The tl;dr: The Silverblood Promise will transport you to an early modern Italian inspired world full of heists, lies, coins, and magic. Quippy and sometimes wonderfully absurd, Logan’s fast and engaging pacing will keep you turning the pages without realizing 500+ pages have gone by. While this book is mostly a series of quests to solve a murder, a larger and more epic plot starts to unravel that will likely keep this series brimming. Perfect for fans of The Lies of Locke Lamora, fans of fun adventures cannot miss this one.

Clever, funny, and full of adventure and heists, The Silverblood Promise will transport you to a brand new world with early modern Italian vibes that is perfect for readers of The Lies of Locke Lamora. The quips and quests will have you burning through the pages, and this book feels far shorter than its 500+ page chonkiness. I could not put this book down, and all of the fun helped cover up some of the book's flaws.

The Silverblood Promise follows Lukan, a disgraced noble who embarks on a quest to solve his estranged father's murder. Teaming up with a young orphaned girl, a master forger, a warrior, and more, Lukan peels back the layers of this crime, as well as confronting what he is willing to pay for the truth.

Despite all of the heists and adventures (more on that in just a second), it was the relationship between the characters that endeared me to this book. Lukan and Flea (the orphaned girl) are a fantastic duo, and Logan bounces them off each other perfectly. What starts as a relationship of who can outwit the other more actually develops some heart (although, as I talk about below, the characters could be a bit deeper).

The Silverblood Promise is a series of missions for most of its pages, and your mileage may vary based on what you like in your books. In many ways this book is structured like a video game in which the characters achieve their objectives and then are slapped with the whole "the princess is in another castle" schtick that sends them off on the next mission. This didn't bother me in the slightest because I found the missions to be so much fun and I was on board whatever ride Logan sent his characters to next. However, if you don't like the "bus, club, another club, another club, plane, next place" structure of some fantasy adventures, this may not be the book for you.

Having said that, there are murmurings of a bigger story just underneath the surface of these missions, and they start to appear more forcefully as the story moves forward.

As The Silverblood Promise starts to approach its final act, the more epic elements of the story come into full view. While joining along for all of the quests and heists I kept wondering how Logan was going to keep this story going beyond this single book (I don't know how many books are planned, but this is not a standalone), and the larger political and magical machinations start to come into focus as the book comes to a close. I don't think it is a spoiler to say that the murder of Lukan's father was not a simple one-off event, and that international and inter-dimensional forces come into play.

Compared to other epic fantasies, Logan keeps the magic relatively reigned in. This is not low fantasy, but the world is also not bursting with magic. This means that when something magic does happening - including the quirky and unhinged Twice Crowned King (probably my favorite element of the book) or the mysterious and terrifying Faceless - you are smacked in the face with something unexpected and pretty freaking cool. This world has a softer magic system, but Logan never overextends it to give his characters a "get out of jail free card", and there are some really fun and novel magical happenings in this book that are so cool to explore.

For me, the biggest flaw in this book is that the characters are surprisingly shallow. In many ways they reminded me of late MCU characters - they are more vehicles for sarcastic barbs than three-dimensional people. This fits in with the tone and pacing of the book, but it also robs some of the quieter moments of their emotional impact. Lukan has daddy issues and may have done some bad stuff in his past, and this informs a lot of how he interacts with the other characters in this book. This was great character development in the first chunk of the book - except that we have to hear about that same exact backstory told over and over again to different people. It makes it quite obvious that Logan has imbued Lukan with much a character beyond this one motivating trait, and it starts to drag the story down. With a fun adventure fantasy like this one I don't need Robin Hobl levels of miserable characters, but I also didn't need the same sad story reiterated over and over again.

If you are craving some humor and adventure in your fantasy, you can look no further than The Silverblood Promise. It's been a while since I had so much fun and laughed so much at a book (especially since purely fantasy-comedies don't ever really work for me) and the ending pulled back the curtain just enough that I am eager for the sequel!

ok, I loved it!

For me, who loved Locke Lamora and Foundryside, this book is perfect!

Lots of action, mysteries, Lukas with his sarcasm... how can I resist until the next book?

Our hero Lukan goes on a journey to find out what or who caused his father’s death. Much like an onion, there are layers upon layers of intrigue and secrets in this story and lots of great characters he meets on the way, some who will join him on his further adventures and quest for the truth. I thoroughly enjoyed this book and I am eagerly awaiting the next book in the series!

Thank you to #torbooks #NetGalley for the e-ARC of #TheSilverbloodPromise by #JamesLogan

A lot of this book reminded me of a D&D campaign, when the party is in an impossible situation and someone rolls a Nat20. Except it maybe happened too many times? It made the main character a little hard to like cause he was so easy getting himself in situations but also in getting himself out of them?

The Silverblood Promise is the epic fantasy debut novel of James Logan about one young man’s search for redemption in a city of merchants, murderers and monsters. Lukan Gardova is the disgraced and bitter heir of a deteriorated noble house just getting through his days drinking and gambling when he learns of his estranged father’s murder. Having lost his chance to reconcile, he is just left with the three words his father wrote as he was dying—Lukan’s name, a distant city, and an unknown word no one seems to recognize. This brings him to Saphrona where he is drawn into a vast conspiracy that will bring the city to destruction as he searching for answers.

This book is a promising start to a series and a delightfully enjoyable read. It is a fast-paced romp through a gritty city where Lukan encounters pickpockets and thieves, merchant princes, corrupt officials and priests, and forgotten magic. He blunders into a dark conspiracy with no choice but to plot and scheme right along with the conspirators. It did remind me of The Lies of Locke Lamora with a little bit of Indiana Jones thrown in. While not quite as sophisticated as its contemporaries, it is a competent debut that is entirely entertaining throughout. Made up of a series of somewhat convenient events leading one to another, it is unrelenting in its twists and reveals (both predictable and not) that deliver on the action, intrigue, and excitement.

Lukan has a dry personality and a sarcastic sense of humor that he uses as weapon and defense to cut his opponents. He doesn’t know when to shut up and can’t help but drink his problems away and mock everyone he encounters. But under all that bluster is a man still reeling from the consequences of his life choices and grasping at the chance to redeem his estranged relationship with his late father. Alongside him is Flea, a street urchin girl who latches onto him who is a strikingly competent, funny and badass child that can give Lukan a run for his money. Their dynamic and relationship offers up a lot of heart and not at all dissimilar to Mistborn’s Kelsier & Vin (just with a more questionable degree of competence). Rounding out the trio is Ashra, who enters late into the book so she doesn’t quite have as much presence yet. But I do look forward to what this trio has to offer in future installments.

The Silverblood Promise is a fun romp through a dark gritty city with a charismatic lead duo.

I absolutely loved this book! This is a great all in fantasy book. It has a hint of romance and a lot of adventure. Amazing world building!! This is a book
couldn't put down! Can't wait to read the next one in the series!!
Lukan receives word that his Father died.... he was murdered and left a note for Lukan. So, he follows
the trail to Saphrona looking for his dads murderer. He meets some of Saphrona's notorious thiefs that results in them working together. It all
leads to a conspiracy that is bigger than the death of Lukan's Father.

WOW! Where do I even begin with this amazing fantasy book? The plot? Fantastic. Characters? Developed and lovable. Action? Packed. Consider me sold on this entire series just from reading this ARC.

Our first book in this series follows Lukan, a seemingly normal man who spends his days drinking and gambling like any normal person. Until he discovers his father is murdered. This sets Lukan down a path that has plenty of action, mystery, and friendship along the way.

The plot in this book is just fantastic. The “quest” the character was given is quite simple and it only builds as the story continues, with twists and turns along the way. The world is built as you progress through the story but I would like to see a map in the finished book or maybe just expanding on some explanations of the world as a whole in the second book.

The characters, I will only mention Lukan at this time, are wonderfully built. They have purpose, reason, and their intent as well as personalities are clearly shown, not just described. Other characters to join Lukan on his quest also have the same amount of effort put into their character building, making you fall in love with them, even if they’re just “side characters”.

I can’t comment too much on the magic system or overall political system due to the fact that this is a series and I have a feeling we’ll discover more about that as we move on… BUT. The little bit of political interference and involvement that we are exposed to is well explained and sensical.

This book really did it for me and I’m already dying for the second one. I cannot wait to purchase this book when it releases and most likely reread it. 100% will be recommending!

Sadly, I think this is a soft DNF for me. I like the murder mystery idea a lot, but I'm finding the writing to be a bit of a struggle. It is very dialogue heavy with lots of word vomit info dumping. I liked some of the scenes with the worm and the pyramid a lot! I think I might go back to this when I'm in a more adventure fantasy style mood.

This is a solid start to a series that I'm quite excited about. I love a good adventure fantasy and this is exactly what we get. Excited to see where it goes next.

Mmm, okay. I have mixed thoughts about this book. While it had some interesting aspects and a good setup for a thrilling adventure, it didn’t meet my expectations.

The story follows Lukan, a disgraced heir to an ancient noble house, as he learns of his father’s mysterious murder and sets out to uncover the truth, leading him to the treacherous streets of Saphrona.

The beginning was strong, with neat world-building, and what topped it all was the layered mystery. The storyline reads like a game, where side quests are played to progress the main quest, a dynamic I found completely absorbing.

But the primary reason why I disliked this book was its excessive reliance on convenient plot devices. Every time Lukan found himself desperate, lost, or in a dangerous situation, a person conveniently appeared to save the day, which made Lukan seem less capable and undermined his character growth. Moreover, it made the story less believable and diminished the impact of key moments.

Also, I wouldn’t market this to fans of Joe Abercrombie because the highlight of Abercrombie’s works is his characters—something I felt missing in The Silverblood Promise. Abercrombie’s characters are known for their moral complexity, depth, and ambiguity, whereas in Silverblood Promise they seem one-dimensional, simple, and lacking vulnerability. I’m just saying this so you don’t expect the same thing from this book as you would from Abercrombie’s, like I did.

Nonetheless, I’m still intrigued by the setting, the mysteries, and the lore, as well as the magic system that hasn’t been fully explored yet. I’m definitely looking forward to reading the next installment.

Thank you Tor Publishing for sending me a digital ARC of The Silverblood Promise.

Logan's story sets off an exciting new fantasy series. I enjoyed it quite a bit, even if it wasn't my favorite of the last few I read. I will definitely be recommending this to many of our fantasy focused readers.

My thanks to NetGalley for making an eARC of this book available to me.

Enjoyable story about a young man looking into his estranged father's murder. He manages to gather a few helpers along the way and has to overcome quite a few major obstacles, but he does discover some new things about his father and (in this book) just manages to unravel a piece of the puzzle surround his father's death. He does overindulge in alcohol a few too many times when he knows that he is on a critical timeline to solve some of the mysteries he is investigating. Hopefully he'll mature a bit in future books and perhaps behave a bit more responsibly. And, yes, I'll be there to read more books about him and his endeavors.

The Silverblood Promise - James Logan (ARC)

⭐️ -3.5
📱

Thank you to Tor Books and NetGalley for providing me with an ARC. I received this book for free in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

This story follows Lukan as he travels to the city of Saphrona to investigate his father’s murder and soon finds himself very much in over his head.

I feel a bit mixed about this…
To start with the positive, this was a really fun time. It was really fast paced and familiar (in a good way) fantasy mystery and the ending left me definitely interested in picking up the next one. I really liked our little gang and the beginnings of a found family dynamic between them.

I think that the comparison to Scott Lynch is accurate, I can definitely see parallels between Lukan and Locke, both idiots who are too charming and lucky for their own good.

My main issue with this was the writing unfortunately. There was a lot of info dumping and a lot of telling, not showing which just made it feel a bit clunky to me.
A lot of the humour in this reminded me a bit of Sanderson’s humour which, unfortunately, is my least favourite part of Sanderson’s writing but if it works for you then the humour in this likely would as well.

I think that if you’re more of a plot reader and if you like fast paced books then this will work for you better than it did for me. I kept wishing we had a bit more time to sit with the characters and get to know them and their feelings more but that’s just my preference, I like slow books a lot more!

So yes, I’m definitely interested in picking up the next one and I think there are a lot of people who will like this more than I did as my issues are mostly just preference (I mean I guess any review is but you know what I mean lol).

‼️ Warnings: a bit of mild body horror elements, vomiting (there’s weirdly a lot of vomiting in this book)

My thanks to both NetGalley and the publisher Tor Publishing Group for an advance copy of this fantasy adventure that takes place in a city known for its deals, not for its ideals, where secrets and deception rules and only a down-and-out-aristocrat and his friend to get to bottom of a mystery that might mean redemption.

The first book of fantasy I read was The Hobbit, and I loved it. Hitting up libraries it was hard finding genre stuff in my small town, I had better luck in the big city of New York, using my grandparents to feed my gateway reading drugs. Still it was mostly high fantasy, more Tolkein, George McDonald, Lord Dunsany. I think I hit a Lovecraft once, but that's another story. Dungeons & Dragons changed that, with more publishers coming out with different kinds of books, that I would pick up where I could. I discovered Thieves World just as I discovered pulps and noir detective stories. Again, love at first page. Grimy stories about adventurers doing bad things, stealing, getting revenge, fighting for what is right, when the system was against them. In fantasy settings, but one's that seemed real, and honest. The Silverblood Promise by James Logan, is exactly the kind of fantasy I grew up on the constant search for. A noir story of a knight errant, looking for answers, revenge and redemption, mixed with gambling, drinking, fighting and a boon companion to help carry the load.

Lukan Gardova should not be sitting in the rundown taverns, full of drunken adventurers looking for fights and or love, looking at a bad hand of cards. Lukan is a son of privilege, the heir to an academic family high in status, wealth and power. However that has been taken away from Lukan, a rash decision, made for honor, ended in disgrace and and banishment. As Lukan bluffs his way into another win, and upsetting another cardshark, Lukan thinks of ways to return to his old life. These plans are thrown aside when Lukan is told his father has been murdered, in circumstances that are strange, and mysterious. Only one clue, words in blood, remain. Lukan vows to find out what happened to his father, and maybe prove to be son he could have been, even if his father is gone. Lukan's bumbling steps at investigating lead him to the City. Saphrona. A city known for its deals, and intrigues, loaded with merchants, royalty, winners, many losers and lots of low people. Accompanied by a young man Flea, one who is of the life that Lukan has more or less found himself in, both start to ask questions that certain powerful people do not want asked, or answered.

A big book that is first in a very promising series, full of smelly taverns, more stinky people, and the rankness of betrayal. Logan is very good at setting up the story, slowly unfolding the mythology and history of the world, mostly through the mouth of Lukan. Which is good as Lukan is a very good character, a person who thinks he is better than he is, but doesn't really appreciate that he is. Lukan has a lot of baggage, and really grows as a characters throughout the story. As does Flea who might get some of the best zingers and line readings. The story seems simple, fail son goes for revenge, but there is a lot more going on, and Logan carefully shows his cards, but doesn't have to bluff, as his hand is strong. I liked the setting, the realness of the characters, the gambling, the drinking, and the well done action scenes.

Recommended for fans who like their fantasy stories with a lot of grit, a little bit of a smell, but all honor and full of heart. A very good start to a series that I would like to read more of.

A well-paced fantasy with impressive world building and characterizations. The characters jump off the page, they are interesting and likeable. Logan delivers a layered fantasy with adventure, schemes and intrigue.

This is a world I will most definitely be revisiting as the series progresses.

ARC was provided by NetGalley and Tor Publishing Group in exchange for an honest review.
#NetGalley, #TheSilverbloodPromise

When Lukan Gardova learns of his estranged father’s murder he makes a silverblood promise, resolving to find the killer. A three-word clue written in his father’s own blood takes him to a foreign country where he discovers the woman who might be able to help him is incarcerated on false charges and due to be executed. That leads him deeper into mystery, mayhem and a dangerous underworld ruled by the Twice-Crowned King. He discovers a massive political plot which seems to be succeeding, but which, in all conscience, he can’t ignore. This feels like a book the author has thrown everything at to see if it sticks, and mostly it does. Lukan is a decent main character, driven by an incident in his past. There are some good supporting characters, notably Flea, the street urchin.

My first highly rated book of the year. This should be on every fantasy fan's radar. It feel both familiar in pacing, but refreshing in story telling. Logan's prose was very well executed in this narrative, and I'm excited to see where he takes this series next. I'm already excited for the next installment.

This was a great read. Nice blend of fantasy, adventure, mystery and intrigue. I liked the main character but had a few "why are you so dumb" moments with him. Got over it, though, as I thought I'd rather have someone who makes errors than Mr. Perfect at everything. Looking forward to the next entry in the series.

It’s been a while since I read an ARC because of the pressure they can emit with their looming release dates and the rush to read it quickly to ensure your review is one of the first out. Fortunately I didn’t suffer from this as I got tied down with work halfway through so this took me longer than planned to read, but I have now finished this debut book from Orbit’s Senior Commissioning Editor, James Long (writing as James Logan).

The story begins with a young man called Lukan Gardova. Not on speaking terms with his father, and with his mother dead, he roams the land doing whatever he wants but doesn’t have any of the money or grandeur you might expect from a noble family since an earlier incident cost the family dearly.

Early in the story he is tracked down by his father’s retainer who advises that his father has been murdered but left a note for Lukan. This note sends Lukan on a mission across the sea in the hope of solving his father’s murder.

I decided to read this book for a couple of reasons. The fantastic cover art by Jeff Brown really caught my eye. It gives off a caped crusader vibe with two characters on the roof of a building overlooking a city. The other reason was that it sounded like a fun fantasy story written by someone who has a lot of experience knowing what works in this genre.

From the get go this book is constantly moving, constantly pushing you to be intrigued about what might come next, while delivering fun, relatable characters who all have an air of mystery to them. The pacing in this story is perfect and there wasn’t a time when I was reading it where there was something happening that wasn’t fun.

The characters are half of the story and they are well written. Unique in their own right and great when interacting with one another. There are heartfelt conversations, heated discussions and some genuinely smile-inducing banter between them. I felt that Lukan especially came alive off the pages with Flea a close second, although I think Flea really grew within this story and is my favourite.

I really liked the worldbuilding and think that James has done a good job of setting up a world that will only get more interesting as this series progresses. It has a hard magic system with the gleamers and some soft magic with the faceless but I expect this will get more fleshed out in the coming stories.

This plot driven story is a good one. It’s fun, simple enough to follow but also allows itself to be mysterious, keeping you guessing what will happen until the final chapters. I liked that it was kind of a murder mystery fantasy story but it was neither grimdark which I think some may be expecting. It skirts that middle ground that should resonate with all fantasy fans much like The Hobbit if only a little darker in places.

There are a couple of nods I noticed to Joe Abercrombie’s First Law that put a smile on my face and put me in that famous meme/gif of Leonardo DiCaprio. One of the characters has nine fingers and one of the chapters is called The Blade Itself. There are probably more but those are two that I spotted.

I think the political intrigue could have been built on further and the number of characters reduced then this could have been a tighter story. As it stands there are a handful of characters that grace the pages, and provide forward movement of the story but in the end we know very little about and so this either leaves us with unknown elements left for a later time (which is a possibility but doubtful given how this story ends) or pieces of the world that will never be explored. I hope it’s the former.

This is a fun story that will delight fantasy readers. It delivers some fun magic, devious villains and a murder mystery set against the backdrop of a large city full of hidden secrets you get to slowly uncover with Lukan, both as first time visitors. I hope the following stories really build on what James has began to build here because there is a really big opportunity for this to be an excellent epic fantasy trilogy.
⭐⭐⭐⭐

Review: First off, I would like to thank the author for contacting his publisher so as to provide an ARC at my request. I had a feeling that this was going to be a grand adventure based on the description and fought hard for the copy.

Lukan, as a failed aristo, goes on a quest of discovery in a distant land. With only a cryptic note scrawled in his fathers blood, he wends his way through the murderous twists and turns seeking answers from his inheritance.

Oh my shjt this was good. No, this was great. This novel is written with a deft hand at building characters that leap off the pages. Lukan, Flea, The Scrivener, etc., all of them are wonderfully built. The movement is fantastic and marries well with the character development.

This is one of only a few novels (Red Limit Freeway series, Hobart Floyt series by Brian Daley, Gentlemen Bastards series) that I would read again. Read this novel as slow as you can because once it is over there will be a an aching for more.

Rating: 4.9/5