A review by kayshiddenshelf
The Blood of Outcasts by D.A. Smith

adventurous challenging dark mysterious tense medium-paced

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

3.5

3.5/5 Stars 
 
 I received a copy of the book in exchange for an honest review. 

The Blood of the Outcasts is book one in the Bane Sword Saga and a self-published Japanese inspired fantasy. A bloody start to the series and a new author to watch! 

Story Overview:

Masako escapes death and is hell bent on revenge against the Lord Council who killed her master and left her clan in pieces. A curse in her blood cries out and a godsborne answers. 
 
 Given a second chance Masako must unite the outer clans, move past old rivalries and worse, face annihilation at the hands of a foreign sect of sorcerers and their silent invasion. 

Only Masako is meant to be dead. 

Review:
 
If you’re looking for a bloody story filled with great fight scenes, grimdark elements, political scheming, and an unlikable character, all set in a Japanese inspired world, you’ve come to the right place. 

The Blood of the Outcasts is told in first person, present tense narrative, through the perspective of an unlikable character, Masako. As a result, it was a bit tricky for me to settle into at first. It took me about 40% before I finally felt comfortable with the writing style and storytelling method used by the author. 

Eventually, I ended up associating the writing style with Masako’s personality. She’s a hot-tempered warrior of few words, who would rather rely on her sword to do the talking. Valuing honour, loyalty, and justice above all else, she strives for revenge and restoring her clan. As a single minded, angry character, I found Masako to be a refreshing protagonist. 

I also appreciated that despite Masako being an unlikable character, she does get some development throughout the book. As unlikeable characters can be tricky for readers, this may not be for everyone. However, I do see promise with Masako’s character and the authors writing. 

With a wide side cast, there are many characters, and clans to keep track of. Personally, I used the glossary at the beginning of the book to help with this. I also enjoyed the variety of characters we see and the roles they each played.  

Since this is told in Masako’s POV, it was harder to anticipate what would happen with the plot and I loved the mystery that this added to the story. 

While the worldbuilding felt familiar to other anime or manga series, I did have trouble keeping up with the magic. I would have liked more exploration of the magic and Meaters as they do play a significant role in the story, and I often found myself struggling to understand how it all worked. 

A great tale of revenge with demons, political scheming, a caste system, Samurai, and a bit of magic to top it off. 

While this did take me longer to get into, I ended up enjoying this and Masako’s character. As a result, I’m eager to start book 2, Wrath from the Mountains. 

Ultimately, this is one of those books that may not be for everyone, but I do think it’s worth picking up and trying for yourself.