What do you think?
Rate this book
Grave Covenant
*** 2024 BBNYA SEMIFINALIST (Book Bloggers' Novel of the Year Award) ***
Ridley faces hell when his fiancee disappears, leaving only a cryptic note.
On a quest to get her back, his fate becomes intertwined with an insectile shapeshifter and an enigmatic, knife-wielding young girl with an agenda of her own.
If Ridley is to have a prayer at saving his fiancée, he will need the help of his strange new friends. For a god-like menace lurks deep beneath the Outskirts, waiting to add his bones to its collection. And Ridley’s fists won’t be enough this time …
He'll have to transform into something else entirely..
Ridley faces hell when his fiancee disappears, leaving only a cryptic note.
On a quest to get her back, his fate becomes intertwined with an insectile shapeshifter and an enigmatic, knife-wielding young girl with an agenda of her own.
If Ridley is to have a prayer at saving his fiancée, he will need the help of his strange new friends. For a god-like menace lurks deep beneath the Outskirts, waiting to add his bones to its collection. And Ridley’s fists won’t be enough this time …
He'll have to transform into something else entirely..
- GenresFantasy
ebook
First published June 30, 2023
1 person is currently reading
53 people want to read
About the author
Tobias Youngblood
6 books14 followersTobias Youngblood lives in Coastal Virginia, where he grew up inspired by the likes of Stephen King, J.R.R Tolkien, Michael Crichton, and Clive Barker, to name a few.
He loves the Alien movies, the Thing, and dark mashups of sci-fi, fantasy, and horror. His own work tends to blends these elements.
Tobias completed the Projectionists urban fantasy trilogy in 2025. He is now hard at work on a Nightmares series of short horror with co-author Oliver Shade, with six releases planned for 2026. Several sci-fi works loom on the horizon as well.
He loves the Alien movies, the Thing, and dark mashups of sci-fi, fantasy, and horror. His own work tends to blends these elements.
Tobias completed the Projectionists urban fantasy trilogy in 2025. He is now hard at work on a Nightmares series of short horror with co-author Oliver Shade, with six releases planned for 2026. Several sci-fi works loom on the horizon as well.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews
Read
February 19, 2026Read for Spfbo
Review to come!
Review to come!
July 3, 2023
Ilyana is an insectile shapeshifter with a dangerous interest in humans. Ridley is an amateur boxer with a death wish. Iris is a knife-wielding nine-year-old on a mission to find her father. Separate characters, each with their own goals, each struggling to overcome a haunted past. All will all be led to the same place: the corrupt center of The Outskirts, where a horror is waiting to be unleashed on humanity.
I absolutely enjoyed Grave Covenant. Being able to relate to insectoid characters is not something I would have expected. But author Tobias Youngblood did a great job creating the Vilskje, shapeshifting creatures who were never meant for this world. (That story is revealed in Windlyn Vale, GC’s prequel. Definitely worth the read.) Characters Ilyana and Seth, introduced in the prequel, come back into this story and develop more fully throughout the narrative. I wasn’t sure what path either of them would take until near the end, when each was called upon to make a life-altering choice. Nicely done!
The human characters were every bit as intriguing. I found it easy to connect to Ridley, a man tormented by shadows he cannot unravel and a love mysteriously lost. Iris, an extremely mature nine-year-old, was also easy to root for. I loved that she had been practicing knife-throwing for quite some time before her part in the story even begins. She is not your average kid. So, when Iris decides to find her missing father, I knew immediately she would not be easily deterred. (Spoiler: I was right.)
Unexpected side characters add to the story’s nuance, some more expected than others and some neither human nor vilskje. Not all is as it appears in this place. Even when I thought I knew what was coming, I was happily surprised more than once.
The world of Grave Covenant is dark, brooding, filled with shadows. Throughout, I felt as though the overarching safety felt by residents in The Outskirts was a thin veneer, layered atop lifetimes of secrets. The unfolding narrative pulls on these hidden threads, quietly weaving them into something even darker as the tale winds toward its climax in both subtle and more evident ways. By the time the Big Bad was finally revealed near the end, I could see how all those earlier events led to that moment. This realization only added to the depth of the story, the journey of its characters, and the richness of the worldbuilding.
Grave Covenant is the first book in the Projectionist Series. I look forward to the next volume so that I can see where these characters go from here. A must-read for lovers of dark urban fantasy.
I absolutely enjoyed Grave Covenant. Being able to relate to insectoid characters is not something I would have expected. But author Tobias Youngblood did a great job creating the Vilskje, shapeshifting creatures who were never meant for this world. (That story is revealed in Windlyn Vale, GC’s prequel. Definitely worth the read.) Characters Ilyana and Seth, introduced in the prequel, come back into this story and develop more fully throughout the narrative. I wasn’t sure what path either of them would take until near the end, when each was called upon to make a life-altering choice. Nicely done!
The human characters were every bit as intriguing. I found it easy to connect to Ridley, a man tormented by shadows he cannot unravel and a love mysteriously lost. Iris, an extremely mature nine-year-old, was also easy to root for. I loved that she had been practicing knife-throwing for quite some time before her part in the story even begins. She is not your average kid. So, when Iris decides to find her missing father, I knew immediately she would not be easily deterred. (Spoiler: I was right.)
Unexpected side characters add to the story’s nuance, some more expected than others and some neither human nor vilskje. Not all is as it appears in this place. Even when I thought I knew what was coming, I was happily surprised more than once.
The world of Grave Covenant is dark, brooding, filled with shadows. Throughout, I felt as though the overarching safety felt by residents in The Outskirts was a thin veneer, layered atop lifetimes of secrets. The unfolding narrative pulls on these hidden threads, quietly weaving them into something even darker as the tale winds toward its climax in both subtle and more evident ways. By the time the Big Bad was finally revealed near the end, I could see how all those earlier events led to that moment. This realization only added to the depth of the story, the journey of its characters, and the richness of the worldbuilding.
Grave Covenant is the first book in the Projectionist Series. I look forward to the next volume so that I can see where these characters go from here. A must-read for lovers of dark urban fantasy.
September 8, 2024
I had a hard time picking up the threads in this book, initially I really was beduffled. It starts off with Illyana, a member of the vilsje clan, a shapeshifter, able to take on any form but they're at risk of extinction. Her fascination with humans leads her to a whole lot of trouble when she's caught spying on a human and she does another thing she shouldn't have. Then we go straight into another character, Ridley, who is obviously a tortured soul, somehow going into a chapel, confessing to being the cause of his brother's death. Exit the chapel with a prayer to recite, we get to meet his fiancé, Ava, who comes across as sweet, supportive and maybe a bit delusional. She thinks there are extraterrestrial beings. Then Ridley saves a crow from certain death by other crows, placing it in a cage. But, the crow, and Ava both disappear.
I was even more confused by Ridley's co-worker, Ethan and his coercing Ridley to attend a company function, with a weird boss and even weirder wife...Add in another character, Iris, a young child who's father is missing and 20% of the book already read, and it feels random, with no idea how any of this ties in. And then, suddenly, IT DOES! It all comes together in a way I wasn't expecting, all these "random" events have PURPOSE! Nothing was random....everything has purpose. And I was hooked!
What I did find, even when I was in my state of confusion, were the characters, who impressed me. I sympathised with Illyana from the onset, her curiosity just got the better of her. So too did I feel for Ridley, his conviction that Ava didn't abandon him and his tortured soul called out to me. Iris, convinced she has to find her missing father, is an old soul, I really enjoyed the fullness of the characters, they were the reason I wanted to carry on reading, they were the reason I needed to see if they would prevail.
What started off as "huh?" turned into applause for the author, he did a terrific job of really getting into the meat of the characters, with a superb mix of extraterrestrials with humans and supernatural beings, all extremely well done. It's a read where it's difficult to place a finger on which genre it is, it encompasses a whole lot, science fantasy, urban fantasy, even a dash of horror, cause it WAS dark, and for one such as I, it's a reader's delight. Just as the author expertly concealed the threads, so too were there hidden threads of secrets. As each of the 4 main characters face their own demons, their choices and the repercussions of them, it layed out a really clever and rich tapestry of emotions, and all the ensuing events from the beginning, converge, dramatically.
So I'm left with this, BRAVO Mr Youngblood for the way you brought in the threads that seemed irrelevant to the realisation that EVERYTHING was relevant! In a well paced read which got more and more compelling the more I was reading. For a debut novel, accomplished, well written, imaginative and a great read!
I was even more confused by Ridley's co-worker, Ethan and his coercing Ridley to attend a company function, with a weird boss and even weirder wife...Add in another character, Iris, a young child who's father is missing and 20% of the book already read, and it feels random, with no idea how any of this ties in. And then, suddenly, IT DOES! It all comes together in a way I wasn't expecting, all these "random" events have PURPOSE! Nothing was random....everything has purpose. And I was hooked!
What I did find, even when I was in my state of confusion, were the characters, who impressed me. I sympathised with Illyana from the onset, her curiosity just got the better of her. So too did I feel for Ridley, his conviction that Ava didn't abandon him and his tortured soul called out to me. Iris, convinced she has to find her missing father, is an old soul, I really enjoyed the fullness of the characters, they were the reason I wanted to carry on reading, they were the reason I needed to see if they would prevail.
What started off as "huh?" turned into applause for the author, he did a terrific job of really getting into the meat of the characters, with a superb mix of extraterrestrials with humans and supernatural beings, all extremely well done. It's a read where it's difficult to place a finger on which genre it is, it encompasses a whole lot, science fantasy, urban fantasy, even a dash of horror, cause it WAS dark, and for one such as I, it's a reader's delight. Just as the author expertly concealed the threads, so too were there hidden threads of secrets. As each of the 4 main characters face their own demons, their choices and the repercussions of them, it layed out a really clever and rich tapestry of emotions, and all the ensuing events from the beginning, converge, dramatically.
So I'm left with this, BRAVO Mr Youngblood for the way you brought in the threads that seemed irrelevant to the realisation that EVERYTHING was relevant! In a well paced read which got more and more compelling the more I was reading. For a debut novel, accomplished, well written, imaginative and a great read!
February 5, 2024
Okay, so I do not even know how I would personally categorize this book. Urban fantasy might seem like a close designation. But it has elements of mythology, supernatural powers, interdimensional sci-fi, mystery, suspense, horror, fantasy (hey, there’s even a dragon), and classic hero (and anti-hero) journeys. The tale follows and weaves together the four main characters of Ridley, Iris, Siv, and Ilyana and some serious life defining and life-altering choices they must make. And it is pleasing to see that the characters have flaws, shortcomings, and everything you’d expect to find in a well written hero-quest. I think both Joseph Campbell and Maureen Murdock would approve.
The author’s creation of the Vilskje, insectoid-like shape shifters, gave me a feel of Nordic epic fantasy mixed with Sci-Fi. This mash-up worked well – as did all the other stuff Tobias throws at you in this book. Somehow, he manages to weave genres and characters together seamlessly and add to the nuance of the story. As a horror fan, I was also quite pleased with using Crows/Corvids in the story. As each characters’ tale unfolds, you can see the threads the author had weaved together to create this tapestry in his worldbuilding.
I don’t want to say too much that might be considered spoilers. Even though urban fantasy isn’t really something I read or look for at book fairs, I will be getting and reading the second book in the Projectionist Series. I also intend to go back and read the prequel called Windlyn Vale.
The author’s creation of the Vilskje, insectoid-like shape shifters, gave me a feel of Nordic epic fantasy mixed with Sci-Fi. This mash-up worked well – as did all the other stuff Tobias throws at you in this book. Somehow, he manages to weave genres and characters together seamlessly and add to the nuance of the story. As a horror fan, I was also quite pleased with using Crows/Corvids in the story. As each characters’ tale unfolds, you can see the threads the author had weaved together to create this tapestry in his worldbuilding.
I don’t want to say too much that might be considered spoilers. Even though urban fantasy isn’t really something I read or look for at book fairs, I will be getting and reading the second book in the Projectionist Series. I also intend to go back and read the prequel called Windlyn Vale.
July 5, 2023
More Goodness from Youngblood
I enjoyed Windlyn Vale, and now Tobias Youngblood has whisked me back to that world in this followup novel. Both story and writing style are excellent, and the pace is consistently fast throughout--no saggy middle :)
I found these lines memorable:
-"He found he could no longer speak, and his knees collapsed. He fell into a pile of himself."
-"Radius is just a scrawnly little *@#& from a broken home. Beat him like his daddy does and you get the Hippo in a few weeks."
-"'You? A savior?' he mocked. He pointed across the dungeon. 'There's a head laying over there that might beg to differ.'"
And there's a boxing scene that totally engrossed me. Sometimes action scenes get cumbersome, but this one is just right. There is much about the story that I liked, but I'll spare you the spoilers. I will say that this is not a book for kids, as it has a lot of spicy content. A lot of dark themes here, so if you like that sort of fantasy, definitely read this. And Windlyn Vale, while you're at it.
I enjoyed Windlyn Vale, and now Tobias Youngblood has whisked me back to that world in this followup novel. Both story and writing style are excellent, and the pace is consistently fast throughout--no saggy middle :)
I found these lines memorable:
-"He found he could no longer speak, and his knees collapsed. He fell into a pile of himself."
-"Radius is just a scrawnly little *@#& from a broken home. Beat him like his daddy does and you get the Hippo in a few weeks."
-"'You? A savior?' he mocked. He pointed across the dungeon. 'There's a head laying over there that might beg to differ.'"
And there's a boxing scene that totally engrossed me. Sometimes action scenes get cumbersome, but this one is just right. There is much about the story that I liked, but I'll spare you the spoilers. I will say that this is not a book for kids, as it has a lot of spicy content. A lot of dark themes here, so if you like that sort of fantasy, definitely read this. And Windlyn Vale, while you're at it.
September 27, 2023
I don't like this sort of story, which shows how good it is that I enjoyed every moment of it. Exciting and fascinating, imaginative, but with a simple, direct writing style, it is very well plotted in spite of having a large list of strong characters taking turns to dominate, and all carefully connected throughout the book. There are no dull bits, no hesitation in the plot development: the story keeps moving, with a purpose, as all the connected characters are brought closer together, sometimes in tragedy, sometimes in triumph.
I recommend this very highly, and look forward to the next part.
I recommend this very highly, and look forward to the next part.
September 11, 2024
An insect-shapeshifter is not something I had ever really heard of. And to me honest created an immediate Ick feeling in the pit of my stomach. However, Youngblood does a very good job of making an unlikely shapeshifter relatable and enjoyable.
This book is unique because of the diversity of characters, both main and side. This diversity is not only in social status, background, race but also in age. One of the main characters is in a 9 year old, knife wielding, young girl on a mission to find her father.
This is is certainly an interesting and worthwhile read. Surprising is all the right ways.
I was provided an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.
This book is unique because of the diversity of characters, both main and side. This diversity is not only in social status, background, race but also in age. One of the main characters is in a 9 year old, knife wielding, young girl on a mission to find her father.
This is is certainly an interesting and worthwhile read. Surprising is all the right ways.
I was provided an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.
July 9, 2023
Grave Covenant is the first in a series, and the pace has me hoping the next one isn't too far away. Strong characters, new races and intertwining story-lines kept me hooked to the end. Weaving familiar human stories with fantastical species both welcoming and sinister creates a new urban fantasy that entertains and compels. And if you think it's too long to wait for the next installment, go check out the novella Windlyn Vale, a wonderful prequel detailing the arrival of the vilskje species.
June 8, 2024
This is a captivating story! Tobias Youngblood weaves three story threads of three completely different individuals, into an outstanding story that is fast paced, vivid, and compelling. Ilyana, an insectile shapeshifter suffering an identity crisis, Ridley, whose fiancee left him, and 9 year old Iris whose father disappeared, find themselves facing an evil bent on destroying the world as they know it. I can't wait to read the next book.
October 9, 2025
I enjoyed this quite a bit. An unexpected breath of fresh air as far as some urban fantasy books go. I liked how all the parallel storylines, that appeared to be slightly disjointed at first, converged together. It really laid out this path for me, as the reader, to connect the dots without over-explaining things.
Looking forward to reading the next book to learn more about the consequences of the events in this one.
Looking forward to reading the next book to learn more about the consequences of the events in this one.
April 5, 2024
Interesting read. Several character's lives are given a voice, and they don't come together til the end, but it's neat to see how they all come together. It took a bit to get into this book, but it was worth the wait.
September 6, 2024
Grave Covenant(Projectionists#1) by Tobias Youngblood is a good book that I enjoyed reading. This book blends urban fantasy, shape shifting and thriller. I recommend and I am looking forward to more from this writer
March 1, 2025
Absolutely fantastic, full of secrets with lots of suspense to keep you reading.
Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews