Thank you to NetGally for providing me with an e-arc for the The Daughters' War.

I eagerly anticipated this book after The Blacktongue Thief became one of my favourite books last year. I knew the tone of this instalment would be somewhat different due to being from Galva's perspective and before her adventures with Kinch. Honestly, I was a little dubious about how much I would like the book knowing the sarcasm and humour that I loved from the previous book might not be there. What I wasn't expecting was to fall in love with this book for completely different reasons. The way in which the war is described . . . . If you have ever watched the opening scene to Saving Private Ryan, it made me feel the same sorrow, devastation and horror. This book will stay with me as one of the most beautifully written descriptions of hope, loss and fear I think I will ever have the pleasure to read. Short life, bloody hand.

A fantasy book with rich world building, focusing on a band of women warriors and their giant, magically modified ravens taking on hideous depraved goblins, complete with a sprinkle of sapphic romance... COOL.

Absolutely loved this. I haven't actually read the book this is a prequel of, which meant the few allusions to events in that book didn't land for me, but I still had such a good time with this book.

The world building and absolutely brutal descriptions of the goblins, the lore of the previous wars and the different religions were fantastic. I loved the journey we went on with Galva as a character. The corvids were just wonderful.
The pacing of this is a little slow at first, but it is well worth sticking with the story. I cannot wait to read the next (first) book now.

Thank you to the Net Galley and Orion Publishing Group for the e-ARC in exchange for my honest review. The Daughters' War is out on 27th June!

4.5 stars, rounded up
This prequel is a treat for anyone who enjoyed The Blacktongue Thief and wants to learn more about the wider world. It’s bitter and bloody, and captures the elements of magic that really captured me in the first book. Whilst I don’t think the story and execution was quite as strong as Blacktongue, it’s still well worth the read for its worldbuilding and military fantasy. Oddly enough, I think The Daughters War works better having read Blacktongue first - I don’t think either book contains spoilers for the other, but there are references in this prequel that would have more impact with knowledge of Blacktongue Thief’s story.

The Daughters War is told as a reminiscence of Galva about her time in the war, and whilst she is star of the show in the novel, there’s a strong focus on her relationship with her brothers, as well as the political landscape during the war. This is a prequel that’s giving as much backstory to the world as to the characters, and that’s a huge bonus for me as the unusual and interesting worldbuilding was the real highlight of Blacktongue personally. There were parts of the book that took this a little far though - in particular, the letters Galva receives from her brother Amiel, which were interspersed throughout the novel and provided an insight into parts of the war Galva didn’t witness first-hand. Whilst effective, I think these letters damaged the pacing of the book, and in a book that is meant to be Galva’s backstory, we end up spending a fair bit of time following other characters.

A word on the Goblins, who truly are the standout bit of the world for me - they are absolutely horrifying, and Buehlman makes fantastic use of all senses to bring the enemy to life. By the end of the book we know how the Goblin army looks and manoeuvres, but also what they sound like, and how the smell that signals the arrival of goblin forces is enough to turn the stomachs of soldiers. The true horror of the goblins is so well captured in The Daughters War, that I’m sure this will be the feature of this book that stays with me above all else.

I really enjoyed The Blacktongue Thief when I read it but The Daughters’ War didn’t quite do it for me in the same way.

It should have done. It’s set in the same world, which I really enjoyed. It’s just as dark and violent, which I normally like but it just lacks the dark humour of The Blacktongue Thief.

I think it’s because of the narrator. I just didn’t really gel with Galva. She’s fine as a character but there is not really anything that makes her stand out as someone that I felt I needed to pay attention to. Or even remember anything about. I’ve already forgotten almost everything about her and I’m not even sure I could have told you anything about her to begin with. She has brothers. That’s about it. Unfortunately, with the exception of a few parts written from the POV of one of her brothers, you have to spend the entire book with this character who is largely lacking a personality. It makes the story rather forgettable.

The Daughters’ War could have been a great read. It had most of the parts there but it just couldn’t quite reach the level of The Blacktongue Thief and it all comes down to the protagonist. It’s not that I didn’t like her, it’s that I can’t remember anything about her. First person narration really let this book down because most of her musings are not interesting enough to bother remembering. I was a little disappointed to be honest, I was expecting more.

I didn't enjoy this prequel as much as Black tongue thief.
While there was some nice world and character building, it felt a bit aimless at times.

I absolutely loved The blacktongue thief so when I saw this one I knew it was a must read and it did not disappoint. This was a prequel I did not know I needed. I absolutely loved reading Galva's character development and relationship with her family. This was good ... my only negative is that I missed the authors humour we got in the first book but its understandable in this case so really, I can not fault it.

This novel is rife with prequelitis. What new did we learn?

As always, the goblins are terrifying. Galba is cool. The rest....eh. I don't think this is the author for me.

Absolutely excellent book. Vast emotional depth. The relationships between the siblings were so well done, and the relationships between other characters were similarly fabulous. I especially enjoyed the platonic bond between Innocenta and Galva, beautifully done and combatting the idea that romantic relationships are always superior to others. The battle scenes were intense and others (no spoilers) were deeply moving. Would definitely recommend.

Thank you NetGalley, Orion and Christopher Buehlman for providing me with a copy of The Daughters' War in exchange for a review.

This is a prequel to Buehlman's 2021 book The Blacktounge Thief which introduces the character of Galva Dom Braga. I had no idea this was a prequel and I know I will definitely be reading The Blacktounge Thief as I'm keen now to know more about how the war ended and what happens to Galva.

This is a fantasy book unlike any I've read and I think that's due in part to Buehlman being a horror writer. In a lot of fantasy novels, the enemy is simply other humans, with some magical elements sprinkled in. To make the enemy a cruel, relentless and seemingly unstoppable horde of inhuman creatures adds a level of anxiety to the story. It felt much like no one was safe.

It's a dark and gory story that doesn't shy away from the harsh realities of war. It really highlights the horrors of fighting such an enemy especially as Galva's troop were quite green, they were trained but not yet seasoned fighters.

In this world there have already been two wars previous to the Daughters'. The Knights' War was fought by all the young warriors and then there was The Threshers' War fought by all the men that were left like the farmers. The first war would most often be the one we would read about and of course they would win. But this is a refreshing take on the fantasy war story - what happens if they lose but the enemy still keeps on coming?

Fantasy worlds are very complicated, and authors might not always have the luxury that someone like George RR Martin has of explaining the world over hundreds of pages. Galva takes the time at the beginning of the story to explain a few key concepts and what certain words mean which I appreciated, but after that you're very much plunged into the war. The world of Manreach itself was easy to settle into and it's one that I want to read more about.

I'd like to read more about how the war was started and where the goblins came from. There's so much opportunity to explore the goblins. I'd like to see things from their perspective, to find out their motivations especially as they apparently don't like symmetry and will destroy any beautiful architecture in the cities they invade.

It's a dark, gritty tale of a difficult war with a strong and brave protagonist. I'll definitely be keeping an eye out for any more of Buehlman's fantasy writing.

I give The Daughters' War five stars!

My review for The Daughters' War will be published on 9th June 2024.

The Daughters' War is set before the events of the Blacktongue Thief, but you don't need to read that book before reading this, although you may miss out on certain things. It did take me a while to get into this book, but the worldbuilding is rich and the characters are well written. It reads a bit like a memoir and I felt it lack some direction at times. I would still recommend checking this out.

This was an absolutely stunning read. I haven't read any of Buehlman's other books, but if they are anything like this one, we will be lucky to have them in our world.

The writing was beautiful. I have never read a book purely for the vibes, but this had the potential to be it. The prose, the structure of the chapters, the tone in which it was written is unparalleled and uncomparable. The entire book is written as if the main character is narrating or writing it. This is not the first book to have attempted such a thing, but it is the only book to have done it well and in such a way so that I believed it. It was incredibly immersive, and paired so well with the world building. This was such a complex, intricate world that we were tossed into, with layers upon layers of rich lore, heavy with stories, people, and places, against a backdrop of war, fighting, and carnage. In a land ravaged by the goblins, brief moments of respite were few and far between, and those who laid untouched by the horrors brought about from the conflict were non-existent. It felt so real, the worldbuilding was done so well, revealed to us in flashbacks, letters, and retellings, only shown where we needed it.

Galva was a loveable character, who added a uniquely human touch to the world and the horrors going on within it. Her story, and the way she discovers herself felt vulnerable and raw. Part of an experimental regiment, she uses large corvids at her side to fight the ever pressing and important goblin threat. Her connection to these birds is tangible and so beautiful, and navigating a war within a book has never felt more gritty and heartbreaking.

I don't feel as though I missed out on any information here - if I had not been told this was a prequel, I never would have guessed it. This doesn't feel like a book just written to give an explanation for a world. It is its own tale, and it's own story. But I'm almost glad that it is a prequel. I now get to move forwards to the Blacktongue Thief, still brimming with excitement about this story, and about how much I loved it.

Thank you to the Author and Netgalley for providing me with a copy.

I really liked the writing style - it fit well with the world of the story. The first few chapters were slower but still interesting and helped build up the characters who were all complex and compelling.

The second half of the book was action-packed and hard to put down, and I thought the change in POVs was really well done.

I look forward to reading The Blacktongue Thief when I get my hands on a copy.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the review copy. If you enjoyed the Blacktongue thief then like me you will be excited to dive back into this world, this time following the story of Galva. This story has a very different tone and be warned readers this is not a happy tale, as the title implies it follows a period of war and the writer captures all of its horrors in graphic detail. Still, one of the key messages about finding good in bleak times, and I enjoyed it thoroughly.

I read this and loved it. I had already read The Blacktongue Thief and couldn't wait to get into this, and it was even better. If you haven't read Blacktongue Thief yet, I would say read this one first as it is a prequel and will make a LOT of things in Blacktongue even clearer and more nuanced. Recommended with bells on.

I think I did a disservice to this book by not realising until I finished that it was actually a prequel to another book by the author. Before I realised this I was very confused about the purpose of the story, it was fantastically written, it was very interesting to see Goblins used as a plot point, it had a world build that rivals many authors but it seemed like nothing happened!? There are definitely some unneeded plot devices that I did not enjoy as a concept - “the cut” for those who know. However, it was still a fantastic book realising it as the prequel it was for a character in the Blacktongued Thief - I am interested in going to read that book and continue the MCs story so it has succeeded in its goal I am sure.
This is an epic, gory dark fantasy book, I would recommend for fans of David Gemmel and Steven Erikson but with more accessibility in the language.

I received an ARC from the publisher through Net Galley.

I should preface this review by saying that I have not yet read the Blacktongue thief (though it is on my TBR), and I think that my rating would likely be higher if I had started with that book before reading this sequel. In terms of what I enjoyed, the world building was rich and complex, definitely very original (which I find rare these days after having read so much fantasy), and I think that for those who enjoyed the Blacktongue thief this book would give valuable insight into Galva's past.

However, this book to me reads less as a prequel, and more as a diary or journal kept by Galva- I didn't feel that there was really any direction or plot to the story, which made it drag on a bit for me (despite being relatively short at around 400 pages.) The story is mainly thus from Galva's POV, but we get snippets of her brothers' views as well to supplement this. Overall, this book was not unenjoyable, but I felt like something was missing from the storyline, and think that it could have included more of a build-up or development arc, rather than be more of a memoir that serves mainly to tell you more about Galva's experience fighting goblins.

Thank you again to the publisher for the ARC, and I look forward to reading the Blacktongue thief to see if it will change my opinions of this novel.

I really wanted to like this. I loved The Blacktongue Thief but I have come to realize I do not enjoy prequels. I will still read more from this author. However, this missed the mark.

Fantastic part two to this series. Buehlman is now an auto-buy author and it's because he's the gift that keeps on giving.

As other reviewers have stated this is a prequel, it’s also darker, grimmer (is that a word ?) and sadly lacking the humour of the first book, reminded me of Anna Smith Spark style and prose, good read, worth investing your time and money

The Daughters' War by Christopher Buehlman is an utterly harrowing, dark and heart wrenching read, interspersed with moments of absolute beauty and hope. It was my most eagerly anticipated book of 2024 and I loved every single page of it.

In terms of chronology, the story is a prequel to Buehlman's previous novel "The Blacktongue Thief." It is not essential to read the books in sequence, though the order may influence the reader's perception of each story. Stylistically, they diverge: ""The Blacktongue Thief" provides a humorous and vast adventure akin to the Odyssey, while "The Daughters' War" immerses the reader in an extended and fierce conflict more reminiscent of the Iliad.

"Daughters; War" takes place in the bleak landscape of a thirty-year battle to protect humankind from unyielding goblin hordes intent on world domination. These goblins are a particularly terrifying, savage and sly foe, and their gradual capture of human cities, giving no quarter, leads to terrible outcomes for their victims. Namely, enslavement and, eventually becoming a human meat snack. With most of the eligible men of fighting age already depleted, humanity must now train and enlist women as combat soldiers, alongside the deployment of new and experimental magical weaponry. Meet the war corvids, fierce giant ravens, trained in pairs by specialist army handlers known as Raven Knights.

The story is narrated by Galva, a central character in the Blacktongue Thief. As the privileged daughter of a duke, Galva becomes a Raven Knight at the age of twenty, joining a new army unit composed entirely of women and the war corvids. Together they set out to defend a city besieged by goblins, knowing full well that their mission is likely to be fatal. Galva's fate in the Daughters' War is clear both from her role in Blacktongue as well as her acknowledgement at the start that her survival was unintended. While knowing that outcome might lessen the suspense in some tales, it does not in this one. Galva must face deep fears, untangle complex family dynamics (her three brothers feature prominently as wizards or generals), and confront the severe collateral damage inflicted by an army upon the very citizens they aim to protect. The latter aspect can be almost as unsettling for the reader as the descriptions of havoc wreaked by the goblins at times. The experimental war corvids, with their stunning beauty and power, are both lovable and extremely dangerous, epitomizing the extreme risks humanity is willing to face for survival. Let's just say a hungry corvid off its leash is the stuff of nightmares.

In Blacktongue, Galva comes across as a badass but also a bit of a humourless enigma. Here, her personality and motivations are unveiled, revealing her as a truly complex character. Amidst the extraordinary terrors of war, she discovers strength in her newfound devotion to the goddess of death, solace in her steadfast comrades, and hope in the romantic love of a beautiful witch queen. There are quiet, kind moments showing the best of humanity throughout the chaos. As we are inevitably pulled towards what we anticipate to be the bleakest of fates for Galva's unit, it's impossible not to root for her and her birds.

Last year, I came across a tweet by author Christopher Buehlman hinting about a scene he was writing for the book, which depicted certain events in the city of Goltay. This somewhat prepared me for what awaited Galva, yet the actual narration still exceeded my expectations. It's hard to describe without giving anything away, but the story builds and builds, up to the final last quarter of the novel before unleashing absolutely insanity with sheer raw and bloody energy. When I finally turned the last page I had to go lie down on the floor and stare into space for awhile. This story has taken up a chunk of my available head space since then and I predict it will be a long time until I am fully able to put it aside. Buehlman is, in my opinion, an absolutely masterful story teller and I recommend this book to anyone with a taste for slightly darker fantasy. As Galva would say in her war cry, "Short life, bloody hands"- don't hesitate, just read this.

With sincere thanks for NetGalley and Orion Publishing Group/Gollancz for an advance reading copy in exchange for an honest review.