Godblind Review | Anna Stephens

I never really saw myself as a dark fantasy reader until I started venturing into Mark Lawrence’s work. This one took me way out of my comfort zone and made me squirm in a kind-of-delighted way at how well the elements all came together? I’m talking of course, about Godblind by Anna Stephens – here’s my review.

Publisher: HarperVoyager | Date: 2017 | Genre: Fantasy

Plot: The Mireces worship the bloodthirsty Red Gods. Exiled from Rilpor a thousand years ago, and left to suffer a harsh life in the cold mountains, a new Mireces king now plots an invasion of Rilpor’s thriving cities and fertile earth.

Dom Templeson is a Watcher, a civilian warrior guarding Rilpor’s border. He is also the most powerful seer in generations, plagued with visions and prophecies. His people are devoted followers of the god of light and life, but Dom harbours deep secrets, which threaten to be exposed when Rillirin, an escaped Mireces slave, stumbles broken and bleeding into his village.

Meanwhile, more and more of Rilpor’s most powerful figures are turning to the dark rituals and bloody sacrifices of the Red Gods, including the prince, who plots to wrest the throne from his dying father in the heart of the kingdom. Can Rillirin, with her inside knowledge of the Red Gods and her shocking ties to the Mireces King, help Rilpor win the coming war?

I received Godblind from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Godblind Review

Godblind is one of those rare books that grabbed me from the offset and refused to let go. It’s possibly the only time I’ve consciously avoided reading a book to review after it because there was no way it could compare. This played on my emotions in ways I didn’t know were possible: dark, gritty, gory, suspenseful and gripping as heck!

Characters

There’re too many characters to explore in depth. I love that no one feels like a minor/secondary character: they all have their own emotions, stories, desires and motivations.

Rillirin – an escaped slave – goes from a frightened girl to a warrior determined to fight to save those she cares about, as well as refusing to be enslaved again.

Crys – a bored soldier – learns the hard way that being loyal comes with a cost. There’s something stirring in Crys, and it’s not just that he has the eyes of a trickster god. He learns to see past his prejudices and embrace who he truly is.

Dom – a mouthpiece for the Gods – has the reverse of development. What starts off as a strong, confident man soon crumbles as the toll of his gift starts to get the better of him and his own mind becomes a war-zone for very real Gods.

Ash and Tara provided light-hearted relief, not because they don’t have strong story arcs, but because their banter and dialogue breaks through the tension in such unexpected places that you laugh out loud before you can catch yourself. Their interaction with Crys is one of my favourite things.

Dom huffed a plume of breath into the air and picked a direction at random, northeast uphill. The Dancer’s messages were often obscure, but this was ridiculous. Go and wonder about in enemy territory looking for something, but I can’t tell you what it is. You’ll be fine.

Godblind by Anna Stephens

You bond with all the characters, although to protect your heart, you’ll wish you hadn’t. The bad guys are deliciously evil and you’ll love to hate them as soon as they’re introduced.

Plot

The characters only make up a small portion of what makes this a fantastic read. The plot is fast-paced, fraught with tension and high stakes. The narration switches rapidly between the characters, increasing the speed although admittedly resulting in taking a little longer learning who is who, and how they relate to one another.

Themes

 This isn’t one for the faint-heart. It’s dark, painful and gritty. There’s no abstract worship of Gods in this world: Gods are real, powerful and more dangerous than you can imagine. I loved that – what better way to raise the stakes than by having the Gods turn up when they please, doing as they like.

Writing

The writing style is both powerful and addictive. You’re pulled into this world, and it doesn’t let you go. Even while re-reading, there are a few occasions where the descriptions evoke a physical reaction, making me flinch while reading. There are very few books that get me that way.

Final Thoughts

If you prefer light-hearted fantasy, steer clear. But if you’re up for a whirlwind of a read that will keep you hooked not just through this first book, but the rest of the series, I can’t recommend this enough. Characters; plot; world-building; tension: this had everything I want to make a gripping read.

Are you a dark fantasy fan? Does this sound like your kind of book?

Also in the series:

• Book Two: Darksoul
• Book Three: Bloodchild

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