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The Blood Knight (Kingdoms of Thorn and Bone #3)
by
Greg Keyes
Brimming with passion and adventure, Greg Keyes’s epic saga of a royal family’s fall from power through treachery and dark magic, set amid the return of ancient evils whose malevolence threatens to annihilate humanity, bids fair to become a classic of its kind. Now, in the eagerly awaited third installment, Keyes draws the threads of his tapestry ever tighter, illuminating...more
Mass Market Paperback, 576 pages
Published
May 1st 2007
by Del Rey
(first published 2006)
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This review is going to be, sad to say, basically a list of what annoyed me. The more I continue into this series the more I find small things that didn't bother me before, but do now. The series actually seems to be slowing down as I read it. The characters don't seem to be doing much until the very end of the book. When I think back on the book, almost nothing stands out to me and I literally can't say what exactly went on. There are some plot elements that are still open from the first book t...more
I have some mixed feelings about this installment of the series. Maybe because my gut is telling me that it should all be wrapped up by now, and yet there is another book to go. More then likely it is the lack of character development, which has been replaced by plot development. Well, I am all about the characters, and this book did not feed my need so to speak. Basically, readers who are more story focused then character focused will find plenty to love here. Character focused readers might be...more
For the most part I enjoyed this installment. There was lots of action, nad battle which created a great forward movement of the story.It did not feel slow or stall. That kept you involved and reading. It seems each book the mystery keeps growing and like an onion, once you pull back one layer...there is another below. It keeps the suspense, and kind of leaves me in awe at how the writer is keeping track of all of these twists and turns. It can also get a bit confusing keeping track of the names...more
Like the first two books in the series, this one caught my interest right away. I have to say, though, that (like many of the other reviews I've seen) it was probably my least favorite book, so far. Some time had passed since the last book (although, only a month or so), but many of the characters seemed to have developed without us. Anne's sudden confidence seemed to come out of nowhere, and a lot of the little plot twists are neatly wrapped up with some prophecy. But, with that said, I sti...more
Book: 8/10 - 3/5/11
Series: 5/10 - 3/21/11
This is another series that started out well but ended terribly. The first two books were excellent - great fantasy with interesting and detailed characters; a good plot with an interesting world with a big back story. It kind of reminded me of A Song of Ice and Fire by George R.R. Martin, but focusing on fewer characters with a less intricate plot. The third book was still solid, but there was less character and plot development...still interes...more
Series: 5/10 - 3/21/11
This is another series that started out well but ended terribly. The first two books were excellent - great fantasy with interesting and detailed characters; a good plot with an interesting world with a big back story. It kind of reminded me of A Song of Ice and Fire by George R.R. Martin, but focusing on fewer characters with a less intricate plot. The third book was still solid, but there was less character and plot development...still interes...more
A word of advice: do not let too much time pass before reading each next instalment in this tetralogy. This novel opens somewhat in the thick of things, and I had to refer back to both The Charnel Prince and The Briar King to catch up on the characters and the back story. This is not a bad thing though. It is, to be honest, a quite seamless transition between novels. As the story progresses, the reader’s memory is jogged more than adequately, so no harm done.
Again, I have to commend ...more
Again, I have to commend ...more
For the most part, I enjoyed reading Keyes's third installment to his Kingdom of Thorn and Bone series. The mysteries that drive the plot kept me interested, and each revelation that Keyes dropped increased the scope of the story and raised the stakes for the characters. There were moments when I felt an intake of breath and marveled at the ramifications of what passed and what was said. It is this epic feel that brought me back to the genre of fantasy (as in: swords and sorcery and the like)...more
This one took me a while to read, mostly due to other distractions and I think my enjoyment of it suffered due to that.
These books are clearly designed to be fast paced page-turner's based on some of the techniques used (e.g. cliff hanger chapter ends). To get most out of it I think the reader needs to reciprocate and keep up a good reading pace so that events flow smoothly towards the all action final 100 pages or so.
I do enjoy the way he mirrors the reality of historica...more
These books are clearly designed to be fast paced page-turner's based on some of the techniques used (e.g. cliff hanger chapter ends). To get most out of it I think the reader needs to reciprocate and keep up a good reading pace so that events flow smoothly towards the all action final 100 pages or so.
I do enjoy the way he mirrors the reality of historica...more
Good endings always pay for sluggish middles. I still enjoy many of the characters, but Aspar...blah. What a mundane hero. I much prefer Stephen, Anne, Leoff, and Neil. Not to mention the Kept - he's neat.
The book brings a lot of small things from the earlier ones back with good effect, including the Safnian prince. Nicely done. Also...the big secret of the Sefrey...genius. Incredibly intriguing. As always, Keyes does an incredible job with his female characters.
I hope to rea...more
The book brings a lot of small things from the earlier ones back with good effect, including the Safnian prince. Nicely done. Also...the big secret of the Sefrey...genius. Incredibly intriguing. As always, Keyes does an incredible job with his female characters.
I hope to rea...more
Greg Keyes' method of having each chapter end with a cliffhanger started to get on my nerves here. I don't know why, maybe I felt that some of the apparently 'shocking' revelations felt forced and contrived but I'm not quite sure about the reason for my annoyance. I agree with other reviewers here on Goodreads that The Blood Knight is the weakest installment in the tetralogy and part of its weakness is that the plot crawls at a snail's pace even though there's action aplenty. The stereotyped cha...more
3rd book of the series, one to go. Interesting world with emphasis in history and languages, somewhat romantic and naive plot and does not really detail the abilities and choices the characters have. Anyway best of the series this far and pretty good pastime while waiting for George RR Martin and Steven Erikson... A bit lighter to read but definitely a page turner, hard to put down. 3.5 / 5
The third book in the Kingdom of Thorn and Bone series suffers somewhat from the dreaded ‘middle book’ syndrome. It works well if you pick it up immediately after the second book, but read alone it flounders until the last 100 or so pages, where events come to a head and significant revelations are made that leave you on a cliff-hanger for book four, The Born Queen.
Greg Keyes, you are really impressing me here. I love not even being sure who are the good guys in the world he's created. By the end of this book I was beginning to think I hadn't had this much fun since Harry Potter.
A warning, though, book 4 does not live up to buildup the series creates!!
A warning, though, book 4 does not live up to buildup the series creates!!
None of the four in this series were the traditional 'middle' book - lots of prep for the next book, little resolution. Certainly lots of prep in the sense that the plot(s) moved along. I was a bit confused about exactly WHO the Blood Knight was an his/her purpose, but continued to enjoy the ride for the most part. Sometimes its a bit like plum pudding - dense, rich and you can only have so much before you have to stop.
As with both of the previous books in this series, The Blood Knight grips you from the start and doesn't let go even after you have finished the book. I am still on the edge of my seat waiting to see how the series ends.
Excellent continuation of "The Kingdoms of Thorn and Bone" series. I'm not the obsessive type who re-reads every book previous in the series before reading the newest one, so some of the plot points I had forgotten. One thing that I did notice was that Anne Dare was a lot less annoying in this book. I'm totally looking forward to The Born Queen hopefully out this year.
Lasairfiona Smith
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Recommends it for:
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More! Must have more!
It has taken three books to figure out who is the good guys and who the bad guys are. It becomes much more clear in this book but I still have a bit on uncertainty. I love how complex this is. And that twist!
When my boyfriend who usually sticks to things like Kafka loves this series, you know it is a good one. Yes, the writing is a bit chopy but the story completely and utterly makes up for it. I believe I have said that before but it bears repe...more
It has taken three books to figure out who is the good guys and who the bad guys are. It becomes much more clear in this book but I still have a bit on uncertainty. I love how complex this is. And that twist!
When my boyfriend who usually sticks to things like Kafka loves this series, you know it is a good one. Yes, the writing is a bit chopy but the story completely and utterly makes up for it. I believe I have said that before but it bears repe...more
Best fantasy series I have read in a long time - highly recommend!
But I don't recommend reading the same book, at the same time with your fiance. ANNOYING!!!
But I don't recommend reading the same book, at the same time with your fiance. ANNOYING!!!
Andi
added it
Our heroes splinter a bit, but manage to hold together while Keyes deepens the conflicts and characterization. Some truly beautiful work.
Oh, these books are so good! I've read a lot of reviews that suggest "middle child" syndrome, but I didn't get any of that. It was just as good as the previous ones. LOVE it.
This book is as good as The Briar King. Fantastic. I love how complex the plot is and the characters are equally intriguing.
Again...TOTALLY AWSOMENESS! Can't wait for the ending of the Kingdoms of Thorn and Bone books.
This book begins to reveal that the line between good and evil can sometimes be blurred.
This is a very good story. Constant action, good villains, clean crisp dialog and even some laughs. The author also creates imaginative poems/songs and quotes fitting the worlds myth. Eager to get to each new book in the series.
The mystery continues to grow in this dark fantasy series. Sometimes that's a good thing, sometimes that's a "can't tell the players without a scorecard" thing. I enjoy how, unlike in some series (I'm looking at you, Wheel of Time) the realistic depiction of different languages and language change over time is a factor in the plot. I'd be very sad if that was really the end of the Briar King; hope it isn't. Anne Dare remains the least interesting of the large cast of characters: own yo...more
A solid entry into the series.
Will read soon
Staring with this the 3rd installment of the series the storyline becomes both more interesting and more tedious. Interesting because we begin to realize what we thought was going on may not in fact be what is actually happening, and the characters begin to realize it as well. Tedious because well this series should have been at most 3 books and all this should have happened last book instead of reading about everyone running aimlessly about the countryside
For what it is, pulpy multi-pov fantasy, it's really pretty damned good.
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Gregory Keyes is a writer of science fiction and fantasy who has written both original and media-related novels under both the names J. Gregory Keyes and "Greg Keyes".
Greg Keyes was born in to a large, diverse, storytelling family. He received degrees in anthropology from Mississippi State and the University of George before becoming a fulltime writer.
He lives in...more
More about Greg Keyes...
Greg Keyes was born in to a large, diverse, storytelling family. He received degrees in anthropology from Mississippi State and the University of George before becoming a fulltime writer.
He lives in...more
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