Review: The Traitor’s Blade

Hello people! Today I am here with a review… but it’s not a common review! This is the first review that is not for an ARC! I didn’t believe it, but I’ve checked my older post and… wow, this is really the first one! Again… bad bad blogger, no cookies! (And I really want something sweet to eat right now, mind you!).

Anyway, I want to speak to you about a book that I really loved and that I think you would see again at the end of the year as one of the best reading of my 2018!

Title: Traitor’s Blade
Author: Sebastien De Castell
Series: Greatcoats #1
Page count: 370

Falcio is the first Cantor of the Greatcoats. Trained in the fighting arts and the laws of Tristia, the Greatcoats are travelling Magisters upholding King’s Law. They are heroes. Or at least they were, until they stood aside while the Dukes took the kingdom, and impaled their King’s head on a spike.

Now Tristia is on the verge of collapse and the barbarians are sniffing at the borders. The Dukes bring chaos to the land, while the Greatcoats are scattered far and wide, reviled as traitors, their legendary coats in tatters.

All they have left are the promises they made to King Paelis, to carry out one final mission. But if they have any hope of fulfilling the King’s dream, the divided Greatcoats must reunite, or they will also have to stand aside as they watch their world burn…

 

I’ve read this book at the beginning of January but it’s still hard to speak about it, because how can I explain myself? I loved this book so much that it’s really difficult to write something sensible and not just a lot of fangirling things all around, but I’ll try!

I love that this is quite a dark story, with complex characters, a world that is almost in ruin, plots and twists and intrigues at every corner and a fast pace that keeps you glued to the pages. 
The story reminds of the Three Musketeers, that’s true, and even if there are some similarities this is definitely not a retelling of Dumas’ work, so if you aren’t so keen on reading that kind of story, but you are intrigued with story about honor and loyalty, about friendship and obligations and you aren’t scared of dark atmosphere and story but you love a good adventure with characters masterly developed and complex, and if you love setting with intrigues and political problems, well… if the answer is yes, I highly advise you to give this series a try!

Falcio is a really good main character, he’s not the hero with the shining armor, oh my… he really isn’t! He’s one of the good guys, that much is clear and out of the question, but he’s not a happy man and he didn’t always make happy choices. I think he’s one of the darkest characters I ever met, in the ranks of the good guy (and I mean those characters that are the good guys without questions) and I liked him a lot. He wasn’t my favorite character and he’s not always the brightest bulb on the box (sometimes he really is slow!!!!!) but he really is a complex character and he’s really real! Also, I liked a lot that he’s not always the best in everything (ok, I don’t know if he’s the best at something this isn’t completely true, because his abilities are more subtle than the ability of the others… he’s not the best swordsman or the best archer, but he kept together is men and his honor, and this was not an easy task). And he has a sort of moral code that is the most important thing for him, this is his compass and his only believe, and he kept to it with a faith that borders on religious in a couple of occasions.

And with Falcio we have Kest and Brasti. The three of them together are fantastic and a lot of fun, too. Their banter was amusing and sooooo cute! (In a manly, sarcastic way… but hey! I found it cute nonetheless!) and I have to admit that Kest was my fave, even if the author didn’t give us much to get with… I mean, he’s the most mysterious and the author could have spent a few more words on his background, because he seems to have a bad case of PMS (also know as ” inexplicable changes of moods and habits and behavior”) sometimes! But I loved him a lot and I hope to see more of him in the next books!

And then there is the world building… De Castell’s world is a world on the verge of ruin, there isn’t a king anymore, and all the dukes are trying to keep the power for themselves, there are fights and intrigues, intrigues above intrigues above intrigues and the common folk is paying the price for it. But it’s not just the political part that is well built. There is also the culture, of the cities and of the world in general, and I loved the Saints. You have to read the book to know more about them, but they are worth a try!

This book made me feel a lot: I smiled, I laughed, I almost cried in some occasions, I exulted and I was so sad or so angry in other parts, and the author also scared me in one occasion! It was a really good reading and I loved all of it, even if some parts aren’t so entertaining as the rest I never get bored and I was hooked up form the beginning to the end! These parts are the why I haven’t rated it 5/5 but you can trust me, I enjoyed the book immensely and I hope to continue this series really soon! And it’s pervaded by a dark vein of irony that I loved almost above all else!

Did you read this book? Or are you planning to read it?

Happy reading!
S.