Review: Promise of Blood by Brian McClellan

Synopsis
The Age of Kings is dead . . . and I have killed it.

It’s a bloody business overthrowing a king…
Field Marshal Tamas’ coup against his king sent corrupt aristocrats to the guillotine and brought bread to the starving. But it also provoked war with the Nine Nations, internal attacks by royalist fanatics, and the greedy to scramble for money and power by Tamas’s supposed allies: the Church, workers unions, and mercenary forces.

Stretched to his limit, Tamas is relying heavily on his few remaining powder mages, including the embittered Taniel, a brilliant marksman who also happens to be his estranged son, and Adamat, a retired police inspector whose loyalty is being tested by blackmail.

But when gods are involved…
Now, as attacks batter them from within and without, the credulous are whispering about omens of death and destruction. Just old peasant legends about the gods waking to walk the earth. No modern educated man believes that sort of thing. But they should…

In a rich, distinctive world that mixes magic with technology, who could stand against mages that control gunpowder and bullets?

What I thought
I was on the fence about picking this book up. However, hearing it mentioned on a Brandon Sanderson live stream between himself and Dan Wells made me decide to give it a chance.  I never thought I would pick up a flintlock fantasy book. I never saw myself liking that kind of story, however I am so happy that I did because I really enjoyed this book.  

I liked the world that was built and I found the magic systems to be interesting.  In this world you have three branches to the magic system Power Mages, Knacks and Privileged.  The magic system was easy to understand and I thought it was straight forward, the only one that could have any variation was the Knacks, since people can be a Knack in virtually anything.  I also appreciated how this book was not info dumpy even though it is the first book in a trilogy.  

I liked all of the POV’s however I expected a little more from Adamat he was introduced as the top of the line inspector but I just did not feel it.  One thing that I really liked is how the POV’s were intertwined and I felt like I was getting the whole story and not just pieces here and there.

If you enjoy character drive stories then you may enjoy this one.

My Rating: /5