Brian Naslund

This is more of a 4.5 and I really can’t articulate why I’m not giving it a full 5 stars.

As someone who reads adult fantasy very rarely, I usually only pick up books which my friends have already loved and are sure I would too. But this is a book I didn’t see anyone within my small group talk about but since the first time I saw it mentioned in a booktube video, I was totally fascinated and I knew I had to take a chance. And I’m so so happy that I stuck to my instincts because I was completely engrossed from start to finish.

The world building in this book is just perfect. As you can guess from the series title (Dragons of Terra), this is a world which has lots and lots of dragons, all different kinds with their own characteristics and habits and strengths. Almira is the main kingdom we follow which is bogged down by its issues like infighting between the various lords for more power, people who are very superstitious and would rather depend on their totems and prayers than go to an alchemist who can solve their problems, and there are multiple areas in the kingdom which are affected by some sort of plague for which no solution has been found. On the other hand, Balaria is the enemy kingdom which has made a fortune by killing off most of its dragons and using the oil to build a technologically advanced city. I loved this dichotomy of a medieval and steampunk like kingdoms existing in the same world. And the travel between these two kingdoms takes us through various kinds of landscapes and I loved the descriptions of the mountains, rivers, barges, dragon warrens etc.

The best part of the world for me was how the environment and ecology was described. Through discussions between characters ( and not info dumps), we come to realize how important each living creature is to the overall health of the land, including the super predators like the dragons. And while killing dragons for oil can provide for short term prosperity, it’s long term consequences like drought and famine and other devastation to the ecology is never considered except by few people who care but are dismissed. I think this is a great parallel to our world and how we exploit the nature and resources we have in the name of capitalism and development without realizing what we are doing to our future.

I’m always scared when I start an adult fantasy that it might be too complicated, or the language very lyrical/metaphorical for me. I like my books to be straightforward which is what I love the most about YA fantasy novels. Thankfully, this book was exactly how I wanted it to be. The third person multiple POV writing style was very easy to follow, and the author did such a brilliant job of being able to distinguish between the characters’ voices that I never got confused who we were following. It did get gory at times which I’m not used to, and some scenes were just brutal to get through. The feeling of dread when a dragon attacks or the adrenaline pumping action sequences are written excellently as well and I really enjoyed reading them.

Among all these action sequences, we also get a journey and this whole year has been me discovering my love for fictional journeys, and this was no different. The author uses the journey and the conversations that happen during it to develop the relationships between the characters and give us more insight into their motivations, and that was amazing. However, this also leads to the pace of the story being a bit on the slower side, which didn’t affect my enjoyment at all. This is also not a very twists and turns kinda book, but does have a few mysteries and betrayals that the characters are trying to unravel, and I had so much fun figuring them out correctly just before the actual revelation happened. But there was one thing which I didn’t see coming at all and that left me very bereft and in tears. The author also ends the book in such a way that there are enough plotlines resolved to work as a standalone, while also leaving us with so many exciting possibilities in a sequel.

While I keep harping on about the excellent world and writing, it’s still the characters who are the strength of this book. Silas Bershad, the Flawless and the acclaimed dragon slayer of the land is an exile who is just going through his life with lots of regrets, always prepared to die. Fourteen years of slaughtering has changed him a lot and he doesn’t think he deserves any good things, but deep down he is so compassionate and will do anything for the ones he loves (who are very very few). His shield is Rowan who has followed him since the beginning and their loyalty to each other is just beautiful. They may bicker and admonish each other, but ultimately it’s a deep friendship and I was so glad they had each other. But the third entity in their trio is their donkey Alfonso, and I promise you I don’t remember ever seeing a donkey in a book before but I loved him. These three are just awesome and the way Silas and Rowan care for Alfonso is heartwarming.

Felgor the thief, and Vera the bodyguard who lost her charge are the other two people who make up the group which goes on the journey from Almira to Balaria for their task. They are all basically outlaws who have nobody, and there is a lot of friction initially, but as they face dangerous situations and fight them together, they all form a bond and I was thoroughly impressed by the way the author developed these relationships in a believable manner. It’s very hard not to get attached to them all.

Ashelyn is the princess crowned Queen of Almira and I thought it was so refreshing to see a very scientific ruler on the throne, who loves conducting her research into how everything is connected in nature and take steps to ensure that her world is not destroyed due to poor short term decisions. We also have an assassin who is hell bent on creating chaos in her kingdom, an apprentice alchemist who just wants to conduct his experiments and many others who will do anything to harness the power in this world.

To conclude, I just want to say that if you love to read about a world full of dragons, you should totally pick this book up. If you enjoy books with equal parts extensive world building and excellent plotting, this is perfect. And if like me, you are a fan of a very unlikely group of flawed people coming together for a quest and start caring for each other, I highly recommend this book. The author has written a great debut fantasy balancing all the elements perfectly, full of thrilling and emotional moments and characters you can’t help but fall in love; and in the process setup a great sequel which promises to be full of more dragons and definitely a lot more magic. I already can’t wait for Sorcery of a Queen.… (más)

More of a solid 4.5 but I’m rounding up.

I may be a little late with my review but these days, it’s become a norm. But believe me when I tell you that I jumped with joy when I received the ARC for this one because Blood of an Exile was one of my top favorites from last year and I couldn’t wait to see what was gonna happen next. And just as expected, the author didn’t disappoint me at all.

If there’s one thing that stays with you as you read this book is the breakneck pace - there’s just something happening every couple of pages and it doesn’t let up or give us breathing room. And it is so unpredictable that every twist shook me up and took me by surprise - but once it happened, I was left exclaiming that it was actually quite expected. And it is this pacing, relentlessness and surprising nature of the book that makes this a formidable sequel to its equally spectacular predecessor, also ensuring that it doesn’t have anything resembling a second book syndrome. We also get more world building, exploring new lands and ecosystems, and also getting to know the various experiments being conducted and their wide range implications for the people and creatures of these lands.

The characters are as interesting as ever, with more POVs added and while I can’t see how important some of them might be, I’m very sure the author has many plans for them in the future. I don’t wanna go into detail about every one of them, because that’ll lead to spoilers and I really want every reader to get to know these characters themselves. It’s such a diverse group too - from exiles trying to find their place in this world, some trying to understand more about themselves and their link to the dragons, one queen trying to save the empire by trying to think like a scientist while another just wants her agency and peace for all the people but is naive to the wiles of people she trusts, a bodyguard who just wants to protect her charge but has to let go of every other connection she has to the world to make it possible, and a young alchemist who just wanted to heal people but finds himself thrust into the middle of a war he didn’t ask for. And amidst all this is a cunning and devious mad scientist whose ideas and plans for the world are so extreme and far reaching, that I don’t think anyone within the story or we as readers have still grasped them as a whole. We might be intrigued about some of them, pity a few and hate some others - but I promise that any reader will get very easily invested in their lives because it’s impossible not to.

To conclude, this is a worthy sequel to the author’s wonderful debut and I was just so excited to be lost in the world of Terra. If you love your fantasy novels to be full of breakneck pacing, great group of characters, lots of twists and betrayals, a mix of science and environmental studies thrown in, alongwith a whole horde of majestic dragons - then this series is just perfect for you. It is highly engaging, dark at times but also with bits of humor, and lots of heart. It’s probably gonna be an year’s wait for the finale and I’m very excited for it, even though everything feels like a doomsday for my favorite characters.… (más)

Silas Bershad is an exile, condemned by his king to the life of an itinerant dragon-slayer. Marked with the blue bars of his trade on his cheek, and with his arm covered in tattoos recording the beasts he has killed, he is an object of fascination and fable to those he meets. Most dragon-slayers don’t last long, but Bershad – known popularly as the Flawless – has outlived sixty-five dragons and has no plans to stop there. The alternative is death on the king’s command and Bershad doesn’t fancy giving him the satisfaction. But when he’s summoned to the capital, Floodhaven, Bershad must confront the life he gave up fourteen years ago and decide whether his hatred for King Hertzog will stand in the way of accepting a new mission beyond the kingdom’s borders. If he succeeds, he will win his liberty and regain his noble status. And besides, there’s more at stake than simple politics. While this first instalment in Naslund’s fantasy series is focused on setting out the pieces – and ends rather abruptly – it does offer rich and intricate scene-setting, with an unusual emphasis on the ecosystems of this fantasy world...

For the full review, please see my blog:
https://theidlewoman.net/2020/04/12/blood-of-an-exile-brian-naslund/… (más)

Blood of an Exile by Brian Naslund is the first book in the Dragons of Tara series. Silas Bershad, also known as the Flawless Bershad, is a legendary dragon killer. He was sentenced to be a dragon killer after committing horrendous crimes. It is a form of exile and a form of execution, for dragon killers are seldom long-lived. Bershad, however, has been hunting dragons for 14 years killing more than 60 of them.

Bershad longs for a death it seems likely will never come due to his unusual healing properties. When he is summoned to an audience with the King who sentenced him to his exile, he is offered a chance to end his sentence. Bershad is disinclined to do the king any favors but agrees to the plan at the behest of the King's daughter and Bershad's former lover, Ashlyn. In order to be free Bershad need only cross dangerous, dragon-infested territories into a foreign country, rescue the King’s other daughter and kill an emperor.

The story is told from multiple points of view including Bershad, Ashlyn, an assassin and a young alchemist. Naslund creates a fascinating world. The country of Almira is simple, unsophisticated and superstitious. The country of Balaria is far more technologically advanced and eager to tap into Almira's natural resources; namely, it's dragon population and the valuable dragon oil that literally fuels its society.

Naslund not only writes wonderful battle scenes, but he has created an intricate and interconnected world. The connection of the dragons to the natural world and the battle between those who would understand them and those who would destroy them is as much a part of the story as the plot to rescue the King's daughter. Bershad's own unique healing properties and the mystery behind them add another layer of complexity to the story.

The battle scenes are exciting and brutal. The interconnected plotlines and the link between the dragons and nature add complexity to the story in this highly entertaining fantasy debut.

Steven Brand does justice to a complicated hero and a fascinating world with his narration. His vocalization effortlessly moves between the gritty Bershad, the conniving assassin and the thoughtful Ashlyn. He does a great job with the pacing, particularly during the battle scenes.

This is an excellent start to a new fantasy series and I can't wait to see where it goes next.

I was provided a copy of this audiobook by the publisher.… (más)