Every year, the members of this site hold an internal book club where we each get to force the other to read a book to the top of their to-read list. It’s a fun time, but I always take my choice very seriously and really ponder what book I think the other people need to read immediately. This year, I got it down to two choices I have to pick between: one was Orconomics (which I already talked about here), and the other was Blade of Dream by Daniel Abraham.
I ultimately went with Orconomics, solely because Blade of Dream is the second book in an anthology story, and people wanted to read them in order. Daniel Abraham is no stranger to The Quill to Live, and he is responsible for a number of our favorite series. When I read book one of Kithamar, Age of Ash, I was a little underwhelmed. You can find my full review here, but the pacing was a little slow and the plot a little meandering. The entire trilogy takes place in a single city, the titular Kithamar, and each book is planned to follow different perspectives during interesting times that weave a large tapestry. Since I was a little lukewarm on Age of Ash, I decided to hold off a bit on Blade of Dream, as I had other pressing books, and I figured it would have been a similar reading experience. This was a mistake; Blade of Dream would have easily made our best of 2023 list had I read it then.
A story about two wealthy, brilliant children, Garreth and Elaine. Garreth is heir to one of Kithamar’s most prominent merchant families. The path of his life was paved long before he was born. Learn the family trade, marry to secure wealthy in-laws, and inherit the business when the time is right. But to Garreth, a life chosen for him is no life at all. Elaine is in line for the throne and spends her life surrounded by fake individuals and political saboteurs who want things from her. She searches for who she is, digging beneath her court persona to find what lies underneath. In one night, a chance meeting between these strangers changes everything.
This book’s unique magic is to make two fabulously well-off nobles feel like they are actually from the upper class and have problems worth caring about. Both of them fall into the classic trope of “yes, I have an easy, wealthy life, but you don’t understand how hard it is not being able to make choices.” Usually, with this trope, it reeks of ‘read the room’ and feels deeply unrelatable in the current climate. However, Garreth and Elaine both put their money where their mouths are, and it makes for an illuminating character story. They achieve this through two methods. First, a self-awareness and almost self-loathing that their problems shouldn’t matter in the scheme of things. Side characters from several socioeconomic classes continue to give perspective throughout the entire story, yet the deep need for control never leaves Garreth or Elaine. Second, I genuinely believe these two individuals would rather die than continue the preplanned lives that had been laid out for them, and it sparks an empathy in me I didn’t think was possible. The book feels like an embodiment of the idea of ‘surviving isn’t living.’
All of this is helped by the fact that both leads are incredibly charming and interesting. They move through their respective societies like square pegs being forced into round holes. They both lack ambitions of power, but have clearly defined wants that are not being met at all by their current systems. As such, they work as powerful symbols and metaphors for how wealth and power often don’t meet basic needs and leave everyone miserable. Also, they are both just cutie-patooties, and I want to see them kiss. KISS, DAMNIT!
Blade of Dream feels very distinct from Age of Ash despite sharing the same setting. There is very little overlap in characters or themes, but the two books can be examined side by side to see a bigger picture of what lurks in the underbelly of this magical city-state. The entire thing is a delightful read that layers subtle mysteries for those interested in digging deeper, but doesn’t slow down any potential readers who are just here to enjoy a powerful character story.
I am sad to have missed Blade of Dream in its publishing year, as it would have been nice to celebrate its success. The final part of the Kithamar trilogy, Judge of Worlds, is expected later this year, and I will grab it as soon as possible this time around. Blade of Dream was a stunning achievement and will enter the annals of my favorite character stories to recommend to people looking for some great shoes to walk in. I am very curious to see how Abraham ties this all fully together in the finale, but even in the worst-case scenario, Blade of Dream would make an incredible standalone.
Rating: Blade of Dream – 10/10
-Andrew
