A review by autumn_loucks
The Blameless, by E.S. Christison
4.0
I was excited at the prospect of receiving a free book by a debut author in exchange for a free review, and was even more pleased after reading 'Blameless' by E. S. Christison.
'Blameless' is a well written story from beginning to end. And for a debut author, that's pretty impressive. I'll begin with the story:
Princess Briana's normal life in the castle is snatched away when her family is abruptly murdered in a seize of the castle. She is rescued by three men, whom she learns are 'Blameless', a group that is blessed with magic after performing an act of true selflessness. However, evil is afoot and has plans for Princess Briana.
My Thoughts: (Possible Spoilers)
World-Building:
The story is told in fictional places such as Predonia and Village of Mount Elrad. I found the settings itself to be very standard for fantasy. Tunics. Eating meat, cheese, and potatoes. Riding horses. The audience can settle into this setting easily while the other components of world-building begin to impress. I particularly enjoyed the magic system.
As stated above, there is a special group of people referred to as the 'Blameless.' These people can use magic due to performing a selfless act. The power comes from 'The Three.' Terren, Solis, and Cael. (Earth, Sun, and Air.) And while each Blameless' power is unique to them, they all can do certain things such as create weapons for protection. What impressed me was the way magic is based in the elements, but is not limited to the typical way elemental magic is expressed. The ability to make items appear if you know where it is and return it is interesting. And while I do like moving objects with wind (such as arrows) I found that telepathy being a form of 'air' magic interesting. (Sending thoughts through air [only possible if the other person has this specific ability as well]) My favorite being invisibility being 'sun' magic. I found this very creative.
Characters:
Personally, I found Princess Briana fun in the way most MG protags are. I think the cast stands out due to a wide variety of personalities. There is a big cast, which is something that I personally need in order to become immersed into a fantasy. I particularly love the set up of Flinton, Milly, and his sisters. I say that because the family could have easily been cast as Flinton and Milly as the parents and the girls as their children. The girls being his sisters was refreshing.
My favorite characters: Vaylec, Falen, and Taeo.
Every good story needs a good villian and Vaylec was it for me. EVERY scene he was in had my whole attention. And Vaylec only got better as the story went on.
Taeo was that classic cocky, fun character that is irresistible. No crew is complete without a Taeo.
Falen is an interesting case as the audience never meets him but I have to give Christison credit. It takes talent to make someone, 1) love a fictional character, and 2) love a fictional character that is only mentioned by other fictional characters. Just from what is told about Falen made him one of my favorite characters and I honestly missed him.
Prose:
I was impressed by how professional the prose was. While there wasn't ever a line that I thought was 'snappy' or made me lean back in my chair, it did avoid the pitfalls of amateur writers. It was clean, cliche-free, and uncluttered with adjectives and adverbs. And the professionality actually reminded me of prose in 'The False Prince' by Jennifer Nielsen.
Conclusion:
'Blameless' by E. S. Christison is a well-written debut full of magic and careful plotting. I would recommend it and currently look forward to the next installment. (Need to know what happens to my man Vaylec.)
'Blameless' is a well written story from beginning to end. And for a debut author, that's pretty impressive. I'll begin with the story:
Princess Briana's normal life in the castle is snatched away when her family is abruptly murdered in a seize of the castle. She is rescued by three men, whom she learns are 'Blameless', a group that is blessed with magic after performing an act of true selflessness. However, evil is afoot and has plans for Princess Briana.
My Thoughts: (Possible Spoilers)
World-Building:
The story is told in fictional places such as Predonia and Village of Mount Elrad. I found the settings itself to be very standard for fantasy. Tunics. Eating meat, cheese, and potatoes. Riding horses. The audience can settle into this setting easily while the other components of world-building begin to impress. I particularly enjoyed the magic system.
As stated above, there is a special group of people referred to as the 'Blameless.' These people can use magic due to performing a selfless act. The power comes from 'The Three.' Terren, Solis, and Cael. (Earth, Sun, and Air.) And while each Blameless' power is unique to them, they all can do certain things such as create weapons for protection. What impressed me was the way magic is based in the elements, but is not limited to the typical way elemental magic is expressed. The ability to make items appear if you know where it is and return it is interesting. And while I do like moving objects with wind (such as arrows) I found that telepathy being a form of 'air' magic interesting. (Sending thoughts through air [only possible if the other person has this specific ability as well]) My favorite being invisibility being 'sun' magic. I found this very creative.
Characters:
Personally, I found Princess Briana fun in the way most MG protags are. I think the cast stands out due to a wide variety of personalities. There is a big cast, which is something that I personally need in order to become immersed into a fantasy. I particularly love the set up of Flinton, Milly, and his sisters. I say that because the family could have easily been cast as Flinton and Milly as the parents and the girls as their children. The girls being his sisters was refreshing.
My favorite characters: Vaylec, Falen, and Taeo.
Every good story needs a good villian and Vaylec was it for me. EVERY scene he was in had my whole attention. And Vaylec only got better as the story went on.
Taeo was that classic cocky, fun character that is irresistible. No crew is complete without a Taeo.
Falen is an interesting case as the audience never meets him but I have to give Christison credit. It takes talent to make someone, 1) love a fictional character, and 2) love a fictional character that is only mentioned by other fictional characters. Just from what is told about Falen made him one of my favorite characters and I honestly missed him.
Prose:
I was impressed by how professional the prose was. While there wasn't ever a line that I thought was 'snappy' or made me lean back in my chair, it did avoid the pitfalls of amateur writers. It was clean, cliche-free, and uncluttered with adjectives and adverbs. And the professionality actually reminded me of prose in 'The False Prince' by Jennifer Nielsen.
Conclusion:
'Blameless' by E. S. Christison is a well-written debut full of magic and careful plotting. I would recommend it and currently look forward to the next installment. (Need to know what happens to my man Vaylec.)