Review: Bloodwoven by G.J. Terral

Blurb:

Lies woven in blood are lines waiting to be crossed.

Lin is a competent, dedicated soldier but his mission takes a drastic turn when one of his charges is found murdered. Soon after, he is ambushed by magic-twisted monsters, gravely wounded, and abandoned by his one remaining ally.

Waking to find his injuries healed by forbidden magic, Lin is marked as an oathbreaker by the very laws and beliefs he upholds.

Lin soon finds his faith in the faction he’s lived his life upholding tested by the woman who saved him from the brink of death. With his fate hanging by a thread, he faces an impossible choice: stand by his new ally and seek vengeance for his murdered charge or betray her for amnesty from those who’d execute him.

Review:

Bloodwoven is an emotional journey, full of action, deep character building, and philosophical questions. The magic system is fascinating and the world is full of surprises.  We follow Lin, a Furrucium Escorter, who has been tasked with guarding Margaret and Aemun, a couple who are expecting their first child.  Within the first few chapters, this mission goes to hell, and Lin finds himself traveling with Tylle, a woman who may or may not be a murderer and definitely just turned Lin into a monster with her magic. What follows is a fast-paced sword and sorcery adventure! And it’s a hell of a lot of fun. 

Characters: 

Lin: A good main character. He’s the sole POV and he has enough internal and external conflict going on to keep him intriguing throughout the entire novel. I always like a character who struggles with self-doubt, anxiety, and fear, and Lin is that character. Terral did a fantastic job of showing Lin’s emotional side without turning him into a character who just whines. Lin has a great relationship with the baby in the story, and I’m looking forward to seeing more of them together in later books.  I love Lin’s interactions with Tylle as well. I ship it. 

Tylle: Another fantastic character. She is the yin to Lin’s yang and they have an awesome partnership, considering how much they dislike each other at the beginning. Tylle shows a real kindness when she saves Lin at the beginning of the book even when he’s convinced she’s a murderer who needs to be executed.   To repeat: I ship it. 

Aemun: The bad guy.  For the entire book. I just wanted someone to punch his stupid face. There were times when I feltl like he could have had a bit more to him. He’s evil and killed his lover/the mother of his child, but he doesn’t spend very much time struggling with the fact that he did horrible things for what he believes in. He’s just kind of a jerk.  And I get it. Every story needs a villain. 

Worldbuilding/Magic System:  

Very cool magic system.  The Furrucium has set forth rules outlawing stitches. If you use stitches, you not only become persona non grata to the Furrucium, but you become untethered. The Untethered are the stuff of nightmares: not so much people anymore as monsters. 

I think my favorite part about this whole tethered/untethered conflict is that Tylle used stitches and yet has not become a monster. She stitches Lin and he does not immediately become a monster, though he worries that will be the case in the future. I like the gray area here. It’s not just tethered=good, untethered=bad. People are good and bad, and their tetheredness isn’t the only factor. 

Story:

Great opening, and a very solid first act. The misguided and possibly evil nature of the Furrucium was obvious from the beginning, but Lin doesn’t know, which gives us some excellent dramatic irony.  I found some parts in the middle a little slow at times: quite a bit of travel. I also questioned the decision making of some of the characters not named Lin and Tylle.  However, even though those minor qualms, I was hooked.  The Noosemen are creepy and something that will haunt my dreams.  And the untethered? Even more so. I actually felt like we could have gotten more untethered goodness in the novel, and I’m hoping for more in later books. 

Writing:  Well-written! Terral does well with emotional characters and has a good ear for description. He’s one to watch!

Overall:  If you’re looking for under the radar fantasy books, this is one to check out! I enjoyed my time with Lin and Tylle, and I’m excited to see what else this series has in store for us! Highly recommended!