Synopsis:
A bookworm, a brothel madam, a gangster, an aristocrat, a widow and a war hero walk into an inn – though it turns out there’s nothing funny about what happens next.
For humanity’s ancient enemy the Serafin are rumoured to have returned, and the old man who assembled such an unlikely band believes these misfits might hold the key to defeating them. United only by guilt, trauma, and the machinations of their mysterious patron, together they must journey to the centre of the continent to do battle with gods.
But only by using the Serafin’s own powers do they hold any chance of victory: a magic that has a cost. Corrupted long ago, it condemns those who wield it to become the shunned, self-mutilating sorcerers known as the Scarred.
Each must decide – is that cost worth paying to save the world?
Perfect for fans of authors like Joe Abercrombie, Brian McClellan and George R.R. Martin, The Worth of Scars is an epic flintlock adventure with a twist, fusing thought-provoking, dark and intriguing themes with the classic fantasy quest.
Review:
For fans of A Game of Thrones and Jay Kristoff, this is an epic grimdark flintlock fantasy novel.
Six misfits with tragic or shameful pasts – a bookworm, a brothel madam, a gangster, an aristocrat, a widow, and a war hero – are assembled by an old man at an inn.
That’s all I am going to say because this is a slow burn book where the plot doesn’t truly start until 30% in.
The start of the book does a lot of heavy lifting in terms of setting up certain characters.
The characters are well-realised and intriguing, reminding me of Joe Abercrombie’s character work. However, it can be frustrating to jump from different character stories as you don’t feel like you’ve got a grip on the plot or direction.
The plot gets exciting and epic, gory and dark. The magic system is revealed with horrific costs – a tie in to the title: scarring and disfiguring oneself for power.
‘What is the point of trying to save the world, if we do it by ignoring and upholding the evil that exists within it?’ asked Zlata. ‘If you let a child die in order to advance a worthy cause, how can it then be worthy?’
Whilst the world building seemed immense and vast, I struggled coming to grips with it as it was fed in drips and relied on occasional info dumping. Likewise, the plot plodded along, and the climax escalated everything FAST. It was a bit too much all at once for me.
The character work was the best part. Intricate, varied, and emotional. The dynamics reminded me of the push and pull of the Six of Crows cast.
I do think there were too many characters in the main cast. Some were clearly favoured and others neglected and lacking any big role in the story, yet had their own POVs.
This is a start to a series, but book one wraps up extremely satisfyingly. If you don’t read the epilogue, you could almost believe this a standalone.
Overall, a very ambitious effort that is a long read and doesn’t hold your hand, but is worth it for characters that jump off the page and a gritty atmosphere.
Leave a Reply