Godblind

Fantasy's most anticipated debut of the year.

There was a time when the Red Gods ruled the land. The Dark Lady and her horde dealt in death and blood and fire. That time has long since passed and the neighbouring kingdoms of Mireces and Rilpor hold an uneasy truce. The only blood spilled is confined to the border where vigilantes known as Wolves protect their kin and territory at any cost.

But after the death of his wife, King Rastoth is plagued by grief, leaving the kingdom of Rilpor vulnerable. Vulnerable to the blood-thirsty greed of the Warrior-King Liris and the Mireces army waiting in the mountains...

Godblind is an incredible debut from a dazzling new voice of the genre.

Review by Sarah McDuling

Godblind is the first in a planned trilogy from debut author Anna Stephens, the first instalment in what promises to be an epic dark fantasy series. While you will finish this book feeling pretty damn keen for the next instalment, you may also feel slightly exhausted - because I won't lie - Godblind is an intense read. And by 'intense' I mean packed full of graphic violence and oh-my-God-did-that-actually-just-happen moments of pure horror.

Told from alternating character perspectives, Godblind is a brutal tale of war, conflict and suffering. It's important to stress that this is not a magical 'sword and sorcery' style fantasy. This is grimdark fantasy (i.e. very dark, very bleak and very violent). It's certainly not for the faint of heart. It is, however, the perfect read for fans of Game of Thrones! In fact, there are enough shocking plot twists in this book to satisfy even the most diehard Game of Thrones fans!

The world building in this book is truly amazing. It has pretty much everything you need in an epic fantasy, from mad kings and vengeful Gods, to political intrigue and bloody battlefields. The cast of characters is wide and varied, and includes everything from soldiers, seers, warriors and priestesses.

This is an impressive debut. I'm intrigued to see where book two takes us.

About the Author

Anna Stephens works in corporate communications for an international law firm by day and writes by night, normally into the small hours, much to her husband's dismay. Anna loves all things speculative, from books to film to TV, but if you disagree keep it to yourself as she's a second Dan black belt in Shotokan Karate. Godblind is Anna's first novel.