The Emperor's Blades by Brian Staveley

My rating: 3.5 of 5 stars

Category: Adult
Genre: Fantasy
Content: Strong language (including one use of the C word), scenes of abuse/torture in the name of training, talk of visiting prostitutes, off page sex

The Emperor has been murdered, leaving the Annurian Empire in turmoil. Now his progeny must bury their grief and prepare to unmask a conspiracy.

His son Valyn, training for the empire’s deadliest fighting force, hears the news an ocean away. He expected a challenge, but after several ‘accidents’ and a dying soldier’s warning, he realizes his life is also in danger. Yet before Valyn can take action, he must survive the mercenaries’ brutal final initiation.

Meanwhile, the Emperor’s daughter, Minister Adare, hunts her father’s murderer in the capital itself. Court politics can be fatal, but she needs justice. And Kaden, heir to an empire, studies in a remote monastery. Here, the Blank God’s disciples teach their harsh ways – which Kaden must master to unlock their ancient powers. When an imperial delegation arrives, he’s learnt enough to perceive evil intent. But will this keep him alive, as long-hidden powers make their move?

I've had this on my to-read list for a very long time, so when someone on Goodreads wanted to buddy read it, I decided to finally give it a try. Honestly this was one of those books that looked like it may have straddled the line between traditional and grimdark fantasy, and that made me a little apprehensive. I don't mind a little dark, but if it gets too dark I just can't read it. I ended up liking this quite a lot, even if I did get tired of the "abuse in the name of training" scenario. I liked the other elements of the story, and once the story got past all that abuse, it was actually pretty good. I especially liked how some of the story threads ended up intersecting, and certain people's motivations were uncovered.

The story switched between the points of view of the three siblings in the book. One is the heir to the throne, one is in training to become a part of an elite group of warriors, and the third sibling is their sister who is left behind. Her point of view provides the political intrigue. I enjoyed Valyn's POV the most, but once I got near the end I really got interested in Adare's. She ends up in quite the predicament in the end. I think more than anything else, that is what is driving me to read the next book, but I still want to read about what happens to the brothers next as well.

“The fighters who frighten you are not the fighters to fear. The man you barely notice will be the one to bury a blade in your back.”