A review by briarrose1021
The Jigsaw Blade by Stevie Collier
5.0
Finn Featherstone is not a Champion; he is a painter. That does not stop him from dreaming of one day becoming a Champion. In service to that dream, Finn knows everything there is to know about each named blade that has been discovered, as well as the individual who wields it. He has even drawn himself as a Champion. But he is not a Champion.
So I'm sure you can imagine his surprise when, on the day after rescuing a young girl, he finds himself face-to-face with his idol, none other than the sword-wielding Champion Bryce. He is even more surprised to learn that he is being drafted as a foot soldier. While not an ideal situation, Finn does make a friend pretty quickly - Saul - and tries to make the best of the situation. Finn didn't know that his time as a foot soldier would be very short, for it is only a few days later when the army caravan of which he is a part is attacked by a pack of smilodons - sabertooth tigers. The attack takes place near a bridge over an icy river, and during the attack, Finn falls into the icy waters.
Near to dying, Finn doesn't realize that he has discovered a named blade of his own. He also discovers, once he is nursed back to health, that though the blade has claimed Finn, another person had already claimed the blade - and he is not happy about Finn having it. Suddenly thrust into training to become a Champion - Finn finally gets to be a Champion! - Finn has to quickly master the new skills and gain the trust of his new blade - a stubborn blade with strong opinions - so he can battle the prehistoric creatures that roam the surrounding lands and defend his newfound friends and allies from the traitor in their midst.
In The Jigsaw Blade, Collier creates a vivid world in which humans live a Medieval-era type of life while dinosaurs and other prehistoric animals roam the lands. The world has two main kingdoms which are starkly different, not only in their weather but also in the way they treat those who live within the borders. In addition, the concept of the named Bizarre Blades, as well as the magic that helps discovers them, is very interesting, and I look forward to learning more about the various blades and what kind of powers they have. I don't know that I will end up being as big of a fan as Finn is, but I definitely want to learn at least a little bit about them all.
While there is a relatively large cast of characters, the majority of the book focuses on three: Finn, Jade, and Ariel. Oh, yeah. And Obsidian. As the protagonist, Finn obviously gets the most "screen time" and character development. He starts off as a young painter who works with his father - his mother died when Finn was small - though his relationship with his father is strained. They live in the frozen kingdom of Shimoshimo, a kingdom that does not treat its people well and treats the animals as tools to be used. Finn has an affinity with animals and can sense their feelings; Finn has a big heart and is often the target of bullies as a result. Overall, Finn has a fairly miserable life to start, often not realizing his own strength and ability, so it was nice to see Finn grow over the course of the book.
The characters of Jade and Ariel are...interesting, and they allow for some great interactions and experiences throughout the book. Jade is the one who was supposed to get the named blade that Finn claimed, and he doesn't hold back his anger at Finn for having "stolen" it from him, frequently vocalizing his desire for Finn to go away so he can finally get "his" blade. Ariel is a healer who speaks of herself in the third person. She frequently ends up being the peacemaker between Finn and Jade, especially once Finn starts standing up to Jade's bullying behavior. Though I normally don't like characters who speak of themselves in the third person, Collier makes it work for Ariel. I'm still not sure how or why, and I admit that my opinion may change as I continue the series, but I rather enjoyed her character here.
Finally, there's Obsidian, who is a somewhat domesticated microraptor. Due in part to Finn's empathic connection with animals, he and Obsidian develop a connection that was wonderful to read. That doesn't mean that Obsidian didn't get into trouble - or get Finn and the others into trouble - but some of the things Obsidian does certainly makes up for that. I definitely look forward to seeing Obisidion more in the next book.
For this book, I listened to the audiobook, which was narrated by Kevin Kemp. Kemp did a great job with the narration, and I definitely look forward to listening to him narrate other books in the series.
So I'm sure you can imagine his surprise when, on the day after rescuing a young girl, he finds himself face-to-face with his idol, none other than the sword-wielding Champion Bryce. He is even more surprised to learn that he is being drafted as a foot soldier. While not an ideal situation, Finn does make a friend pretty quickly - Saul - and tries to make the best of the situation. Finn didn't know that his time as a foot soldier would be very short, for it is only a few days later when the army caravan of which he is a part is attacked by a pack of smilodons - sabertooth tigers. The attack takes place near a bridge over an icy river, and during the attack, Finn falls into the icy waters.
Near to dying, Finn doesn't realize that he has discovered a named blade of his own. He also discovers, once he is nursed back to health, that though the blade has claimed Finn, another person had already claimed the blade - and he is not happy about Finn having it. Suddenly thrust into training to become a Champion - Finn finally gets to be a Champion! - Finn has to quickly master the new skills and gain the trust of his new blade - a stubborn blade with strong opinions - so he can battle the prehistoric creatures that roam the surrounding lands and defend his newfound friends and allies from the traitor in their midst.
In The Jigsaw Blade, Collier creates a vivid world in which humans live a Medieval-era type of life while dinosaurs and other prehistoric animals roam the lands. The world has two main kingdoms which are starkly different, not only in their weather but also in the way they treat those who live within the borders. In addition, the concept of the named Bizarre Blades, as well as the magic that helps discovers them, is very interesting, and I look forward to learning more about the various blades and what kind of powers they have. I don't know that I will end up being as big of a fan as Finn is, but I definitely want to learn at least a little bit about them all.
While there is a relatively large cast of characters, the majority of the book focuses on three: Finn, Jade, and Ariel. Oh, yeah. And Obsidian. As the protagonist, Finn obviously gets the most "screen time" and character development. He starts off as a young painter who works with his father - his mother died when Finn was small - though his relationship with his father is strained. They live in the frozen kingdom of Shimoshimo, a kingdom that does not treat its people well and treats the animals as tools to be used. Finn has an affinity with animals and can sense their feelings; Finn has a big heart and is often the target of bullies as a result. Overall, Finn has a fairly miserable life to start, often not realizing his own strength and ability, so it was nice to see Finn grow over the course of the book.
The characters of Jade and Ariel are...interesting, and they allow for some great interactions and experiences throughout the book. Jade is the one who was supposed to get the named blade that Finn claimed, and he doesn't hold back his anger at Finn for having "stolen" it from him, frequently vocalizing his desire for Finn to go away so he can finally get "his" blade. Ariel is a healer who speaks of herself in the third person. She frequently ends up being the peacemaker between Finn and Jade, especially once Finn starts standing up to Jade's bullying behavior. Though I normally don't like characters who speak of themselves in the third person, Collier makes it work for Ariel. I'm still not sure how or why, and I admit that my opinion may change as I continue the series, but I rather enjoyed her character here.
Finally, there's Obsidian, who is a somewhat domesticated microraptor. Due in part to Finn's empathic connection with animals, he and Obsidian develop a connection that was wonderful to read. That doesn't mean that Obsidian didn't get into trouble - or get Finn and the others into trouble - but some of the things Obsidian does certainly makes up for that. I definitely look forward to seeing Obisidion more in the next book.
For this book, I listened to the audiobook, which was narrated by Kevin Kemp. Kemp did a great job with the narration, and I definitely look forward to listening to him narrate other books in the series.