A huge thank you to @netgalley and @quercusbooks for allowing me an e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

Wow. Just…wow.

I’ve been sat with this review in my drafts for a couple of weeks and just when I thought I hit the nail on the head with what I want to say, I find the words don’t do this book the justice it deserves.

Lukan Gardova has arrived in Saphrona to find out the truth behind his father’s murder. What seems to be a simple murder mystery turns into much more with political conflict and the magic system is interesting in that - there really isn’t one! The magic comes from artefacts from an ancient civilisation.

The world building is magnificent. The little pieces of information scattered throughout the book about our location is just the right amount without it being too overwhelming.

The characters were fantastic. Lukan is an excellent protagonist but my love went to Flea with her smart mouth and banter. Every single character has a purpose and is fleshed out so wonderfully that I actually loved them all.

An excellent fantasy debut that I will scream from the top of my lungs about how much I adored this, in fact, this might possibly be my favourite book of 2024 and it’s only January! I need the next book yesterday.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5

I was excited for this new fantasy novel, the description was interesting, the cover was calling my name but...
It did not meet my expectations. I could not get on board with the narrative style, the pacing and the actions/decisions of the main protagonist. I read all the book because there was potential, and I was sufficiently intrigued to keep reading and discover what happened at the end.
For me is a three star book because of its potential, but sometimes it was difficult to find the motivation to pick it up.

I saw this book everywhere on Twitter at the beginning of the year, and I have to say that all that hype was well deserved. Sure, it’s not a perfect book, there were some things that could have been better developed (more on these in a moment) and I think that the author has some space to grow yet, but… but it is a solid book. And since I started it, I was completely immersed in it. Every time I had to put it down it was just so hard! All I wanted was to continue reading, to still be between those pages, in that fascinating world, with those intriguing characters. I was fascinated from the start, and the book never let me down!

The book is not heavy on world-building, but we get enough to see that this is a fascinating world. Magic is there, even if the magical system is quite complex, and the magic wielders are very few. We have an ancient society that is dead and almost forgotten, but that was so technologically/magically advanced that its artifacts are still a wonder for the people who took their place. And sure, I would have loved to see more of the world-building perhaps, but we get to explore the rich and fascinating city of Saphrona, the main place in wich the story took place, and I have to say that I am satisfied with it. Sure, I’ll say that world-building is not the strongest point here, but it is not bad: it works, it is fascinating and for me, it was enough.

What the book is heavy on are the plot and the characters. And since I am a character-driven kind of reader, I wasn’t disappointed in the least. Our MC is Lukan, a young-ish man who is the disgraced heir of a former rich family, a sort of rascally type with a good heart, who starts, at the beginning of the book, along the road of personal redemption, in the form of a quest to find who assassinated his, now estranged and obviously  dead, father. And his quest will take us around, exploring the rich and ruthless city of Saphrona, where the only Gods are money and power, and where we accompany him in all sorts of adventures. And it’s mainly his POV that we follow. And Lukan’s head, or POV, is a really good place to be. Sure, he is not the happiest man out there, and he finds himself in all sorts of… unhealthy situations, from time to time, but he is witty, he is sharp and he is an absolute pleasure to follow around.
And to counterbalance him we have Flea, a street urchin with an attitude who doesn’t belong with one so small. She is sharp, she is pragmatic, she is strong-willed, and headstrong, but she is also so damn fun! (In a sort of endearing cutting way!). We have also a later addition to our party, Ashra. She is resourceful, amazingly good at what she does and she is a really powerful ally, but since she came later to the party I have yet to take her proper measures. I mean, I am not disliking her, but I am not so sure I really like her, either. But that’s all about personal preferences, and she is a great character all the same.
And around our three main characters, if I can say so, we have a lot of interesting secondary characters that are alive and complex. They never feel bidimensional or plain. And all of them are intriguing!
And before going to the plot let me tell you one thing more: I loved Flea and Lukan’s relationship. I am not talking about romance here, mind me! (She is an eleven years old girl, and he is 27 years old, I think… I can’t remember Lukan’s age right but it’s something like that!). But their relationship is so well developed! I really enjoyed it!

And now to the plot… We have a high-fantasy setting with a murder mystery. But things are not really so straightforward. We have heists, daring escapades, secret missions, strange and mythical creatures, the sort of a city on the balance, and justice to be done. It is a lot. There is no rest for our characters, and there is no rest for us who follow along. And it was pure bliss. It is a lot, but it is never too much. You follow from one thing happening to the next, almost tumbling from one another, and you are there for the ride. You will not want to be anywhere else, and as far as the reading progresses it will become harder and harder to put down the book because you’ll need to discover what will happen next.
And all along we are in the company of the wit of our characters and their banter. It could have been quite a dark book, and even if it is not all rainbows and giggles, is more lighthearted, in a way, than one could expect. And I am not complaining at all. I loved this!

But, as I was saying at the beginning, there were a couple of things that I think could have done better. The silverblood promise that give the title to the book, for example. We discover what that is at the beginning of the book (and I loved to see where the title of the book comes from!) but it is a tad… uncalled for? I mean, it won’t be a big spoiler because it is what starts all things but still, I’ll try to be a bit vague all the same, that Lukan decided to do a certain thing, and it was highly motivated to do it, it wasn’t undecided or else, he was dead set on doing it so… why the promise? It seemed a tad unnecessary to me. And mind me, it is not a big thing, but nothing I’ll say here is about big things, because the book is a solid one, it works well, and I had an amazing time reading it, but still I think it’s right to point out what didn’t work perfectly to me.
This was one thing, the other one is about Flea. She usually tags along because saying no to her is hard, because she is really really headstrong. But it is not an excuse that work so well, I mean (again, trying to be vague and no spoilering anything) “we are going to do this really dangerous thing, and no 11 years old should be involved in it, but she said she will come with me and so here we are”. If you put it simply like that it doesn’t really work so well. Especially if you use it time and again. I understand that Flea needs to be there for the story to work well, but I think the whys she is there should be a tad more elaborated than “I tried saying her no, she didn’t agree with it, so I let her come”. Exactly like that. It was a tad maddening, from time to time, but again, it is not really a big deal.

The last thing I want to say is that I had a great time with this book, I am really really happy to have read it, and I cannot wait to have the next one between my hands. I want that book, and I want it now!!

Possibly the best fantasy debut I’ll read the whole year (and it’s just January)


This book is truly addictive. The pacing is great, the worldbuilding is great. The characters are beyond great.

What starts out as a simple murder mystery escalates into a political conflict with ancient magic at its centre. Lukan Gardova arrives in Saphrona searching for the truth behind his father’s murder and ends up being thrown head-first into several side quests involving daring heists, sword fights, and a sinister assassination plot.

The worldbuilding is truly wonderful; I have been captivated by every passage describing the city and its inhabitants, from the Merchant Princes' villas to the seedy underworld of Saphrona. Reminiscent of both A Song of Ice and Fire’s Braavos and real life Venice, James Logan does this beautiful setting justice wonderfully with every vivid description. As for the magic system, the world of The Silverblood Promise features an interesting one, as there is little to no magic present, and the only source of magic comes from the scattered artefacts of a now-extinct civilisation, the Phaeron. I felt that the little tidbits of information we got about the Phaeron really enriched the story and the worldbuilding, and I hope we get to learn more about the lore surrounding them in the future books.

As for the characters. The characters. If the worldbuilding I loved, the characters I adored. Most of the novel is told from the limited 3rd person POV of Lukan, with two chapters from other characters’ POVs. Flea was definitely my favourite character (who wouldn’t love a smart mouth street urchin with ‘wise beyond their years’ trope written all over her?) and her interactions and banter with Lukan were both heartwarming and hilarious.
What I appreciated the most about the characters was, however, just how fleshed out each of them was. Even if they appeared for a few pages or a few chapters, every character had such a well-defined personality, from the Jewels and Ashra to much more minor characters, like Juro and captain Grabulli.

I appreciate that, despite sometimes veering into grimdark territory, the author keeps a light edge to the story. The humour, the banter, the little heartwarming interactions between the characters do a wonderful job to balance the bleak elements.

All in all, this was one great fantasy novel. The only downside I could possibly think of is the long long wait I will have to endure for the next book in the series.Until then, I will fill my time with screaming from my little soapbox to everyone who’d listen about how they need to read this book immediately.

Thank you Quercus Books and NetGalley for the free eARC of "The Silverblood Promise" by James Logan.
This Dark Fantasy Debut was a fun reading experience, full of adventure, mysteries, conspiracies, and great side characters.
As a reader you will have two options with this book: go with the flow, enjoy the ride and have a great time with it, or be a critic and be upset about all the coincidences. I am glad I chose the first option, to go with the flow.
While the main character was nothing exceptional, the secondary characters were so fun to spend time with, that I ended up urming up a little towads the main hero when he was in their presence.
This was a fast paced adventure and I appreciated how entertaining it was.
Some hints about this world were hinted in "The Silverblood Promise", but I think more will be revealed in the next installments.
Highly recomended to fans of Fantasy Adventure.

Strong contender for fantasy of the year. This came out of nowhere but deserves all the recognition it is getting. I'm so buzzed about this release. Logan has created an insurmountable presence and this story needs more already.

DNF @ 15%

I really wanted to love this book, and I fully expected to--the Locke Lamora books are among my all time favourites, and based on the description, all the elements of the Silverblood Promise should have added up to something which pressed all my buttons. However, this book very quickly revealed to me that those elements are no longer enough for me to enjoy a book, unless the execution brings something to elevate the mix. Ultimately, nothing about the execution here stood out enough for what I read not to feel derivative and tired, and for me to dread the significant page count enough that I didn't want to keep reading. Furthermore, the technical polish was far below what I'd expect for a career editor: the stilted, expository dialogue and frequent unnecessary use of direct thought were enough alone to make me really surprised when I heard.

I do think this book will land well for a significant set of readers; like I said, it's got all the ingredients for a fun fantasy heist, and the way they're put together will certainly be to plenty of people's taste. Regretfully, however, they just weren't to mine.

Many thanks to Quercus and NetGalley for the eARC in exchange for my review!

I really liked this book, but the pacing was all over the place. It took me a long time to get into (20%). I almost gave up. I am glad I persevered because the overall story is good. However, even once I was invested in it, there were times the story seemed to drag quite a bit, and I just wanted the story to come to the point.

The characters were quite good. My favourite was obviously Flea. She was a cute kid with a lot of spirit, steadfast, and loyal. Lukan was likeable enough, but he was saved way too many times.

Whilst I'm giving it 4 stars, I would say it's more like 3.5.

4.5 Shining Stars

The Silverblood Promise is a brilliant debut novel that somehow reminded me of The Lies of Locke Lamora and The Name of the Wind. Given how much I loved the previously mentioned books, it just goes to show how much I enjoyed reading this one.

The Silverblood Promise is a vibrant and addictive adventure that traverses the city of Saphrona with its corrupt powerful politicians, underworld kings, inquisitors, priests, mercenaries and magic. There’s definitely a grim dark atmosphere, but it is combined with an intrinsic
set of values and morality. Every character has it’s own story, struggles and flaws that make them feel so real, and yet, even if they sometimes don’t know who the good guys are, they show morality in the hard times instead of just doing what is easier.

This was beautifully written in a fast paced way that slows down just in the right moments. There are contextual moments where characters remember and share their past, but these are always relevant to the history and included in the narrative. And the action scenes are gripping and fast paced, making you unable to put the book down. And all the darkness and angst is somehow intertwined with a dry sense of humor. Lunkan had a dry humor and some clever turns of phrases, but here my absolute favorite was Flea, street urchin who tried to rob Lukan as soon as he arrives in the city and soon becomes his biggest ally and companion, matching his sharp tongue and even bigger heart.

The descriptions painted a vivid picture whilst never losing that wit that keeps you entertained. You get introduced to a huge set of characters, from street urchins to the most powerful men and women from Saphrona, without losing interest for one second. The complex political system and magic system are very well introduced in a fashion that resembles the big names in Epic Fantasy and I just can’t wait to get more of it. You can feel that there is a bigger story brewing and I’m here for it, just (not so) patiently waiting for book 2.

Thank you very much Quercus Books, Jo Fletcher Books and NetGallery for providing me this ARC.

The Silverblood Promise (the last legacy 1) By James Logan

Release date 25th April 2024

Rating 4.5



This book is going to be the next big fantasy hit and mark my words you will be seeing this everywhere next year. I already had this preordered but after it popped up on Netgalley, I feel as if I needed to read this book.

I am very glad I did. The book starts with probably the most vivid descriptions of a place that have had me hooked from the first paragraph, it may be my love for medieval taverns and that was the first setting but we won’t read too much into that. This is where we meet Lukan, a person who has been kicked out of the academy after a duel did not go well, Lukan pulled me in straight away. I felt myself being able to visualise, see and almost smell everything in view and I loved the adventures that he got himself in and all the people he met along the way, this book was so compelling that I found myself not being able to stop until I finished it because I was that captivated by the world that James Logan created.

I now have to wait 4 months to find out what other people think but I am so happy that I do because I will be pushing people to give this book a go and give it a try. I would say to anyone undecided by this book to take a chance, there is adventure, characters that will make you laugh and possibly cry, those who you will root for and those who you will wish to never be seen again but that is the magic of the new series and all I can say is I really, really, really need the second book now please and thank you.

review to be posted on Instagram 4th January

Lukan is expelled from the Academy after killing a fellow student in a duel. He lives his life constantly on the run, estranged from his rich yet reclusive father who’s obsessed with dead civilisations and demons out of children's stories.
Then, his family’s steward tracks him down to inform him his father has been murdered and was found with a final note scrawled in his blood: Lukan Saphrona Zandrusa. His name, the name of a southern city, and someone or something. He swears a silverblood promise to find out the meaning of his father’s death and deliver justice.

Logan possesses a dry humour and a talent for a good turn of phrase, making this a delightful book with strong characters you can’t help but root for.
I have to mention Flea especially, the young street urchin who first tried to rob Lukan on his arrival in the city but soon becomes his companion and shadow. A skinny eleven year old with a sharp knife and sharper tongue. She’s an utter delight, constantly chatty, unwilling to stay behind, and a protege who grows on Lukan.

“If you're serious-“
“I'm deadly serious."
“Deadly stupid, more like,” Flea muttered.
“The difference between the two is merely a matter of perspective.”

The descriptions are utterly engrossing and paints such a vivid picture whilst never losing that wit that keeps you entertained. This is where seasoned fantasy readers can really feel the love of the genre as Logan makes you feel at home in a city with a clear divide between rich and poor, corrupt officials, a tower in the middle of the sea holding prisoners, deadly entertainments, a criminal underbelly, and a city that is run on gold.

”You have to stand up for yourself, you understand? You can't let someone have their way just because they were born into wealth and privilege. That doesn't make them better than you.”

Despite Lukan not having magic himself, there is an intriguing magic system which seems will play an important role in the rest of the series. There exist individuals who can perform sorcery known as gleamers who channel raw power from beyond the veil of the world.

Don’t go in expecting to find a wrapped up story in this, indeed the mystery only gets deeper by the end!

This is an extremely compelling, impressive debut and I am gutted I read this so early because now I have to wait even longer for the next book!

I would recommend this to fans of the city-life and themes in The Lies of Locke Lamora, the politics and council families of Mistborn, the character of Kvothe from the Name of the Wind.

Thank you to Quercus Books for providing me an arc in exchange for a review!

This is a fantastic start to what is promising to be a spectacular series! I loved everything about it, very keen to what happens next.

I received a free copy of The Silverblood Promise from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

With that out of the way, let me say this: The Silverblood Promise is a bombshell debut by author James Logan.

I was initially intrigued by the phenomenal cover art by Jeff Brown, and after reading the blurb I was sold. I signed up for NetGalley that day.

There’s a grimdark tone to the world that’s pleasantly offset by witty banter shared between a lovable cast of characters. Gripped by a grit-teeth resilience despite the often-overwhelming odds, the story maintains a sense of hope, even if that hope seems misplaced at times.

Each of the main crew possess their own motives, mannerisms and mores, making for bonfire scenes that light up the page whenever they’re together. Young girls giving pretentious men the middle finger is always a laugh.

TSBP moved along at a good clip (which I’ve come to enjoy in my fantasy novels) delivering punch-after-punch of interesting plot, character, and worldbuilding bundled into a rollicking escalation of scale and scope. There are mysteries to solve, heists to plan, and towers to infiltrate - All the action-packed drama you’ve come to expect from the genre.

Logan gives a nice nod to his inspirations, the ‘The Blade Itself’ by Abercrombie for instance, and outright lampshades the whole “cloak and dagger bullshit” common to comparable titles. Logan pays his tithes and then some, delivering up a truly wonderful story for fans to enjoy.

I will be purchasing a copy of this book even though I’ve already read it, just to support the author. I think Logan is a writer to watch, and I’ll definitely be doing so by picking up the second instalment.