Release Date 4.25.2024
Review Date 11.9.2024
I was given an early copy of this book by the publisher in exchange for an honest review. Opinions are my own.


Lukan Gardova is a cardsharp, academy dropout, and―thanks to a duel that ended badly―the disgraced heir to an ancient noble house. His days consist of cheap wine, rigged card games, and wondering how he might win back the life he threw away. When Lukan discovers that his estranged father has been murdered in strange circumstances, he finds fresh purpose. Deprived of his chance to make amends for his mistakes, he vows to unravel the mystery behind his father's death. His search for answers leads him to Saphrona, fabled city of merchant princes, where anything can be bought if one has the coin. Lukan only seeks the truth, but instead he finds danger and secrets in every shadow. For in Saphrona, everything has a price―and the price of truth is the deadliest of all.

Spreadsheet scores.
Characters-8
Plot-7
Writing-7
Setting-8
Enjoyment-7.5
for an average of 7.5 equaling 4 stars.

I think if I had read this one a little quicker than I did I would have really enjoyed it a lot more. I started this one right when I was starting a new job and had little time to read and was prioritizing other books, so it took me several months. I finally picked up the audiobook and I really recommend going that route, the performance was very good, and I got more into the story with the help of the narrator. I did really like the characters of this one pretty much from the beginning, and I love the little found family we ended up with. I am looking forward to the sequel next year and I can't wait to see what is in store for Lukan, Flea and Ashra.

A great foundation for a new series. The story is entertaining with well-rounded characters and a natural world-building that is not over powering. James Logan executes a solid, classic fantasy with a satisfying conclusion.

Thank you NetGalley and TOR Publishing Group for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

James Logan's The Silverblood Promise opens a new fantasy series, The Last Legacy. Its lead is cardsharp Lukan Gardova. Once heir to an ancient noble house, he fought a duel that damaged his family and estranged him from his father.

Seven years later, his father's steward Shafia tracks him down to inform him that Lord Gardova has been murdered. This launches Lukas on a quest to the far off merchant city of Saphrona, where he makes new friends and faces a series of both physical and magical trials and tribulations.

I thought this was very good and I will have to add this to the shop shelves. Thank you for the chance for us to review.

A Fantasy Masterpiece in the Making!

I'm still reeling from James Logan's phenomenal debut, "The Silverblood Promise"! This epic fantasy has catapulted itself into my top 5 favorite books of the year. Logan masterfully weaves a gripping narrative, expertly balancing humor, mystery, and gritty realism.

Lukan Gardova, the charismatic cardsharp-turned-investigator, stole my heart with his wit and vulnerability. His unlikely friendship with Flea, a feisty young thief, adds an irresistible layer of depth to the story.

The city of Saphrona, with its ruthless social hierarchy and cutthroat politics, is a richly crafted setting that echoes the works of Scott Lynch and Robert Jackson Bennett. Logan's world-building is meticulous, hinting at a larger, complex universe beyond this debut.

What sets "The Silverblood Promise" apart is its hopeful tone, deftly avoiding grimdark territory without sacrificing intensity. Logan's prose is engaging, making this 500-page novel feel like a page-turning breeze.

No cliffhangers here! This satisfying standalone novel promises a thrilling series, with the next installment set in a new city. I'm eagerly anticipating Logan's future works.

If you're a fantasy enthusiast like me, do not miss "The Silverblood Promise". Pre-order now and join Lukan, Flea, and Ashra on their swashbuckling adventure!

Rating: 5/5 stars

Recommendation: For fans of "The Lies of Locke Lamora", "Foundryside", and "Mistborn". Get ready for a captivating read that will leave you craving more!

Thank you NetGalley and Tor publishing group for this amazing arc. It was a truly wonderful read.

Very solid fantasy novel, especially for a debut. The characters are distinct and engaging, and the action was well done. I had fun reading this and will definitely be checking out the sequel(s)

The Silverblood Promise, the first book in The Last Legacy series, is the debut novel from author James Logan. This book tells the story of a young man named Lukan Gardova. The son of a wealthy family, Lukan walked away in disgrace after a duel left another son of a wealthy family dead. He has been estranged from his family ever since. Until one day he learns that his father has been murdered. Naturally, Lukan swears to find out who killed his father and why. This promise sets Lukan off on a quest to the bustling merchant city of Saphrona where he soon finds himself caught up in a conspiracy more involved than he could have ever imagined.

Set in a world full of familiar fantasy tropes and characters, The Silverblood Promise treads a well-worn path. Readers are introduced to the city of Saphrona through Lukan’s eyes as he’s guided on his quest by a lovable young street urchin named Flea. Flea is an orphan girl who makes her living as a thief. She knows the ins and outs of Saphrona as only someone of her occupation can. She’s also desperately in need of someone to look out for her, just as Lukan is desperately in need of someone to look out for. On their quest, Lukan and Flea cross paths with fabled characters of legend, vicious beasts, and magical relics of an ancient civilization.

The Silverblood Promise is a plot-driven narrative. The pacing is brisk, moving readers from one set piece to another quite quickly. As such, the characters in the book do have a tendency to be a bit one-dimensional. Lukan is obnoxious and immature at times. He is infected with the sort of entitlement and unearned self-confidence only possessed by those born to some amount of power and privilege. Somehow always expecting things to go a certain way and then being shocked when they don’t, Lukan’s first forays into Saphrona go about as well as could be expected. One would think that his approach would change significantly over the course of the novel, but it turns out that he’s a rather slow learner.

Those who read a lot of fantasy aren’t going to find anything new here. But that’s okay, because The Silverblood Promise is still a good time. It’s a fast-paced, plot-driven story set against a familiar fantasy backdrop. Not every book needs to, or should, reinvent the wheel. What matters most is execution, and James Logan clearly accomplishes what he set out to do with this book by employing time-tested elements of the fantasy genre to create a new story.

Sad to DNF this as it was one of my most anticipated reads of the year, but sadly it disappointed me on all counts. The worldbuilding was weak - many cool concepts were thrown around, but nothing felt connected to each other and after reading a quarter of the book I still had almost no sense of how this world functions on the most basic level.
My second gripe, and what made me ultimately DNF, is the main character Lukan. It's rare a character manages to annoy me this much, but this guy managed it! The way he talks to people came across as really obnoxious to me, and his internal monologue was even worse. He read like the guy at uni that can't resists correcting every single thing other people say to appear smart, and it got old fast. I feel like I'm a bit too harsh here, but this is just a type of character I really dislike reading about so sadly it ruined a lot to me.
I found the side characters interesting though, and I think the author has great potential! I'll keep my eye out for his future works.

This was onebof thr best high fantasy books I've read in a long time!! I couldn't stop reading it!! I am so looking forward to the next book in the series. I seriously couldn't stop thinking of this book everytime I turned away from it. This was such a great read! 5 star read for me.

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Growing up, my reading diet consisted mainly of Stephen King and fantasy novels. I read pretty much everything Weis and Hickman put out and tried my hand at reading longer fantasy novels — such as those in The Wheel of Time series — only to find that this world of trilogies and 1,000-page novels was ultimately bloated and unsatisfying to me. I don’t want to sound mean, but the second book in The Wheel of Time series runs some 800 pages if I recall correctly — and half of that length features characters trying to get to Point B from Point A, only to discover 600 pages into the book that there was an easier way of doing so. (So why didn’t a particular character pipe up earlier about this fact? You could have easily sheered 500 pages from the book without missing a lick.) Needless to say, I don’t often read epic fantasy anymore — and, to wit, I have the first four books of the Game of Thrones series on my Kindle but haven’t touched them yet — but I was curious when The Silverblood Promise came strolling by on NetGalley for me to check out. This debut from British novelist James Logan is the first book in The Last Legacy series, and I’d be damned if I didn’t say that the following books in this cycle are going to have a hard time matching this one for sheer bravado. It’s a book with ever-raising stakes and excitement, and it has reignited my love for what made fantasy fiction so great in my eyes in the first place.

The story centers around a young man, Lukan Gardova, who lives with a skeleton in his closet from a duel gone wrong some years before and, thus, travels idly on the run from his past. When he hears that his father has died and gets a scrap of bloodied paper listing a far-off city and a person’s name on it, he sets out for that city to look up said person — thinking that they will have some clue or connection to his father’s demise. Instead, Lukan is drawn into a conspiracy that involves more layers than a peeled onion — backed by a merchant prince who seeks to start a war with a neighbouring state. Can Lukan find proof to condemn the merchant prince and get the information his father wanted him to have so desperately, or will he meet his demise? Or will the 11-year-old girl thief that he befriends named Flea save him from the constant threat of death in the process? And what about the mythical Faceless sorcerers? What do they have to do with this plot? Well, all will be revealed in due time.

Several things make The Silverblood Promise a commendable work of lengthy sword and sorcery fiction. First, it has strong female characters who can match wits and physicality with Lukan as he sashays from one peril to the next. Second, the novel is set in a likeness of a Middle Eastern land, giving it resonance to the real world at large. And third, it features sassy and likable characters. That’s not to mention the dialogue: it crackles with mordant humour. Do I have any complaints about the book? Well, yes. Lukan gets painted into a corner one too many times, relying on coincidence to save him or propel the plot forward. Additionally, I found that the book — even at some 500 pages — doesn’t offer much breathing room. It tirelessly moves from one crisis to the next without much of a break in the action for things such as, you know, character development. I had to put the book down for a bit as I found it too action-oriented: I needed a bit of a breather from its relentless pace. Also, it seems that some of the characters, as enjoyable as they are, are one-note and act as foils to Lukan. However, this is all a matter of quibbling. Ultimately, The Silverblood Promise is precisely what it promises to be: a work of entertaining and mind-numbing swashbuckling fiction with magic and mayhem in equal measure.

That statement brings me back to my original comments about not reading much epic fantasy since my teenage years some 30 years ago. (My tastes morphed more into slipstream fiction and weird magic realism than anything else.) With books such as The Silverblood Promise, the genre has matured somewhat from simple knockoffs of The Lord of the Rings trilogy. The question is, will adults have the time to go down the rabbit hole of multiple books that clock in at more than 500 pages? In an ideal world, the answer to that question would be yes. However, we all have responsibilities and chores around the home — and, my God, what if you’re rearing kids? Still, The Silverblood Promise shows that new life can be breathed into the fiction of your youth. This is a stellar, adrenaline-pumping tale of action and adventure and the kind of escapism everyone needs occasionally. The book should appeal to both men and women and, despite a few cuss words, older teenagers. The novel is so good that it demands you to take the time to read it. If you do, it will reward you with its rollercoaster-like action that doesn’t relent. Put things another way, let’s say that I can’t wait for Book No. 2 of this series to come out. There was enough here going for it to make me want to see what happens next. My younger self would probably be pleased with that assessment.

Filled with danger around every corner, The Silverblood Promise follows our main character on a journey to discover why his father left him a three worded note in his own blood. Lukan is a academic dropout with a very reckless streak so, when he sets out on this journey of discovery we as the reader do not know where this will take us. I loved the way there were twists and turns within the story, as things seemed to be in our favour, suddenly the characters were running for their lives. There is a large mystery element to this book, which starts with Lukan trying to decipher a message from his father and leads him into the heart of another large mystery that he has to solve. I thoroughly enjoyed this start to a new fantasy series that gives heist and adventure around every corner and I cannot wait to continue to see what happens next.

Thank you so much to Netgalley and the publisher for so graciously providing me qirh this e-ARC! I am very thankful and once read will update this review placeholder with my thoughts and also review on my Social medias.

This review is long overdue, but I had to make sure to get one up given how much I loved The Silverblood Promise. This book kept me sane during some long airport waits for delayed flights and subsequently long flights, so I am enormously grateful I had it as a companion while traveling!

The Silverblood Promise is everything I've been looking for in a fantasy lately: adventure, well-developed characters, intricate world-building, and layers of intrigue to get lost in. I've seen it compared to The Lies of Locke Lamora (which is one of my favorite fantasy books), and while I agree in terms of general vibe and atmosphere, I wouldn't compare them too closely. While both books have plenty of careful plotting and subterfuge, The Lies of Locke Lamora is a heist novel, whereas The Silverblood Promise embarks on a much different type of adventure.

The story centers around Lukan, who has recently learned that his father has been murdered and takes it upon himself to figure out why someone wanted his father dead. This purpose takes him to a city known as Saphrona, where Lukan is somewhat sidetracked (due to reasons beyond his control) and drawn into a seemingly endless series of additional secrets and quests that lead to a myriad of twists and turns that made this a book I couldn’t put down.

Logan somehow found the perfect balance between a fun fantasy adventure with quippy characters and a story where you can find something more sinister and serious in almost every corner. Because of this, I never felt overwhelmed with grittiness or heavier topics, but rather found myself enjoying a really well-rounded fantasy that offered a little bit of everything. This is also a single POV story that follows Lukan exclusively in the present, and I cannot tell you how much I liked that. Somehow it felt like a breath of fresh air when every other book out there lately seems to be multiple POVs or jumps around in time and has constant flashbacks thrown in. The simplicity in the present single perspective was something I really loved about this book.

Lukan is a really loveable character and feels a bit like a personality that I’ve seen around in fantasy stories before, but I don’t mind at all because he made a fantastic protagonist. He’s a little on the morally grey side, but I think he’s pretty ‘good’ overall, and I found his humor and perspective on the world around him were aspects I really connected with and enjoyed. I also absolutely loved his friendship with Flea, which turned into more of a father-daughter sort of role as the story progressed and really made for a perfect team. Their personalities bounced off of one another perfectly and made each conversation between them a true joy to read.

The world James Logan has created for The Silverblood Promise is fascinating and richly layered, and I really loved the mix of more “normal” everyday areas and places that felt much darker and lent themselves to more of an underbelly of the city where the real action occurs. I was really pleased with everywhere we got to explore in this book–though I’m certainly looking forward to exploring even more of it in the sequel. There’s really nothing I love more than the sense that there’s a big new fantasy world sprawled out for me to explore, and this book really delivered on that feeling which I thought added a lot of depth to the narrative. There’s also tons of other intrigue in this book and an abundance of hidden plots and conspiracies to keep you hooked, so I promise that despite it being 500+ pages, you really won’t get bored while reading it.

I was also really curious about the magic system in The Silverblood Promise and appreciated how Logan incorporated it in as something central but not overwhelming to the story. While we don't see too much magic up close through the main characters, what we do see was primarily composed of darker magic that I think was executed with a perfect amount of awe and wariness of its power. There was some explanation of the magic itself, but I’m hopeful that future books will delve a bit deeper in the magic and expand upon it.

I could probably keep raving about this book for a while yet, but I’ll save you the time and just encourage you to give this one a read. Overall, I’ve given The Silverblood Promise five stars! If you can’t already tell, I had a blast with this book and am eagerly anticipating the sequel. If you’re looking for a big fantasy that’s packed full of adventure, mystery, magic, endearing characters and friendships, and plenty of twists, then The Silverblood Promise should be your next read.

The Silverblood Promise is a fun, adventurous book with a richly detailed world and an array of interesting characters. It's a little slow-moving at first, following Luka Gardova as his personal quest uncovers a massive conspiracy, but I was never bored. Even in its more calm, slow scenes, I found a lot of interest in the characters and the world they live in. And then the pieces of the puzzle all fall into place and it's a wild ride to the ending.
I'm very much looking forward to book two!

I feel like a lot of you have been waiting to here my thoughts about this book and well here it is, I freaking loved it. I’ve been waiting for a new epic fantasy to come into my life and to be obsessed with and how could I not be excited about a book being compared to Joe Abercrombie? It was immersive and fun. The character dynamics were fantastic like Lucan and Flea were such a great duo to witness. The plot and mystery were spot on for me with the push and pull of everything that was going on like the games they had to play. We follow Lucan who is this rag tag kind of guy who was kicked out of school for an accident that happened. This book actually reminded me a lot of The Will of the Many so if you enjoyed that book, I definitly think you’ll enjoy this one. And because of that accident, he becomes estranged from his father and hasn’t talked to him for years. He suddenly gets new that his father has been murdered under suspicious circumstances which leads Lucan to venture into a land that is chock full of misfits and thieves trying to find one of his fathers old contacts and of course runs into a lot of roadblocks throughout his whole mission. The world building was really well done and we get to see the city come alive as Lukan makes his way through the different parts of the city in his quest. We also get a good idea of the world outside through the various factions and we even get a glimpse of some of the more powerful beings in the world and I can't help but wonder what other supernatural entities may appear in a future books. Overall I really loved this one and would recommend it to any fans of fantasy.

This is one of my top reads of the year so far. I loved the world building, characters- especially Flea!!- and the story. Really fun and engrossing read!

The Silverblood Promise is an exciting new adventure fantasy that I really enjoyed! I loved the way Logan treats the setting of Saphrona as a character, and Lukan and Flea are one of my favorite duos so far of 2024. I look forward to reading the sequel. I shared more of my thoughts on The Silverblood Promise on my YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hT-PAbjaZ2E&t=676s

A twisting and turning adventure with danger at every corner. A classic fantasy, mysterious and political – full of found family, espionage, mythic beasts, subversive politics, and one man finding himself at the center of it all. My favorite thing about this novel was James Logan’s voicing, and the easy manor of Lukan. All the pieces, players, and worldbuilding in this story are dynamic and full. While this is a tome, I got lost in it and went through it very quickly and had a really great time during the whole read.

I’m highly anticipating the next in the series and will definitely continue reading.

I really enjoyed this one! The world is interesting and I loved the characters. I enjoyed the plot and the sort-of murder mystery, and I like that we stuck to just one city, mostly. The magic system sounds really cool and I hope we get to explore more of that in the next book. I also loved the concept of the ancient civilization that this book introduced, and I can't wait to see how it plays out in the next one.

The audiobook narrator was excellent! He had a very nice voice and he sounded age appropriate for the character of Lukan. I hope he continues to narrate more audiobooks because it was pleasant to listen to.