HIGHLIGHTS
~giant war-corvids!
~a wizard with a messed up sense of humour
~if you’re going to fall in love with a queen, make sure she’s a good one
~brace for nightmares
~carrots that swim

Well, that ripped my heart out.

The Daughters’ War is the prequel to The Blacktongue Thief, which you do not need to have read to enjoy this book. I do think a lot of the events in War will hit harder if you’ve read Thief already, but I have no idea what Buehlman’s intended reading order is and I don’t think either option – starting with War, which is chronologically first, or Thief, which was published first – is wrong. You do you!

But if you read Thief first, you know how War is going to end – if not the exact details, then certainly in sweeping generalities – and I think that makes for a very different reading experience. I’m going to do my best to avoid spoilers for both War and Thief, but I will just briefly say that having read Thief, reading War was extremely bittersweet. And yet, knowing how it would end did not stop me from becoming wildly invested in the characters and their relationships; it did not stop the events of this book from mattering to me. I thought I would be able to hold myself a little emotionally distant from the story – to protect myself from what I knew was coming! – and fellow readers, I could not.

Daughters’ War devastated me.

Buehlman, I applaud you, sir.

Galva was my second-favourite character in Thief, after the main character and narrator, so I was perfectly okay with waiting for a sequel when it meant we’d get a Galva-centric prequel first! And Buehlman took an approach that I wasn’t expecting, but think was the perfect choice: although the book is in first-person, the story is being narrated by an older Galva – so we have both the version of Galva we’re familiar with (and love so much) from Thief, but still get to see her as a younger woman as well. We get her older self’s commentary on her own behaviour and actions, and those of the people around her, as well as the war effort itself. To say nothing of her thoughts on the actual experience of battle and war: it was almost shocking, seeing a younger Galva being afraid of something! GALVA?! Feeling FEAR?! But it also made her…more approachable? Hm, no, that’s not quite the word I want. The Galva of Thief is glorious, fearless, and untouchable; Daughters’ War reminds us that she’s a human being like the rest of us, one who experiences awkwardness and naïveté and, yes, fear.

(Or it might be more correct to say, she experienced those things; I’m not convinced Thief!Galva still does. Pretty sure Thief!Galva gives zero fucks about awkward situations, is far too experienced and canny to be naive, and definitely doesn’t fear death.)

It makes her easier to grasp and understand; she’s not so untouchable here. That being said, from the first page it’s clear that, although younger!Galva and Thief!Galva are different, they’re not fundamentally different. The Galva of this book still (already?) holds tight to what she considers proper behaviour and honour; she still does not suffer fools well; she still gives all of herself unstintingly to whatever course she believes correct. She might be more open, and perhaps more emotionally vulnerable, than the Galva of Thief, but she’s very much the same character: potential readers don’t need to worry that Daughters’ War is going to present an unrecognisable version of Galva.

I loved that we got to see how Galva came to the worship of Dal-Gaata, the goddess of Death. The fact that Galva is/was a handmaiden of Death is definitely one of the things that makes her feel more like a more-than-human paladin than a normal person – who worships Death??? – but Buehlman actually managed to make me follow and understand Galva’s path to Her. I didn’t think that was something I’d be able to get my head around, but – hard as it might be to believe! – I got the appeal. And I am majorly impressed that Buehlman was able to pull that off. If asked, I would have said no one could make me understand why you might want to worship Death – but Buehlman did.

<All she asks is that you look upon her with love, not fear; know that this is for your sake, and not hers, a gift she gladly offers. When you know the meaning of the Hourglass Reclined, when you delight in the Song of the Tongueless Mouth, when you understand the mystery of the Union on the Shore, you will at last reject the temporal promises of the great eye who is blind to his own blindness, you will know a peace that is not fragile.

A strength that is tireless.

A love that cannot be disappointed.

And yours will be the Paradise of the Last Grain.>

In Thief, we saw what the world looks like after the (most recent) wars with the goblins. It made for an incredibly interesting setting, for many reasons. Through Galva’s eyes, and with the added insight of the older self who is narrating for us, we now get to see how the world got that way, and how unbelievably nightmarish the process was. Buehlman’s experience as a horror writer – including Medieval horror – serves him far too well here; I lost count of how many times I had to put the book down and walk away for a minute, nauseated by the horrors of, not just war – which is always horrifying – but specifically war with the goblins.

[This is where I’d normally stick a quote to demonstrate my point, but I’m not willing to copy out the passages that have been giving me nightmares since I read them.]

We knew the goblins were the bad guys. We did know that. Even if you haven’t read Thief, you know that. But ‘bad guys’ doesn’t really cut it. I can’t tell how much of what the goblins do/did are their own ways, their usual culture, and how much are tactics deliberately designed to horrify and terrify the humans they’re fighting, but wow are they good at the latter. It’s a level of pure fucking evil that would honestly be cartoonish coming from the pen (typewriter? keyboard?) of most writers, but Buehlman is too good to allow you to distance yourself from these horrors that way. There’s no room left to scoff, to reject any of it as ridiculously over-the-top, or reassure yourself in whispers that no one, ever, could ever really do that to another species they know is sapient.

Buehlman never lets you look away, never lets you forget, and makes it very hard to remember this is all fiction and never happened and goblins definitely don’t exist.

Fuck.

It’s pretty fascinating, when I take a step back from it (which I can, now I’ve had weeks to think about it): Buehlman’s approach to horror here, the way in which he presents these nightmarish ideas and acts, is simultaneously sickeningly detailed and yet also bald, blunt, almost unbiased. When Galva and her fellow fighters catch a small goblin scavenging party eating humans, there’s no purple prose, and it’s not plain, either, but it feels plain. Buehlman is just…showing the reader these things, not rubbing your face in them as some horror writers might; not dragging these moments out with disturbingly loving description. And yet there’s enough sensory description to make it visceral, to make it far more real than a dry recitation of the facts would have been. It’s an impressive line to walk, and an impressive effect, and I’d appreciate it more if it hadn’t left me gagging half a dozen times – maybe a full dozen – over the course of the book.

Point being, I really cannot overstate that there is a lot of very dark stuff in here that will keep you awake at night. There’s no book you need to read, and you don’t need to read this one if humans being eaten and skinned and lobotomised is Not For You. Please take care of yourself.

Honestly, I was surprised that I managed to get through Daughters’ War – I do not have a strong stomach for this kind of thing – but I think this is where Buehlman’s real genius shines, because: this is not actually grimdark. Horrifying things are happening, but this is not a book that says horrifying things are intrinsic to life, and/or to human nature. It’s a very delicate balance, but it is balanced; for all the nightmares, there are also moments of brightness and joy and friendship, even hilarity, even love – between Galva and her brother, Galva and her sword-sisters, Galva and her war-corvids, and even a quiet but beautiful romance. Buehlman does not pretend that war is not monstrous (whether you’re fighting goblins or other humans), but we are also left with the sure, solid comfort that there is love and light even in the darkest times, that humans can and will display incredible courage and honour and kindness in the worst of circumstances. Life is often unfair, and not everyone is brave or honourable – some people become their worst selves in times like these; war is one of those things that allows terrible people to become worse, and even to flourish, sometimes.

But most people, when push comes to shove, are trying to do their best. And that is enough to give me hope; that is enough for me to cling to and to keep me going.

<Also, eat fish and shellfish, but stop eating the flesh of animals. Esselve loves them also, and blesses with health those who spare them.”

“This will not happen.”

“I know. But you asked.”

“What about fish?”

“Excuse me?”

“She loves sheep and cattle, but fish can get fucked? What are they, carrots that swim?”>

Carrots that swim has lived rent-free in my brain since I read that passage and I am STILL LAUGHING AT IT.

Ahem.

<a rich name is expensive in obligation.>

It may be that this is present in Blacktongue Thief and I just don’t remember, but I was surprised – pleasantly so! – to see how little respect Galva has/had for the hierarchies of power. Her world is more-or-less Medieval Europe, with nobility and kings, and being a noble herself, I wasn’t expecting her to be so critical and contemptuous of the ‘well-born’. Possibly this is something she learned at her very prestigious war college, which only accepts students based on merit, regardless of their backgrounds, but she is very aware that many of the people who are in charge of the war effort really shouldn’t be. Most of those in command are there because they’re nobles, not because they’re actually good at strategy or leading soldiers – and we get plenty of evidence of how stupid a system that is over the course of the book (and the war). It adds another layer of frustrating tragedy to the whole thing, because it’s easy to see how much better events could have gone if good commanders had been giving the orders.

In fact, power and the critique of and contempt for those who have it is really an ongoing theme throughout the book. Galva’s unit – of women who command giant, flightless war-corvids – is an experimental one, and it’s not an accident that everyone in it is a woman: despite the existence of female soldiers, even female generals, there’s still an air of ‘let’s not waste actual men on this nonsense’. And when it becomes clear that the experiment is a wild success, the fate of the birds is directly tied to the sex and social class of their humans. It’s enough to make you tear your hair out; the kings and generals and whatnot are so consistently stupid and short-sighted, more interested in keeping their power than in seeing the human species, you know, survive.

There may be exceptions – Galva and one of her brothers are both nobles who are not asshats, who believe their privilege comes with responsibility, not the freedom from it – but the system, Galva is very clear on, is completely fucked. It elevates those who don’t deserve elevating, and that’s a bad thing at the best of times, but when we’re talking about a war, it means people die who didn’t need to. Men who refuse a woman’s orders get their units slaughtered; as do nobles who have no skill at tactics or strategy but think blue blood will somehow compensate for that. Spoiler: it does not!

And honestly, it’s made even more tragic when you remember that this is not the first war against the goblins. It’s not the first war, period, and you would think people would learn that command positions need to go to those with merit, not wealth, but it took our world an appallingly long time to learn that, so I guess it’s not weird that Galva’s is as stupid. But still: if I remember correctly, this is the third war against the goblins within the last generation or so. You’d think the humans would have realised by now that they can’t take the losses accrued by inferior commanders, the way they maybe can in a human vs human war. You’d think desperation would have driven them to adapt, would have forced them to change their ways.

But no. Because of course not.

You see why I had to cling to those moments of levity and hope. There’s just so much pointless loss.

<No one is so furious as a small man caught in a misdeed.>

As I said at the start of this review, going into Daughters’ War was one of those times where I tried to hold myself emotionally distant from the story and characters. I’d read Blacktongue Thief; I knew in general terms how Galva’s war was going to go. I didn’t want to get attached to anyone, because odds were good that Galva was the only named character who was going to survive. (I will not tell you whether or not I was correct, guessing that.) But I wasn’t able to stay coolly detached, any more than I was able to let the horror bounce off me; Buehlman is just too good a writer, and Galva too great a narrator, to allow me to keep my distance. I could not do it, dear reader; I cared so much, even when I knew for sure that I shouldn’t. And Buehlman, the brilliant bastard, broke my heart for it, over and over and over again.

I don’t regret it for a second, though. In fact, I now want to devour Blacktongue Thief again, and then come back and reread War, despite knowing exactly how much it’s going to hurt (if it doesn’t hurt even more the second time around, with everything from Blacktongue fresh in my memory).

IT’S THE ADDICTIVE KIND OF PAIN, OKAY? I DON’T KNOW HOW TO EXPLAIN IT BETTER THAN THAT.

Why did Buehlman decide he needed to write this prequel before the sequel to Blacktongue Thief? I’m not sure – maybe it was to make sure we really grasped the full nightmare of the goblins; maybe it was to better establish Galva’s relationship to Mireya, which is briefly glimpsed in Thief and is probably going to be pretty important to the series. (I would like to write a whole essay on Galva and Mireya’s relationship in Daughters’ War – it’s definitely one of the most beautiful parts of the book, and one of my favourites, too – but this review is already VERY LONG and honestly, you’ll enjoy it more if you read about their romance for yourself.)

I don’t know why we got Daughters’ War – but I’m not sorry. I am traumatised, but I loved it. It’s a magnificent novel, even if it’s far darker than anything I usually read – but that only makes clearer Buehlman’s skill, that I enjoyed the book despite that. (Because of that? Not sure I’d go that far.) I never want to see a goblin again, but I’m so glad we got to see so much deeper into Galva, and how she grew into who she becomes.

The Daughters’ War is definitely not going to be for everyone, but those it is for will love it.

This book was such an anticipated read for me. I fell in love with Buehlman's writing and worldbuilding in The Blacktongue Thief. I was constantly checking to see if another book in this world would come out and I was delighted when Daughter's War was announced!

The Daughter's War is a prequel and takes us back in time with Galva as our main character during the Goblin's war. As much as I wanted to enjoy this, it kind of fell flat for me. I can't put my finger on what it's missing though. Maybe it's the slower pacing, maybe it's missing the humor that Blacktongue Theif had.....


Some things I did enjoy

- Galva's character development.
-The Goblins- this may be my absolute favorite. The goblins were horrifying! scary and so cruel.
-World Building. It's dark, gross, terrifying and the author did a great job of throwing me right in the middle of it.

This book is for readers that love a fantasy war novel.

THANK YOU SO MUCH TO TOR PUBLISHING AND NETGALLEY FOR THIS ARC!

A prequel to Buelhman’s earlier novel, The Blacktongue Thief, The Daughters War is the story of Galva, the ferocious Raven Knight that will later be a companion to Kinch. But in this tale, she’s a young women, part of an untested unit, partnered with two giant War Corvids; Monsterous birds created by magic to fight in a desperate war.

Whilst firmly in Grimdark territory, The Blacktongue Thief was still darkly humerous. Mainly down to Kinch, the titular thief, also being darkly humerous. Galva is a much different character. She’s 20 years old and fighting in a war against Goblins that has raged for years. A war that has resulted in the death of so many sons, daughters are now called up to fight. Being witness to so much horror, she’s more reserved. She’s also much more reserved and honorable, and the tone of the book reflects that.

Galva is not the only family member fighting ih this seemigly endless war. Her three brothers are also in the war, leading to some interesting family dynamics. Galva wasn’t supposed to join up, she did so against her families wishes, and the book deals with the consequences of this choice.

The Goblins in The Daughters War are an interesting new take on the race. Goblins come from somewhere simply known as ‘Beyond’ and are utterly alien. Their bodies don’t rot like regular corpses. Coldly logcial and intelligent, they see humans as nothing more than meat, and treat them like cattle. The war is against a foe that will not just kill a person, they will defile them after death. Hell, they even transport humans in cages as food for their armies.

The War Corvids are

The Daughters War is not a lighthearted read. There is some humour, but it’s a different to The Blacktongue Thief. It’s much starker, set during a horrific war, not after it. Galva is a brilliantly fleshed out character, and I loved learning more about her. And to say that the war corvids are brutal, unpredictable giant birds, I still found myself attatched to them.

If you like your dark fantasy more bitter than sweet, this book is for you. If you prefer things to be more light, then I’d give it a miss. But personally, I loved it. Can’t wait to see if Buehlman writes more in this setting.

I went into this story blind, not having read The Blacktongue Thief yet, and I think it's a testament to Christopher Buehlman's writing that I was quickly swept up in the story without ever feeling lost by the world building. Too often there's a 50 page slog at the start of a fantasy book where you're overloaded with information, but that wasn't the case here. Immediately thrown into the plot, the gritty and witty story sucked me in straight away with such visual writing, brilliantly written characters and rich world building.

Galva was such a great main character, the daughter of a Duke, fresh to war and naïve about a lot of things, which made for a compelling story, watching her confront the realities of war against a strange foe. The lore behind the goblins was so interesting and rich, and that only added to my intrigue, wanting to know more about their origins, abilities and motivations. If there is one thing The Daughter's War has left me with, it's the desire to immediately start reading The Blacktongue Thief so I can stay in this world a little longer.

Prequels are weird because sometimes you can start the story at the beginning and it's fine. I picked up "The Daughter's War" before reading "The Blacktongue Thief" because I thought it would be okay. You can probably start the series here, but it will take some effort and patience on your part to get into the story. I didn't have either of those, so I read "The Blacktongue Thief" first. That made all the difference. While there is a lot of world-building in "The Daughter's War," I found I couldn't get a feel for the characters until I read the first book. Then I was hooked. By the end of "TBT," I couldn't wait to read this novel because I needed to know more about Galva and the Daughter's War against the goblins. Where the first book is a humorous epic fantasy, "The Daughter's War" has a completely different vibe, being more grimdark fantasy. Frankly, I loved it.

"The Daughter's War" delves deeper into the gritty realities of Galva's struggle against the goblins, contrasting sharply with the lighthearted tone of "The Blacktongue Thief." The characters, especially Galva, are portrayed with more complexity and depth, revealing their motivations and inner conflicts in ways that enrich the overall narrative. The world-building continues to impress, with intricate details and histories that add layers to the story. It's a shift from adventure to a darker, more intense exploration of war and its consequences, making it a compelling read for fans of gritty fantasy. I can't wait to see where the series goes next.

Thanks NetGalley for the digital ARC so that I could provide an honest and voluntary review.

A phenomenal prequel to The Blacktongue Thief that focuses on Galva and her participation in an ill-fated military campaign against the goblins that turns into a nail-biting fight for survival. Christopher Buehlman further hones the dread reputation of the goblins of this world and has created a truly grim tale of military battles, magic, and horror that leaves very little room for the humor that peppered the previous entry in the series. Despite this, the book shines, and was never far from my side as I tried to sneak chapters in every chance I got. Even knowing the overall fate of this endeavor, I was fully hooked and wanted to know just how everything went south for Galva.

This is an easy recommendation and something I wouldn't hesitate to put into the hands of grimdark fantasy fans, and while you might want to have read The Blacktongue Thief, you don't really need to in this case.

We know how the story ends and are kept at the brim of the inevitable.

Buehlman's horror background shines in his gruesome depiction of goblins, intelligent creatures bent on carnage, and the gorey description of battles' aftermath. It's also full of his characteristic witticisms.

We follow a 20-year-old Galva dom Braga surrounded by flesh-eating creatures, seeing the dwindling numbers of friends and foes alike. It's a somewhat coming-of-age tale, so even in such an inauspicious environment her life is also made out of warm moments of friendship and love as much as loss.

From her first skirmish against the goblins, dedicating her life to a death goddess, suffering heartbreak, experiencing sexual pleasure, and dealing with men's egos, we see her becoming the woman that Kinch gets to meet.

My only grudge against it would be the romance we see in Galva's future is intriguing enough to spark an interesting story of how it came to be. It can be summarized in insta-love and a couple of sensual encounters with a tinge of grooming.

The Daughter's War expands on Buehlman's world-building in The Blacktongue Thief. It's grimmer and more gut-wrenching than its predecessor, portraying not only the glorification and violence of war but its consequences, the unplanned last words and unspoken goodbyes.

War doesn't spare the good or the brave, just the unlucky enough to carry it with them.

ARC provided by the publisher—Tor Books—in exchange for an honest review.

The Daughters’ War is a very different kind of prequel novel to The Blacktongue Thief.

“One who has studied and thinks oneself capable might be undone to discover how much less one knows than one thinks.”


When I first heard about the announcement for The Daughters’ War, my initial thought was that this felt like a novel I didn’t know I needed. For those who don’t know, The Blacktongue Thief by Christopher Buehlman came out in 2021. Three years ago. Back then, before the publication day, there was a lot of hype and praise gifted by many amazing epic fantasy authors. And The Blacktongue Thief became one of the most entertaining novels I’ve read with the right balance of darkness and laughing-out-loud humor. In that book, Galva is one of the distinct supporting characters from The Blacktongue Thief who accompanies Kinch Na Shannack, the protagonist, in his quest. The Daughters’ War is a prequel novel about Galva and her participation in the Goblin’s war. Unfortunately, as much as I want to like it, I did not enjoy this book as much as The Blacktongue Thief.

“Give the Mouth of the Storm to Galvicha, for that is truly where she is going.”


The goblins have killed mercilessly. They have enslaved cities, burned fields, and still they wage war. Now, the daughters take up arms. Galva ― Galvicha to her three brothers, has defied her family’s wishes and joined the army’s untested new unit, the Raven Knights. They march toward a once-beautiful city overrun by the goblin horde, accompanied by scores of giant war corvids. Made with the darkest magics, these fearsome black birds may hold the key to stopping the goblins in their war to make cattle of mankind.

“I think now that I acted pridefully, that I was showing off. But I would forgive another twenty-year-old this, and so I forgive myself. This has been a hard skill to learn, the forgiving of self, and it is not always easy to know when it is good and when it is indulgent. But there is not so much time in life that we should spend it being sorry. It was a glorious hour or so, in a time of fear and horror, and I would not trade the memory of it for a feeling that I had behaved more properly. Such things are good, in moderation. Moderation, too, is good in moderation.


And that’s really it. Not only that’s the premise of the The Daughters’ War, that’s the entire novel in a nutshell. Of course, being a prequel novel, if you’ve read The Blacktongue Thief, you’ll know the fate of Galva and her family. It is all about the details. But reading The Daughters’ War, at the end of the day, did not grant me with many things I didn’t know plot-wise. It might make rereading The Blacktongue Thief more enriching, though, because we learn so much more about Galva, the world-building, and the war mentioned relatively often in that book. The entire story is told (mostly) from the first-person perspective of Galva in a memoir format. Occasionally, we’ll be switching to reading a journal written by Amiel, one of Galva’s beloved brothers. This provided me with a variety of reading experiences. And believe me, the story in The Daughters’ War did get dark and brutal. Much more than The Blacktongue Thief. However, this became one of the weaknesses of the book for me. Not because of the darkness per se, but because the only characters I cared about and felt invested in were Galva and Amiel.

“First I saw Pol, and we embraced, and I felt glad. Then I saw Galva and my heart lit from within. I do not know if it is because she is my full sister, or because she has always watched over me, at least those early years, and those holiday visits when she was home from the Academy of Sword, but I have always felt her to be something more than just a sister. Something between a sister and a best friend and a guardian spirit. She is more precious to me than cool water and a roof.”


I highly enjoyed reading about Galva’s character development and her complex relationship with her family and The Raven Knights. But it is worth noting that, as I said at the beginning of this review, The Daughters’ War is very different when compared to The Blacktongue Thief. Two other main reasons other than the storytelling format, Galva is a stoic character with few words, and I believe The Daughters’ War is more rooted in military fantasy rather than epic fantasy quest demonstrated in the Blacktongue Thief. I won’t lie. For more than half of the book, I did not feel there was a clear goal of Galva’s memoir other than to, well, inform readers about her past. Personally, I found Galva’s stoic demeanor and this factor to decrease my reading enjoyment.

“When a member of the family first begins to hurt you, they may choose from many weapons, all sharp, all sure to draw blood. The first cuts are the worst, though every cut will hurt, no matter how well you learn to hide it.”


It is not all bad, though. As you can tell, I have mixed feelings about The Daughters’ War. Some parts did not click with me, and some parts did. One of my favorite things about The Daughters' War, similar to The Blacktongue Thief, is reading Buehlman’s writing. There's always something about his prose, even though this is a different kind of book to its predecessor (or sequel), that feels charming and compelling. I had a great time reading Buehlman’s prose. The goblins are still terrifying as hell, and as I said earlier, the world-building in The Daughters’ War is incredible. Additionally, if you are a reader who loves reading military fantasy, I think you will get a kick out of the tactics, battles, and the character's struggles.

“To move an army well is more difficult than to win a battle. Many battles are lost before they are fought because soldiers are starving, or they have not slept, or they are so mad for water they cannot be kept in formation near a stream.”


Overall, I will conclude by saying The Daughters’ War is a good prequel novel that did not feel fully compatible with me. It is difficult to top Kinch Na Shannack’s distinct narration and storytelling. Humor is one of the most challenging things to nail in fantasy fiction, in my opinion, and my admiration of The Blacktongue Thief improved a lot because of how good Buehlman is at including humor in his narrative. It is unfortunate and understandable that we do not have that in The Daughters' War. However, I will remind you who's reading this review right now. I am certainly on the unpopular side with my lukewarm reaction to The Daughters' War. Most reviews and ratings I've seen toward this book are incredibly positive, and I urge you to read The Daughters' War regardless of my review. It is undoubtedly a tale of war, betrayal, and vengeance. I look forward to reading the sequel of The Blacktongue Thief.

“I did not know what to say to this, so I grunted, which made him laugh one quiet ha, which in turn made me smile. To love someone well is to know their small noises, and to hear home in them. This is not a small thing on foreign soil.”


You can order this book from: Amazon | Blackwells (Free International shipping)

The quotes in this review were taken from an ARC and are subject to change upon publication.

You can find this and the rest of my reviews at Novel Notions | I also have a Booktube channel

This is a prequel novel and is set years just before The Blacktongue Thief and is focusing on the goblin wars that is mentioned in that book. Written in a very dark narrative, definitely grimdark quality and we follow a young woman who literally goes to war against goblins with her battle birds, it’s like reading a real account of her experiences on a battle field and we see it from the very beginning to the very end. It’s reminded me a lot of The Heroes by Joe Abercrombie so HIGHLY recommend. Possibly favorite of the year!

Ahoy there mateys! This book is the prequel to the blacktongue thief.  This is the story of the Daughters' War and Galva the Knight's part in it.  It is a book I very much enjoyed even if I didn't necessarily need it.  I had enjoyed Galva as a bit of an enigma.  However, the opening of the book has such a great set-up that I was immediately pulled in:

"I was under sail, on my way to war. On my way to fall in love with death, and with a queen. On my way to lose all of my friends, and two of my brothers. I would see a great city fall in blood and fire, betrayed by a false god. Later, I would be commanded to die on a high stone bridge, but I would fail in this."

The tone of this novel is very different from book one.  It is very dark and grim with not a lot of the humor.  Galva takes her responsibilities very seriously.  The plot deals with Galva's actions in the war while reminiscing about her upbringing and relationship with her three brothers.  The best part of this book, of course, are the war Corvids.  I loved learning how they were made, trained, and used to kill the Goblins.  I also enjoyed seeing Galva's inexperience turn into skill and also learning how Galva came to find her life's purpose.  Hearing her story from her own point-of-view did enrich my respect for the character and was an interesting counterpoint to how Kinch Na Shannack views her in book one.

I am very glad that I read them in publishing order.  I recommend that other readers do the same.  Arrr!

Daughter's War by Christopher Buehlman

This book showed an egalitarian society where all genders appeared to be treated or ill-treated as equals with the exception of succession. War with goblins is the theme. Black and white, no good can be found in Goblins so they are the perfect villains. Galva is the daughter who isn’t expected to inherit the title and decides to ignore the perks of her station and go to war.
Galva is a Raven Knight. Not ordinary Ravens but magically enhanced war ravens.
In the course of the war, Galva discovers an unknown aspect of her beloved ravens that is devastating to the goblins.
The book has some interesting interrelationships between friends, lovers and family. There is magic accompanied by monsters and heroes.
This was a delightful tale despite describing the horrors of war.
I thoroughly enjoyed it, and highly recommend it.

Interesting read, the characters where engaging and interesting and their stories keep you reading . A good read for a long weekend.

Whoo, this book. Stunning, beautiful, exceeded expectations. I loved the humor and heart of The Blacktongue Thief, and knew that this prequel would focus on Galva so was likely to be a little less of a fun fantasy romp. Maybe this is true, but it is also fantastic. Buehlman does a wonderful job of writing a completely different story that is taking place in the same world. You still get your magic - maybe even more of it, I feel - and your run-ins with the quirky Galts, but it's so much more than "a story in the Blacktongue Thief universe." Also you'll probably fall in love with irascible war-corvids.

It was great to be back in this world again despite how dark it can get. Galva is a great character I was happy to learn more about her. The Blacktongue Thief was one of my favourite books of 2023 and this was a worthy prequel. It didn't quite hit the same level as book one but it was still a great read.

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

A young woman goes to war with her battle-birds beside her, meets up with her three brothers (the good, the bad, and the younger), falls in love, chases a monkey, befriends a dwarf, battles goblins more than once, admires architecture, meets a goddess, and discovers how unfair both life and war can be. Beautifully written, easily a 4.5 for me.

The Blacktongue Thief is one of my all time favourite books and I was so excited to dive into Galva's back story. And although this book was quite different in tone from TBT (obviously, as there is another narrator) it did not disappoint. The goblins are so terrifying! I will be thinking about this book for a long time and will be recommending it to everybody (as I also do with TBT)!

A fantastically dark narrative with moments beautiful and terrifying in equal measure. I loved stepping back into the world of The Blacktongue Thief and getting to know Galva better. I can't wait for more!

This was such an awesome read! I was honestly okay with having Galva's backstory be a mystery, but after reading The Daughter's War, I am SO glad we got to delve into her past! I love a good prequel, but sometimes they can be so unnecessary or almost ruin the original story... That being said, this one did NOT disappoint! I loved reading about the goblin war and learning more about Galva and her comrades. It's a prequel that was done well! I love Buehlman's writing style and really look forward to reading more from this world. The Blacktongue Thief did such a great job world building, and then The Daughter's War did just the same for expanding that world!
Definately recommend!

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Tor Publishing Group for the chance to read and review The Daughter's War!

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the e-ARC! I am very grateful and happy to explore everything this author will write in the future as well!

I was under sail, on my way to war. On my way to fall in love with death, and with a queen. On my way to lose all of my friends, and two of my brothers. I would see a great city fall in blood and fire, betrayed by a false god. Later, I would be commanded to die on a high stone bridge, but I would fail in this.

This opening sets up the rest of the story as Galva narrates her adventure. Her downfall.

Galva is the youngest daughter of the Duke of Braga with three brothers, all fighting in the war against the goblins. She is in an experimental regiment using raven-like birds the size of stags and is basically resigned to dying a bloody death.

This has been a hard skill to learn, the forgiving of self, and it is not always easy to know when it is good and when it is indulgent.

This was rich in world-building. Buelhman is self-aware that he lays the world-building on thick at the start but it is done creatively through different mediums so it doesn’t feel like an information dump: flashbacks, letters, observations.
Not to mention, Buelhman has a way with poetry. Normally, I find multiple verses of poetry included in a fantasy book annoying and worthless, yet I was enraptured by his words and how it added to the story.

Buelhman builds a gritty, dark world, full of the horrors, depravity, and cruelty of war.
Told from a first person point of view, Galva offers many rich observations and depth to this world and her humanity really shows.

To be loved by a man is to be issued a decree he has written in advance, and has presented to others; to receive a woman's love is to have a very personal letter written on one's body.

What I immensely enjoyed was that the goblins weren’t the traditional stupid creatures usually sent to overwhelm. They actually seem scarier, smarter, and crueler than humans.

Magic also has a price to pay for its usage, and this raises stakes and doesn’t guarantee victory so each step forward is hard-won and questionable.

The ending felt rushed, however, as this is a prequel book, I don’t feel as cheated as I might have.
I think you could totally read this without reading the Blacktongue thief. You might miss some allusions and details, but you wouldn’t miss out on any plot.

Thank you to Tor Publishing for providing an archive of in exchange for a review!