vivid, sad, beautiful or shocking minor tales into the overarching dramatic arc. This does not at all detract from the action of the book, because it makes us understand the world so much better and all the stories link back to the main story of our heroes, Bramble and Ash. I just loved this book and am amazed it hasn’t won prizes left, right and centre.

[Sofie · Rating 2 out of 5]

Freeman has a richly imagined world - the book is impregnanted with a deep history and culture that, while romanticised and idealised rather than realistic, lends weight to an otherwise non-existent story. Unfortunately, her timescale errs on the dramatic-and-unrealistic side - not only has the civilisation not developed at all in a thousand years (no science, no change in religion, politics or social values) they're still hanging on to the prejudice and wrongdoing that was engendered thirty generations ago. A thousand years is a long time for a people to sit stagnant on things like this, but these people act like the wars happened last Winter. It's an odd blend that just doesn't ring true, to me.

Her writing is clean, clear and evocative, and certainly the strongest element in her work. Despite the books other flaws, which would normally have resulted in a dog-eared bookmakr hanging out from one-third-in for the rest of eternity, her writing kept me interested enough to finish it to the end, even when I could clearly see there'd be no significant plot development for the rest of the book.

And there's one of the main problems - this isn't a trilogy, it's a novel in three parts. After the first plot-points, which occur a little later than you'd expect in a novel, nothing much happens but the following of those plot points. At least, nothing that coherently fits together to make an emotional arc or a story. It's interesting - things happen to people, they make decisions, and other things happen, but it doesn't seem to have much of a point. There's no answer to the character's starting states - nothing that shows how they've grown, their development, and the closure at the end seems shoehorned in at best.

There's no resolution at the end of this book. Their quests aren't remotely answered - in the case of some characters, it's not even clear what their journey will be yet. Which makes the book fundamentally unsatisfying, to me. I wanted a story, something that would finish what it began, at least in part.

And while the characters themselves feel dimensional, they're difficult to tell apart. Bramble was the only character I could keep track of - all the male characters blended into one another in short order. This was not helped by the fact that Freeman would stop the whole story to give us the point of view of another, inconsequential character. For example - one character killed a would-be-pick-pocket in self-defence, and spent a good deal thinking about the consequences of that. We then jump to a three-page POV of the death scene from said pick-pocket's point of view, a tangent which does not serve the story and does not give us any information we needed to know - it doesn't even give us anything unexpected. This happens several times throughout the book, and I'm at a loss as to why these interludes are there. There is no useful information in there. These characters are not important - we can see they're not important, and seeing things from their viewpoint doesn't add anything. They distract, confuse and slow down the book.

To me, those are big flaws, things that run right to the bones of the book and should have been addressed in the first or second draft where they could have been fixed relatively easily. So it is, I think, a testament to the quality of Freeman's writing that I still finished the book with a reasonable sense of enjoyment. While I won't be purchasing the remainder - I've no wish to slog through another lot of not-much-happening before the plot reveals itself - I will have a look at any other series or books she brings out.

[Yvonne Boag · Rating 4 out of 5]

Just finished The Castings trilogy by Pamela Freeman. It is quite a bit different from the normal fantasy books, it raised series issues that made you think. It was set in a pre industrial world where 1000 years ago the people had been invaded by another civilization. Now, the people who had been invaded were the minority and subjected to different laws then the rest of the population.

What I really liked about this story is through out the three books it didn't just tell the stories of the main characters. When a minor character was encountered, the author would tell their story as well, even if it was as little as half a page. The reason for this you find at the end of book 3. I really enjoyed this series and couldn't put it down. Highly recommend it.

[Craig Laurance · Rating 4 out of 5]

Blood Ties, the first of The Castings Trilogy (I bought the omnibus edition) is set in a generic fantasy land--feudal/medieval, where magic happens on the fringes. What is interesting is the precise prose and the character building. And the heroes (protagonists) are all ordinary folk--not a king or queen or disguised princess in sight. Rather, they come from the peasant/merchant class. The story slowly and carefully combines three viewpoints; all of them are members of an oppressed ethnicity loosely modeled after gypsies and some Jewish sects. The magic is subtle--in the form of ghosts, sprites and scrying, and woven neatly into the world. I look forward to reading the next volume.

[Ravindu Gamage · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've never liked books where there is no action and just world-building for sequels; this was an exception. The way that the author has woven the story certainly impressed me. I loved how the subplots and the minor arcs were written in a way that it massively contributes to the main narrative without deviating from it too much.

Even though it borrows creative elements from many acclaimed fantasy stories of the past, this book was unlike any fantasy book I've ever read. Excited to read and check what Pamela has in store for us in the next two books.

[Aparna]

Stars: 4 / 5
Recommendation: Well-written with a balance between ongoing tale and the parallel stories of other characters without missing a step. Keeping readers intrigued to keep going on, letting the mystique and reality shown in equal parts for any kind of reader to enjoy.

Blood Ties is the first book in The Castings Trilogy by Pamela Freeman first published in January of 2008. This book brings together three unique individuals from three different domains - Saker, Bramble and Ash - taking their first steps towards the change in the Warlords rulings.

A thousand years ago Eleven Domains were invaded and the inhabitants forced to go on road as travellers, and welcome no where. Now these Eleven Domains are ruled by the Warlords. However, larger elements like fire, earth, water and air, that the Warlords cannot control play their part, perhaps may become the end of the Warlords era. Some involved are sprites, fairies, and some are just human. This series covers their stories and how they bring the change.

Saker, the enchanter, from village of Cliffhaven in Cliff Domain; Bramble, a nineteen year old young lass from Wooding in South Domain; and Ash, a nineteen year old from the town of Turvite in Far South Domain getting trained to be a safeguarder; start on their journey from their respective locations. All with Travellers blood in them set on a path from their own Domains towards a central point, neither knowing that their paths would intersect and form a common goal - a goal to outsmart the warlords.

This is the first book Freeman has written for adults, up until then she had been writing children's fantasy fiction. Freeman has managed to keep us gripped to the book while she takes us into a world that is sort of semi-dystopian. A world where there is existence of spirits, ghosts, magic - both white and black - along-side humans and the everyday sufferings and gains; and politics and wars.

Freeman also veers off from the primary characters, giving more to some of the supporting ones, and tying their tales to the primary tales expertly. Most of her plot is written in a regular way, however some of her off-shoot chapters usually end up being first person narration.

Freeman has three different character portrayal with her main protagonists - one obsessed with the past and wanting to right the wrong; second confused if their spirit is alive or dead; and the third though smart and intelligent tends to reflect the decisions made in the now with the events from their past, becoming an easy mark for anyone. Such disparate characters, it made me wonder how she will connect them and get them to a common goal. It proved to be a very interesting journey.

Freeman doesn’t hesitate or mince her words when she is showing the readers the consequences of wars; the cruel ruling by warlords; or while relaying accounts from past about how much the inhabitants had suffered at the hands of Acton and his people. Every single one of them can be related to what we are facing in the real world now.

Wars are created because some king want to invade a land and decides it is theirs as opposed to the inhabitants; destroy the land, heritage and culture; sometimes eliminating a population or a tribe. It is so sad that that principle that the kings of past were doing is continuing with the rulers of now; although now it is not just about owning the invaded land. It has become more about who can be a super power over the entire world.

Freeman mentions that an earlier version of this first book had been her thesis for a Doctor of Creative Arts degree. I can see how much successful she was in getting that degree just by reading the book. I am not sure what to categorize this, but I landed at it being a mix of paranormal dystopian fiction. Freeman has warlords, fair people, travellers who are outcast, ghosts, enchanters, stonecasters and a battle simmering on the edges of the domains. A recipe that fits my label I guess.

Well-written with a balance between ongoing tale and the parallel stories of other characters without missing a step. Keeping readers intrigued to keep going on, even if the reader doesn’t believe in myths, spirits and hearing gods everywhere. She keeps the mystique and reality just in equal parts for any kind of reader to enjoy.

Looking forward to read the next book.

Spoiler Alerts:

1. Plot reveals:
a. Acton was the first war leader who had waged wars against the inhabitants before the world was divided into eleven domains.
b. Ash comes into possession of a cloak brooch that was owned by Acton, which he gives it to Martine, the stonecaster for safekeeping. Freeman has the picture of that on all three of her book covers. Will have to read the all the three to know the significance of the brooch. Despite having no trade ability, Ash can make ghosts talk.
c. An enchanter had placed a curse on Acton before she jumped from the cliff when Acton had invaded Turvite and taken over, Who is she?
d. Bramble, Ash & Martine all reach the Well of Secrets in Oakmere, in Last Domain at the same time although from different directions and for different reasons.
e. Safred, well of secrets, is daughter of a warlord, Masil, & Perian, Cael's sister. Which domain was Masil warlord of is unclear.
2. Sub-Plots:
a. The Eleven Domains are:
i. Far South Domain
ii. South Domain - ruled by the Warlord Ceouf; Beck is second-in-command;
iii. Three Rivers Domain
iv. Central Domain - ruled by Warlord Thegan, married to Lady Sorn. His people - Lefric "Leof"; Horst, the archer; Sully; Sig, the Sergeant; Faina, Lady Sorn's personal maid;
v. Western Mountains Domain
vi. North Domain
vii. Lake Domain
viii. Far North Domain
ix. Cliff Domain - ruled by one of Thegan's sons, Gabra.
x. Northern Mountains Domain
xi. Last Domain - ruled by Arvid
b. The Domains are bordered by:
i. Ice King's Country in the North West
ii. Foreverfroze in the North East
iii. Death Pass in the West
iv. Wind Cities in the South West
c. Bramble's family - mother, father, grandfather, sister Maryrose & her husband Merrick "Ric".
d. Ash's family - mother Swallow, father Rowan; Alured, the drummer; Cypress, the drummer; all Travellers on Road with music in bones.
e. Villagers from Turvite: Doronit & and her trainee safeguarders - Ash, Aylmer; Hildie; Elfrida; and the three Dung Brothers; Martine, the stone caster; Ranny of the Highmark; Dufe, killer-for-hire; Boc, moonstaff leader;
f. Villagers from Wooding - Sylvie, the stonecaster; Swith, leatherworker's father; Aden; Sigi, the brewster, her husband, Eril, the inn's owner & three toddlers; Widow Farli; Gerda, the tanner; Udall, the thatcher;
g. Lake People - Eel; Salamander; Steersman; Listener;
h. Villagers from Oakmere - Well of Secrets aka Safred; Cael, Safred's uncle;
i. Other people Ash, Bramble & Saker meet: Twins Ber & Eldwin; Gorham & his wife Osyth, their kids Hazel "Zel" & Flax; Maude, Gorham's mistress; Rawnie & Rumer, Osyth's sisters; Elva, Martine's adopted daughter, her husband Mabry & an infant boy named Ash; Fiske, an innkeeper; Halley; Lacewing "Lace" & Butterfly "Fly"; Gytha & Drema, Mabry's sisters; Barley, the potter;

[Judith · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have to start by saying that the author is a close friend, and I read this book in manuscript, so I am obviously not the most dispassionate of readers. I will also say that I rarely read the kind of fantasy that Pamela is writing here—I don't "get along with it"! I often find the epic cast of characters with strange names, and vast wanderings over uncertain terrain just lose me—but this was certainly not the case with "Blood Ties".

Pamela has always had a wonderful skill with characterisation (she's an award-winning writer for children and teenagers) and this skill is the heart of "Blood Ties". These characters are not cyphers—they are fully fleshed (even the dead ones!) and carefully drawn individuals. Similarly, the world-building in the novel is pretty well flawless. There was just one section in the book, when I read it in MS, that I felt "lost" (geographically, as it happens), and Pamela addressed that before publication.

But it's not just the physical world that she's created. The social dynamics, the history, the parallel worlds of the living and the dead—Pamela knows this world "down to the plumbing" (as Zilpha Keatley Snyder once said about creating alternate worlds), and the reader is in sure and confident hands.

It's a world where gods and ghosts live side-by-side with the living. It's a land taken by force from its indigenous people millenia ago—and the remnants of those people, the Travellers, remain outcasts in their own land. And it's a world where the dead may just not rest...

Certain scenes from this book have stayed with me over the months—I wont go into specifics, as they would be spoilers—and knowing a little of what's to come in Books 2 and 3, I can't wait to rejoin Ash and Bramble on their journey.

The book's Australian publisher is currently in negotiations for UK and US publishing deals. But if you're in either of those territories and you can't wait, then you can order it from gleebooks.com.au (and no, I'm not on the payroll).

[Craig · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a terrific book. Its unusual structure makes the first half of the book a bit difficult to stick with, as it's almost entirely devoted to world-building (and it is indeed a wonderfully unique world). Instead of the common path where the plot introduces the characters and the world they inhabit, the structure here is for chapters to introduce, develop, and follow major characters (and many minor), which organically leads both to the reader understanding their world and for the plot to eventually unfold. I usually hate split narratives - and it's even more difficult here in some ways, due to the lack of plot to carry things forward - but the storytelling (or charactertelling) in this book is so effortless and everything builds so naturally, that I felt very little frustration. The plot starts moving a little more quickly in the last half of the book as the characters' paths begin to converge, but the author never stops feeding more and more insight into the world's culture, often through brief profiles of very minor and passing characters. This depth of understanding of the characters' lives and motivations, and of the world itself, makes for one of the most satisfying books I've read in some time.

[EDIT] I initially gave this only 4 stars, but since the last two titles in the series definitely lived up to this ones potential (although both were more plot driven and somewhat less introspective), I'm upping this to 5 stars (and have given the other two 4). Overall I'd give the series 4 1/2 stars. Very impressive.

[Karen Field · Rating 5 out of 5]

Blood Ties by Pamela Freeman is the first book in The Castings Trilogy. It is also the first adult fiction novel the author has published,as she usually writes for children. I have read several of her children’s books and enjoyed them immensely. This book was no exception. In fact, it has qualities that make it stand apart from her previous writings. If you are a fan of the author, then you definitely will not be disappointed with Blood Ties.

The story is well written - smooth and interesting. The characters are not perfect people, which make them realistic, and they are likable and well rounded. And the world is believable yet enchanting.

I was especially impressed with the flow of the story. It is so easy to read, which makes it almost impossible to put down. From what I’ve heard, the second book (Deep Water) is quite the page turner so I’m looking forward to reading it soon. Another unique quality of the book is what I call the mini-stories of the minor characters. They give the story depth and allow the reader to view storylines from different perspectives, which is brilliant.

In all honesty, Blood Ties is the best adult novel I’ve read in a while. I highly recommend it.

[Ubiquitousbastard · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is another book I read because I came across it, not because I actively sought it out. That being said, I didn't know it was a blond people are evil sort of deal. Probably one of my least favorite tropes, what with being (formerly) blonde from blonds I find it a teensy bit hard to demonize said people. And that's what happens in this book. Acton's people are not described at all sympathetically except a few token characters, the rest are two-dimensional villains, even the common people are described that way. Overall, the oppressed people angle is overly done and got tedious about halfway through.

The characters aren't the greatest I've come across. Ash was interesting until about halfway through when he resolved his moral crisis, Bramble was mostly boring, and Saker wasn't fleshed out enough for my liking. I would have preferred a bit less horsey stuff and a bit more character development.

I might try the next book in the series, because I think there is some potential there, but it is not on my must-read-next list.

[Kerry C. Byrne · Rating 3 out of 5]

As I often do when I pick up a new book from the bookstore, I chose this book with no prior knowledge of it; similarly as I do when I get that new book, I also wound up enjoying it.

Blood Ties has an interesting twist on an old genre. The world is familiar, but the way the story is written is not. Maybe it's the fact that this is her only adult series, but I found the simplistic form of writing very charming in the setting; and something different from the usual fantasy book.

The characters were engaging, and the plot was well strung. The book had enough in it to keep me interested, and to keep me reading. Ash was my favourite character, by far, as he has the most room to grow.

All in all, I enjoyed it, and would recommend it to anyone who enjoyed a fantasy story.

[Gav]

Blood Ties by Pamela Freeman (Orbit)

I’ve been thinking about reading Blood Ties for some time. Pamela Freeman has been popping up on this blog and others for a little while now. Not in a buy-my-book-way but in a I-love-reading-and-thought-I’d-pop-by-way. But that attention by an author can make a reviewer a bit uncomfortable as it makes an emotional connection between the reader, the work and the author that might taint a review. Thankfully I needn’t have worried too much as Blood Ties is a strong addition to the fantasy cannon.

That’s not to say that it isn’t without in its problems. There are a few quirks, which I’ll get to but before I do I have to say that this is one of the most enjoyable fantasy books I’ve read in a while. The reason is that there is a sense that not only does Pamela have a plan, but it’s a good one.
The other thing that makes this a strong story are characters and their connection which is pretty much given away in the title, blood. They’re all Travellers, the original inhabitants of the Eleven Domains before before Acton and his people displaced and killed their ancestors before they were forced to become travel the Road.

We follow Bramble, Ash and Saker. Each has a calling in this story. We get some quite big hints nut I have a feeling that there is much more yet to reveal. We follow their journey and find out more about them and the people that they meet along the way. This isn’t as stiff as it sounds. For the most part who they encounter and what they do moves the story on and is down with a big breath of life.

Though one of the problems is that each character isn’t created equally and they don’t get the same amount of screen time. There is a point where I think that Pamela overindulges herself in Bramble’s story but I suspect that Bramble is Pamela’s favourite character and she probably shares Brambles connection to horses. It’s not a bad thing as such but it does slow the pace a little too much.

But each of the characters stories has its own importance and is a vital piece in the puzzle Each is three dimension and has a life of their own even if they are being guided by the gods.

Yep, I said the g-world and the gods in Blood Ties are tangible. Their presence can be felt and their influence is real as each of the characters is slowly finding out.

I really liked the development of Ash and how he grows and the choices he makes. Not bad for someone we first meet killing someone else in cold blood.

The only enigma is Saker but then he is on a journey of discovery and the reader discovers as he journeys. Each of their stories is entwined more and more as it goes along as comes together a lot more towards the end.

We also get snippets, almost small stories, of the lives of the minor characters, something that could be distracting but somehow it makes everything sharper and enhances the story.

There are wonderful little twists that I’d spoil by saying more but it shows that little seeds are being sown all the time. As with all first books in a trilogy the ending is only the beginning.

Overall, Blood Ties is a slightly flawed but highly readable and enjoyable start to a trilogy. I’m looking forward to Dark Water Deep Water, and that title gives me goose pimples.

[SpentCello · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a refreshing read! A great mix of excellent characters, political commentary, compelling plot and strong world-building - what more do you need? Freeman's characters particularly shone here, each of them felt real and their motivations were strong and realistic. The main political element of this book is the exploration of the negative effects of colonialism; Freeman's interrogation of this through her fantasy world shows the similarities to our world without become glaringly political and obtuse. Her world is permeated with systemic racism that is ubiquitous. While this is awful, it makes for excellent ground to explore issues of systemic racism and intergenerational trauma in our real world (while still working well as a self-contained fantasy novel).

My only complaint with this book was that I didn't enjoy the horse racing in the middle section. It's partly something I've never had an interest in and find dull to read, but also something where ethical treatment of animals can be ignored - and it is largely ignored here, with the novel mostly focussing on Bramble's positive relationship with animals rather than the negative practices other racers were undoubtedly engaging in. Not every book has to interrogate every ethical issue it touches, but I personally did not enjoy that (thankfully rather small) part of the book.

Despite this minor issue, I still thoroughly enjoyed this, and found it refreshing to read, particularly when taken next to traditionally male-written, misogynistic, glory-of-battle type fantasy.

[SBC · Rating 3 out of 5]

When I started reading this, I quickly realised it wasn't what I had expected. For some reason, from the blurb, I had anticipated this to be a book about a wild woman of the forest, someone who lived with the animals and communed with the gods. I quickly learned that Bramble had a family and lived with them in the village, which was disappointing. But I read on, and I feared it would be a little dark - there was talk of murder, blood, rape, from the opening paragraph. However, I'm glad I persevered. Although there is plenty of talk about those things, there is no gratuitous savoring of violence or sexual violence. The characters are interesting and well drawn and I really like the way the author has multiple narration, including short chapters giving insight into minor characters that we meet in passing. Although it's fantasy, not historical, I think the story really captures the reality of life in an era like this. The only thing I was a bit confused about was the characterisation of the gods. At different times we get told that they don't notice what is happening to humans (don't care?) and then at other times grieve for them. Maybe it depends on the gods (usually described as local)? I look forward to reading the sequel and finding out what happens next.

[December Sunshine · Rating 3 out of 5]

It took about half the book to convince me to be interested and not abandon it. The story itself is well-built and interesting, and the characters have a lot of potential.

However, the format and pacing really were the downfall of this book, despite the good writing. About two thirds of the chapters were only a few pages long, and the amount of character POVs just didn't work. I could see what the author was trying to do - give everyone a voice, see all the perspectives, not just one - but because she restricted their stories to one or two pages, and the book is littered with these character sketches that are not returned to, it takes a lot of time and focus away from the main characters and the story, and stops the reader from becoming immersed in it. The chapters I enjoyed the most were long - they did more than skim over someone's entire life in a few lines. The proportions simply didn't work; maybe they would have in a longer, or faster-paced book, but the pacing averages on leisurely at most.

Because of this consistent, if slow, build-up, I did enjoy the second part of the book. Given the plot, the next instalment might be more evenly paced, and hopefully less fragmented.

[Sadie · Rating 1 out of 5]

Disappointing, but the world-building and writing style saved it from 0 stars. But even those two things have their flaws. There is too much focus on too many characters. While the individual stories are interesting, they definitely got in the way of the story and slowed the plot to the point where it seemed like there was no plot. The main characters don't have the chance to be fully fleshed out, and they constantly turn to their gods for guidance and never really make any choices on their own. It's interesting and thought-provoking, and there are parts I'm curious about, but it's not enough to slog through the rest of this series. I think what the author was trying to do is admirable and a good idea, but the execution of it could have been done better. Even if it does all come together at the end, you need to be able to keep readers invested long enough to reach the end. Others enjoyed it, so it's probably just an acquired taste (as all books are).

[Aneta · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book actively annoyed me. I was going to write a rant review but... not worth my time. Intriguing premise and synopsis, but flat out bad, lifeless execution with minor exceptions.

Characterisation? Who needs that, when you can have characters run around doing whatever their gods tell them to, whisper in their ears and guide them through the plot like children through mist. Complex relationships? Who needs that when we can have "I just met him/her, he/she is sooo gorgeous, it's Troo Wuv, so we got married and had babies as the gods intended".

This book is 60% "prophecy/gods told me to do it", 30% horse stuff (the entire Bramble storyline), and only 10%... genuinely innovative, compelling ideas. For that 10%, my rating's 2 stars instead of 1.

I'm heartbroken.

[Hannah Belyea · Rating 3 out of 5]

A thousand years after their people were driven out of their lands - domains now ruled by warlords - three souls with blood on their hands will find their fates entwined by ancient gods: a woman on the Road, a boy learning to kill, and a man driven by revenge hard enough to call upon the dead. Freeman offers fantasy readers an intriguing tale, its multiple characters and perspectives engaging, though its timeline and mythical lore require more fleshing out. An unsteady millennium of peace has begun to unravel...

[Alon Lankri · Rating 2 out of 5]

Dnf 15%
This book started interestingly enough with hints of magic and fate. I was interested in seeing the necromancer's journey. Then it moved on to Bramble who was less interesting but with a bit of promise. Her part ended without a real hook. The next two parts had two more characters introduced without referring at all to the first two and I realized I had no connection to the story or sense of where anything was going other than warlord bad travelers will rebel.

[Soho_Black · Rating 3 out of 5]

The history of the Eleven Domains is a violent one, with the whole country having been overthrown by Acton and his armies some years before. Now the invaders live in the villages the original residents were removed from and those who survived now live a rootless existence as Travellers and are looked down upon and mistreated by the locals and the Warlords who control each Domain. Even those who have settled down and made a life for themselves and have cast off the road are treated with suspicion by those they live amongst.

"Blood Ties" follows three of these outsiders as they make their way in and through the world. Bramble has had to run away from her home village after accidentally killing one of the Warlord's soldiers. Ash is a professional bodyguard who has put friendship ahead of duty and had to flee his home as a result. Saker is different, as he is motivated purely by revenge; wanting to see his people reclaim the land, even if that involves raising the dead.

The story switches between the three main characters, occasionally branching off to cover the back story of some of the minor characters they come into contact with. Every chapter is listed with the character to be followed to ensure they are kept separate, although as I got further into the story and they all developed their own personalities, this was less important for the major characters.

This was the real strength of the novel, in that most of the characters were so well drawn you could really feel as if you knew them. There isn't any great attention paid to the way they look, other than to draw the distinction between the darker haired Travellers and the blonde invaders, but their personalities are separate and you can come to know them, especially Bramble and Ash and his travelling companion, Martine. There are flashes of romance and humour and you get the feel for travelling companions and people at ease with where they are, even if they have been forced to take to the road one way or another.

The one place where this was a little lacking was with Saker, who potentially had the more fascinating story, but who didn't get a lot of time, although his story may be covered in more depth in the other parts of the trilogy. Given that Ash and Bramble were more or less heading in the same direction and their stories were both largely about their journeys, I felt that more about Saker would have provided something different; given his aims, perhaps this would have been a little dark relief?

This way of telling the story did enable me to keep track of all of the main characters, but it did make the book a little patchy. On several occasions, it seemed that just as I was really starting to get involved with one character, their part ended and the story moved on to one of the others, or went off on a tangent with one of the minor characters. I can see the advantages in this approach, but I felt it interrupted the flow of the book in some places. The other problem was that some of these minor characters didn't feature again, so whilst their stories were often interesting, they didn't seem entirely relevant and felt a bit like space fillers.

The other problem I had was the issue of time. For most of the book I was never entirely sure if the characters were likely to meet, as there was no idea of what part of the year they were starting their journey and the passing of time was rarely discussed. Their paths crossed at different points, but I was never sure how much time had elapsed. Unfortunately, this meant that by the time they were close enough that it seemed likely they would meet, Freeman had to use a rather disappointing trick to allow their time frames to coincide. I've always disliked novels where strange events are explained away as magic and so this was a huge let down for me, especially as Freeman had proved up to this point to be a good enough writer not to have to resort to tricks like this.

This was a particular shame, as the book is otherwise pretty good. The character's lives and their motivations are well thought out, to the point that I had sympathy for the Travellers. As the story was more about the journey than any real trials they faced, however, it was tough to get too involved in things; I ended up wanting them to succeed, but lacking the compulsion to actively will them along as I have done with other novels. The story itself is an interesting one, even allowing for what I thought was potentially the most interesting part being slightly skimmed over and I liked the idea of the future being seen through stone castings and that of ghosts rising at a set point after death.

As an opening part to a trilogy this did succeed in parts, as it was good enough to keep me reading and I'm interested in how things may go from here, although in a similar way to Kate Elliott's "Shadow Gate", I wouldn't feel too badly about it if I failed to find out. It was a decent story, but unfortunately the writing style wasn't quite right for it, although it may well have succeeded better had the breaks been in different places. It's not the perfect read, but it's not at all bad and I've read far worse in the genre.

This review may also appear, in whole or in part, under my name at any or all of www.ciao.co.uk, www.thebookbag.co.uk, www.goodreads.com, www.amazon.co.uk and www.dooyoo.co.uk

[Gerri · Rating 3 out of 5]

It’s really 3.5 stars, the book is well written with a great story line, but the format of each chapter being about a different character with nothing to tie them together for more than half the book is off putting. Also it didn’t end, there should be an ending to a book, this just stopped. I hate that. I would have happily given this book a 5 star rating if not for those two things.

[Allison · Rating 4 out of 5]

I thought it was a fantastic book. But took a bit to get through and to understand each character since they didnt interact at all and since the 1st book is basically the back story until they finally do meet. Many parts made me cry. Expecially when it came to Roan. But it will be a trilogy i will continue to read since i bought the bind up.

[Mara · Rating 4 out of 5]

Pretty interesting start to the series. Starts with nice character studies, but is clearly tending towards some much more epic drama/intrigue. Wasn't at all confused by the constant narrator swaps, as other reviews indicate.

[Rebe · Rating 4 out of 5]

Haunting and memorable. It's been awhile since I read it but when I see the title it instantly conjures up mental images from reading the books, always a good sign. Read if you're looking for small-E epic fantasy with an interesting protagonist. Interesting and original ideas.

[Marta Carmo Machado · Rating 3 out of 5]

It’s an interesting experience, to read such different fantasy book, specially in terms of writing, but it’s also a bit confusing.
Maybe reading the continuation helps but nevertheless, it’s hard to create an attachment.

[Jacob Guilette · Rating 4 out of 5]

Blood Ties is written in an interesting style.... More

[Gerri · Rating 3 out of 5]

I hate non-endings 😡