Synopsis
An orphan, without a trueborn name, returns to the city of her birth to uncover her past. Hounded by the servants of the Dark God and dying from the poisonous mist that covers the land, her path leads to one of the magical seals protecting the holy ruin of Eminence.
A father, murdered and reborn, aims to bring down the floating fortress hovering over his homeland. Burdened by loss, he’s willing to sacrifice his soul to free his city and get revenge for the destruction of his family.
A mother, captured and bonded to a daemon, kills in the name of the Dark God so she can free her tortured daughter. Relentless in her vengeance, she hunts the one person who could end her suffering: the man who would destroy her vile master.
A drake, the banished hatchling of a failed advisor, seeks his father’s stolen horns. Untested, he desires to right his father’s wrongs in the eyes of the gods and restore his family’s honor.
As all converge in the occupied desert city where the world’s fuel source is mined, one family’s bond will be tested. Old betrayals will resurface, anger and resentment will flourish, but one thing remains clear: blood rules all.
Review
Thank you to the author for providing an eARC in exchange for an honest review.
Sometimes an author will come along and really exceed your expectations on a novel you’ve already been looking forward to. Bill Adam had me glued to the pages with The Godsblood Tragedy so much that I was pestering them with questions and theories throughout only to have my mind blown by the end.
This is a multi-POV contained story about rebellion and hope, and the burdens that come with it, but there are moments where you just want the action to push this forward. Ashe, who doesn’t know her true name, is this mysterious orphan who sets out to uncover her past. Ashe was written brilliantly. A character that had one goal in mind. Emre, somehow murdered and reborn, wants to bring down Gargantuan – the floating city – and will do anything to accomplish this. Cadrianna, captured and bound to a demon, kills in the name of the Dark God. Lojen, a drake out to find his father’s stolen horns and right his father’s wrongs. Lu Har, who reminded me of Fou-Lu from Breath of Fire IV. A malevolent being and one that is the opposite of our characters. Strix, a talking sword! All these were characters so unique but so essential to the story and I cannot wait to see what happens from here.
Bill’s writing was easy to follow but that doesn’t take away from how descriptive this was. There were times that you could really feel the mysterious mist, feel how these characters felt in the heat of things, feel the chains of Gargantuan and its surroundings. The dialogue between characters, especially Strix and Cadrianna, was enjoyable but I was a fan of how Bill described these characters’ feelings. There was a sense of these characters being actual people with inner turmoil that led to some rash decisions. We aren’t drip-fed the lore and instead have to piece this together. Bill wants to write this book about these characters whilst giving us hints at the larger story and what worked here was coming to our own conclusions. I like this way of revealing things and Bill masterfully did this.
I was a massive fan of the story here. Bill unravelled things at a steady pace but I just wanted to know more. Who are these Divines? Who is Canlan Carr? What happens in the Void? It’s a testament to Bill’s plot that I’m hurrying for the release of book two because I was so invested in each story arc. The ending itself blew my mind and it was so epic. This is one for fans of magic systems such as Sandersons. We have different forms of aethurgy – Soul, Vision, Burn, Shard and Void – and Bill can do so much with this magic system and where it comes from. This is one of those self-contained stories that opens up massively by the end. As much as I rooted for these rebels, and was left completely heartbroken, this is a story that is just getting started and I dread to think what is on the way because I now know that Bill will not hold back.
This is a series I’m completely here in the long run for. Bill Adams has created something incredibly special and I want everything from the Mistlands injected into my DNA from here on. It is a rare piece of work that I’m glad to have given a chance because now I will not be able to get enough of this. Check this one out!
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