I was given a copy of this book for review.

The book is an action fantasy that is filled with action and quick pace. The storyline was easy and enjoyable to follow, i enjoyed reading this book. I found myself cheering the main characters on during the reading of this book.

I have really enjoyed this trilogy, but unfortunately for me, this final instalment was the weakest of the three. It deals with the aftermath of the siege of Rillporin and we finally learn the fate of Crys, Dom, Rill, Mace, Tara and the other characters we have come to know and love.

The Positives: Once again, the action pulls no punches - it is bloody and brutal, drenched in viscera and gore and definitely not for the faint at heart. I liked the final third of the book far more than the opening, as this was where the end game really played out and I thought the conclusion, while a little anti-climactic, was pretty fitting. I thought a lot of the character interactions in the narrative were really well done, and I liked the agency of so many of the female characters, saving their own skins and not waiting for someone to come and rescue them.

The Negatives: The pacing felt very strange to me. Rather than a compelling page turning, heart bursting narrative, the first two thirds of the book were taken up with what felt like a lot of unnecessary set up. I thought that the plot overall for this final instalment was a little bit weak and the tension that was so high throughout book 2 and the siege, just wasn't there for me in this one.

Overall, this has been a really solid and enjoyably dark trilogy and I would definitely recommend it to those who like their Grimdark particularly bloody.

I received a free copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for a fair and honest review.

After the gripping and brutal ending to Darksoul, we’re left with a war torn Rilporin, where the citizens are slaughtered, defeated, and with nothing led to loose in the final, epic fight for life between Gods and humans.

As I’ve come to expect with Stephens, this was bloody and brutal on an epic scale. Lives are ripped from us just as we warm to characters, and those that are left are incredibly morally grey, diverse and incredibly imaginative and interesting. They have to be in a world where you’ll do anything to survive. I also found this, if possible, even more politic and convoluted (in a good way) than the previous instalments. Aside from the obvious divide, we also have internal struggles and intrigue to help the plot go beyond a simple tit-for-tat scenario or the usual tropes that seem to emerge in these kinds of epic fantasies. It kept me intrigued, although as a personal preference I would have liked a few less main characters to keep track of, as occasionally it got a bit too complicated.

The writing is well crafted, brimming in detail which allows for some epic world building, without compromising on character development or a slowing of pace, which can be hard to do. I also though the ending for this was masterfully done, playing out to such a thrilling and satisfying conclusion that left me feeling heartbroken yet completely satisfied.

Epic grim dark done well.

This 3rd book to the series was absolutely amazing. I read the first two in one weekend couldn't put them down. This book was the same, I stayed up way later than I should have to finish it. The characters I loved are back for this epic book. Anna Stephens does an amazing job setting the scene for this book. It is fast paced with Gods and well rounded characters. I will be reading anything Anna Stephens puts out.

I finished Bloodchild very quickly (within a day) because I just could not put it down. However, I needed a couple of extra days to collect my thoughts afterwards because this book left me FEELING SO MUCH. I didn't know how to put my feelings into words.

First of all, I am so proud of how far this series has come and I'm also proud to say that Anna Stephens found her way onto my list of favourite dark fantasy authors on day one. The Godblind trilogy had the things that I consider to be the most important in my favourite books: compelling characters and great storytelling.

This book sent me on the biggest emotional rollercoaster I have been on in a while. I cried many times throughout the novel, but what really got me was when one of my absolute favourite characters died just when I thought they would actually have a fighting chance ( I think anyone who has already read the book would know which particular character I'm referring to). I had to put the book down for a short time. She was honored in the best way possible after her death, but a part of me will always be a little haunted by this character death, even though it made sense. I'm just a little bitter right now, okay.

As usual, the ending was bittersweet. I loved being able to reflect on how far each character had come. They all made a lot of sacrifices and I was happy to be able to see such a compelling story through till the end. I'm also very sad, knowing that it's over. However, I'm deeply excited to move on to anything else the author has in store for us.

I requested this book on netgalley a while back and was rejected by the publishers as they didn’t think I was suitable 🤔 so I found it quite amusing to find it as a read now after its publication date, apart from that little annoyance I have read the previous 2 books in this series and found them to be very good and great reads, this book continues the good work and I would recommend it unreservedly