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Deathsworn Arc #3
The Blood Queen
Imperial Wizard Saul Karza has dragged himself and his companions through hell.
Instead of falling into the Empress's arms and re-kindling their relationship, he finds she has regained her lost youth, leaving him old and frail.
His strong position at court is at risk, as thanks to Brael's 'Truth', he is forced to make a stand against the tyranny of the church. Even if he can maintain his position, he risks losing more than one companion to the brutal 'Blood Trials'.
The Deathsworn Arc Series of Dark, Epic Fantasy Adventure Novels:-
Deathsworn Arc : The Last Dragon Slayer
Deathsworn Arc 2 : The Verkreath Horror
Deathsworn Arc 3 : The Blood Queen
Deathsworn Arc 4: Rise of the Archmage
Deathsworn Arc 5: The Temple of the Mad God
The Deathsworn Arc is a fantasy series with themes of atheism and pragmatism, it contains graphic violence and mature themes.
Recommended for readers 14+ only.
Instead of falling into the Empress's arms and re-kindling their relationship, he finds she has regained her lost youth, leaving him old and frail.
His strong position at court is at risk, as thanks to Brael's 'Truth', he is forced to make a stand against the tyranny of the church. Even if he can maintain his position, he risks losing more than one companion to the brutal 'Blood Trials'.
The Deathsworn Arc Series of Dark, Epic Fantasy Adventure Novels:-
Deathsworn Arc : The Last Dragon Slayer
Deathsworn Arc 2 : The Verkreath Horror
Deathsworn Arc 3 : The Blood Queen
Deathsworn Arc 4: Rise of the Archmage
Deathsworn Arc 5: The Temple of the Mad God
The Deathsworn Arc is a fantasy series with themes of atheism and pragmatism, it contains graphic violence and mature themes.
Recommended for readers 14+ only.
- GenresFantasy
ebook
First published July 24, 2014
14 people are currently reading
156 people want to read
About the author
Martyn Stanley
14 books201 followersAward winning writer, Martyn Stanley is married to his wife, Rachael, and has two young children. He lives in a small village on the Staffordshire, Cheshire border and is a director at a small manufacturing unit. He has always been interested in writing, and over the years has spent many hours writing for pleasure on forums, as well as writing some short stories. "The Last Dragon Slayer" is his first novel, and his second and third books, “The Verkreath Horror” and "The Blood Queen" (along with other planned books), form part of the “Deathsworn Arc” series.
He has also authored the 'Lambton Worm' and 'Return of the Worm Slayer' a re-telling of an old English folktale and a sequel.
He has long been an avid reader of Terry Pratchett’s “Discworld,” and it was partly due to his love of this fantasy series, that he sought to write his own “epic fantasy” books. Unlike Terry Pratchett’s work, his books have a darker tone and address some adult themes, including questions of faith and moral philosophy.
Martyn has many other varied interests. He completed his Open University General Science degree and graduated with First Class Honours in 2019, the course material provided inspiration and ideas for his books. The course has also led him to read a number of other science-based books for pleasure, which has further strengthened his atheist leanings. As part of his degree he studied Creative Writing and Advanced Creative Writing - being awarded a distinction in the latter.
Martyn is interested in video games and gaming culture, particularly fantasy adventure and role-playing games. He enjoys playing the guitar, and spent a few years in a rock band during his miss-spent youth! Besides this, he has an interest in martial arts, and although no longer practising, due to family commitments, he holds a second-degree black belt in Taekwondo. This is something he would like to resume doing, time permitting!
His latest novel is the subversive YA Vampire novel, 'Ofelia'. which won the Literary Titan Silver Book Award for 2021.
Martyn won first prize for the DriveTribe 2017 Award for Best Article.
https://drivetribe.com/p/K8pjfBF2QISZ...
Martyn's 1st prize winning article:-
https://drivetribe.com/p/the-clarkson...
He has also authored the 'Lambton Worm' and 'Return of the Worm Slayer' a re-telling of an old English folktale and a sequel.
He has long been an avid reader of Terry Pratchett’s “Discworld,” and it was partly due to his love of this fantasy series, that he sought to write his own “epic fantasy” books. Unlike Terry Pratchett’s work, his books have a darker tone and address some adult themes, including questions of faith and moral philosophy.
Martyn has many other varied interests. He completed his Open University General Science degree and graduated with First Class Honours in 2019, the course material provided inspiration and ideas for his books. The course has also led him to read a number of other science-based books for pleasure, which has further strengthened his atheist leanings. As part of his degree he studied Creative Writing and Advanced Creative Writing - being awarded a distinction in the latter.
Martyn is interested in video games and gaming culture, particularly fantasy adventure and role-playing games. He enjoys playing the guitar, and spent a few years in a rock band during his miss-spent youth! Besides this, he has an interest in martial arts, and although no longer practising, due to family commitments, he holds a second-degree black belt in Taekwondo. This is something he would like to resume doing, time permitting!
His latest novel is the subversive YA Vampire novel, 'Ofelia'. which won the Literary Titan Silver Book Award for 2021.
Martyn won first prize for the DriveTribe 2017 Award for Best Article.
https://drivetribe.com/p/K8pjfBF2QISZ...
Martyn's 1st prize winning article:-
https://drivetribe.com/p/the-clarkson...
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Displaying 1 - 26 of 27 reviews
May 31, 2018
September has been a really shitty reading month for me. But as my last master's year is starting, I figured I'd get as many audiobooks as possible and read read read read and do some workout.
Unfortunately I could not find an audiobook for this book, but really, with this odd language they use in here, do I want to hear it? Guess not.
May contain spoilers! Read at your own risk!
Gah! It took Martyn two whole books before he made one that was following at least some common sense and made us sympathize with the goddamn characters. That's toooo long man, too long! But it payed off. In retrospect I see book two more as a filler than anything else, because... personally I think they should have come by the knowledge of the plague, the velkreath, Brael's half-broken curse and the mastermind leading the velkreath in some other way. I think that the two books can easily be compressed into one imo. But I digress.
When it comes to the characters, instead of loosing some we are introduced to more characters and while that may be... useful to some degree, I find Elden Roth and his curse rather meh. We are however treated to an overtly lengthy conversation between him and Brael about... half-elf sterility. *facepalm* Oh, well... *it's something*
There's also an introduction of two lesbian teens, that are sentenced to death and... *checks notes* oh and the main characters delve into Chronic Hero Syndrome again! for them. For the love of sweet baby Jesus! WHY!?
Now when it comes to the main characters it's same old same old. Votrex and Brael have not changed much. Votrex is still yer typical dwarf, saying 'aye' a whole lot, and Brael is still a crick in my back with his jarring formality and overtly long explanations. He even went as far as trying to justify why a certain self-made antagonist of Korhan's, Burgess be his name btw, is acting cocky from a physiological point of view. God, I've never wanted to smack a character across the face so badly!
Despite this, the scholar type fits so well, that I was actually BAFFLED when he asked Votrex to come with him and spend money on fine... weapons and armours. Of all things he could do with that money he is experiencing an out of character moment just to further advance the plot? Why not have Votrex ask him to come along and maybe THEN have Brael coax him into buying it because it's special for whatever dwarfish-runish reason.
Korhan was running around all this book saying how high and mighty he is, when in fact he's just a cocky teen with an injured pride. I kid you not, the more I read about his "I want to fight Burgess for the sake of my honor" the more it made me read Korhan like a whimpering teen. How old is he by the way? >.- I don't much like the book and the book-to-movie adaptation this quote comes from but Korhan is indeed "One part brave, three parts fool." *Put it together and what to you got? Bibity Bobity Boo!*
Aha! I knew Saul and Empress Jade had sex together! *lol* Called it!
Who I do care about tho is Vashni. I've always regarded her as this warrior-mage type of person, agile and arrogant, but I've never quite pictured her an assassin and also the sort of person that would undergo bikini brawls likethe "Blood Trials" :P It's also nice how the title of the book comes into play as an overarching idea that Vashni is the Blood Queen.
I think that’s all I can say about the characters. There’s not much change in terms of how formal they are with one another, though considering that they DID spend a week with one another you’d think they would become more informal.
Tying into this I have one complaint I will address and that is the fact that too often people tend to use other peoples’ first names lightly. No formality ensues just - Priest: Vashni, I was ordered to escort you to…; Vashni: Yes, thank you.
That’s not what they actually talked about, but my point is that there is no sense of formality between other characters, strangers and the main characters. We have so much formality between the MCs themselves and when you see strangers addressing them this informally or even THEM addressing other strangers (like the two lesbian girls, Empress Jade, Callen) so informally it begins to get a weee bit too jarring.
Other gripes I’d have would be the fact that characters tend to agree wholeheartedly and without a second notice to what other people are saying and thus this dos not create a conversation anymore, but a lecture, in which one talks and the other just nods. The more gripping conversations (and trust me 70 % of this novel is nothing BUT conversations) are the ones that characters share opinions and don’t just state something in a really matter-of-fact way (one of the reasons why I wanna punch Brael in the face). These however are few and far between.
Despite these gripes however, Blood Queen is an enjoyable read and the first book in the series that actually does not feel random.
We have things we can look forward to and anticipate, we can deduce future plot threads and guess where they will be going next. We have characters, if just a few, explored to a greater degree and we can actually sympathize with them as opposed to the other two novels. There are more complex themes in this one like: corruption, fanatism, and the validity of atheism, the consequences of a great revelation, vanity and one’s own personal pride.
And the story itself, makes much more sense when you think about it. It’s much more complex than it had previously been and it ties up plot points more neatly now.
The characters are much more easy to understand, if not relate. Vashni is not the stuck up bitch I thought she was in the first book anymore, Saul still shows some hints of incompetence, but don’t let him be anywhere near Brael, that guy will make everyone think they’re born stupid. And as for Korhan and Votrex, well they haven’t changed a whole lot.
The writing style, even if it sometimes awkward and unnecessarily over analytical, is a step up from the first two books. While I had difficulty picturing MOST of the scenes in the first books, I had almost no trouble in this one for some reason and this was achieved with just a few words here and there to give a sense of atmosphere. While not all scenes were painted vividly in my mind, those that were had a certain “night-elfish” feel to them. Song reference incoming: > https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gbhpa... – Music of Cataclysm – Nordrassil hope the song conveys a bit of the image I had in my mind. (I seriously hope it does, cuz I went back and forth between this and Nightsong :P)
Let's Rate This - 7.4 / 10
Setting and Atmosphere - 7
Plot - 8
Main Characters - 7
Secondary Characters - 7
Antagonists - 7
Writing - 8
Enjoyability - 8
Reviews for the Deathsworn Arc series:
The Last Dragon Slayer
The Verkreath Horror
The Blood Queen
Rise of the Archmage
The Temple of the Mad God
Well I guess, I’ll wait a bit before the next book comes out. That’ll take a while. :/
ONTO VICIOUS!
My reviews :) | My Blog | Twitter
Unfortunately I could not find an audiobook for this book, but really, with this odd language they use in here, do I want to hear it? Guess not.
May contain spoilers! Read at your own risk!
Gah! It took Martyn two whole books before he made one that was following at least some common sense and made us sympathize with the goddamn characters. That's toooo long man, too long! But it payed off. In retrospect I see book two more as a filler than anything else, because... personally I think they should have come by the knowledge of the plague, the velkreath, Brael's half-broken curse and the mastermind leading the velkreath in some other way. I think that the two books can easily be compressed into one imo. But I digress.
When it comes to the characters, instead of loosing some we are introduced to more characters and while that may be... useful to some degree, I find Elden Roth and his curse rather meh. We are however treated to an overtly lengthy conversation between him and Brael about... half-elf sterility. *facepalm* Oh, well... *it's something*
There's also an introduction of two lesbian teens, that are sentenced to death and... *checks notes* oh and the main characters delve into Chronic Hero Syndrome again! for them. For the love of sweet baby Jesus! WHY!?
Now when it comes to the main characters it's same old same old. Votrex and Brael have not changed much. Votrex is still yer typical dwarf, saying 'aye' a whole lot, and Brael is still a crick in my back with his jarring formality and overtly long explanations. He even went as far as trying to justify why a certain self-made antagonist of Korhan's, Burgess be his name btw, is acting cocky from a physiological point of view. God, I've never wanted to smack a character across the face so badly!
Despite this, the scholar type fits so well, that I was actually BAFFLED when he asked Votrex to come with him and spend money on fine... weapons and armours. Of all things he could do with that money he is experiencing an out of character moment just to further advance the plot? Why not have Votrex ask him to come along and maybe THEN have Brael coax him into buying it because it's special for whatever dwarfish-runish reason.
Korhan was running around all this book saying how high and mighty he is, when in fact he's just a cocky teen with an injured pride. I kid you not, the more I read about his "I want to fight Burgess for the sake of my honor" the more it made me read Korhan like a whimpering teen. How old is he by the way? >.- I don't much like the book and the book-to-movie adaptation this quote comes from but Korhan is indeed "One part brave, three parts fool." *Put it together and what to you got? Bibity Bobity Boo!*
Aha! I knew Saul and Empress Jade had sex together! *lol* Called it!
Who I do care about tho is Vashni. I've always regarded her as this warrior-mage type of person, agile and arrogant, but I've never quite pictured her an assassin and also the sort of person that would undergo bikini brawls likethe "Blood Trials" :P It's also nice how the title of the book comes into play as an overarching idea that Vashni is the Blood Queen.
I think that’s all I can say about the characters. There’s not much change in terms of how formal they are with one another, though considering that they DID spend a week with one another you’d think they would become more informal.
Tying into this I have one complaint I will address and that is the fact that too often people tend to use other peoples’ first names lightly. No formality ensues just - Priest: Vashni, I was ordered to escort you to…; Vashni: Yes, thank you.
That’s not what they actually talked about, but my point is that there is no sense of formality between other characters, strangers and the main characters. We have so much formality between the MCs themselves and when you see strangers addressing them this informally or even THEM addressing other strangers (like the two lesbian girls, Empress Jade, Callen) so informally it begins to get a weee bit too jarring.
Other gripes I’d have would be the fact that characters tend to agree wholeheartedly and without a second notice to what other people are saying and thus this dos not create a conversation anymore, but a lecture, in which one talks and the other just nods. The more gripping conversations (and trust me 70 % of this novel is nothing BUT conversations) are the ones that characters share opinions and don’t just state something in a really matter-of-fact way (one of the reasons why I wanna punch Brael in the face). These however are few and far between.
Despite these gripes however, Blood Queen is an enjoyable read and the first book in the series that actually does not feel random.
We have things we can look forward to and anticipate, we can deduce future plot threads and guess where they will be going next. We have characters, if just a few, explored to a greater degree and we can actually sympathize with them as opposed to the other two novels. There are more complex themes in this one like: corruption, fanatism, and the validity of atheism, the consequences of a great revelation, vanity and one’s own personal pride.
And the story itself, makes much more sense when you think about it. It’s much more complex than it had previously been and it ties up plot points more neatly now.
The characters are much more easy to understand, if not relate. Vashni is not the stuck up bitch I thought she was in the first book anymore, Saul still shows some hints of incompetence, but don’t let him be anywhere near Brael, that guy will make everyone think they’re born stupid. And as for Korhan and Votrex, well they haven’t changed a whole lot.
The writing style, even if it sometimes awkward and unnecessarily over analytical, is a step up from the first two books. While I had difficulty picturing MOST of the scenes in the first books, I had almost no trouble in this one for some reason and this was achieved with just a few words here and there to give a sense of atmosphere. While not all scenes were painted vividly in my mind, those that were had a certain “night-elfish” feel to them. Song reference incoming: > https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gbhpa... – Music of Cataclysm – Nordrassil hope the song conveys a bit of the image I had in my mind. (I seriously hope it does, cuz I went back and forth between this and Nightsong :P)
Let's Rate This - 7.4 / 10
Setting and Atmosphere - 7
Plot - 8
Main Characters - 7
Secondary Characters - 7
Antagonists - 7
Writing - 8
Enjoyability - 8
Reviews for the Deathsworn Arc series:
The Last Dragon Slayer
The Verkreath Horror
The Blood Queen
Rise of the Archmage
The Temple of the Mad God
Well I guess, I’ll wait a bit before the next book comes out. That’ll take a while. :/
ONTO VICIOUS!
My reviews :) | My Blog | Twitter
September 21, 2017
*** Editorial Review ***
I loved writing this book and I loved reading it back and editing it. To me, this is really where the story gets going. I feel like you really start to get to know the characters now. It's a complex book too, there's a lot happening in this story - as you would expect considering they are at the capital. I have my fears about this book, in order to setup the main story-line I had to ramp up the anti-theist themes in this book. It might put some readers off, but I think it's stronger writing, deeper characterization and more complex plotting. Some of the characters start to befriend each other whom you might not have expected to. Saul plays a bigger part here than earlier books, and Vashni and Korhan's interractions get revisited a little - though her attitude change which occurred in book 2 is still clearly present. In this book I think I give the reader a much stronger picture of who Brael Truthseeker is and why he's so unique.
I've sold half a dozen copies as I write this. I just can't wait to get some feedback! I really, really hope people like it.
*** Editorial Review *** - After Re-Read!
I've made a few corrections - look out for version 1.2! Overall, what struck me was that this now feels like a long book compared to the first too. As one reviewer pointed out, it does take a few chapters to get into it's stride. I DO like the 'Shadows in the night' chapter, I also really think things pick up a lot once Korhan starts preparing for 'The Bowl'. There were less issues towards the end, I thought it flowed very well and I think there's a real sense of tension. The twists and plot loops that tie up things at the I'm sure will be enjoyed.
I'm uploading version 1.2 soon, then it's back on to Deathsworn Arc 4: The Temple of the Mad God!
*** Editorial Review *** - After Another Re-Read!
I DO like this book. I really need to go through and check my facts for book 4, 'Deathsworn Arc: Rise of the Archmage' there's lots of stuff that gets referenced from this book!
*** Editorial Review *** - 2017 Re-read as part of DSA5: The Temple of the Mad God publishing preparation.
Okay, so I've re-read again. Mainly in the spirit of making sure I'm happy with book 5 which I'm also editing currently. The plot is getting complex. I hope the complexity has reached a peak though and will begin to consolidate now. Broadly speaking, I was happier with this than my recent re-read of Book 2 The Verkreath Horror which led to me publishing Version 7.0 of that book. For a spell, I was hoping this book wouldn't need another version. However, starting at page 45, with a missed double-word, I realized there were at least a few mistakes. Actually by the end of the book I think I'd found about a dozen minor tweaks I wanted in. I have a good friend kindly giving it a read with a promise to share her notes with me. It isn't a read for review, it's an ironing out the errors read. So many thanks Elda! Can't wait to get your notes, compare them with mine and initiate a 'fix plan'.
So what about the actual story? Well, as I've told readers before, this book has a very different tone to book 2. The characters have grown significantly, as have their relationships. Despite only a little over two weeks having passed since the start of book 1, the characters have gone from strangers to friends who trust each other. I am particularly pleased with how the relationship between Votrex and Vashni changes in this book. It seems natural and has a good steady progression. Vashni is a character who we learn a lot more about in this book too. This is really the book where she starts to become intriguing. i like the interactions between Saul and the Empress too. She's an interesting character whom I intend to revisit in Book 6, though her character changes dramatically. I like Elden Roth, he definitely adds something to the story. Not just for his special ability, but his care-free character and sense of humor. A favorite element of this book is definitely the villain of the episode - Burgess. From the moment he confronts Korhan in Taverna Sordia, there's an air of tension around him. I think he's such a great character, because I've met people who share his traits. The Blood Trials, I am really pleased with. Particularly the grand finale. Other great points? The Red Room, I think is a fascinating element and really adds to Vashni's character. I DID like the confrontation with Quin Farrell and I may bring him back into it later. However that chapter had a number of little tweaks needed. All in all I'm really happy with this book, but I accept there are a couple of tiny changes required here and there. I think it's a quantum leap from book 2, but I also think book 4 is an even stronger book. Is book 5 stronger still? I think each book has it's strong bits. In this book I think it was the Blood Trials and the relationships between Vashni and Votrex and Saul and the Empress. In book 4 I think it was the rescue of Kaya and Lindie, Vexis's story and her experiences in Berman's Rock and the journey into the sky. The final duel was good too I think. Book 4 felt like a strongly Vexis book.
So what are the strong stories in book 5? Well, the actual journey to the Temple of the Mad God is clearly one. But aside from that, it's the story of Fox Fletcher and her backstory about how she became who she is. Fox is fast becoming another favorite character of mine and I almost feel like she could end up with her own series or at least book. Also, Kaya and Lindie's journey too and stay in Briem is strong. Lindie in particular, has a very trying time dealing with the malicious Angela. I have something special planned for Lindie later down the line. She and Kaya are definitely developed more in book 5. What I think may be the most popular part of the book though, is Vashni's endeavours in Eldenizar. Her sister-in-law Ileandra is a really nicely devilish character. I really like the story in Eldenizar, with Vashni, Maris, Korzad, Suvi and Ileandra. For those interested, the truth of Hal HaSak and Venetha UlthiSira will be revealed, but not yet. Hal might get his moment in book 6, but I think it will be a while before Venetha's story is revealed.
I loved writing this book and I loved reading it back and editing it. To me, this is really where the story gets going. I feel like you really start to get to know the characters now. It's a complex book too, there's a lot happening in this story - as you would expect considering they are at the capital. I have my fears about this book, in order to setup the main story-line I had to ramp up the anti-theist themes in this book. It might put some readers off, but I think it's stronger writing, deeper characterization and more complex plotting. Some of the characters start to befriend each other whom you might not have expected to. Saul plays a bigger part here than earlier books, and Vashni and Korhan's interractions get revisited a little - though her attitude change which occurred in book 2 is still clearly present. In this book I think I give the reader a much stronger picture of who Brael Truthseeker is and why he's so unique.
I've sold half a dozen copies as I write this. I just can't wait to get some feedback! I really, really hope people like it.
*** Editorial Review *** - After Re-Read!
I've made a few corrections - look out for version 1.2! Overall, what struck me was that this now feels like a long book compared to the first too. As one reviewer pointed out, it does take a few chapters to get into it's stride. I DO like the 'Shadows in the night' chapter, I also really think things pick up a lot once Korhan starts preparing for 'The Bowl'. There were less issues towards the end, I thought it flowed very well and I think there's a real sense of tension. The twists and plot loops that tie up things at the I'm sure will be enjoyed.
I'm uploading version 1.2 soon, then it's back on to Deathsworn Arc 4: The Temple of the Mad God!
*** Editorial Review *** - After Another Re-Read!
I DO like this book. I really need to go through and check my facts for book 4, 'Deathsworn Arc: Rise of the Archmage' there's lots of stuff that gets referenced from this book!
*** Editorial Review *** - 2017 Re-read as part of DSA5: The Temple of the Mad God publishing preparation.
Okay, so I've re-read again. Mainly in the spirit of making sure I'm happy with book 5 which I'm also editing currently. The plot is getting complex. I hope the complexity has reached a peak though and will begin to consolidate now. Broadly speaking, I was happier with this than my recent re-read of Book 2 The Verkreath Horror which led to me publishing Version 7.0 of that book. For a spell, I was hoping this book wouldn't need another version. However, starting at page 45, with a missed double-word, I realized there were at least a few mistakes. Actually by the end of the book I think I'd found about a dozen minor tweaks I wanted in. I have a good friend kindly giving it a read with a promise to share her notes with me. It isn't a read for review, it's an ironing out the errors read. So many thanks Elda! Can't wait to get your notes, compare them with mine and initiate a 'fix plan'.
So what about the actual story? Well, as I've told readers before, this book has a very different tone to book 2. The characters have grown significantly, as have their relationships. Despite only a little over two weeks having passed since the start of book 1, the characters have gone from strangers to friends who trust each other. I am particularly pleased with how the relationship between Votrex and Vashni changes in this book. It seems natural and has a good steady progression. Vashni is a character who we learn a lot more about in this book too. This is really the book where she starts to become intriguing. i like the interactions between Saul and the Empress too. She's an interesting character whom I intend to revisit in Book 6, though her character changes dramatically. I like Elden Roth, he definitely adds something to the story. Not just for his special ability, but his care-free character and sense of humor. A favorite element of this book is definitely the villain of the episode - Burgess. From the moment he confronts Korhan in Taverna Sordia, there's an air of tension around him. I think he's such a great character, because I've met people who share his traits. The Blood Trials, I am really pleased with. Particularly the grand finale. Other great points? The Red Room, I think is a fascinating element and really adds to Vashni's character. I DID like the confrontation with Quin Farrell and I may bring him back into it later. However that chapter had a number of little tweaks needed. All in all I'm really happy with this book, but I accept there are a couple of tiny changes required here and there. I think it's a quantum leap from book 2, but I also think book 4 is an even stronger book. Is book 5 stronger still? I think each book has it's strong bits. In this book I think it was the Blood Trials and the relationships between Vashni and Votrex and Saul and the Empress. In book 4 I think it was the rescue of Kaya and Lindie, Vexis's story and her experiences in Berman's Rock and the journey into the sky. The final duel was good too I think. Book 4 felt like a strongly Vexis book.
So what are the strong stories in book 5? Well, the actual journey to the Temple of the Mad God is clearly one. But aside from that, it's the story of Fox Fletcher and her backstory about how she became who she is. Fox is fast becoming another favorite character of mine and I almost feel like she could end up with her own series or at least book. Also, Kaya and Lindie's journey too and stay in Briem is strong. Lindie in particular, has a very trying time dealing with the malicious Angela. I have something special planned for Lindie later down the line. She and Kaya are definitely developed more in book 5. What I think may be the most popular part of the book though, is Vashni's endeavours in Eldenizar. Her sister-in-law Ileandra is a really nicely devilish character. I really like the story in Eldenizar, with Vashni, Maris, Korzad, Suvi and Ileandra. For those interested, the truth of Hal HaSak and Venetha UlthiSira will be revealed, but not yet. Hal might get his moment in book 6, but I think it will be a while before Venetha's story is revealed.
July 1, 2017
First off, my sincere apologies to Martyn Stanley. I'm sorry it has taken me forever to get this review up. So sorry Martyn!
The Blood Queen is the best of the three books in the Deathsworn Arc series. A better read. More engaging book than the others in the series. Finally we get an inkling of what 'Deathsworn' is! Outstanding! The group of characters have only been together for such a short time but have bonded as if they have spent much longer with each other. In this book we have from the beginning a firm grasp on the relationships between all the characters. Which enabled me to enjoy the story that much more.
I have to say that Vashni has become a very likable character. Who, even though I wasn't a big fan of in the previous books, has aways been a badass. Her interactions with Korhan are so much more satisfying due to the mutual respect they have for each other in this book. The introduction of the new bard like Elden Roth is just a win on every level. Cursed with having to sing the truth, even of things he knows nothing about. He's not fully human and a smart-ass to boot. A wisecracking alien.. Nothing better! :D Not really sure what he is though.
In my opinion Saul was never much of a character. He didn't seem to be able to do much of anything. Always seemed so wimpy. I enjoyed seeing that he wasn't as inefficient in this book. We also get to learn about his past and his past with Empress Jade.
When The Truth was revealed I thought ummm...that wasn't much >.> I could sorta see it coming. In the Blood Queen we get to see that maybe The Truth isn't so underwhelming after all. We get to see how it is affecting not just the characters but the entire Empire. I won't say much about the Blood Trials, don't want to give anything away. Though I will say that the idea behind the Blood Trials is very clever.
Overall I found The Blood Queen to be a damn good read. Interesting and entertaining. I am looking forward to reading the next one. Write faster Martyn Stanley!
The Blood Queen is the best of the three books in the Deathsworn Arc series. A better read. More engaging book than the others in the series. Finally we get an inkling of what 'Deathsworn' is! Outstanding! The group of characters have only been together for such a short time but have bonded as if they have spent much longer with each other. In this book we have from the beginning a firm grasp on the relationships between all the characters. Which enabled me to enjoy the story that much more.
I have to say that Vashni has become a very likable character. Who, even though I wasn't a big fan of in the previous books, has aways been a badass. Her interactions with Korhan are so much more satisfying due to the mutual respect they have for each other in this book. The introduction of the new bard like Elden Roth is just a win on every level. Cursed with having to sing the truth, even of things he knows nothing about. He's not fully human and a smart-ass to boot. A wisecracking alien.. Nothing better! :D Not really sure what he is though.
In my opinion Saul was never much of a character. He didn't seem to be able to do much of anything. Always seemed so wimpy. I enjoyed seeing that he wasn't as inefficient in this book. We also get to learn about his past and his past with Empress Jade.
When The Truth was revealed I thought ummm...that wasn't much >.> I could sorta see it coming. In the Blood Queen we get to see that maybe The Truth isn't so underwhelming after all. We get to see how it is affecting not just the characters but the entire Empire. I won't say much about the Blood Trials, don't want to give anything away. Though I will say that the idea behind the Blood Trials is very clever.
Overall I found The Blood Queen to be a damn good read. Interesting and entertaining. I am looking forward to reading the next one. Write faster Martyn Stanley!
February 7, 2017
WOW! I so enjoyed this third book of Martyn's Deathsworn series. They are so beautifully and thoughtfully written and are an outstanding creation. It has taken me quite awhile to finish this book simply because the story is delightfully complex and detailed. There is NO way you can skip this book if you want to get it's full value of enjoyment. The journey and goals of our magical group of mixed breeds moves on in perhaps a quieter style than the second in the series. There are lots of surprising revelations as we learn lots more personal details about our 'heroes' in particular... Vashni. She provides us with fascinating new glimpses into who she is though there is clearly much more we have yet to discover about her. We find out what the heart stones are quite early on in the book. For me, I valued more and more the gradual overall growth of mutual respect and trust between all the members of the group as they learn more of each other. A new member joins them and the Emperor has surprises of her own. The Blood Trials - They are so interesting and exciting. It is not an easy book to review as there is so much to think about and discuss. Issues of faiths, the church, court politics, flawed humanity, courage, wisdom, morals... lots of twists as the plot moves forward. Where do I end this review? Perhaps just to say this is an outstanding series. I have already purchased the 4th book and am looking forward very much to continuing the saga of this little group's growth in strength, wisdom and togetherness; in every way. I am looking forward to learning more about each of the characters and especially looking forward to more of Vashni's history. If you are into top class fantasy do read these wonderful books.
January 22, 2016
Bring it on Martyn Stanley you have me hooked, In this 3rd book, Mr. Stanley truly brings his characters forward and shows what they are made of, He also allows for "human" or whatever species they may be, mistakes. Each character is building their own character becoming who they will be in the end. This series allows the characters to become someone new or old or well whatever they need to be. In this book you will find many of the old characters and plenty of new ones to wonder about, I too wonder what will become of the sword habinger after the description given to us later on in this book. If you want a predictable, simple character read this is not it. The series only gets better the further it gets. Will doors be open, how many lives will change and how many lives will be lost? the mystery that you thought would be revealed only gets deeper and the lives each has led to now is quite interesting and complex.
June 4, 2016
This is the third book in the 'Deathworm' series and my favourite so far.
The story was good and I liked that the mystery surrounding the heart stones was finally revealed. Ever since Saul, mentioned them in the first book I've often wondered about them.
The 'Blood Trials', which is a fighting competition, I thought were good. I thought it was interesting that the Empress had not long started them up again.
Saul and Vashni were my favourite characters in this one. I liked that you learnt more about their past which the other two books didn't go into.
Saul, takes more of a lead in the action in this one to help save some people. What Vashni revealed about herself was not what I was expecting but I liked it.
Out of the group, Korhan didn't come across well in this story. He annoyed me the way he was fighting just so that he could prove a point.
I liked the new character Elden Roth, who joins the group. It was interesting that he could sing the truth. You didn't find out a lot about him, but I think you will soon. Brael and the effect his 'Truth' has on people could be felt further in this book. Votrex and Brael were ok, but I liked them better in previous books.
Empress Jade, I just couldn't take to. She just didn't come across as likeable.
The only part that I found disappointing was that the servants of the flame weren't in it. But they and the mystery human who is helping the Verkreath, will be in it later I think.
Thank you! to the author for a copy of this book in exchange for a honest review. I really enjoyed it and can't wait to read book 4.
The story was good and I liked that the mystery surrounding the heart stones was finally revealed. Ever since Saul, mentioned them in the first book I've often wondered about them.
The 'Blood Trials', which is a fighting competition, I thought were good. I thought it was interesting that the Empress had not long started them up again.
Saul and Vashni were my favourite characters in this one. I liked that you learnt more about their past which the other two books didn't go into.
Saul, takes more of a lead in the action in this one to help save some people. What Vashni revealed about herself was not what I was expecting but I liked it.
Out of the group, Korhan didn't come across well in this story. He annoyed me the way he was fighting just so that he could prove a point.
I liked the new character Elden Roth, who joins the group. It was interesting that he could sing the truth. You didn't find out a lot about him, but I think you will soon. Brael and the effect his 'Truth' has on people could be felt further in this book. Votrex and Brael were ok, but I liked them better in previous books.
Empress Jade, I just couldn't take to. She just didn't come across as likeable.
The only part that I found disappointing was that the servants of the flame weren't in it. But they and the mystery human who is helping the Verkreath, will be in it later I think.
Thank you! to the author for a copy of this book in exchange for a honest review. I really enjoyed it and can't wait to read book 4.
November 19, 2017
Mr Stanley has done it again, another lovely installment of the Deathsworn series. The band of adventurers have finished their mission and hurry back to the capital with disturbing news. On the way they pick up another lost soul, this one is cursed to sing the truth. When the get back they find the realm under attack. Saul Karza had taken the quest to slay the dragon to rekindle his love affair with Empress Jade, but soon finds out that he was sadly mistaken. The Empress also reveals a disturbing secret about herself. The others are just happy to have a rest and collect their reward. Korhan gets into a stupid challenge with an old rival and Vashni has to step in and save the day. In this episode the Elf reveals much more about her past life. The poor adventurers really don't have time for rest, as they plunge into righting an injustice. All great stuff. If you have enjoyed the previous books, then will know what to expect. The characters can hardly catch their breath as they revolve one bad situation only to find another in its place. I would recommend this to any sword and sorcery fan.
October 9, 2017
Good story but with one flaw: too many commas - a hell of a lot of them in completely the wrong places and contexts. Also, putting a comma before "but" or "and" is a grammatical no-no which we learned about as kids. Nevertheless.....
I did enjoy the narrative and the outcome of the Blood Trials. I guessed the Blood Queen's identity when the companions were being briefed as to how the Trials worked. There was such authority in that explanation that it clicked almost immediately.
One other point caught my attention: the idea of using blood to preserve or restore one's youth. I can't help but wonder if this was inspired, at least in part, by the legend of Elizabeth Bathory. She was a Hungarian countess who supposedly tortured and murdered many young women and bathed in their blood for that precise reason. According to the Guinness Book of Records she was the greatest murderess in the history of mankind. Some people will do anything for attention!
I did enjoy the narrative and the outcome of the Blood Trials. I guessed the Blood Queen's identity when the companions were being briefed as to how the Trials worked. There was such authority in that explanation that it clicked almost immediately.
One other point caught my attention: the idea of using blood to preserve or restore one's youth. I can't help but wonder if this was inspired, at least in part, by the legend of Elizabeth Bathory. She was a Hungarian countess who supposedly tortured and murdered many young women and bathed in their blood for that precise reason. According to the Guinness Book of Records she was the greatest murderess in the history of mankind. Some people will do anything for attention!
October 10, 2017
Well, I tore through this one! It might now hold the record for the fastest book I've ever read. It probably helps that I'm finally getting some time off after a harrowing few weeks and don't have to get up too early.
I said before that this series is growing on me - I DO love a kickass female in the mix and I would say that this definitely qualifies on that score. Add in an obsessed Empress (WAS Jade based on Bathory?) and I'm almost in reader's heaven!
I will agree with my stepdad about checking the grammar. Commas & split infinitives abound throughout but I'm sure that's easily fixable - hopefully in the next book.
So...on to Book 4.
I said before that this series is growing on me - I DO love a kickass female in the mix and I would say that this definitely qualifies on that score. Add in an obsessed Empress (WAS Jade based on Bathory?) and I'm almost in reader's heaven!
I will agree with my stepdad about checking the grammar. Commas & split infinitives abound throughout but I'm sure that's easily fixable - hopefully in the next book.
So...on to Book 4.
January 22, 2016
If I went to the local park and began to tell proud parents walking with their children that their baby is ugly, I would be thought of as a monster. To an author, a book could be almost a child cared for and nurtured. When I decided to start giving reviews of every book I read, I knew sometimes I would have to give a negative review. So here it is, your baby is ugly and needs a shave.
There, now we have established that I am a monster. I guess I better elaborate a little on why I said what I said. I could mention a few events which occur within the first third of the book such as one of the main characters now with more freedom becoming incredibly patronizing, condescending, and preachy to everyone he speaks to. He basically becomes an intellectual bully, but all his proof was somewhere where could not reach. He loves to feel superior to all other spellcasters around him, but cannot prove he can do better. Perhaps the author meant him to appear like a rude know-it-all ass. Many books have characters we love to hate in them. One example I can think of is Joffrey from the George R. R. Martin's Song of Ice and Fire series. Perhaps the author was purposely making a character we liked in the first two books be an annoying and condescending jerk in this book.
I could mention a new character with an incredibly powerful ability, but chooses to live on the street as a nobody when by all rights if somebody had the power this guy had, he would likely become world famous, rich, or captured by someone with power and forced to use his ability to the profits of others.
I could mention an Empress whose first impression upon meeting her in the book was that she was weak if she had to continuously justify her power to her subjects when they second-guess her decisions making me wonder how she was able to maintain her throne for as long as she did as well as her speaking her morale-defeating thoughts out loud for anyone to hear.
But I won't mention any of these things. The reason is that I only was able to get through 34% of the book before deciding my time is better spent reading something else. Perhaps the author justifies all of these concerns further in the book, I don't know because I did not get that far.
The reason I only was able to get 34% of the way through the book is that this book has an abysmal substance-to-fluff ratio. A substance-to-fluff ratio to me is rather similar to a signal-to-noise ratio. In this case though when I say substance, I mean words that further the plot. When I say fluff, I mean words that do nothing for the story.
To give a few examples of the fluff in this book, I will refer to the tendency for the characters to repeat events of the first two books to various people they meet when we as readers had already read those books and know those events. Sometimes authors might do this to jog the minds of the readers if there are long gaps between the publications of books, but this book already has a "Story so far" section and does not need to do this.
Another example is they way multiple characters mope about the deaths of their fallen compatriots. I can understand characters mourning their loses, but the author spends a large amount of text repeating information we already know regarding the deaths rather than something simpler such as "so-and-so notices such-and-such moping quietly and staring at the ground and decides to go talk to him about events."
A third example is in regards to "The Truth". This is a major plot point in this book and the author drives this point in by repeating the same information over and over again.
Perhaps you might be getting the point as to why I consider this all fluff, these are all examples of the reader reading the same information without furthering the plot. When I reach sections such as these within books, I find myself skimming or even skipping paragraphs until I find myself in areas of the book where the plot is progressing again. If I find myself skimming too many paragraphs, my interest in a book begins to drop rapidly.
A good editor should have caught this fluff and removed it. I was rather disappointed when I saw that this book had an editor and figured he was just using the wrong tools to shave this baby. He should have used a weed-whacker. Not that I am condoning shaving babies with weed-whackers. What kind of monster do you think I am? Of course once you removed the fluff from this book, you likely would be only left with a novella or a short story.
So in conclusion, if you are searching for a high fantasy book and come across this series, I would recommend taking a look at the first two books, but then no need to continue on.
Oh, and by the way, in my laboratory hidden far away on the island of Derpa, I have proved beyond a shadow of a doubt that 2+2 = the specific taste of a certain shade of blue and that 4 is just a figment of our imaginations. Of course I cannot reach this lab because when I showed these results to the inhabitants of this island, it caused a civil war and I ended up being exiled. Nevertheless, your belief that 2+2=4 is a comfort blanket - such as one you would give to a child, because it is afraid of the dark. You are welcome to cling on to it as long as you desire. When you are ready to let go of it and become an adult who recognizes the wonderful gift of color-based math ... then I shall be ready to council you further.
There, now we have established that I am a monster. I guess I better elaborate a little on why I said what I said. I could mention a few events which occur within the first third of the book such as one of the main characters now with more freedom becoming incredibly patronizing, condescending, and preachy to everyone he speaks to. He basically becomes an intellectual bully, but all his proof was somewhere where could not reach. He loves to feel superior to all other spellcasters around him, but cannot prove he can do better. Perhaps the author meant him to appear like a rude know-it-all ass. Many books have characters we love to hate in them. One example I can think of is Joffrey from the George R. R. Martin's Song of Ice and Fire series. Perhaps the author was purposely making a character we liked in the first two books be an annoying and condescending jerk in this book.
I could mention a new character with an incredibly powerful ability, but chooses to live on the street as a nobody when by all rights if somebody had the power this guy had, he would likely become world famous, rich, or captured by someone with power and forced to use his ability to the profits of others.
I could mention an Empress whose first impression upon meeting her in the book was that she was weak if she had to continuously justify her power to her subjects when they second-guess her decisions making me wonder how she was able to maintain her throne for as long as she did as well as her speaking her morale-defeating thoughts out loud for anyone to hear.
But I won't mention any of these things. The reason is that I only was able to get through 34% of the book before deciding my time is better spent reading something else. Perhaps the author justifies all of these concerns further in the book, I don't know because I did not get that far.
The reason I only was able to get 34% of the way through the book is that this book has an abysmal substance-to-fluff ratio. A substance-to-fluff ratio to me is rather similar to a signal-to-noise ratio. In this case though when I say substance, I mean words that further the plot. When I say fluff, I mean words that do nothing for the story.
To give a few examples of the fluff in this book, I will refer to the tendency for the characters to repeat events of the first two books to various people they meet when we as readers had already read those books and know those events. Sometimes authors might do this to jog the minds of the readers if there are long gaps between the publications of books, but this book already has a "Story so far" section and does not need to do this.
Another example is they way multiple characters mope about the deaths of their fallen compatriots. I can understand characters mourning their loses, but the author spends a large amount of text repeating information we already know regarding the deaths rather than something simpler such as "so-and-so notices such-and-such moping quietly and staring at the ground and decides to go talk to him about events."
A third example is in regards to "The Truth". This is a major plot point in this book and the author drives this point in by repeating the same information over and over again.
Perhaps you might be getting the point as to why I consider this all fluff, these are all examples of the reader reading the same information without furthering the plot. When I reach sections such as these within books, I find myself skimming or even skipping paragraphs until I find myself in areas of the book where the plot is progressing again. If I find myself skimming too many paragraphs, my interest in a book begins to drop rapidly.
A good editor should have caught this fluff and removed it. I was rather disappointed when I saw that this book had an editor and figured he was just using the wrong tools to shave this baby. He should have used a weed-whacker. Not that I am condoning shaving babies with weed-whackers. What kind of monster do you think I am? Of course once you removed the fluff from this book, you likely would be only left with a novella or a short story.
So in conclusion, if you are searching for a high fantasy book and come across this series, I would recommend taking a look at the first two books, but then no need to continue on.
Oh, and by the way, in my laboratory hidden far away on the island of Derpa, I have proved beyond a shadow of a doubt that 2+2 = the specific taste of a certain shade of blue and that 4 is just a figment of our imaginations. Of course I cannot reach this lab because when I showed these results to the inhabitants of this island, it caused a civil war and I ended up being exiled. Nevertheless, your belief that 2+2=4 is a comfort blanket - such as one you would give to a child, because it is afraid of the dark. You are welcome to cling on to it as long as you desire. When you are ready to let go of it and become an adult who recognizes the wonderful gift of color-based math ... then I shall be ready to council you further.
March 9, 2016
Book 3 of the Deathsworn Arc series is just as full of intrigue and danger as the last two books in the series. I was quite intrigued when it was explained what the heart stones were for when the group finally reaches their destination. But even in the city are they in danger still. Korhan, mostly from his own ego and ignorance. Brael, it seems, has picked up an assassin on his trail since the last one "failed" in their duty. And then there is part of Vashni's past that resurfaces. Hers might be the most interesting story of all, even if it is slowly being unfolded piece by piece in this series. She has lead many lives. I really like the bonding going on between the group and how Vashni has changed since she met them. Her view on non-Elvish people has changed and she is now more willing to befriend others instead of avoid them and look down on them. The revelation at the end of the book was very exciting indeed and I am kind of hoping to hear a little elaboration on that at some point.
May 2, 2016
I received a free copy of this book from the author in exchange for an honest review.
"The Blood Queen" is the 3rd book in the "Deathsworn" Arc series.
While it doesn't feel like there is as much "action" as in the previous 2 books, the story definitely moves along. There are some questions answered, some more questions raised, and a real sense that book 4 is going to pack a punch!
More so than in the other 2 books, the characters gain much more in terms of roundness - I'm pretty sure we could all see people we know in them now (I definitely can!) - and, for me, that is this book's main strength.
There are no "dull bits" - actually, I'm not sure Martyn Stanley could write something dull if you asked him to! - though it is a gentler read.
I had (as with the first 2 books) problems with the punctuation, some typos, and a few missing words... nothing harmful to the enjoyment of the story though.
This is a series I'm sure to revisit a time or two.
"The Blood Queen" is the 3rd book in the "Deathsworn" Arc series.
While it doesn't feel like there is as much "action" as in the previous 2 books, the story definitely moves along. There are some questions answered, some more questions raised, and a real sense that book 4 is going to pack a punch!
More so than in the other 2 books, the characters gain much more in terms of roundness - I'm pretty sure we could all see people we know in them now (I definitely can!) - and, for me, that is this book's main strength.
There are no "dull bits" - actually, I'm not sure Martyn Stanley could write something dull if you asked him to! - though it is a gentler read.
I had (as with the first 2 books) problems with the punctuation, some typos, and a few missing words... nothing harmful to the enjoyment of the story though.
This is a series I'm sure to revisit a time or two.
November 18, 2017
The Blood Queen by Martyn Stanley is the third installment in the Deathsworn Arc series. Wizard Saul Karza and his comrades have made it back to the Empress, but she is not as Saul remembers.
This book gave a bit more insight into some of the mysteries surrounding the female elf and the wizard, but I think the female character gets too much attention from the author. I would like to know more about the dark elf and the dwarf. I can see the author's writing has matured since the first book, and the editing is getting much better.
I received a copy from the author in exchange for an honest review.
This book gave a bit more insight into some of the mysteries surrounding the female elf and the wizard, but I think the female character gets too much attention from the author. I would like to know more about the dark elf and the dwarf. I can see the author's writing has matured since the first book, and the editing is getting much better.
I received a copy from the author in exchange for an honest review.
February 15, 2017
The third tale in this series maintains about the same standard as the previous one, with potentially interesting ideas and characterization hamstrung by major writing issues. As before, the two main problems are massive overuse of Captain Obvious exposition and large numbers of typographical errors like broken sentences and misplaced/misused punctuation.
Plotwise, this instalment continues in the "What I Did On My Dungeons & Dragons Campaign" tradition, with the "player characters" heading to the big city to claim their loot and experience points and do some shopping, while dealing with various individual sidequests. With the shift in setting, the world of the series is developed quite a lot, thankfully in a fairly organic fashion, along with the backstories of some of the characters. Unfortunately, some major character revelations are completely given away by the title and cover image, meaning that I was able to correctly predict almost everything surrounding the gladiatorial arena plotline. That said, the action sequences were quite inventive and well thought-out, doing something different from your typical "do you like movies about gladiators?" motifs.
The element of this series I'm most in two minds about is still the atheism plotline. On the one hand, it's interesting to explore this kind of idea in a fantasy context, and it isn't handled in an overwhelmingly strawmanish/black-and-white fashion the way issues of religion or philosophy often are in fiction. On the other hand, the execution is still sometimes lacking. I go back and forth on whether Brael the atheist prophet is a realistic shades-of-grey character who is both sympathetic and somewhat misguided/insensitive, or a Gary Stu character spouting out-of-place 21st-century real-world views. Something I think would add more nuance and realism to the plot would be for other characters to react to his assertions that he's proved there are no gods in ways other than trying to kill him, believing him or calmly pondering what he says. As an atheist myself, I've encountered plenty of arguments used by theists against contradictions between science and religious dogma, and I think it would be entirely realistic for someone to suggest that the gods hid from or confounded Brael's investigations to test their believers, or that he was working from a faulty interpretation of scripture. I think some exploration of these sorts of arguments against Brael's strong atheism (as opposed to weak atheism and agnosticism, where one asserts merely that there is no evidence of any gods) would improve this plotline, which runs the risk of drifting into standard "religion bad!" caricature in this book with generic corrupt evil priests torturing, molesting and burning "sinners" (represented here by a lesbian couple).
Plotwise, this instalment continues in the "What I Did On My Dungeons & Dragons Campaign" tradition, with the "player characters" heading to the big city to claim their loot and experience points and do some shopping, while dealing with various individual sidequests. With the shift in setting, the world of the series is developed quite a lot, thankfully in a fairly organic fashion, along with the backstories of some of the characters. Unfortunately, some major character revelations are completely given away by the title and cover image, meaning that I was able to correctly predict almost everything surrounding the gladiatorial arena plotline. That said, the action sequences were quite inventive and well thought-out, doing something different from your typical "do you like movies about gladiators?" motifs.
The element of this series I'm most in two minds about is still the atheism plotline. On the one hand, it's interesting to explore this kind of idea in a fantasy context, and it isn't handled in an overwhelmingly strawmanish/black-and-white fashion the way issues of religion or philosophy often are in fiction. On the other hand, the execution is still sometimes lacking. I go back and forth on whether Brael the atheist prophet is a realistic shades-of-grey character who is both sympathetic and somewhat misguided/insensitive, or a Gary Stu character spouting out-of-place 21st-century real-world views. Something I think would add more nuance and realism to the plot would be for other characters to react to his assertions that he's proved there are no gods in ways other than trying to kill him, believing him or calmly pondering what he says. As an atheist myself, I've encountered plenty of arguments used by theists against contradictions between science and religious dogma, and I think it would be entirely realistic for someone to suggest that the gods hid from or confounded Brael's investigations to test their believers, or that he was working from a faulty interpretation of scripture. I think some exploration of these sorts of arguments against Brael's strong atheism (as opposed to weak atheism and agnosticism, where one asserts merely that there is no evidence of any gods) would improve this plotline, which runs the risk of drifting into standard "religion bad!" caricature in this book with generic corrupt evil priests torturing, molesting and burning "sinners" (represented here by a lesbian couple).
January 4, 2019
*** Editorial Review ***
Well, I've finished reading this again to check the series flow and I'm happy with it. Many readers cite this as their favourite 'Deathsworn Arc' installment. I'm more mixed. I read version 1.2, which I think was a slightly earlier release than the current one. Towards the beginning of the book, I noticed a couple of clunky sentences and I think one missing word? I just hope I fixed these in the current version.
It feels in ways like this is a less action-packed book than The Verkreath Horror, but I don't think it matters. The world building in this one seems much richer and the character development feels stronger too. Particularly for Vashni, this is definitely a 'Vashni Book'.
Here's a bit of odd trivia for you, over the course of the series these are the pubs or inns the companions are known to have visited or seen from book 1 to where I am in book 5:-
1. The Blind Beggar - Cormaroth
2. The Troll's Head - Trest
3. Fraeis Folly - Briem
4. The Hawk's Head - Dirsh
5. The Branding Iron - Dirsh
6. Taverna Sordia - Cormaroth
7. The Merry Piper - Cormaroth
8. The Traveller's Rest Inn - Hersford
9. The Brigand's Hand - On the coastal road in between Maroc and Durgheim Holt, overlooking the Bay of Khulash
Interesting writer's problems number 174 - coming up with names for pubs!
I really like how Vashni and Votrex's relationship changes in this book. I think it brings the companions together. I also appreciate the way Vashni starts to show Korhan more respect.
As for the actual blood trials, I felt the first one was the weakest, and the last one was the strongest. I like the other two, but I really love the final blood trial and the way the story brings so many plot points together and concludes. I've started book 4 now, and I have to say I feel book 4 is stronger writing still. If I ever finish this series and go back to start another the new series will probably have a much stronger opening than The Last Dragon Slayer. Not that it's a bad book, it gets generally great reviews, I just feel if I wrote it again it would be better. I've learned a lot in the last four years and I think it shows in my writing. I can't wait to crack on with book 4 Deathsworn Arc: Rise of the Archmage now and then press on to the first 35,000 words I've written of book 5 'The Temple of the Mad God'
Martyn
*** 2018 re-read ***
So I re-read it again. Again, I love this book. It feels like a big step up from book 2. I can see why so many people love this one. Interesting points to remember for writing book 6 'Emergence' well there's that stuff about Votrex's dad Garrick, Grisha and Farin'Hem Holt, then there's the Eastern Peninsula, the Sun Warriors and Shotan. Plus the stuff about Vashni and Venetha. Will Venetha make an appearance in book 6? Maybe! I certainly think Hal HaSak will make his presence known... Oh and we might hear a bit more from Maven Stonecutter and her brothers. Might be a HUGE battle in there! :)
Martyn
Well, I've finished reading this again to check the series flow and I'm happy with it. Many readers cite this as their favourite 'Deathsworn Arc' installment. I'm more mixed. I read version 1.2, which I think was a slightly earlier release than the current one. Towards the beginning of the book, I noticed a couple of clunky sentences and I think one missing word? I just hope I fixed these in the current version.
It feels in ways like this is a less action-packed book than The Verkreath Horror, but I don't think it matters. The world building in this one seems much richer and the character development feels stronger too. Particularly for Vashni, this is definitely a 'Vashni Book'.
Here's a bit of odd trivia for you, over the course of the series these are the pubs or inns the companions are known to have visited or seen from book 1 to where I am in book 5:-
1. The Blind Beggar - Cormaroth
2. The Troll's Head - Trest
3. Fraeis Folly - Briem
4. The Hawk's Head - Dirsh
5. The Branding Iron - Dirsh
6. Taverna Sordia - Cormaroth
7. The Merry Piper - Cormaroth
8. The Traveller's Rest Inn - Hersford
9. The Brigand's Hand - On the coastal road in between Maroc and Durgheim Holt, overlooking the Bay of Khulash
Interesting writer's problems number 174 - coming up with names for pubs!
I really like how Vashni and Votrex's relationship changes in this book. I think it brings the companions together. I also appreciate the way Vashni starts to show Korhan more respect.
As for the actual blood trials, I felt the first one was the weakest, and the last one was the strongest. I like the other two, but I really love the final blood trial and the way the story brings so many plot points together and concludes. I've started book 4 now, and I have to say I feel book 4 is stronger writing still. If I ever finish this series and go back to start another the new series will probably have a much stronger opening than The Last Dragon Slayer. Not that it's a bad book, it gets generally great reviews, I just feel if I wrote it again it would be better. I've learned a lot in the last four years and I think it shows in my writing. I can't wait to crack on with book 4 Deathsworn Arc: Rise of the Archmage now and then press on to the first 35,000 words I've written of book 5 'The Temple of the Mad God'
Martyn
*** 2018 re-read ***
So I re-read it again. Again, I love this book. It feels like a big step up from book 2. I can see why so many people love this one. Interesting points to remember for writing book 6 'Emergence' well there's that stuff about Votrex's dad Garrick, Grisha and Farin'Hem Holt, then there's the Eastern Peninsula, the Sun Warriors and Shotan. Plus the stuff about Vashni and Venetha. Will Venetha make an appearance in book 6? Maybe! I certainly think Hal HaSak will make his presence known... Oh and we might hear a bit more from Maven Stonecutter and her brothers. Might be a HUGE battle in there! :)
Martyn
March 8, 2018
I found The Blood Queen to be my favorite book in the series so far. There is some revelation of a character's background, that not only sheds light on who she is, but also makes the reader have so many more questions. This could actually be said for two of the characters in this book. I really love when writer's bring this sort of information to the story. It answers questions, but leaves you asking more.
The writing is still easy to understand in this book, and the flow between scenes is easy to follow. I looked up a word or two in this story, but it was nothing that I couldn't get a grasp on from the context.
The plot in this story revolves around a few events, and doesn't push the main story much further at this point. Regardless, in this book, I was eager to learn some truths and see outcomes of challenges. I did find it hard to put down, and it only took me so long to read due to work and life circumstances.
Overall I gave this book four stars. I really enjoy this story, and I am hoping to see some more character development and some epic plot twists to come!
The writing is still easy to understand in this book, and the flow between scenes is easy to follow. I looked up a word or two in this story, but it was nothing that I couldn't get a grasp on from the context.
The plot in this story revolves around a few events, and doesn't push the main story much further at this point. Regardless, in this book, I was eager to learn some truths and see outcomes of challenges. I did find it hard to put down, and it only took me so long to read due to work and life circumstances.
Overall I gave this book four stars. I really enjoy this story, and I am hoping to see some more character development and some epic plot twists to come!
March 23, 2016
I'm a little torn on this one. The adventure and fantasy elements were all there, it was really fun! But the "truth" is a little too heavy handed. I come from a faith-based world, and the constant bashing of that world is a little much for me. I wasn't sure where this was going, and I could be wrong--maybe the real "truth" will come out later in the series, but I'm put off the series at this point. If you aren't a believer in the afterlife or God, etc. and especially if you once were and want to surround yourself with like-minded ideas, then this book is for you. If not, prepare to feel misunderstood and maybe a little picked on by the anti-religion, anti-God, and anti-afterlife agenda which permeates this book (as well as previous two books in the series, but less so). One part of this book that felt like a big stretch was when two lesbian lovers are about to be put to death, so of course our heroes must rescue them! This was jarring--a subplot that seemed to be thrown in just so the author could promote his views on same-sex relationships. It seemed out of place. Again, fun story, but heavy-handed anti-religion throughout.
May 7, 2016
I received a free copy from the author in exchange for an honest review. Thank you, Martyn Stanley!
The more I read this series, the more I like it. It's so entertaining and well thought out. In this volume we get a heist, a prison break, magic, a fighting competition known as the "blood trials" and assassination attempts. The fun plot may lead you to believe that this is a shallow book, until you find yourself thinking about religion and how it impacts life, as the characters debate the dangers and benefits of their religious beliefs. There is also a strong defense of gay rights hidden in a heart-stopping sub-plot. I loved how I'm getting to know about this world: its traditions, beliefs and races. There is a great new character: a bard who can only sing the truth (how is that not pure genius?), but I mostly enjoyed learning more about my favorite character, Vashni. Getting to know her story was so much fun and seeing her kick butt just made me cheer out loud. I have already downloaded the next chapter. This series is really addictive.
The more I read this series, the more I like it. It's so entertaining and well thought out. In this volume we get a heist, a prison break, magic, a fighting competition known as the "blood trials" and assassination attempts. The fun plot may lead you to believe that this is a shallow book, until you find yourself thinking about religion and how it impacts life, as the characters debate the dangers and benefits of their religious beliefs. There is also a strong defense of gay rights hidden in a heart-stopping sub-plot. I loved how I'm getting to know about this world: its traditions, beliefs and races. There is a great new character: a bard who can only sing the truth (how is that not pure genius?), but I mostly enjoyed learning more about my favorite character, Vashni. Getting to know her story was so much fun and seeing her kick butt just made me cheer out loud. I have already downloaded the next chapter. This series is really addictive.
May 13, 2016
Another enjoyable romp into the world of fantasy. Empress Jade has changed since the group saw her last in ways and dress- what is she hiding. And what are the “blood games”?
I love the characters in this and their interactions and sparring’s off of each other. Martyn weaves wise words into the tale such as
“You should not judge people by their position. Sometimes great men of noble spirit are simply not afforded the opportunity to fulfil their destiny while arrogant, naïve fools who have friends in high places are gifted positions of wealth and authority.” This might be a fantasy book but truth prevails! I love the author’s sense of humour and sometimes sarcasm interspersed in the tale. Another enjoyable read.
I was given an ARC of this book in exchange for an open and honest review
I love the characters in this and their interactions and sparring’s off of each other. Martyn weaves wise words into the tale such as
“You should not judge people by their position. Sometimes great men of noble spirit are simply not afforded the opportunity to fulfil their destiny while arrogant, naïve fools who have friends in high places are gifted positions of wealth and authority.” This might be a fantasy book but truth prevails! I love the author’s sense of humour and sometimes sarcasm interspersed in the tale. Another enjoyable read.
I was given an ARC of this book in exchange for an open and honest review
March 10, 2016
Enjoyed the most of the series so far.
July 24, 2018
Yet another epic chapter to the Deathsworn Arc.
Our adventurers finally reach Cormaroth and turn over the Heart Stones to Empress Jade. But times are still tumultuous for our gang of misfits. Korean runs into an old for whom challenges him to the Blood Trials. he naively accepts the challenge believing that he can win having slain Thrax and escaping the Verkreath. He goes so far as to water his sword. He is vested and leaves Vashni in a position where she needs to enter the Blood Trials to regain Harbinger. The band learns more of their elvish company's secretive past.
This series is fantastic. It is a perfect choice for anyone who enjoys fantasy and epic quests.
*I received a copy of this book for free. The review is my own, honest and unsolicited.
Our adventurers finally reach Cormaroth and turn over the Heart Stones to Empress Jade. But times are still tumultuous for our gang of misfits. Korean runs into an old for whom challenges him to the Blood Trials. he naively accepts the challenge believing that he can win having slain Thrax and escaping the Verkreath. He goes so far as to water his sword. He is vested and leaves Vashni in a position where she needs to enter the Blood Trials to regain Harbinger. The band learns more of their elvish company's secretive past.
This series is fantastic. It is a perfect choice for anyone who enjoys fantasy and epic quests.
*I received a copy of this book for free. The review is my own, honest and unsolicited.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 25, 2017
I was given this book by the author for my honest opinion and review. I love the title of this book. I know the characters have been through hell and back. Saul have done what he can to keep his companion safe. Saul could not wait to get back to the Empress only to discover she has regained her youth, re-instated the Blood Trials. She was not completely forthcoming with the tasks she sent him on. That was getting the Stones. Saul has a lot more to worry about this. There is the fight with the church that is trying to change all that he has been taught. I found that description of the Blood Trials to be cruel and unfair. I did like how they were all sitting around and discussing the Blood Trials. It helped me understand the title even if had not known it at the time. I can't wait to read book number 4. Can't wait to see what awaits Saul and his companions.
March 13, 2017
I was given this book for an honest review and I really enjoyed it.
It is the characters that make this fantasy tale so good because they are interesting, intriguing and perfect for the genre. There is action mixed with thought-provoking philosophy, a brilliant unfolding plot and a great sense of place.
More secrets are revealed, whilst character development is engaging, so to make everything realistic and fascinating.
Vashni is my favourite for many reasons but I don't give spoilers, so won't say much, though, in my opinion, the story would not have the same impact without her.
Extremely well done and highly recommended.
It is the characters that make this fantasy tale so good because they are interesting, intriguing and perfect for the genre. There is action mixed with thought-provoking philosophy, a brilliant unfolding plot and a great sense of place.
More secrets are revealed, whilst character development is engaging, so to make everything realistic and fascinating.
Vashni is my favourite for many reasons but I don't give spoilers, so won't say much, though, in my opinion, the story would not have the same impact without her.
Extremely well done and highly recommended.
March 2, 2017
The Blood Queen has a very different tone to the previous two books – the pace here is slower, measured and thoughtful. For the first 60% of the book this really grated on me; the author obviously has an axe to grind (or it appears that way) with the whole subject of religion and atheism and I felt the characters got caught up in it too much; I felt myself craving the fast paced action of earlier books. Later on though, I did begin to appreciate the overall picture of what is going on. In the last third of the book, Vashni really comes into her own and it was great to explore and develop her character further.
Overall, this was a good book and perhaps i have been a little harsh, I did enjoy it despite my criticism above and will be adding the next one on to my list to read. I have grown to love these characters, and for that reason alone I am compelled to continue, and any book that leaves that feeling with you must be a good one!
Overall, this was a good book and perhaps i have been a little harsh, I did enjoy it despite my criticism above and will be adding the next one on to my list to read. I have grown to love these characters, and for that reason alone I am compelled to continue, and any book that leaves that feeling with you must be a good one!
November 14, 2016
Getting into more and more details, and new information about the "companions" as we get deeper into this story. Very well told and put together for the reader. The only downside is, after I finish book 4, I'll have to wait for books 5, 6, 7 & 8. LOL
March 12, 2019
Not Original
I found the books okay, but to many ideas sounded like taken from the Warhammer world. I understand it was not meant but it did affect my enjoyment of the book.
I found the books okay, but to many ideas sounded like taken from the Warhammer world. I understand it was not meant but it did affect my enjoyment of the book.
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