Traitor's Blade by Sebastien De Castell: You'll want to read this one!

 

The King is dead, the Greatcoats have been disbanded, and Falcio Val Mond and his fellow magistrates Kest and Brasti have been reduced to working as bodyguards for a nobleman who refuses to pay them. Things could be worse, of course. Their employer could be lying dead on the floor while they are forced to watch the killer plant evidence framing them for the murder. Oh wait, that’s exactly what’s happening…

Now a royal conspiracy is about to unfold in the most corrupt city in the world. A carefully orchestrated series of murders that began with the overthrow of an idealistic young king will end with the death of an orphaned girl and the ruin of everything that Falcio, Kest, and Brasti have fought for. But if the trio want to foil the conspiracy, save the girl, and reunite the Greatcoats, they’ll have to do it with nothing but the tattered coats on their backs and the swords in their hands, because these days every noble is a tyrant, every knight is a thug, and the only thing you can really trust is a traitor’s blade.

I will be the first to admit that I don't read a lot of fantasy books, so when Penguin Canada offered me the chance to be part of the blog tour, I jumped right on it. To say I'm happy that I did would be an understatement. This book is one of those books that will make non-fantasy readers become fantasy readers.

The description tells all you need to know about the plot, so I'll give you three reasons why you should be adding this to your to-read pile immediately.

1.) The characters - the characters are fantastic! Falcio, while a major swordsman, also has a big heart that leads his decisions, which may not always be the best thing. Kest seems to have secrets that guide him, and Brasti is a bit of a charmer/ladies man. The way the three of them interact is often hilarious and just plain good writing. I do wish there'd been more of Kest and Brasti, but luckily, this is going to be a series of books.

If you're like me, you're tired of female characters who are portrayed as weaker than their male counterparts. Well, the women in Traitor's Blade are awesome! Yeah, some of them are perhaps a little evil, but the others are badass, strong women who can definitely hold their own.

2.) The fight scenes - there are a lot of battle/fight scenes, but they're not overdone, and you don't get tired of them. They're well done, and necessary for plot development. Plus, who doesn't like swords, rapiers, and bows and arrows? There's humour in the battle scenes, too, and perhaps a little bit of magic.

3.) The background - since this is the first book in a series, there has to be some background in it to get the most out of the present story. The background scenes in this novel are done in my favourite way, which is to have the character reflect on what happened. You don't get the back story all in one go; instead, it's spread out throughout the novel and is in the perfect spots. It's not information overload, and enhances the story. Some of the background scenes were actually my favourite parts of the book.

Not being a typical fantasy reader did not deter me from reading this, and if you don't read fantasy, you shouldn't stay away from this book. I read this on my Kobo, and will definitely be purchasing a copy on March 4th when it comes out because it's one of those books that I feel like I need to own a physical copy of, partially so I can shove it in the hands of my friends and make them read it.

This book is going to be a hit, I can feel it! I finished this book more than a week ago, and I'm still thinking about it. To me, that means it was a fantastic book. 5 out of 5 stars for sure.

For more info go to:

Penguin Canada

Sebastien de Castell's website

Goodreads