DNF this book at 25%. The plot was way too slow & uninteresting despite the premise sounding really good.

This was a brilliant fantasy. There's plenty of action and magic mixed into this book, and I didn't want to put it down once I started. The characters and world are very well-developed, and there are twists that will keep you guessing. You don't know everything up front, which I love. Don't start this unless you have plenty of time to sit down and read, because it's really hard to stop you get drawn in so quickly.

I just could not follow the story, with the jumping of the timeline making it totally disjointed.
The characters lacked depth and I could not relate or empathise with them,
Poorly written and a total waste of time in my opinion.

This novel is a good one that I’ve read this year! The characters are so dynamic yet relatable. I loved the flow of the story. It held my attention the whole time.

3.5 stars

I'm so glad I gave this book another chance, I definitely enjoyed it a lot more after reading a cute romance! I can't be the only one that needs to alternate between romance and fantasy to enjoy both, right? 😂

Throughout The 19th Bladesman we follow multiple perspectives, a bonded warrior whose destiny is to die young, a cursed and hurted man who's afraid to love, a fire dancer who's trying to use ancient magic and a general who's trying to save his people. When all of these stories got together and we finally made some connections, it was extremely interesting to say the least.

These main characters were fleshed out and unique, I liked each of their personalities and how different they were, still I lacked that deep connection that I usually feel towards my favorite characters. On the other hand, the secondary ones weren't so well crafted, to this day I don't know who was the king and who his uncle and there was another man involved with a similar name that I never grasped what was his role in the situation. Thankfully, they didn't play that big of a role except to make the plot move foward, but it still made me confused.

From chapter one we are trown into this world and it's been such a long time since I read a high fantasy book, it took me a while to get use to this new world and figure all the information out because we didn't really get a grasp of the world before the plot starting taking shape. That's the reason why I started it, I had to put it down and read something not so demanding, then I restarted it and I was with a fresh mind so it was easier to get into.

Regarding the format of this book, I have to mention that the chapters' lenght vary drastically from one to the other. Some chapters were too long while others really short and since I'm one of those people who prefers to finish reading when finishing the chapter I really felt the difference and it made me enjoy the book a little bit less.

All in all, I'm interested enough in the second book but I'm not dying to get it, there's a difference there.

Really well written, and interesting plot and set-up while remaining in comfortable fantasy setting, I'm a fan. Looking forward to the next book in the series.

The 19th Bladesman caught my attention on Netgalley, then I left it sitting on my shelf for an age. Oh, do I regret that.

I loved this book.

Okay, yes, it might fall into some typical fantasy clichés: the majority of the protagonists are male, and the female characters – while strong in their own way – are deceived by those they fall in love with.

But the characters are so lovable it doesn’t feel like you’re revisiting a familiar story.

Kaell is the chosen one: appointed by the Gods to fight ghouls and keep the land safe. But being taken hostage by his enemy never was part of the plan and Kaell must come to terms with what he is prepared to do to survive. Kaell has both the biggest and smallest part to play: he’s essential to events spiralling out of control but there reached a point when I wondered if he could go more than a page without being taken prisoner.

I’ve never come across a hero with such vulnerabilities before. It’s more rare in this sort of book where the hero is allowed to show those vulnerabilities, and the need to protect Kaell is overwhelming at time!

Val is not cold: he’s afraid. Afraid of what letting love in will do. Val is a man with a history – a far longer one than any mortal man should boast of. He must train Kaell, keep him alive, and find a way to stop the boy entering his heart.

Aric faces an impossible challenge when his sister is kidnapped by ghouls: kill a stranger (Kaell) or sacrifice his little sister. But fate has other plans and Aric survives torture and impossible odds to fight another day.

If I could have the entire book of Kaell and Aric, it would be an amazing story. The banter between these two, even when held prisoner and facing execution, is brilliant, adding a sharp relief into an otherwise tense situation.

Heath is a more complicated character: despite his arrogance, he’s still likeable, but it’s never as clear what is driving him.

The characterisations of each of these men draw you into the book. You want them all to come out on top, even when they are on opposing sides. They are open and vulnerable, honest in their own ways.

The dialogue is full of banter and torment, breaking the tension at times and your heart at others.

The characters make the book. The plot is full of tension and betrayal, heartbreak, surrender and battles. It’s not a short book and there are times when the plot itself doesn’t seem to be moving on due to following these multiple character-arcs, with some flashes back to the past to explain how they got to where they are now. At these points, it felt the book could do with being a fraction shorter, but I remained engrossed and engaged the entire way through.

A strong recommendation from here, and I’m really looking forward to reading the second.

The 19th Bladesman has been on my to-be-read list for quite a while so when I received the second book in the series, it was definitely time to give it a go and I am so glad I did. I love reading massive fantasy books and luckily, I had hours on a plane to indulge and this book kept me riveted the entire time. While there were some issues with the book, I loved the world building and I enjoyed the characters; plus, there was enough betrayal and twists and turns to keep me happy.

First of all, the world building was fantastic and I thought the author did a standup job at keeping a brisk pace between the events and explaining some of the back stories of the characters. What I particularly liked was the way the information was given; it was explained as if you were already familiar with the legends and folk lore, like you had grown up on it, and if you hadn't, just needed to fill in the blanks yourself. I really like that approach as I like to figure out things for myself and if I am confused for part of the book, I just accept I will figure it out and keep on going. I wouldn't have survived the Malazan books otherwise. Plus, I feel like I am being talked down to, as if I can't figure things out, you know?

The book in told multiple POV which can sometimes detract from the momentum of a story, but not in this case. I could see all the threads being manipulated and being pulled and it's one of the things I love about fantasy novels. The more threads and the more complicated things are, the more I enjoy what I am reading. And while at first I thought the plot was more about this young boy who would be a big hero after he learns all his skills, and maybe is defeated a time or two, I learned pretty early on that this book would not be like that. The characters are way more complicated, with pasts and gray areas that will cause betrayals and twists and turns, and it turns out there was a lot going on behind the scenes. Every character has depth and their own motivations, even if those motivations are not quite clear, and people I thought were more ethical did some pretty unethical things. And treachery abounds. There was one character's death I mourned for part of the book only to find out he actually betrayed one of the main characters very badly, and I didn't even see it coming. Love it when that happens. Luckily I was on the plane so I couldn't throw the book (not that I would have as I might have destroyed my tablet or worse, hit someone on the back of the head, but that was how I felt when reading that part). The story was definitely character driven, each with their own conflicts to work out, each seeking approval from something or someone, and because of this, vulnerable to great betrayal.

The author has a way of writing that just draws you into the story. Looking back, the story is actually more complex than I first thought, and I love how she uses humour to lighten up some of the scenes, even poetic elements. These lighter moments are definitely needed as a lot of the book was more brutal, involving torture, fight scenes, sorcery, battle elements, all done very cleverly. I found myself holding my breath through a few of them, wondering what was going to happen for as I learned quite early on, nothing was as it appeared and good guys could become bad guys in a heartbeat.

The 19th Bladesman was a solid entry into the fantasy field, one that I enjoyed quite a bit. And don't let the number of pages fool you, the author's writing style is captivating and you will rip through the book without noticing the pages. For those who like more traditional fantasy, this book has it all: battles, castles, magic, prophecy, ancient kings, folk lore, and treachery. If anything, perhaps a list of who is who at the front of the book might help. Otherwise, I highly recommend this book. Now, on to the next book in this series, The Last Seer King, and then hopefully book three, The Sword Brotherhood., July 2020.

DNF at 25%
I think the setting of the book was really intriguing, and I liked the mysterious pasts of the main characters. Aric (or maybe Alric) was an intriguing character.
However, there were too many things that bothered me. For one, calling vampires ghouls is just not okay in my book. Ghouls are their own thing, not just some nonsense word. It would be like calling elephants Lions. It's just confusing and it definitely doesn't hide that they're really vampires. The author should have made up a word rather than using the wrong word.
2nd, the supporting characters were too undeveloped. I couldn't keep track of who all these people were when there were so few descriptive passages and so little character development. I kept completely forgetting who was the main character in a chapter and from whose perspective the story was being told. Also, I had a hard time caring about the doings of newly introduced other characters because the plot was lacking in urgency. Without a solid plot, character development becomes the only thing that can drag you through and I wasn't able to relate to or empathize with the characters.
3rd, there was waaay, waay too many info dumps. The extended and repetitive thought-processes of the main characters were pretty boring. I don't need an excruciatingly detailed explanation of the MCs daddy-issues every time the topic comes up, which is way too much. And the "daddy" in question also has son-issues which were dwelled on in length.
I stuck it out to 25%, hoping for something to change for the better. No luck.

It isn't harsh. It isn't even criticism. It is a credit to the writing craft, truly. We all have those characters in our head. You know the characters I'm talking about. And stop right there. I'm not talking about Kaz. That boy can take care of himself. So, quit it.
Characters that we fall in love with. Characters we want to take care of, bring home and make chicken soup for because the author does nothing but TORTURE THEM THROUGHOUT MOST OF, IF NOT AN ENTIRE BOOK. AND IT RIPS US APART! But then again, that is the sign of great writing, is it not? If we feel that strongly about the fate of a character that shows an investment in the character, the plot and the fate of what is to come.
With Kaell, one of the main characters in 19th Bladesman by S.J. Hartland, she has done just that, and the thing is? He isn't the only character she bonds to readers, in this way. There is his sworn and embattled protector, Val Arques.
Kaell is the bonded bladesman to his lord Khir with one purpose in life. He will kill ghouls. While gifted enough a swordsman to kill anyone or thing to cross his pass he must live an oath to cause death to nothing but ghouls in protection of the world, until his prophesied death by the age of twenty like all bonded bladesman before him.
Because he is the 19th Bladesman he is also of significant importance to Kings, Gods, Queens and Mystics alike and none with good intentions. Even the ghouls seem intent on keeping him alive for their own... let's say... treacherous and controlling purposes. Throughout all this you cry out for it to stop and scream at Hartland to leave the boy be because isn't his fate enough, isn't the fact that his has accept his fate enough?
Kaell grasped Pen-John's hair. Sweat glistened off his bare chest.
"The cloak, the boots. All of it. It's small compensation for dying young and bloody. Dying for the likes of you." He hurled Pen-John down, cheek to dirt, gathered his cloak and tunic and stalked off.
<Val Arques> tasted bitterness on his tongue. "Is that really how he sees his life?"
Arn shrugged. "There's truth in what he says."
And then there is Val Arques. With an ancient, and I do mean ancient secret all his own, thrown into the clandestine charge of protecting and training Kaell, to save the world and fulfill and deadly prophecy. A charge doomed from the beginning as more and more people learn of Kaell's mere existence. It is also this ancient secret, Val Arques identity, that keeps him from truly loving Kaell. It is that love and admiration that Kaell looks for more than anything and that Val Arques is never able to provide.
It is through their point of view and Kaell's coming of age that we meet most, but not all, the cast of characters in 19th Bladesman. All of them an array of shades of gray. Very few evil or good. You may think you have some pegged that way, but you will come to find overtime that most have the capacity to do both good and evil, given the situation.
Hartland sets up the series, multiple worlds and an array of characters stunningly in the first book of the Shadow Sword Series. Despite the length of the book, she doesn't fall into the twenty pages to describe a tree trap.
However, I will caution anyone that there are a lot of characters introduced very quickly in the front end of the book. It takes time to both keep track of them all and to find out how they are all connected. There were times I wasn't sure if it was me or if the book just couldn't find its way.
However, give it time and have patience. I assure you it comes together. If you like having morally questionable characters, some that you want to take home and protect from a cruel author? Snappy dialogue and adventure within complex but disconnected plotlines for a bit, that converge and blend together to an end that will leave you ready for the sequel, the Last Seer King? You will absolutely love 19th Bladesman.

A nicely complex story with some depth. It may take a chapter or two to get the feel for the book, as their are a few characters introduced rather quickly. However as we get further into the tale these characters all continue to be fleshed out and grow. And what we don't know intrigues rather than frustrates. The story of a boy raised to be the ultimate warrior, gifted by his God, and fated to die young. He's not the first Bonded warrior, there have been many. They all die in battle by the time they reach 20 or so. Trained by the Lord of the Fortress guarding the Mountain borders from Ghouls, fighting beings faster and stronger than men, and always out-numbered and never ending. It is a blessing and a curse to be a Bonded Warrior, unless you are the 19th Bonded Warrior it seems. Thats all curse according to ancient Prophecy. Many parties are interested in Keall, the 19th, as each sees him as a pawn, an extremely lethal pawn, in their schemes. Keall is oblivious to all of this. All he wants, craves, is his Lords affection. And to die in battle for his God. The latter is pretty much guaranteed, the former much more difficult. Kealls Lord, Vraymorg, has a history all his own. And I mean history, like in ancient. A really well told tale that gets more Machavellian as we go along. Also full of many well done sword battles naturally, as many of our core players are world renowned swordsmen. By the time I got to the end of book 1 I couldn't put it down.

I was so very excited to read this after reading the blurb ! And then so quickly disappointed!!
I found the writing to be a bit stilted to really enjoy all of the book, I felt like the author is trying to be a bit too clever with her wording.
The writer likes to use a lot of adjectives that don’t really fit the sentence.... It happens a lot, and it threw me out of the story each time it happened. ... it’s pretty annoying.
The protagonist is very childish in action and response for a 20 year old – he’s written more as if he were an immature teenager with an oversized chip on his shoulder. I felt no empathy there at all.
At 5% I nearly DNF, the writing was really grinding on me and I was seriously struggling to continue, HOWEVER I am so glad that I persisted, during the Heath chapter, the story began to actually flow a little, and I didn’t find myself thrown out of the story for almost that entire chapter. Once it actually got going and the writing improved dramatically, I did really enjoy the rest of the book.
Thank you to Netgalley for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.
#the19thbladesman #netgalley

The 19th Bladesman is Kaell – one of a long line of swordsmen granted superhuman abilities through their bond to the battle god Khir in order to fight ghouls – monsters in human form who feed on human blood. But when a young lord baits him into combat in order to save his captive sister from ghouls, it kicks off a chain of events that leaves Kaell in peril and the world on a knife edge.

I should always go in blind

You know, for a book that I went in blind with, this was pretty damn good. I found myself tearing through the pages as it got towards the end, and I’m now tolerably excited about the sequel which is due out in May. Tolerably excited, because I’m English and while I can excitedly tear through the pages in my solitude, I’m still not wholly comfortable jumping up and down on Oprah’s sofa a la Tom Cruise, desperately screaming to anyone who’ll listen about how good this book is. But the 19th Bladesman was good. Tolerably so.

Kaell himself is a likeable protagonist – a skilled warrior loved by his men, with a breezy attitude and a penchant for bad rhymes. His storyline is also refreshingly unconventional when it comes to traditional fantasy tropes, which in turn makes it far more interesting. He’s still very much the ‘hero’ boy – shrouded in destiny, naïve, romantic – but his path is altogether darker. His lord – Val Arques, Lord of the Mountains – is also captivating. He’s basically Kaell’s Mr. Miyagi – if Mr. Miyagi was tall, brooding and capable of radiating violence with an eyebrow raise. And the more you learn about him, the more mysterious and compelling he becomes.

They’re both strikingly beautiful too

As is everybody who is anybody in this book. I think most of the principle characters could walk down the catwalk in Milan. They’re relatable though. Amidst sword fights, daring escapes and the odd bit of blood magic, it’s almost wholesome to see the parental love story at the heart of the story. Kaell worships Val Arques like a father, but his lord works to cool that relationship for reasons of his own. That tension winds tighter and tighter as the story progresses, and in a way shapes the entire narrative, right down to the last page. Such is the power of this relationship, their scenes together are often the most potent, lending an emotional resonance to the story that would otherwise be lacking.

However, that relationship doesn’t keep the story too grounded. This is fantasy after all. Which means ambitious storytelling – we’re talking kings, would-be kings, prophecies, betrayals and a deliciously charismatic villain who is just beginning to flex his muscles. It’s gripping stuff and – much in the vein of Game of Thrones – the 19th Bladesman feels like a slow burning powder keg. There’s a lot of unanswered questions. Cryptic names are banded about frequently – tantalising hints that whisper of a larger world not yet explored. Which leads me to my first little niggle …

Where is the map?

I’m not saying that every fantasy novel needs a map, but there’s a lot of places that are reeled off here – the Isles, the Mountains, Dal-Kanu, Wardour, Veniva – a map would provide some nice context. As it is, you do feel a bit lost sometimes. Did Kaell travel a long way? Was it just across a bridge? Does he get by on frequent flyer miles? It would be nice for that next one, that’s all I’m saying.

On the topic of niggles, the descriptions can be a double-edged sword. On the one hand, Hartland has a real gift for bringing a location to life. Sights, sounds, smells – all are lovingly realised, so much so that the fantasy world of Telor feels very much alive. On the other hand, it can also be a bit heavy-handed as well. This is more in instances when something important is happening with regards to the plot. Maybe a character is walking into danger or maybe a character has come to an enormous revelation. All compelling moments – all needing a sustained focus – but this is sometimes put to one side while the land is fleshed out. It’s a minor niggle, because in every other respect the prose is a real joy. I just think it can sometimes get in the way as well.

All in all though, it’s a thoroughly rollocking yarn, with an ending that promises even richer stories to tell. Anybody who is interested in fantasy, especially medieval fantasy, will find something to offer them here. It’s also worthwhile if you’re a frequenter of the NA shelves, but I wouldn’t imagine it’d be appropriate for anyone younger than this.

Warning …

The 19th Bladesman is an adult book. I’d hope that you’d expect some level of violence given the book title, but there’s also a mild amount of sex in the book as well. Some instances are more explicit than others, but on the whole they’re pretty tasteful (some might say thrilling, but each to their own).

Fantastic story. I found myself very invested in the characters and their development throughout the story and the intactions amongst them. I very much look forward to the next book and forsee many spinoffs as the characters and the world is that interesting.

I was really excited to read this because the book's premise was so intriguing. With kings, priestesses, magic and swordmen- I devoured this book. (There were some Game of Thrones vibes at the start of the book).

There's alot of depth to the plot and setting which was explained so perfectly. The writing style is so smooth and decadent and works so well with the story. One thing I need in books is character development and this book definitely gave some powerful growth in Kaell's character who just wants the love and acceptance from his guardian.

One thing that bothered me was the size of the book. I don't mind long books but when there are chapters wasted on just trying to drag out the book I get really annoyed. Each chapter was in the POV of a character (there were around 5 different POVs). There were many chapters at the start and middle of the book that were completely useless to the plot such as a few of Heath and Aric chapters.

All in all, I would definitely recommend this book if you like historically set books. And if you liked Game of Thrones you might like this.

I really enjoyed this book. It's a complicated plot that pulls you in. Characters are well developed. I did not want to put the book down, the action was non stop. I am looking forward to the sequel.

The 19th Bladesman is a tremendous work of fantasy and sorcery. Set in a world where numerous forces vie for power, among them kings, lords, priestesses, ghouls, gods, and swordsmen. Beyond the castle intrigue are ancient powers moving pieces around like pawns on a chessboard, ancient grudges, and bloodlines. Bonds of loyalty and fealty are tested. Loyalty to kings, loyalty to myths, loyalty to family. Great feats of swordplay are mixed with seductions of princes and princesses.

Don’t expect to immediately know all the players and what they want. That will take time to develop in this tale. And, don’t be surprised if the unexpected occurs and the story flips on you.

This fantasy tale is epic in scale and magnificent in structure. All the characters are complex. And, the storylines equally complex. Excellent job in creating a new world.

It’s the story of the world’s greatest swordsman, of a power hungry king, of ghouls sweeping down from the passes with a taste for human flesh, of ancient prophecies, and magical beings, of invincibility, of immortality, and of flaws, weaknesses, things that can be exploited.

And, best of all, there’s another volume in this story coming out next year.

Many thanks to the publisher for providing a copy for review.

The 19th Bladesman by S.J. Hartland, an intriguing novel. A young boy grows into a man chosen from birth to be one of the god's instruments in fighting back the ghouls, (which essentially read as vampires). Things start to go wrong quickly and it seems everyone wants to kill him but there is a curse laid on those who actually kill people like him.