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Before The Blades Fall
770 pages, Kindle Edition
Published August 1, 2026
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
August 5, 2026
Phenomenal World Building
C.S. Rawlings sweeps us up into a tale that brings the us the reader on a quest to unearth the past in the hopes of saving the future. Through lost times and factured memories each character is forced to confront the consequences of their past while searching for hope, truth, and redemption.
Poetic in his storytelling, Rawlings keeps us on the edge of each turning page, bringing us closer into the journey, word by beautiful word.
A story full of redemption, truth, mystery, hope, and shocking moments- I cannot wait for the next installment and sincerely hope each of you go preorder this epic tale
C.S. Rawlings sweeps us up into a tale that brings the us the reader on a quest to unearth the past in the hopes of saving the future. Through lost times and factured memories each character is forced to confront the consequences of their past while searching for hope, truth, and redemption.
Poetic in his storytelling, Rawlings keeps us on the edge of each turning page, bringing us closer into the journey, word by beautiful word.
A story full of redemption, truth, mystery, hope, and shocking moments- I cannot wait for the next installment and sincerely hope each of you go preorder this epic tale
August 24, 2026
What did I just read?! And this is a debut novel at that!!
First of all, amazing cover art! It just goes to show how important a good cover can be. I was immediately intrigued by it and started reading.
And wow. Where do I even start?
The writing felt so fresh and authentic from the very beginning. You’re dropped straight into the world and taken on a complete roller-coaster ride from there.
What impressed me most was the world-building. It’s incredibly detailed, but never feels like the book is stopping to explain itself. Instead, we discover the world naturally as the characters travel, encounter different places, meet new people, and come across all kinds of beasts and creatures. Everything is introduced as part of the story, which makes the world feel vast and lived-in without ever becoming overwhelming.
The descriptions themselves are also beautifully handled, without being dependent on strange comparisons. I have aphantasia, so I don’t normally “see” things while I read. It’s literally like Malevich’s Black Square in my head. But somehow, the descriptions in this book broke through that. I could actually picture little fragments of the world, almost as if an image was slowly forming in my mind. I don’t know if it was because I loved the story so much that my brain was trying extra hard 🤣, but either way, it was such a cool reading experience. The creatures/beasts are written so well in this book, that it was not difficult to build one in your mind.
Despite being 700+ pages, split into three parts, I never found myself bored. Every section had something happening, and the different threads gradually came together in a way that kept me wanting to read just one more chapter.
I also really enjoyed the third-person perspective. With the number of characters we follow, I think it worked perfectly. Rather than staying tightly focused on one character, we get to experience different parts of the world through several perspectives. Even though the story is centered around one character, I actually preferred having that wider lens. Every character felt like they had a reason to be there, whether they were contributing to the world-building, advancing the plot, or simply giving us another perspective on what was happening.
And most importantly, this book felt original.
The creatures, the characters, the world, and the overall story all felt like their own thing. I never had that feeling of «oh, this reminds me of …”. That was probably one of my favorite things about it. It takes its own path and commits to it, and I loved that.
The ending was also really well done. It surprised me, but I didn’t feel completely blindsided. I appreciated that it didn’t rely on an overly dramatic or exaggerated finale just for the sake of making an impact. Instead, it leaves you wanting more and, thankfully, with plenty of questions about what comes next.
I also have to mention the chapter titles! I feel like they’re becoming increasingly rare, with so many books just using numbers, so I really appreciated having actual titles here.❤️
If I had to nitpick anything, it would be the chapter length. No chapter needs to be 40 minutes long 😆, but that’s probably just my personal love of short chapters talking.
This is definitely my favorite read of the year. It’s been a while since I’ve read a first installment in a series that impressed me this much, and for a debut? Just phenomenal!
This is how you do world-building! There are just so many directions this story can go, so much more to discover and build upon, and I absolutely cannot wait to see where it takes us next. Bring on book two! ✌🏻
First of all, amazing cover art! It just goes to show how important a good cover can be. I was immediately intrigued by it and started reading.
And wow. Where do I even start?
The writing felt so fresh and authentic from the very beginning. You’re dropped straight into the world and taken on a complete roller-coaster ride from there.
What impressed me most was the world-building. It’s incredibly detailed, but never feels like the book is stopping to explain itself. Instead, we discover the world naturally as the characters travel, encounter different places, meet new people, and come across all kinds of beasts and creatures. Everything is introduced as part of the story, which makes the world feel vast and lived-in without ever becoming overwhelming.
The descriptions themselves are also beautifully handled, without being dependent on strange comparisons. I have aphantasia, so I don’t normally “see” things while I read. It’s literally like Malevich’s Black Square in my head. But somehow, the descriptions in this book broke through that. I could actually picture little fragments of the world, almost as if an image was slowly forming in my mind. I don’t know if it was because I loved the story so much that my brain was trying extra hard 🤣, but either way, it was such a cool reading experience. The creatures/beasts are written so well in this book, that it was not difficult to build one in your mind.
Despite being 700+ pages, split into three parts, I never found myself bored. Every section had something happening, and the different threads gradually came together in a way that kept me wanting to read just one more chapter.
I also really enjoyed the third-person perspective. With the number of characters we follow, I think it worked perfectly. Rather than staying tightly focused on one character, we get to experience different parts of the world through several perspectives. Even though the story is centered around one character, I actually preferred having that wider lens. Every character felt like they had a reason to be there, whether they were contributing to the world-building, advancing the plot, or simply giving us another perspective on what was happening.
And most importantly, this book felt original.
The creatures, the characters, the world, and the overall story all felt like their own thing. I never had that feeling of «oh, this reminds me of …”. That was probably one of my favorite things about it. It takes its own path and commits to it, and I loved that.
The ending was also really well done. It surprised me, but I didn’t feel completely blindsided. I appreciated that it didn’t rely on an overly dramatic or exaggerated finale just for the sake of making an impact. Instead, it leaves you wanting more and, thankfully, with plenty of questions about what comes next.
I also have to mention the chapter titles! I feel like they’re becoming increasingly rare, with so many books just using numbers, so I really appreciated having actual titles here.❤️
If I had to nitpick anything, it would be the chapter length. No chapter needs to be 40 minutes long 😆, but that’s probably just my personal love of short chapters talking.
This is definitely my favorite read of the year. It’s been a while since I’ve read a first installment in a series that impressed me this much, and for a debut? Just phenomenal!
This is how you do world-building! There are just so many directions this story can go, so much more to discover and build upon, and I absolutely cannot wait to see where it takes us next. Bring on book two! ✌🏻
August 5, 2026
Addictive Start to a Promising Series
C.S. Rawlings proves with his debut novel that he is a gifted storyteller. Before the Blades Fall hits the ground running with a fast-paced opening that immediately captures the reader's attention and sparks curiosity. The balance between rich character development and the gradual unraveling of Prismara's mysteries makes for an engaging journey from beginning to end.
Rawlings has a talent for creating characters you'll quickly become invested in, making it impossible not to read "just one more chapter." What I enjoyed most was how the story continually kept me guessing, revealing answers at just the right pace while introducing new questions to maintain the sense of mystery.
I can't wait to dive into book two and only hope we won't have to wait too long for it!
C.S. Rawlings proves with his debut novel that he is a gifted storyteller. Before the Blades Fall hits the ground running with a fast-paced opening that immediately captures the reader's attention and sparks curiosity. The balance between rich character development and the gradual unraveling of Prismara's mysteries makes for an engaging journey from beginning to end.
Rawlings has a talent for creating characters you'll quickly become invested in, making it impossible not to read "just one more chapter." What I enjoyed most was how the story continually kept me guessing, revealing answers at just the right pace while introducing new questions to maintain the sense of mystery.
I can't wait to dive into book two and only hope we won't have to wait too long for it!
August 14, 2026
An intruiging page-turning saga. A must- read.
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews