Review: The Bladed Faith by David Dalglish
Blurb:
A usurped prince prepares to take up the mantle of a deadly assassin and reclaim his kingdom, his people, and his slain gods in this epic fantasy from a USA Today bestselling author.
Cyrus was only twelve years old when his gods were slain, his country invaded, and his parents—the king and queen—beheaded in front of him. Held prisoner in the invader's court for years, Cyrus is suddenly given a chance to escape and claim his revenge when a mysterious group of revolutionaries comes looking for a figurehead. They need a hero to strike fear into the hearts of the imperial and to inspire and unite the people. They need someone to take up the skull mask and swords and to become the legendary "Vagrant"—an unparalleled hero and assassin of otherworldly skill.
But all is not as it seems. Creating the illusion of a hero is the work of many, and Cyrus will soon discover the true price of his vengeance.
Review:
The Bladed Faith is the first of three books in Dalglish’s Vagrant Gods trilogy, and though it was my first time reading one of his books, it certainly won’t be the last. Before I get into the nitty gritty of what the book was about and the themes it portrays, I want to talk about how this book made me FEEL, because the books I become emotionally invested in always become my favourites. This fantasy book is one of the books I was read when I had a lot going on in life. I was writing all morning and teaching children all day, so by the time I went to read, I was pretty exhausted… This would lead to me reading about 20-50 pages per night, and sometimes placing the book aside and reading it every few says. Now usually when this happens, it’s easy to lose track and to fall off the emotional ride simply because of lack of investment on the reader’s part. What separates the great books from the good, however, is when you’ve had one of those weeks, read it here and there, and yet EVERY time you pick it up something epic happens that makes me go OMG. This is what I got with The Bladed Faith.
The story centralises around a forgotten prince and has a large focus on colonialism, and while this is nothing new (and I suppose you could say the same about the whole book really), it makes up for with brilliant writing and a crafty plot. Lots of authors these days are searching for ways to create something fresh and unique, and while this can be good, sometimes I just want to read something I know, because let’s face it, we love what we love for a reason.
Cyrus is the main character on show here, and his prince turned assassin character reminded me a lot of the Andy Peloquin’s Darkblade series in the way he goes about his righteous killing. I found him both relatable and likable, which is all you want in a main protagonist. This is very much a revolution against a corrupt hierarchy kind of story (similar to my own books!), mixed with a little revenge theme thrown in and there is also the found family trope, which brings me to something else I adored about the series, the side characters!
Every side character was well thought out and had a distinct role to play, from the mysterious mentor in Thorda, to the badass warrior in Stasia, to the kind yet ‘don’t mess with me’ character (who can also take on the form of gods!) in Mari, all the way to the love interest in ***** (no spoilers… 😉)
Overall, if you’re after something familiar yet full of twists and turns, you love reading about the rise and fall of gods and goddesses, and you enjoy gruesome fight scenes with plenty of blood, then this book is for you. My favourite of 2024 I think!
