The Bard’s Blade Review

E-ARC, 432 Pages
Fantasy/ Adult
By: Brian D. Anderson
Rating: 🌟🌟🌟🌟

“My mother once told me that music isn’t about how well you play. It’s about how it makes you feel when you play it.”

🌟 I have been asked by some of my friends lately, what is a good place to start adult fantasy? and I think this novel is a good starting point for anyone trying to expand their reading horizons.

🌟 I am a big fan of prophecies and once I knew this had a prophecy as a major part of the plot, I knew I had to read it. The writing was very simple and there is something enchanting when it comes to this simplicity. Most adult fantasy are huge and dense and complicated but this was the total opposite of that but still with the same level of enjoyment. The descriptions were well done and there were religious snippets that I liked.

🌟 The book is told from 2 POV, Lem and Mariyah and they were both intriguing to read about. There romance was equally cute and clean! The choice of multiple POVs kind of helped checking different parts of the world and I think it was a wise choice. The characters were well fleshed and I think it is a character-driven book so there was so much focus on making them real. Bard’s are usually looked down upon in the fantasy genre, they are the comic relief of shows and books so it was refreshing to have a book with a bard as a MC.

“Beauty can be as deceptive as the cleverest lie. Do not be fooled by a bright smile and friendly eyes. It is the deeds of a person that will give away their heart.”

🌟 I expected more plot, what we had was not bad at all but the cover and synopsis made me think it is a plot-driven story but it is not. The beginning focuses on the settings and then it becomes kind of a contemporary story in fantasy settings but I liked the twist at the end and did not see it coming, I also loved how religion was a big part of the plot because I think authors should not shy away from involving it in their stories. There are not much epic fights and action happening in the book but despite that, it was so addicting and I finished it in 2 days. I did not feel that it took much time to read it either.

🌟 Summary: The Bard’s Blade is a character-driven story with very simple but good writing. The book was addicting and the story is a light one. The book can use some more plot and action which I expect to have in the rest of the series. Recommend for those getting into the genre!