Reviews

Of Blood, Bones, and Truth by T.M. Ledvina

amys_booknook's review against another edition

adventurous mysterious tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.0

cdiviakauthor's review

4.0

3.75/5 (rounded up for Goodreads)

An engaging debut, and sci-fi isn't my preferred genre. Kudos to Ledvina for their world-building, expansive and well rounded. It would be apparent to any reader that the author considered all elements and applied them with depth. Additionally, the relationship between Kellan and Cassian progressed organically and focused on the connection, which sometimes gets lost in most books. Not to mention, I like a good mystery.

However, the book's length put me at the risk of a reading slump from the sheer volumes of information to process. Having all the information and glossary at the front matter was a detriment to my reading experience since I kept trying to recall everything I read and felt a lot of gaps. But, overall, it was a great debut.

jsalexandria's review against another edition

dark emotional funny mysterious medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

akaanshaa's review against another edition

5.0

“He’s in good hands.

But those hands weren’t his”

Of Blood, Bones, and Truths is for people who watched Shadowhunters but wanted more of Alex and Magnus. Kellan is a state assassin whose task is to kill without asking questions and he has resigned to his fate. He was born and trained for this and he is living that life. Cassian is an assassin, who works for a private contractor and has as little say in his life choices as Kallen. He is bound because of his father’s debt and to keep his mother alive. When Cassian’s latest assignment brings him to Spiral City and his path crosses Kellan, they are drawn toward each other. While this isn’t primarily focused on the love story, every interaction between Kallen and Cassian is fireworks, especially the second half when they stop fighting their emotions.

I have been rooting for both of them since the beginning, assassins who hate killing and joining hands for saving lives, sign me up. The side characters especially, Salwyn and Vedra were perfect additions, and the third POV of a mysterious ‘shadow’ gave the story the perfect mystery. Of Blood, Bones, and Truths is going to be in my top reads this year.

I only had one tiny issue but then I read the epilogue and the way I screamed. IT WAS PERFECT. I CAN’T WAIT FOR THE NEXT SECOND BOOK.  

vik_reads_books's review against another edition

adventurous dark mysterious tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.5

I enjoyed this and liked the story it kept me guessing what was happening the whole way through! I really liked Cassian and Kellan, and the Shadow was the perfect Villian, though I must admit Vaida was my favourite. I'm a sucker for a sassy analyst! And after that ending/epilogue, I'll definitely be keeping my eye out for book 2! 
I also love how the author included a guide of characters, places, and the politics of the world as well as a pronunciation guide it was super useful to have to flick back to when needed!

kevinscorner's review against another edition

medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

2.5

Of Blood, Bones, and Truth is a scifi-fantasy series opener following two indentured assassins. Kellan is a Fallen, born indentured as part of the seraph race that lost the war, and is now working as a political assassin for the empire. Cassian is an elf, forced to work off his father’s debt as an assassin for a crime boss. When their assignments intersect, they form a tentative partnership to solve a series of demonic murders with an undercurrent of mutual attract and shared circumstances.

I’d describe this book as a queerer and noir Crescent City, which may appeal to a lot of readers. It is set in a queernormative futuristic world full of magic and technology inhabited by humans and all kinds of magical races like the seraph, fae, elves, and demons. And while there is a central gay romance, this is more of a thriller and focuses on the mystery aspect of the story.

Unfortunately, this book didn’t work for me. It shoots itself on the foot by giving the villain their own PoV chapters, cutting much of the tension and mystery for us readers because we already know what is going on from the very beginning. Even without naming the villain in their chapters, it was very obvious early on who they were. As for the romance, I didn’t buy into it as much as I could have because the two protagonists barely interact through much of the book. And when they do, it is fairly dry and passionless, without much chemistry in all honesty. I liked both men, but their romance was just sorely underdeveloped.

The book is also fairly inconsistent narratively—everyone is just so bad at their jobs despite how good they are supposed to be, character's purported relationships don't line up with what is actually shown in the book, the story keeps taking leaps with characters seeming to know things they shouldn’t, and things seemingly happen out of nowhere without adequate foreshadowing. There's just this weird sense that characters are having conversations that shouldn't be happening yet because it hasn't been set up properly. I’d actually rather have had the book focus on the romance more than the mystery, and these problems would have actually been much less noticeable.

I understood what it was going for, but Of Blood, Bones, and Truth just didn’t pan out.

*I received a complementary ebook copy as part of its book tour.

elrydia's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

fae_princess_in_space's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

This book was a really cool read; an urban/high-fantasy murder mystery set in a world with elves,seraphs, halflings, shifters, demons and more. The world building was very detailed as was the background that has left different races in different levels of society. If you are someone who likes their fantasy political, magical and full of warring factions, this one is absolutely for you! 

This story follows two indentured servants/assassins who end up getting tangled together to try and solve the murders that are occurring around the city. Kellen is a fallen seraph - a humanoid race with angelic wings that they can materialise at will; identical to seraphs, except the fallen are indentured to one of the military factions in the city. He is sent on an assignment to kill a prominent scientist when he meets fellow assassin, elven-born Cassian. Cassian was sold into servitude as a child and carries out crimes on the orders of his contract-holder, a known crime lord. 

The two end up tangled in a conspiracy where medical experiments are being carried out on citizens of the city and their bodies being dumped. Cassian is instructed to kill one of the main leads in the case, and after speaking with Kellen, who has been asked with solving the murders, both agree the best action is to get close to the man and his sister to see what they know. 

This book was twisty and I enjoyed many elements of it. I liked both Cassian and Kellen as well as the supporting cast of characters. As I have said the worldbuilding was really detailed and thorough. This is a REAL slow-burn (the most Cassian and Kellen do is kiss in the last 20% of the book) so I’m really hoping that their relationship develops in the sequel(s). The book ends on a pretty significant cliffhanger which I’m sure will be picked up on in the next book! 

The reason this book loses a star from me is simply because I really didn’t understand Cassian and Kellen’s motivations in parts. Cassian is meant to be this hardened killer who is told to kill one of the side characters… but he doesn’t do it, for no other reason that ‘he wants to see what happens’? And in fact he deliberately goes out of this way to keep the character alive? Also with Kellen, he is instructed to keep the murders on the down-low and yet shares literally everything with a guy he met a few days ago? For two people who have been successful trained killers for years, they sure made some odd decisions!! 

Anyhow, overall it was a great read for anyone who likes detailed magical fantasy! 

redtale's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional mysterious tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.5

jennymarie03's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional mysterious medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0