“No decision is straightforward. Black and white do not exist. We live in a world of ever-shifting grey.”
- Release date : May 2023
- Series : The Bound and the Broken
- Publishing house : The Broken Binding
- Pages : 352
Spoilers ahead
I first discovered this book through The Broken Binding and their wonderful edition. The cover immediately caught my eyes!
The story begins in a remote village called The Glade where our main character and his friends are hunting in the Ölm Forest. A sort of coming-of-age ceremony called the Proving is just around the corner for them. They have to survive the forest and bring back a trophy, the more impressive it is the better. Inside, they discover creatures that haven’t seen for years, Uraks. They succeed in killing both of them – thanks to the power inside Calen – and taking one of their heads back to their village.
But it is a visit to a nearby village that will turn everything down as Calen and his friends decide to help three strangers – with whom they have been drinking and playing – against soldiers from the emperor, Fane Mortem.
Calen is forced to take part in the resistance against this empire to destroy those responsible for the death of his family – except for his sister who he doesn’t know is alive – and liberate the people under Fane’s yoke.
“We must never dim our light so that others may shine.”
Relationships are quite an important theme here. Ryan Cahill knows how to bring his characters to life and put them to the test. Calen, Rist and Dann’s friendship is well-shown and doesn’t feel forced. All of them care deepply for each other. I’m intrigued as to what will happen with Rist and what the three of them will do when they are reunited. The other characters – be they friends or enemies – were also compelling such as Farda and the Fade.
“It is not what one dragon can do. It is the symbol it creates. It is what it represents. Hope. Give people hope, and they will fight.”
As for the world-building, well, it is excellent! Epheria is a very diverse land with giants, elves, dwarves and dragons. The places are immersive, thanks to Ryan Cahill’s excellent descriptions and fluid prose. He’s done a good job of explaining the history, the conflicts and the different cultures.
“But when you blend something so completely, it is impossible for it to return to what it once was. Two souls blended together are not the sum of their parts, but something new entirely.”
Of Blood and Fire is a classic read but the story and the characters are well-crafted. There are a lot of things I hope to see more of in the next books. The series has a lot of potential and I’m looking forward to the next instalments that will be epic!
L'Antre de la Fantasy 