Steelflower

The Steelflower Chronicles #1

by Lilith Saintcrow

Sellsword. Assassin. Thief. Kaia Steelflower has done quite well for herself, and she longs to retire as an innkeeper. Unfortunately, one night she picks the wrong pocket, and finds herself saddled with a barbarian, an elven princeling and his two hapless companions, a wharf-rat, and a lutebanging minstrel. And there’s the little matter of an old friend calling in a debt of honor and blood–a debt Kaia can’t refuse. Now a reluctant Kaia and her companions face a rebellious army, assassins, more assassins, and oh yes, the assassins. They don’t have a chance… …but Kaia Steelflower, thief and sellsword, has never known when to quit.

Genres: Fantasy, Urban Fantasy, Magic, Romance, Paranormal, Adventure, Fiction

368 pages, Paperback

First published March 13, 2007

About the author

Lilith Saintcrow was born in New Mexico, bounced around the world as a child, and fell in love with writing stories when she was ten years old. She and her library co-habitate in Vancouver, Washington.

Reviews

[Meghan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Updated upon rereading. i had to add a star. i liked this novel even better the second time around.

This was fun. No excess world building, with a witty, fun dialogue. The author expects u to be able to piece together the terminology and story line for yourself with the tidbits of what is given. I LOVE that! If u need to be spoon feed every tiny piece of history and terminology and love endless descriptions of everything- this book is not for u! If u like to figure the stuff the narrator knows, but u clearly don't as u go along with the story and have enough brain juice to pay attention and clip bits here and there together on ur own- u will love it.

I like how the fantasy allows for a world with a race of people who have instalove with soulmate and obsessed 'twillight'ish over protective type love as the norm and our girl is all -bump that sh--! Stay away from me freak. or i will kill u and im not just saying that. Like, for reals.- AWESOME!

The story plays out pretty smooth from one scene to the next in a believable chain of events. And no one is taken hostage for ransom or exchange or some dumb crap like 20 other books I have read recently. That stuff gets old real quick.

Lot of stuff is left unexplained or hinted at. If u can't handle those random bits of info shoved into the script u- u will not like this book. But like me, if u like to have permission from the author to let your imagination fill in the blanks- u will love it.

P.s. I think this could be tween friendly. There is some chatter about pillow play of a gender preference ambivalence. Which could bug u if u are a bit of a prude, but no harlequin elements at all and the relationships that develop are more about trust/understanding than touch feely stuff. -- but let's hope book 2 steams it up a bit. That leading man is smokin!

[Kathy Davie · Rating 2 out of 5]

First in the fantasy Steelflower Chronicles…and most likely the last.

My Take
Kaia, a shunned elf who believes she never manifested any of her expected elfin powers, left home to seek her fortune as a mercenary. We first encounter a hungover Kaia doing battle while still half asleep only to find she's fighting on behalf of the man whose pocket she picked the night before.

In general, I really like Saintcrow as an author and the idea of this story is intriguing. But, must Kaia whine so much??

I got the message — she doesn't believe she has any power!! In spite of all the indications she's receiving to the contrary?!?

Then Kaia talks about Rikyat being gods-touched. Well, thank god, Saintcrow keeps telling us because I sure am not getting it from his actions. Stop telling! Start showing!

Really, a lot of good ideas desperately in need of some depth! And lots less whining…

The Cover and Title
It has a great cover…it's too bad the cover artist didn't do the illustrations!

The title is all about Kaia. She's the Steelflower elf shunned for her lack of power.

[CAROLYN · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really liked this. It reminded me of the older style sword and sorcery books. Kinda like Jennifer Roberson's "Sword Dancing" but not quite as in depth. In this day and age to find a new author who writes an entertaining tale such as this that does not involve heaving bosoms or rampant masculinity is a treat. I look forward to more.

[Brielle · Rating 5 out of 5]

i love lilith saintcrow's style - she gives a kind of well-hidden fragility to her protagonists that makes them likable, real and gives them good depth. in this case, kaia was shunned because she thought she lacked powers (which, well. yes.) i cannot stop delighting myself with the strong bonds that miss saintcrow forms between the boy and the girl in her books. it's endearing. i liked the band of people she collected, and how firmly she embraced her honor and her debt. the story, the gods, and the intensity with which all was narrated made it a warm read. this is one of lilith's best, as kaia isn't actively suffering (which i fear will change if she ever writes the rest of the series), but that's expected because, i think, in her first books she merely shows her character, points at worldbuilding and sets the footing.
an enjoyable read.

[Myth · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is more of a series review, since I learned last week (ish) that this book even HAD sequels. Upon gaining this knowledge I purchased them, immediately and joyfully, and set out to reread Steelflower and marathon the two sequels, Steelflower at Sea and Steelflower in Snow.

I vividly remember loving and rereading Steelflower in my late teens/early twenties. Like, all the time. It came out when I was seventeen, I think? I don’t think I read it then. Or maybe I did, and that’s what made me look up other Lillith Saintcrow novels? Anyway I’d read some of this author’s other books and if Dante Valentine was not my favorite I remember liking Jill Kismet. Even if I later HATED and ABHORRED The Bandit King, I liked The Hedgewitch Queen (the first in that series), and, obviously, Steelflower. Which I read and reread often. I fully expected to have to pull the old ‘okay maybe it’s not a perfect book but it’s perfect in my heart’ the way I did with Dragonsdawn.

That, uh. That’s not what happened. TRADITIONAL REVIEW FORMAT, GO!

The Good

I really love the interplay of different languages and Kaia’s pretty unique, I think, understanding of a million and twelve shades of meaning in multiple different languages. She’s a polyglot and a quick study, and coming from G’maihallan and using the G’mai language growing up gives her an edge in nuance.

Right, G’maihallan is elfland in these books, and the G’mai are The Blessed, aka elves, except we learn in the third book that Kaia, at least, considers ‘elf’ a sort of slur?

“Mother Moon, but I hate that word. They use it to mean different, and strange, and it is only a hairsbreadth after using it they decide that what is strange is dangerous.
And must be killed.”

On the one hand, I don’t want to necessarily comment too much on this myself as it… may not be my lane. But as Lillith Saintcrow is likewise A White Chick, I am not sure she has more weight in this than I do, as it were.

The G’mai are never treated anything but respectfully as G’mai. Kaia faces some sudden and blatant sexism a few times, but it’s never tied to her being G’mai (who… have pointed ears and use magic? As far as I can tell everyone else is baseline human except POSSIBLY the Skaialan, who are referred to as ‘giants’ by Kaia, but it’s unclear whether they are Literal Actual Giants (seems unlikely when they get up there in the third book: Kaia and Darik, amongst other non-Skaialan, use all furniture and utensils normally) or just Built On Big Lines, as it were. Anyway, seems like we have literally a different species? I could be wrong). The closest we get is in Steelflower in Snow, where people are nervous about Jenaire until they decide she’s super cool, actually.

Which, Jenaire is my favorite these days, so fair play I guess?

It’s a strange decision to make, I feel, especially since we don’t learn why Kaia hates the word elf until book 3, when prior she reads as just annoyed AF and no other G’mai we see react to the word, even her empathically/telepathically bonded soulmate. Anyway it seems like the only people who treat any G’mai poorly or even really as if they are different or strange… is Kaia?

That was a tangent. We’ll get back to Kaia as a character later.

Anyway! The language and wordplay is great, and the discussion of a big, wide world, with different (and similar!) ethnicities and culture and maybe species and definitely food is welcome, especially in the current deluge of ‘there’s a poc in this book! Two or three even!’ we’re currently getting in YA. Added bonus! White is in no way the norm.

Also, uh. You might have caught the mention of an empathically/telepathically bonded soulmate up there. I have a true and excessive weakness for empathic and/or telepathically bonded people, even if I don’t generally care for the fated soulmate principle these days. I contain multitudes. (go look at The Lynburn Legacy for an extended and damn funny in places exploration of whether a mindlink means you’re Fated In Love, or if it’s just Wacky Bullshit, or, crucially, if it matters at this point)

The Meh

Mary Sue is a term thrown around a lot these days, usually to dismiss a lady character for the crime of being a lady and having powers/doing shit. It’s kind of lost most of its meaning to me as a result, and I’m not totally sure even in its heyday I would have used it to describe Kaia. That being said… I might have considered it.

God. I should like Kaia. I REMEMBER liking Kaia. I so badly want to like Kaia.

I found myself bored with Kaia.

It’s not that she doesn’t do stuff! She does! She’s stabby, she makes decisions (...though notably the decision that starts the whole book was either ‘idk why I did that! Plot I guess!’ OR ‘soulmate finding necklace mind-whammied me into picking a pocket and killing a bunch of guards’ which isn’t the best start for me, in a book, like can she not consciously make the decision that launches this entire collection of events?!)

The issue here is something that may not BE an issue for many readers: Kaia is very much a case of ‘insanely talented and accomplished lady who prior to the story can and has kicked everyone’s ass and accomplished legendary feats of which songs are sung… who has massive self-esteem issues due to a very complicated misunderstanding in her youth, and who WILL tell you about them every other page’. It’s not that these kinds of characters can’t be done well, or even can’t be done in a way I, personally, enjoy (see: The Hero and the Crown, which I keep referencing lately). It’s just that something about Kaia’s internal (and ETERNAL) monologue feels like the author is working extremely hard, stretching, even, to find ways to make her feel insecure, especially in Steelflower at Sea and Steelflower in Snow.

Like, okay. In theory the root of Kaia’s self esteem issues is that a, she doesn’t have magic (as all adai, or women, in the G’mai do), b, she doesn’t have an empathically/telepathically bonded soulmate dude (as all G’mai adai do), and c, she was thrown out of her home at 16 years old (as no G’mai adai ever would be). These things are all literally unheard of amongst the G’mai. There is no recorded case of an adai not having magic or a soulmate or being thrown out, because, as it is stressed from Kaia’s PoV nearly every chapter, the G’mai prize their girlchildren as much or more than most human cultures prize their sons. One of the few, if not the only, unforgivable crimes in G’maihallan is to strike or intentionally harm an adai. The greatest insult to a G’mai dude (s’tarei) is to imply that he displeased, failed, or caused harm to come to his adai.

Yes, before you ask, there are only adai/s’tarei pairs. There are some lines in the later two books assuring us that ‘affection is not to be wasted’ so if two adai really wanna bang or two s’tarei do it’s totes fine! But you only get a gender binary soulmate, them’s just the breaks! (no word on agender or genderqueer or trans or any other flavor of genderqueer G’mai)(I just bring this up because if you’re going to assure me it’s totally fine for same-gender romances to happen they just can’t be soulmates, that’s reserved for gender binary twosomes, I am going to start to question a lot of things about gender and social norms. You opened the floor to these kinds of questions, Lilith Saintcrow!)

Adai are important specifically because they have magic. A s’tarei’s function is very like a warder from wheel of time, only these guys are divinely ordained (literally). They have like. Some kind of fighty magic I guess. It is EXTREMELY warder/aes sedai, right down to bonkers fighty ragegrief if your adai dies in battle.

And children in general are highly prized in G’maihallan, because while the e word is a slur, they are going to get every trope from tolkien that you would expect except that G’mai are happily not A Monolith Of Tall Pale People, right down to children being Super Rare and Precious. Oh, in fact, another insecurity of Kaia’s is that she is taller than most other G’mai women (still only up to the shoulder of Darik, never fear! She is appropriately Tiny and Delicate Looking!) AND. Instead of having the brown eyes of a normal G’mai. She has gold ones.

So that’s where we are! Kaia, who does not look (exactly) like every single other adai, does not have magic, does not have an empathically/telepathically bonded soulmate, and was tossed out of her house at the age of sixteen. That is, indeed, a LOT to unpack! I can in fact see why Kaia feels she is ‘defective’ - by the standards of her society, she is.

So we’re going to work through that, right, and learn that society’s rigid expectations do not define worth or lack thereof, and perhaps show that someone can be a whole and entire person sans soulmate or special powers, and perhaps that if your society does not provide for and accept, nay, embrace, differences then perhaps you should say fuck societ -

So Kaia gets her soulmate halfway through the first book, learns she has in fact been using magic all along by ¾ through the first book, her soulmate is the nephew of the queen whose daughter just died, leaving him the heir and Kaia therefore the most politically powerful adai in the realm if she chooses to return, which Darik (soulmate) will not pressure her to do, he thinks she’s beautiful, and we learn that not only did she grow up in a noble house that loved and prized her as their heir but that her being thrown out was an unbelievably contrived and complicated misunderstanding on her part and the entire nation has been keeping an eye out for her since.

Oh also, not only does she HAVE magic, she’s so powerful she accidentally enforced a magical command not to speak to her after her mother’s death on an entire noble fief, which led in part to the misunderstanding.

Nothing about this.

Changes.

Anything.

About her inner monologue or outer actions.

For two and a half books, she continues to think that she is a ‘defective’ adai.

I want to be clear: depression, anxiety, ocd, self-esteem issues, literally any brain fuckery. They’re almost entirely unable to be reasoned with. Brain fuckery does not care about your logic.

That being said: when the three very specific and measurable things a character believes make her ‘defective’ (and all three books are entirely first person PoV from Kaia) are, with zero room for doubt or prevarication, proved wrong, like she can do magic whenever she wants now and Darik talks to her telepathically and literally every G’mai she meets is like ‘PRAISE THE MOON WE HAVE FOUND THE ANJALISMIR HEIR’, I do have to start asking not why Kaia continues to suffer from brain fuckery, but why she continues to suffer from brain fuckery in exactly the same way, utterly unchanged.

Your mileage may vary, IDK, I did love the first book once. Somewhat ironically I have more brain fuckery to deal with now, who knows if that has anything to do with it.

This is the longest way I have of saying that, while I liked at least one of the characters, the way the books kept Kaia specifically so static as a character, allowing little to no development or change to her, not even allowing her to have different facets to her depression/anxiety/self-worth issue once certain things were proved beyond a shadow of a doubt not to apply is boring. It’s just boring. If I have to sit through three books of the same character saying they’re ‘defective’ you have to give me something to work with, especially the main (and ONLY PoV!) character. The other characters did not develop even slightly except for I suppose Janaire, who decided to light people attacking her on fire. Good for Janaire. She’s also the only one who I feel calls Kaia on her shit, as opposed to Kaia’s minstrel friend who writes a song about how Kaia’s just so good that it’s hard to be friends with her because she just helps everyone so much but doesn’t let anybody reach her heights of goodness thereby? I’m oversimplifying. The third book (containing that song) does at least have some plot.

I also remembered liking Darik! He has also suffered this reread by having the single character trait of being obsessed with Kaia and mad that she might have slept with other people before he rocked up like fifteen years too late with starbucks (I’m counting that as part of the same trait).

The Bad

Okay. Okayokayokayokay. Not every story has to have Fascinating and Magnificently Drawn Characters With Depth and Development. Sometimes books are just trying to tell a story. Sometimes flat characters are there to serve an allegorical purpose or illustrate a specific flaw of humanity (g’mainity?) or whatever. Even if they aren’t! Sometimes books are just a rollicking good time, right?

So uh. The first ¾ of Steelflower and the entirety of Steelflower at Sea were… pointless. It’s hard to have fun when your PoV character is constantly telling you she’s defective and deciding everyone around her hates her based on already disproven data points, for one thing. It’s harder to follow episodic and not super inspired action snippets when there’s no character development to follow through on. And it’s EVEN HARDER when you cannot find a plot, because everything is an episodic little moment where no one learns anything, OR it’s an episodic moment where I am supposed to feel deeply that someone we met this chapter and heard about two chapters ago tops dies (or may die). I couldn’t believe Kaia cared about her old army buddy, because until he dies she never thinks about him (and then she thinks about him all the time). I couldn’t care about Sorche or the thieves’ guild in At Sea because she’d never been mentioned before she started causing trouble and was dead within two chapters, executed by the thieves’ guild for, essentially, trying to kill Kaia.

Which brings us to another point about Kaia: she is either Utterly Notorious or Completely Unknown, depending on no in-universe explanation (she’s BEEN everywhere except Skaialan apparently! She’s either helped or hindered a noble from every nation on the continent! Does this woman ever sleep?) but rather on whether it will be most convenient for making her Feel Bad. I would say plot, but until the third book plot is so scarce as to be nonexistent. When she’s unknown, it isn’t because she hasn’t been Suitably Awesome: it is because she was SO awesome at sneaking that nobody ever knew she was there!

I had more written, but I don’t think I need to say anymore to be honest, and some of it felt a little mean to a book that did, after all, make me very happy as a late teen/young adult. I may not even check out the fourth in this series whenever it’s released: I’m not sure I’d be doing so in good faith, and these aren’t freakishly classist or racist or sexist or ableist. They just kind of. Exist. I feel like I met a friend from elementary school and realized they never moved anywhere or read anything new or watched anything new or did anything except what we did together in elementary school, and I… have new friends, who do things with me that I like doing now.

Saying I’ve outgrown this book and this author feels condescending, and it’s not exactly right, either. I think maybe it’s just time to leave Steelflower and this author for the people who still want these things, and me to move on to my new friends (...slash authors slash books) who have/do the things that I like now.

OH SHIT RECS.

I mentioned The Lynburn Legacy by Sarah Rees Brennan in the review, and I stand by that if you want complicated relationships not made at all easier by having direct access to somebody's thoughts.

Wheel of Time? I guess? Warders and Aes Sedai have similar dynamics to adai and s'tarei, and the first books are a little more episodic adventurey.

Mercedes Lackey's Tarma and Kethry novels are also a bit more episodic than is my usual preference, but it's two ladies going on sword and sorcery adventures (with LOTS of trigger warnings)

[Rebecca · Rating 3 out of 5]

I picked this up on a whim, knowing that Lilith Saintcrow was one of those authors that could be hit-or-miss about me. Uusually she's in the group of fantastic worldbuilding but the characters tend to make me want to slap them sometimes. I also occasionally have problems wiht her romance.

I have a weakness for sword and sorcery that is compounded by my insistence on interesting and varied female characters. (What can I say? For all it's flaws, I cut my teeth on Mercedes Lackey's Vows and Honor duology.) Consequently, I'll be a bit more daring about that than the fifty-million Urban Fantasy books I read.

I did like Kaia as a character. Her world sounded interesting, but I had some problems with immersion -- too many countries too quickly. I like that there actually seemed to be non-Europeans in her world, even discounting the G'mai. I like the fact she was competent, though I wished we could have more development of the other female characters (Kaia's innkeeper friend, for instance, or the G'mai woman that joins them in the second half of the book.)

There are some nitty-gritty things as well. The book also suffers from Fantasy Apostrophe Syndrome, mitigated by the fact that at least the apostrophe is signaled to mean something (the glottal stop). On the other hand, I still have problems pronouncing the names. That and the food and drink appears to be a case of 'call a rabbit a smeerp'. To some extent I can tolerate this, but when I start to remember all of this, it's a problem.

And about halfway through, the book switches from calling the female lead 'Kaia the Iron Flower' to 'Kaia Steelflower'. That and other changes make me wonder if Ms. Saintcrow wrote two novellas and stitched them together for this book. It could be that both are used by different sets of people, but I couldn't tell the difference.

With that, I segue into the plot. I enjoyed the first bits of the book, where Kaia and Redfist were being chased by someone unknown for reasons unknown, and the last bits of the book where the business about the God-Emperor from the back of the book comes in. The middle bits not so much, for something I've heard called 'the banality of pain'. Basically, Kaia believes she was abandoned by her people for being without magic* and not undergoing some kind of spiffy soulbond with a guy who was her True Love. When a G'mai dude shows up and starts following her around and telling her she's got magic, she goes into denial. For half the book.

* Okay, anyone older than 15 and/or who has read fantasy books for over a year knows how this plot will turn out. Me, I was hoping for an inversion...

Now, >TMI< I've suffered from a anxiety disorder &lgt;/TMI<, and have listened to friends who are depressed. Yeah, it does kind of sound like that -- the same thoughts keep circling around in your head over and over, no matter how many times you try to balance them. Fighting your way out of such thoughts are HARD. However, this might be a case of 'the terrible boredom of pain' (gratuitous Ursela LeGuin quote here) -- being psychologically hurt, doesn't make one angsty and deep, just hurting. Hard to portray without making me depressed though.

>spoilers<
A nice touch was that Kaia's perception was shown as being flawed, rather than the Evil Relatives thing. But, it did make me question G'mai parenting practices if Kaia's extended family couldn't find a way to bring her out of her depression or even figure out what was wrong with her, even if her magic was hindering communications. At the least, they had ten years to bring in an expert to get through to her.
>/spoilers<

So, I'd have to say I recommend this for people who can tolerate a bit of Angst in their books. I'll be looking for the next book in the series, but I'll probably wait until it comes in trade paperback, or pick it up used.

[Alice · Rating 5 out of 5]

Oh how I love a sword and sorcery tale! Love Lilith Saintcrow's writing, all her worlds are very well drawn and her writing style is very distinctive (makes me think of Simon R. Green).

Kaia Steelflower is a mercenary who insists on working alone. However, she soons finds herself unwillingly collecting travelling companions and possibly embroiled in two separate issues of 'succession', both of which may get her killed.

***A word of warning though, this is supposed to be the first book in a series / trilogy? While the book doesn't end with a cliffhanger, it's obvious that the companions are only partway into their travels together. There may be two more books to come, but they have not been written/finished and must fit around Saintcrow's busy writing schedule.

[Darcy · Rating 1 out of 5]

This author is very hit or miss for me. Two of her series I really like, two others I couldn't finish the first book. Sad to say that this book fell into the later category for me. I made it about 20 pages in when I gave it up. There was something about the language that just bugged me, the shorted drawl, that you aren't sure what the characters are saying. This one just wasn't for me.

[Debrac2014 · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good read! Too bad there isn't a sequel! Interesting world and nice mix of characters!

[Lori · Rating 1 out of 5]

*NOTE: Speed read only.

So where to start this review?
The book is called "Steelflower," but the ballads mentioned in the book itself call the main character "Iron Flower."
And that's pretty much how the rest of it goes.

Why would a society that reveres all females throw out one who has serious issues after her mother dies?

Why would a main character immediately start killing guards in the opening scene when they aren't even there for her and she's supposedly a thief and assassin (e.g., someone who would want to avoid attention from the law)?

Why would said character go out of her way to honor a nearly forgotten promise but dismiss others' attempts to bind themselves to her via their particular cultures' honor system?

This title has serious issues that a good edit would have handled.
Skip it (and any future volumes that have been predicted).

[Melissa · Rating 1 out of 5]

I changed this from "currently reading" to "read" because I have read as much of as I possibly can. The main character is insufferable and the action is slow. There is a lot of fantasy culture references with no explanation so I spent a lot of time reading and hoping that maybe the story would make sense later on. Maybe it does but there is nothing compelling enough to make me care.

[Trip · Rating 2 out of 5]

Fantasy with samurai elves and extraneous apostrophes, entertaining but not actually good. It's copyright 2008, but feels like an early novel; maybe a trunk novel?

[Teea · Rating 2 out of 5]

Drudgery. Repetitive, irritating, and immature.

[Olga Godim]

DNF at 60%
I didn’t finish this book, but I read more than half and I glimpsed the end, so I feel qualified to write the review. I couldn’t finish this book because I didn’t like the heroine. She is a mercenary and a thief, and I don’t often feel warm towards these types of characters. Besides, she is full of self-pity; it dominates the story. Every three pages or so, she laments her lack of magic, her tragic past, her family’s lack of love for her, and on and on to eternity. Poor, poor Steelflower, nobody cares for her…
It feels like her whining, both as inner monologues and as words in conversations with the others, takes up the majority of the text in the novel, while all the rest – the plot, the fighting, the love story – is relegated to the second place. Eventually, I got so disgusted with her endless, self-absorbed gripes, I couldn’t read it anymore. Maybe if she cared for someone else instead, her story would’ve been more palatable for me.

[TSN ☮ · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is a: "Read it at your own risk" book.
You might hate it or you might love it. I don't really think that there are going to be many who are in-between that.

I found it great, even though I admit that the first few chapters was "hard" to get through.

While the book doesn't end with a true cliffhanger, it sure is a "to be continued" ending.

[Wyrdness · Rating 4 out of 5]

I primarily read this because I really needed a break from UF titles and it felt like an age since I'd last read a proper fantasy novel. I have to say it was a great relief to get a change of pace and fall in to a story I really enjoyed. In fact I enjoyed it so much that I'm rather sad to discover that the author has yet to get around to continuing the series.

If there was one thing that really annoyed me, it was the heroine's constant denial of basic facts backed up with undeniable proof. I understand that it's not easy to address a faulty worldview you've believed all your life with a wave of the hand, but she was also a capable sellsword, thief and assassin and still her self-worth was rock bottom because she chose to believe the worst. It was absolutely maddening.

As a final note I have no idea why some people have tagged this "Young Adult". The main character is not a young adult (she has to be at least 25) and the story is chock full of murder, assassination, battles, and just general death. There's no sex, but that doesn't make the rest of it aimed for a Young Adult audience (though if they were anything like my 13 year old self they'll be all for death and betrayal).

[Maya · Rating 3 out of 5]

Okay, I have downright mixed feelings about this. On the one hand, I like the concept, and the author endears herself to me by including non-Anglo-Saxon fantasy worldbuilding and really strong fight scenes. However, with all of that said, I have a few major bones to pick.

Bone number one: for f's sake, Kaia has the worst denial of any fantasy heroine ever, and that is really saying something. I think the first two-thirds of this book consisted of "oh, woe is me, no one wanted me and I have no magic" even as everyone is beating her over the head with "NO ONE EXILED YOU AND YOUR MAGIC WORKS GREAT." Just. Stop. Being. An. Idiot. Kaia. ARGH.

Bone number two: Worldbuilding is great in moderation, but fifteen-syllable names with ten apostophes apiece get old FAST. Saintcrow is clearly one of those authors who abuses italics, the letters "y" and "x" and the apostrophe. There needs to be an unspoken fantasy-writers'-guild RULE about this sort of thing.

I'd read more, even so. I like Darik, for one thing. But considering Saintcrow's website, it seems like this series will never get off the ground. I doubt there will be a book two. Ah, well.

[L.J. Kendall · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'd resisted buying this book on principle because of the stupid larger-than-paperback size of the print edition, but eventually caved in. I'm glad I did. I hugely enjoyed this action fantasy. Another very strong and capable female lead with a good depth of character. The prickly and unsociable Kaia, outcast from her people and surviving by honing her fighting skills, starts to acquire a small troupe of friends, one of whom challenges one of her most deeply painful beliefs. There's plenty of action, as well as humour, and a cast of strong and interesting characters. The world was nicely built and convincingly fleshed out, with an interesting new idea for the 'elves'. I was eager to read the planned sequels, and very disappointed to learn that because the 1st book was pirated, neither of the two sequels are ever likely to be written. (What about the next Steelflower?) I loved the Dante Valentine and Jill Kismet series, and had hoped this might have been another, but in a medieval fantasy setting. Ah, well.

[Sadie Forsythe · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 (a little spoilerish)

This is one of those times I really wish for half stars or a scale of more than 5. The book isn't really worth a 4 star, IMO, but its better than some books I'm given 3 stars to.

I both really enjoyed and found myself quite frustrated with this book. I liked Kaia. I liked the Barbarian. I adored D'ri. I liked the world and the writing. BUT the book never really goes anywhere. They wander around and do this and then that and then something else, but there is no intent in it. Also, while I understood Kaia's strong reluctance, I got tired of reading it. Worst of all, the hints that all the hardships she'd suffered in her life might have actually been her own fault, based on a misunderstanding that she didn't seek clarification of over a decade is off-putting to say the least.

Despite all that, I'd read more if there was any, but Saintcrow states that she does not intent to continue the story, as "e-piracy killed the series." Which means that this, an incomplete story (though not a cliffie), will always remain so and that makes it kind of a pointless read IMO.

[InoKe · Rating 5 out of 5]

Basically the only thing that pissed me off about this book is the fact that it has no sequel.
Wow.

If your looking for a fantasy about a strong, independent woman, who's unwilling to love but
still longs for it then you have found it.

I loved, loved, loved it.
The world-building was AWESOME. The concept of 'twins' was great; though I would have liked a bit more clarification about some technical details like the silence, and what exactly is happening to Kaia's magic.

The hero is one studdly mofo. yummmm.
Would have wished if he was a bit more posessive; but then that's just me.
TBh, i'm really annoyed that there's no sequel to this, because it's a great story.
And for such a stupid stupid reason.
Growl.

Sort of tempted to kick lilith Saintcrow's but in. sigh.

[Marianne · Rating 3 out of 5]

I wish someone had warned me this was the first, and only book in an abandoned series. It was kind of a let down to turn the last page and discover a "to be continued". :-(

I liked the book well enough, despite the archaic language: 'Twas annoying.

But now I guess we'll never know whether Kaia and her princeling twin soul will ascend the throne, find a mate for Redfist or come into their magic powers. This book can be read, and enjoyed on it's own, but it would have been so much better as a part of a trilogy. 3 stars.

[Linda · Rating 4 out of 5]

Reread: Very good the second time through, though I was sorely tempted for much of the book to shake some sense into Kaia.

3.5 stars

[Colleen Corgel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really, really good fantasy adventure. I'll give it 4 stars just because it did grow on me, as it is a fairly even mix of good and bad. The good does outweigh the bad just enough to make this one of my favorite comfort reads.

So, some of the best parts of the book involve Kaia, who is an angry, bitter G'mai woman who has developed a talent with fighting. Her bitterness and anger seems to stem from what she perceives as her clan (or house) abandoning her when its revealed that she doesn't have any of the Power that is found naturally withing all G'mai women. So when she meets Darik, a mysterious G'mai man who claims to be her twin (husband for all intensive purposes) she reacts poorly. This is the main source of tension throughout the book, and it does hit a lot of really great moments, but sometimes it does feel like Kaia is being stubborn for the sake of being stubborn. The rest of the cast, simultaneously looks to her as the leader and a large child when she acts out. Its a fun little dynamic that made the more angsty moments more bearable.

Kaia, though a tortured soul, can be a little too much at times. She seems to be intentionally antagonistic - and often abusive - towards Darik just because she's got it in her head that she's so messed up she can't be fixed. Even though she doesn't need to be fixed. Side characters do shut her down on occasion with some truth bombs, which is refreshing. Kaia's self destructive attitude does get her group of friends into a fair amount of trouble when the plot needs to move along.

Otherwise, this is a pretty detailed world with a lot of different people and political systems that will, hopefully be explored further.

[Bryan Ewert · Rating 3 out of 5]

I generally like stories involving a rogue thief/assassin, and the prospects of said character mixing it up with a motley crew. There's a definite charm here.

I had a hard time with the language choice applied to the character dialog. Was this intended to be Scottish brogue? Celtic? Gaelic? Some nondescript fantasy tongue?

Some difficulty following characters, as the spellings of names changed frequently. Explained as formal vs familiar vs colloquial vs intimate (you get the idea), but I just found it confusing.

Finally, it was tough to sympathize with Kaia through her constant defiance of her situation. Understandable at the beginning, but it continued well over halfway through the book. I just wanted her to stop complaining so I could get on with the story.

My favorite character was Redfist, who doesn't talk much, and has a relatively minor supporting role. I think that says something.

[Katie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’m a bit torn on this one... the first read I did a few years back was better - I would have given it 5 stars. But this time round it didn’t fare so well.

I liked the fact the heroine was competent and the slow burn romance. What I didn’t like was Kaia’s endless whining and denial of her magic and soul bond in the face of overwhelming and repeated evidence to the contrary. The world building was ok - I liked the hint of other races, the slightly old fashioned dialogue and the idea of the soul bond. What I wasn’t keen on was the aimless meandering (non)plot that mostly involves Kaia aimlessly meaning around picking up party members, with most the dialog and action focussed on aforementioned denial/whining. Finally I’m annoyed that the sequels were published so late and cost so much - twice what I think they are worth and I’m willing to pay... so I’m going to stop there and not finish the series.

[CherylB · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the start of a journey. We meet Kaia Steelflower. A sellsword and loner. She has been shunned by her people because she had no powers. Along the way she picks up a few “strays.” First a giant, red headed Barbarian. Then a princeling from her homeland who insists that she is his destined match. Also a pair of nobles from her homeland. A minstrel who keeps making her famous by singing of her exploits. And a very young thief. She is drawn to battle by an old friend. And a crazy Emperor who keeps sending assassins to keep her from fulfilling a destiny. Will she be able to keep her troupe safe and fed? Can Darik convince her she is his Adai? Will she survive the trouble that is coming?

In rereading this book I was reminded why I follow this author. She weaves tales with witty banter, inventive cursing, adventure, danger and heart. I highly recommend this book.

[Helen Ogar · Rating 2 out of 5]

The protagonist, Kaia Steelflower, the Iron Flower, sellsword, assassin, thief, sounds like she would be a character I’d like. Unfortunately, I don’t. She’s a whiner. The plot is slow and unimaginative. This book could have used some heavy editing. I was irritated that every so often a new character would be introduced and then Kaia would summarize the story so far. It’s like you could just start the novel when Kaia enters Vulgentown and meets with her old friend Kesamine to whom she relates the story so far. Plus, if there is a problem with the plot, the author just introduces a new character with a rumor that explains what is happening or with some new power to fix the situation.
Not a great read and then you turn to the last page to read: To Be Continued
Bah.

[Sara · Rating 2 out of 5]

I liked certain aspects of this book; the story of a woman finding her own way, the little band of travelers, the new take on elves and their magic. Other aspects were frustrating at best; Kaia is whiny, rude, and stubborn in a stupid way. (Refuses healing, won’t listen to others, wont see what’s right in front of her). Darik is supposedly driven by the magic of his people but he comes across as a bully who will browbeat her until he gets his way. And the author spends too much time repeating things — no power! Rikyat is Gods-touched! The barbarian is smelly! Meh. I’d be interested in reading the sequel to see what happens but I’m not wildly impressed.

[Gaiainc · Rating 4 out of 5]

Maybe more 3.5 than 4 because Kaia’s reasons for doing what she does do not always make sense to me. The whole
Explanation of her childhood and her memories just make me
Shake my head and wonder why she will not consider that she was wrong. However, I am intrigued by the story and how it will play out.

And yes I have a soft spot for broody men who decide that yes, this one, this is the person I would tend the very fabric of the world for and you Darik feels that way about Kaia. So… yeah… I’m hooked.

[Groucho42 · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another good Saintcrow start. Wandering, secretive woman thief and soldier starts gathering the usual crew of oddballs and they have the usual sword and sorcery adventures. There's nothing out of the ordinary or surprising about this story, it's a stereotypical romp told well -- and there's nothing wrong with that.

The version I read is a 2017 reprint that looks self-published in order to add the newer novels behind it.