When Emlyn remained on the ground, Såbria spoke with more pique than she intended. You will never prostrate yourself before me.” “Emlyn, at times, we prostrate ourselves before the Goddess. She moved back and once again hiked one leg up onto the arm of her chair and crossed her arms. She stifled the sigh that always emerged whenever she received this reaction to the ring. While the woman’s face was plastered to the tile floor, Såbria rubbed her eyes with all ten fingers. What right did she have to stand in her presence?” This woman was marked by the Goddess herself. She dropped to her knees and then onto her face. Hearing that, Emlyn felt as though her heart would beat a hole in her chest. It appeared on my twenty-second nameday.” I wasn’t born with it, but neither was it applied artificially to my skin. Såbria moved closer and continued to hold out her hand. “Pardon, My Lady, but when you say marked by the Goddess, do you mean the previous Arch Priestess chose you and tattooed your skin?” Excerpt from Elyon’s Blades by Alison Naomi Holt So, if spending hours immersed in the lives of a group of women warriors sounds like your kind of a fun time (I mean, how can it not?) then grab a copy and get cozy. There is less action and world building, and more character building in this book which is a great way to introduce a series and get people invested. Other content warnings include an attempted suicide, engineered genetic breeding programs, and mass forced sterilization. There is also quite a bit of discussion surrounding corporeal punishment/breaking people in the context of training and some severe barracks bullying occurs. The story begins with a tragic forced breakup of two lovers as one is a queen and “for reasons” must marry a man. But this story is about Ailith, and she is delightfully complex and intriguing. Let’s be honest, a sect of women warriors that protects all women, is feared by the mightiest kingdoms, and lives with and loves one another is pretty darn fabulous. The foul mouthed, hot tempered, honourable, pain in the arse shiv, Ailith is the best part about this story. As this is only the first book in the series, I expect there is much more on this front to come though. Although, I do confess, there are quite a few opportunities for some drama, intrigue and conflict that I would have loved to have been explored more deeply. The world building is there, and it is interesting but the characters are the point of this book. Rather the book is used to establish the characters tell their stories, and by doing so, enable the reader to develop a deeper attachment to them. While the book has a fantasy setting, there aren’t any epic battles, long quests, or angry dragons harassing poor villages. The question is, will they stop quibbling and figure this out before it is too late? Writing Each woman will face their own trials as shivs however, it is only with the strength and support of the other, that they will be able to endure. They come from vastly different circumstances and their personalities clash more than sparring swords. The Blades hail from all over the land, and though they may be culturally different, they train and live together, forging their way toward a common goal – safety and, when necessary, vengeance for the women of the world.Īilith and Emlyn are the newest recruits to the Blades. Protecting the women of the realm is more than just their job, it is their divine duty. There exists a sect in the Cibian Empire that is far more ferocious than any army.Įntirely devoted to the Goddess Elyon and fiercely loyal to their Arch Priestess Såbria.Įlyon’s Blades are not to be trifled with. Elyon’s Blades by Alison Naomi Holt is the first book in The Daughter’s of Elyon series and is a fantasy novel that focuses on found family amongst a sect of women warriors and the bonds they create forged in training, battle and in relying entirely on each other.
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