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Blood Spoken: Book One of The Unmaking
SPEAK THE WORD. BREAK THE WORLD.
In the slums of Valdris, silence keeps you alive.
Eliana Sterling learns that the hard way when a single scream caves in a man’s chest.
They call it Voicesong, a spoken power that can unmake reality.
The Mage Guild calls it a death sentence.
The Pit calls it entertainment.
Dragged into a gladiatorial arena where truth is weaponized and mercy is a rumor, Eliana is given one fight, or be broken.
She has a reason to survive.
Her brother, Tam, is trapped in the factories, and Valdris does not release what it owns.
Every time Eliana uses Voicesong, it takes its payment.
Blood vessels burst. Bones crack. Each word brings her closer to the edge.
And beneath the arena floor, something ancient stirs.
It has waited a long time for a voice like hers.
Blood Spoken is dark progression fantasy with brutal contests, costly magic, and a heroine who earns every victory the hard way.
Perfect for readers who
• Magic with real consequences
• Gladiator combat, rivalries, and arena politics
• Clear progression and hard-won power growth
• A sibling bond at the heart of the story
• Eldritch dread threaded through the action
Book One of The Unmaking.
In the slums of Valdris, silence keeps you alive.
Eliana Sterling learns that the hard way when a single scream caves in a man’s chest.
They call it Voicesong, a spoken power that can unmake reality.
The Mage Guild calls it a death sentence.
The Pit calls it entertainment.
Dragged into a gladiatorial arena where truth is weaponized and mercy is a rumor, Eliana is given one fight, or be broken.
She has a reason to survive.
Her brother, Tam, is trapped in the factories, and Valdris does not release what it owns.
Every time Eliana uses Voicesong, it takes its payment.
Blood vessels burst. Bones crack. Each word brings her closer to the edge.
And beneath the arena floor, something ancient stirs.
It has waited a long time for a voice like hers.
Blood Spoken is dark progression fantasy with brutal contests, costly magic, and a heroine who earns every victory the hard way.
Perfect for readers who
• Magic with real consequences
• Gladiator combat, rivalries, and arena politics
• Clear progression and hard-won power growth
• A sibling bond at the heart of the story
• Eldritch dread threaded through the action
Book One of The Unmaking.
263 pages, Kindle Edition
Published January 2, 2026
2 people are currently reading
8 people want to read
About the author
Eric Keller
8 booksEric Keller writes stories that live in the shadows between history and legend, between the world we know and the darkness lurking just beyond it.
His debut novel, The Bear Soldier, brings to life the extraordinary true story of Wojtek, the bear who served alongside Polish soldiers in World War II. It's a tale of loyalty, resilience, and the unlikely bonds forged in the crucible of war.
His latest release, Blood Spoken: The Unmaking, ventures into darker territory. A work of dark fantasy that explores the price of power and the weight of words that can never be taken back.
Eric is a Creative Writing major with a concentration in Fiction at Southern New Hampshire University and a member of Sigma Tau Delta International English Honor Society. When he's not writing, he's probably reading Stephen King, exploring the moral complexities of a Dean Koontz thriller, or revisiting Joseph Delaney's Spooks series for the hundredth time.
He lives in Kansas with his wife April and their kids, surrounded by books and fueled by an unhealthy amount of coffee.
Whether he's unearthing forgotten corners of history or building worlds where shadows have teeth, Eric writes for the readers who like their stories with a little grit, a lot of heart, and just enough darkness to keep the lights on at night.
His debut novel, The Bear Soldier, brings to life the extraordinary true story of Wojtek, the bear who served alongside Polish soldiers in World War II. It's a tale of loyalty, resilience, and the unlikely bonds forged in the crucible of war.
His latest release, Blood Spoken: The Unmaking, ventures into darker territory. A work of dark fantasy that explores the price of power and the weight of words that can never be taken back.
Eric is a Creative Writing major with a concentration in Fiction at Southern New Hampshire University and a member of Sigma Tau Delta International English Honor Society. When he's not writing, he's probably reading Stephen King, exploring the moral complexities of a Dean Koontz thriller, or revisiting Joseph Delaney's Spooks series for the hundredth time.
He lives in Kansas with his wife April and their kids, surrounded by books and fueled by an unhealthy amount of coffee.
Whether he's unearthing forgotten corners of history or building worlds where shadows have teeth, Eric writes for the readers who like their stories with a little grit, a lot of heart, and just enough darkness to keep the lights on at night.
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Displaying 1 of 1 review
January 14, 2026
ARC Read—
Blood Spoken is a quiet, devastating beginning to The Unmaking. Eric Keller writes with raw restraint, letting grief, guilt, and survival unfold without easy answers. The characters are fragile, haunted, and deeply human, and their pain feels earned rather than exaggerated.
What struck me most was how quietly powerful this book is. There are no easy answers here. No clean victories. Just the slow, brutal understanding that sometimes becoming something new requires tearing yourself apart first. The prose is sharp yet restrained, trusting the reader to feel what isn’t explicitly said—and that trust makes every emotional beat land harder. Eliana changed the path of not just herself and her brother, but the world
By the final pages, I didn’t feel finished. I felt changed. A little hollow. A little more aware of how violence, love, and sacrifice can blur into one another when survival is on the line.
Blood Spoken is not a comfort read. It is a necessary one—for readers who crave stories that hurt, heal, and linger long after the last word. This is a powerful beginning to The Unmaking, and I will be carrying it with me as I wait for what comes next.
Blood Spoken is a quiet, devastating beginning to The Unmaking. Eric Keller writes with raw restraint, letting grief, guilt, and survival unfold without easy answers. The characters are fragile, haunted, and deeply human, and their pain feels earned rather than exaggerated.
What struck me most was how quietly powerful this book is. There are no easy answers here. No clean victories. Just the slow, brutal understanding that sometimes becoming something new requires tearing yourself apart first. The prose is sharp yet restrained, trusting the reader to feel what isn’t explicitly said—and that trust makes every emotional beat land harder. Eliana changed the path of not just herself and her brother, but the world
By the final pages, I didn’t feel finished. I felt changed. A little hollow. A little more aware of how violence, love, and sacrifice can blur into one another when survival is on the line.
Blood Spoken is not a comfort read. It is a necessary one—for readers who crave stories that hurt, heal, and linger long after the last word. This is a powerful beginning to The Unmaking, and I will be carrying it with me as I wait for what comes next.
Displaying 1 of 1 review