About

The Pale Blade is the first book in the Empire of Flame & Fang series written by Alec Hutson.

The Pale Blade book cover

Blurb

On scaled wings they crossed the trackless sea, conquerors from distant lands. None could stand before them – not the queen, surrounded by her bright legions, or the sorcerers steeped in the power of the jade moon, or even the paladins with their swords fashioned from the tears of the Silver Mother. Only one who had already lost everything would dare to challenge these invaders. And so a shepherd girl, her will forged in the same fire that consumed her heart, became the last hope of a shattered realm. Only she can defy the Empire of Flame and Fang.

Review

I've enjoyed reading "The Raveling", "The Shadows of Dust" and "The Umbral Storm" by Alec Hutson. I've been reading plenty of progression fantasy books lately. So, I was happy to read an ARC of "The Pale Blade", the start of an epic fantasy series.

The characters and worldbuilding were the major strengths of this book. There's a rich history of empires and ruins that intertwine with the current day events. Of magical weapons, spirits, otherworldly beings, shifty magicians and dragon bonds. All of this unfolds within a classical fantasy trope — Bren, a young woman brought up by farmers, goes on an adventure after her kingdom was invaded. Along the way, she meets interesting characters, gains mysterious weapons and drawn into events beyond her control. And of course, things aren't always black and white as it seemed at the start. Reminded me of "The Stormlight Archive" at times.

The pacing was good for the most part. Something interesting kept happening to move the plot forward amidst the worldbuilding. Things slowed a bit in the second half, but picked up well towards the end. Plenty of twists too — looking forward to how they play out in the sequels.

My rating: 🌟🌟🌟🌟☆

What others are saying

From Chris Puntoni's review on goodreads:

The Empire of Flame and Fang will deliver a new world filled with all the best of fantasy: a heroine with great strength of character, a best friend, spirits and magicians with hidden agendas, a magic sword, dragons. The writing is wonderfully descriptive and paints this world and the societies in it so beautifully. There are echoes of Hunger Games and other sword maiden fantasies but the main character, Bren, is uniquely ethical and has a moral center that guides her choices as she experiences trials and challenges.