Book Review: The Oath & Blood Price: Part One
A thoroughly immersive and evocative short fantasy novel from indie author, Peter-Shaun Tyrell.
We are now halfway through 2023, and The Oath & Blood Price: Part One is my fourteenth book review of the year, most of which have, like this one, been indie or self-published books. I said before that this year I wanted to focus more heavily on indie books and support the indie writing community, and I had a really great time with Peter Shaun-Tyrell’s debut fantasy novel. It’s on the shorter side, so I was able to read through it quite quickly, but I will definitely be picking up Part Two sometime in the near future. Let’s talk about Part One.
Blurb
Secrets have always kept Thalkin alive but when an acquaintance introduces him to the mysterious sellsword Edelia, he uncovers a secret that could win a war. He only has to choose the side he gives it to. The land of Duria is divided into two, the Borasian States of the Lord Procterates and Novu-Optu of the Godmen. Nestled in a border state is the town of Scor, where Thalkin is on the cusp of becoming a man yet does not know his path in life. Trust and friendship are distant concepts to Thalkin, but betrayal and resentment have always been close companions of this orphan. In the backdrop of an advancing city that has little time for a street urchin, Thalkin will have to use all of his guile and street smarts to not only avoid watchful eyes but to achieve his destiny.
Review
I had an absolute blast with this book. A thoroughly immersive experience with a great cast of complex characters, from the utterly reprehensible to the wonderfully sympathetic. There’s compelling intrigue and exciting action with what I can only describe as excellent fight choreography. The descriptions are evocative and distinct, setting both tone and scene effortlessly. For a book with such a relatively slow opening, the pacing is right on-point; it really draws you in.
The plot is the story of orphaned street urchin, Thalkin, as he navigates being the underdog of Scor and tries to make a better life for himself. He’s a compelling character with complex motivations and goals that change and react in a very believable and relatable way. Every new skill he exhibits as the book goes on is well-earned, and despite being on the morally grey side, he’s very easy to root for. Honestly, the characters in this book are written very well. Edelia, Edgir, Sal and Rosalind are a brilliant supporting cast, and Gregori makes a great minor villain as the rich bully. I’ve seen this sort of thing done before in a condensed way in the opening to Drew Wagar’s Shadeward Saga, but here the concept is expanded across a whole book and it works extremely well. I enjoyed the book’s mystery and small-town political intrigue. The stakes are pretty low at this point, mostly surrounding the unclear motivations for the Lord Procterate’s insidiously enthusiastic drive towards growth. It appears mundane, even beneficial—after all, who doesn’t want to live in a prosperous town?—but subtle things don’t add up and it makes for a good driving force behind the mystery. The book also doesn’t pull its punches emotionally, either. There are some very powerful moments here.
There’s not a lot negative I can say about this book, but if I were to really nitpick, there’s a lot of potential for strengthening the prose, as it tends towards the passive, and there are a number of word substitutions. But honestly, none of that bothered me or took me out of the very strong story. I was absolutely invested in the characters and I’m excited to see where this story goes next.
