Reviewed by Quirky Cat on
The Bard’s Blade is the first novel in a brand new series by Brian D. Anderson. This series is called The Sorcerer’s Song, and is understandably setting a theme, one of a musical inclination. This is a fantasy series, one that flips tropes and expectations.
Lem and Mariyah may not know it just yet – but they are about to go off on a wild adventure. Their reasons for going will be very different, as will their path. For you see, these two lovers will be following different paths.
Lem is the most talented musician around, and that’s being modest. His talents have allowed him to travel far and wide, even if he really would prefer to just stay home near Mariyah. But his talent – and destiny – call him onward.
Mariyah is the daughter of a winemaker, though it’s no secret that she’s the brains behind the operation at this point. She’s content with her lot in life. Especially with Lem by her side. That is, until he gets some news that changes everything for them.
“Never allow the wickedness of others to dictate who you are.”
The Bard’s Blade was a fast-paced and highly entertaining read. It sent our leading characters all over the map, chasing and running from one adventure to the next. Seeing their travels made for a very fascinating read, through and through.
The world created in The Bard’s Blade is a fascinating one. I found myself desperate to learn and see more of it within two chapters. And that feeling stayed the whole way through, an impressive feat. I’m happily looking forward to the sequel already, for that very reason. I loved the magical system, the different cities, and the border itself (which you’ll quickly learn about if you give this book a try).
This novel used switching perspectives (with Lem and Mariyah being two of the dominant points of view) in order to tell the story. I loved that, as it allowed me to see more of this world, the character involves, and the messes they seemed to keep getting themselves into.
What I loved the most about this novel is how it subverted expectations and prophecies. This isn’t a typical bard tale – though I couldn’t help but think “I got a four!” once or twice while I was reading (couldn’t resist the OOTS reference there, sorry!). It was in fact something completely different from what I expected, and I mean that in the best of ways. And that is truly saying something since I was expecting something fun and different from the beginning.
Okay, that might have been the thing I liked second best. What I enjoyed the most was how much The Bard’s Blade surprised me. I couldn’t predict anything that was going to happen in this book – for good or for bad. And that made for a highly entertaining read.
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Reading updates
- Started reading
- 30 January, 2020: Finished reading
- 30 January, 2020: Reviewed