Synopsis
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 a solid debut by new author G.J Terral. Right away we are thrown into a world where zombie-like untethered are a constant threat, but not so much as the machinations of evil men hungry for power. Within pages, we are left stunned by a murder with no obvious answer and a nagging doubt as to the answer.
While this book starts as a fairly standard fantasy with a bit of murder mystery, it quickly changes as our protagonist, Lin, doubts the truth of his gods, world, and reality. This dynamic works, particularly when the somewhat naive Lin is paired with the mysterious and empathetic Tylle. They work really well off each other and make the middle of the book particularly engaging.
The world itself is well-realized and has a lot of development during the course of this relatively short work. I felt like I understood the basics of religion, geography, and culture in a really short time. I found myself wishing that I could find out more about the history, and every little bit that was teased was fantastic.
I was pleasantly surprised by the quality of writing and editing in this book. With a new indie author, you never know exactly what you are going to get, and Terral’s writing was a bright point as he effortlessly guided us through this story that continues to change pace. It gives me a LOT of confidence that subsequent books will manage to be even better.
I did feel like the secondary characters could have used more development, but it is possible that is more wishful thinking than necessary for the plot. The only time I felt like this detracted from the story was at the end where alliances shifted and it could have used more context.
Overall, this is a great story, a fantastic debut, and an intriguing world. What G.J Terral manages to do in his debut is what many authors wish they could do consistently: engage their readers and live in their imaginations rent-free. I expect that he will remain a name to watch, and I can’t wait to see what he comes up with next.
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