A good start to the series. Solid characters that will hopefully grow with each book. Well plotted with plenty to keep you reading. Loved the main characters especially Evie. Thanks to Solaris and Netgalley for this ARC.

In Crache, you need to keep your enemies close and your friends closer. Not every ally is an advantage - some have their own agenda and their loyalty can spin on a penny!

Crache should be a paradise, no singular ruler, run by a bureaucracy. But every paradise has a seedy underbelly and in this one The Bottoms is that underbelly. Filled with the disenfranchised, the unwanted, the poor and criminals, the Bottoms is a place no one wants to venture. All except Lexi's husband Brio. He has been the pleader (kind of like an MP) for The Bottoms and now he has gone missing. Lexi is going to kick up a stink but those in power seem to have a vested interest in Brio staying missing!

Elsewhere Evie would appear to have some secrets to hide and an undercover mission of her own within the ranks of the Savages. Her ally from The Bottoms, Dyeawan aka Slider, has also managed to get herself entangled in the festering rebellion. She has caught the eye of the Planning Cadre. The Planning Cadre would appear to be trying to implement and invent new technologies to help Crache but are they as benign as they appear?

This is a story very much led by the female characters; Evie, Lexi and Slider. Don't get me wrong the males get involved too but this is very much a female led story for me. This entire world sucked me in. It's almost a fantasy version of real life with zealots, militarists, extreme disparity between rich and poor, disenfranchisement and the discarding of those deemed "unworthy".

Each FMC has a POV and it was a great way to see inside the workings of their minds and motivations. There was, to me, great diversity in ethnicities and abilities within the main characters. There are also some brilliant non-binary characters who get to shine, especially Taru, Lexi's retainer/friend. I loved watching allyships fall apart as agendas became known and former foes become allies! There is a lot going on in this book and I'm really invested in getting to read book 2!

Savage Company was a very interesting read. It follows the story of three female characters: Evie, a warrior, Dyewan, a young disabled woman who has lost the use of her legs and Lexi, a woman involved in the political situation present in the book who has lost her husband. I enjoyed the POVs of all three characters but I think that Dyewan was probably my favourite character. Evie and Lexi were both very interesting but there was just something about Dyewan that set her above the other two.

I think my favourite part of the book was the world that Wallace has created and it is the thing that stood out the most to me. I enjoyed the contrast between the supposed utopia of the Empire and the brutality of the reality. The only other Wallace book I have read is Envy of Angels and that was a very light book. This book, in contrast, is rather dark and falls closer to Grimdark. It’s brutal and frequently violent, particularly Evie’s chapters.

I thought that Savage Company was a good start to this story. It introduced the characters and the world in a very interesting way and it managed to keep me interested for the entire novel. I thought the characters interacted well with each other and I found the world Wallace has created to be very fascinating. I am looking forward to seeing what happens next.

I really enjoyed this one. Matt Wallace has written a fantasy story that allows you to settle into the world he has created, to become familiar with the landscape and peoples. Then he lights a fire as numerous strands are tightened as the action comes to ahead. I only had one issue. This is just the first book in a series, and now I have to curb my impatience for the next book! Thank you to Solaris and NetGalley for the ARC. The views expressed are all mine, freely given.

3.75. This was a really solid read, and Wallace is a talent. I liked the characters. I had a few issues with the plot but for others, I don't think it would be an issue.