Blacktongue Thief (Blacktongue, 1)

A camp joy. The world building here is absolutely stunning—it’s big and full of wonder. The kind of LOTR richness that is also very funny and dark, not afraid to be both wonder and death—but also all the little pieces between. I’m obviously in love with Galva, she is by far my favorite. But the magic! The mischief of our narrator! The twists and turns! Giants! Goblins! Assassins! Murder Birds! I took points off for some of the narrator being annoying—a little too much like his fox god. But that’s just because I love Galva and prefer her. Regardless, lovely! Will read more! Read this if you love magic; love language/melting pot politics; dark humor and strong women.

I would consider Black Tongue Thief grimdark fantasy. There are some bright spots, but they only serve as warnings of future misfortune. The world-building was amazing. It was rich with Gods, magic, tattoos, lore, songs, and history. The story itself though seemed to meander from place to place and I wasn’t sure what the goal was. But it had its moments. The audiobook was delightful and was narrated and at times sung by the author himself. It was the kind of novel that I could tell was written by a man, not because it was gross, although it certainly was, but because it seemed to lack femininity. The female characters were fine and had a lot to do for sure, they just seemed to be missing something. All in all, it wasn’t bad, it was a tale told just for the telling and time well spent.

Phenomenal book with a huge world and unique characters. Lots of fun to read, almost felt like a DND adventure. Not difficult to get through but I didn’t want it to end. Can’t wait to read the sequel.

BEST FANTASY I’VE READ