ABOUT THE BOOK
By: Amanda McCrina
Published: Month9Books
To Be Released on: April 25, 2017
To Be Released on: April 25, 2017
Series: Blood Oath #1
Add it to: Goodreads
*An e-arc was provided by the publisher in exchange for my honest review
Nineteen-year-old Torien Risto has seen dissidents dealt with before. He knows the young local girl who just knifed him will hang for assaulting an Imperial officer, unless he can stop it.
*An e-arc was provided by the publisher in exchange for my honest review
Nineteen-year-old Torien Risto has seen dissidents dealt with before. He knows the young local girl who just knifed him will hang for assaulting an Imperial officer, unless he can stop it.
Someone inside the provincial government is kidnapping Imperial citizens and selling them across the desert to the salt mines, silencing anyone who tries to intervene. The girl’s brother is one of those who has been taken. Rejected by the corrupt courts, she’s waging a personal war against the Empire.
Determined to save her life, Torien sets out in search of answers on the Salt Road, the ancient trade route running deep into the heart of a desert—territory claimed by the hostile Mayaso tribe.
Now, Torien is no longer sure where his own loyalty lies, or how far he will go to break the cycle of tyranny, political bullying, and social injustice in an empire that seals its borders in blood.
A debut rich in world building, and full of danger, BLOOD ROAD is a book that brings to life an early empire full of deadly secrets, deception, murder, and greed. At it's heart is a Commander who will risk his life to keep his blood oath he made, and avenge those who have suffered at the hands of his very people. Not knowing just how dangerous this is, and what it will cost him, Torien Risto is a man of his word, and a man on a mission to stop a very corrupt government.
Torien is a man who is more brains than strength, although his strength lies within. It's his ability to endure all he suffers on this journey of turning against his very government, to keep an oath he made to a poor girl. A man of his word, Torien will do everything he can to destroy those who have caused so much havoc, fear, and bloodshed through out his land, even if that means his own life. Having no idea what depths this will lead him to, Torien finds a few good souls along the way. His journey is definitely not without heartache, and suffering.
One of the characters I really enjoyed getting to know, aside from Torien, is Lt. Senna. His bluntness, and honesty are admirable. His unwavering devotion to helping Torien is what I admired the most. Both Senna and Torien have that brothers in arms kind of relationship, were they would, without thought, lay down their lives for each other. I liked that they both without a doubt, knew that the other one would always have his back.
The world building is one of the things I like about this story. It's rich, and vivid. It was easy to visual Torien's world while reading his story. It's definitely a dangerous, deadly, blood thirsty place. Yet, I was intrigued with it's early Roman empire feel to it. It was obvious McCrina put a lot of research into her world building.
There's one thing I have to mention, that really bothered me with this story. In fact, it ended up annoying me so much I almost put the book down, but I needed to know how the book ended, so I kept reading. The problem I have with this story was the numerous times Torien lost consciousness. I understood the first few times this happened, based on the circumstances, and what happened to him. However after that, it almost felt like a coup out for not knowing what to do with Torien, because it happens countless times through out the entire story. Torien himself is a very strong character, who endures a lot in this story. I felt like it contradicted who Torien is, because he was losing consciousness so often. Maybe this was suppose to be part of who Torien is, and it's his way of not wanting to do deal with what was going on, so he passes out. Either way, it happened far too often, and I'm hoping this might have been something that was accidentally overlooked.
Having said that, over all, this was a good debut. It's strong point is definitely in the world building, story telling and with some of the character developments. The world building is what I was most in awe with. McCrina has definitely created a story that leaves you wanting more. I'm looking forward to seeing what happens next with Torien.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Amanda McCrina has studied in Italy, taught English in Japan, and currently tutors Latin in Atlanta, Georgia. She received her BA in History from the University of West Georgia, and is now pursuing her MA. She writes stories that incorporate her love of history, languages, and world travel. She drinks far too much coffee and dreams of one day having a winning fantasy-hockey season.
Website | Twitter | Pinterest | Goodreads
ENTER TO WIN
Thank you to Month9 Books, 1 winner will receive a 1 month subscription to Owl Crate, US Only.
Thank you to Month9 Books, 1 winner will receive a 1 month subscription to Owl Crate, US Only.
FOLLOW THE TOUR
4/24/2017- Rockin' Book Reviews- Review
5/1/2017- Exploring the Inner Universe- Review
Posts
Lovely review Katie. <3 Glad you enjoyed parts of this book :) I'm sorry it wasn't all that awesome, though. Aw. Not for me either ;p But thank you for sharing about it. <3
ReplyDelete