【 THE DAUGHTERS’ WAR 】

book #0 (prequel) in the Blacktongue series

Genre: Fantasy
Audience: Adult
Author: Christopher Buehlman
Published: June 2024
Publisher: Tor Books
Pages: 416 (paperback)

The audiobook production for this was fantastic, as with the first book, the perfect narrator was chosen and it really made Galva’s character come alive.

However, I didn’t find myself quite as blown away as I was with the first book. There is a sense of distance and a reduced urgency of the overall plot because of the way this one is told. While book one (from memory, unless I’ve gone mad) is told as the events happen, this is an account of Galva’s story, told by her as if she’s sitting across from you. So, ya know, we have a genuine sense of security that she’s probably going to survive (unless the author pulls one of those nasty twists …)

And don’t get me wrong, I loved finding out more about her and her history – she’s such a mysterious character in book one. I’m really hoping that we will get more books in the series that build upon all the foundation work laid down in this one, too. This answers a lot of questions and provides a lot of context to the almost elusive history we hear about in the first book. So that was very satisfying.

It’s a tragic and emotionally-led story that will certainly have you very invested in Galva’s character. While the excitement of the plot that we had in book one doesn’t carry into this book, it makes up for it in spades in terms of character development.

The final thing that’s worth noting is how violent this is. Given that it’s set during one of the goblin wars and Galva is a fighter, you’re going to get up close to death, horrific injuries and overly descriptive gore. None of it seems excessive, it very much so fits the mood of the book, but you’ve been warned.

In sum, if you loved the first book as much as I did, I think this is worthwhile reading to learn more about the world (if that matters to you) and Galva, but that you shouldn’t expect the same level of thigh-slapping goodness – this is much calmer (though far more gruesome).

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Title: The Daughters’ War
Series: Blacktongue #0
Author: Christopher Buehlman
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Enter the fray in this luminous new adventure from Christopher Buehlman, set during the war-torn, goblin-infested years just before The Blacktongue Thief .

The goblins have killed all of our horses and most of our men.

They have enslaved our cities, burned our fields, and still they wage war.

Now, our daughters take up arms.

Galva ― Galvicha to her three brothers, two of whom the goblins will kill ― has defied her family’s wishes and joined the army’s untested new unit, the Raven Knights. They march toward a once-beautiful city overrun by the goblin horde, accompanied by scores of giant war corvids. Made with the darkest magics, these fearsome black birds may hold the key to stopping the goblins in their war to make cattle of mankind.

The road to victory is bloody, and goblins are clever and merciless. The Raven Knights can take nothing for granted ― not the bonds of family, nor the wisdom of their leaders, nor their own safety against the dangerous war birds at their side. But some hopes are worth any risk.