seven blades in black

4 stars

A funny, gritty, first book in a new epic fantasy book series.
This is the first book I’ve read by this author and I enjoyed it. The book is big and dense. It took me a long time to read it. That’s not to say I didn’t enjoy it, but with a busy schedule and a dense book, it just took me longer than I thought it would.

There is a fair amount of world building in the book, but it’s provided scattered throughout the story so it takes a while to figure it all out. Sal the Cacophony used to be an all-powerful mage that wreaked havoc on the world. Her powers were stripped from her and she’s considered a vagrant. She prowls a wasteland scarred by magical wars looking for names on a list to kill. She must dodge two factions still fighting for power in the world. Both want to kill her, but for different reasons. Sal is a loner and uses people to her own end and then disappears- except when they refuse to leave her side. Not used to giving a damn, or having allies, Sal is forced to come to terms with her thirst for vengeance.

I really like this author’s writing style. There is a lot of action and snappy dialogue. The story is told in short chapters and bounces around in the time line. There is a lot of humor, which I love in fantasy novels. There is also a LOT of cussing, which doesn’t bother me, but may make other less accepting souls clutch their pearls. Overall this is a great book and I can’t wait to read the next book in the series.