The Blood of Kings trilogy is an epic medieval fantasy tale
about Achan Cham, a young man who is a slave, and Vrell Sparrow, a young
noblewoman disguised as a boy to avoid a forced marriage. They discover their
ability to speak to and hear the minds of others, which is called bloodvoicing,
as they battle back the darkness covering half the land of Er’Rets.
After reading about this book in snippets from The First 50 Pages by Jeff Gerke and Storyworld First by Jill Williamson, I
knew I had to check it out. Just the concept of bloodvoicing was intriguing.
The world is vividly three-dimensional, from its history of the murdered king
and queen to the half dead tree in the middle of the land to the Cham, a
fire-breathing bear.
Even when he’s nothing more than an abused slave, Achan is
noble and honorable, protecting those weaker than himself. His heart is pure
and his compassion is astounding. Though he makes several terrible mistakes,
giving us a glimpse of his darker side, he never fails to return to Arman, the
One God.
Vrell is 17, and her plight caught my interest right away.
What would it be like to have to disguise yourself as a 14 year-old boy in
order to avoid a miserable marriage? Her situation becomes increasingly
precarious and interesting as she eventually joins Achan in his journey. Achan
thinks she’s a weakling (since he’s under the impression that she is a he) and sees it as his responsibility to teach her how to fight and
wrestle.
Eventually—much to my elation—their relationship does take a
turn for the romantic. The romance is most prominent in the second book, but
throughout the story, it’s often a huge source of motivation for the two of
them, but the book is predominantly a medieval fantasy adventure. Though the
romance is present, we don’t see enough of it, in my humble opinion ;) In case
you can’t tell, I totally ship them!
Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed this book and seeing both of
the characters grow over the course of the story. It has some wonderful
examples of God (or Arman) and His love. (Note: The first book, By Darkness Hid, is free on Kindle!)
Do you like a thread of romance in a story? What are some of
your favorite medieval fantasy epics?
Thanks for reading!
Great review, Liz! I have the first book of this series on my tablet, I'm excited to read it! And yes, I do happen to like a thread of romance in a story, which probably comes as no surprise :)
ReplyDeleteThank you! And that definitely isn't a surprise ;)
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