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The Godblind Trilogy #3
Bloodchild
’If you’re a fan of the likes of Joe Abercrombie or George R.R. Martin, then you’ll be pleased to learn that Anna Stephens has joined this august pantheon of lovingly horrible and deliciously dark writers’STARBURST Rilporin has fallen and Corvus, King of the Mireces, reigns over an occupied land. The raiders and their dark religion have conquered, but victory came at a terrible price – the death of a god – and sparks of resistance glimmer on all sides.In the south, Mace gathers the survivors of Rilpor’s armies. Among the fierce tribes of Krike, Crys and Dom search for allies and for the truth of what binds them to the Gods of Light. And in the royal palace itself, Tara – once a soldier, now a slave – hopes to ignite a rebellion.But time is against them. A child will soon be born with the power to return the Dark Lady from death, and the long-prophesied final battle for the future of Rilpor and Mireces, of humans and gods, is near.
500 pages, Paperback
First published September 5, 2019
36 people are currently reading
1351 people want to read
About the author
Anna Stephens
30 books695 followersAnna Stephens is the UK-based author of the Godblind trilogy - Goblind, Darksoul, Bloodchild - and The Songs of the Drowned trilogy - The Stone Knife, The Jaguar Path, The Dark Feather. Anna also writes for Black Library and Marvel Comics.
You can sign up to Anna's newsletter here: https://anna-stephens.com/get-in-touch/
You can sign up to Anna's newsletter here: https://anna-stephens.com/get-in-touch/
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 132 reviews
October 13, 2019
Got my signed/numbered/sprayed edition of the whole trilogy!
I love the books overall, a few things here and there I don’t care for but overall I love them to pieces. This last book was a bit of a tear jerker!!
Happy Reading Peeps!
Mel 🖤🐶🐺🐾
I love the books overall, a few things here and there I don’t care for but overall I love them to pieces. This last book was a bit of a tear jerker!!
Happy Reading Peeps!
Mel 🖤🐶🐺🐾
August 22, 2019
The Good: Everything. Seriously. *SPOILERS*
The Bad: IT GAVE ME FEELINGS – I DO NOT LIKE FEELING FEELINGS.
The Ugly Truth: THIS. IS. HOW. YOU. END. A. SERIES. (If I could somehow capitalise a full stop I would use it in this review.) Pulse-pounding drama and action to the heart-breaking end. 11/10, A++, all of the stars.
Review: Bloodchild is the third and final (no, you’re crying!) book in Anna Stephens’ debut Godblind trilogy, published by Harper Voyager. Whilst I would like to extend my thanks for a copy of the book in exchange for an honest review, I also have to ask: where do I send the bill for my therapy? Because DAMN, that ending!
Before I continue, this review contains minor spoilers for Godblind and Darksoul so as to set the scene for Bloodchild. You have been warned…
After being chewed up and spat back out by the invading Mireces, the Rilporians’ only hope of seizing victory is to reach into the jaws of defeat. To do that, they will have to tear Rilporin, the heart and capital of Rilpor, away from Mireces control, and hope there is still enough life in it to keep the country going. But the Mireces’ victory is hollow in the belly of the beast, as the loss of the Dark Lady has created a power vacuum leaving some asking ‘what now?’ while others try to fill it before someone else gets there before them. So many have fought and fallen in the war, but with the final battle yet to come, it’s yet to be decided whether a handful of heroines and heroes can save the day – or at least, what remains of it.
Stephens come out swinging from the get-go. Bloodchild has a pull-no-punches plot where, when it’s everything or nothing, anything can happen. And it does! In a world where gods have torn through the veil to walk among mortals (and in Gosfath’s case, walk ON and grind under heel) there are plenty of surprises to be had throughout the story. But despite the inclusion of the deities, their ‘champions’ and followers, this is very much a human story, and with it comes twists and turns aplenty. Besides the obvious contest between the Rilporians and the Mireces (and their collective allies) each camp has their own ‘inside issues’ to deal with, which are just as compelling as the conflict at large. And, with all this in play, Bloodchild is anyone’s game right up until the final whistle.
Godblind started out with a larger-than-life cast of characters. And it seems like such a long time since we were introduced to Rillirin, Crys, Corvus, Lanta, Mace, Tara, Dom, Gilda, the Fox God, the Dark Lady, Gosfath (to name but a few…) back in 2017. Along the way we’ve lost a few (some characters more memorable than others, and some deaths CERTAINLY memorable enough to leave a scar or two). But of those characters that make it to Bloodchild, each and every one of them meet a fitting end. I feel this is especially important in the current day and age, and not to point fingers at any big franchises that might or might not have been adapted into global TV empires, but THIS IS HOW YOU WRITE AN ENDING. Not just for the story, but for the characters.
On the note of characters (and inclusivity), Bloodchild and Stephens continue to put characters in the spotlight who would otherwise be ‘secondary’ in other fantasy novels. The fact that a non-heterosexual relationship is the main romance element of this epic is testament to that fact. Additionally, giving a pregnant character agency and purpose beyond that of the usual ‘hero’s mother destined to die’ found in fantasy gets a big thumbs up from me. None of these instances are shoehorned (as some might decry of diversity), and reading characters not defined by their gender, orientation, or race, is truly fantastic. It isn’t a tick-box exercise, nor is it waved in your face, but each of these character’s stories have a place in the world, as they do in the real world.
(And if you have a problem with diversity and inclusion, please feel free to get back in your bigot box and fuck off.)
Which brings me to something else that is a departure of sorts from the usual set-up in a fantasy, particularly in a ‘book three of three’. Fantasy is well-stocked with stories of invading armies attacking cities, and even though the heroic defenders have a hard time holding out, they always find a way to win the day. But the Godblind trilogy isn’t your average fantasy, and Stephens isn’t your average author. Our heroes have already LOST the city, lost their entire country in fact, and so Stephens flips the typical trope on its head, by having the heroes invade their own homeland. But you don’t win a war in one night, and each skirmish, melee and battle feels like it can swing in favour of either side. And, this being Stephens, you know that no-one is safe…
And that includes you. Yes, you, dear reader.
You might be familiar with the term ‘book hangover’. Well, this is ‘book heartbreak’. I won’t go into spoilers, but the final chapters of Bloodchild are some of the most emotionally charged scenes I have ever read. I said in my earlier review of Evan Winter’s The Rage of Dragons that between TRoD and Avengers: Endgame (in the same week) I was an emotional wreck. Well, Bloodchild finished me off.
Bloodchild taught me two things about my emotions. First, there are three types of tears: sad, happy, and angry (and I shed them all). Second, I am an ugly crier.
(Apologies to my 7-month-old son who saw me CRUMPLE on the last page, who then copied me when I started crying. When you’re old enough to read Bloodchild, you’ll understand).
And with that in mind, I will bring this review to a close. I could go on all day about Bloodchild (two, maybe three days if I was including spoilers), and it will be one of those books that I talk about for years to come. Despite the comparisons with grimdark, this for me is epic in every sense of the word. Sure, there’s blood and guts and bastards and glory at a cost, but there’s so much more to this series, and to Stephens for that matter. This is an author who has gone from strength to strength, continually upping her game.
With Bloodchild coming to a close, I for one am excited for what happens next, as Stephens has mentioned she will be exploring new worlds beyond the universe of Godblind. This feels like an end, and oh what an end it is.
.
..
…
….or is it?
Review originally featured on The Fantasy Hive ( http://fantasy-hive.co.uk/ ).
The Bad: IT GAVE ME FEELINGS – I DO NOT LIKE FEELING FEELINGS.
The Ugly Truth: THIS. IS. HOW. YOU. END. A. SERIES. (If I could somehow capitalise a full stop I would use it in this review.) Pulse-pounding drama and action to the heart-breaking end. 11/10, A++, all of the stars.
Review: Bloodchild is the third and final (no, you’re crying!) book in Anna Stephens’ debut Godblind trilogy, published by Harper Voyager. Whilst I would like to extend my thanks for a copy of the book in exchange for an honest review, I also have to ask: where do I send the bill for my therapy? Because DAMN, that ending!
Before I continue, this review contains minor spoilers for Godblind and Darksoul so as to set the scene for Bloodchild. You have been warned…
After being chewed up and spat back out by the invading Mireces, the Rilporians’ only hope of seizing victory is to reach into the jaws of defeat. To do that, they will have to tear Rilporin, the heart and capital of Rilpor, away from Mireces control, and hope there is still enough life in it to keep the country going. But the Mireces’ victory is hollow in the belly of the beast, as the loss of the Dark Lady has created a power vacuum leaving some asking ‘what now?’ while others try to fill it before someone else gets there before them. So many have fought and fallen in the war, but with the final battle yet to come, it’s yet to be decided whether a handful of heroines and heroes can save the day – or at least, what remains of it.
Stephens come out swinging from the get-go. Bloodchild has a pull-no-punches plot where, when it’s everything or nothing, anything can happen. And it does! In a world where gods have torn through the veil to walk among mortals (and in Gosfath’s case, walk ON and grind under heel) there are plenty of surprises to be had throughout the story. But despite the inclusion of the deities, their ‘champions’ and followers, this is very much a human story, and with it comes twists and turns aplenty. Besides the obvious contest between the Rilporians and the Mireces (and their collective allies) each camp has their own ‘inside issues’ to deal with, which are just as compelling as the conflict at large. And, with all this in play, Bloodchild is anyone’s game right up until the final whistle.
Godblind started out with a larger-than-life cast of characters. And it seems like such a long time since we were introduced to Rillirin, Crys, Corvus, Lanta, Mace, Tara, Dom, Gilda, the Fox God, the Dark Lady, Gosfath (to name but a few…) back in 2017. Along the way we’ve lost a few (some characters more memorable than others, and some deaths CERTAINLY memorable enough to leave a scar or two). But of those characters that make it to Bloodchild, each and every one of them meet a fitting end. I feel this is especially important in the current day and age, and not to point fingers at any big franchises that might or might not have been adapted into global TV empires, but THIS IS HOW YOU WRITE AN ENDING. Not just for the story, but for the characters.
On the note of characters (and inclusivity), Bloodchild and Stephens continue to put characters in the spotlight who would otherwise be ‘secondary’ in other fantasy novels. The fact that a non-heterosexual relationship is the main romance element of this epic is testament to that fact. Additionally, giving a pregnant character agency and purpose beyond that of the usual ‘hero’s mother destined to die’ found in fantasy gets a big thumbs up from me. None of these instances are shoehorned (as some might decry of diversity), and reading characters not defined by their gender, orientation, or race, is truly fantastic. It isn’t a tick-box exercise, nor is it waved in your face, but each of these character’s stories have a place in the world, as they do in the real world.
(And if you have a problem with diversity and inclusion, please feel free to get back in your bigot box and fuck off.)
Which brings me to something else that is a departure of sorts from the usual set-up in a fantasy, particularly in a ‘book three of three’. Fantasy is well-stocked with stories of invading armies attacking cities, and even though the heroic defenders have a hard time holding out, they always find a way to win the day. But the Godblind trilogy isn’t your average fantasy, and Stephens isn’t your average author. Our heroes have already LOST the city, lost their entire country in fact, and so Stephens flips the typical trope on its head, by having the heroes invade their own homeland. But you don’t win a war in one night, and each skirmish, melee and battle feels like it can swing in favour of either side. And, this being Stephens, you know that no-one is safe…
And that includes you. Yes, you, dear reader.
You might be familiar with the term ‘book hangover’. Well, this is ‘book heartbreak’. I won’t go into spoilers, but the final chapters of Bloodchild are some of the most emotionally charged scenes I have ever read. I said in my earlier review of Evan Winter’s The Rage of Dragons that between TRoD and Avengers: Endgame (in the same week) I was an emotional wreck. Well, Bloodchild finished me off.
Bloodchild taught me two things about my emotions. First, there are three types of tears: sad, happy, and angry (and I shed them all). Second, I am an ugly crier.
(Apologies to my 7-month-old son who saw me CRUMPLE on the last page, who then copied me when I started crying. When you’re old enough to read Bloodchild, you’ll understand).
And with that in mind, I will bring this review to a close. I could go on all day about Bloodchild (two, maybe three days if I was including spoilers), and it will be one of those books that I talk about for years to come. Despite the comparisons with grimdark, this for me is epic in every sense of the word. Sure, there’s blood and guts and bastards and glory at a cost, but there’s so much more to this series, and to Stephens for that matter. This is an author who has gone from strength to strength, continually upping her game.
With Bloodchild coming to a close, I for one am excited for what happens next, as Stephens has mentioned she will be exploring new worlds beyond the universe of Godblind. This feels like an end, and oh what an end it is.
.
..
…
….or is it?
Review originally featured on The Fantasy Hive ( http://fantasy-hive.co.uk/ ).
February 18, 2020
I never actually thought I would be this invested in this series or with the characters. Yet I find myself an unravelled crying mess. This series started with great potential in Godblind, but lost me on the huge amount of characters and what came out as fragmental as result. But the potential lay in the dark plot and the world Stephen created. And she does manage to bring her characters (well most of them) to life (why else am I crying over them). Darksoul was a huge step forward because it stretched over a shorter amount of time and the characters were less over the place.
Bloodchild took it even further. It’s the longest of the bunch, with just 500 pages (my edition). It doesn’t follow as many characters as the previous books, and I’m so happy the POV’s we lost didn’t get replaced by new ones. Though there were a couple of side characters that I would have loved to see with their own POV’s because I really wanted to get inside their heads. Such as Valan, Corvus’s Second. I cared so little for him in previous books I don’t remember if he actually did anything. But now, through Tara and also The Blessed One, we got to see him much more and the way he acted made him kind of interesting through most of the book.
The book starts shortly after where Darksoul ended, with the Mireces having taken over Rilporin and the Rilporians having fled Rilpor in search for allies. And after Darksoul, they have a lot of trauma to deal with, not least Dom and Crys. And Tara’s doing the goddess’s work, infiltrating the Mireces in Rilporin. Rillirin, pregnant, struggles to keep her away from the Mireces as they believe the child will bring back the Dark Lady. I was bit worried how everything would have room to wrap up in this. But it’s a very satisfying conclusion. The ending was really fucking intense and also heart-breaking.
A lot of shit is going down in this book. It was actually bit exhausting at points. The characters are suffering. Which is also exhausting. Because I was suffering. The pacing is really good. And the fewer characters makes it less jumpy. And the grimdark continues, with battles, torture, gore, death, trauma.
All the characters has come such a long way. Rillirin has grown so freaking much since the beginning of the first book where she could barely look someone in the eye to telling the Blessed One “fuck your face” right up her face. My Tara is super brave and bad-ass, as usual. I grieve a little that Gilda barely was in the book because she’s brave and wise. And my preciouses Dom and Crys. Both broken and having to deal with what happened in Darksoul. Crys having to cope with Foxy inside him and the fact he might die to end the war. Also his relationship with Ash is the preciousest thing ever in this series. Dom being so broken and unhinged.
There’s still a few bumps down this road, which is why it’s not up among the 5 stars. It’s a little to do with that there’s still a few characters I still don’t like following their POV’s. I also wish the books, all of them, had been longer.
I’m so happy I didn’t ditch series after being partly disappointed with book one, because this series is a great grimdark series.
Bloodchild took it even further. It’s the longest of the bunch, with just 500 pages (my edition). It doesn’t follow as many characters as the previous books, and I’m so happy the POV’s we lost didn’t get replaced by new ones. Though there were a couple of side characters that I would have loved to see with their own POV’s because I really wanted to get inside their heads. Such as Valan, Corvus’s Second. I cared so little for him in previous books I don’t remember if he actually did anything. But now, through Tara and also The Blessed One, we got to see him much more and the way he acted made him kind of interesting through most of the book.
The book starts shortly after where Darksoul ended, with the Mireces having taken over Rilporin and the Rilporians having fled Rilpor in search for allies. And after Darksoul, they have a lot of trauma to deal with, not least Dom and Crys. And Tara’s doing the goddess’s work, infiltrating the Mireces in Rilporin. Rillirin, pregnant, struggles to keep her away from the Mireces as they believe the child will bring back the Dark Lady. I was bit worried how everything would have room to wrap up in this. But it’s a very satisfying conclusion. The ending was really fucking intense and also heart-breaking.
A lot of shit is going down in this book. It was actually bit exhausting at points. The characters are suffering. Which is also exhausting. Because I was suffering. The pacing is really good. And the fewer characters makes it less jumpy. And the grimdark continues, with battles, torture, gore, death, trauma.
All the characters has come such a long way. Rillirin has grown so freaking much since the beginning of the first book where she could barely look someone in the eye to telling the Blessed One “fuck your face” right up her face. My Tara is super brave and bad-ass, as usual. I grieve a little that Gilda barely was in the book because she’s brave and wise. And my preciouses Dom and Crys. Both broken and having to deal with what happened in Darksoul. Crys having to cope with Foxy inside him and the fact he might die to end the war. Also his relationship with Ash is the preciousest thing ever in this series. Dom being so broken and unhinged.
There’s still a few bumps down this road, which is why it’s not up among the 5 stars. It’s a little to do with that there’s still a few characters I still don’t like following their POV’s. I also wish the books, all of them, had been longer.
I’m so happy I didn’t ditch series after being partly disappointed with book one, because this series is a great grimdark series.
January 17, 2024
An excellent conclusion to an excellent, grimdark trilogy. This was my type of fantasy story - lots of action, great characters, good storyline and a satisfying resolution. I'm sorry to be ending my time in Gilgoras and hope that some day we may return. Very nearly 4.5/5.0 stars for this book and the trilogy in total. If you're a fantasy reader and haven't read this series yet, you need to jump on it!
August 2, 2019
I haven’t read this yet...but then, neither has Victaulic, and if he/she can give the book 1-star without having read it, surely I can give it 5-stars for the same reason.
I’ll change it if I decide it merits less stars – but I doubt that will be the case since Anna Stephens is a fabulous author.
I’ll change it if I decide it merits less stars – but I doubt that will be the case since Anna Stephens is a fabulous author.
September 8, 2022
I'm here for these characters (although we've lost some already, no one is safe!) but overall the series fell flat for me. I love the grimdark genre for its morally grey characters, and found the ones in the Godblind trilogy to be too clear-cut, either good or evil. Thankfully, the plot was engaging until the end, and I don't regret finishing the series, but for me the gore and language remained somewhat over the top, almost grotesque at times.
September 7, 2019
Bloodchild! The last book in the Godblind trilogy, the thrilling conclusion, the final nail in the bollock… (if you don’t understand that reference then why are you even here?)
Right, to Hell with preamble – this book gets your heart pumping hard right up until it tears the aforementioned organ out of your chest and makes you blub like new born that stubbed its toe on the way out.
In Godblind we saw the stakes, we saw what both sides were fighting for, and we saw just what both sides were prepared to do to see their goals achieved. Goals being Gods resurrected, some of them quite unpleasant. Fights ensued and the crows ate well.
In Darksoul we had one big sod off siege where more fights ensued and the crows lost their ability to fly due to the feast of blood and bone on offer at the Rilporian All-You-Can-Eat (castle… it’s not really a restaurant). To tell you more would be to spoil the fun and deny you, dear reader, the delights and horrors of reading this fine author’s work. However, if you have already read them I’m sure you will agree with me that things did not look good for our heroes. No, indeed they looked positively UNGOOD.
So it was with some urgency that I read Bloodchild (thanks to Harper Voyager for stocking early copies at Worldcon, AND sending me an ARC). The book opens much slower than the breakneck pace set by Darksoul, as I fully expected given the poor sops that survived the siege at Rilpor were understandably quite tired and soul weary. Our key characters are scattered and each has plans to right the wrongs done to them and their loved ones before our resident bad guys and one very bad, badbadbad priestess sees her ambitions fulfilled. Her ambitions are a bit brexitish, in that she has plenty of followers but the end result would be quite doomy for all involved.
I am quite a difficult person to be pulled in by romantic threads and Anna Stephens managed to achieve that end on three separate occasions in Bloodchild. There are arguably two romantic plotlines between four characters that have been present since the first book, Godblind, and both gripped me for entirely different reasons. One relationship, that of Dom and Rillirin, is all about clinging to their devotion to one another through their individual hardships as both have been separated almost since their first encounter. They both draw strength from their love for one another at times when, without that pool of strength to draw from, they would perhaps falter. For me, that faith in someone you love more than yourself, made Dom and Rillirin’s hardships all the more real, and believable. The relationship between Crys and Ash is much more immediate and involving due to the close proximity they share (and the presence of a complicated third party…). I feel like more traditional fantasy fans may gravitate towards this romantic thread given that both Crys and Ash are capable warriors and they can often be seen fighting side by side and are both a strong presence throughout the story. To be honest it was the relationship I most expected to follow, but the one that truly had me in its grip was a completely new one. This one involves an already established character in Tara Carter, and new soldier on the Rilporian side. I won’t elaborate too much as to do so would give away spoilers. Suffice it to say that the situation these characters are forced into is made tolerable (to them) and then utterly beautiful through their chance encounter. This by far was the most emotional part of the story for me, and as I said, for that to be a romantic element is very rare where I’m concerned. I’d just like to take this opportunity to thank Anna Stephens for weaving those lovely threads into such a brutal and exciting tapestry.
Now! While this book has some romance elements in it, it is still an epic grimdark fantasy. Anna’s love for a fight, and more than that, the fight worth fighting, shines on every page. Her knowledge of war and warfare was cemented for me in Darksoul and in Bloodchild she has only got better.
Both small scale fights and larger battles are easy to follow without pages of explanatory exposition. Decisions made on the fly by characters are entirely believable, as is the extreme fatigue of command in the higher ranks. It is that sense of realism that I have always adored about Anna’s fantasy novels.
Bloodchild is chock full with all the excitement and adrenaline fuelled writing that we have come to expect from Anna, and I am utterly positive that we will see many more of her books on the shelves of our favourite book shops in the years to come. Speaking of her writing, I feel that this is her strongest work to date. As a fan of Anna’s I have read all of her short stories, both from the Godblind world and her Syl Stoneheart short stories, and in Bloodchild there is definitely a sense of refinement in her writing (that’s not to say her other work was anything but fantastic) and that the pages are full of wonderful descriptive flourishes that shows a woman honing her craft.
Bloodchild is a fantastic read, a thrilling book, and a truly excellent conclusion to one of my favourite fantasy trilogies. So, dear reader, I beseech thee, go forth and purchase this book! Thou canst thank me later…
Did I say that right? My point stands, buy it, you won’t regret it!
Right, to Hell with preamble – this book gets your heart pumping hard right up until it tears the aforementioned organ out of your chest and makes you blub like new born that stubbed its toe on the way out.
In Godblind we saw the stakes, we saw what both sides were fighting for, and we saw just what both sides were prepared to do to see their goals achieved. Goals being Gods resurrected, some of them quite unpleasant. Fights ensued and the crows ate well.
In Darksoul we had one big sod off siege where more fights ensued and the crows lost their ability to fly due to the feast of blood and bone on offer at the Rilporian All-You-Can-Eat (castle… it’s not really a restaurant). To tell you more would be to spoil the fun and deny you, dear reader, the delights and horrors of reading this fine author’s work. However, if you have already read them I’m sure you will agree with me that things did not look good for our heroes. No, indeed they looked positively UNGOOD.
So it was with some urgency that I read Bloodchild (thanks to Harper Voyager for stocking early copies at Worldcon, AND sending me an ARC). The book opens much slower than the breakneck pace set by Darksoul, as I fully expected given the poor sops that survived the siege at Rilpor were understandably quite tired and soul weary. Our key characters are scattered and each has plans to right the wrongs done to them and their loved ones before our resident bad guys and one very bad, badbadbad priestess sees her ambitions fulfilled. Her ambitions are a bit brexitish, in that she has plenty of followers but the end result would be quite doomy for all involved.
I am quite a difficult person to be pulled in by romantic threads and Anna Stephens managed to achieve that end on three separate occasions in Bloodchild. There are arguably two romantic plotlines between four characters that have been present since the first book, Godblind, and both gripped me for entirely different reasons. One relationship, that of Dom and Rillirin, is all about clinging to their devotion to one another through their individual hardships as both have been separated almost since their first encounter. They both draw strength from their love for one another at times when, without that pool of strength to draw from, they would perhaps falter. For me, that faith in someone you love more than yourself, made Dom and Rillirin’s hardships all the more real, and believable. The relationship between Crys and Ash is much more immediate and involving due to the close proximity they share (and the presence of a complicated third party…). I feel like more traditional fantasy fans may gravitate towards this romantic thread given that both Crys and Ash are capable warriors and they can often be seen fighting side by side and are both a strong presence throughout the story. To be honest it was the relationship I most expected to follow, but the one that truly had me in its grip was a completely new one. This one involves an already established character in Tara Carter, and new soldier on the Rilporian side. I won’t elaborate too much as to do so would give away spoilers. Suffice it to say that the situation these characters are forced into is made tolerable (to them) and then utterly beautiful through their chance encounter. This by far was the most emotional part of the story for me, and as I said, for that to be a romantic element is very rare where I’m concerned. I’d just like to take this opportunity to thank Anna Stephens for weaving those lovely threads into such a brutal and exciting tapestry.
Now! While this book has some romance elements in it, it is still an epic grimdark fantasy. Anna’s love for a fight, and more than that, the fight worth fighting, shines on every page. Her knowledge of war and warfare was cemented for me in Darksoul and in Bloodchild she has only got better.
Both small scale fights and larger battles are easy to follow without pages of explanatory exposition. Decisions made on the fly by characters are entirely believable, as is the extreme fatigue of command in the higher ranks. It is that sense of realism that I have always adored about Anna’s fantasy novels.
Bloodchild is chock full with all the excitement and adrenaline fuelled writing that we have come to expect from Anna, and I am utterly positive that we will see many more of her books on the shelves of our favourite book shops in the years to come. Speaking of her writing, I feel that this is her strongest work to date. As a fan of Anna’s I have read all of her short stories, both from the Godblind world and her Syl Stoneheart short stories, and in Bloodchild there is definitely a sense of refinement in her writing (that’s not to say her other work was anything but fantastic) and that the pages are full of wonderful descriptive flourishes that shows a woman honing her craft.
Bloodchild is a fantastic read, a thrilling book, and a truly excellent conclusion to one of my favourite fantasy trilogies. So, dear reader, I beseech thee, go forth and purchase this book! Thou canst thank me later…
Did I say that right? My point stands, buy it, you won’t regret it!
February 1, 2020
AAAAAAAAAAAH
Also all the other vowels
I'll be back with consonants once I've wrangled myself into spoiler-free coherency.
Full review, including consonants (note: some plot details/minor spoilers, although none touching on the outcome)
In a nutshell: Bloodchild delivers a strong end to a remarkable trilogy. For all its grimdark trappings, this is a tale as interested in compassion and redemption as it is in gut-spilling warfare. Never an easy read (for me, at least), it has turned out to be an enormously emotionally rewarding one.
Hats off to Anna Stephens – she’ll make me consider reading more grimdark in future. At least if it’s written by her.
I received a free copy from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
Also all the other vowels
I'll be back with consonants once I've wrangled myself into spoiler-free coherency.
Full review, including consonants (note: some plot details/minor spoilers, although none touching on the outcome)
In a nutshell: Bloodchild delivers a strong end to a remarkable trilogy. For all its grimdark trappings, this is a tale as interested in compassion and redemption as it is in gut-spilling warfare. Never an easy read (for me, at least), it has turned out to be an enormously emotionally rewarding one.
Hats off to Anna Stephens – she’ll make me consider reading more grimdark in future. At least if it’s written by her.
I received a free copy from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
October 8, 2019
Yes, yes, I know it's my book. As ever, the rating goes not to what I wrote but to my fantastic narrator, Maggie Ollerenshaw. Once more this supremely talented actress has made my world real in a world I didn't expect and couldn't predict.
I've been unbelievably lucky to have her narrate these books.
I've been unbelievably lucky to have her narrate these books.
October 7, 2019
This book is bloody, brilliant, and bloody brilliant!
I finished it (really late) last night, and I think I'll have to hide in a blanket fort with chocolate, some plush toys and plenty of coffee to assemble all the pieces of my soul back into one functioning piece!
It is the absolutely perfect ending to one of my favourite series. I have no idea how Anna Stephens manages to strike this balance between dark, grim and gloomy, but yet always leaves just enough hope to keep you hooked and on the edge of your seat wishing for it to turn out fine - or at least not horrible.
The characters have grown on me so much, I feel like i lost good friends on the way - and I can't believe the series is done and I won't get to share their lives anymore. Even the romance is such an utterly normal part of the characters and story that I didn't just "not mind" it, but actually enjoyed it - and if you follow my reviews, that is one of the highest praises one can get from me... Gosh - I'll miss them all so much, both the fallen and the ones building a new life! (And I sure as hell won't tell you which is which...)
The world and plot stayed just as engaging and interesting as it did in the first two books, and so brought this to an end I couldn't have imagined as fitting as it is. It was hard to read, and yet I was expecting even worse, so once again the balance between emotional crushing and whooping for joy just has me in full on emotional turmoil...
I finished it (really late) last night, and I think I'll have to hide in a blanket fort with chocolate, some plush toys and plenty of coffee to assemble all the pieces of my soul back into one functioning piece!
It is the absolutely perfect ending to one of my favourite series. I have no idea how Anna Stephens manages to strike this balance between dark, grim and gloomy, but yet always leaves just enough hope to keep you hooked and on the edge of your seat wishing for it to turn out fine - or at least not horrible.
The characters have grown on me so much, I feel like i lost good friends on the way - and I can't believe the series is done and I won't get to share their lives anymore. Even the romance is such an utterly normal part of the characters and story that I didn't just "not mind" it, but actually enjoyed it - and if you follow my reviews, that is one of the highest praises one can get from me... Gosh - I'll miss them all so much, both the fallen and the ones building a new life! (And I sure as hell won't tell you which is which...)
The world and plot stayed just as engaging and interesting as it did in the first two books, and so brought this to an end I couldn't have imagined as fitting as it is. It was hard to read, and yet I was expecting even worse, so once again the balance between emotional crushing and whooping for joy just has me in full on emotional turmoil...
March 6, 2022
This series was great and made me feel a lot of things.
Disgust from the descriptive blood and gore, excitement and nervousness for the safety of the characters, and, sadness and happiness at the ending.
Disgust from the descriptive blood and gore, excitement and nervousness for the safety of the characters, and, sadness and happiness at the ending.
May 18, 2020
Where do you begin, reviewing the last book of a trilogy?
Well, with the trilogy itself I guess!
There are trilogies out there which don’t quite convey that idea of an over-arcing story. They are connected by characters, or place, but have that slight disconnect from each other. Like book one was written as a standalone and then books two and three were afterthoughts. Conversely there are trilogies, or even series, out there that have the one over-arcing story spread over the three books, but the individual books don’t have their individual arcs. Book one is the intro, book two is the stepping stone, book three the finale.
The Godblind trilogy is one of those very few trilogies that transcends this.
There is an over-arcing story, a war to be won, that connects the three books together. However, each book is a distinct individual, each book represents a battle on the way to winning that war. Not so much so that you could read it as a standalone, but enough so that it is recognisable from its sisters, that it has its own personality and story to tell, whilst still being integral to the trilogy as a whole. And I don’t mean that each book represents a battle literally by the way, that’s not the plot of each book… 'It's a metaphor Daddy!'
The Godblind trilogy is quite possibly the first instance of a story wherein I’m struggling to pin down whether it is plot driven or character driven. There is a strong plot that drives each individual book, and the trilogy as a whole. But our characters aren’t exactly dragged along by circumstances and events, as they typically are in these plot-dominant stories. They are very much the instruments of their own will. The Plot is a beast roaring through each book, but the characters are standing proud and roaring right back in its face with the strength of any Dickensian character-driven saga. It makes for a heady mix of exciting, adventure-fueled plot that whips you along; with unforgettable and heart-breaking characters who feel like, at any moment, they are going to step off the page before you.
I’m going to narrow our focus now to Bloodchild itself, and it’s going to be impossible to avoid spoilers. Sorry, not impossible, boring.
“Omg and the bit when you know who breaks across the you know what and then they, you know“.
Nope. So please, if you haven’t read this trilogy yet, or if you’re half way through it, go away. In the nicest way.
.
.
.
This trilogy is the kind that takes a heavy toll on the reader; you find yourself so deeply invested, enthralled, that I came to Bloodchild with no small sense of trepidation. But my gods does she deliver. There’s no denying she had a lot to live up to, she had a lot of expectations to fulfil, and she did it all in ways I couldn’t possibly have been ready for. It felt like Stephens turned everything up just a notch; when you thought this world couldn’t possibly give you more.
Back in my review for Godblind I said that, through the flickering pov, you don’t quite get to know the characters well enough, and it’s harder to trust them. By Bloodchild, I felt myself knowing the characters but not necessarily trusting Stephens. Stephens is not the kind of author to attempt to create shock-value in her stories. Events unfold and decisions are made and it reads as naturally as if there were a higher prescience than merely an author behind it all. I didn’t stop to question why any given character chose the routes they did; not that some of their decisions were not upsetting, or resulted in something upsetting, but rather it didn’t feel like I was reading something fictional with the option for something else to have happened. And I don’t know how she did that.
Something I explored in my review of Darksoul was the objectivity of the narrative voice, and this is still very much the backbone of this trilogy. There are no foregone conclusions here. Having known this with Godblind and Darksoul, I still stupidly expected it in Bloodchild. And when you don’t get your way as a reader, it creates a big impact. In line with this idea, it really struck me reading this final book just how well our villains had been written. These are not ‘bad guys’ who are merely ‘being bad’. Their motivations are perfectly human and understandable; their actions may be reprehensible, but they are not empty actions. They truly believe in what they are doing, and that belief in itself is believable. These characters have all the depth and realism that our protagonists do. They also at times, frustratingly, even garner sympathy (fast becoming Stephens’ recognisable modus operandi.)
It’s safe to say this trilogy had a huge impact on me, that I fell in love with the characters utterly. Ultimately, it is they that will keep calling me back to this story.
Well, with the trilogy itself I guess!
There are trilogies out there which don’t quite convey that idea of an over-arcing story. They are connected by characters, or place, but have that slight disconnect from each other. Like book one was written as a standalone and then books two and three were afterthoughts. Conversely there are trilogies, or even series, out there that have the one over-arcing story spread over the three books, but the individual books don’t have their individual arcs. Book one is the intro, book two is the stepping stone, book three the finale.
The Godblind trilogy is one of those very few trilogies that transcends this.
There is an over-arcing story, a war to be won, that connects the three books together. However, each book is a distinct individual, each book represents a battle on the way to winning that war. Not so much so that you could read it as a standalone, but enough so that it is recognisable from its sisters, that it has its own personality and story to tell, whilst still being integral to the trilogy as a whole. And I don’t mean that each book represents a battle literally by the way, that’s not the plot of each book… 'It's a metaphor Daddy!'
The Godblind trilogy is quite possibly the first instance of a story wherein I’m struggling to pin down whether it is plot driven or character driven. There is a strong plot that drives each individual book, and the trilogy as a whole. But our characters aren’t exactly dragged along by circumstances and events, as they typically are in these plot-dominant stories. They are very much the instruments of their own will. The Plot is a beast roaring through each book, but the characters are standing proud and roaring right back in its face with the strength of any Dickensian character-driven saga. It makes for a heady mix of exciting, adventure-fueled plot that whips you along; with unforgettable and heart-breaking characters who feel like, at any moment, they are going to step off the page before you.
I’m going to narrow our focus now to Bloodchild itself, and it’s going to be impossible to avoid spoilers. Sorry, not impossible, boring.
“Omg and the bit when you know who breaks across the you know what and then they, you know“.
Nope. So please, if you haven’t read this trilogy yet, or if you’re half way through it, go away. In the nicest way.
.
.
.
This trilogy is the kind that takes a heavy toll on the reader; you find yourself so deeply invested, enthralled, that I came to Bloodchild with no small sense of trepidation. But my gods does she deliver. There’s no denying she had a lot to live up to, she had a lot of expectations to fulfil, and she did it all in ways I couldn’t possibly have been ready for. It felt like Stephens turned everything up just a notch; when you thought this world couldn’t possibly give you more.
Back in my review for Godblind I said that, through the flickering pov, you don’t quite get to know the characters well enough, and it’s harder to trust them. By Bloodchild, I felt myself knowing the characters but not necessarily trusting Stephens. Stephens is not the kind of author to attempt to create shock-value in her stories. Events unfold and decisions are made and it reads as naturally as if there were a higher prescience than merely an author behind it all. I didn’t stop to question why any given character chose the routes they did; not that some of their decisions were not upsetting, or resulted in something upsetting, but rather it didn’t feel like I was reading something fictional with the option for something else to have happened. And I don’t know how she did that.
Something I explored in my review of Darksoul was the objectivity of the narrative voice, and this is still very much the backbone of this trilogy. There are no foregone conclusions here. Having known this with Godblind and Darksoul, I still stupidly expected it in Bloodchild. And when you don’t get your way as a reader, it creates a big impact. In line with this idea, it really struck me reading this final book just how well our villains had been written. These are not ‘bad guys’ who are merely ‘being bad’. Their motivations are perfectly human and understandable; their actions may be reprehensible, but they are not empty actions. They truly believe in what they are doing, and that belief in itself is believable. These characters have all the depth and realism that our protagonists do. They also at times, frustratingly, even garner sympathy (fast becoming Stephens’ recognisable modus operandi.)
It’s safe to say this trilogy had a huge impact on me, that I fell in love with the characters utterly. Ultimately, it is they that will keep calling me back to this story.
November 21, 2019
Now that's how you end a series! Bloodchild ends the Godblind trilogy with a BANG where other series' end on a whimper.
It's a real roller-coaster of a novel, with plans falling apart and others coming to fruition - if only we knew which was which, and on what side! Phew, it's full of tense and dangerous plotting and furious bloodshed where the story could go either way. Anna Stephens can write a hell of a visceral battle scene.
This book will hurt you, and also lift you up. Despair and misery, and hope and love, are all wrapped up between these pages.
If you haven't read the Godblind trilogy, you really should.
It's a real roller-coaster of a novel, with plans falling apart and others coming to fruition - if only we knew which was which, and on what side! Phew, it's full of tense and dangerous plotting and furious bloodshed where the story could go either way. Anna Stephens can write a hell of a visceral battle scene.
This book will hurt you, and also lift you up. Despair and misery, and hope and love, are all wrapped up between these pages.
If you haven't read the Godblind trilogy, you really should.
Want to read
June 14, 2019Here is the official cover of 'Bloodchild' by Anna Stephens!
'Bloodchild' by Anna Stephens will be released on August 22, 2019.
'Bloodchild' by Anna Stephens will be released on August 22, 2019.
August 3, 2019
Review to follow.
October 3, 2019
Bloodchild punched through my chest, tore out my still beating heart, ate it in front of me and stabbed me for good measure. Certain beloved characters aren't the only ones that didn't make it through the final volume of the Godblind trilogy and I'll see you all in the light because this book destroyed me.
After barely surviving Darksoul - I think my heart stopped a good ten times - the beginning of Bloodchild provided a little breather. Despite covering a slow, bloody siege Darksoul was relentless, leaving you as exhausted as the characters, the one that survived at any rate. At the start of Bloodchild both those that fight for the Light and those that fight for the Blood are recuperating and regathering for the final battle. The Mireces may have won Rilporin but it came with a heavy cost.
Mace and his soldiers may have managed to survive yet another bloody and devastating battle but their army is in ruins and they had to leave countless behind when fleeing Rilporin. But to quote the blurb for Darksoul 'hope might yet bloom....in the heart of a former slave, in the mind of a soldier with the eyes of a fox, and in the hands of a general destined to be king'. They might have lost this battle but they still fight to win the war.
The Godblind trilogy is grimdark fantasy. There's a lot of death and violence and over the course of the first two books we've already seen a number of major characters die - no one is safe (not matter how badly I try and wish it so as it turns out ). Despite this and despite the fact that of course there will be losses in a war on this scale, I still found myself getting hopelessly attached to characters (not you Galtas). And goddamn, did it break my heart. These characters worm there way under your skin and into your heart with their life and love and their fucking courage they have (T&Cs apply of course like the aforementioned Galtas). Even writing this review I am tearing up.
I both so badly need to yell about this book and yet also being conscious of the fact this book three in a trilogy, don't want to spoil anything. But I won't lie the fate of one of the characters absolutely fucking destroyed me, I was sobbing for a good half hour. It was very, very heartbreaking but {redacted} got the send off they deserved, it couldn't have been done any better but again still heartbreaking.
Something, one of the many, I love about this series is that although there is misogyny and homophobia, it's not left unchallenged. Fantasy is my favourite genre but it oftentimes isn't very good at addressing/challenging bigotry because apparently dragons and magic are ok but a world where bigotry isn't just accepted without question is just too far-fetched (this obviously isn't the whole genre because there's some brilliant stuff out there). And so it's so wonderful to see Stephens addressing this and challenging it.
I don't want to spoil too much for those planning on reading it but I did want to say, for those like me who were worried about the fates of two particular characters, Bloodchild also pulls a Spartacus.
Bloodchild has heartbreaking moments, rage-inducing moments, bittersweet moments and a few lighthearted moments. It put me in one of the most dramatic post-book 'what the fuck am I supposed to do with my life' slumps I have ever experienced. Every now I'm struggling to get into the other books I'm supposed to be reading because the aren't Bloodchild. I don't even know what to write because I want to say so much about these characters and I don't even know where to start. These books destroyed me and I loved every minute no matter how dark and painful it got.
I cannot wait to see what Stephens does next and before I leave let in be known I would die for Crys & Ash and Major Tara fucking Carter and Mace Koridam and.....I JUST LOVE THEM ALL OK
This review and more can be found at https://wildheartreads.wordpress.com/
"He left his sword behind. He left it all behind. He walked to his final battle, stripping his armour as he went."
After barely surviving Darksoul - I think my heart stopped a good ten times - the beginning of Bloodchild provided a little breather. Despite covering a slow, bloody siege Darksoul was relentless, leaving you as exhausted as the characters, the one that survived at any rate. At the start of Bloodchild both those that fight for the Light and those that fight for the Blood are recuperating and regathering for the final battle. The Mireces may have won Rilporin but it came with a heavy cost.
Mace and his soldiers may have managed to survive yet another bloody and devastating battle but their army is in ruins and they had to leave countless behind when fleeing Rilporin. But to quote the blurb for Darksoul 'hope might yet bloom....in the heart of a former slave, in the mind of a soldier with the eyes of a fox, and in the hands of a general destined to be king'. They might have lost this battle but they still fight to win the war.
The Godblind trilogy is grimdark fantasy. There's a lot of death and violence and over the course of the first two books we've already seen a number of major characters die - no one is safe (not matter how badly I try and wish it so as it turns out ). Despite this and despite the fact that of course there will be losses in a war on this scale, I still found myself getting hopelessly attached to characters (not you Galtas). And goddamn, did it break my heart. These characters worm there way under your skin and into your heart with their life and love and their fucking courage they have (T&Cs apply of course like the aforementioned Galtas). Even writing this review I am tearing up.
I both so badly need to yell about this book and yet also being conscious of the fact this book three in a trilogy, don't want to spoil anything. But I won't lie the fate of one of the characters absolutely fucking destroyed me, I was sobbing for a good half hour. It was very, very heartbreaking but {redacted} got the send off they deserved, it couldn't have been done any better but again still heartbreaking.
Something, one of the many, I love about this series is that although there is misogyny and homophobia, it's not left unchallenged. Fantasy is my favourite genre but it oftentimes isn't very good at addressing/challenging bigotry because apparently dragons and magic are ok but a world where bigotry isn't just accepted without question is just too far-fetched (this obviously isn't the whole genre because there's some brilliant stuff out there). And so it's so wonderful to see Stephens addressing this and challenging it.
I don't want to spoil too much for those planning on reading it but I did want to say, for those like me who were worried about the fates of two particular characters, Bloodchild also pulls a Spartacus.
Bloodchild has heartbreaking moments, rage-inducing moments, bittersweet moments and a few lighthearted moments. It put me in one of the most dramatic post-book 'what the fuck am I supposed to do with my life' slumps I have ever experienced. Every now I'm struggling to get into the other books I'm supposed to be reading because the aren't Bloodchild. I don't even know what to write because I want to say so much about these characters and I don't even know where to start. These books destroyed me and I loved every minute no matter how dark and painful it got.
"I love you. Kill them all."
I cannot wait to see what Stephens does next and before I leave let in be known I would die for Crys & Ash and Major Tara fucking Carter and Mace Koridam and.....I JUST LOVE THEM ALL OK
This review and more can be found at https://wildheartreads.wordpress.com/
September 26, 2019
SPOILER WARNING – This review contains potential spoilers for the first two books in the trilogy, Godblind and Darksoul. If you haven’t already read those you may want to skip this review until you have.
This is the final volume in Anna Stephens’ Godblind trilogy, and boy, what a finale it is. Following on almost directly from the end of last year’s Darksoul, it opens with the army of Rilpor in hiding and the Mireces invaders firmly entrenched in the city of Rilporin, their chieftain Corvus having proclaimed himself the new king of Rilpor.
To say that things look bad for the good guys at the start of this book would be an understatement of the highest order, and yet despite their losses and the setback of losing their King, General and capital city all at once, the remaining Rilporians, led by Mace Koridan, are determined to take the fight back to their enemies and take back their land.
Meanwhile, back in the city Major Tara Carter finds herself the slave of Corvus’ second, Valan, and is determined to enact the orders given to her by the Crys Tailorson, the Fox God, before he abandoned her to her fate; find a way to kill Corvus and the Mireces’ Blessed Lady, Lanta, in order to stop them from resurrecting their dead goddess.
Thus is set the scene for one hell of a roller-coaster of a novel. As well as the usual fantasy melange of warfare, blood, death and despair, there’s also a fair amount of hope and positivity hidden in this narrative. There’s also more than a little humour, though in many cases it’s tinged with a hint of pathos. Characters we’ve followed for the entire trilogy are fated to die, and Stephens doesn’t pull her punches in this regard. Indeed, throughout the novel we’re repeatedly told outright that certain characters are going to die, whether we like it or not. And yet despite the nihilistic undertones we’re presented with, Stephens’ writing keeps the narrative flowing and makes you want to keep turning pages until the story’s done.
It is the writing that makes this such a wonderful novel to read. Whether she’s describing the visceral horror of a massed infantry battle or the touching moments between lovers during quieter moments, the author’s skill with words never comes into doubt. Each scene resonates with emotion and detail that draws the reader in and makes you feel like you’re there in the thick of the action, living and breathing and fighting with the characters on the page. Even though this is only her third novel, I have a sneaking suspicion that Anna Stephens is going to be an important player in the fantasy arena for the foreseeable future.
All in all this is an amazing end to what’s been an amazing trilogy and I genuinely hope to see more from the author in the years to come. Definitely worthy of all five stars I’m giving it, and definitely another one to add to my favourite books of 2019.
This is the final volume in Anna Stephens’ Godblind trilogy, and boy, what a finale it is. Following on almost directly from the end of last year’s Darksoul, it opens with the army of Rilpor in hiding and the Mireces invaders firmly entrenched in the city of Rilporin, their chieftain Corvus having proclaimed himself the new king of Rilpor.
To say that things look bad for the good guys at the start of this book would be an understatement of the highest order, and yet despite their losses and the setback of losing their King, General and capital city all at once, the remaining Rilporians, led by Mace Koridan, are determined to take the fight back to their enemies and take back their land.
Meanwhile, back in the city Major Tara Carter finds herself the slave of Corvus’ second, Valan, and is determined to enact the orders given to her by the Crys Tailorson, the Fox God, before he abandoned her to her fate; find a way to kill Corvus and the Mireces’ Blessed Lady, Lanta, in order to stop them from resurrecting their dead goddess.
Thus is set the scene for one hell of a roller-coaster of a novel. As well as the usual fantasy melange of warfare, blood, death and despair, there’s also a fair amount of hope and positivity hidden in this narrative. There’s also more than a little humour, though in many cases it’s tinged with a hint of pathos. Characters we’ve followed for the entire trilogy are fated to die, and Stephens doesn’t pull her punches in this regard. Indeed, throughout the novel we’re repeatedly told outright that certain characters are going to die, whether we like it or not. And yet despite the nihilistic undertones we’re presented with, Stephens’ writing keeps the narrative flowing and makes you want to keep turning pages until the story’s done.
It is the writing that makes this such a wonderful novel to read. Whether she’s describing the visceral horror of a massed infantry battle or the touching moments between lovers during quieter moments, the author’s skill with words never comes into doubt. Each scene resonates with emotion and detail that draws the reader in and makes you feel like you’re there in the thick of the action, living and breathing and fighting with the characters on the page. Even though this is only her third novel, I have a sneaking suspicion that Anna Stephens is going to be an important player in the fantasy arena for the foreseeable future.
All in all this is an amazing end to what’s been an amazing trilogy and I genuinely hope to see more from the author in the years to come. Definitely worthy of all five stars I’m giving it, and definitely another one to add to my favourite books of 2019.
September 5, 2019
Bloodchild ends the blood spattered epic series of the coming of "Red Gods".
It tops off an incredible series featuring some of the most lovable"heroic" characters, blood thirsty Gods and complex relationships, all this in the black shadows of a sprawling war that takes no prisoners and is grim-dark to the core.
I end the series with a heavy heart! I am too heart broken to write a more coherent review but promise to follow this up with something worthwhile. Dancer's Grace, people. It is time.
It tops off an incredible series featuring some of the most lovable"heroic" characters, blood thirsty Gods and complex relationships, all this in the black shadows of a sprawling war that takes no prisoners and is grim-dark to the core.
I end the series with a heavy heart! I am too heart broken to write a more coherent review but promise to follow this up with something worthwhile. Dancer's Grace, people. It is time.
October 13, 2019
ERMERGERD!
Fantastically, fantastical grimdark and satisfying finale to a fabulous fantast trilogy of action, intrigue and gritty realism.
Characters relationships develop even more and the build up to the final battle between women, men and gods concludes with an exciting and vicious whirlwind of action and emotion.
I've been drinking red wine, which may inhibit my review writing skills, but DAYM this trilogy does indeed rock my socks.
Anna rules, so do the characters of Bloodchild!
Fantastically, fantastical grimdark and satisfying finale to a fabulous fantast trilogy of action, intrigue and gritty realism.
Characters relationships develop even more and the build up to the final battle between women, men and gods concludes with an exciting and vicious whirlwind of action and emotion.
I've been drinking red wine, which may inhibit my review writing skills, but DAYM this trilogy does indeed rock my socks.
Anna rules, so do the characters of Bloodchild!
September 12, 2019
I mean some random gave it 1 star without reading it so I'll give it a 5 :) the last two I did read and loved, I'm sure this will be just as wonderful.
April 12, 2021
4.5 stars
Really good and satisfying conclusion to the series!
Really good and satisfying conclusion to the series!
September 11, 2019
Copy received from Netgalley all opinions are my own
I have enjoyed reading the Godblind trilogy immensely. It has been a wild ride full of misery, violence, gore and some genuinely uncomfortable moments that make you wince. It is also full of interesting characters who I both love and hate, depending on what side they are on.
At the end of the last book, things weren’t looking too good. Yes, the Blessed One’s plans had been disrupted but the city had been lost to Corvus. Fast forward to Bloodchild and now Lanta wants to use Rillirin’s unborn child to be the new vessel for the Dark Lady, and the rest of the characters are trying to stop her and Corvus. It goes about as violently as you would expect.
I loved reading these characters stories. After three books it’s hard not to be invested in their journeys and you want to see them succeed in utterly destroying the enemy. The story is brutal and violent and not everyone survives which is hard to read but works really well in making you invested in the story. I didn’t cry whilst reading it but my lip was wobbling at one point which just goes to show how much I cared about the characters. The novel ends on a hopeful note which was really nice after three books of unrelenting grimdark misery (not that I don’t love a nice bit of grimdark misery but I’m a sucker for a nice ending).
Bloodchild managed to hit all the sweet spots that I love to read about. It is action packed with lots of violence and a compelling story that I wanted to both finish and not want to end. There’s some sweet romance to appeal to my softer side and it manages to be heart breaking and hopeful amongst all of the violence. I loved the characters and I loved the story. It was an almost perfect book for me.
I have enjoyed reading the Godblind trilogy immensely. It has been a wild ride full of misery, violence, gore and some genuinely uncomfortable moments that make you wince. It is also full of interesting characters who I both love and hate, depending on what side they are on.
At the end of the last book, things weren’t looking too good. Yes, the Blessed One’s plans had been disrupted but the city had been lost to Corvus. Fast forward to Bloodchild and now Lanta wants to use Rillirin’s unborn child to be the new vessel for the Dark Lady, and the rest of the characters are trying to stop her and Corvus. It goes about as violently as you would expect.
I loved reading these characters stories. After three books it’s hard not to be invested in their journeys and you want to see them succeed in utterly destroying the enemy. The story is brutal and violent and not everyone survives which is hard to read but works really well in making you invested in the story. I didn’t cry whilst reading it but my lip was wobbling at one point which just goes to show how much I cared about the characters. The novel ends on a hopeful note which was really nice after three books of unrelenting grimdark misery (not that I don’t love a nice bit of grimdark misery but I’m a sucker for a nice ending).
Bloodchild managed to hit all the sweet spots that I love to read about. It is action packed with lots of violence and a compelling story that I wanted to both finish and not want to end. There’s some sweet romance to appeal to my softer side and it manages to be heart breaking and hopeful amongst all of the violence. I loved the characters and I loved the story. It was an almost perfect book for me.
September 9, 2019
I cried. Three times.
It's hard to believe that this is over, but here we are. And what the ride this was. I think I wasn't so devastated after finishing the book since I finished Malazan series and the epicness of battles and heroism of the last stands presented in Bloodchild is comparable to Erikson's works.
I loved Godblind trilogy from the start. We follow seven PoV's and still Anna Stephens put them in about 400 pages a book, wihout overly long chapters and unecessary fillers. What's more, every character is wery well developed and unique. And we have secondary characters who are also great.
It's one of a few series that I loved every character PoV's. Even the evil ones. Don't mistake me, I despised The Blessed One, but still loved to read about what's in her mind.
But now I finished and I have to say that the second part of the book was full of my emotional breakdown. Not everyone came out of the fight alive, but the deaths were glorious and made me weep like a baby.
Good job, Anna Stephens. Damn good job and thank you for introducing me for this bunch of incredible characters. I'm going to miss them.
It's hard to believe that this is over, but here we are. And what the ride this was. I think I wasn't so devastated after finishing the book since I finished Malazan series and the epicness of battles and heroism of the last stands presented in Bloodchild is comparable to Erikson's works.
I loved Godblind trilogy from the start. We follow seven PoV's and still Anna Stephens put them in about 400 pages a book, wihout overly long chapters and unecessary fillers. What's more, every character is wery well developed and unique. And we have secondary characters who are also great.
It's one of a few series that I loved every character PoV's. Even the evil ones. Don't mistake me, I despised The Blessed One, but still loved to read about what's in her mind.
But now I finished and I have to say that the second part of the book was full of my emotional breakdown. Not everyone came out of the fight alive, but the deaths were glorious and made me weep like a baby.
Good job, Anna Stephens. Damn good job and thank you for introducing me for this bunch of incredible characters. I'm going to miss them.
May 7, 2021
Actual rating: 4.5 stars
That was heartbreaking on so many levels that I don’t even know how to comprehend it.
A fantastic ending to a brilliant trilogy!
Hannah xoxo
That was heartbreaking on so many levels that I don’t even know how to comprehend it.
A fantastic ending to a brilliant trilogy!
Hannah xoxo
April 26, 2020
"And the godlight will lead us all, to death and beyond. And what is beyond death but the promise of new life?"
A fitting finale to a very even and solid series.
The major reasons my rating is a 4 rather than a 5:
1) the villains were annoying, every time I saw a Corvus or Lanta chapter I sighed in resignation (I don't like reading about religious extremists though so ymmv);
2) all the romantic relationships read the exact same to me. they were nice! they were just... all the same which makes them forgettable;
3) I get what the author was doing by having Mace introduce the new laws but... that's all it takes? really? no pushback from society at all, when the day before ? sure, Jan... sure...
February 14, 2025
Read in 2 days.
Dark as hell and no punches pulled.
Some really nice character work (Crys, Dom, & Tara especially) and Stover-esque action scenes.
A few nitpicks with the plot and some inconsistencies with the world, but, like I said, sped through it.
Eagerly awaiting my next Anna Stephens adventure
Dark as hell and no punches pulled.
Some really nice character work (Crys, Dom, & Tara especially) and Stover-esque action scenes.
A few nitpicks with the plot and some inconsistencies with the world, but, like I said, sped through it.
Eagerly awaiting my next Anna Stephens adventure
November 19, 2022
2.0 ⭐️
Eh. To be honest I wasn't even sure if I should keep reading after the first one, but somehow I ended up with the entire trilogy and I feel like it just went downhill from the first. The third one was very slow in the beginning and went on a few tangents that I don't think were really necessary . Even though it was predictable the later part was pretty good, but by that point I was just kinda tired of all the gore and slaughter.
We get it, everything's bad and dark and bloody and desperate. I'm starting to think I'm just not made for grimdark fantasy, if the horror isn't used sparingly then it just doesn't have the same effect, it just becomes background noise imo.
I did like how the fight scenes were written and I wish I could say the same about the rest of the prose. It's not bad over all but some expressions just threw me the fuck out of the story. Comparing muscles to "eels in oil" ew no thanks.
It's not a bad book and if you're into some really gross stuff then this might be the right thing for you. Just wasn't for me, I guess.
Eh. To be honest I wasn't even sure if I should keep reading after the first one, but somehow I ended up with the entire trilogy and I feel like it just went downhill from the first. The third one was very slow in the beginning and went on a few tangents that I don't think were really necessary . Even though it was predictable the later part was pretty good, but by that point I was just kinda tired of all the gore and slaughter.
We get it, everything's bad and dark and bloody and desperate. I'm starting to think I'm just not made for grimdark fantasy, if the horror isn't used sparingly then it just doesn't have the same effect, it just becomes background noise imo.
I did like how the fight scenes were written and I wish I could say the same about the rest of the prose. It's not bad over all but some expressions just threw me the fuck out of the story. Comparing muscles to "eels in oil" ew no thanks.
It's not a bad book and if you're into some really gross stuff then this might be the right thing for you. Just wasn't for me, I guess.
July 18, 2024
What an ending!
Each instalment in this series got better for me. Though the tone, graphic elements, writing and pace remained the same, my investment grew with each book.
By this point I was fully invested in the story and characters, meaning the pain I had inadvertently allowed Anna Stephens to inflict upon me was... monumental?
I think the most important thing I can say about any final book is whether or not it stuck the landing. As is evident by my rating I'm sure you are beyond doubting that, in my personal opinion, it did very much stick the landing.
There are once again elements in here which, even to fans of the series may not be completely to their liking. Some troped that I know can be quite divisive, especially pregnancy related ones. But I think they were all executed so well and with purpose. The book is still the same dark, miserable, horror show the previous ones have been. But now, with more time spent with these characters and coming to care for them, it has a lot more heart.
Each instalment in this series got better for me. Though the tone, graphic elements, writing and pace remained the same, my investment grew with each book.
By this point I was fully invested in the story and characters, meaning the pain I had inadvertently allowed Anna Stephens to inflict upon me was... monumental?
I think the most important thing I can say about any final book is whether or not it stuck the landing. As is evident by my rating I'm sure you are beyond doubting that, in my personal opinion, it did very much stick the landing.
There are once again elements in here which, even to fans of the series may not be completely to their liking. Some troped that I know can be quite divisive, especially pregnancy related ones. But I think they were all executed so well and with purpose. The book is still the same dark, miserable, horror show the previous ones have been. But now, with more time spent with these characters and coming to care for them, it has a lot more heart.
October 12, 2022
Having finished Godblind and Darksoul in the last month, my anticipation for Bloodchild was off the charts and it did not disappoint. I couldn't put it down (and have just finished reading it for a second time), and there are some scenes that I know I will be going back to. The perfect ending to one of my favourite trilogies, and one that has given me far too many feelings.
*Full review now at https://beneathathousandskies.com/202...*
*Full review now at https://beneathathousandskies.com/202...*
August 28, 2019
This was one of my most-anticipated books of 2019 and it definitely did not disappoint. Absolutely fantastic ending to one of my favourite trilogies.
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