Traitor's Blade (Greatcoats #1) in /r/Fantasy Discussion Group

Apr 17, 2015 Mark Lawrence rated it it was amazing

The book has sat on my shelf altogether too long (as many do, sadly) and I was goaded into reading it by a friend who said I would like it. She was not wrong.

I'm giving this 5* since it's a gripping read with genuine emotion and excitement, and solid writing. I have a couple of niggles but they're minor in the grand scheme of things.

Basically this is the three musketeers in a fantasy setting. Well, that's unfair... The Three Musketeers is what springs to mind and gives you the vibe. The characte ...more

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Oct 16, 2016 Lel rated it it was amazing

Shelves: dragon_jetpack_book_of_the_month

This is a promising start to a series. It follows the life of three 'Greatcoats' after the disbandment of their order and the death of their king. The 'Greatcoats' have a strong moral code that is hard to life by and causes them no end of trouble. Falcio is the star of the book and we follow his journey in trying to keep a young girl alive and follow a dying code.

I loved this book! I managed to get through it in 24 hours purely as I couldn't put it down! I loved the characters, the plot, the twi ...more

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May 29, 2023 Caitlin rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: tropes-snark, fic-fantasy, owned-audible, owned-kindle, owned-bookshelf, recs-booktube, tbr-audible, tropes-swords

Traitor's Blade is the first book in the Greatcoats series and honestly, I'm way behind on reading this one so I doubt I'll be revealing anything new to anyone. It follows the adventures of Falcio, leader of the once great traveling magistrates known as the Greatcoats who are now renowned for their treachery in stepping aside during the overthrow of the king by the aristocracy. But they still have a mission to fulfill from their dead King and Falcio isn't about to let him down.

While I'd heard f Traitor's Blade is the first book in the Greatcoats series and honestly, I'm way behind on reading this one so I doubt I'll be revealing anything new to anyone. It follows the adventures of Falcio, leader of the once great traveling magistrates known as the Greatcoats who are now renowned for their treachery in stepping aside during the overthrow of the king by the aristocracy. But they still have a mission to fulfill from their dead King and Falcio isn't about to let him down.

While I'd heard folks rave about the Greatcoats before and I've owned them on Kindle for years, I somehow never got around to this until some friends started a buddy read (which I almost immediately fell behind on, as usual). But Traitor's Blade quickly won me over with the fourth wall breaking narration and humor of Falcio and De Castell's skill at writing fights in a way that actually makes sense and is historically accurate. Which honestly, chef's kiss from me, I'm so rarely satisfied with that.

The reason this isn't a five star read though, is two gripes that I have: Falcio himself and the way it handles some interactions with female characters. Falcio really reminds me of Superman in his self-righteousness and that's just not a character trait I'm super in love with. He's a character who holds very strongly to his ideals and immediately judges others for not adhering to them, which I found obnoxious. I did appreciate the snark of Kest and Brasti though, so the banter kept me from getting too annoyed with Falcio.

But people really weren't kidding when they mentioned the motivation behind Falcio's actions being trite and one of my least favorite tropes ever(view spoiler). And chapter 22 is rightly noted as being straight up sexual assault, however it was originally intended. It's also completely unnecessary to the plot and even without the SA note, is just awkward.

Those gripes aside, I really loved De Castell's writing style and humor and I'm looking forward to continuing with the Greatcoats series and seeing where it heads next. De Castell is already an auto-buy author for me. ...more

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Feb 04, 2018 Twila rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: could-not-care, forgettable, series-dnf, not-my-cuppa, timey-wimey, action-packed, long-read, when-will-it-end, expected-better

2.5

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Feb 14, 2018 Chris Bryant rated it it was ok · review of another edition

Shelves: fantasy

I have never wanted to like a book so much and yet felt so disappointed. There is so much in this story to like: the setting, camaraderie of the characters and their banter, the history of the world, and fantastic fight scenes, etc. Perfect.

The problem, the author knows how to create a really good story, but not how to tell it.

This story is told in first person, which may not be for everybody but usually doesn't bother me. But every time something comes up, we get the narrator back tracking to I have never wanted to like a book so much and yet felt so disappointed. There is so much in this story to like: the setting, camaraderie of the characters and their banter, the history of the world, and fantastic fight scenes, etc. Perfect.

The problem, the author knows how to create a really good story, but not how to tell it.

This story is told in first person, which may not be for everybody but usually doesn't bother me. But every time something comes up, we get the narrator back tracking to tell us a story that gives some context to what is currently happening. And most of the time, there is some aha moment that would have been so much better well served if we had been told it earlier. And sometimes he just drops something on us without any hint foreshadowing - "Fey Horse", "No man Breaks the Rock", and more. It leaves a feel as though the author came up with an interesting idea of a useful tool for this story then at that moment tries to gives us the context needed for it to work. And many of the points of emotional impact don't feel earned.

And there are moments that just take you completely out of the story. The main character manages to hear a behind the hand comment across a crowded square. A long drawn out conversation explaining motives and choices while an entire army, within conversational distance, is charging. An arrow sliced in half out of the air, lying in two pieces on the ground in front of the man who sliced it. And if you are willing to have somebody killed by the sword and you have an archer, standing next to you, why not kill them both with the arrow? And can we give our bad guys just a hint of nuance!

And pulling everything together at the end was a bit of a mess. There was something just lacking and not satisfying. The hows and whys of a few things just was never truly answered.

And man, the exposition at the beginning of the story! I so wanted to read this book that I checked it out of the library, started it - returned it unfinished. Bought the kindle version, didn't finish it again. I finally bought the audible and was able to get through that part - hoping it would pick up. It got better, but never reached my expectations.

But there is just enough there, that I may try book 2. But, it will be on a short leash. ...more

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May 15, 2015 Beth Rosser rated it it was amazing

Shelves: 5-star-books

I only rated this three stars the first time I read it?!? What was I thinking??? I re-read this book recently so that I could continue with the series, and I really enjoyed it. Can't believe I only gave it three stars. ...more

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Feb 08, 2015 Kaleb marked it as to-read

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