My thanks to Orbit books, David Dalglish and Netgalley.
Did I love this book? No. Heck, I really didn't even like it much.
I did like the different p.o.v. It tends to keep the story moving forward in the slow times. And not howdy, did this book have some slow times.
Too much training and not enough character building. Then too much fighting, and "again" not enough character development.
I was frustrated 😞. I was happy to see some humor.
I'll admit that the last 25% of the story was better. The revelations will keep me ready and waiting for the next book!
It saved this story for me. Brought it from 2* up to 3*.

I almost DNF’s this book and I’m so glad that kept going. I started out reading the ebook and wasn’t connecting with the characters as all. I still have a few gripes with it, but I’m very happy that I waited until I had a physical copy to decide whether or not to continue reading. Sometimes reading on a kindle takes me out of a story for some reason and picking up the physical book allows me to enjoy it a lot more. I hope I’m not the only one who feels this way.

This story intrigued me from the start. It jumps right into the action with the death of the gods. I love stories where the gods and deities are actual beings that interact with the people, rather than entities that are never seen or heard from.

My only complaint lies in the beginning, there are a lot of time jumps as Cyrus goes through his training after escaping the Empire, and I didn’t feel like a got enough time with Cyrus to really care about his journey. He often remembers times he had during his two-year capture that we didn’t get to witness, so the impact was lost on me. I would have liked to see what Cyrus went through to feel the emotions with him while he is recounting them.

This was my first David Dalglish book and I’m happy to say that I will be looking into his backlist soon and continuing on with his future works as well.

The Bladed Faith is a new release from David Dalglish and it centers on Cyrus, a deposed prince in an island nation whose family is killed as a larger empire takes over and slays their patron gods. Cyrus is spirited away into a rebellion as Vagrant, the face of revenge against the Everlorn Empire, as the rebellion plans to loosen the grip that the Empire has across the world. Cyrus must learn how to be Vagrant, and how to work with his rag-tag team of revolutionaries each with their own skills in order to maximize the ability to stir the people against the Empire.

I kept almost DNFing Bladed Faith. It took me nearly the whole month to finish it. The beginning is very good and then the next 20-25% is a very long training section. It just went on and on and on. I also found the characters to be interesting separately but I never found their dynamic together to be elevated. We kept being told how much they liked and cared about each other but I never really felt it. I'm also tired of teens getting really strong fast, montage aside. I really liked the world, and the magic, and one of the villains, Sinshi. The last 10% of the book did some really interesting things and I may read the second book because of it...but for so much of the middle 60% of this book I was pretty bored. 6/10

“I don’t want a prisoner. I have no need of a slave. I want a weapon. I want a god of death the empire one day fears. Is that you?”

The Bladed Faith by David Dalglish is the first book in his new series The Vagrant Gods. I am a newcomer to Dalglish’s books and I must say I am quite impressed. We are thrown into a battle between rivaling kingdoms right from the start and it is exhilarating. I absolutely loved the start to this book. The forces of the Everlorn Empire capture the kingdom of Thanet. The Magus of Eldrid brutally murders the king and queen, all while young prince Cyrus watches helplessly. This is the seed to a revenge story that takes a great deal of set-up and training respectfully. From captivity for two years and the deaths of his two gods, Cyrus escapes with the help of paladin Rayan and makes for the resistance led by the man Thorda and his two daughters Stasia and Mari.

“The wise can rebuild a better world from the ashes, but for there to be ashes, we must first burn down the old and the rotten. I say we get to burning.”

This book is told through multiple point of view characters, and it excels because of it. We see this devouring rule of the Everlorn Empire’s God-Incarnate through multiple eyes of survivors and fighters. It builds the character interactions and world wonderfully. A good chunk of the book is the training of Cyrus, which takes time obviously due to the fact he is just a teenager and has never fought or killed before in his life. However, revenge is a strong motivator and while the training does take a while the pacing is helped by the other POVs to break it up. The author also uses small time jumps in order to illustrate how much training Cyrus undergoes. I appreciated this because it makes the protagonist not simply an over-powered character all of a sudden but one that needed growth, which takes time and effort and instead of hundreds and hundreds of pages of training. The time skips help with the pacing.

The Everlorn Empire is the typical big bad conquering force. Expanding their rule through an iron-fist of indoctrination to their corrupt Uplifted Church. The teachings of which are bigoted and evil. They require mandatory religious service attendance and outlaw anything critical of the God-Incarnate. They condemn same-sex partners and do not allow them to marry or even be together. It’s a very despicable thing and definitely pulls from some religions and beliefs we see in our world today, sadly.

“Your church stole from us our gods. Your soldiers stole from us our kingdom. You stole my crown, magistrate, and so I give you the only crown I deem you worthy to bear.”

Some of the POVs are told through these antagonist characters, I really love that Dalglish included these perspectives as I always love reading through the eyes of a villain. However one thing I did not care for were just how downright evil sounding and acting these characters were. They sort of felt like the typical comic-book supervillain just bent on killing and killing and killing. Just a small gripe of mine. It does make you just absolutely loathe them though!

My favorite thing about this book is the theme of found family. The characters are well developed and you feel a sense of attachment to pretty much all the main group. I definitely found myself loving Stasia and Arn, although we don’t get a lot of Arn. I’m excited to keep discovering these characters over time in the next book. This is a very digestible and easy to read book, the prose feels very modern and not flowery or over-explained. I often prefer the more flowery type of prose but that just how I personally enjoy reading. The prose here is totally fine and if you prefer more simplified writing you will love it.

Overall, 4.25 out of 5 Shields from me. A great first book of a new series with wonderfully developed characters, great pacing and a satisfying build-up and conclusion. The world feels real, the gods and magic unique, the combat brutal, I eagerly anticipate the next one! Thank you to Orbit, NetGalley and the author for the eARC. Sorry I could not get this review out before the release!

“What purpose does a god serve if they lack the strength to protect their people?”

This is my first time reading anything by this author. I loved it! Now I have to read all of his other works.
I was fascinated by the world and the magic right from the start. The cast of characters is amazing.
Not just the MC, but all of them. I love the sisters! They are so different, yet equally formidable.
I can't wait to see what happens in the next book, especially with the new player that arrived at the end.

4.5 star rounded up. If you like epic high fantasy with evil empires, uprisings, stealthy assassin training, LGBT rep, and gods who are actually tangible beings in the world and directly involved in events then this book is FOR YOU!!

In this world each kingdom has their own patron gods and goddesses who not only guide their subjects but impart magical gifts as well. For quite some time now there is an evil emperor known as the God Incarnate who has been invading and murdering these pantheons of deities and subverting the populace into worshipping him. The most recent conquest is in the small island nation of Thanet. The first 10-15% of this book was some of the most epic fantasy I have read in ages. It literally felt like the book equivalent of epic boss battles in Elden Ring with the lion god Endarius (who I picture like Maliketh in my head cannon) and Lycaena (who reads like the Goddess of Rot but with less rot) fighting to save their realm side-by-side with their paladins...it was literally so awesome. Then we had all of the world building learning about the evil God Incarnate trying to kill the deities of every other realm....like come on. We follow our main character Cryus, prince of this small kingdom, and a group of loveable misfits as they foment rebellion to try to break the stranglehold of the evil empire.

This book is such a good time, I would highly recommend and keep your eyes peeled for a full video review on my YouTube (https://www.youtube.com/RodgersReads

I wasn't a huge fan of Dalglish's "The Keepers" series, but when I heard the synopsis for this book I was downright excited for this release! I was thrilled when I got selected for an ARC copy, and honestly I have to say this book blew me away! The plot was so engaging and, coupled with an interesting narrative voice, I was immediately drawn into the world we find ourselves reading about. I'm so excited for more in this world! I don't want to give away too much plot-wise as I believe the synopsis gives the perfect amount of detail without spoiling any plot points/points of interest, but I think that even if you didn't like Dalglish's previous work, like I didn't, this is such a refreshing installment from him that you'll be blown away!

The Bladed Faith reads like a light grim dark novel. It follows a young prince whose family has been overthrown by a foreign empire. Out prince is on a quest of revenge for his family, country, and gods.

The world building is really immersive. The world has deity’s that are associated with each nation. The invading nation has a god emperor, whose paladins seek to murder the nation’s gods and convert the nations people that they are conquering.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing The Bladed Faith in exchange for an honest review.

I'll be completely honest: after reading about 20% of this book I was not feeling it. The Bladed Faith was one of my most anticipated books of the year, but I found that I wasn't a huge fan of the main character, Cyrus, and the training montage that lasted multiple chapters did it no favors. I WAS MISTAKEN. SORELY, SORELY MISTAKEN.

While I wasn't a fan of Cyrus until almost halfway through the book, the side characters were what saved this book for me. The Ahlai sisters, Mari and Stasia, were amazing. Powerful, smart, and expertly developed, the sisters lit up every scene they were in. I found myself hoping that every next POV chapter was one of theirs. The relationship between the sisters was very realistic, and their individual stories were just as compelling. I liked seeing how their past experiences with rebellions color their present ones. I can't wait to see what happens with both of them in the next book, especially after some of the reveals that happened in the last 20% of the book.

And what an amazing last 20%! This section of the book really brought the heat--alliances were tested, betrayals were happening left and right, a couple of the characters go through major shifts that were seeded throughout the book but I just didn't realize. So. Much. Happened. Starting at the 80% mark, I couldn't put this book down! Also, I really need to give Dalglish kudos for the action scenes! I was blown away by the sheer brutality of the fight scenes. They were fantastically written and super detailed. As a writer, I could only DREAM of pulling that off with Dalglish's skill. They were truly a treat to read.

I'm definitely a new David Dalglish fan after reading The Bladed Faith, and I can't wait for the next book in this series!

Thank you, Orbit, for allowing me to read The Bladed Faith early!

David Dalglish created such an original and interesting fantasy with The Bladed Faith, I often left speechless when reading epic fantasy book such as this. I inhale them in a breath and when I'm finished, I'm left breathless, the only relief given from another similar fantasy novel, just because I have to wait at least a year before I can read the sequels.

ARC provided in exchange for an honest review.

I'll head this off by saying that I love a good story where the main character has to build themself up to become something greater than they are to meet their purpose.

This story had some pretty memorable characters but I found that the plot ended up just a little predictable. I had guessed the end twist ages before I'd gotten there. That said, it was still enjoyable. The story was action-packed, bloody, and dark when it had to be and was surprisingly soft and lighthearted at other times.

The author has a good rein on his characters and world, though they do seem to have some serious plot armor at times. The gods of the world add an interesting form to the magic system, specifically giving all the magic a flair depending on the specific god. I LOVE that it changes in this way.

All in all, this was a fun romp in a dark new world. If I could make one suggestion it would be to give the world a bit more description or feel. I found that despite everything going on IN the world with the gods, the empire conquering other places, and all the greatly developed characters, that I didn't have any idea what the world actually looked like so I slotted in a generic fantasy town/island into my head.

A nice story with just a few minor gripes on my own part, but with characters that more than make up for it.

I'd give this a solid 3.75/5

Cyrus had a really bad first chapter. Like it's rough when the distant empire shows up and starts killing everybody. But then they also kill one of your gods, and your parents, and you end up a hostage in the same couple of pages. But, he eventually gets a chance to strike back thanks to outside revolutionaries. But is it all worth it?

I am a sucker for a good vengeance story, as long as the motivation is good. As this is the start to the series all of the cards are not out, but no one has gone "I'm doing it for the lols!" so I'll stick around.

Reasons to read:
-I liked the different POVs, each one gave other aspects of world building that were paced well
-The distribution of knowledge in the world makes sense
-I have to applaud THAT foreshadowing and I'm a bit ashamed I missed it considering my background
-World were gods are real and interact with the followers
-Big revenge

Cons:
-A bit of the just talk trope going on, I get why it was done but I saw it coming

This book was received from the Author, and Publisher, in exchange for an honest review. Opinions and thoughts expressed in this review are completely my own.

This is a non spoiler review, because you as reader need to read this book. Also, I feel sometimes I have in the past gave away to much of the plot line. This has diminished the pleasure for would be readers.

The Bladed Faith by David Dalglish
Series: The Vagrant Gods (Book #1 of 3)
Genre: Fantasy, High Fantasy
Pages: 582 pages (Kindle Edition)
Published: 5th April 2022 by Orbit
Thank you @orbitbooks_us

The Bladed Faith, by David Dalglish is one of the most anticipated stellar high fantasy this year. My friends let me tell you it does not disappoint. You might find my review lacking, and I completely agree. It’s because I really don’t want to spoil this book for anyone!! It’s that good take my word.

"You will be a phantom killer. A merciless shadow. A god among mortal men."

Cyrus Lythan, heir to Thanet’s throne, is a survivor after witnessing his gods and family slaughtered? When the invading army of continental empire of Gadir sacked and conquered his small island nation.
Held against his will, as political prisoner, in a series of events he finds himself rescued by Thanet resistance fighters, Joining forces with Reclusive Thorda Ahlai, a wealthy aristocrat, and his daughters Mari and Stasia, who seeks to stop the evil spread of The Empire and extract vengeance. As the dreaded immortal emperor, seeks to devastate and colonize.

Cyrus is to become the Vagrant, a merciless phantom God. A symbol to all who are apart of the resistance fighters, and those who long for their kingdoms to return to what they were once before.

The Bladed Faith, by David Dalglish is an astonishing first installment in the Vagrant Gods Trilogy. Action packed, stunning character development, along with impressive brutal fighting scenes. Incredible world building with Gods magical weaponry.

#orbitbooks #orbitbooksus #epicfantasy #fantasybooks #daviddalglish #thebladedfaith #bookstagram #igreads #instabooks #tbrstack

I am not posting this on goodreads because this is not a bad book. It is just the opposite of my tastes. This is a classic fantasy, nothing new really, same tropes combined in a sort of interesting way. I just couldn't get myself to care about the characters or the world. I can't tell whether a better story could've drawn me in, or the relationship between me and this book was doomed from the start.

Cyrus was only twelve years old when he watched both his god and parents, the king and queen of Thanet, executed right in front of him. For years he spent as a captive prince under his conquerors. However, when he’s rescued by a ragtag group of revolutionaries, he’s offered a chance to reclaim his kingdom and avenge his parents’ deaths.

He becomes a vigilante called Vagrant to strike fear in his enemies and become a symbol of hope for his people, but nothing has prepared him for the bloodshed ahead.

The Bladed Faith by David Dalglish is a fast-paced epic fantasy about vengeance, unlikely odds, and slain gods.

However, I had to admit, this turned out to be a completely different book than I was expecting. Based on the photo cover, at first I was expecting grimdark fantasy.

On the inside though, what I got was a far more fantastical and colorful world. There’s a rainbow butterfly goddess and a flying rainbow lion god, and a nationality of characters with coveted red eyes. It feels like a very classical fantasy with a tinge of cheese and hope, which makes sense to me because I later found out that the author is a huge fan of Final Fantasy.

Typically, I adore this type of fantasy as much as I adore grimdark, but I found it difficult to feel invested in the story and its characters due to its breakneck pacing and narrative structure. For starters, there are at least 8 different POVs, which is a lot to juggle within a span of only 512 pages. On top of that, there are time skips spanning years that gloss over crucial character development for the supporting cast. Personally, I wish the book could have been longer, allowing for characters to be better established so that the emotional moments actually land.

Overall, I loved the basic premise, but the story’s more compelling characters were unfortunately swept under the rug and too often forgotten.

I really enjoyed this book, and I’m anxiously waiting for the next book to come out now so I can see what happens next with these characters! I loved the pacing and the writing, there was never a dull moment and even when there wasn’t any action going on, we were getting more insight into the characters and the world. The pacing was fast, and the fight scenes were so fun to read! For lack of a better word, this felt almost self-aware, in the sense that the characters were (for the most part) straightforward with their expectations, like when Cyrus was going through his training and his mentor was clear on what would happen, and Cyrus was understanding and knew what was going on. It’s a little hard to describe that feeling that I had while I was reading those sections, but it was very refreshing and I very much enjoyed it!

I also really liked the characters and how even though Cyrus was clearly the main character, you also got the stories of Mari, Stasia, Thorda, and Rayan. Each character had a clear voice and you almost instantly fell in love with them all. Honestly, the characters were the main selling point of this book for me, the character art Dalglish posted on Twitter is what convinced me to request the ARC in the first place!

I also thought the world was really interesting, with this small island kingdom that was invaded by the mainland empire. I really hope we get to see more of the island in the next books, because the story is pretty contained within the capital city. Despite that, it doesn’t feel like it takes place in a small place, and I liked how we got just enough description to make you curious about the rest of the kingdom.

Normally, I’m not the biggest fan of books that have religious fantatics who force their views on others because a lot of the time the focus is TOO much on that aspect, but in this case, I think that it was nicely balanced with the other aspects of the story and the characters.

In fact, I’ve been wracking my brain to try to think of any negatives that I had while reading and honestly, I can’t think of any!

Overall, I very much enjoyed this book, and I look forward to reading more of this series, and finally reading more from this author, as I’ve had MANY of his books on my unread TBR for far too long.

I’m probably rounding up to give this four stars but I was entertained reading it so it deserves the rounding! It’s a story that doesn’t sound very fresh if you consider the parts. An evil empire that wants to control all. A plucky rebellion. A young hero that has to be trained by master warriors to become an exemplar for the rebellion to have as a leader. But…. the pages do fly by, the empire’s monolithic front may have some cracks in the facade and the boy is a likable kid with the potential be a good man. I’m hooked. I admit that this author has long been on my I should read some of these list…. After reading this one I’m definitely going to read some more. It was a fun read!

Cyrus witnessed his parents, King and Queen of Thanet, assassinated in front of him and his kingdom invaded by the far-off, yet expanding Everlorn Empire. However, Thanet proves more difficult to conquer than anticipated as Cyrus sets on an all-consuming course of revenge. I like the assassin training fantasy trope and this book checked all of the boxes in a refreshing new light!

The characters in this story were well-developed and multi-dimensional in their own rights, but the scenes where the main characters were just talking amongst each other are probably my favorite scenes to read in the book. Its where we really get to see their depth and the development that they undergo throughout the book. These characters in these moments just seemed very real to me.

I really, really liked the unique magic system and how the big reveal at the end gives a good explanation as to how this magic system gets its power. I am looking forward to this being explored more in book 2!

Dalglish certainly knows how to write an action scene and they were very well done in this book and the action scenes definitely do not lack in gore. However, there are a TON of these fighting scenes, almost too many in my opinion. The amount of repetitive fight and ambush scenes really does affect the pacing. The scenario is very similar in numerous instances throughout the book and I would say this was the only weakness, although a slight one.

I have never read David Dalglish before, but this book was AMAZING and a strong first book in the series! I will not only be eagerly awaiting book 2, but I will be definitely reading his other works in the meantime!

Thank you to Orbit Books and NetGalley for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review!

An action packed fantasy for fans of Arcane!

I love an author who can make you love characters almost instantly, but also plants the seed of “trust no bitch’ right away. This is my first Dalglish book and damn, call me impressed.

I kid you not when I say that I fell in love with just about every single character in this book. The entire cast is perfect and meld and bounce so well off of each other. It’s a testament to Dalglish’s craft that he can get you so emotionally connected so quickly. And then of course he has to hurt them so badly - but I’m a masochist of a reader, so I enjoyed a lot of the pain he put these characters (and the reader) through. And the story? The twists? I was screaming in my notes for the second half of this book and could not put it down.

This book also gave me major Arcane vibes, in the sense of the characters & the storytelling style - Dalglish is careful not to fill in the story wall to wall, but let’s it breathe and grow into something I think any fantasy fan will love sinking their teeth into

All this praise being said, this was also rough read for me, a Queer reader from a former religious background. There are some scenes that were very difficult to read and I was not expecting them. One scene that was personally difficult for me to read was a scene that involved threatening a sapphic couple with sexual assault if they did not comply with the newly implemented conservative laws. Dalglish gives his Queer characters strength and power and love, but he puts them through the emotional ringer too. Especially right now, this may not be a book that some Queer folks should look to for escapism - so take care when picking this up.

CW: violence, gore, homophobia, transphobia, death of parents, threatening sexual assault on a sapphic couple, use of the term “crossed-women” for trans women, descriptions of fat bodies shapeshifting (which I thought was straightforward and well done, but this could differ for other readers) & child murder

*I received an eARC from NetGalley & Orbit in exchange for my honest review*

I was hooked on this book from the very first chapter. The descriptions of battles and violence were incredibly cinematic and unabashedly horrific. The themes explored were interesting, and the tropes used were many of my favorites. The characters were morally ambiguous and often struggled with figuring out the right thing to do, which made them interesting to read. The pace was uneven at times, but the fascinating world-building and other aforementioned characteristics made up for it, in my opinion.

I always love a good rebels versus empire story, and this one didn't disappoint on that front. The empire and its minions were as evil as they could possibly be, and they acted as excellent avatars for the exploration of many of the book's most interesting themes. The horrors of colonization were on full display here, and I found the politics of the imperials to be a fascinating look at the long-game involved in the subjugation of indigenous people using a combination of law, psychology, faith, and brutality. The story also illustrated the perils of theocracy and how much life can change in the shift from a liberal society to one that is dominated by an uber-conservative proselytizing religion. The picture it painted wasn't a pretty one. However, I think it's a prudent warning, and I appreciated the glimpses of realistic day to day consequences for the characters that the author sprinkled throughout the narrative.

My favorite thing about this book was the magic system and its setting. The world was easy to imagine, and the magic system based on faith was a fascinating idea that created some twists I wasn't expecting. I also liked its use to illustrate the power inherent in faith and how that power can be harnessed for nefarious purposes. I was completely sucked into all the scheming and use of propaganda to take advantage of people's faith, and I appreciated that the book realistically portrayed both sides of the fight as purveyors of such tactics. That being said, the actual world-building itself left me a little underwhelmed. I really would have liked more history and more information about the magic system. Some of the ideas felt a bit rushed and underbaked, but I'm hopeful they will be expanded upon in future books.

I enjoyed reading each of the characters. Cyrus's story was the typical tragedy and revenge story. His growth and struggle with whether he wanted to become the monster necessary to exact his revenge were compelling to read. However, I never really felt all that connected to him. He just felt somewhat removed from everything happening around him in a way I can't quite explain. The side characters, on the other hand, stole the show for me. Stasia, Mari, and Rayan were all standouts for me. Stasia was a complete badass with lots of character. I adored her relationship as well and was worried about both of them throughout the book because they needed to be protected at all costs. lol. Mari's magical abilities were incredibly cool to read about, and I hope to learn more about them in future books. Finally, Rayan's steadfast faith and love for his people and prince were truly the heart and backbone of this novel. His character had so many great small, quiet moments, and I always looked forward to reading his chapters.

Overall, the plot of the book was interesting, and the setting, magic, themes, and characters kept me wanting to read more even when the pacing was a bit rough. The rebels did seem a bit overpowered, though, and I would have liked to see them struggle in the fights a bit more. Their prowess, even with all their training, seemed a little too good to be believable considering the force they were up against. Despite having some flaws, I really enjoyed a lot about this book. Therefore, I rate it 4 out of 5 stars. If you like revenge stories or faith-based magic, I think this would be a great book to pick up.