Five Favourite Things About… Blackwing by Ed McDonald

Blackwing by Ed McDonald

Hi All!
Today is my spot on the Blackwing blog tour and I am here to give you all my thoughts on the book!
As usual though, first there is more information about the book!

About the Book

Set on the ragged edge of a postapocalyptic frontier, Blackwing is a gritty fantasy debut about a man’s desperate battle to survive his own dark destiny…

Nothing in the Misery lasts…

Under a cracked and wailing sky, the Misery is a vast and blighted expanse, created when the Engine, the most powerful weapon in the world, was unleashed against the immortal Deep Kings. Across the wasteland, teeming with corrupted magic and malevolent wraiths, the Deep Kings and their armies are still watching—and still waiting.

Ryhalt Galharrow is no stranger to the Misery. The bounty hunter journeys to a remote outpost, armed for killing both men and monsters, and searching for a mysterious noblewoman. He finds himself in the middle of a shocking attack by the Deep Kings, one that should not be possible. Only a fearsome show of power from the very woman he is seeking saves him.

Once, long ago, he knew the woman well, and together they stumble onto a web of conspiracy that threatens to unmake everything they hold dear and end the fragile peace the Engine has provided. Galharrow is not ready for the truth about the blood he’s spilled and the gods he’s supposed to serve…

Goodreads. Amazon. Waterstones.

Five Favourite Things About Blackwing

The World

I have a little space in my heart reserved solely for incredible worlds written by fantasy writers and the world of Blackwing has managed to squeeze it’s self in there. It was so creative and fascinating. I was intrigued by the layout of the world and how everything became what it was. Fortunately Ed McDonald has done a brilliant job of building this world within the novel, giving you the information in little doses and sprinkling action and intense moments in between. A very clever and readable ploy.

Our Main Protagonist

It is always very important – to me at least – that the main protagonist of a book be readable. They don’t necessarily have to be likeable but there has to be something about them that catches the readers’ interest so that they continue turning the page. I absolutely loved Ryhalt in this book. An interesting past clouding a peculiar present. He is fiesty and a fighter – but also careful too. He’s just one of those characters that you can really dig your teeth into and there is no doubt in my mind that he definitely carried the plot forward. I was instinctively turning the pages to find out what would happen or what he would do next!

The Darlings

Introduced early on, the darlings are creatures found in this world. They are magical beings that look like small children but are not. They’re powerful, dark and deadly. Just by looking at their “prey”, they can kill them from the inside out. Scary, horrible creatures that I do not ever want to cross paths with but I found them fascinating to read about. While there are many other beings mentioned in Blackwing, it is definitely the darlings that stuck out for me.

The Writing Style

Writing fantasy does not seem like an easy task, it’s certainly not something that I think I’d be able to do, and yet Ed McDonald writes in a way that makes it seem like it is the most natural thing in the world. From the very first page you are thrown into a completely different world and told about things and places that do not exist in this one and yet, it doesn’t come across as confusing or difficult to understand. Instead, the world is built easily within the imagination. It was easy to find myself lost in the real world as I dived into this fantasy world, forgetting just for a short while where I really am. That just shows how wonderfully talented Ed McDonald is.

The Intense Action

Last, but certainly not least, the final reason I found myself very much enjoying this book is due to the intense action. Just as you think there might be a moment of peace and a chance to let the dust settle, something else happens which leads the reader to eventually be sitting on the very edge of their seat. (or in my case, holding the book closer to my eyes as they try to soak up the words quicker than I normally can!) The action is addictive and lets face it, kind of seductive too. Ed McDonald describes everything extremely well, allowing you to fully imagine everything you see, therefore making the book feel more like an in-the-head movie – as all books should do! I definitely loved this part of the reading experience that is reading Blackwing.

Follow the Tour

(Click image to enlarge)