It was alright. Not my favorite, but also not the worst. A good introduction to the author for new readers of the books.

I hated this book, and I hate that I hated it.

Blacktongue Thief audiobook was such a resounding 5 star read, and I've been waiting for the sequel all the years since it came out. I'm glad others liked this book, but it wasn't for me. In my opinion, it should have been a novella. The writing was lush and beautifully descriptive at first but became tedious and boring pretty quickly. It's extremely violent and bleak with lots of language and very little reward in the character arcs. Lastly, it's my opinion that this didn't add to the Blacktongue Thief world; please, I just want the sequel sooooo bad!

Thank you to NetGalley and Tor for an e-arc to read and review.

RTC once I’m done flying. Damn what a good book!

First, a thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me to read an eARC of this book.

After what felt like a lifetime (possible slight exaggeration) of subpar books, The Daughters' War was like a drink of water to a person dying of thirst (me, I'm the thirsty bitch).

I came into this not having read The Blacktongue Thief yet, so I was a little worried I wouldn't get it, but now having started that one and gotten 50% of the way through (because of course I had to start it immediately)I don't think I was really missing out, other than not knowing Galva and her story until I started to read. That was really impressive to me, that this book on its own is so good, without the context or propping up of the book it is the prequel for.

How have I never read something of Buehlman's before?! Between Two Fires has been on my list for quite a while, and now I can't wait to devour that as well, since The Daughter's War is one of the best books I have read this year.

Buehlman reminds me a little of Tolkien in that he has such a beautiful and talented way of spinning language and culture together to make a world feel lived in and real. I loved all the little tidbits that came from a well-crafted world where there are many different people who sometimes are quite different, and sometimes blend together. That was just such a fun lil surprise of the book and it was so pleasing to read, as someone who loves linguistics.

He is also a master of crafting such real, weighty characters. The entire time I read I was like Schrödinger's cat; I both wanted to keep reading because I loved the book and the characters and the story and I wanted to see what happened, AND I also did NOT want to keep reading because I knew so very few of the people (and animals) I loved would make it to the end, and I didn't want to lose them.

Speaking of, can I just say I fucking loved the Corvids and everything about them?? I know it wouldn't have suited the plot, but as a selfish reader, I wish Buehlman had given us more Corvid-time (just for me!!). Every time they did anything, and ESPECIALLY when they'd speak, I was hooked. I re-read several of those passages because they were just delightful and brought me joy.

Which brings me to my only word of caution... There are moments of joy, happiness, and beauty in this book. But it is not a happy book. I finished it feel sad - sad that it was over, sad that these characters suffered as they did - and some deaths were especially painful. But that, to me, is the sign of a masterpiece: getting me to care for characters as if they were real. To me, part of them is real - as I already know this book and its characters will stick with me forever. I know I will catch myself thinking of this book for the rest of my reading career, and what an impact it had on me.

I highly recommend this book - and at only 50% of the way through The Blacktongue Thief, that one is also amazing.

Thanks to Tor Books and Netgalley for the ARC.
3.5/5

All hail the war corvids!! They were definitely the highlight of the book, and I did find a lot that I liked here, for me, it was just a bit to bleak. Part of this may be the depression of the week I ended up reading this in, so you can take this with a grain of salt. As a reader of The Blacktongue Thief I knew going in that it was going to be a lot of battles, blood and death, I guess I really do need more lightness to go along side this. Buehlman's prose is wonderful and certainly sets a scene and the battles were very well written, and as I said the war corvids are a top tier fantasy animal and hopefully will get more in future books in this world. Galva is a terrific character, and I loved her relationship with Dalgatha and Bellu, as well as her relationship with her brother Amiel. I am glad I read this story (I listened to the audio) as I do enjoy the world Buehlman has created here and am looking forward to the future books in the series.

The Daughters’ War is a standout novel in the fantasy genre, offering a fresh take on WWII through the lens of magic and myth. Buehlman’s expertise in blending historical detail with fantastical elements results in a story that is both engaging and thought-provoking. The novel’s exploration of family dynamics and personal sacrifice against a backdrop of global conflict adds layers of depth to an already captivating narrative.

Fans of historical fantasy and readers looking for a novel that combines the best of both worlds will find much to appreciate in The Daughters’ War. It’s a testament to Buehlman’s skill as a storyteller and his ability to craft a compelling, multi-dimensional world.

A prequel to Buehlman’s Black Tongue Thief, this novel tells the background for one of the main characters, Galva dom Braga. It is told in first person which allows it to serve as sort of a sequel as well, since Galva’s narration will make asides to future events.

So what’s it about?

Goblins are once again attacking the kingdoms of mankind. The first war the goblins created a disease that killed all the horses. During the second, the human armies were so decimated that untrained farmers were drafted. Now, with the third war, men fit to be soldiers are so rare that every available woman is being conscripted. If the kingdoms of humanity don’t stop the goblins now, then there won’t be a fourth war.

Enter Galva and the other corvid knights. All women from various walks of life who were conscripted into an experimental fighting unit. They were given corvids to train and take into combat. What’s a corvid? Think magically bred ravens the size of ostriches. The problem? Corvids are violent. Very, very, violent. And smart.

These terror birds and their handlers are about the best chance humanity has to survive. Sadly no one else thinks so.

Galva must also deal with her three brothers. She loves them, but they all have their faults. One is a drunk, another an idealistic poet serving a wizard, and the last is a rather competent general dealing with his own petty army politics. They are family, but those bonds will be tested and found wanting.

The Daughters’ War is a fascinating novel. Imagine you took too much cold medicine, watched YouTube clips of Lord of the Ring theory videos, and talked to your grandfather about his time in ‘Nam. Your nightmares would match the vibe of this book and your sleep paralysis demon would almost resemble the horror that is Buehlman’s goblins.

This book is dark. There were points where I had to put this book down and walk away. I just knew that in the next chapter things were going to get worse and it pained me to continue on. Some new tragedy would strike or some new horror would happen. Then, like a fool I’d go back for more, only to discover it was far worse than I feared.

Buehlman does not hold anything back. This war is not the glamorous battle found in most high fantasy novels. This is a ground level view of the fighting. It is bloody and violent.

Then there’s the goblins themselves. I tend to hate the narrative device of an “always evil” race. I think that’s a sign of an unimaginative writer. It’s lazy to just say an entire species is “evil.”

Buehlman made the decision that instead of being evil, the goblins are just so wholly different from humanity that they are incomprehensible. There are hints throughout that the goblins are from somewhere else. Like another plane or dimension. When they die, for example, they do not rot. Flies don’t devour their corpses. Goblins are not part of the natural order.

They see humanity not as a foe, but a natural resource to cultivate and harvest. They are farmers and butchers. People are nothing more than meat and are treated as such.

I hated reading this book. It is violent and gruesome. The goblins commit heinous acts that make me physically ill. Yet, it’s not like humanity is a paragon of virtue. Humans lie and cheat. They are willing to slaughter civilians to take needed army supplies. Soldiers are sacrificed in fruitless battles. There are no heroes in this war, just survivors

I love that I read this book. The prose was beautiful. It was heartbreaking in the best way possible. Buehlman created a narrative voice that was unique and powerful. Rarely has a book disturbed me and moved me in such a way.

Do I recommend you read it? If you’re okay with a grim, gruesome war story that is beautifully written, then go for it. I loved it, I hated it. I’m glad I read it, I’m never reading it again.

Reviewed on Kaiju & Gnome.

A phenomenal sequel/prequel to Black Tongue Thief. Amazing worldbuilding, exciting, poignant, and beautiful. Will definitely be ordering this for my library. So great!

I’ve had the Blacktongue Thief in my TBR list for ages, but just haven’t found the reason to jump in (I admit, my mental capacity for non-fluff as of late has been non-existent, unless it’s dark Warhammer novels). However, I read the description of this, and obviously, the girlpower at the helm of the story drew me in immediately. It’s been a long time where I’ve found a story where I had to force myself to put down so I can leave some bits for later- but then here comes the Daughters’ War and I’m pulled into a whole new world. This story had me feeling so many different emotions. There was beauty. Darkness. Horror. Light. Beautifully written. A great entry into the series, and I do hope we haven’t seen the last of Galva and her Queen.

A true gem. Buehlman writes engaging plot and his characters are well-developed. The prose is beautifully written, with vivid descriptions that bring the setting to life. Highly recommended for a captivating read.

I absolutely adored the authors previous book, The Blacktongue Thief when I read it, so when I heard that Christopher Buehlman was writing a prequal to it I was EXCITED!!!

The Daughters War, as said, is a prequal story (#0) to The Blacktongue Thief, in which we follow Galva and her experiences during the third goblin war. Galva as we know from book one is a battle scarred, tattooed, VERY WEARY, corvid battle master - but here, in this book, we see her from the very start of her journey.

The tone of this book was VERY different to the previous, much less humour and much more serious which makes sense given Galva is our POV character and in all honesty I really appreciated the tonal switch as it was very on theme for the subject matter of the war.

I loved learning about the history of the world told via Galvas own experiences and understanding more how everything came to be in what we know in The Blacktongue Thief.

Overall such an enjoyable read, I really gel with Buehlmans writing style and I am so so so needing book 2 now please!!!

Thanks so much to the publishers for the ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Buehlman once again shines bright with his prose and vivid storytelling in The Daughter’s War. This prequel to The BlackTongue Thief, although written just as wonderfully, is tonally very different. This is the story of Galva, who was a side character in The BlackTongue Thief. This story tells of her experience being a part of an all woman regiment that fights with large War Corvids, made through dark magics to fight in the great goblin war. It’s told from a memoir perspective and is mostly Galva’s POV, although we also see some letters from her brother as well. It is dark and gritty. It made goblins way more terrifying for me. It’s beautiful and tragic. This novella may not be for everyone if you go in expecting the same humor and epic adventures you read in The BlackTongue Thief, however it is still just as amazing of a story. Galva, although a different type of storyteller and what some may perceive as having a drier personality, still demonstrates an emotional depth and gives us a haunting story of war time tactics and experience. I think this will only enrich a re read of The BlackTongue Thief, but stands on its own merits as well. The world building soars as Buehlman paints a dark and grim picture of loss, hope, and survival in his fantasy world.

This book is very gruesome, Buehlman does not shy away from gore and at times I found myself disgusted by some of the descriptions. There were lighter moments sprinkled in throughout but as our main character Galva is telling this story after already having lived through it, I found that there was usually still a tinge of melancholy about what is yet to come.

I loved following Galva, she was an amazing character in The Blacktongue Thief and I’m really glad to have a book from her point of view. I would 1000% read another that is just the events of The Blacktongue Thief but from her POV, or any other stories from her POV for that matter. I loved getting a closer look at her relationship with the war corvids, as well as with her brothers. She also has a surprisingly lovely romance.

The narrator Nikki García’s performance was amazing, she brought so much emotion to the story, the audiobook as a whole is very well done.

Overall, I think if you liked The Blacktongue Thief then you will probably also like this prequel.

At first, I was a bit disappointed to learn that Christopher Buehlman himself was not narrating this. I loved his performance of The Blacktongue Thief, and I was looking forward to hearing that accent again. Once I got over that and started listening though, I felt myself being pulled in by Galva's narrative.

Instead of being a sequel, this is a prequel. Galva, the battle weary tattooed woman from the first book, takes over the storytelling and boy is her story a grim one. There are quite a few differences between this book and the first. Number one for me being the nearly total lack of humor. Kinch Na Shannack's POV from Blacktongue was often funny and off kilter. I loved it! But this story is from Galva's POV and she has very little to laugh about.

The second big difference is that Kinch's tale was unknown to us, while Galva's is not. We already know what happens, if in only a somewhat vague way. Now, all the details of Galva's history are revealed through her eyes. It is a grim history, filled with heartache, death, family betrayals, and a lost love. One thing I really love about her is that she never gives up. Another thing I love is <i>her</i> love of her war corvid. The female army and their platoon of giant war corvids is such a sight to imagine! Mr. Buehlman brings it to life and as I listened, it all unfolded like a film in my brain.

I felt Galva's pain and I wanted to give her a big hug so many times. I also felt her love and her heartbreak and her doggedness to keep on keeping on. Galva has become one of my favorite characters of all time.

The audio of this was narrated by Nikki Garcia and she was marvelous! Her intonations conveyed sadness, hatred and humor, (though little of that there was), and inspired me to cheer for and cry with Galva. She imbued her narration with a slight accent and now this will forever be the voice of Galva to me. BRAVO to Ms. Garcia!

Once I got over the absence of Kinch, I relaxed and let Galva's story unfold before me. I loved it and have come away with a much deeper understanding of her character and why she is like she is. I am now ready and eager to continue the story of them both, but to be honest? I need Kinch to return now and lift me from the darkness that is Galva's history.

My highest recommendation! 4.5/5 stars!

*Audio ARC from publisher.*

4.5/5

Holy shit this was dark, and I enjoyed it.

I've been asking since FOREVER for more stories with female knights, in armour, with swords, and this DELIVERED. (And also gave me giant crows)

This takes time 20-30 years before The Blacktongue Thief, during the Daughters' Wars, the war that almost wiped out humanity by the hands of the goblins. Called the Daughters' Wars cause there were not enough men left to fight.

To be fair I don't dislike our main character but she's not main character material, and I miss the sense of humour of the main character in Blacktongue Thief, but the drama between the four brothers, the cult-like religions and the whole campaign with their war tactics was so damn good.

This is dark, it's sapphic, it's fun and I want more.

Galva a grizzled veteran of the goblin wars first introduced in The Blacktongue Thief tells her own story of surviving war and the scars it leaves in The Daughers' War.

Told as though Galva Dom Braga was narrating, we learn of her and her siblings war experience. The story begins with Galva at sea, unbloodied, part of an experimental detachment that features magically developed giant corvids trained for war. We will follow her through the key campaign from location to location as her army faces off against multiple goblin armies.

A great earthquake snapped this world, and with that quake old empires fell and the goblins were released as a threat against kynd. Twice before kynd and goblins have waged war, with each war becoming harder as the two sides learn from each other and their losses mount. The goblins make great use of mushroom based chemical warfare and gleefully eat from the fallen or captured kynd. This third war Galva joins is the first without horses that the goblins found a way to poison. Kynd have lost both territory and population as the armies are more and more mixed gender.

Galva and her corvid mates are both to be proven by war. Galva has had a privileged upbringing, trained to war from a young age. Through her journey she seeks to protect her younger brother, a poet assigned to be the aid to a powerful wizard and her two older brothers. The eldest is the worst side of privilege prone to drunkenness and gambling with the next eldest assigned a generalship due to his own brilliance and capability. While ostensibly a story about Galva, it instead a story of how her family unraveled due to the war that was both personal and consequential.

Recommended to readers of epic fantasy, magical combat, and the games of those holding political power or privilege.

In The Daughters' War(hard from Tor) Christopher Buehlman tells how Galva enlisted in the Goblin war to fight with giant warbirds (they don’t fly) who have been magically designed to kill the monstrous enemy. Two of her brothers are both generals in the fight, and a third is apprenticed to a mage. Her high status allows her into some of the events that change the outcome of the war. War is horrible and this war is worse because Goblins consider humans food and are difficult to kill. Not only that but the war is going badly. The horrors of war shape Galva’s personality into the deadly fighter seen in The Blacktongue Thief (paper) .Excellent and hard-to-put-down

After loving every part of Buehlman's The Blacktongue Thief, I was over the moon when I heard about this prequel. Similar to his other books, The Daughters' War had fantastic, detailed world-building that made me instantly absorbed into the story. I appreciated learning more backstory to this universe (although it makes me REALLY want a sequel soon), and the brutal, bloody scenes felt intensely cinematic. While it was more of a slow burn, the writer's natural storytelling ability kept me turning the pages. I can't wait for more from this writer!

{Book Review} The Daughters’ War by Christopher Buehlman

The Black Tongue Thief by Christopher Buehlman was one of my favorite fantasy books a few years ago when it came out and I’ve been obsessively checking Goodreads waiting for another book in the series. THE DAUGHTERS’ WAR is a prequel and tells Galva’s story in the war against the goblins. Thank you @torbooks and @macmillan.audio for the review copy!

This world is so morbidly fascinating and I was so interested to read about how the humans eventually overcame the insurmountable threat of the goblins. Their Corvins that are like massive ravens helped the cause in a surprising way. The plot remains brutal, the battles horrific, the familial ties loose yet so strong.

The pacing was slow and this read more like a memoir/war fantasy and it was excellent for that. It wasn’t my expectation of what I wanted the book to be but that’s on me not the book. I wanted an epic fantasy similar to the the first book and that’s not what this is, so temper expectations. I think this is an incredibly well-thought out and well-written book. It’s so great at walking you through when I can only minimally imagine war and battle would be like.

If you love sedately paced, more detailed oriented exposition style fantasy novels, you’ll definitely want to check this out!

Once again Christopher Buehlman knocks it out of the park. Throughout Black Tongue Thief I was always curious of the worlds lore and this fleshed out is just an amazing ride start to finish. Complex characters and consequences.

I haven't read The Blacktongue Thief, so I went into this prequel without any knowledge of it's world, characters, magic and so on.

It was quite an emotional ride for me and I really liked Galva, the MC here. The story is told from her perspective, except for some letters she receives that are shared with the reader.

What I found most intriguing were the Corvids. I love animal companions in fantasy books and these birds are just something else.

The Blacktongue Thief is now on my shelf awaiting to be read and it's thanks to this book.