Reading the first book in this series, Kings of the Wyld, I fell into Eames' writing and had a difficult time putting the book down even when my eyes were crossed and my hands exhausted from holding it up. I couldn't wait to read more and see where Eames was taking us, and I felt all of the emotions one hopes for with a good book. So, with that experience in mind, I was thrilled to pick up Bloody Rose. And, admittedly, I enjoyed this book quite a bit...but it just didn't live up to Kings of the Wyld, and I can't pretend otherwise.

I think part of the fault in this book not living up to its predecessor's standard lies in the choice of narrator. While I understand Eames' choice here, Tam Hashford isn't as dynamic or sympathetic or Clay Cooper; more problematically for the reader, she just doesn't have as much struggle and depth. This isn't to say that she doesn't struggle in the book, as any good narrator would, but we don't feel the depth of her emotions or her want. We don't feel her being torn in different directions like we did with Clay Cooper, and the truth is that we're more tied to the people around her, at least emotionally, than we are to her. Or, at least, this was my experience. As much as I liked the idea, going into the book, of being tied to a young bard, her being the band's objective witness was just a bit too objective, and it didn't really feel like the book earned her end-point.

I'll still look forward to Eames' next book, but this one didn't have the same impact as the first book in the series, and since I thought the story and the writing and the humor were all as fantastic as before, I keep coming back to the narrator and how unconnected I felt emotionally. This might have been a stand-out book if not for the high standard set for the first, though.

Recommended for fans of the first in the series, though with the caveat that this one doesn't live up to the first. ( )

“Glory fades. Gold slips through our fingers like water, or sand. Love is the only thing worth fighting for.”-Nicholas Eames from Bloody Rose

Bloody Rose, the second book in The Band series, is Nicholas Eames stellar follow up to The Kings of The Wyld. Bloody Rose is a sequel of sorts but could be read as a standalone set in the same world and featuring some of the same characters. Likes its predecessor it is full of high stakes, brutal epic battles, deep characters, engaging prose, transformative emotional twists, a monster menagerie, vivid and imaginative settings but unlike its predecessor it even features (gasp) romance!

A fellow reviewer said that this book is like "...Dungeons and Dragons campaign, where you get to play as a Lesbian bard who is allowed the honor of going on a few quests and ultimately telling the story of the most famous mercenary this side of the Heartwyld." And, while that's true, it is so much more than a book of ridiculous quests. Bloody Rose is a novel full of heart and deep themes. Bloody Rose is an adventure yes, but it is also a coming-of-age story which explores very important themes like love, sexuality, friendship and family.


Rose (Gabe's daughter from The Kings of the Wyld) has returned from the siege and battle at Castia where she earned a reputation as a ferocious fighter, and she has taken her band on the road, a tour of arenas where she and her band fight monsters for the entertainment of crowds and, of course, for cash. One stop on the tour is in Ardburg, where ayoung woman named Tam slings drinks and cleans tables at the Cornerstone bar. Rose and her band stop in to get hammered, and adopt Tam as their new bard, despite the vehement refusal of Tam’s widowed, depressive, angry father to allow her any adventuring. However, the Brumal Horde (the Heartwyld Horde from Kings plus every monster you can possible imagine and a thousand you can’t) has regrouped after its defeat at Castia and is on the move for vengeance, and every mercenary band worth its liquor is moving to stop it. And Fable decides to travel in the opposite direction towards Diremarch...along the way, Tam will learn what it means to have a family.

This was an enjoyable read and Eames has many commendable qualities as a writer. He has a vivid imagination, his characters are charming, sympathetic and funny. BUT his plotting is often lacking. I found a good several hundred pages of this novel to be kind of slow. And this is because of how Eames positioned Tam to be somewhat of an outsider to Fable. Her duties as the bard and as the newest member slows momentum. Also, Eames novels do feel like a patchwork of quests leading to the ultimate quest. This can get a bit tiresome.

Still any fantasy novel that name drops Iron Maiden gets four stars in my book and as stated, Eames is an enjoyable writer. Plus, Bloody Rose has so much freakin' heart! It's ultimately a book that asks: What constitutes family? and what is worth fighting for? and its a book that isn't afraid to wryly admit that maybe we are all broken on the inside.

One of my favorite exchanges in the book illustrates this theme when Tam notices her favorite uncle is terribly wounded.

“Uncle, are you okay?”

The old man’s eyes floated for a moment before landing on her. “Why wouldn’t I be?”

“There’s sword in you.”

“Ah, well… there’s a sword in all of us,” he said, then winked as if he’d said something profound.

Bloody Rose is a strangely profound and humorous epic fantasy from an author with rare gifts. Cudos Eames.




( )

I was SO excited to read this. KINGS OF THE WYLD is one of my favourite books of all time, and I'd put off reading BLOODY ROSE because I was dreading the end of the series. So you can imagine my confusion when I first had trouble getting into the book... then as it went on, I had to admit I just didn't care about any of it.

The problem, I think, is that it reads like a YA novel. While KINGS OF THE WYLD was profoundly irreverent, funny, and clever, following Tam's journey felt like watching a teenager go on a coming-of-age trip. Interesting, maybe, if you're into that sort of thing, but I don't enjoy YA fiction generally, and I found myself frequently rolling my eyes and wanting to get on with it already.

Rose was stuck up and one-dimensional, and her squad of friends was equally bland. Tam was a total Mary Sue. Her backstory was like something out of a cheesy soap opera, and she had zero character development. Oh, and don't even get me started on the deaths in the book. They were such wasted opportunities!

The plot was predictable, and even the return of some characters from the previous book couldn't save this sinking ship. In addition, the writing lacked the humour and fluidity that made the first book so enjoyable.

I really struggled to finish this book, and honestly, if you're a fan of the first one, save yourself the trouble and skip this one. Overall, "Bloody Rose" was a huge disappointment. ( )

Let's begin by stating that The Kings of the Wyld is one of my favorite fantasies ever. I loved the characters to pieces and I found the book laugh out loud funny and very engagingly written. So it goes without saying my expectations for the sequel were absurdly high.

This book had some of the same qualities I loved in book one, but the plot was a little less cohesive, it was nowhere near as funny, and try as I might, I didn't fall in love with the characters as much as in the first book. Though I have to say, Cura's magic was insanely interesting, and I did enjoy her character a lot. Rose had a little too much to prove and Freecloud felt like a Love Interest with no agency. I think Brune was my favorite of the new characters. Tam was a good narrator in that most of the time I forgot she existed.

I still really like Eames' writing style, considering that this is very much sword and shield fantasy (which is usually really not my cup of tea).

Now, about the big deaths. I cried snotty tears at Gabe's death, and that carried till the end of the book. Freecloud's death was also a little tragic, but I didn't really feel too close to his character. I'm just not sure if I appreciate that both of the important men in Rose's life died for her. It just felt like a pretty cheap way to make Rose's life tragic. Or maybe I'm just salty that one of the characters I actually felt close to in the book was killed. Who knows.

Eames definitely remains an author I'll keep my eye on and this definitely made me want to reread the first book. ( )

IIt took me a very long while to connect with this book, like, most of it. However, in spite of that, I enjoyed it.
It was a fun adventure, even if I didn't really care that much about the characters. But right before the end, it truly pulled me in. I laughed and I cried and it's because of that ending that this one gets 4 stars. ( )