Review: Godblind by Anna Stephens
Blurb:
The Mireces worship the bloodthirsty Red Gods. Exiled from Rilpor a thousand years ago, and left to suffer a harsh life in the cold mountains, a new Mireces king now plots an invasion of Rilpor’s thriving cities and fertile earth.
Dom Templeson is a Watcher, a civilian warrior guarding Rilpor’s border. He is also the most powerful seer in generations, plagued with visions and prophecies. His people are devoted followers of the god of light and life, but Dom harbors deep secrets, which threaten to be exposed when Rillirin, an escaped Mireces slave, stumbles broken and bleeding into his village.
Meanwhile, more and more of Rilpor’s most powerful figures are turning to the dark rituals and bloody sacrifices of the Red Gods, including the prince, who plots to wrest the throne from his dying father in the heart of the kingdom. Can Rillirin, with her inside knowledge of the Red Gods and her shocking ties to the Mireces King, help Rilpor win the coming war?
Review:
A multi-POV book that I absolutely binge read. Dark gods and their servants conspire and plot to take over society and bring in a blackened age. Anna’s voice in this book is startlingly fresh, her characters flawed and human and wondrous. Gallons and gallons of blood, a few descents into insanity, and a shocking torture scene to put a cherry on top.
Nothing glorious about it, nothing beautiful or noble There was no art of war, there was just this. Carnage.
I think it’s important to start with the pacing of this book. It’s rapid. It works for the book. It’s not for everyone. Most of the chapters are 2-3 pages, a la Sebastien de Castell’s Greatcoat series. If you’ve read works like that before and enjoyed them, I’d recommend this heavily, but if you’re someone who likes longer chapters and to really sit with one character for a while, I’d skip this. It worked fantastically well for me, especially combined with Stephens’ grit, brutality, and humor. I found I couldn’t put it down, and I’m now craving more.
The character work deserves a special mention. We see so many characters’ perspectives, from escaped slaves, a seer going insane, a king worshipping the dark gods, and more, that it’s impossible to not develop favorites. I’ve always had a soft spot for reluctant cowards (think Orso in Age of Madness), so Crys was my standout.
The world-building works well enough. Some very cool concepts presented, such as the Wolves and the Watchers & the pantheon itself.
He leant in and kissed Her, felt the hot press of Her tongue into his mouth. He thought of Rillirin. And bit.
The plot is mostly great. The first three-fourths feel like a scintillating chess match between highly intelligent characters playing for the highest stakes imaginable. However, the last quarter, the book takes a small dive. We’re presented with the idea that “the red gods” are evil and worshipping them is taboo, but soldiers and officers throw away a loyalty to their kind and just gods seemingly far too easily. Additionally, lots of high ranking officers reveal they were secret worshippers all along. While at first the twist & concept of knives hidden in sleeves keeps you on edge, it eventually becomes cloying.
Additionally, the battles and transitions in the last quarter make it feel like pages were taken out. The confusion feels intentional, but still, it was too much, at least for me.
Overall, this novel is a flawed masterpiece. It has its faults, but damn it, I don’t care. I’m all in. Anna Stephens could very easily become one of my favorite authors, and despite my reservations about the ending of the book, I am stoked to get to book two. An amazing voice and an abundance of talent, I highly recommend any grimdark fans to check this out.
