Lukan is expelled from the Academy after killing a fellow student in a duel. He lives his life constantly on the run, estranged from his rich yet reclusive father who’s obsessed with dead civilisations and demons out of children's stories.
Then, his family’s steward tracks him down to inform him his father has been murdered and was found with a final note scrawled in his blood: Lukan Saphrona Zandrusa. His name, the name of a southern city, and someone or something. He swears a silverblood promise to find out the meaning of his father’s death and deliver justice.

Logan possesses a dry humour and a talent for a good turn of phrase, making this a delightful book with strong characters you can’t help but root for.
I have to mention Flea especially, the young street urchin who first tried to rob Lukan on his arrival in the city but soon becomes his companion and shadow. A skinny eleven year old with a sharp knife and sharper tongue. She’s an utter delight, constantly chatty, unwilling to stay behind, and a protege who grows on Lukan.

“If you're serious-“
“I'm deadly serious."
“Deadly stupid, more like,” Flea muttered.
“The difference between the two is merely a matter of perspective.”

The descriptions are utterly engrossing and paints such a vivid picture whilst never losing that wit that keeps you entertained. This is where seasoned fantasy readers can really feel the love of the genre as Logan makes you feel at home in a city with a clear divide between rich and poor, corrupt officials, a tower in the middle of the sea holding prisoners, deadly entertainments, a criminal underbelly, and a city that is run on gold.

”You have to stand up for yourself, you understand? You can't let someone have their way just because they were born into wealth and privilege. That doesn't make them better than you.”

Despite Lukan not having magic himself, there is an intriguing magic system which seems will play an important role in the rest of the series. There exist individuals who can perform sorcery known as gleamers who channel raw power from beyond the veil of the world.

Don’t go in expecting to find a wrapped up story in this, indeed the mystery only gets deeper by the end!

This is an extremely compelling, impressive debut and I am gutted I read this so early because now I have to wait even longer for the next book!

I would recommend this to fans of the city-life and themes in The Lies of Locke Lamora, the politics and council families of Mistborn, the character of Kvothe from the Name of the Wind.

Thank you to Quercus Books for providing me an arc in exchange for a review!

This is a fantastic start to what is promising to be a spectacular series! I loved everything about it, very keen to what happens next.

I received a free copy of The Silverblood Promise from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

With that out of the way, let me say this: The Silverblood Promise is a bombshell debut by author James Logan.

I was initially intrigued by the phenomenal cover art by Jeff Brown, and after reading the blurb I was sold. I signed up for NetGalley that day.

There’s a grimdark tone to the world that’s pleasantly offset by witty banter shared between a lovable cast of characters. Gripped by a grit-teeth resilience despite the often-overwhelming odds, the story maintains a sense of hope, even if that hope seems misplaced at times.

Each of the main crew possess their own motives, mannerisms and mores, making for bonfire scenes that light up the page whenever they’re together. Young girls giving pretentious men the middle finger is always a laugh.

TSBP moved along at a good clip (which I’ve come to enjoy in my fantasy novels) delivering punch-after-punch of interesting plot, character, and worldbuilding bundled into a rollicking escalation of scale and scope. There are mysteries to solve, heists to plan, and towers to infiltrate - All the action-packed drama you’ve come to expect from the genre.

Logan gives a nice nod to his inspirations, the ‘The Blade Itself’ by Abercrombie for instance, and outright lampshades the whole “cloak and dagger bullshit” common to comparable titles. Logan pays his tithes and then some, delivering up a truly wonderful story for fans to enjoy.

I will be purchasing a copy of this book even though I’ve already read it, just to support the author. I think Logan is a writer to watch, and I’ll definitely be doing so by picking up the second instalment.