#Traitor&039;s Blade

[dibator]

From Sebastien de Castell comes Crucible of Chaos, a novel of The Court of Shadows

From Sebastien de Castell, the author of the internationally acclaimed Greatcoats and Spellslinger seriesCRUCIBLE OF CHAOS: A NOVEL OF THE COURT OF SHADOWS  A mortally wounded magistrate faces his deadliest trial inside an ancient abbey where the monks are going mad and the gods themselves may be to blame!  Estevar Borros, one of the legendary sword-fighting magistrates know as the Greatcoats…

[insidemylibrarymind]

Best Books of 2018

Best Books of 2018

It is time.

I am finally here to discuss my favorite books of the year! As you know, I did not have the greatest reading year ever (because I haven’t shut up about it), but that doesn’t mean that I did not read some fantastic books this year. These are my ten absolute favorite reads of the year. Some of these got a slightly lower rating (4 or 4.5 stars), but these are books that stuck with me…

[filipmagnuswrites]

Month-in-Review: April 2020 At the Grimoire Reliquary

Month-in-Review: April 2020 At the Grimoire Reliquary

April was a great month for the blog in terms of views, my best to date! I had over seven hundred views which, granted, is what anyone who is anyone gets in a microsecond – but I’m well-pleased with it. What do I owe that to?

I Experienced A New World With The Girl and the Stars by Mark Lawrence

Mark Lawrence shared and retweeted my review of his latest release a bunch of times, and that…

[bookwraiths]

TYRANT'S THRONE

TYRANT’S THRONE

Tyrant’s Throne by Sebastien de Castell

Genre: Fantasy

Series: Greatcoats #4

Publisher: Jo Fletcher Books (June 6, 2017)

Length: 400 pages

Author Information: Website | Twitter

My Rating: 5 stars

Few series transcend their genre, bring readers of differing tastes together to brave dangers along behind its heroes.  But when one does, this saga finds itself held up as an all-time great; descriptive…

[nikihawkes]

Title: Traitor’s Blade

Author: Sebastien De Castell

Series: Greatcoats #1

Genre: Fantasy

Rating: 3.5/5 stars

The Overview: Falcio is the first Cantor of the Greatcoats. Trained in the fighting arts and the laws of Tristia, the Greatcoats are travelling Magisters upholding King’s Law. They are heroes. Or at least they were, until they stood aside while the Dukes took the kingdom, and impaled their King’s head on a spike. Now Tristia is on the verge of collapse and the barbarians are sniffing at the borders. The Dukes bring chaos to the land, while the Greatcoats are scattered far and wide, reviled as traitors, their legendary coats in tatters. All they have left are the promises they made to King Paelis, to carry out one final mission. But if they have any hope of fulfilling the King’s dream, the divided Greatcoats must reunite, or they will also have to stand aside as they watch their world burn… -Goodreads

The Review:

This is one of those books that improves as it goes. My initial impression from just the first chapter was not fantastic. The story was told in a very over-the-top sarcastic voice that was almost condescending to the reader. It made me question whether the book would offer enough substance, or if I was in for a whole lot of bolstering and nothing else. Thankfully, about the point I would’ve gotten fed up, it started to tone down and I had just enough interest to keep going.

Then I hit about the halfway point and magic happened. I’m still not sure exactly what changed, but I was shocked to find myself suddenly unwilling to put it down. Who’d have thought a 1 or 2 star beginning would turn into a 4 to 5 star ending? And the second book was even better (RTC on that).

I’ve heard Greatcoats described as an alternate take on the Three Musketeers, and can’t say I disagree with that assessment. It has the same spirit of camaraderie, loyalty, and humor. But it definitely differs in delivery by amping up the sarcasm and humor to just shy of tolerable at times (this definitely relaxes as the story progresses, turning into much-needed comedic relief for some of the more intense scenes). Eventually it finds its balance, but the dynamics between the Three Greatcoats was definitely a consistent highlight throughout.

Traitor’s Blade introduced some cool plot ideas I don’t think I’ve seen before, and I really liked how the story developed. It truly surprised me how much I ended up loving the second half of the book. This is one of those rare instances where I’m glad I stuck with it.

Recommendations: Traitor’s Blade had a very Locke Lamora attitude (on crack) that I think will appeal to fantasy readers who like a mix of humor and grit in their books. I think it’s safe to say that the beginning suffers a bit from being overdone, but if you stick with it, the payoff is well worth the effort.

Other books you might like:

Kings of the Wyld by Nicholas Eames

Theft of Swords by Michael J. Sullivan

The Lies of Locke Lamora by Scott Lynch

The Emperor’s Blades by Brian Staveley

The Spirit Thief by Rachel Aaron

by Niki Hawkes

Book Review: Traitor’s Blade by Sebastien De Castell Title: Traitor's Blade Author: Sebastien De Castell Series: Greatcoats #1 Genre: Fantasy Rating: 3.5/5 stars The Overview: …

[himluv]

Goals Summary 2018 - Wk 51

Goals Summary 2018 – Wk 51

Oh Blogland,

It’s Christmas Eve! I’m looking forward to a quiet and cozy holiday spent with the husbando and the pooch, curled up on the couch with cocoa and a slew of Christmas movies. There will be the traditional (at least in our household) Mexican food tonight, and probably leftovers tomorrow.  What’s not to love?

Last Week

Publish two blog posts

Finish listening to Traitor’s Blade

Write…

[karinawebster]

My 2017 Favourites | Book List 2 of 2

My 2017 Favourites | Book List 2 of 2, featuring The Ninth Rain, Gardens of the Moon, Traitor's Blade, A Discovery fo Witches & Tigana #bookreview #topbooks #bookblogger

As I was unable to keep myself from only writing a few sentences about my top 10 reads of 2017, here is my second round of favourite books of the year. If you would like to see the other half, check out my first post here. In no particular order…. The Ninth Rain by Jen Williams I enjoyed this one so much I was unable to write a decent review when I first read it, so I will try my best to describe…

[mightythorjrs]

Guest Blog: Idealism And The Greatcoats by Jamie Ryder

Guest Blog: Idealism And The Greatcoats by Jamie Ryder @_jamie_ryder_ @decastell

I have been running my author guest blog series for awhile now with much success! Today is the first in what I hope is many guest blog post by fellow bloggers. I am proud to present another guest blog spot. Jamie Ryder who runs a pop culture website called https://thecomicvault.wordpress.com/  and an animal protection website called https://wingsandwildhearts.wordpress.com/ has been kind enough…

[oddishme]

November Book Haul

It’s time for my November book haul where I show you what I got this month. I didn’t think I’d end up buying that many books but well… I kind of went back on that? Anyway, below you’ll find my book haul for November and I’ve already started one of them which will either appear in my November wrap-up or my December TBR depending on how quick I read it. (more…)

[insidemylibrarymind]

Amazing Books No One Ever Talks About

Amazing Books No One Ever Talks About

Underrated reads time. 

There are books out there which I adore with my heart and soul, but no one ever really seems to talk about them. So I thought it would be interesting to talk about some books I think are fantastic but that just don’t get enough recognition.

1. Did You Ever Have a Family by Bill Clegg

“[W]e’ve learned that grief can sometimes get loud, and when it does, we try not to speak…

[theeloquentpage]

Traitor's Blade by Sebastien de Castell

New Review - Traitor's Blade by Sebastien de Castell #review @JoFletcherBooks

Falcio is the first Cantor of the Greatcoats. Trained in the fighting arts and the laws of Tristia, the Greatcoats are travelling Magisters upholding King’s Law. They are heroes. Or at least they were, until they stood aside while the Dukes took the kingdom, and impaled their King’s head on a spike. Now Tristia is on the verge of collapse and the barbarians are sniffing at the borders. The Dukes…

[bookwraiths]

FUNDAY MONDAY, OR THE BOOKS THAT WILL HELP ME SURVIVE THE WEEK AHEAD (MAY 15, 2017)

FUNDAY MONDAY, OR THE BOOKS THAT WILL HELP ME SURVIVE THE WEEK AHEAD (MAY 15, 2017)

Another week begins.  I quickly slip into my business suit and head back into the office to save a few innocent people. But while I try to fool myself into being excited about the promise of a new year and the continuation of the regular grind, deep down, I’m not, so I’m going to escape dreary reality by reading some great books.

This week I’ll be reading the concluding installment in the saga���

[thebookwars]

Feeling a little bit betrayed

Feeling a little bit betrayed

A couple months ago Vancouver Public Library and Academie Duello hosted the Pen and Sword event, which featured authors CC Humphreys, Jen Landels, Kris Sayer, and Sebastien de Castell. The latter was the only author whose works I had not read, a situation remedied by borrowing the library’s copy of Traitor’s Blade.

First, the good news:

Traitor’s Bladeis a fun read. There’s plenty going on in…

[himluv]

Book Review - Traitor's Blade (Greatcoats #1) by Sebastien de Castell

Book Review – Traitor’s Blade (Greatcoats #1) by Sebastien de Castell

I didn’t plan on reading this book this year. I got it for free on Audible months ago, almost as an afterthought. It was a moment of, “I have an extra credit, what the hell do I get?” Browse, browse, browse… “Ooooooh! I keep meaning to read that!”

Well, courtesy of a powerfully nauseating migraine on Monday and Tuesday, I finally listened to it. Yep, all thirteen hours in two days. Mainly because…

[jennybeanses]

Traitor's Blade by Sebastian de Castell

Traitor’s Blade by Sebastian de Castell

Remember when I was reading The Name of the Wind, and I said usually the right book comes exactly when you need it? The same thing happened to me with Traitor’s Blade by Sebastian de Castell. I’d just come off a 2 day binge of the BBC’s Three Musketeers and felt like I needed more. Even though the new season started, one new episode was not enough to sate the hunger. It has been decades since I…

[stevenbuechler]

Intrigue Enters One's Dreams | Review of "Traitor's Blade" by Sebastien de Castell (2014) Penguin Canada

Intrigue Enters One’s Dreams | Review of “Traitor’s Blade” by Sebastien de Castell (2014) Penguin Canada

There was a time when literature dealt with honor, conviction and had a good battle or two. Be stories of the ‘Knights of the Round Table’ or the ‘The Three Musketeers’ these were tales that held our imagination for a while. Sebastien De Castell has brought us readers back into such tales with his novel Traitor’s Blade.

Pretend, just for a moment, that you have attained your most deep seated…