An action packed fantasy for fans of Arcane!

I love an author who can make you love characters almost instantly, but also plants the seed of “trust no bitch’ right away. This is my first Dalglish book and damn, call me impressed.

I kid you not when I say that I fell in love with just about every single character in this book. The entire cast is perfect and meld and bounce so well off of each other. It’s a testament to Dalglish’s craft that he can get you so emotionally connected so quickly. And then of course he has to hurt them so badly - but I’m a masochist of a reader, so I enjoyed a lot of the pain he put these characters (and the reader) through. And the story? The twists? I was screaming in my notes for the second half of this book and could not put it down.

This book also gave me major Arcane vibes, in the sense of the characters & the storytelling style - Dalglish is careful not to fill in the story wall to wall, but let’s it breathe and grow into something I think any fantasy fan will love sinking their teeth into

All this praise being said, this was also rough read for me, a Queer reader from a former religious background. There are some scenes that were very difficult to read and I was not expecting them. One scene that was personally difficult for me to read was a scene that involved threatening a sapphic couple with sexual assault if they did not comply with the newly implemented conservative laws. Dalglish gives his Queer characters strength and power and love, but he puts them through the emotional ringer too. Especially right now, this may not be a book that some Queer folks should look to for escapism - so take care when picking this up.

CW: violence, gore, homophobia, transphobia, death of parents, threatening sexual assault on a sapphic couple, use of the term “crossed-women” for trans women, descriptions of fat bodies shapeshifting (which I thought was straightforward and well done, but this could differ for other readers) & child murder

*I received an eARC from NetGalley & Orbit in exchange for my honest review*

I was hooked on this book from the very first chapter. The descriptions of battles and violence were incredibly cinematic and unabashedly horrific. The themes explored were interesting, and the tropes used were many of my favorites. The characters were morally ambiguous and often struggled with figuring out the right thing to do, which made them interesting to read. The pace was uneven at times, but the fascinating world-building and other aforementioned characteristics made up for it, in my opinion.

I always love a good rebels versus empire story, and this one didn't disappoint on that front. The empire and its minions were as evil as they could possibly be, and they acted as excellent avatars for the exploration of many of the book's most interesting themes. The horrors of colonization were on full display here, and I found the politics of the imperials to be a fascinating look at the long-game involved in the subjugation of indigenous people using a combination of law, psychology, faith, and brutality. The story also illustrated the perils of theocracy and how much life can change in the shift from a liberal society to one that is dominated by an uber-conservative proselytizing religion. The picture it painted wasn't a pretty one. However, I think it's a prudent warning, and I appreciated the glimpses of realistic day to day consequences for the characters that the author sprinkled throughout the narrative.

My favorite thing about this book was the magic system and its setting. The world was easy to imagine, and the magic system based on faith was a fascinating idea that created some twists I wasn't expecting. I also liked its use to illustrate the power inherent in faith and how that power can be harnessed for nefarious purposes. I was completely sucked into all the scheming and use of propaganda to take advantage of people's faith, and I appreciated that the book realistically portrayed both sides of the fight as purveyors of such tactics. That being said, the actual world-building itself left me a little underwhelmed. I really would have liked more history and more information about the magic system. Some of the ideas felt a bit rushed and underbaked, but I'm hopeful they will be expanded upon in future books.

I enjoyed reading each of the characters. Cyrus's story was the typical tragedy and revenge story. His growth and struggle with whether he wanted to become the monster necessary to exact his revenge were compelling to read. However, I never really felt all that connected to him. He just felt somewhat removed from everything happening around him in a way I can't quite explain. The side characters, on the other hand, stole the show for me. Stasia, Mari, and Rayan were all standouts for me. Stasia was a complete badass with lots of character. I adored her relationship as well and was worried about both of them throughout the book because they needed to be protected at all costs. lol. Mari's magical abilities were incredibly cool to read about, and I hope to learn more about them in future books. Finally, Rayan's steadfast faith and love for his people and prince were truly the heart and backbone of this novel. His character had so many great small, quiet moments, and I always looked forward to reading his chapters.

Overall, the plot of the book was interesting, and the setting, magic, themes, and characters kept me wanting to read more even when the pacing was a bit rough. The rebels did seem a bit overpowered, though, and I would have liked to see them struggle in the fights a bit more. Their prowess, even with all their training, seemed a little too good to be believable considering the force they were up against. Despite having some flaws, I really enjoyed a lot about this book. Therefore, I rate it 4 out of 5 stars. If you like revenge stories or faith-based magic, I think this would be a great book to pick up.

I thought I was going to love it. The cover is beautiful and the summary is incredibly intriguing. It had a lot of potential and it did shine in certain points, just not enough.

8 / 10 ✪

https://arefugefromlife.wordpress.com/2022/04/04/the-bladed-faith-by-david-dalglish-review/

<i>
How did one weigh one atrocity against another?
</i>

According to David Dalglish, this is his 20th novel (something I’m not going to measure or question at all and just go with)—and what better way to mark the occasion than with a review…? Okay, okay, I guess I could’ve got him a gift or something. Might have to, after this goes live. Because while I did quite like the book, it wasn’t quite the adventure that the Keepers was, nor the chaos of Shadowdance.

But we’ll get into that later.

When Prince Cyrus was twelve, the Everlorn Empire came to his shores. A quick and decisive battle later, his fleet was demolished, his city burned, his gods defeated, and his parents killed. Taken prisoner to legitimize the Empire’s rule, for two years Cyrus was paraded about as the captive prince, until the execution of his gods gave him an opportunity to escape.

Now, holed up in the Thanet countryside, Cyrus is given his one chance to strike back at the Empire that took everything from him. The fledgling resistance—such as it is—needs a figurehead to legitimize their cause, and the former prince is perfect for the job.

But, his road to revenge isn’t to be an easy one. For while the island needs an heir, the path to freedom is not paved with diplomacy. Not entirely, at least. Instead Cyrus is secretly trained to be a killer: a god of blood and fury, wielding twin sabres and hidden behind a skull mask and cloak.

The Vagrant rises to protect Thanet, and to see its invaders to the shores.

But not all is as it seems. Cyrus’ god-given right to rule is not as solid as he once thought, and the mantle of the Vagrant isn’t the heroic role he imagined. Soon he will discover the real weight of his duty—and the price of his vengeance.

—
<i>
“You took from me everything I loved. My parents. My kingdom. Even my gods. I can’t unmake the loss, but I can make you hurt. I can make you afraid.
“And you will come to fear me, monsters of the empire. You will fear the Vagrant Prince when he comes to reclaim his crown.”
He lowered his swords. A smile cracked his stern expression to match the one on his mask. He laughed to himself, mood unable to remain serious for so long.
“Hopefully.”
</i>
—

As tales of vengeance go, the Bladed Faith is the start of a pretty good one. An impressionable boy willing to do whatever it takes to avenge the deaths of his parents, his gods, his kingdom. Willing to kill for Thanet’s freedom, even at the expense of his life. But the deeper he goes down the rabbit hole, the more he questions it. The more he learns, the more it haunts him; the lives he’s ended, the path he’s taken, the secrets he’s found. There’s a very real sense, throughout the book, that Cyrus is keeping it all together through sheer force will, maybe bound by scotch tape and bits of string. His mental heath is way past questionable even before he was imprisoned by the invaders that destroyed his whole world. That he’s just going to come to pieces at some point, some point soon. And the secrets that he learns—I mean, I can’t give anything away here, but it sets up an epic conclusion, one I truly did not see coming.

And while it’s great to see an author address the health and stress and mental battles coming with killing so much (and that becoming a “heartless killer” isn’t something that a person can just turn on and off with no repercussions), I would’ve actually liked to have seen a bit more of it. Let me explain. When you really get into it, the Bladed Faith boils down to two key aspects: fight scenes, and the exhaustion that comes after. I mean, yeah, there’s some set-dressing, some political intrigue, some world-building and lore and whatever else. But the key moments—especially after the halfway point—boil down to the fight, and what follows it.

It’s really hard to complain about the fight-scenes. It’s not like some books where that’s all there are, or others where they are too few and too far between. Plus Dalglish writes them so well! There a good amount of battles, scraps, prowling rooftops, ambushing soldiers, screwing up and having to fight their way out. When the battle is raging, the battle-lust is high. But when the red leaves their eyes—especially for Cyrus—the aftermath is near as intense as the actual fight. That said, it feels… incomplete, somehow. See, there’s usually a cutaway between the fight and the exhaustion that follows. A break in the narrative that occurs just at that point where it goes from “kill kill kill” to “what have I done?”. I think that’s one of the reasons it never felt really fulfilling to me. The other being that none of Cyrus’ heartfelt moments after seem to come to fruition. And while I understand the reasoning behind the latter, I don’t so much for the former. When it works—as it does quite often—there’s nothing to complain about. When it’s done well, it really gets you thinking, considering the story from a new perspective. But it doesn’t always work. There’s a… for a book that strives so much to detail the emotions of its protagonists, this seems like a strange tactic. Just a break when emotions are running their strongest, or their weakest; when the battle-lull sets in, and the lust fades. Yes, there’s plenty of time spent examining what happens after, but it’s “some time after”, not “directly after”. I suppose what I’m objecting to (as it’s not even that obvious to me) is the break in the range of emotions. We’ve had the highs of the battle. Then there’s a break. And now we’re dealing with the lows of the experience. This is predominantly what I remember happening (there are a few that go: highs of battle, then a lull, then a break, or lull to full downturn, but really nothing that encompasses the whole thing)—I suppose all in all, it seems a rather minor thing to harp on, but in a book that seems to spend so much time on the emotions of becoming a hardened killer, it really doesn’t ever seem to focus on the entire range of emotions.

For the resistance against such an enemy as the Everlorn Empire, whose borders span pretty much the known world, the tiny isle of Thanet is the perfect setting. We don’t have to focus on the world in its entirety. There aren’t a lot of unconnected POVs placed strategically amidst a vast sea. We focus on a little island a hundred leagues from the mainland, and the whole of the story takes place here. While there is lore about the rest of the empire, especially the farther we get on, the reader only has to really focus on Thanet. I really liked this; I thought it worked really well. While I was curious about the larger world (I always am—I can’t help myself), I was happy enough to concentrate on this one part of it so long as the story centers there. Now the author has hinted that the Vagrant Gods trilogy could just be one piece of a much larger tale—one that surely would involve a glimpse of the much larger world—there are no specifics at this point. And while I will admit that some fantasies that span the entire globe do turn out to be AMAZING, they can be quite overwhelming at first. And some readers can burn out on them quite quickly. The smaller, more centralized story here shouldn’t suffer the same. And while some readers will invariably DNF this, it’s likely not the number had it been a universe-spanning, millennial-long tale of truly epic proportions.

TL;DR

I’m not sure what the future holds for the Vagrant Gods, but I know I’m on-board for it. While it’s not the perfect execution in my mind, the Bladed Faith deals with far more than the stabby-stabby bits of an impressionable youth turned hardened killer. There’s quite the range of highs and lows, emotional and mental fortitudes, and long, hard looks at oneself within. And though the emotional range is a little lacking to what I might’ve liked, it’s far more than that of other books and media where our protagonist flips a switch between killer and average guy like it’s nothing at all. This story of vengeance takes place in the secluded corner of a truly vast empire, and rarely stretches beyond its shores. Yes, there is a bit of lore and history of the Empire and its wars, but for the most part our attention remains glued on Thanet. And I loved that. I thought it worked quite well as the introduction to a possibly grander story. It doesn’t overwhelm or distract the reader with dozens of POVs over thousands of miles; it concentrates on this little isle, so long as the story centers here. Which it does throughout the Bladed Faith, at least.

Holy. Freakin. BeJesus.

I just finished The Bladed Faith. Dude. Dude. What a really great book. Strong, complex characters, a lavish World-Build, fight scenes that force your mind to envision them on a huge screen. This book has it all.

I'll admit, I got a little bored about halfway through, but the arrival of Heretic solved that. I loved him and Mari so much. The sibling-ish relationship between Mari and Cyrus is adorable, as is the romance between Stasia and Clarissa. Way to be LGBTQ+, David!

I was floored when I realized that it was Thorda who had betrayed them all, almost gotten them all killed! Zealotry is a dangerous game, folks.

Thank you Netgalley, David Dalglish and Orbit Books for allowing me the privilege of reading this ARC. I look forward to the Vagrant's further adventures. All opinions are my own.

This is a brand new adult fantasy, first book to a series and it releases in April. It’s blurbed by Rob J Hayes who’s another amazing writer and I think it is such a nice fit that he was chosen to blurb the cover because honestly, they are very similar in terms of storytelling and characters.

When I first heard about this book, I simply couldn't wait to get my hands on it. Lots of people in the same book circles as me were excited about it and the first reviews that I saw were all pretty great. Plus I am a big fan of this authors previous series which was called The Keepers, I hate to toot my own horn but I’ve been a bit of a hype woman for those books so when I got my hands on this, I was pumped and my excitement really stemmed from knowing this was going to be an even more elevated epic fantasy than the keepers series and wow it’s so true. The author has taken very stereotypical tropes, I’m talking dethroned prince on the path of vengeance but with the power of friendship they shall try to prevail. But it’s done in the most refreshing of ways.
Full review on my YouTube channel

The description and cover of this novel drew me in. A story of vengeance and the masked figure on the front were so intriguing. The prologue that opened the story was fast paced and already gave me so many questions about this world, Gods, and the politics or power that were ongoing.

I did wish that we got to see more of Cyrus in captivity as I think this would have helped with his character development and the motivation would have been even stronger.

I did enjoy the fight scenes that were written in the story and found this to be a strength. I did feel the pacing was too slow for my own enjoyment and the ending of the novel is where events and plot started to pick up but it was a bit of a struggle for me at some points to continue forward.

I did not feel like enough was fleshed out with the explanation of how Gods worked in the world and wished The Empire had been developed more thoroughly. I don’t think the tropes of the book pushed past what was expected enough for my preference. I do think there were some interesting ideas but I’m not sure it’s a book/series for my particular interests and reading preferences.

Thank you to Netgalley / Orbit Books for a copy in exchange for an honest review.

David Dalglish has knocked it out of the park. I honestly had trouble putting this book down from the first page to the last. This novel revolves around a religious crusade that results in the death of a Prince's family and his land's gods. Cyrus now has to do anything in his power to seek vengeance against the empire for his parents and his country.
The character work is phenomenal. Each character, including those on the opposition, have their own voice, their own personality. None of them feel flat, generic, or a copy of another character. They all have their own motives fueled by their background, religion, culture, or sexuality that is explored within their own POV. Dalglish did an amazing job in making you care or hate these characters. I also love to see the level of diversity fall down to not just the main cast, but background characters as well.
The characters may be the star of the show, but the plot and worldbuilding are not far behind. What initially feels like a classic revenge tale becomes modernized by adding elements from what I would expect in a coming of age tale and political fantasy novel. This mixture brings depth to the plot and to the worldbuilding. Though the novel is mostly set in Thanet, we do get plenty of history and cultural information about the rest of the world through the lens of the cast. Because of this, the world doesn't feel shallow. There is clearly more to it than this one region and I cannot wait to see what is in store in book two.
The action sequences were written well. I didn't feel lost at all when imagining how they would flow in my own head. They presented a lot of tense moments that broke up the sections filled with politics and backstories allowing the pacing to flow really well.
I seriously loved this book and couldn't get enough of it. I'll be eagerly awaiting the sequel.

I received this book from Orbit in exchange for a fair review.

If you're a fan of Dalglish's other works this should be right up your alley. The combat and actions sequences are fast and ferocious. The characters feel real and engaging. Overall I was pleased with the story and found the world and how the Gods work interesting.

David Dalglish's The Bladed Faith is a slow-burn of an epic fantasy first in a series, giving the reader plenty of time to *think* they know what's going on before he starts to peel back the curtains and let's the reader peek at reality and the future of the series. Dalglish's characters feel authentic; the novel jumps between viewpoints, retelling bits and pieces of the story from another's eyes, but it works well and allows him to explore scenes in a much broader and deeper way. His action is visceral and weighted, as different characters approach combat and violence in their own way. The worldbuilding is where Dalglish truly shines, as each little bit of understanding opens up more and more potential for the reader. This is one I plan on following into the future without doubt (little joke there for any other readers).

Thank you for the opportunity to read this book. Unfortunately the authors writing style did not work for me. I loved the idea and concept of the book it just did not work for me.

Not too bad, but not too great either. A decent story I think could've been better with a shorter length and quicker pace. I had some issue with the Gods being so easily killed, but also didn't die, huh? I felt like, why are these beings Gods in the first place, why are they worshipped by their people? This might have been an interesting caveat to explain the mythology attached to the Gods and their magic system, because that aspect felt like a simple ex machina plot devices. Overall a good story that has a somewhat over used plot of the MC seeking revenge against a larger enemy.

ARC provided by Netgalley and Orbit in exchange for an honest review.

3/5

I really wanted to love this book, and the description had a lot of things that I loved in fantasy series (revenge! magic! fights! conspiracies! cool cover!) but in the end it fell short of the mark for me.

The book started off strong, with quick world building and the ability to draw the reader into the middle of the action. I liked the setting, plot and the prose, and I specifically liked the way that the gods interacted with their world because it was a nice change of pace to see them directly involved in their people and their lives and the consequences of those actions, tangibly weaving the religion of Thanet into daily life, giving the book a unique perspective and sucked me into the plot.

My issue with this book was that the characters felt flat and one dimensional and while their goals and actions were clear (primarily revenge), we didn’t get a lot of individualised personality from them and most of their dialogue sounded the same and interchangeable between them without clear personalised voices; Cyrus was specifically very bland to me, while Mari and Stasia had a lot of potential that wasn’t utilized as well as it could have been. Additionally, there are quite a few time jumps in the first half that skips over a lot of potential growth of the characters, both individually and within their relationships to each other, and we just see the start and the end without seeing the growth itself and just have to take the author’s word on it that these relationships have been built over the years that we’ve glossed over. I did start to see more personality and growth towards the end of the book, but it took about 40 chapters to get to that point, which is a long way to go to grow past indifference.

The magic system was interesting, but more detail surrounding it and how it worked would have been nice to have.

On a whole, it was OK, just a little disappointing compared to my expectations going in. That being said, I am open to reading the next book based on the revelations that happened towards the end, because I always want to know what happens next.

Interesting world and characters. Exciting opening book for this series. Cyrus was a little middle of the road for me as I was much more interested in Mari and Stasia than Cyrus. I hope we get more of their history with leading resistances in the past going forward in the series. Very excited for book 2.

David Dalglish has created a fascinating book with an intriguing story, likeable characters and a fair amount of suspension.
In the world of the Bladed Faith, gods walk among humanity, which also means that faith in them is widely spread and a core belief. But all that is about to change when the Empire, a merciless kingdom deadset on conquering other nations, is invading the homeland of Cyrus. Ultimately Cyrus raises to a shining beacon of resistance with the help of a mysterious benefactor.
The book tells the story primarily through Cyrus's eyes, but you also have the chance to experience the world through the eyes of certain side characters. Each of them has their own motivation for joining the rebellion or trying to stop it.
Overall I can not remember a single dull moment. There is always something going on and very little filler content that you'd normally only glance over.
The Bladed Faith is an outstanding book and definitely worth reading.

Thank you to Orbit books for the opportunity to read an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I cannot believe I have never read a David Dalglish. This was my first book I've read by him and it will most definitely not be a last. I'm a character driven person and the way he fleshed out all his different characters was absolutely solid. From his female characters to his variety of male characters each one felt unique with their own story a long with it. I can't even pick who was my favorite!

I do think there has to be more to the killing of Gods and more of a back story with some history. I hope we get more answers in the second book about how Gods live among mortals and how the magic is supposed to work. I feel some of these aspects were a bit underdeveloped and not as thought out or explained. Maybe that's the point? I mean, we are learning as Cyrus and all the other characters are learning about the world so we only know from their individual view points.

A faith based magic system has so much room to grow especially with a better understanding of demi-gods, gods, etc. I think as his story progresses things from the first book will piece together as it goes along.

Stasia and Mari are badass sisters. I can't wait to learn more about them. His way of writing strong, diverse females was pretty great.

I think this book makes excellent points and I think brings some of the real world events we have going on and spotlights it. Not many authors can pull this off effectively but he does it in a way which brings a different perspective you may have not thought about.

Overall, I enjoyed this book a lot and I'll be auto buying the next book. :)

Vigilantism... check
Queer side characters that are developped... check
A reluctant chosen one... check
Well developped side characters... check
Gods living amongst the people... check
many a badass fight scene... check

This book spoke so well about colonialism, faith, and how organized religion can hide a plethora of evil in the name of whatever God. The commentary was refreshing to see, because in Fanstasy, religion is usually included but they rarely make the arguement of the evils of it with such contrast.

As stated above many good things that I love were checked off the list. I do have a few things that I would have liked to seen. Like more concrete worldbuilding, a stronger grasp on the magic system, have our main character be a little more well rounded, and a few more twist. The book is well written, but besides providing full side characters that are also queer, this doesn't do anything new. I didn't need it to do anything new, but I would preffered less of a linear story line.

The magic sytem (from what I understood of it) was interesting. I do enjoy a god walking amongst their people, even if it's a chess game kind of scenario. And I really liked that the magic system played with it in different ways.

Still thoroughly enjoyed it.

The Bladed Faith is a headlong sprint into the chaos of revolution and revenge. A compelling exploration of love, loss, grief, and hope

Possible Triggers:
Death|Gore

Summary:
First book in a new fantasy trilogy.

Characters:
This story is told from multiple PoVs (Cyrus, Mari, Stasia, Rayan, and Arn).

Positives:
+ Word-lace. Super cool gadget that's been done before but I really like the detail that it was included. It's nice to have multiple languages and the barriers addressed with this. Smol but wonderful. Also, this sounds like such a pretty thing.
+ SUCH a bright and colourful fantasy. I don’t know how to word this exactly, but most fantasies are so gritty and dark. The world described to you is muddy, dirty, and drab. This is the polar opposite of that. While I'm reading about David Dalglish’s world (this goes for his other series as well) I'm seeing vibrant splashes of the brightest hues. This really stands out in your mind's eye. I have never read any other author that does this SO WELL in regards to every scene being a technicolor dream. Keep in mind, while the book is an explosion of colour, there is a lot of RED. Colourful does not equal happy.
+ I really liked Mari’s magic, So freaking cool. The magic that the gods in the book bestow on their… Paladins? Chosen? Seems really varied and interesting. I would have liked to have more details about that because it isn't spoken about at length. That being said, what we do learn, very awesome.

Negatives:
- By the end of the book I didn't care about any of the characters at all. I was generally more invested in what happened with the antagonists than anything having to do with the protagonists. I felt that the baddies had more personality and drive.

Final Thoughts:
This book was not for me. I requested it from Netgalley because I wanted a second shot at reading another of David Dalglish’s books. I was unmotivated to care for the main characters' plight and unfortunately the book is strongly wound around the various religions in the world. The religions were interesting and varied, I just personally find books with a heavy focus on them to be not my cup of tea. That being said, If you like a book where the deities of the lands talked about are active participants in their believers lives and there are magics tied to belief, this might totally be up your alley. The world is colourful and vibrant, the battle scenes are engaging, and the book is relatively fast paced (more so at the end). Prepare yourself for a training montage!

*thank you so much to Orbit and to Netgalley for this arc*

WOW!!! I cannot believe I haven't read anything of David Dalglish before. I'll be honest I was hooked within the first chapter. This book is about revenge and just how long it takes to enact it. The characters are wonderful and so intriguing. The plot is fast-paced. And I love the narrative. It's engaging. Sometimes I feel like medieval-ish type fantasy books can be over-developed world building wise, but Dalglish manages to create a wonderfully detailed world without over-doing it. A top read for me for sure!! Cannot wait to read more!!