Synopsis
Some doors should not be opened . . .
Winter has come early to Korslakov, City of Spires, and Lukan Gardova has arrived with it. Most visitors to this famous city of artifice seek technological marvels, or alchemical ingenuity. Lukan only desires the unknown legacy his father has left for him, in the vaults of the Blackfire Bank.
But when Lukan’s key to the vault is stolen by a mysterious thief known as the Rook, he and his friends find themselves trapped in a deadly web of murder and deceit. In desperation, Lukan seeks help from Lady Marni Volkova, scion of Korslakov’s most powerful family.
Yet Lady Marni has secrets of her own. Worse, she has plans for Lukan and his friends. Plans that involve a journey into Korslakov’s dark past, in search of a long-lost alchemical formula that could lead to the city’s greatest discovery . . . or its destruction.
Review:
Hello again dear reader or listener, I hope your weekend has treated you well and that you’re ready for me to gush over one of my most anticipated sequels of the year. Well, you’re here so I’m going to assume that is indeed the case.
With thanks to the Quercus/Arcadia team for granting my NetGalley request for an eARC of this book, let’s get down to it, with your usual warning for the exceptionally minor, nigh inexistent, spoilers for book one ahead.
I had very high expectations for this sequel, based solely on how promising and fun The Silverblood Promise had been. It was clear to me then, in fact, that Logan had both his head and heart in the right place to deliver a story that learned from the hiccups of his debut and could put forward something even better. My review of that first book, had indeed taken a respectful but critical detour as to what hadn’t quite worked then. So, imagine my surprise when I got a text by my co-blogger Paige telling me I’d been blurbed on its paperback release (my first too!). I’ll admit that played a role in me wanting to get to this sequel early as well, but then life happened and I ended up only reading it this past week.
I can now safely say that Logan breezily surpassed those expectations with The Blackfire Blade, making everything that worked great in book one even better, avoiding previous mistakes, and vaulting right over the feared sophomore slump. Indeed, this series is quickly and easily carving out a spot for itself as the perfect entry into the genre for new fantasy readers, and as a comfort read for those of us seasoned in classic epic fantasy. Everything I said for book one remains true; Logan’s worldbuilding is strong and, his take on beloved tropes, fresh and engaging.
With new perils and characters to be met by our beloved protagonists, Logan eases us into the story with a fairly soft, yet characteristically atmospheric and humorous, introduction to this new and freezing city of Korslakov. Because Lukan is the disaster of a human that he is, however, things take a turn pretty fast, and we are propelled into a story of aggravating/entertaining mishaps, edge of your seat action, more heists and monsters, blackmail, sharp banter, quite a lot of anxiety, and lots of character growth.
That list could’ve been longer so, you’re welcome.
… ‘I regret to say, you’ve become my business. My priority, in fact’.
‘I’m honoured.’
‘Don’t be. My priorities tend to have poor lifespans. And you’re already well past yours.’
Logan’s character work is truly his strongest suit in this book, but that doesn’t mean the plot itself isn’t as intriguing or riveting. Cinematic action is paired up with an eerier atmosphere than before, the mysteries are a little darker, the secrets a little heavier, and the monsters certainly more sinister. Yet the humor remains optimally placed to allow us a moment to breathe, and the cast of interesting side characters is a little less crowded. Moreover, I appreciated that the team still has growing pains as, by the time of this entry, they have been together for barely a few months and they are still getting to know one another properly, even though they all care for each other deeply. My soft found family heart was fed so well in this book, dear reader. Truly there wasn’t a moment that I wasn’t clutching my chest in wave after wave of feels. Unless I was chuckling over their zingers and antics that is. Because balance.
I find that the author’s strong suit is giving us relatable and realistic heroes in a vulnerable way that used to be fairly uncommon throughout epic fantasy up until relatively recently. This was something we saw in book one, mainly through Lukan’s eyes as he was the main fish out of water in Saphrona, and fairly new to being a more responsible and driven character after years of gambling and drinking his problems away. By the end of Silverblood, Lukan has changed a lot but he still has a ways to go. But with Blackfire, Ashra and Flea are also no longer in their element, having left the city they’ve both known their whole lives, and needing to deal with the uncertainty that comes with that. Are they still the best at what they do? Do they have what it takes to adapt? More importantly, can these three meet in the middle in such a way that will keep them together or will the intrinsic differences created by their differing social upbringing be a wedge that breaks them all apart?
The characters talk and actually listen to each other, avoiding contrived or juvenile tensions that are a tired cliché, bringing to the foreground the fact that Logan, once again, navigates themes of class, privilege, idealism, and fraught family relationships, instead. And, he does so even more maturely and intelligently than before. Belonging or not, is another main undercurrent and one we see in almost every character throughout the story in one way or another that stays with you and maybe even makes you feel seen and understood. Even characters who seem to be archetypes or could fall into caricature territory, work toward teaching us to go past assumptions and as a vehicle for sundered feels towards the end of the story. I’m fine really.
It has been scientifically proven that reading fiction develops and nurtures empathy in people and, I would argue, James Logan’s work is among those that can most assuredly and earnestly boast such an achievement.
‘Together then,’ Ashra said, a sudden warmth stirring inside her. […] ‘Or not all.’
‘Together or not at all,’ Flea echoed, […]
‘You two will be the death of me,’ Lukan muttered, but he was smiling…
In short, book two of The Last Legacy series comes in as a strong sequel, better from its predecessor in every way – a bar that was pretty high to begin with – bringing us one step closer to solving the wider mystery that haunts our protagonists, while also giving us the time to get to know them better throughout an action-packed narrative that allows them to grow into some of the most well rounded characters in modern fantasy.
Meeting Lukan, Ashra, and Flea again felt like coming home to old friends with whom it feels as if no time has passed at all. Reading this book felt like sitting on a plush carpet in front of a crackling fireplace while listening to an expert and vivacious narrator regale me with the story. Even when passages of this tale wanted to make me shiver in sympathy from the cold evoked.
Until next time,
Eleni A.E.
P.S: The MVP here was Clank but you’ll have to read to know why.
P.P.S: If you’re on the fence about getting a special edition you must absolutely consider The Broken Binding’s special edition with art from Jeff Brown, that I linked above. I have my copy and I can’t stop staring at how gorgeous it is. He is doing incredible work for this series and these books are a thing of absolute beauty!!
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