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A review by willrefuge
Blade of Dream by Daniel Abraham
5.0
10 / 10 ✪
https://arefugefromlife.wordpress.com/2024/02/15/blade-of-dream-by-daniel-abraham-review/
Age of Ash was… okaaay.
That’s really the best I could’ve said for it. I found the story a bit dry and meandering, a mixed bag with its characters, and nothing I really related to enough to easily draw me into the tale. When I finally did get immersed in the world—the laboriously crafted Kithamar—I reasonably enjoyed it, though that was a near-thing, even approaching the close.
So when it came to the sequel I was… not terribly optimistic. Didn’t know if I’d continue with the series, if I’m honest. Even after I requested it, the book sat unopened on my kindle, and while I did try to find time for it, I ultimately wouldn’t until after the start of 2024.
Now I’m wishing that I would’ve read it sooner—so that I could’ve read and REREAD it by now.
But here’s the thing: it’s going to be very hard for me to recommend this book, even though it may well be the best book I’ll read this year.
We’ll get into why in a moment. First, let’s set the scene.
—
Everything rose and was lost. Every decision ended the other paths that a different choice would have opened. Including all the lives in which this still might be his home.
—
Garreth Left is a merchant’s son, scion to one of the guild’s most successful families. His life had been built and planned all before he escaped swaddling, with some few caveats left for him to indulge himself on. But what’s clear is his path, where he will build on his parents’ success and lead into the future. Although…
Try as they might, his parents have had a hard run of things lately. And Garreth’s already set-out path has gained a new certainty: marriage to a woman he’s never met and does not love, all to cement a deal that will save his family.
Life to Garreth is not about choice, but duty. And yet one night, an impossible encounter with an equally unavailable woman, and Garreth finds himself in love with a stranger he’ll likely never see again, nor even learn the name of. And yet he is tempted to try. More tempted than he’s ever been by anything.
I think we’ll leave it there.
—
"Mother is trying to make an alliance. Yrith is here to marry you. She's your wife in everything but the ceremony. How would you feel if she were dragging strange men into her bed?"
“Get her some. We'll find out."
—
So, you’ve seen my rating and read (or skimmed) my spiel—you know I loved this book. Now the why.
I always wondered how a story written over three books—all set concurrently—would play out. If done well, it could be a masterpiece, with each volume getting more and more immersive, each revealing minute details you’d have to reread the previous to understand fully. A bit like three people drawing the same map; individually, none would stand out, but when overlaid upon one another, each adding details only noticed by that person, the grander picture would come slowly into focus. Age of Ash was slow, I already said. Though it did tell a complete story. But only here, after Blade of Dream, does the larger scale come into view.
I didn’t relate much to Alys (I’m neither cocksure, nor ambitious), and while I enjoyed Sammish more, I never really got to love her. Garreth and Elaine I fell in love with at the start. Two affluent youngsters, with their futures already laid out before them, set in stone. And yet they feel lost, unsure whether either wants to accept the path that is before them, inevitable or not. They happen upon one another, and it’s like the eye of the storm—only the other is visible, yet that’s all either has eyes for anyway. I’m at a time in my life where nothing is clear, lost in a fog where before their was nothing but clear skies. Not only did this come at the perfect time for me, but I related well to both the characters I was presented with. Neither of which could be said of the first book.
The build was a bit slow, but after the scene was set and I got into it—I was out. Just ran through it. When I wasn’t reading it, I was thinking about reading it. When I wasn’t thinking about reading it, I was dissecting every detail I remembered from Book 1. Heck, I even went back and reread passages from Age of Ash to compare the two events side-by-side. Even now, weeks after I finished it, the story is still at the front of my mind. None of my more recent reads have replaced, or even competed with it. And yet…
I’ve seen a lot of reviews from people who loved the first book, but were less than thrilled with the second. A few that loved both, and a few that were mediocre either way. It’s going to be difficult for me to recommend a book that I know really worked for me because of who I am. Just like I couldn’t recommend the first book—for the exact same reason. I will say that the two work very well together, but I’m still not sure if that’ll be enough to get some of you to approach this series. As I know firsthand, what works for one person may not work well for the next, especially with entries that don’t really share any characters between their pages. Yes, the setting is the same, but the cast has flipped entirely. It’s like turning on the season premier of your favorite show and learning that they’ve decided to go in a different direction, sacked and completely replaced the cast, relocated to a different part of town—though the overarching plot and settings remain the same. It’s the sort of thing that would raise an eyebrow. And lose not a little amount of viewers.
I mean… if you loved the first—maybe you’ll like the second? If you were on the fence—well, maybe you’ll like the second? If you’re intrigued and want to see how it all comes together—yeah, feel encouraged to check out the series. Maybe even read them together, I dunno. But I do know that while I didn’t love the first, I adored the second, and am very much anticipating the release of the third, to see how it all ties together!
TL;DR
I’m not summarizing. You know that I loved the book. If you want to know why, you’ll have to take the long road—sorry.
https://arefugefromlife.wordpress.com/2024/02/15/blade-of-dream-by-daniel-abraham-review/
Age of Ash was… okaaay.
That’s really the best I could’ve said for it. I found the story a bit dry and meandering, a mixed bag with its characters, and nothing I really related to enough to easily draw me into the tale. When I finally did get immersed in the world—the laboriously crafted Kithamar—I reasonably enjoyed it, though that was a near-thing, even approaching the close.
So when it came to the sequel I was… not terribly optimistic. Didn’t know if I’d continue with the series, if I’m honest. Even after I requested it, the book sat unopened on my kindle, and while I did try to find time for it, I ultimately wouldn’t until after the start of 2024.
Now I’m wishing that I would’ve read it sooner—so that I could’ve read and REREAD it by now.
But here’s the thing: it’s going to be very hard for me to recommend this book, even though it may well be the best book I’ll read this year.
We’ll get into why in a moment. First, let’s set the scene.
—
Everything rose and was lost. Every decision ended the other paths that a different choice would have opened. Including all the lives in which this still might be his home.
—
Garreth Left is a merchant’s son, scion to one of the guild’s most successful families. His life had been built and planned all before he escaped swaddling, with some few caveats left for him to indulge himself on. But what’s clear is his path, where he will build on his parents’ success and lead into the future. Although…
Try as they might, his parents have had a hard run of things lately. And Garreth’s already set-out path has gained a new certainty: marriage to a woman he’s never met and does not love, all to cement a deal that will save his family.
Life to Garreth is not about choice, but duty. And yet one night, an impossible encounter with an equally unavailable woman, and Garreth finds himself in love with a stranger he’ll likely never see again, nor even learn the name of. And yet he is tempted to try. More tempted than he’s ever been by anything.
I think we’ll leave it there.
—
"Mother is trying to make an alliance. Yrith is here to marry you. She's your wife in everything but the ceremony. How would you feel if she were dragging strange men into her bed?"
“Get her some. We'll find out."
—
So, you’ve seen my rating and read (or skimmed) my spiel—you know I loved this book. Now the why.
I always wondered how a story written over three books—all set concurrently—would play out. If done well, it could be a masterpiece, with each volume getting more and more immersive, each revealing minute details you’d have to reread the previous to understand fully. A bit like three people drawing the same map; individually, none would stand out, but when overlaid upon one another, each adding details only noticed by that person, the grander picture would come slowly into focus. Age of Ash was slow, I already said. Though it did tell a complete story. But only here, after Blade of Dream, does the larger scale come into view.
I didn’t relate much to Alys (I’m neither cocksure, nor ambitious), and while I enjoyed Sammish more, I never really got to love her. Garreth and Elaine I fell in love with at the start. Two affluent youngsters, with their futures already laid out before them, set in stone. And yet they feel lost, unsure whether either wants to accept the path that is before them, inevitable or not. They happen upon one another, and it’s like the eye of the storm—only the other is visible, yet that’s all either has eyes for anyway. I’m at a time in my life where nothing is clear, lost in a fog where before their was nothing but clear skies. Not only did this come at the perfect time for me, but I related well to both the characters I was presented with. Neither of which could be said of the first book.
The build was a bit slow, but after the scene was set and I got into it—I was out. Just ran through it. When I wasn’t reading it, I was thinking about reading it. When I wasn’t thinking about reading it, I was dissecting every detail I remembered from Book 1. Heck, I even went back and reread passages from Age of Ash to compare the two events side-by-side. Even now, weeks after I finished it, the story is still at the front of my mind. None of my more recent reads have replaced, or even competed with it. And yet…
I’ve seen a lot of reviews from people who loved the first book, but were less than thrilled with the second. A few that loved both, and a few that were mediocre either way. It’s going to be difficult for me to recommend a book that I know really worked for me because of who I am. Just like I couldn’t recommend the first book—for the exact same reason. I will say that the two work very well together, but I’m still not sure if that’ll be enough to get some of you to approach this series. As I know firsthand, what works for one person may not work well for the next, especially with entries that don’t really share any characters between their pages. Yes, the setting is the same, but the cast has flipped entirely. It’s like turning on the season premier of your favorite show and learning that they’ve decided to go in a different direction, sacked and completely replaced the cast, relocated to a different part of town—though the overarching plot and settings remain the same. It’s the sort of thing that would raise an eyebrow. And lose not a little amount of viewers.
I mean… if you loved the first—maybe you’ll like the second? If you were on the fence—well, maybe you’ll like the second? If you’re intrigued and want to see how it all comes together—yeah, feel encouraged to check out the series. Maybe even read them together, I dunno. But I do know that while I didn’t love the first, I adored the second, and am very much anticipating the release of the third, to see how it all ties together!
TL;DR
I’m not summarizing. You know that I loved the book. If you want to know why, you’ll have to take the long road—sorry.