It was a fun fantasy story in a fantasy world of ice snow and rocks. It is hard to review this book without giving too much away so I will keep it more technical. In my opinion the POV was a bit unbalanced and I wish there would have been more from Brynne. It was a well written book, that was intriguing most of the time but had a few dull moments but that was ok. The characters were likable and I kept rooting for them.

All in all if somebody likes fantasy books, this one is great!

This review appears on Goodreads and has been scheduled to cross-post to my blog on 5th February, at which point the link below will become live.

This was one of those ARCs where I really enjoyed the plot, but the writing style wasn't quite to my tastes.

First of all, I had to read this book over the course of several days, which isn't how I prefer to read. I'm a fast reader, so I tend to just sit down with a book and read it until I'm done -- having to put something down for two days in the middle often guarantees but I won't actually finish it. Despite drowning in work, however, I was engaged enough in the plot here to want to pick it back up again, and there were a few things where I absolutely had to see how they turned out, so that kept me reading.

The plot, on the whole, was a strength. There are plenty of twists, some of which I guessed and some of which I didn't, and there are some interpersonal relationships full of complications where I was impatient to see how characters would deal with certain revelations.

I also enjoyed the characters, particularly Del. Aela is an engaging enough protagonist: bloodthirsty, badass, and supernaturally gifted (sorry, I tried to find an alliterative word but couldn't think of one), she's got her strengths, but Del was just... I don't know. He was quiet and bookish, but also up for adventure. He did his duty, but he didn't let it get in the way of being a good person. His relationship with Brynne, I felt, showed him in his best light, especially the emphasis on their 'partnership', both political and personal.

(Brynne herself, I liked well enough, but didn't really think I got enough of a handle on her personality outside of her relationships, so it was difficult to engage with her too much.)

Del is also disabled, and although this is only revealed partway through the book and could have been treated as a dramatic, exploitative plot twist, it's actually just a mild surprise to Aela who then gets on with things -- which I appreciated. While it was supposed to have come as a shock, I'm glad that it was recognised and acknowledged in the plot without being a big deal.

Plus, I mean, the book involves both pirates and dragons. It's hard not to enjoy something like that. All of these are positive things.

However, the writing style just... didn't really work for me. I can't entirely pin down what it was -- it was just a general clumsiness of description, and the dialogue never sounded entirely realistic. I was able to overlook it most of the time because I cared about the plot and characters, but it occasionally bothered me. I felt it just all needed to be tightened up a little bit.

There was also a weird subplot where Aela doesn't remember her childhood, at all, and this is never explained or followed up. I kept expecting some kind of resolution every time it was mentioned, some explanation for what had happened, but unless I missed something, there was never anything to wrap that plot point up -- which made her character arc feel somewhat incomplete.

All of that aside, my overall impression of the book <i>was</i> a positive one -- because dragons! pirates! canonically queer and also disabled characters! I don't object to any of those things, especially in conjunction with an intriguing plot and complex interpersonal relationships that definitely brought out different sides of characters' personalities.

But the writing style and that minor quibble stop me from rating the book any higher, sadly.

3.5 stars

Aela Crane is a corsair...and something more. Brynne is a common dock wench mysteriously chosen to be the wife of the crown prince. Del is a soldier...and something more. Together, they will solve the mystery of their home and fight the dangers of their island. Unless something gets to them first.

An intriguing fantasy set-up in a generic fantasy world of and island of ice, snow and rocks, where the previous inhabitants of the island mysteriously vanished before the coming of Del and Brynne's people generations before. I particularly enjoyed the fact that the sexuality of the world seems fairly fluid, with no one batting an eye to same-sex husbands or wives, and also that one of the main characters has a physical disability and another is plump.

Aside from those things that I liked, it really was pretty standard in fantasy stories, and could have benefited with some heavier editing (which I am certain will be resolved in the final copy) to smooth out some confusing sentences and plot flow. Overall it's a quick, entertaining read and I enjoyed it.

I received this ARC from NetGalley for an honest review.

I don't want to say a lot about the plot because I feel like it would give away the story and the summary for the book is kind of vague on purpose for that reason. It was definitely a fun fantasy story, although I feel like the POV was a bit unbalanced. I definitely felt like we didn't get as much of Brynne's POV than the other two, although it did pick up at the end. I guess my main problem with this was that I felt like the build up for the plot took too long and then everything wrapped up very quickly at the end. I understand that the author had to take time to weave all three of the stories together for the big finale but it still felt like it dragged a bit in the middle. It was still overall enjoyable though and I would definitely recommend it for someone who is looking for a good F/F fantasy read.

Aela Crane is a corsair with a spear gun and a family made up of her fellow crewmates. The past she’s put solidly behind her comes back to bite, though, when it’s the very reason the king blackmails her into going on a monster hunt. Del, one of the soldiers who accompanies her, is not all he seems to be. And Brynne is a merchant’s daughter who finds herself betrothed to a prince she doesn’t know. Aela’s and Del’s story eventually intersects with Brynne’s in satisfying and surprising ways.

Fantasy is my absolute favorite genre. That means I ask a lot from it. I want it to grow with the times rather than ask me to keep reading the same Tolkien derivatives over and over, especially when authors think it’s still okay to make 90% of their cast male. That means Run in the Blood came as a breath of fresh air. Not only are two of the main characters women, but Aela is a woman of color. The setting is fun and unusual, too. It’s vaguely medieval, sure, but there are pirates and a very cool capital city (whose name I can’t remember right now, sorry) built into a mountain. It’s just similar enough to be exciting, just different enough to catch my attention.

It’s so rare that I love every narrator in a story, but here, I love all three in different ways. Aela is a joy to read about. She’s brash and a bit of an antiheroine and pretends to be untouchable even while her heart is what drives her. I want her to get everything she wants in life, even if she hasn’t quite figured out what that is yet. Del is an intelligent sweetheart who loves his library and basically wants to protect everyone. And Brynne finds herself in an entirely new situation, one she’s unprepared for and not sure she wants. She’s kind and smart, and I love watching her make a place for herself. As a cast, they gel and complement each other really well.

And that’s because a theme that runs strongly throughout this is friendship, which is one I love to both read and write about. In a fantasy setting, it makes a nice change from characters who are backstabbing each other and grappling for power. This doesn’t seem to explicitly be the first book in a series, but the epilogue certainly provides a nice jumping-off point. I hope there are more books to come because I’d love to see what Aela, Brynn, and Del get up to next!

That’s not to say there aren’t issues. One of my pet peeves in formatting is when one character’s actions are in the same paragraph with another’s dialogue, and this happens here. Sometimes I had to read these paragraphs twice. Not sure if that will be fixed in the final version. I also think the middle section—where Aela trains and Brynne learns more about what becoming a princess asks of her—could have been longer and better developed. Honestly, though, these are so minor that didn’t take away from my enjoyment.

I heartily recommend this one, especially to fantasy fans who are looking for more female-driven stories or readers looking for something a little bit different. Though I don’t think diversity could ever be a bad thing, it’s a very natural part of this story. It seems like Ross paid close attention to how they represented characters of different race, sexuality, and ability.

Many thanks to NetGalley, A.E. Ross, and NineStar Press for the advanced e-copy. Even though I received a free copy in exchange for an honest review, I already ordered the paperback so I can reread it and then loan it to my friends. That’s how much I loved this book.

3 3/4 Stars. I ended up enjoying this more than I thought I would. I misread the blurb thinking all three main characters were female. I thought we might even get into a juicy love triangle here. But it’s actually two women and one guy who’s POV we are in. Even with that slight disappointment I enjoyed this. This is still a lesfic book and a pretty decent fantasy-adventure.

Aela is a corsair (pirate), Brynne is soon to become a princess and Del is a soldier. It’s almost to the point I can’t say much more for fear I might spoil things. This book had some twists, and I really liked how the three main characters are actually connected.

I wouldn’t really put this in the lesfic romance category, but Aela is in love even if she is a bit too tough around the edges to want to admit it. There is a sex scene. It’s not explicit but it is not fade to black either. And there is a bit of chemistry considering the two women don’t get to spend a ton of time with each other.

I’m a fantasy fan, and when you throw in some dragons, well that just makes my heart happy. Aela, also comes from a near extinct race that has some fire magic, so I really enjoyed her character.

If you are an adventure fantasy fan, chances are you will enjoy this. This reminded me a little of Sarah J Maas’ books. Of course the stories are very different, but if you like the feel of Throne of Glass, you probably would enjoy this. While the main storyline is complete, there are a few threads left open for another book. If one comes out, I will definitely read it.

Thank you to Netgalley, AE Ross and the publisher for my ARC of Run in the Blood.
Run in the Blood is the debut novel from author AE Ross. A slick fantasy novel with awesome characters who you can't help but absolutely love!
Aela Crane has been raised a Corsair, a brutal, bloodthirsty pirate and she wouldn't want life any other way. Sailing the high seas in search of fights, gold and glory, and popping back to port for a fumble with a sweet girl every now and again. What other life could she possibly want? As long as she hides the old magic inside her, she'll be just fine.

Del is a quiet, thoughtful soldier who seems to know much more about Aela's powers than she does and he's hiding secrets of his own.

Brynne is a crofter's daughter trying to learn how to be a princess when she is lifted to lofty heights thanks to a deal her now Dead father made on her behalf.

There's everything you could possibly want from a great fantasy novel, pirates, magical creatures, politics, secrets among royalty and plenty of 'omg' surprise moments. Not to mention buckets of fun along the way. A truly swashbuckling, adventurous novel that doesn't play by the normal rules. No tropes here guys!

This was not my cup of tea. Others will enjoy it, but I am not a fan of this romance. I liked the premise of pirates and strong female leads.

<i>Book received from Netgalley and NineStar Press for an honest review</i>

I hate when I start off a review this way but . . . I've no real clue how to write a review for this book. Most of what I could say would probably be spoiler. So . . . I'll try to weave my way to something approaching a review.

One of the first things I need to mention, and I'm not sure if it is a spoiler or not, I assume it isn't considering how the book flows from beginning to end, but it is something that was hidden from readers in the book description. And that is the relatively part where I thought I was going to read one of the quite rare FFF books. I mean, the description certainly lead me to a reasonable belief. Perhaps. The words around one of the characters - describing all but that character, are loaded with female gender terms. I suppose it could be said that having two of the three characters be overloaded with female pronoun words, while leaving the third suspiciously pronoun free should have been a hint at something or other. Well, I didn't notice - I just saw all the female pronouns, saw that the book involved three main characters, and assumed stuff.

The book alternates point of views - having Aela, Del, and Brynne get turns at the POV controls. I mention this specifically so that I can continue the above paragraph. The first time I got to Del's POV section (Aela leads off the book, Del came second), things were worded a particular way. Well, one, I knew immediately that Del thought of himself as male. But there were these hints being dropped that made me vaguely suspicious. Del was described as soft, and as someone the other soldiers were protective towards. Should I be reading anything into that, I thought to myself as I read? Yes . . yes I should. But I'll leave that specific detail of why be a spoiler. I will say, though, that as far as I know this book involves two women and one man.

Aela is a pirate, a corsair (I think I spelled that right). Her entire life, at least as per her own memories, has consisted of being a pirate. She leads off the book and POV. And there's this quite exciting, thrilling pirate action scenes where a pirate chases down another ship. Aela is dark skinned, heavily scarred, and there's something . . . different about her that gets revealed relatively quickly. Something I'll let the reader learn, though they don't have to wait long to learn. Aela, from everything 'dropped' in the book, is, at my best guess, a lesbian. A woman who enjoys the sexual company of other women.

Del takes over control of the book second. He, when first seen by the reader, is a solider whistling happily as he wanders with his fella soldiers, and the fiery other, on a quest. And yes, he. While there's these 'soft' impressions heavily laid down, he is a man. It is never really confirmed, but it appears that Del might very well be heterosexual.

Brynne takes over third. Three things to know about her immediately: 1) she has a connection to Aela - they are lovers; 2) she's a crofter's daughter (I've no clue what a crofter is - her mother sells fruit from a stand while her father is a merchant ship captain; I just made myself giggle after looking up the word crofter - 'crofter: a person who farms a croft' . . . um, wha? croft: small scale food production); 3) her first appearance introduces her as the newly engaged bride to the prince of the kingdom - which is both in the book description (well that she needs to learn to be a princess) and the first thing the reader sees from her point of view. She has red hair . . . I think I remember that. bah, I bad at noticing things. She's the kind of person who normally lived a life of walking barefoot, and speaking crudely. Already noted: Brynne and Aela are lovers. Both are female. She's engaged to a prince and seems determined to be a good princess and seems to have no 'issues' with marrying a man. Weakly I use this evidence to come to the conclusion that Brynne might be bisexual.

The book includes some interesting, fun, pirate action, a mini-quest, wandering underground, dragons, learning to be a princess, learning to read, learning about the past, both the past of the land the kingdom sits on, and Aela's past that she otherwise doesn't remember.

There's some exciting stuff in this book, but there's also a longish period in the middle where nothing much happens, but excitement returns to finish off the book. There are some obviously plot-lines, though, that are not wrapped up by the time the book is concluded.

Rating: 3.82

December 8 2017