Blade and Soul
C.M. Estopare
Publication date: June 30th, 2017
Genres: Adult, Fantasy
★★★☆☆ (3.5)
To defy gods, she will sacrifice all.After the death of its duchess, Safrana is in turmoil. Two equally powerful families vie for power, quickly turning the beautiful citadels of Safrana into a hellish warscape. While, on the outside, there is a desperate search for the one true heir to the throne. The one man who could stop an encroaching civil war and force the citadels into peace.
But he is nowhere to be found. Presumed dead. While a threatening war looms over Safrana, promising to tear it apart.
Thrust into a political world which only buys and sells in blood money, with an impending civil war at hand, Marceline Brandy is called to take charge of a peace effort in a foreign city. But nothing is certain in this world rife with political strife. Everything must be questioned, even a push for peace.
Desperate to complete her mission, Marceline soon finds herself tangled up in the strange political affairs of an arrogant woman with dangerous ties to the long lost heir of the Safranian throne. But there is another, more powerful presence that lurks on the borders of Safrana’s imploding government. A presence that would stop at nothing to see Marceline and her allies fail.
Seized by a foreign city she is sworn to save, she has few to turn to for help. The list of allies she could count on is cut short by corrupt patriotists hungry for war and livid at the mere notion of foreign driven peace. Months pass as Marceline heads this peace effort, but the fiercer she works the more dire the situation becomes and time is running out.
A war looms, one that promises to destroy Safrana, as mythological creatures rise from ancient graves. The fiends intent on absolute destruction.
Is this an all-out test of Marceline’s strength and will?
Or, are the gods themselves against her?
Blade and Soul by Estopare is a novel filled with noble families, assassins, mythology, magic, and secrets. The book is written from multiple points of view: Dimitri (part of one of the noble families), Reine (the court’s Odette), and Marceline (the main character, the assassin that is supposed to protect Reine).
As the blurb says, the two noble families started fighting with each other for the throne, and somewhere out there the true heir of the throne exists. But where?
The pace of the plot is slower in the first chapters, but it picks up after a while. There is a lot to take in; a new world to understand and learn about. Thus, it can be a little bit harder to dive into the story right from the beginning.
At first, I wasn’t sure if this is the first book in a series, or a stand-alone novel that is part of a series because sometimes it felt like something is missing; as if I didn’t get the whole story, or I haven’t read the first book. It turns out this novel is the second book in the Kindred Souls series. Either way, the novel made enough sense for me to finish it and enjoy it.
My favorite characters are Marceline and Dimitri. Their situations are very interesting and make you want to know more. I didn’t like Reine that much, especially in the beginning, although I do get her role in this story. She is very spoiled and bratty, but at the same time, she is also insecure.
Not sure I can say more about this novel without giving out spoilers, so I will end my review here. I do recommend this series to anyone that loves fantasy, adventure, and history. I would also suggest starting with the first book so you will have a better understanding of the story.
Author Bio:
C.M. Estopare is a full-time author, avid yoga enthusiast, and veteran of the United States military. She is the author of HEARTFELT SOUNDS, a young adult coming of age fantasy about the enthralling power of one young woman’s voice.
KINDRED SOULS is a three part epic and dark fantasy series hitting Amazon and Kindle Unlimited beginning in February 2017. The first book, WINTERSKIN, debuted February 9th, 2017. The second book, BLADE AND SOUL, debuts June 30th, 2017. Be sure to mark your calendars!
When not writing, C.M. Estopare enjoys reading about the fantastical worlds in the minds of others. She also enjoys playing around with her puppy, Duke, and adventuring with her husband.
GIVEAWAY!
Enter to win a $25 Amazon gift card! Good luck!
Bibliofagista 
Great review, Laura! This sounds like an interesting and fun fantasy read!
LikeLiked by 1 person