Of all the supply wagons in all the world, Silla Nordvig just had to hide in the one belonging to the notorious Bloodaxe Crew. 

 

But really, what’s a scared and severely underprepared girl supposed to do when she suddenly finds herself on the run after her dad is killed in front of her? Why were these people out to kill them? What did they want with her? All Silla knows (as any woman with any sense in her would know) is that it probably isn’t anything good, and so she’s just aiming to follow her dad’s last instructions. How was she supposed to know whose wagon she’d climbed into? 

 

I was intrigued by the premise for this book, even though the blurb subtly indicated one of my dreaded tropes: the love triangle. Sometimes love triangles work for me and sometimes they don’t. I was also very interested in the assassin factor (I’m a sucker for assassins) and the other obstacles the characters might face on their journey. I saw an opportunity for found family vibes, and I love that in my epic fantasies. 

 

I feel like so much of this book could have been remedied if one factor hadn’t thrown a wrench into the works: I didn’t like Silla Nordvig, and that’s a huge problem. When you are reading an epic fantasy book series centered around a female main character and the whole plot revolves around her, it becomes a necessity to at least like her a bit. I didn’t even like her a bit. Out of all the characters in the book she’s the one I liked the least, and that just isn’t going to work. 

 

The love triangle vibes are more than a little subtle, but mostly sway one way for this book. I actually liked this aspect of the plot in this case, shockingly. I really liked the assassin factor, but I ultimately think all of the awesomeness of this character was wasted. The obstacles on the road were ultimately fun, diverting, and added a lot of interest and engagement in places where the plot would have fallen flat. And yes, there were found family vibes I enjoyed. 

 

I won’t be continuing with this series because it just isn’t going to work for me, but I can see why a lot of people love this book. If you love the FMC, you’ll likely end up enjoying the whole book. 

 

I was provided a copy of this title by the publisher and author via Netgalley. All thoughts, opinions, views, and ideas expressed herein are mine and mine alone. All reviews rated three stars and under will not appear on my social media. Thank you.