Review – Sweep of the Blade

Title:

Sweep of the Blade

Series:

Innkeeper Chronicles #4

Author:

Ilona Andrews

Genre:

Sci-Fi

Blurb:

Maud Demille was a daughter of Innkeepers. She knew that a simple life wasn’t in the cards, but she never anticipated what Fate would throw at her.

Once a wife to a powerful vampire knight, Maud and her daughter, Helen, had been exiled for the sins of her husband to the desolate planet of Karhari. Karhari killed her husband, and Maud had spent a year and a half avenging his debts. But now all the debts are paid. Rescued by her sister Dina, Maud had swore off all things vampire. Except she met Arland, the Marshal of House Krahr. One thing led to another and he asked for her hand in marriage. She declined.

Try as she might, she can’t just walk away from Arland. It doesn’t help that being human is a lot harder for Maud than being a vampire.

To sort it all out, she accepts his invitation to visit his home planet. House Krahr is a powerful vampire House, and Maud knows that a woman who turned down the proposal from its most beloved son wouldn’t get a warm reception. But Maud Demille never shied from a fight and House Krahr may soon discover that there is more to this human woman than they ever thought possible.

Review

5stars rating
INTRO:

A book that isn’t about Dina but her sister, Maud. Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaand, of course, our Lord Marshal.
Be prepared to see him in a whole different light *swoon*

Worldbuilding:

To be honest, I really love the setting in this book. We have a bit of a recap in certain parts of what happened in the previous book (in case you haven’t read it or couldn’t remember), which was very nice. Also, the scenes and environments were clear and detailed enough to feel you were actually there alongside Maud, Helen and Arland.

Character development:

Maud swore off vampires when her husband got them exiled to the Karhari wastelands and got himself killed. So now it’s just her and her 5-year-old daughter, Helen.
Maud knows how to take care of herself, she can kick ass with the best vampires, and as such, she catches the eye of none other than our Lord Marshal.
Arland is from one of the oldest vampire Houses, he’s a notorious fighter, and he now has a new mission in life… get Maud to accept him as her husband. Needless to say, he has a hell of a battle to fight, and not only on that front. Bringing a human to his House is not going to go down well.
Oh, oh, oh, and I really can’t forget little Helen, a half-human, half-vampire. She might be cute and all, cuddling her teddy.. but she’s fiercely protective of her mother and please, give her two daggers and see what she can do with those.
I hope we read more about her in later instalments!
As always, the characters are superbly written. They have a depth to them and feel so real.

Pacing & Flow:

I read this book in one session; it gripped me and just didn’t let go. Very engaging storytelling; you can’t help yourself but read the next page 😀 There is a lot of action going on, but the authors took great care to give enough time and space for all the conversations to keep the story moving forward.

The book itself:

The book was well written with no (noticeable) errors. It has 256 pages, spread over 19 chapters and is told from Maud’s point of view.

Final Thoughts:

I loved it! But then again, I pretty much love everything the author has written, so there is that.
I really enjoyed the depth of the characters and the rich environments and storytelling. And seeing how this instalment ended, I can’t wait to read the next one!