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The Living Blade #1
Touch of Iron
A magic sword. A fated quest. When the world is on the brink, one woman dares to defy destiny…
Is the Living Blade real or just a legend?
With it… Prince Bashan could win back his kingdom.
Master Telen Diaz can free himself of the burden from his past.
Owen Smith sees a once-in-a-lifetime chance to gain untold knowledge.
… but for Noraya Smith, the Living Blade will bring nothing but suffering and sorrow.
Is the Living Blade real or just a legend?
With it… Prince Bashan could win back his kingdom.
Master Telen Diaz can free himself of the burden from his past.
Owen Smith sees a once-in-a-lifetime chance to gain untold knowledge.
… but for Noraya Smith, the Living Blade will bring nothing but suffering and sorrow.
421 pages, Kindle Edition
First published May 13, 2016
392 people are currently reading
2608 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 91 reviews
December 7, 2017
Overall/Tl;dr
This is a very hard review because I'm not exactly sure who to recommend the book to. My best guess is YA fans who are getting a little older and looking to push their boundaries. The basic problem is this: the writing style and protagonist are YA, but the plot/content/language is Grimdark. It's a very interesting and unusual mix, it just didn't work that well for me.
Setting/World-building
Fairly light and non-intrusive. The book does a good job of easing you into the world, though those looking for in-depth explanations of how things work might be disappointed. It's closer to low fantasy than high, with magic being pretty rare, though there is at least one other 'race' of humanoids called wraiths. But they seem more or less like humans with a sip of superiority juice.
Plot
Also known as: How Much Can Noraya Take. Seriously, by the end of the book it's like Bruce Willis in Pulp Fiction.
But, no, ostensibly the adventure-quest is to find The Living Blade. A variety of characters seem to have pretty good reasons to find it, too. Except not our protagonist. She really doesn't care. She just wants to protect her brother, which I suppose is a very laudible thing to want, but I must admit it isn't very compelling.
There's also romance elements, especially in the last 1/3 of the book, and actually it oozed with the sexual tension of a good YA or romance story. Did I mention this is an odd, but interesting Grimdark read?
Characters
Our hero Nora is a foul-mouthed, stubborn teenage girl who swings a helluva meat cleaver. She has something of an undeniable quality - an intransigent, refuses-to-stop, refuses-to-die nature. I can appreciate that, even if it seemed a bit...unbelievable.
Around her we get a fairly large cast of different and interesting characters. Actually I would have loved to get more from them and less from Nora - perhaps this is the case in book 2. There's a pretender trying to take his throne, academics, priestesses, bandits, and an evil sorceress. My honorable mention and I'm sure practically everyone else's is the half-wight master Diaz.
Writing
I struggled with it. The protagonist is a teenage girl and she talks (and thinks) like one. The pacing has some hiccups, passive voice abounds, and as I said at the start...it's like reading a grimdark novel in YA style. This resulted in occasionally leaping from something that felt kind of silly, to something violent and horrific, and the contrast (while shocking) felt bizarre.
Final thoughts
I struggled with this book, but I'll re-iterate I don't think I'm the audience for it, and if you're a fan of YA and want a bit more darkness I think this might be right up your alley. Also it's another young, indie writer who deserves support, and I'm interested to see more of her work in the future.
This is a very hard review because I'm not exactly sure who to recommend the book to. My best guess is YA fans who are getting a little older and looking to push their boundaries. The basic problem is this: the writing style and protagonist are YA, but the plot/content/language is Grimdark. It's a very interesting and unusual mix, it just didn't work that well for me.
Setting/World-building
Fairly light and non-intrusive. The book does a good job of easing you into the world, though those looking for in-depth explanations of how things work might be disappointed. It's closer to low fantasy than high, with magic being pretty rare, though there is at least one other 'race' of humanoids called wraiths. But they seem more or less like humans with a sip of superiority juice.
Plot
Also known as: How Much Can Noraya Take. Seriously, by the end of the book it's like Bruce Willis in Pulp Fiction.
But, no, ostensibly the adventure-quest is to find The Living Blade. A variety of characters seem to have pretty good reasons to find it, too. Except not our protagonist. She really doesn't care. She just wants to protect her brother, which I suppose is a very laudible thing to want, but I must admit it isn't very compelling.
There's also romance elements, especially in the last 1/3 of the book, and actually it oozed with the sexual tension of a good YA or romance story. Did I mention this is an odd, but interesting Grimdark read?
Characters
Our hero Nora is a foul-mouthed, stubborn teenage girl who swings a helluva meat cleaver. She has something of an undeniable quality - an intransigent, refuses-to-stop, refuses-to-die nature. I can appreciate that, even if it seemed a bit...unbelievable.
Around her we get a fairly large cast of different and interesting characters. Actually I would have loved to get more from them and less from Nora - perhaps this is the case in book 2. There's a pretender trying to take his throne, academics, priestesses, bandits, and an evil sorceress. My honorable mention and I'm sure practically everyone else's is the half-wight master Diaz.
Writing
I struggled with it. The protagonist is a teenage girl and she talks (and thinks) like one. The pacing has some hiccups, passive voice abounds, and as I said at the start...it's like reading a grimdark novel in YA style. This resulted in occasionally leaping from something that felt kind of silly, to something violent and horrific, and the contrast (while shocking) felt bizarre.
Final thoughts
I struggled with this book, but I'll re-iterate I don't think I'm the audience for it, and if you're a fan of YA and want a bit more darkness I think this might be right up your alley. Also it's another young, indie writer who deserves support, and I'm interested to see more of her work in the future.
November 28, 2019
Touch of iron. Touch of home.
Touch of Iron is Timandra Whitecastle’s debut novel, and is a savagely alluring tale of the danger of beauty, and the beauty of danger. It’s an account of an epic quest for a magical artifact, conscious sacrifice, and the ties that bind; the bonds of family, the bonds of love, and the bonds of necessity. This story also closely examines the effects of power and the inevitable manipulation that will surely follow. There’s a bit of adventure and romance, and lots of suspenseful action and gruesome violence, both physical and sexual – the latter more implied than explicit. Initially interpreted with a Young Adult/New Adult tone, this initial installment in her Living Blade series quickly evolves into a bleak, gritty, and unrestrained grimdark that hits hard, and refuses even a moment of rest.
The main focus of this story is on its characters and their relationships, which grow and develop in the most authentic of ways. We follow the misadventures and misfortunes of Noraya, Nora for short, as she journeys to protect the only aspect of her life that truly matters to her: her twin brother Owen. Each the other’s converse, she’s resilient, headstrong, impulsive, and dangerous, unsure of her path in life, whereas he’s a book-smart academic, determined, naive, and relatively certain of what his future holds. Their campaign brings along diverse company, including an enigmatic and reserved half-wight pilgrim master, a treacherous and vile exiled prince, and a calculating monster hidden beneath a sultry facade. There’s plenty of banter, but also sincere and poignant emotion.
There’s also a romantic element to this tale resulting from an unexpected budding love, despite the jarring differences between the two characters involved. Both struggle with their feelings, internally and outwardly, yet sexual tension exquisitely oozes from the pages beginning with their first encounter. The challenges they face along the way, which should negatively impact their relationship, only serve to make it stronger. As someone who has read quite a bit of fantasy infused with romance, I really appreciated how Whitecastle approached this trope of forbidden love, making it progress in such a magnificently organic fashion.
In addition to strong characters, the worldbuilding in this book is incredible, and at times it feels as though this story could possibly be categorized as historical fiction. Whitecastle shapes a dark and vivid world around us as we venture alongside Nora, only presenting us with critical building blocks. She smartly omits overwhelming details, allowing our imaginations to run rampant, which I always appreciate in a book. The world itself is full of tales of dead gods and superstitions, each piece crucial to the grand scheme as we watch the story arc unfold. There are also facets influenced by mythology and folklore, creating another bridge between the fantastical world she has created and our own.
The hunt for a magical relic featured within the pages is one that could potentially change the world in its entirety, and its scope becomes more ambitious and convoluted as the story continues. Unforeseen twists add to the intricacy of the plot introduced, and as the complexity increases, the danger increases. This advancement is basically the root of all conflict. The action is intense, the violence is ample, and the bloodshed is sufficient, each becoming more excessive as the story progresses. Following this trend, I’m excited to see what levels Whitecastle takes us to in the remaining books of the series.
Touch of Iron is a severe and tragic account of a woman’s pilgrimage in an unfair and somber world, and an absolutely fantastic debut. Raw and visceral, there are so many things worthy of praise, and this review only begins to scrape the surface. My favorite part of reading this book was discovering new depths along the way, and I only hope that future readers have as much as an exceptional experience as I have. If you’re into darker fantasy, but also appreciate unexpected moments of tenderness, then I highly recommend you give this a read. I’m excited to continue my journey for the Living Blade.
Touch of Iron is Timandra Whitecastle’s debut novel, and is a savagely alluring tale of the danger of beauty, and the beauty of danger. It’s an account of an epic quest for a magical artifact, conscious sacrifice, and the ties that bind; the bonds of family, the bonds of love, and the bonds of necessity. This story also closely examines the effects of power and the inevitable manipulation that will surely follow. There’s a bit of adventure and romance, and lots of suspenseful action and gruesome violence, both physical and sexual – the latter more implied than explicit. Initially interpreted with a Young Adult/New Adult tone, this initial installment in her Living Blade series quickly evolves into a bleak, gritty, and unrestrained grimdark that hits hard, and refuses even a moment of rest.
The main focus of this story is on its characters and their relationships, which grow and develop in the most authentic of ways. We follow the misadventures and misfortunes of Noraya, Nora for short, as she journeys to protect the only aspect of her life that truly matters to her: her twin brother Owen. Each the other’s converse, she’s resilient, headstrong, impulsive, and dangerous, unsure of her path in life, whereas he’s a book-smart academic, determined, naive, and relatively certain of what his future holds. Their campaign brings along diverse company, including an enigmatic and reserved half-wight pilgrim master, a treacherous and vile exiled prince, and a calculating monster hidden beneath a sultry facade. There’s plenty of banter, but also sincere and poignant emotion.
There’s also a romantic element to this tale resulting from an unexpected budding love, despite the jarring differences between the two characters involved. Both struggle with their feelings, internally and outwardly, yet sexual tension exquisitely oozes from the pages beginning with their first encounter. The challenges they face along the way, which should negatively impact their relationship, only serve to make it stronger. As someone who has read quite a bit of fantasy infused with romance, I really appreciated how Whitecastle approached this trope of forbidden love, making it progress in such a magnificently organic fashion.
In addition to strong characters, the worldbuilding in this book is incredible, and at times it feels as though this story could possibly be categorized as historical fiction. Whitecastle shapes a dark and vivid world around us as we venture alongside Nora, only presenting us with critical building blocks. She smartly omits overwhelming details, allowing our imaginations to run rampant, which I always appreciate in a book. The world itself is full of tales of dead gods and superstitions, each piece crucial to the grand scheme as we watch the story arc unfold. There are also facets influenced by mythology and folklore, creating another bridge between the fantastical world she has created and our own.
The hunt for a magical relic featured within the pages is one that could potentially change the world in its entirety, and its scope becomes more ambitious and convoluted as the story continues. Unforeseen twists add to the intricacy of the plot introduced, and as the complexity increases, the danger increases. This advancement is basically the root of all conflict. The action is intense, the violence is ample, and the bloodshed is sufficient, each becoming more excessive as the story progresses. Following this trend, I’m excited to see what levels Whitecastle takes us to in the remaining books of the series.
Touch of Iron is a severe and tragic account of a woman’s pilgrimage in an unfair and somber world, and an absolutely fantastic debut. Raw and visceral, there are so many things worthy of praise, and this review only begins to scrape the surface. My favorite part of reading this book was discovering new depths along the way, and I only hope that future readers have as much as an exceptional experience as I have. If you’re into darker fantasy, but also appreciate unexpected moments of tenderness, then I highly recommend you give this a read. I’m excited to continue my journey for the Living Blade.
June 10, 2017
Timandra Whitecastle pulls no punches. Touch of Iron shocked the sh*t out of me. Shocking violence, shocking situations, shocking grossness (that's a word), shocking sexual situations, and shockingly good. The story gets going and it really just doesn't quit.
The structure and character arcs remind me of Abercrombie's The First Law and, maybe moreso, The Shattered Sea trilogies, as does the head-on description of violence, gore and gritty life with a sword. It also feels a little like Anthony Ryan's Blood Song. This is no Lord Grimdark or Ryan ripoff, though, but a unique work all it's own.
The variety and authenticity of characters is what fascinates me most, I think. And Telen Diaz. Damn. A warrior monk of sorts, a half-wight with a dark and secret past, he's got to be one of the most memorable characters in fantasy for me now. Kind of Sigrud from Robert J. Bennett's City of Stairs (The Divine Cities series) crossed with Dimitri Belikov from Richelle Mead's Vampire Academy (yes I read those shut up).
There aren't many women writing grimdark fantasy, or if there are, we don't get to see them enough, but I'm really glad Whitecastle is among them. Look out you Anna Smiths ;)
Shockingly brutal and beautiful, wonderful grimdark fantasy. Read this. Yes.
The structure and character arcs remind me of Abercrombie's The First Law and, maybe moreso, The Shattered Sea trilogies, as does the head-on description of violence, gore and gritty life with a sword. It also feels a little like Anthony Ryan's Blood Song. This is no Lord Grimdark or Ryan ripoff, though, but a unique work all it's own.
The variety and authenticity of characters is what fascinates me most, I think. And Telen Diaz. Damn. A warrior monk of sorts, a half-wight with a dark and secret past, he's got to be one of the most memorable characters in fantasy for me now. Kind of Sigrud from Robert J. Bennett's City of Stairs (The Divine Cities series) crossed with Dimitri Belikov from Richelle Mead's Vampire Academy (yes I read those shut up).
There aren't many women writing grimdark fantasy, or if there are, we don't get to see them enough, but I'm really glad Whitecastle is among them. Look out you Anna Smiths ;)
Shockingly brutal and beautiful, wonderful grimdark fantasy. Read this. Yes.
October 26, 2019
This was pure, unapologetic, fantasy goodness. Not everything needs to be a deconstruction - sometimes it's worth remembering why the tropes that get deconstructed so much got constructed in the first place.
The main character is Nora, a country charcoal burner who gets swept up in big events. The Empire has abandoned their part of the world, bandits are everywhere, and she finds herself in company with a disinherited exile prince seeking a legendary artifact to reclaim his throne. Nora doesn't really fit in with societal norms as far as gender roles go, and there's a mentor figure who teaches her to fight, and conflicting love interests, and all sorts of good juicy classic fantasy. Often you read something like this and it's boring and cliched. This isn't.
Nora is ... compelling is probably the best word I can find. She's defiant, she's cynical, she's stubborn, she's predictably unpredictable. I was invested in her right from the first page of the book, and that never let up.
The book is action-packed in the best sense of the phrase. Nora's improbably good at fighting, but like in the best of action movies, the unrealistic nature doesn't matter because it's so freaking awesome!
I was shocked more than once, and Whitecastle pulls no punches. I first was exposed to her work in the Art of War anthology, where her story left me a shattered, broken shell of a man. I honestly have no idea why this book was on my Kindle in the first place - I have no memory of buying it or being gifted it. But recognizing her name from Art of War was more than enough to make me start reading. This book isn't as emotionally devastating as her story in Art of War was, but hey, there's still two books to go.
It gets brutal at times, fair warning. This book merits a definite trigger warning for sexual violence, but unlike many mediocre writers wanting to establish their grimdark bonafides, the sexual violence was dealt with appropriately. I never felt it was tawdry or a lazy attempt at character building.
My only real complaint here is that the language at times felt modern enough to break the immersion. I can't point to anything as egregious as Elend Venture using the phrase "homicidal hat trick" in the Mistborn trilogy, and I'm usually not a stickler for this kind of thing anyway, but Nora did feel very much like a 21st century American in the way she spoke.
This book isn't going to change your life, and I honestly doubt that I'll remember it all that well a decade from now. But if you want to just turn off your brain and go on an adventure, it's a great one to pick up.
The main character is Nora, a country charcoal burner who gets swept up in big events. The Empire has abandoned their part of the world, bandits are everywhere, and she finds herself in company with a disinherited exile prince seeking a legendary artifact to reclaim his throne. Nora doesn't really fit in with societal norms as far as gender roles go, and there's a mentor figure who teaches her to fight, and conflicting love interests, and all sorts of good juicy classic fantasy. Often you read something like this and it's boring and cliched. This isn't.
Nora is ... compelling is probably the best word I can find. She's defiant, she's cynical, she's stubborn, she's predictably unpredictable. I was invested in her right from the first page of the book, and that never let up.
The book is action-packed in the best sense of the phrase. Nora's improbably good at fighting, but like in the best of action movies, the unrealistic nature doesn't matter because it's so freaking awesome!
I was shocked more than once, and Whitecastle pulls no punches. I first was exposed to her work in the Art of War anthology, where her story left me a shattered, broken shell of a man. I honestly have no idea why this book was on my Kindle in the first place - I have no memory of buying it or being gifted it. But recognizing her name from Art of War was more than enough to make me start reading. This book isn't as emotionally devastating as her story in Art of War was, but hey, there's still two books to go.
It gets brutal at times, fair warning. This book merits a definite trigger warning for sexual violence, but unlike many mediocre writers wanting to establish their grimdark bonafides, the sexual violence was dealt with appropriately. I never felt it was tawdry or a lazy attempt at character building.
My only real complaint here is that the language at times felt modern enough to break the immersion. I can't point to anything as egregious as Elend Venture using the phrase "homicidal hat trick" in the Mistborn trilogy, and I'm usually not a stickler for this kind of thing anyway, but Nora did feel very much like a 21st century American in the way she spoke.
This book isn't going to change your life, and I honestly doubt that I'll remember it all that well a decade from now. But if you want to just turn off your brain and go on an adventure, it's a great one to pick up.
May 9, 2018
I’ve been waffling on this review for a while because this book left me with such a mix of feelings that it took me a fair bit to gather my thoughts.
After reading this author’s short story in The Lost Lore Anthology I went searching for more of her work. This may have been a bit rough story-wise, but *all* the things I was impressed with in her short are here- that easy style that pulls you in and makes it hard to put down, connectable characters, a darker almost fairy-tale feel, and that trippy weirdness she did so well in her short story Into the Woods.
Also, I liked the twin’s relationship, how the world was thick with superstitions, and I am a sucker for quests for items of power that make people Godlike.
The world in this book is quite violent and dark at times with a lot of sexual violence towards women. It’s not overly graphic but it is there and a lot more than I generally like in a book even in a grimdark- personally I like to sugar coat my dark gritty reads and pretend women aren’t treated that way but this story doesn’t let you forget a woman’s place in the world for long, and that’s fair too.
Sometimes though, the story felt younger than all that darker content- which could be just the fact that we are so used to categorizing our reads and lives, so we automatically think, oh hey, young protag, its gotta be YA- tick that box. Violence, sexual assault and darkness, its gotta be Grimdark- tick that box, etc. So, when you do get something like this story, where it’s such a mixed bag, it messes with your head a bit. Or at least it did mine. And that was where I think I struggled the most with the story- was with the feeling that I was reading YA but No, wait, it’s too dark for that! What box do I fit it in?
In some ways, I also kind of liked the fact that it did push those boundaries, though I will always prefer a little sugar-coating on the violence towards the women, it did make me really consider what it was I liked and didn’t like in this story and if it was a problem with the story or the way we pigeon hole things. I still don’t know the answer to that, it might be a bit of both.
Anyway, so the Tldr- The author clearly has talent and I will definitely be coming back for the next book because I did see the beginnings of the strong writing I saw in her short story. I might have to bring some sugar for the next book though… just in case. :)
I think am going to have to say 3.5. for this one.
Other notes.
-I don’t think I have ever shipped two characters as much as I did Nora and Diaz in a book that wasn’t a romance. Ever.
-That arena battle in part three was freaking cool
After reading this author’s short story in The Lost Lore Anthology I went searching for more of her work. This may have been a bit rough story-wise, but *all* the things I was impressed with in her short are here- that easy style that pulls you in and makes it hard to put down, connectable characters, a darker almost fairy-tale feel, and that trippy weirdness she did so well in her short story Into the Woods.
Also, I liked the twin’s relationship, how the world was thick with superstitions, and I am a sucker for quests for items of power that make people Godlike.
The world in this book is quite violent and dark at times with a lot of sexual violence towards women. It’s not overly graphic but it is there and a lot more than I generally like in a book even in a grimdark- personally I like to sugar coat my dark gritty reads and pretend women aren’t treated that way but this story doesn’t let you forget a woman’s place in the world for long, and that’s fair too.
Sometimes though, the story felt younger than all that darker content- which could be just the fact that we are so used to categorizing our reads and lives, so we automatically think, oh hey, young protag, its gotta be YA- tick that box. Violence, sexual assault and darkness, its gotta be Grimdark- tick that box, etc. So, when you do get something like this story, where it’s such a mixed bag, it messes with your head a bit. Or at least it did mine. And that was where I think I struggled the most with the story- was with the feeling that I was reading YA but No, wait, it’s too dark for that! What box do I fit it in?
In some ways, I also kind of liked the fact that it did push those boundaries, though I will always prefer a little sugar-coating on the violence towards the women, it did make me really consider what it was I liked and didn’t like in this story and if it was a problem with the story or the way we pigeon hole things. I still don’t know the answer to that, it might be a bit of both.
Anyway, so the Tldr- The author clearly has talent and I will definitely be coming back for the next book because I did see the beginnings of the strong writing I saw in her short story. I might have to bring some sugar for the next book though… just in case. :)
I think am going to have to say 3.5. for this one.
Other notes.
-I don’t think I have ever shipped two characters as much as I did Nora and Diaz in a book that wasn’t a romance. Ever.
-That arena battle in part three was freaking cool
Read
November 18, 2023This book was superbly well written, the finish on the prose and production shines in its class.
In a culture where twins are cursed and left to die, the story begins with twin foundlings raised by loving foster parents, mother deceased, father a smith. Yet they are running away from their village, ill equipped for the wilds and headed for danger they cannot imagine as the order they know is thrown into upheaval by raiders, a hunted party on a quest with an outcast prince, and a mysterious master, half-wight, among them.
The plot to this story picks up as the underpinnings of the characters' histories emerge in the telling. The sister twin, born for weapons and violence, and her bookish, mild tempered brother pursue their personalities in full, living color, the thread holding them their constant devotion to each other.
This book plunges the reader into the intricacies and doubts of human relationships at a mature level seldom found in fantasy. The complexity of the plot, the unwinding of the factions' intents, the utterly amazing, jaw dropping settings, and the cultural nuance packed into a relatively short book is astounding, masterful, and stunning to behold.
The author handles edgy topics with the ease of a knife sliding into butter - unafraid to expose the gristle of violence and the nice, and the uglier side of some times raw, sensuous encounters with a finesse that described, but never tipped over the edge. Rape culture is handled with straightforward eyes, through the view point of a heroine having none of it, and unafraid to shed blood to defend herself. And as her tangled relationship with a master teacher of the blade, and her loyalty to her brother take us forward, we step into a wider, more far reaching plot that would seem to encompass a world.
This is a quest novel, a love story, with tender moments and sometimes vicious brutality, and a sensual edge I will not soon forget. If you are unafraid of a full spectrum experience, and some wonderfully complex characters, at odds and in company in complex situations, I highly recommend this book.
So much, I have ordered both sequels. Brava, Timandra Whitecastle, your writing is brilliant and satisfies with complexity on all levels.
In a culture where twins are cursed and left to die, the story begins with twin foundlings raised by loving foster parents, mother deceased, father a smith. Yet they are running away from their village, ill equipped for the wilds and headed for danger they cannot imagine as the order they know is thrown into upheaval by raiders, a hunted party on a quest with an outcast prince, and a mysterious master, half-wight, among them.
The plot to this story picks up as the underpinnings of the characters' histories emerge in the telling. The sister twin, born for weapons and violence, and her bookish, mild tempered brother pursue their personalities in full, living color, the thread holding them their constant devotion to each other.
This book plunges the reader into the intricacies and doubts of human relationships at a mature level seldom found in fantasy. The complexity of the plot, the unwinding of the factions' intents, the utterly amazing, jaw dropping settings, and the cultural nuance packed into a relatively short book is astounding, masterful, and stunning to behold.
The author handles edgy topics with the ease of a knife sliding into butter - unafraid to expose the gristle of violence and the nice, and the uglier side of some times raw, sensuous encounters with a finesse that described, but never tipped over the edge. Rape culture is handled with straightforward eyes, through the view point of a heroine having none of it, and unafraid to shed blood to defend herself. And as her tangled relationship with a master teacher of the blade, and her loyalty to her brother take us forward, we step into a wider, more far reaching plot that would seem to encompass a world.
This is a quest novel, a love story, with tender moments and sometimes vicious brutality, and a sensual edge I will not soon forget. If you are unafraid of a full spectrum experience, and some wonderfully complex characters, at odds and in company in complex situations, I highly recommend this book.
So much, I have ordered both sequels. Brava, Timandra Whitecastle, your writing is brilliant and satisfies with complexity on all levels.
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June 15, 2016Unfortunatley, I couldn't get past the first few chapters because the writing is too distracting. It's choppy, awkard, and there numerous grammatical errors. The premise seems interesting, but this needs to go back to the proofreader(s).
May 19, 2018
Touch of Iron is a powerful start to a fantasy epic by a truly gifted writer. I found myself deeply attached to our protagonist, Nora, worrying for her safety, wanting to know more about her world. Wise readers will also check out her short story in Lost Lore, which also showcases Timandra's lyric prose and unexpected gut-punch that accompanies her storytelling. Really amazing stuff.
June 12, 2016
Touch of Iron (The Living Blade #1) by Timandra Whitecastle
*I received this book from the author in exchange for an honest review*
The book blurb;
‘Is the Living Blade real or just a legend?
With it… Prince Bashan could win back his kingdom.
Master Telen Diaz can free himself of the burden from his past.
Owen Smith sees a once-in-a-lifetime chance to gain untold knowledge.
… but for Noraya Smith, the Living Blade will bring nothing but suffering and sorrow.’
Touch of Iron tells the story of Norayah Smith and her twin brother Owen. They have run from their home village and find themselves ambushed by an exiled prince and his troupe, which includes a half-wight pilgrim named Telen Diaz. The exiled prince is on a quest for the Living Blade so that he can dethrone his sister and become emperor.
Every now and then you are presented with an opportunity to read something that you just know you’re going to love. I received the email from Timandra Whitecastle and she pitched it perfectly; “it’s a grimdark novel...similar to Joe Abercrombie”…SOLD!
This book did not disappoint. First of all, the characters are few and therefore are given the space to be fleshed out and explored fully. Their trials and tribulations are numerous and arduous; there is a certain reality to the characters. There is a romantic element in the story and this is misguided, often unrequited and mostly impossible. What I did like, was the fact that the protagonist, Nora, is fiery and strong-willed, and unafraid to say her mind, and this didn’t become annoying or frustrating as I have found can often happen. Time and time again I have read female characters who are strong but are still sappy, naïve and hapless, not here; Nora is a real focal point of this story and her character is a major positive.
The other characters all play their part and have distinct personalities formed by their experiences and by their goals. Telen Diaz is brilliant and brings so much to the story, his past is complex and far from straightforward and he slowly starts to pen up during the journey.
The antagonist, Suranna, is just pure evil. She is given a lot of time to prove her ability to be delicious, inviting, and poisonous; a real serpent. She is one who captured my attention immediately and who I wanted to hate but I just couldn’t, because without a real antagonist, how would a hero prove themselves? The world created by the author is another plus and introduces different gods and ancient artefacts that can shape the landscape and they can have a real influence on humanity.
Summary
This is a pure grimdark novel that doesn’t pull any punches and delivers the action with real grit and intensity. The quest that the characters find themselves on is not wholly noble and, for some of them, not voluntary. The author is not afraid to sacrifice anybody, whether it be physically or mentally. As a warning, there is some expletives within the story and, as such, would not be suitable for children – something you’d expect in this genre. I really enjoyed this book and will be fighting my way to the front of the line to read the second in the series when it’s published.
Rating
4/5
*I received this book from the author in exchange for an honest review*
The book blurb;
‘Is the Living Blade real or just a legend?
With it… Prince Bashan could win back his kingdom.
Master Telen Diaz can free himself of the burden from his past.
Owen Smith sees a once-in-a-lifetime chance to gain untold knowledge.
… but for Noraya Smith, the Living Blade will bring nothing but suffering and sorrow.’
Touch of Iron tells the story of Norayah Smith and her twin brother Owen. They have run from their home village and find themselves ambushed by an exiled prince and his troupe, which includes a half-wight pilgrim named Telen Diaz. The exiled prince is on a quest for the Living Blade so that he can dethrone his sister and become emperor.
Every now and then you are presented with an opportunity to read something that you just know you’re going to love. I received the email from Timandra Whitecastle and she pitched it perfectly; “it’s a grimdark novel...similar to Joe Abercrombie”…SOLD!
This book did not disappoint. First of all, the characters are few and therefore are given the space to be fleshed out and explored fully. Their trials and tribulations are numerous and arduous; there is a certain reality to the characters. There is a romantic element in the story and this is misguided, often unrequited and mostly impossible. What I did like, was the fact that the protagonist, Nora, is fiery and strong-willed, and unafraid to say her mind, and this didn’t become annoying or frustrating as I have found can often happen. Time and time again I have read female characters who are strong but are still sappy, naïve and hapless, not here; Nora is a real focal point of this story and her character is a major positive.
The other characters all play their part and have distinct personalities formed by their experiences and by their goals. Telen Diaz is brilliant and brings so much to the story, his past is complex and far from straightforward and he slowly starts to pen up during the journey.
The antagonist, Suranna, is just pure evil. She is given a lot of time to prove her ability to be delicious, inviting, and poisonous; a real serpent. She is one who captured my attention immediately and who I wanted to hate but I just couldn’t, because without a real antagonist, how would a hero prove themselves? The world created by the author is another plus and introduces different gods and ancient artefacts that can shape the landscape and they can have a real influence on humanity.
Summary
This is a pure grimdark novel that doesn’t pull any punches and delivers the action with real grit and intensity. The quest that the characters find themselves on is not wholly noble and, for some of them, not voluntary. The author is not afraid to sacrifice anybody, whether it be physically or mentally. As a warning, there is some expletives within the story and, as such, would not be suitable for children – something you’d expect in this genre. I really enjoyed this book and will be fighting my way to the front of the line to read the second in the series when it’s published.
Rating
4/5
September 17, 2019
I've gone and done it, I've officially offered up my first one star review. I always hesitate to rate at the extreme ends of the spectrum because it feels too much like a gut reaction and not something that I've thought about and weighed the pros and cons of. So having said that I will constructively try and explain my reasoning for such a low rating.
First off, the characters. This is usually where books are saved from insipid plot. Even when I find failings in nonsensical traveling or random pit fights I can usually use the characters as a reason to continue on. Not so here.
Let's start with the basics: our heroine Noraya. I see what Whitecastle is trying to do. She's trying to write a story from the perspective of a character that does not have any baring on the main plot and yet will somehow come into her own and triumph. I like the idea, I really do, but it was poorly executed. Nora is a hated twin, seemingly spawned from death herself and yet she and her brother Owen have escaped the odds and exist in a world that would have fed them to the wolves. Interesting though that twins, who are normally left out for fodder as young children, live completely unmolested in a town for 16 years, as if their curse falls away once they learn to speak, yet the stigma returns whenever the author needs it to make a point. Sure Nora is sure to mention the stares and glares but in a society that literally has within its oral traditions the belief that twins must not exist, people seem to be pretty chill about the fact that they live along side them.
The bigger problem with all of this is that Nora doesn't have anything to do for the entirety of the story. It's not her mission, she has no baring on saving the world, she is literally just following her brother because he wants to read books for the entirety of their travels. I thought the twin thing was going to be a driving force but it's literally all but forgotten half way through the story. It's hard to read a story from the point of view of a person who's story is not driving the story. It means that the plot meanders.
That's just the tip of the iceberg for Noraya . She's also annoying. She hates Diaz, then she's mad when he doesn't talk to her, she's mad when he does talk to her. She's mad when he won't kiss her, then she's kissing Shade then she's mad when she learns of Diaz's connection to another woman even when she finds out there's little he can do about it. She's all over the place. Plus how can she be so upset with Diaz when they have literally no connection what so ever. They never have any kind of relationship that would warrant her attitude shifts.
So if the main character is boring where does it leave the other secondary characters? They are all flat and 2 dimensional. Even Diaz the half human half wight who through his very makeup should inspire interest in boring. What is a wight? Beats me. All I learned in the entirely to the story is that they have black eyes and live a long time. At one point they are mentioned to be lizard like and later on there is one who is so beautiful that she inspired a god to fall in love with her. Doesn't make sense.
So the characters are a no go. How about the plot? Nope nothing there. We spend the entirety of the book looking for a sword that we still haven't found and we're no where closer to finding it by the end. Truthfully I don't even know why we need it. Supposedly the world is falling apart. And we have an exiled prince in a northern landscape that has no leadership. The rest is vague. Why is there no leadership? What is the makeup of the northern towns that it is falling into chaos? We travel to a total of 3 towns each a random make up that doesn't have any baring on the outside world. I can't even get a sense of the world that the characters exist in.
A point that Whitecastle does try to make of her world is that it is a land where men rule and women have no say, supposedly ... but every society we come across is led by a woman. How can I believe that women are so suppressed when they are in charge every time we see them. Bashan must win his kingdom over from his SISTER, the pilgrim who inherits the temple of the wind is a WOMAN, the next temple is run by a WOMAN. In fact show me one town that was run by a man in the entire book? If you're building motive based on gender inequality than show some inequality. You can't tell readers things and expect them to take them as truth, prove it! For me it's in the proof where Whitecastle fails the most.
I could go on and on about the problems I experienced while reading but I think I would just be hammering the points I made above. What I really want to express is how un fun the book was. It wanders, it spends too much time in everyday activities or traveling. There's too much potato peeling and boring conversations that lead to nothing. It's uneventful and feels as if if you just start reading at book 2 you would miss nothing. So in the end I give this book one star because not only was it unenjoyable it doesn't accomplish anything. There is nothing that I enjoyed. The only reason I finished reading is because I felt it to be unfair to rate a book I didn't see through to the end.
First off, the characters. This is usually where books are saved from insipid plot. Even when I find failings in nonsensical traveling or random pit fights I can usually use the characters as a reason to continue on. Not so here.
Let's start with the basics: our heroine Noraya. I see what Whitecastle is trying to do. She's trying to write a story from the perspective of a character that does not have any baring on the main plot and yet will somehow come into her own and triumph. I like the idea, I really do, but it was poorly executed. Nora is a hated twin, seemingly spawned from death herself and yet she and her brother Owen have escaped the odds and exist in a world that would have fed them to the wolves. Interesting though that twins, who are normally left out for fodder as young children, live completely unmolested in a town for 16 years, as if their curse falls away once they learn to speak, yet the stigma returns whenever the author needs it to make a point. Sure Nora is sure to mention the stares and glares but in a society that literally has within its oral traditions the belief that twins must not exist, people seem to be pretty chill about the fact that they live along side them.
The bigger problem with all of this is that Nora doesn't have anything to do for the entirety of the story. It's not her mission, she has no baring on saving the world, she is literally just following her brother because he wants to read books for the entirety of their travels. I thought the twin thing was going to be a driving force but it's literally all but forgotten half way through the story. It's hard to read a story from the point of view of a person who's story is not driving the story. It means that the plot meanders.
That's just the tip of the iceberg for Noraya . She's also annoying. She hates Diaz, then she's mad when he doesn't talk to her, she's mad when he does talk to her. She's mad when he won't kiss her, then she's kissing Shade then she's mad when she learns of Diaz's connection to another woman even when she finds out there's little he can do about it. She's all over the place. Plus how can she be so upset with Diaz when they have literally no connection what so ever. They never have any kind of relationship that would warrant her attitude shifts.
So if the main character is boring where does it leave the other secondary characters? They are all flat and 2 dimensional. Even Diaz the half human half wight who through his very makeup should inspire interest in boring. What is a wight? Beats me. All I learned in the entirely to the story is that they have black eyes and live a long time. At one point they are mentioned to be lizard like and later on there is one who is so beautiful that she inspired a god to fall in love with her. Doesn't make sense.
So the characters are a no go. How about the plot? Nope nothing there. We spend the entirety of the book looking for a sword that we still haven't found and we're no where closer to finding it by the end. Truthfully I don't even know why we need it. Supposedly the world is falling apart. And we have an exiled prince in a northern landscape that has no leadership. The rest is vague. Why is there no leadership? What is the makeup of the northern towns that it is falling into chaos? We travel to a total of 3 towns each a random make up that doesn't have any baring on the outside world. I can't even get a sense of the world that the characters exist in.
A point that Whitecastle does try to make of her world is that it is a land where men rule and women have no say, supposedly ... but every society we come across is led by a woman. How can I believe that women are so suppressed when they are in charge every time we see them. Bashan must win his kingdom over from his SISTER, the pilgrim who inherits the temple of the wind is a WOMAN, the next temple is run by a WOMAN. In fact show me one town that was run by a man in the entire book? If you're building motive based on gender inequality than show some inequality. You can't tell readers things and expect them to take them as truth, prove it! For me it's in the proof where Whitecastle fails the most.
I could go on and on about the problems I experienced while reading but I think I would just be hammering the points I made above. What I really want to express is how un fun the book was. It wanders, it spends too much time in everyday activities or traveling. There's too much potato peeling and boring conversations that lead to nothing. It's uneventful and feels as if if you just start reading at book 2 you would miss nothing. So in the end I give this book one star because not only was it unenjoyable it doesn't accomplish anything. There is nothing that I enjoyed. The only reason I finished reading is because I felt it to be unfair to rate a book I didn't see through to the end.
July 30, 2018
3.5 Stars~
"The cracking sound and the grind under her heel as his nose broke filled her with grim satisfaction."
LOOK AT THAT COVER, YOU GUYS! It's jaw-droppingly gorgeous. Done by the incredibly talented Tommy Arnold, go figure! I was just writing about him in my previous post. I truly believe that he is one of the greatest cover artists currently working today. Goddamn beautiful work!
What's inside is also pretty fucking great! Timandra Whitecastle is a self-published writer & this is the first installment in the Living Blade grimdark series.
Noraya (Nora) is our protagonist &.. fucking hell. You know I love a fiery, strong female character & Nora is most definitely that! The shit she faces within these pages is immense, to say the least. You can't help but root for her. She reminded me of an Arya Stark-type character & I AM ALL ABOUT THAT!
Touch of Iron includes an eclectic mix of supporting characters. The main story focus is regarding a quest to locate a magical sword, The Living Blade. Those who are along for the journey are Nora's twin brother, Owen; Prince Bashan (or as Nora calls him "The Fish Lord"); & Telen Diaz. Next to Nora, Diaz is my favorite! He's a complex half-wight with a heart-wrenching background who brings so much to this story. If you want a super memorable fantasy character, he's your guy!
“You know..." Nora took a deep breath. "For a master warrior craftsman, you talk a lot of philosophical bullshit.”
In some ways, Touch of Iron felt quite similar to Abercrombie's Shattered Sea trilogy. Along with the stabby-stabby that tends to feature prominently in the grimdark subgenre, it had elements of romance, as well. Hell, I couldn't help but ship two characters. It's like that meme with the stick figure holding the two heads & trying to mash them together ::NOW KISS!::
This was at times shocking, gut-punchy, brutal & beautiful. It was one of those books that I found myself liking more as it went on. Part three in particular was a fucking rollercoaster of emotions!
Overall, this would be a great place to begin your grimdark journey if you are unsure about how much grim you can handle! Timandra Whitecastle is a writer you should keep your eyes peeled for. I think her quality of writing is just going to keep getting better & better!
(Thank you to Timandra Whitecastle for providing a copy in exchange for an honest review!)
"The cracking sound and the grind under her heel as his nose broke filled her with grim satisfaction."
LOOK AT THAT COVER, YOU GUYS! It's jaw-droppingly gorgeous. Done by the incredibly talented Tommy Arnold, go figure! I was just writing about him in my previous post. I truly believe that he is one of the greatest cover artists currently working today. Goddamn beautiful work!
What's inside is also pretty fucking great! Timandra Whitecastle is a self-published writer & this is the first installment in the Living Blade grimdark series.
Noraya (Nora) is our protagonist &.. fucking hell. You know I love a fiery, strong female character & Nora is most definitely that! The shit she faces within these pages is immense, to say the least. You can't help but root for her. She reminded me of an Arya Stark-type character & I AM ALL ABOUT THAT!
Touch of Iron includes an eclectic mix of supporting characters. The main story focus is regarding a quest to locate a magical sword, The Living Blade. Those who are along for the journey are Nora's twin brother, Owen; Prince Bashan (or as Nora calls him "The Fish Lord"); & Telen Diaz. Next to Nora, Diaz is my favorite! He's a complex half-wight with a heart-wrenching background who brings so much to this story. If you want a super memorable fantasy character, he's your guy!
“You know..." Nora took a deep breath. "For a master warrior craftsman, you talk a lot of philosophical bullshit.”
In some ways, Touch of Iron felt quite similar to Abercrombie's Shattered Sea trilogy. Along with the stabby-stabby that tends to feature prominently in the grimdark subgenre, it had elements of romance, as well. Hell, I couldn't help but ship two characters. It's like that meme with the stick figure holding the two heads & trying to mash them together ::NOW KISS!::
This was at times shocking, gut-punchy, brutal & beautiful. It was one of those books that I found myself liking more as it went on. Part three in particular was a fucking rollercoaster of emotions!
Overall, this would be a great place to begin your grimdark journey if you are unsure about how much grim you can handle! Timandra Whitecastle is a writer you should keep your eyes peeled for. I think her quality of writing is just going to keep getting better & better!
(Thank you to Timandra Whitecastle for providing a copy in exchange for an honest review!)
December 5, 2020
This book is written in three parts all three were an exercise in frustration & hope. The book was well written but I found it difficult to read. Not because it's overly complicated although the world isn't a simple one (it was well written) but bc the over all arc was easily solved(in part one) & the constant attacking of women was disparaging . Noraya the h of the story had more luck than skill & valued her twin brother's life above her own. The continuous self sacrifice, low self worth & idiocy becomes monotonous. I disliked all the characters including Nora & her twin Owen. I'm disappointed a highly rated epic adventure turned out to be such a frustrating & dull read. I wish I would've DNF'd it. I only read the full story bc I hoped it get better (hence high ratings) sadly it was not the case. If this were a physical book It would've been more entertaining & useful to have recycled the pages & used it to line birdcages. Luckily it was a Kindle Unlimited book & I lost no money in the exchange.
A tedious adventure with an uncouth heroine & a royal miscreant. My advice shun the book. I rate this 1.5 stars. & wouldn't recommend it.
Trigger warnings galore all centered around woman. Multiple scenes of rape & violence against woman throughout the story.
Pet-peeve: Cliffhanger ending.
A tedious adventure with an uncouth heroine & a royal miscreant. My advice shun the book. I rate this 1.5 stars. & wouldn't recommend it.
Trigger warnings galore all centered around woman. Multiple scenes of rape & violence against woman throughout the story.
Pet-peeve: Cliffhanger ending.
June 22, 2016
Touch of Iron by Timandra Whitecastle is a wonderful fantasy about several people and their mission to find a blade that may or may not be real. Some say it is a legend and others swear it is real and has power. There is sorcery, magic, imaginative creatures, lots of action, true suspense, battle/fight scenes, and a hint of romance thrown in there. It is not a book for the squeamish, it has some scenes that might make the weak-hearted not want to read it so be aware of this. But in a real war, there are real evil people, the writer is just making you hate these guys more and showing you how heartless the enemy is. The characters are well developed, good and bad. The plot is excellent with lots of twist and turns with surprises along the way. I am eager to read the next book to see what is next, so it left a great impression on me. The blurb for the book was not inviting but the book itself is. A strong female lead and with her twin brother on an adventure into an unknown trek they go. They are twins, which is thought to be bad luck and normally one is killed or both but someone saved them at birth. I get the impression she is thought to be the "evil twin". Great book. I received this book for a honest review.
August 26, 2023
July 2023:
I can still see why I loved this book seven years ago. I still really like it, but not as much as I did back when I was foraying into the world of fantasy for the first time. There is not a lot of world-building here - much could have been described and explained in more detail. I did not fully understand the structure of this universe or the quest that the characters were on. The story took quite a few dark turns but also felt a little teenager-ey at times. This is not necessarily a bad thing - it was an interesting contrast. There are also a few easter eggs sprinkled here and there and I really enjoyed finding them!
September 2016:
This book was PERFECT. The cover is stunning. The story follows Nora and her twin Owen's journey after they run away from home because of a rumour. They get pulled into a quest to search for the 'Living Blade' and this is the story of their eventful journey. I loved Nora's character - tough, intelligent and resourceful. She says what she thinks. This works against her sometimes. The story was well-paced and didn't let me stop reading until I turned the last page. Even when it was over it stayed in my mind and I spent a lot of time just thinking about it. Although everything happens in a world you know nothing about, the author never lets you get lost or allows your interest to diminish. The thing I loved is that there weren't too many characters so we got to explore in depth the ones we did encounter. There is a bit of gore which did suit the storyline so there isn't anything to complain about there. Man, was this book amazing. It makes you laugh and cry. It's just perfect and I LOVED it.
I received a free copy of this book from the author.
I can still see why I loved this book seven years ago. I still really like it, but not as much as I did back when I was foraying into the world of fantasy for the first time. There is not a lot of world-building here - much could have been described and explained in more detail. I did not fully understand the structure of this universe or the quest that the characters were on. The story took quite a few dark turns but also felt a little teenager-ey at times. This is not necessarily a bad thing - it was an interesting contrast. There are also a few easter eggs sprinkled here and there and I really enjoyed finding them!
September 2016:
This book was PERFECT. The cover is stunning. The story follows Nora and her twin Owen's journey after they run away from home because of a rumour. They get pulled into a quest to search for the 'Living Blade' and this is the story of their eventful journey. I loved Nora's character - tough, intelligent and resourceful. She says what she thinks. This works against her sometimes. The story was well-paced and didn't let me stop reading until I turned the last page. Even when it was over it stayed in my mind and I spent a lot of time just thinking about it. Although everything happens in a world you know nothing about, the author never lets you get lost or allows your interest to diminish. The thing I loved is that there weren't too many characters so we got to explore in depth the ones we did encounter. There is a bit of gore which did suit the storyline so there isn't anything to complain about there. Man, was this book amazing. It makes you laugh and cry. It's just perfect and I LOVED it.
I received a free copy of this book from the author.
April 24, 2019
Highly enjoyable fantasy with a gutsy and fiercely loyal female lead. A solid plot, full of danger and devotion, with plenty of action. This is so well written. The dialogue is full and rich as the narrative. The characters are fully realized and readers will find themselves unable to shake the cast from their minds. With enough conflicting morality and violence to make this a Grimdark gem more folks should know about.
Fierce and fast paced. Highly recommended.
Full review to come.
Fierce and fast paced. Highly recommended.
Full review to come.
Read
May 30, 2016I was the literary/content editor of this book, so no ratings, spoilers or reviews.
It is suitable for lovers of heroic fantasy. You should consider it PG-13 or parental advisory, for strong language and themes that may be difficult for younger readers.
I can't really say much more because I wrote the blurb, too!
It is suitable for lovers of heroic fantasy. You should consider it PG-13 or parental advisory, for strong language and themes that may be difficult for younger readers.
I can't really say much more because I wrote the blurb, too!
June 28, 2019
This fantasy novel had everything I love: fast-paced plot, fearless female main character, no-holds-barred fight scenes, some romantic/sexy moments and laugh-out-loud humour. It’s gritty, sweary, a bit different and has an intense grimdark feel.
The aforementioned main character is Noraya, or Nora, who is slightly feral, is skilled at fighting and is primarily concerned with looking after her twin brother. Owen is the opposite. He’s a bookworm and rather wise. Twins are considered a bad omen, so they were disowned at birth, found and taken in by a couple who ran the local blacksmith. For a while, Nora and Owen helped their foster father by burning and gathering charcoal for the forge.
Then, for one reason or another, the twins run away and while out in the open bump into a half-wight, a messenger of the old gods, and the party he travels with. Which just so happens to include a banished Prince desperate to get his empire back. Nora and Owen are sucked into this group’s quest to find the Living Blade, a legendary artefact that bestows great power on the one who wields it.
They journey to see Queen Suranna, who’s, well, a bit of a bitch. She rules over a hedonistic place with harsh consequences for those who break the rules. But she knows information about the Living Blade’s whereabouts. Suranna is a despicable character, but I really enjoyed reading about her.
The characters are well-rounded and distinct, and the world’s lore and history unfold at a gentle pace that never feels confusing or overwhelming. The prose is easy-to-read and effortless, and I tore through this novel at super speed.
The fight scenes are intricately done and there are some intense moments and themes, but I found myself rooting for Nora throughout. She says what she thinks and stays true to herself. She has no interest in the Living Blade, in fact she doesn’t think it even exists, but is passionate about protecting her brother – and he’s invested in finding it. She’s sarcastic, clever, brave and almost constantly horny (ha! She’s a teenager after all).
Touch of Iron is an adult fantasy that’s stark, at times a little shocking and wonderfully written. I can’t wait to read the second book in the series, On the Wheel.
This review and more on my blog www.rosalynkelly.co.uk/blog
The aforementioned main character is Noraya, or Nora, who is slightly feral, is skilled at fighting and is primarily concerned with looking after her twin brother. Owen is the opposite. He’s a bookworm and rather wise. Twins are considered a bad omen, so they were disowned at birth, found and taken in by a couple who ran the local blacksmith. For a while, Nora and Owen helped their foster father by burning and gathering charcoal for the forge.
Then, for one reason or another, the twins run away and while out in the open bump into a half-wight, a messenger of the old gods, and the party he travels with. Which just so happens to include a banished Prince desperate to get his empire back. Nora and Owen are sucked into this group’s quest to find the Living Blade, a legendary artefact that bestows great power on the one who wields it.
They journey to see Queen Suranna, who’s, well, a bit of a bitch. She rules over a hedonistic place with harsh consequences for those who break the rules. But she knows information about the Living Blade’s whereabouts. Suranna is a despicable character, but I really enjoyed reading about her.
The characters are well-rounded and distinct, and the world’s lore and history unfold at a gentle pace that never feels confusing or overwhelming. The prose is easy-to-read and effortless, and I tore through this novel at super speed.
The fight scenes are intricately done and there are some intense moments and themes, but I found myself rooting for Nora throughout. She says what she thinks and stays true to herself. She has no interest in the Living Blade, in fact she doesn’t think it even exists, but is passionate about protecting her brother – and he’s invested in finding it. She’s sarcastic, clever, brave and almost constantly horny (ha! She’s a teenager after all).
Touch of Iron is an adult fantasy that’s stark, at times a little shocking and wonderfully written. I can’t wait to read the second book in the series, On the Wheel.
This review and more on my blog www.rosalynkelly.co.uk/blog
December 2, 2020
Full review: https://girlswithguns.org/touch-of-ir...
There was something slightly creepy about teenage Nora increasingly crushing hard on eighty-seven-year old Diaz – even if half-wights, like half-elves, age very well. I have a couple of other nitpicks. An almost entirely untrained Nora is capable of going all ninja and taking out an entire platoon of brigands. And there’s an assault on the city that comes out of nowhere, and whose purpose and participants both seem ill-defined.
With the negatives out of the way, on the positive side, I really liked Nora. She has a very sharp character arc over the course of the novel, but always seems to have been a bit of a bad-ass, even as a charcoal burner. It’s clear there’s a very significant future in front of her, and I sense she and Suranna will end up facing off down the road. I appreciated the way the heroine largely doesn’t care about the Living Blade; such apathy is pleasantly refreshing, though I suspect that opinion is going to change before long.
There was something slightly creepy about teenage Nora increasingly crushing hard on eighty-seven-year old Diaz – even if half-wights, like half-elves, age very well. I have a couple of other nitpicks. An almost entirely untrained Nora is capable of going all ninja and taking out an entire platoon of brigands. And there’s an assault on the city that comes out of nowhere, and whose purpose and participants both seem ill-defined.
With the negatives out of the way, on the positive side, I really liked Nora. She has a very sharp character arc over the course of the novel, but always seems to have been a bit of a bad-ass, even as a charcoal burner. It’s clear there’s a very significant future in front of her, and I sense she and Suranna will end up facing off down the road. I appreciated the way the heroine largely doesn’t care about the Living Blade; such apathy is pleasantly refreshing, though I suspect that opinion is going to change before long.
Want to read
March 26, 2021🎁 FREE on Amazon today (3/26/2021)! 🎁
August 24, 2024
I don't think I ever have read a book where I loved cerain parts so much and hated other parts to the point of considering quitting. There were slightly more good bits than bad so that does make me want to continue the series.
March 24, 2017
In today’s world of well-crafted fantasy books, with fantastical and in-depth magic systems, I sometimes think back to the great low fantasy books we have had over the years, such as The First Law trilogy, The Broken Empire trilogy and Conan The Barbarian. But wait! I hear you say. “I know these books as another genre!” You would be correct, as over the years these books in particular are now known as part of the fantasy sub-genre “grimdark”. It is with this mindset we delve into the dark, gritty and beautiful world in Touch of Iron.
During your first dive into this world, it may seem like you are reading an in-depth and intriguing historical fiction book, but within the first few chapters the veil is quickly lifted, and you are drawn into a dark and gritty world filled with blood, intrigue, mythical swords, and “monstrous” humans.
The world Timandra has created was a joy to read about and beautifully crafted. The way the world is spoken about and detailed can give you the perspective of a well-crafted historical fiction novel, that makes you see and feel the world the characters reside in. I think the world-building in Touch of Iron is well handled. Some worlds are created to such a fine level of detail and information that you start to become bogged down in detail and you can lose track of what’s going on, but I didn’t once experience this with Touch of Iron. I believe the great world-building stems from its delivery, as you see the world develop and grow as if you were experiencing it through the eyes of each character, and we are also given different views of the world due to a characters perspective of said world.
My favourite aspect of this book was the diverse characters that Timandra provides you with, that to me almost seem like they were jumping straight from a detailed D&D; these are characters that each have their own personalities, alignments and abilities. I sometimes find books will sideline certain characters in favour of the main protagonists and antagonists, but I never once found this with Touch of Iron. I believe each character is thoroughly developed during natural progression scenes rather than forcing them into unnecessary situations just for the sake of development, which some books can do. This not only leads to a great reading experience, but it always leaves you wanting more as certain scenes will not only answer questions but they will then open the door to more.
My favourite character of all is Master Telen Diaz himself, because at times you want to hate him for what he does but you soon come to realise that his reason for making certain choices are just – and if not, then he does them out of loyalty, which I find admirable despite all his wrong doings.
The story of the book is developed using POV characters. At the start we only initially experience the story from two perspectives but as it progresses this branches out further as certain secondary characters become primary. As the story develops it becomes more intriguing and in-depth as we discover more and more about what is going on. One aspect of the story I loved was how it handled combat, as the battle scenes felt very well constructed and they always gripped you. There aren’t too many battle scenes but when they came along they always left you with a satisfying feel and wanting more. The combat in Touch of Iron is made all the more enjoyable by seeing certain characters grow, because at the start, you can see certain characters are strong during certain combat situations and weak at others, but as the book progresses we certain characters become finely tuned warriors. The only aspect of the story that I disliked was that I felt certain scenes were slightly dragged out or unnecessary, which made the book feel somewhat slow at times, but these were few and far between.
With all of the above in mind I thoroughly enjoyed reading Touch of Iron and I found there were many occasions while reading this book that I lost all sense of time. If you are a fan of grimdark fantasy or fantasy in general then I would highly recommend you read this as I have no doubt you will enjoy it. I am greatly looking forward to see how Timandra progresses the story in book two and all of her future work.
During your first dive into this world, it may seem like you are reading an in-depth and intriguing historical fiction book, but within the first few chapters the veil is quickly lifted, and you are drawn into a dark and gritty world filled with blood, intrigue, mythical swords, and “monstrous” humans.
The world Timandra has created was a joy to read about and beautifully crafted. The way the world is spoken about and detailed can give you the perspective of a well-crafted historical fiction novel, that makes you see and feel the world the characters reside in. I think the world-building in Touch of Iron is well handled. Some worlds are created to such a fine level of detail and information that you start to become bogged down in detail and you can lose track of what’s going on, but I didn’t once experience this with Touch of Iron. I believe the great world-building stems from its delivery, as you see the world develop and grow as if you were experiencing it through the eyes of each character, and we are also given different views of the world due to a characters perspective of said world.
My favourite aspect of this book was the diverse characters that Timandra provides you with, that to me almost seem like they were jumping straight from a detailed D&D; these are characters that each have their own personalities, alignments and abilities. I sometimes find books will sideline certain characters in favour of the main protagonists and antagonists, but I never once found this with Touch of Iron. I believe each character is thoroughly developed during natural progression scenes rather than forcing them into unnecessary situations just for the sake of development, which some books can do. This not only leads to a great reading experience, but it always leaves you wanting more as certain scenes will not only answer questions but they will then open the door to more.
My favourite character of all is Master Telen Diaz himself, because at times you want to hate him for what he does but you soon come to realise that his reason for making certain choices are just – and if not, then he does them out of loyalty, which I find admirable despite all his wrong doings.
The story of the book is developed using POV characters. At the start we only initially experience the story from two perspectives but as it progresses this branches out further as certain secondary characters become primary. As the story develops it becomes more intriguing and in-depth as we discover more and more about what is going on. One aspect of the story I loved was how it handled combat, as the battle scenes felt very well constructed and they always gripped you. There aren’t too many battle scenes but when they came along they always left you with a satisfying feel and wanting more. The combat in Touch of Iron is made all the more enjoyable by seeing certain characters grow, because at the start, you can see certain characters are strong during certain combat situations and weak at others, but as the book progresses we certain characters become finely tuned warriors. The only aspect of the story that I disliked was that I felt certain scenes were slightly dragged out or unnecessary, which made the book feel somewhat slow at times, but these were few and far between.
With all of the above in mind I thoroughly enjoyed reading Touch of Iron and I found there were many occasions while reading this book that I lost all sense of time. If you are a fan of grimdark fantasy or fantasy in general then I would highly recommend you read this as I have no doubt you will enjoy it. I am greatly looking forward to see how Timandra progresses the story in book two and all of her future work.
February 6, 2017
(A bigger, prettier and probably funnier review of this book can be found here, on my blog.)
Every now and then you find a book that just…resonates with you, right? This one is one of those, for me. I never know where I’m going to find myself when I get into a new book, but this story sucked me right in. I’m going to try and not make this review an entire page of me babbling incoherent nonsense about how much I loved it, but I really can’t guarantee anything.
This story follows Nora and her twin brother Owen, who are orphans who were found and taken in by a village blacksmith when they were young. Twins are highly mistrusted in this world, and Nora especially has been having a tough time at home of late, so they’ve run away from their home village and within the day are ambushed by Bashan, a famously exiled prince, and his company of not-so-merry men, including the mysterious half-wight pilgrim Telen Diaz. The prince is on a quest to find the legendary ‘Living Blade’ so that he can take the throne from his half-sister the Empress, per prophecy. Nora and Owen get more or less sucked into going along on this quest.
I love Nora. So. Much. She’s everything I love in a strong female lead. She’s snarky, she swears a lot, she’s brave when she needs to be but not coldly. Not unemotionally so. There was more than one instance in this book where Nora did something not just badass, but unexpectedly badass, leaving me with an ‘oh snap!’ on my lips. Note to self: husband does not like random ‘oh snap!’s in the middle of the night that wake him up. Pssshh, as if it’s my fault. He should be a heavier sleeper, being married to a woman that exclaims shit in the middle of the night and all.
Telen Diaz is also a great character, who does what he thinks is right. He (mostly) follows the code of the pilgrims (which is “Punish the wicked. Protect the innocent. Guide the lost.”). He is there to help Nora though a very difficult situation, but he doesn’t jump in like a dashing rescuer saving the damsel in distress, because Nora isn’t exactly a damsel in distress. He saves her life, only because her life was in danger in such a fashion that saving herself wasn’t an option. Then he teaches her how to fight. The relationship between Diaz and Nora and how it changes throughout the story was really well done. We got to see a bit of this through Diaz’ eyes too, which was cool. I’d love to know what exactly a wight is though, in relation to humans. They are referred to as ‘Lords and Ladies’ a couple of times so I assumed elvish?
Bashan, while not exactly an antagonist, was a good counter to Nora. He’s portrayed exactly in a way that I would expect a prince to act towards a common born woman who has problems with authority figures (however he took this to another level in one or two instances). Nora acts towards him exactly as I would expect a snarky woman who has problems with authority figures to act towards someone who treats her like dirt. The *actual* antagonist is loathable on a level that I can’t actually explain in words. Seriously though. Part 3 of this book was a rollercoaster of feels. One with loops.
In the end, this was one of those books that I loved so much that I got angry when real life interfered with my reading of it. I would have read this thing through in one sitting if I could have.
Every now and then you find a book that just…resonates with you, right? This one is one of those, for me. I never know where I’m going to find myself when I get into a new book, but this story sucked me right in. I’m going to try and not make this review an entire page of me babbling incoherent nonsense about how much I loved it, but I really can’t guarantee anything.
This story follows Nora and her twin brother Owen, who are orphans who were found and taken in by a village blacksmith when they were young. Twins are highly mistrusted in this world, and Nora especially has been having a tough time at home of late, so they’ve run away from their home village and within the day are ambushed by Bashan, a famously exiled prince, and his company of not-so-merry men, including the mysterious half-wight pilgrim Telen Diaz. The prince is on a quest to find the legendary ‘Living Blade’ so that he can take the throne from his half-sister the Empress, per prophecy. Nora and Owen get more or less sucked into going along on this quest.
I love Nora. So. Much. She’s everything I love in a strong female lead. She’s snarky, she swears a lot, she’s brave when she needs to be but not coldly. Not unemotionally so. There was more than one instance in this book where Nora did something not just badass, but unexpectedly badass, leaving me with an ‘oh snap!’ on my lips. Note to self: husband does not like random ‘oh snap!’s in the middle of the night that wake him up. Pssshh, as if it’s my fault. He should be a heavier sleeper, being married to a woman that exclaims shit in the middle of the night and all.
Telen Diaz is also a great character, who does what he thinks is right. He (mostly) follows the code of the pilgrims (which is “Punish the wicked. Protect the innocent. Guide the lost.”). He is there to help Nora though a very difficult situation, but he doesn’t jump in like a dashing rescuer saving the damsel in distress, because Nora isn’t exactly a damsel in distress. He saves her life, only because her life was in danger in such a fashion that saving herself wasn’t an option. Then he teaches her how to fight. The relationship between Diaz and Nora and how it changes throughout the story was really well done. We got to see a bit of this through Diaz’ eyes too, which was cool. I’d love to know what exactly a wight is though, in relation to humans. They are referred to as ‘Lords and Ladies’ a couple of times so I assumed elvish?
Bashan, while not exactly an antagonist, was a good counter to Nora. He’s portrayed exactly in a way that I would expect a prince to act towards a common born woman who has problems with authority figures (however he took this to another level in one or two instances). Nora acts towards him exactly as I would expect a snarky woman who has problems with authority figures to act towards someone who treats her like dirt. The *actual* antagonist is loathable on a level that I can’t actually explain in words. Seriously though. Part 3 of this book was a rollercoaster of feels. One with loops.
In the end, this was one of those books that I loved so much that I got angry when real life interfered with my reading of it. I would have read this thing through in one sitting if I could have.
August 19, 2021
5 stars★★★★★
The Living Blade series:
✿ Touch of Iron ★★★★★
✿ On the Wheel★★★★
✿ Mother of Slag dnf
☞ Trigger warnings: *contains spoilers* blood, gore, false imprisonment, death, abuse (physical, mental, emotional, verbal, sexual)
Wow wtf.
This book is not for the faint of heart and can be used as an introduction to dark fantasy. This book is split into three parts that would be three different books if it was a YA. It is expansive story where the characters are traveling across the map during most of the book.
Nora is a fierce fiery character with penchant for violence that gets her in trouble a time or two. I love it when the main character is in training to be able to kill everyone with ease.
Nora and Owen are such interesting twins with such distinctive personalities that complement each other. Owen pissed me off a few times but I understood the intent and why he did the things he did.
The plot was interesting with gritty depictions of war and a cool mythology surrounding the gods and The Living Blade. The antagonists had depth and the world rich. The romance was on the back burner with the quest taking precedent.
This was a brilliant book that laughed when they punched you in the face and then gave you ice as an apology that is not really an apology.
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October 25, 2016
3.5 stars
This book follows a pretty normal story arc for the first book of a fantasy series: novice hero (in this case, heroine) sets out on an adventure, meets someone who teaches them how to fight, the reader encounters a plot twist, we meet a big bad guy complete with big fight scene, and then the story ends with the adventure not over but rather having just begun.
The world-building is a bit patchy. I still don't really know what a wight is exactly, no map was given so the journey doesn't quite make sense in my head, and the myth behind the 'Living Blade' isn't really fleshed out. What is it? What are you supposed to do with it? Also, the back story of Nora and why she and her twin brother Owen ran away in the first place never made much sense to me; I wish that was done better. Also, and this is just my own nit-picky thing, in fantasy books usually modern day curse words are substituted for something else along the lines of 'blast you' instead of 'fuck you'. But in this book 'fuck' appeared in several instances and it really did take me back. Not out of prudishness, it just seemed out of place.
I enjoyed Nora's character with her obstinance and strong-will, but found her brother Owen to be a bit of a throwaway. We never get to understand him any deeper than the surface observation that he likes to read books and is into gaining more knowledge. The love interest, Diaz, is suitably mysterious enough to keep a reader's interest, but I do wish a couple more bones were thrown to us about his back story. The potential love triangle romantic interest, Shade, is only halfheartedly thrown in there. I wish he was given more 'screen time' to set him up as more of a real competition with Diaz. For the bad guys: Prince Bashan is just a creepy mean guy who seems kind of flat, but Suranna is definitely a despicable character that you love to hate.
The plot itself I found very engaging. I rooted for Nora to develop and mature. I liked all of the fighting scenes in general. It got a little slow while at the temple but then the entire last third of the book was just fantastic (I can't go into more details without spoiling it). I am very interested in seeing what happens next. I will say, overall I could have done with a lot less rape references.
I received this book for free via Goodreads Giveaways.
This book follows a pretty normal story arc for the first book of a fantasy series: novice hero (in this case, heroine) sets out on an adventure, meets someone who teaches them how to fight, the reader encounters a plot twist, we meet a big bad guy complete with big fight scene, and then the story ends with the adventure not over but rather having just begun.
The world-building is a bit patchy. I still don't really know what a wight is exactly, no map was given so the journey doesn't quite make sense in my head, and the myth behind the 'Living Blade' isn't really fleshed out. What is it? What are you supposed to do with it? Also, the back story of Nora and why she and her twin brother Owen ran away in the first place never made much sense to me; I wish that was done better. Also, and this is just my own nit-picky thing, in fantasy books usually modern day curse words are substituted for something else along the lines of 'blast you' instead of 'fuck you'. But in this book 'fuck' appeared in several instances and it really did take me back. Not out of prudishness, it just seemed out of place.
I enjoyed Nora's character with her obstinance and strong-will, but found her brother Owen to be a bit of a throwaway. We never get to understand him any deeper than the surface observation that he likes to read books and is into gaining more knowledge. The love interest, Diaz, is suitably mysterious enough to keep a reader's interest, but I do wish a couple more bones were thrown to us about his back story. The potential love triangle romantic interest, Shade, is only halfheartedly thrown in there. I wish he was given more 'screen time' to set him up as more of a real competition with Diaz. For the bad guys: Prince Bashan is just a creepy mean guy who seems kind of flat, but Suranna is definitely a despicable character that you love to hate.
The plot itself I found very engaging. I rooted for Nora to develop and mature. I liked all of the fighting scenes in general. It got a little slow while at the temple but then the entire last third of the book was just fantastic (I can't go into more details without spoiling it). I am very interested in seeing what happens next. I will say, overall I could have done with a lot less rape references.
I received this book for free via Goodreads Giveaways.
September 11, 2016
I’ve just had the pleasure of reading Touch Of Iron by Timandra Whitecastle.
‘Is the Living Blade real or just a legend?
With it… Prince Bashan could win back his kingdom.
Master Telen Diaz can free himself of the burden from his past.
Owen Smith sees a once-in-a-lifetime chance to gain untold knowledge.
… but for Noraya Smith, the Living Blade will bring nothing but suffering and sorrow.’
Touch Of Iron tells the story of Noraya (Nora) Smith, and her twin brother Owen. Having run aay from their village to escape the superstitions surrounding them as twins (and Nora in particular), the are thrust into the midst of a party of unsavoury men belonging to an exiled Prince – Bashan. After some early difficulties, one of the Prince’s trusted advisors, a half-wight Master Diaz, takes it upon himself to help to protect Nora and Owen.
The exiled Prince is on a quest to find and reforge the Living Blade – a legendary weapon that can reshape the Empire. Along with his group of rag-tag men, he travels the North of the country in search of any news of the Blade, before eventually taking shelter at various religious temples around the world for refuge. Mysteries become revealed, battles break out and characters are forced to make difficult choices to stay alive.
Touch Of Iron was an excellent example of how to develop characters in an interesting and complex way, whilst maintaining the attention of the reader and ensuring they stay hooked on every word. As the number of characters the story revolves around is fairly small (though not overly so by any means), it gives every one of them a hance to be fleshed out and developed across the book. Throw in an intriguing plot full of mystery, twists and revelations, and you’ve got an excellent overall story.
Timandra has done exceptionally well to create this fantastic world, with all of it’s complex and entertaining characters. It’s certainly a book that I’d recommend, and I eagerly anticipate the sequel.
‘Is the Living Blade real or just a legend?
With it… Prince Bashan could win back his kingdom.
Master Telen Diaz can free himself of the burden from his past.
Owen Smith sees a once-in-a-lifetime chance to gain untold knowledge.
… but for Noraya Smith, the Living Blade will bring nothing but suffering and sorrow.’
Touch Of Iron tells the story of Noraya (Nora) Smith, and her twin brother Owen. Having run aay from their village to escape the superstitions surrounding them as twins (and Nora in particular), the are thrust into the midst of a party of unsavoury men belonging to an exiled Prince – Bashan. After some early difficulties, one of the Prince’s trusted advisors, a half-wight Master Diaz, takes it upon himself to help to protect Nora and Owen.
The exiled Prince is on a quest to find and reforge the Living Blade – a legendary weapon that can reshape the Empire. Along with his group of rag-tag men, he travels the North of the country in search of any news of the Blade, before eventually taking shelter at various religious temples around the world for refuge. Mysteries become revealed, battles break out and characters are forced to make difficult choices to stay alive.
Touch Of Iron was an excellent example of how to develop characters in an interesting and complex way, whilst maintaining the attention of the reader and ensuring they stay hooked on every word. As the number of characters the story revolves around is fairly small (though not overly so by any means), it gives every one of them a hance to be fleshed out and developed across the book. Throw in an intriguing plot full of mystery, twists and revelations, and you’ve got an excellent overall story.
Timandra has done exceptionally well to create this fantastic world, with all of it’s complex and entertaining characters. It’s certainly a book that I’d recommend, and I eagerly anticipate the sequel.
August 19, 2016
Can a review be started with “Holy shit!” Wow! This book was amazing! Touch of Iron was everything I expected and more. The plot was fast paced and full of history and legend of this fantasy country with well developed and interesting characters. Nora is a kickass heroine. She’s tough, funny and definitely smarter than anyone gives her credit for. At the same time… she’s spontaneous, careless and at times reckless. As Nora follows her twin brother, Owen, to help the fallen prince, Bashan, find the Living Blade to regain his kingdom, she meets an interesting group of men and danger at every turn.
One of the most interesting in the group is half-human, half-wight Master Diaz. I love everything about him. He is a warrior, a teacher, a gentleman and an outcast. His duty is to protect the innocent and guide the lost. Nora just happens to be both. However, Nora has a major part to play with the Living Blade. Both Master Diaz and Nora have demons they need to battle from their past and an internal battle of what is right and what is wrong versus what needs to be done. With all this going on, Nora must determine who can and can’t trust.
Every page was a page-turner full of excitement and curiosity, history and action, characters to love and hate. The story is compelling and I can’t wait for the second installment!
One of the most interesting in the group is half-human, half-wight Master Diaz. I love everything about him. He is a warrior, a teacher, a gentleman and an outcast. His duty is to protect the innocent and guide the lost. Nora just happens to be both. However, Nora has a major part to play with the Living Blade. Both Master Diaz and Nora have demons they need to battle from their past and an internal battle of what is right and what is wrong versus what needs to be done. With all this going on, Nora must determine who can and can’t trust.
Every page was a page-turner full of excitement and curiosity, history and action, characters to love and hate. The story is compelling and I can’t wait for the second installment!
April 9, 2017
An excellent balencing act. The world was gritty, but not bleak. The protagonists was tough without being cold, flawed but very likeable. Overall, the tone + content reminded me of the first Sword of Truth book(the middle/end of the Sword of Truth series had major issues but the first couple were good).
September 15, 2018
This was amazing!
Insane! Amazing! Absolutely a joy to read. Also, it involves all the emotions especially anger. I have never wanted a character to die as much as someone in this book since I read Harry Potter for the first time. I'm jumping right into book two!
Insane! Amazing! Absolutely a joy to read. Also, it involves all the emotions especially anger. I have never wanted a character to die as much as someone in this book since I read Harry Potter for the first time. I'm jumping right into book two!
November 7, 2023
I loved Diaz so much!!! I have read this book on one day and I think it says a lot about how much I like the book :D
RTC.
RTC.
June 24, 2019
Overall this was a solid debut fantasy novel. Shares some similarities with my own, with twins Nora and Owen the main characters. Here, though, they are teenagers and more inexperienced. We meet them looking for adventure, bookworm Owen signing up to be a pilgrim, Nora tagging along at first. They meet up with a Prince, Bashan, on a quest for the Living Blade, along with a wight, Diaz, who has given an oath to help him.
Most of the POV ends up being with Nora, a tough, stubborn, if naive character. Romantic storylines develop as she visits two very different temples with her companions. This allows us to learn about the world and sympathise with her, as the quest for the Blade takes a darker and, it has to be said, sexier turn by the end of the book.
I would call this a 4* book in most respects. There are a range of characters who are interesting enough, even if none of them really grabbed hold of me as a reader. Nora transforms from a teenage charcoal burner to a pretty fearsome warrior, but I never understood how this happened. She gets a couple of lessons from Diaz, mainly it seems about rolling, and then she is able to take on armed men no problem. The fight scenes felt a bit computer gamey at times, the baddies easily dealt with. Having said all that, she definitely has appeal as a kickass but vulnerable heroine.
There were several locations in the story that were interesting and atmospheric, but the worldbuilding as a whole was left vague, I never felt like I got a real feel for the world. I think this though is a matter of my personal taste. Much of the plot is to come in the rest of the series but this book worked well in setting it up. I note some reviewers felt confused by the genre but I don’t really get this – it’s clearly adult epic/dark fantasy, with a young female lead – hey, that is allowed you know, not every teenage girl has to live in a YA book! Finally, the author writes really well – descriptions and characters are well thought out.
I’m keen to read the rest of this series and I would recommend it for people who like adult fantasy; I would also suggest that this is an author to follow/ keep your eye on.
Most of the POV ends up being with Nora, a tough, stubborn, if naive character. Romantic storylines develop as she visits two very different temples with her companions. This allows us to learn about the world and sympathise with her, as the quest for the Blade takes a darker and, it has to be said, sexier turn by the end of the book.
I would call this a 4* book in most respects. There are a range of characters who are interesting enough, even if none of them really grabbed hold of me as a reader. Nora transforms from a teenage charcoal burner to a pretty fearsome warrior, but I never understood how this happened. She gets a couple of lessons from Diaz, mainly it seems about rolling, and then she is able to take on armed men no problem. The fight scenes felt a bit computer gamey at times, the baddies easily dealt with. Having said all that, she definitely has appeal as a kickass but vulnerable heroine.
There were several locations in the story that were interesting and atmospheric, but the worldbuilding as a whole was left vague, I never felt like I got a real feel for the world. I think this though is a matter of my personal taste. Much of the plot is to come in the rest of the series but this book worked well in setting it up. I note some reviewers felt confused by the genre but I don’t really get this – it’s clearly adult epic/dark fantasy, with a young female lead – hey, that is allowed you know, not every teenage girl has to live in a YA book! Finally, the author writes really well – descriptions and characters are well thought out.
I’m keen to read the rest of this series and I would recommend it for people who like adult fantasy; I would also suggest that this is an author to follow/ keep your eye on.
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