What do you think?
Noxious
After the incidents in her village, Lina has a new to journey to the city of Vrysta and become a Slayer.
On the surface, it looks like it will be simple. A short trip, followed by a test, with her dream practically in arm's reach. She couldn't be more wrong. A series of mistakes upon arrival sees Lina not only failing the test, but being forbidden to take it again. Stranded in an unfamiliar city, now she must find a way to get by. More importantly, she has to find a way to keep her dream alive.
She knows it won't be easy. Vrysta is a sprawling city, and the obstacles she has to navigate are just as daunting as the city's size. Slayers are stranger and messier than they seemed. The only familiar thing is the curse, the ever-present threat that Lina's world can fall apart at a moment's notice.
Ironically, that curse is the very thing that Lina wants to fight.
On the surface, it looks like it will be simple. A short trip, followed by a test, with her dream practically in arm's reach. She couldn't be more wrong. A series of mistakes upon arrival sees Lina not only failing the test, but being forbidden to take it again. Stranded in an unfamiliar city, now she must find a way to get by. More importantly, she has to find a way to keep her dream alive.
She knows it won't be easy. Vrysta is a sprawling city, and the obstacles she has to navigate are just as daunting as the city's size. Slayers are stranger and messier than they seemed. The only familiar thing is the curse, the ever-present threat that Lina's world can fall apart at a moment's notice.
Ironically, that curse is the very thing that Lina wants to fight.
117 pages, Kindle Edition
Published June 29, 2025
About the author
Ayrton Silva
3 books21 followersAyrton Silva is a software developer, who cracks his head writing fantasy stories whenever said head isn't being walloped by bugs (or Souls-like video games). Brazilian, when not sitting in front of his computer he can usually be found walking his dog, or riding his bicycle on some highway.
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
September 18, 2026
Excellent sequel follow-up to Coward. We get to witness Lina heading to the big city to take her Slayer test. Unlike the first novella, this story is far less action (though there is plenty in this 117pg story) and more character work. I really liked the set-up of the story was because after book 1, I was expecting Lina to become a Slayer and then start training, but instead something happens and we get a little bit of a slice of life feel for a couple chapters before beastie action breaks loose. On top of that, we get more details into the world of Slayers and how their magic can corrupt them physically. I wasn't expecting that to be the plot arc and I enjoyed it immensely. As with book 1, I loved how snarky and foul-mouthed Lina is and she is one great protagonist to follow, just enjoy stubborn underdogs. This is a fun little series and with how this one ends, I'm excited to see where Lina gets taken next!
September 16, 2025
Noxious makes a slight shift in genre from its predecessor, Coward. Where the first novella in the Bloodmaster series was a dark fantasy monster-fighting fest, Noxious is more along the lines of detective fiction. The dark fantasy elements are still very present, and this feels like the same world.
In Coward, we learned that anomalies (eerie portals) can appear at random throughout the realm, transforming ordinary people into rampaging beasts. Why this happens, we don’t know. Many mysteries remain after the events of Coward, and only some are answered in this sequel. It seems each entry in this series will unlock a new piece of this puzzle.
Lina has come to the city of Vrysta, hoping to become a Slayer so she can protect people from beast attacks. Slayers are desperately needed, but there is a shortage of them. This is partly because taking the test to become a Slayer isn’t a simple process. Lina is again drawn into some supernatural battles, but the main conflict is more human – if only in shape.
In the city context, bureaucracy proves to be as much of a problem as the beasts. The next few sentences contain mild spoilers:
Combat scenes are broken into manageable chunks. I admire the way Silva takes us through the thought processes of an untrained protagonist who has to improvise. It grounds the action and makes us believe that Lina could survive some of the situations she ends up in.
Content warnings:
It was easy to like the new side characters we meet. For a very brief moment, it almost feels like the story might take a cosy turn along the lines of Legends and Lattes. Be on your guard when things get a bit too comfortable.
The title’s meaning becomes clear by the last chapter, which is fun. I’ve developed as a reviewer since reading Coward, and I can see how Silva has developed as an author too. His prose is very voicey. The language is modern and tongue-in-cheek without detracting from the more sincere moments. I’ll be coming back for the next book.
In Coward, we learned that anomalies (eerie portals) can appear at random throughout the realm, transforming ordinary people into rampaging beasts. Why this happens, we don’t know. Many mysteries remain after the events of Coward, and only some are answered in this sequel. It seems each entry in this series will unlock a new piece of this puzzle.
Lina has come to the city of Vrysta, hoping to become a Slayer so she can protect people from beast attacks. Slayers are desperately needed, but there is a shortage of them. This is partly because taking the test to become a Slayer isn’t a simple process. Lina is again drawn into some supernatural battles, but the main conflict is more human – if only in shape.
In the city context, bureaucracy proves to be as much of a problem as the beasts. The next few sentences contain mild spoilers:
Combat scenes are broken into manageable chunks. I admire the way Silva takes us through the thought processes of an untrained protagonist who has to improvise. It grounds the action and makes us believe that Lina could survive some of the situations she ends up in.
Content warnings:
It was easy to like the new side characters we meet. For a very brief moment, it almost feels like the story might take a cosy turn along the lines of Legends and Lattes. Be on your guard when things get a bit too comfortable.
The title’s meaning becomes clear by the last chapter, which is fun. I’ve developed as a reviewer since reading Coward, and I can see how Silva has developed as an author too. His prose is very voicey. The language is modern and tongue-in-cheek without detracting from the more sincere moments. I’ll be coming back for the next book.
November 26, 2025
Awesome
Noxious was exactly what I needed in my life. Coward is one of my favorite novellas and since it was pitched as a standalone I was super excited to hear there was a sequel. I held off for way too long because I hadn’t read Coward in about two years, but to my immense joy there is a recap.
This novella is solid. Really loved the whole Slayer testing aspects, and the world building that goes into what the title means and the pros and cons that follows. If you enjoyed the first one I can’t imagine this will disappoint
Noxious was exactly what I needed in my life. Coward is one of my favorite novellas and since it was pitched as a standalone I was super excited to hear there was a sequel. I held off for way too long because I hadn’t read Coward in about two years, but to my immense joy there is a recap.
This novella is solid. Really loved the whole Slayer testing aspects, and the world building that goes into what the title means and the pros and cons that follows. If you enjoyed the first one I can’t imagine this will disappoint
July 5, 2025
First, this was exactly my kind of book.
Lina was a great main character. She's brave, quick-witted and determined. While she starts off as a little naive, she learns from her experiences and grows over the course of the story - which was impressively done given that this was a novella. Her voice really shone through the narrative as well; I felt that made the story more immersive.
The world felt like a classic fantasy setting - a bit like a RPG, perhaps. Everything takes place in a single location, which worked well given the story’s length. I could picture it all clearly, and as a fan of traditional fantasy worlds, I really enjoyed it. I'm sure others who feel the same will too. Some aspects of the world-building were especially interesting - the Slayers, individuals blessed with powers to protect the world from monsters, weren’t the heroes they were made out to be. By the end, I found myself actually rooting for the ones who keep them in check.
The pacing was excellent. I could have easily read more, and I’ll definitely be picking up anything that comes next. I really hope the next story picks up not long after where this one left off. I'm also looking forward to finding out more about how the blood magic works. Highly recommended for fans of fantasy, monsters and magic, who also like a nice sprinkling of humour.
Lina was a great main character. She's brave, quick-witted and determined. While she starts off as a little naive, she learns from her experiences and grows over the course of the story - which was impressively done given that this was a novella. Her voice really shone through the narrative as well; I felt that made the story more immersive.
The world felt like a classic fantasy setting - a bit like a RPG, perhaps. Everything takes place in a single location, which worked well given the story’s length. I could picture it all clearly, and as a fan of traditional fantasy worlds, I really enjoyed it. I'm sure others who feel the same will too. Some aspects of the world-building were especially interesting - the Slayers, individuals blessed with powers to protect the world from monsters, weren’t the heroes they were made out to be. By the end, I found myself actually rooting for the ones who keep them in check.
The pacing was excellent. I could have easily read more, and I’ll definitely be picking up anything that comes next. I really hope the next story picks up not long after where this one left off. I'm also looking forward to finding out more about how the blood magic works. Highly recommended for fans of fantasy, monsters and magic, who also like a nice sprinkling of humour.
July 4, 2025
In the second installment of Ayrton Silva's "Bloodmaster" series, Lina will do anything to become a Slayer - even leave everything she knows behind and travel across the world. But when things don't go as planned, and Lina fails the test that creates new Slayers, she's forced to find other ways to make her mark ... even deadlier ones.
Can I start this review by saying I'm so glad Ayrton is my friend? He's genuinely one of the coolest people I've ever met, and one of the most amazing writers. I know I'm reading a book by Ayrton Silva when the magic systems are complex and original, the characters are authentic, and the worldbuilding is vivid and deep. I absolutely loved this story, both when I beta read it and when I read it post-publication. It's the perfect mix of tension, characterization, and pacing - and it certainly packs a punch! The "Cowardverse" as his readers have taken to calling it, is a true example of Ayrton's commitment to this storyline, as it expands upon the existing world while introducing so many cool new factors: new faucets of the magic system, new characters, and of course, new awesome action sequences.
I look forward to seeing his third book in this novella/novelette series getting published someday soon!
Can I start this review by saying I'm so glad Ayrton is my friend? He's genuinely one of the coolest people I've ever met, and one of the most amazing writers. I know I'm reading a book by Ayrton Silva when the magic systems are complex and original, the characters are authentic, and the worldbuilding is vivid and deep. I absolutely loved this story, both when I beta read it and when I read it post-publication. It's the perfect mix of tension, characterization, and pacing - and it certainly packs a punch! The "Cowardverse" as his readers have taken to calling it, is a true example of Ayrton's commitment to this storyline, as it expands upon the existing world while introducing so many cool new factors: new faucets of the magic system, new characters, and of course, new awesome action sequences.
I look forward to seeing his third book in this novella/novelette series getting published someday soon!
December 7, 2025
Foi melhor que o anterior. Nessa sequência, a Lina faz coisas muito burras, MAS ela passa uma sensação de propósito e uma atitude mão na massa que torna ela mais gostável. Ela é idealista de um jeito prático, tipo "é, parece que pra ajudar essas pessoas a escaparem eu vou ter que me machucar muito, possivelmente morrer" e SÓ VAI. Saudades do meu menino Marc, mas o autor já postou trechinhos do livro 3, então fé que verei ele em breve.
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews