I was initially interested in reading this book, however my tastes have shifted and I do not think I will be able to get to it now. Many thanks to the publisher for sending me a digital copy!

Tengo un problema con las portadas sugerentes, tiendo a pensar que la historia en su interior va a se rigual de sugerente, imaginativa, brutal, enorme y sumersiva. Pero no siempre es así, por supuesto. Pero para eso existen las cubiertas, ¿no? Para llamarnos y atraernos a un libro. Es un poco mi caso con las novelas de Brian Staveley. Aunque le tenía el ojo echado desde hace mucho tiempo (de hecho tengo un par de sus libros en papel por casa), no fue hasta Skullsworn, una novela autoconclusiva ambientada en su mundo de Chronicle of the Unhewn Throne cuando me animé, impulsado por la portada, a leerme la primera obra de este aclamado autor de fantasía. No sé si solo me pasa a mí, pero tengo la sensación que hay una gran cantidad de autores noveles de fantasía épica que están estancados y escriben historias clónicas unas de otras, sin innovar, sin atreverse a contar algo distinto. Tan solo las mismas aventuras unas y otra vez disfrazadas de algo más.



Mirad, Tchaikovsky es un autor que escribe fantasía con claras influencias clásicas, incluso fantasía pulp (y ciencia ficción), pero siempre tiene un toque personal, le da una vuelta más a la tuerca, se ríe de los tropos, o usa los clichés para su propia conveniencia. Pero para hacer esto hay que tener una habilidad tremenda y ser un gran autor. Supongo que ya sabéis por dónde voy, pero antes os cuento de qué va Skullsworn. Pyrre, una joven que quiere convertirse en sacerdotisa del dios de la muerte Ananshael, debe pasar unas pruebas que, entre otras cosas, requiere que mate a varias personas del modo concreto en que se describe en una canción (que al parece es muy importante). Por algún motivo que no queda muy claro, a Pyrre le toca enamorarse de alguien y luego asesinarlo. Así de fácil. Así de difícil. A Pyrre la acompañará el típico grupo de aventureros de novela de fantasía para ayudarla a enamorarse más fuertecito de alguien.



Vale. No me lo trago. Reconozco que la novela no está mal del todo, y tiene algunas escenas de acción bastante chulas, pero es una novela clónica por debajo de la media en comparación a otras obras contemporáneas con un planteamiento muy parecido, el de una chica asesina que quiere entrar en el gremio de asesinos/culto que venera a la muerte y asesina (Nuncanoche, de Jay Kristoff, Red Sister, de Mark Lawrence, etc). El caso es que Skullsworn no está mal del todo, pero es más de lo mismo. Y más de lo mismo no es lo que ahora me apetece. Entiendo que es un producto destinado a un público concreto que sí quiere más novelas de fantasía genéricas, fáciles de leer y para evadirse un rato. De hecho yo me he leído tropecientas de estas. El caso es que la cubierta quizá me sugería algo más, o quizá yo esperaba algo más. Veréis, estamos en un punto donde hay autoras y autores increíbles y magníficos (Becky Chambers, Jemisin, Daryl Gregory, David Mitchell, Kameron Hurley, Okorafor...) que están escribiendo la mejor fantasía y ciencia ficción, y quizá me he acostumbrado a leer trabajos excelentes dentro del género. El caso es que, en parte, me ha dado un poco de pena no poder disfrutar del rollo aventurita sin más de este libro. Estoy seguro de que más de uno de vosotros se va a sentir atraído por el libro, y en realidad lo recomiendo, sobre todo si buscas eso, evadirte con una historia de aventuras con una protagonista molona en un escenario de fantasía genérico.

Fast-paced and original. I loved the concept of this book and thought it was brilliantly written. A must-read for fantasy lovers.

A prequel to his amazing debut trilogy, Skullsworn provides us with an intriguing back-story to Pyrre Lakatur, a prominent character from the aforementioned trilogy. As a follower of the God of Death, Pyrre is a ruthless assassin priestess, and to be honest just that description was enough to get me onboard! However, being able to see the trial that placed Pyrre in the position she is in the larger story was too much of a great hook and so I delved into this as quickly as I could. Staveley creates an amazing story, delving into death and love, what we are willing to give up to get what we want and the price that fate may demand. Pyrre's two companions, charged with watching over her during her trial, have a great dynamic together and with her, and Staveley's dialogue has only improved since the trilogy wrapped up. The writing is beautiful, full of fantastical and terrifying creatures and locales, and Staveley again does a great job of writing strong female characters. An enthralling journey, this is truly Pyrre's story, and will be up there as one of the best fantasy books of 2017.

This is a standalone fantasy set in the same world as Staveley's Unhewn Throne series. I have not read that series and I had no issue reading this book, so you don't need to read it before reading this. I thought this was a good book but I didn't love it. Although the world is an interesting one and the writing is good, the characters and the plot just didn't quite grab me. This is just one of those books that wasn't for me but still worth a read if you're a big fantasy fan

Tenía ganas de conocer la obra de Brian Staveley, así que cogí Skullsworn, una novela autoconclusiva, aunque situada dentro de un mundo más elaborado en el que el autor ha desarrollado otras historias, llamado The Chronicles of the Unhewn Throne.

Por desgracia, lo que me he encontrado es una novela de fantasía épica al uso, muy encasillada en los clichés más sobreexplotados del género (la secta del Dios de los asesinos, la profecía / prueba / excusa / requisitos para entrar en la susodicha secta, la ciudad llena de peligros a la que vuelve el protagonista para alcanzar su meta...) que acaban resultando cansinos.

Y no es que esté mal escrita. Las descripciones y sobre todo el ambiente opresivo de una ciudad rodeada de peligrosos pantanos son extremadamente vívidas. Pero es un desperdicio utilizar un lenguaje tan cuidado para volver a contar la misma historia. Como dice un amigo mío y cito textualmente :

una vez has probado el maná perdido de la fantasía épica moderna, la clásica ya es como ir por tu casa sin luz (que ya te sabes todos los giros)

A lo que yo añado que te aburres como una ostra.

Aunque la protagonista Pyrre podría tener fuerza a pesar de estar estereotipada hasta límites insospechados, la pierde toda cuando se enfrenta a dudas sobre qué es el amor y por qué ella no lo siente. ¿En serio que una asesina despiadada tiene estas dudas? ¿Y esto te lo preguntas antes o después de cortarle el pescuezo al lugarteniente de turno? Pues lo pregunta antes, DURANTE y después. La pobre está en un mar de dudas y no hay cuchillo que le sirva para cortar este nudo gordiano.

Algunos de los personajes secundarios sí que me han caído algo más en gracia, como por ejemplo Ela, que será testigo de la prueba de Pyrre. Sus constantes insinuaciones sexuales sirven de contrapunto a las dudas ya mencionadas anteriormente, pero no consiguen equilibrar la novela.

En la parte final la narración cambia un poco (ligerísimamente) y hay alguna que otra escena de lucha muy bien narrada, pero por lo general el libro es plomizo y perfectamente prescindible.

I grew up in a place where women wear vests ribbed with stilettos, where each priest has a dozen knives, steel traps, needles so fine you can slide them beside the eye into the brain and out again without leaving a mark.


Whatever I have to say about Pyrre Lakatur will not do this book, Staveley's words, this world justice. If you've read The Chornicle of the Unhewn Throne, you will need no introduction to Pyrre. You know how well-versed she is in the world of bloodshed and murder. You know that no character can rival her. If you haven't read The Chronicle, then let me tell you this: Pyrre needs no introduction. Her actions speak louder than any words could.

Skullsworn is her origin story. Pyrre has fourteen days to sacrifice the one she loves the most to the god of death, Ananshael. Problem is, Pyrre has never been in love before, and doesn't really know what love is. Her parents are dead, and Pyrre became an acolyte at the tender age of eight. Hammered by loss, anger and determination, her only wish is to become an assassin.

I was young, strong, alight with my own devotion and the fellowship of my sisters and brothers. Love was a pleasant afterthought, something I could experience later, more slowly, when I was finished being young.
Then came the Trial, and with the Trial, the song.


With two priests of Ananshael, they travel to Pyrre's hometown of Dômbang where she believes she can fall in love with an old flame, Ruc Lan Lac, and fulfill all seven kills details in the old song of Ananshael. But returning to Dômbang comes with its own set of problems. The bayou town is on the verge of revolution, abandoning the new gods for their old gods, and Ruc Lan Lac is in charge of keeping the peace -- a peace Pyrre is determined to destroy.

"I understand. So when do you go find him?"
"Not yet. First, I need to drag the insurgency fully into the open."
"Knocking down causeways isn't open enough?"
I shook my head. "I want to help Ruc fight a war. That means there needs to be a war."


Dômbang needs a little shove in the right direction, and although Pyrre knows her plan will work, she's not sure about the love side of things. Growing up in Rassambur, training to kill and fight, the only love she knows is the devotion to her god. But what is love, really? How does one differentiate between a simple love, and a love to rival the world?

The song is a list, obviously, a list of those that each acolyte must give to the god before becoming a full priest of Ananshael. From the first offering to the last, the would-be priestess is allowed fourteen days. Fourteen days for seven offerings. Not such a daunting task -- not for one raised and trained in Rassambur -- but an impossible one for someone, like me, who had never been in love.


If she fails, Pyrre will die, given to the god like so many other souls before her. She's not afraid of death (after all, she worships the god of Death), but she will not forgive herself for failing.

Needless to say, I loved Skullsworn. Pyrre became a favourite character from the first introduction in The Emperor's Blades, all the way to this book. Pyrre spoke to me: her worries, her fears, the feeling of growing up too fast in a world that doesn't quite match your pace. Even Dômbang, this backwater city surrounded on all sides by an empire they do not want or accept. Ruc Lan Lac, and his fears and worries, a man trying to be everywhere at once, defeat all enemies at once, and forgetting, at times, to save himself.

Staveley's writing is as lyrical as always, providing a heartbreaking, beautiful story of first loves and loss and the power of one's own determination. I felt for every character, even Ela, whom I found insufferable most of the time. I dreamt their every dream, and lived their story hand-in-hand, every bloody, murderous page of it, and at the very end I wanted more. More from Staveley. More of Pyrre. More of Ruc Lan Lac, and his unforgiving history of bloodshed and power. Just more.

"'I saw hands of blood, ten thousand bloody hands
Reach up from the waters to tear the city down.
I saw those who worshipped fire burned in their own flame,
Their fickle tongues turned, even in their pleading, to flame.'"


Skullsworn answers every question about Pyrre I ever thought of when I was reading the original trilogy. Who is Pyrre? Why Ananshael? Why become Skullsworn? But even without reading The Chronicle of the Unhewn Throne, one can read Skullsworn as a standalone, without needing to know anything about the previous trilogy.

I cannot do this book justice with my measly words, so I shall leave you with this: read this book, and fall in love with Brian Staveley's world of intrigue and war.

This is a shorter review than I would usually do. Purely because I am in the middle of a huge reading binge but I felt obliged to tell people just how amazing this book was….
To set the scene, the story follows Pyrre, a young soon-to-be priestess trained in the art of all things deadly, travelling back to her home town of Dombang to complete the challenge of killing seven specific targets in 14 days, oh and to fall in love. Thus proving her worthy of becoming a priestess devoted to the God, Ananshael. But will her last kill prove to be too much, even for Pyrre?

I have never read anything by Brian Stavely before, and honestly I would of had no clue it was a spin off from another series if it weren’t for goodreads.
I feel obliged to address this matter because all other reviews do… but honestly its irrelevant, because it effects the book in no way what so ever.

This isn’t my usual sort of read, but I a desperately trying to read more varied genres and break away from my comfort genre of Dystopia.
And honestly, I really enjoyed it. The writing was a little more descriptive and poetic than I was used to, I found myself getting so lost in the story I didn’t even notice the writing style after a while.
The writing was so evocative; setting the scene in no way have experienced before.

I really enjoyed Pyrre and the mental and physical journey she allowed us to witness. She was gritty and determined and BADASS.
In fact the whole story was incredibly bad ass with just the right amount of love thrown in.

Pyrre Lakatur doesn’t like the word skullsworn. It fails to capture the faith and grace, the peace and beauty of her devotion to the God of Death. She is not, to her mind, an assassin, not a murderer–she is a priestess. At least, she will be a priestess if she manages to pass her final trial.

The problem isn’t the killing. Pyrre has been killing and training to kill, studying with some of the most deadly men and women in the world, since she was eight. The problem, strangely, is love. To pass her Trial, Pyrre has ten days to kill the ten people enumerated in an ancient song, including “the one you love / who will not come again.”

Pyrre is not sure she’s ever been in love. If she were a member of a different religious order, a less devoted, disciplined order, she might cheat. The Priests of Ananshael, however, don’t look kindly on cheaters. If Pyrre fails to find someone to love, or fails to kill that someone, they will give her to the god.

Pyrre’s not afraid to die, but she hates to quit, hates to fail, and so, with a month before her trial begins, she returns to the city of her birth, the place where she long ago offered an abusive father to the god and abandoned a battered brother—in the hope of finding love…and ending it on the edge of her sword.

When it comes to the genre fiction there are a heck of a lot of fantasy books about assassins aren’t there? Seems to be a bit of a staple now that I think about it. It works for me; assassin’s lives are far from dull and make for perfect fantasy fodder. With so many fictional killers out there, any new novel has to have a great hook for me to take notice. The good news is that Skullsworn, the latest from Brian Staveley, has exactly that.

The thing that struck me straight away is the wonderfully evocative quality to Brian Staveley’s writing. When he describes the city of Dombâng, its streets and inhabitants, you get a real sense of all the individual lives colliding with one another. This city is far more than just a crossroads for the rest of the world; it is also a hotbed of religious and political intrigue. Exactly the sort of place a young, aspiring priestess/assassin can complete her years of training.

For a person who has spent almost her entire life training to be a killer there is a refreshing uncertainty to Pyrre. She is quite happy to kill, she has accepted that, but she is unsure on how exactly to live. Having spent her formative years sequestered away in the mountains learning her trade, she is in many respects an innocent. The big city, even though it was where she was born, is alien to her.

The dynamic of the relationship Pyrre has with her potential love interest/victim, Ruc Lan Lac, is great fun. Ruc is the commander of the Greenshirts, Dombâng’s de-facto police force, and the two have a shared history that is revealed as the story unfolds. Staveley perfectly captures the tentative nature of this relationship. Every conversation between Ruc and Pyrre can be read in two ways. You can take what each says at face value, or you can read between the lines. Pyrre and Ruc fight and bicker but you can also pick up on the underlying bond that is developing. It puts Pyrre in an increasingly difficult position. Can she complete her trial when Ruc remains suspicious of her motivations?

The other key relationships are between Pyrre and her tutors, Kossal and Ela. At first glance, these two appear to be little more than an old lush and an insatiable sexpot respectively. Of course, there is far more to Pyrre’s mentors than that. I liked the relationship between Pyrre and Ruc, but I loved the relationship between Kossal and Ela. There are a handful of moments when both manage to not only completely steal a scene but nearly escape with the entire plot to boot. Some of the snark on display is first class. I wonder if we ask Brian Staveley nicely he would write a book about some of their earlier exploits? I’d buy it tomorrow.

Seeing as we are firmly in the realms of assassins and the God of Death, it seems reasonable that the musical recommendation that accompanies this book adequately captures that cat and mouse sense of urgency that being a death dealer always seems to entail. The soundtrack to Assassin’s Creed II by Jesper Kydd fits this description perfectly. Makes sense that one assassin’s life should complement another’s I suppose.

The plot whips along at a good pace. Pyrre is on a very specific timescale so there is no time to hanging about. Events build to a satisfyingly bloody climax. All this comes together to create an absolutely brilliant tale. I’ll end with an admission, I’ve never read any of Brian Staveley’s other novels. It appears after a quick check on Amazon that there is a trilogy already available that is also set in the Annurian Empire. Based on how much I enjoyed Skullsworn I think I’ll have to give them a go in the very near future. Oooh, I’ve just thought, perhaps Kossal and Ela appear in those books. That would be great.

Skullsworn is published by Tor and is available from 20th April. Highly recommended.

The world building and complexity of Brian Staveley's writing style honestly blew my mind. When I first started reading I found it extremely hard to get used to the way in which Staveley writes but this definitely wasn't a bad thing which I will now explain. The writing is so staggeringly wonderful that it just took me a while to wrap my head around. I have never read anything as intricately woven as the writing in this book. I am new to Staveley's work and haven't read the other novels that take place in this world, yet I didn't feel like I needed to at all. Skullsworn is marketed as being a standalone novel while also being a prequel story to the Chronicle of the Unhewn Throne trilogy. Even though I have not read the trilogy I can see how it may possibly link and after reading this I definitely hope to pick up them at some point.

The plot follows Pyrre Lakatur in her attempt to pass the final trial to become a priestess of Ananshael, God of Death. While encountering several problems that may prove difficult to overcome. I enjoyed the way in which the start of the story throws you straight into the deep end and some amazing action scenes quickly get you hooked and excited to see what happens next. Even though the story is truly one of an epic fantasy I found Pyrre's struggles and characteristics to be extremely realistic which made her an amazing protagonist. She is a bad-ass anti-hero that I really enjoyed and found both the humour and seriousness that Staveley wove into her character to be interesting to read. 

The world building was so detailed that I felt like I was experiencing what I was reading first hand, it was an incredibly vivid experience that I will not soon forget. I don't feel like I could compare it to anything I've ever read. Staveley introduced me to such a different style of writing than I have ever read before and that made the world come alive around me. It was stunning!

I had a few problems in the beginning with the side characters as I just did not find them likeable at all, however this slowly changed and really started to enjoy both Ela and Kossal (Witnesses to Pyrre's trial and also Priests/Priestess's of Ananshael). Which is why I found the ending to be so heartbreaking to read. It took me so long to develop a liking for them that meant I really did not like the way in which events unfold. I adored Ruc and loved his relationship with Pyrre.

"How much could a man love a woman, after all, if he wasn't a little worried she might kill him?"

Overall I really enjoyed the plot, characters and the amazing world building and only had a few issues mainly with the ending, and I don't want to go into too much details because that would be too spoilery. I definitely recommend to fantasy fans however I feel if you don't enjoy fantasy or are quite new to the genre this might not be for you as I found it to be one of the most heavy and complex fantasy books that I have ever read.

4/5 Stars.

Having never read anything by Brian Staveley before, I was a little unsure how I would fare with SKULLSWORN as it is a prequel of sorts to his already successful, The Chronicle of the Unhewn Throne series. But I worried needlessly as I was instantly sucked into this captivating, brutal, fantasy world. In this standalone tale, we follow the journey of Pyrre Lakatur as she prepares for her final trial before becoming a Priestess of Ananshael - and what a journey it is.

With wonderfully detailed settings, rich and evocative language, I became completely engrossed in this harsh world where one must sacrifice everything to achieve their goals. With blood, death, and love twisted together, this perfectly paced novel really stands out in the fantasy genre, and I cannot wait to read the remainder of the series. SKULLSWORN by Brian Staveley is a must for fantasy fiction fans worldwide

https://lynns-books.com/2017/04/13/skullsworn-by-brian-staveley/
Skullsworn is a book that I’ve had on my shelves since last year. As soon as I saw it I wanted it. I had ninja grabby hands and fired off a request in a New York minute. Yes, I am fickle enough to be captivated by the gorgeous cover but aside from that it sounded so good and given that I hadn’t, up until now, read anything by this author, I thought a prequel to his series seemed a great starting point, a lovely little alleyway that could lead to a world of possibilities (or, maybe a dead end). So, as you can see I did put this up on a pedestal a little bit – which meant it had a potentially long way to fall. It didn’t fall. I loved this. In fact I’m struggling to write a review because all my thoughts are a big incoherent mess of rambling happy-higgledy-piggledy-chaos.

Ananshael is the God of Death – a God with no shortage of offerings on a regular basis, after all the only real certainty in life is death. However, the Priests and Priestesses who serve Anashiel are trained in the art of everything that is deadly, be it hand to hand combat, stealth, poison, or any number of other means. For this reason they have become known as the Skullsworn – feared and loathed for the way they dish out death.

Pyrre Lakatur is an acolyte, yet to become a priestess. Her trial awaits and having been given the goal posts she is, for once, experiencing self doubt about her own chances of success. In order to become a priestess she has a set number of days to make a number of pre-ordained sacrifices to Anashiel – one of which is “the one you love / who will not come again.” The problem arises in that Pyrre has never been in love. In lust, maybe, but not in love. So she now finds herself returning to the home that she quit long ago to try and find the one thing that has continually eluded her.

Dombang is the place Pyrre was born. Seemingly built on a swamp the place has become a huge city served by a causeway constructed above the water and reeds which allows people easy access. Dombang is a hotbed of trouble. It literally seethes with rebellion and fear. Over the years the original inhabitants have been conquered and their Gods cast out – but behind closed doors people still worship in the old ways and tempers run high. The people of the City are balanced on a knife edge of expectancy and Pyrre is about to stride in and tip the balance.

This is such a contradictory book. A book about opposites almost. Life and death, love and hate. It gave me much pause for thought – particularly in terms of all the different forms of worship and most curiously the strange worship of Anashiel, Pyrre herself is a contradiction. She says she’s never been in love and yet as the novel progresses you can clearly see that she is deluding herself a little in that respect. She suffers from self doubt and although she is practically brimming over with self confidence in so many ways she’s afraid to embrace life. I loved Pyrre – she’s a remarkable achievement. Brutal and honest but also with the ability to deceive, especially herself. Oddly enough this is a book about a search for love that isn’t actually a love story or a romance.

There actually aren’t too many characters to focus on here and this allows the author to give you a really good look at them. We have the two witnesses, Ela and Kossal. They accompanied Pyrre to ensure that she remains faithful to the terms of her trial and if not – well, she will meet her own end.

Ela is an absolutely excellent character – I really loved her. She’s just so latently sexy and at the same time absolutely deadly. A beautiful woman with almost inhumanly fast reflexes – also a bit of a raging sex maniac with a fondness for plum wine and a tendency to fall in and out of love – I just loved her. At the start of the story we read a scene where a part of the causeway collapses hurling people to the mud and swamp below and leaving them at the mercy of any number of predators, crocodiles and meat eating fishes being only two – in the midst of this commotion Ela remains perfectly calm, impeccably dressed, toting a waxed paper parasol to keep the sun from her brow and simply observing the chaos with something akin to boredom.

Kossal is absolutely lethal. He appears to sometimes look like a kindly older gentleman but he’s probably only smiling because he’s just slipped poison into your cup. He’s testy and grumpy at the best of times and has this quiet sort of menace. The two of them together are outrageously deadly. I could read a prequel based on Ela and Kossal any day of the week.

Then we have Ruc Lan Lac. Ruc is going to be Pyrre’s object of attention. The two of them were previously an item. Their relationship was tempestuous and stormy and one day Ruc woke to find Pyrre simply gone. New she’s returned into his life and she needs to find a way to work her way back into his affections. More than that she needs to love him, otherwise she fails her trial. The two of them definitely have a stormy relationship and whether Pyrre can make something more of that remains to be seen. Ruc is very different from Pyrre – he’s a none believer, everything can be explained away with rational explanation.

Chua is a fishing woman. The sort of woman that legends are made of. Unbelievably, she survived, alone in the swamp for an unprecedented number of days. Since returning to Dombang she moved as far from the water as possible and never speaks of her ordeal. This in itself tells you a lot about what she actually went through.

The five of them are going to find themselves thrown together. They need to solve the mystery of the swamps and in order to do so they need the help of a tribe that lives amongst the marshes.

Now, in case I’ve made all of this sound incredibly pedestrian, well, I can only say that it really isn’t. There is plenty of action that all blends in seemlessly with the rebellion and the search for Gods. There’s this underlying current of tension, there’s plenty of death, fighting and sacrifices. On top of this the setting is just amazing. It really does make the story to be honest, the icing on the cake. Dombang and the surrounding swamps are terrifying and fascinating in equal measure. With very little effort we find ourselves in a place that is teeming with history and back story. I loved this place – I’m not sure I’d like to visit it thank you very much – although it does have it’s moments of incredible beauty – even if at times if seems a cesspool and a breeding ground for unsavoury characters.

I don’t know if that has whetted your appetite. A brief recap just to be sure couldn’t go amiss. A story of intrigue. Of Gods and prophecies. A setting that is brutal and yet breathtaking in it’s deadly simplicity. Surrounded by predators in all forms. Characters that you can really become involved with and a simply marvellous ending. All the way through I was trying to second guess the outcome. I failed to do so quite miserably and I’m pleased as anything about that because this ending was nigh on perfect – for me anyway.

Why are you still here – just go and read it. It’s a standalone novel – which is almost as rare as a Dodo in recent times. If you’ve read the author’s previous works then I’m sure this gives you an entertaining glimpse into one of the characters you already know. If, like me, this is a new beginning for you. You don’t need to have read the other books in order to pick this one up. It’s a perfectly neat little package. However, if you do pick this up – be prepared to want more Stavely because I think this is a perfection introduction to his work.

I received a copy through Netgalley courtesy of the publisher for which my thanks. The above is my own opinion.

I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review from NetGalley. Thank you to the author, Brian Staveley, and the publisher, Tor, for this opportunity.

Do you ever finish reading a book, and just think to yourself... wow! I honestly have no idea how I am going to do this rich setting, the evocative language, the compelling plot, and the unforgettable characters justice!

This is a stand-alone fantasy, which is a rare thing in itself and that, combined with the author's good name, is what hastened me to read this. This is a continuation of one of Staveley's original series, of which I have not read. I don't think this impacted my reading, in any way. Perhaps I missed out on subtle clues that connected the two or a continuation of a character's journey, but I could follow this story with no trouble.

This is the story of Pyrre, who is on a mission or prove her status as a fully-fledged Skullsworn. As a skullsworn she will serve Ananshael, the God of death. Her journey is both a geographical one as well as a mental one. She journeys, along with those who will test her worth, across this rich, fantastical land, learning both about herself and the path she has chose to take in life.

I can not fully explain how opulent and palatial the writing is. As well as being a master story teller, Staveley could write of the most mundane or smallest of detail and make it rich with texture and full of life. His writing is what drew me in, but it was his immense world that made me stay.

For this world was a broad one. The characters traversed many corners of this realm and yet the reader, it felt, was only shown a small portion of it. With many places still yet to discover, I am planning to follow this by reading the original series, and I ardently hope for further continuations in one of my new favourite fantasy worlds.

Skullsworn was the first book by Brian Staveley that I’ve read and it has made me want to read his others for definite - I’ve got the Chronicles of the Unhewn Throne already lined up but this review is about Skullsworn. From what I’ve gathered over the internet this is a standalone prequel to the Chronicles as the main character Pyrre is featured in the original trilogy.

Skullsworn follows Pyrre, a priestess-in-training to the god Ananshael, a god of death. The whole concept of the story is Pyrre’s Trial to become a fully-fledged priestess of Ananshael – she has to kill 7 people in 14 days, all of whom are tied to a song including “the one you love/who will not come again.” Failure to complete all seven deaths will result in her own death at the hands of her two witnesses Ela and Kossal.

I’m going to on about Ela and Kossal for a little bit here – Ela is an incredibly motivated, true-believer in life, love and death, skilled fighter and devout priestess of her faith to her God; she’s comfortbale with all levels of intimacy and she has got a laidback view of everything which is in stark contrast to her counterpart Kossal – an aging priest with stooped shoulders and a gruff demeanour who says what he means and means what he says; he plays his flute to stop himself from killing patrons but gets irritated at their applause – it’s a catch 22 like no other. The two of these together shouldn’t work in any way, shape or form but Brian Staveley has made it work to greatness.

Pyrre’s story is one of conflict all throughout and her biggest road block is going to be that she’s never been in love. She travels back to Dombang in order to try to fall in love with Ruc Lan Lac who becomes her target – a pit fighter from her past who has been given command of the Greenshirts by the Annurian leaders. He’s a staunch disbeliever in all things myth and legend and has no patience for spiritual leanings and prefers to focus on the reality of any situation.

Pyrre doesn’t feel that she is worthy of being a priestess of Ananshael but her journey to Dombang from Rassumbur and through the Trial shows that really, she is. We get a big blast from the past in that Pyrre recounts her first meeting with Ruc Lan Lac to Ela who finds great joy in teasing Pyrre mercilessly about the situation and about her supposed inability to love.

The writing style is perfectly bleak but brilliantly enjoyable with great humour in the banter between Ela and Kossal but they’ve also got a great dryness to their humour which gives a stark contrast. The descriptions of the delta and the Csestriim and Nevariim were full of otherworldly fear and ancient horrors, a dark fantasy of epic proportions!

The ending had twists and turns that I didn’t expect in the slightest, gave Skullsworn a perfect ending and it has made me want to get into the world of The Annurian Empire even more; the epilogue was fantastic!
Expertly written and highly recommended.

I have to say I just did not like the way this was written.
The plot seemed very slow and I could not connect with the characters.
Not for me.

"Music is inextricable from its own unmaking. Each note is predicated on the death of those before. Try to hold them all, and you have madness, cacophony, noise."

I've made no bones about how much I love Brian Staveley's writing, and when I saw he was bringing one of my favorite characters back for her own story I was overjoyed! The bad news is that this took a bit for me to feel pulled in, but full disclaimer - I have been in the most epic of epic reading slumps. Literally the worst slump since I learned how to read. I'm pretty sure that's what my disconnect was all about but the start was a little heavy, a little purple-y, but that could just be me right now.

This story is about Pyrre, who became one of my ultimate faves in his Unhewn Throne series, and it was super awesome getting inside her head and learning some of her past. This story is set before the Unhewn series and is about Pyrre becoming a Priestess for her god (the god of death). She decides to go back to her homeland to carry out her Trial with Ela and Kossal as her Witnesses. Ela is enchanting and I would happily devour a stand alone or more of just her (please, Brian!!), and Kossal was the perfect compliment to both women. Pyrre, of course, knows that she must give to the god someone for whom she loves but she can't quite decide what love is and how to get to that point. Ela and Kossal can only do so much to help her understand what love is, and there were some serious philosophical conversations within Pyrre's own head on this matter. Her story is a tense waiting game to see if she'll succeed or meet her god.

"The goddess makes us in endlessly different ways. Our Struggles are no more the same than our face."

Pyrre is fascinating to crawl inside of: her childhood was shocking, her training relentless, her mind a warren of endless entertainment. I loved going between deep philosophical debates on love and worship to seeing her biting humor and adventurous spirit. Seeing her find the one person she might be able to love and going through that journey with her was tough. The synopsis tells us what she has to do so as I'm falling for Ruc I'm all upset that his death is coming and I would go back and forth between glaring at Staveley and feeling sad for Ruc and mad at Pyrre. Even in my horrific slump Brian Staveley knew just how to draw me in.

"All that they have is the old stories, stories of snakes in throats and violets in eyes - those stories are their only weapon, and stories are only weapons if you repeat them."

"As long as they remained unspoken, they could be denied, disowned, but saying a thing gives it strength."

This book is a true stand alone but I can't recommend the Unhewn series enough, Pyrre is a supporting character there so you really can read this without them, but it's the same world which always makes the reading that much more interesting I think. This book has all that I love in stories: action, adventure, love, sex, humor, myths, legends, and fun. It is an easy read being pretty short for a fantasy which is a great way to break into the genre if you're not already a fan - or don't like reading super long books. Brian Staveley is a must-read author.

Skullsworn by Brian Staveley (Pan Macmillan, Tor)

Review copy provided by Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Genres: Fantasy, Sci-Fi

RATING: 4/5



The Story

Pyrre is on trial. She has committed murder. But she isn't a criminal. She is Skullsworn, acolyte of Anashael, the God of death.

To become a Priestess, she must complete the trial, a 14 day long mission to fulfil the words of a song. The song is a list of offerings to the god, victims of the acolytes training in death. One such offering must be "the one who made your mind and body sing with love", and so Pyrre travels to Dombang, town of her birth, in search of a man from her past.

If she can fall in love with him, and then kill him, she is certain she will pass her trial. What awaits her in Dombang, however, is much bigger than her trial, and the requirements of her trial may not be as easy to fulfil as she believed. If she fails, all that awaits her is a violent death. She must not fail.


The Review

Phew! I feel like I need a breather.

Brian Staveley's novels are truly epic. He has an uncanny ability to create entire worlds with a vast array of characters, religions and cultures. I was first introduced to Pyrre when I read the Chronicles of the Unhewn Throne series. Skullsworn is a prequel to those novels, and works brilliantly as a stand-alone story, so is perfect for readers new to Staveley's work. Pyrre was always an intriguing member of the Unhewn Throne cast, however, so I'm delighted to learn more about her story.

She's different in Skullsworn, though I can definitely see how she'll evolve into the gruff, ferocious woman from the Unhewn Throne series. She's a little more uncertain but I think she's also more willing to take risks and accept and experience her own emotions. She's a refreshing take on a female protagonist. One of the things I love about Staveley is that you'll find no stereotypes in his work.

In Skullsworn you'll also find no black and white. Each individual could be considered 'good' or 'bad', but there is always something sympathetic to create a bit of tension and interest. It would be incredibly easy to view Pyrre and the other Skullsworn as evil murderers with a vile and depraved religion, but when Pyrre explains how she feels about Anashael and death, it kind of makes sense! Anashael is not a malicious god. Death should be painless and quick, the furthest from suffering. His followers also accept that there is no sacrifice in death without having known the beauty and wonder of life. Many of Anashael's followers are great lovers of the arts, in particular music. It is these intricate details, so thoroughly explored, which take Staveley's novels from the run-of-the-mill fantasy adventure to the masterclass in expert story-writing.
Skullsworn, at its centre, feels like an adventure novel. There are plenty of swashbuckling action scenes, intriguing plot twists and warring cultures to stop the novel from being a bit of a slog - it's a big book! The novel is certainly not for the faint of heart, and I think to really enjoy it you've got to love reading. It's long and involving and there are complex themes which can take a bit of thought to wrap your head around. Luckily, Staveley is great at knowing how to get this information across. He tells you what you need to know and when, but doesn't rely on giving the reader too much description at any one time. By the end of the novel you're left with the feeling that you really understand the world he's created.

You'll also be left with the satisfying feeling of a story well-finished. He really knows how to end a book. So often, novels fall at the final hurdle. The longer the book, the greater the build-up, and often the finale can seem a little lacking in comparison to the rest of the story. In contrast, I think Staveley's novel is weakest in the middle. We're met all of our characters, Pyrre is well into her trial and at times I feel the story may have been progressing a little too slowly for my liking. I do wonder, however, whether a faster pace would have made the ending a little less enjoyable.

Skullsworn is a great adventure with a dash of romanced, wrapped around a core of characters who will play with your emotions (and even your moral compass), I can't recommend this novel enough. Just make sure you're not going to be too busy for the next couple of weeks.

Skullsworn is released on 20th April 2017.

Staveley can be contacted via his website, Twitter and Facebook.

Have loved all I Brian Staveley's books so far and this no exception. A bit slow to start but soon found myself engrossed. Great storyline and strong characters made this a really enjoyable read

EArc received through Netgalley.

I am new to the writing of Brian Staveley and II found this book to be a slog from beginning to end, and in the end, it was only sheer determination that drove me to the end, and not a desire to know the ending of the narrative. The novel felt very much like the hot and muggy climate that the story takes place in, and which the author goes to great pains to constantly describe, it clung to you, the smell, the heat, the sweat, but a good shower and the whole thing was washed clean away with little remaining to remind you of the story.

There are moments in this book when I thought it was fantastic, but they were too short and too few and far between and sadly, were too often stopped abruptly by a complete change of pace by the author, or the ending of a chapter. And, my word, does the author like to 'world build'. I would have much preferred a style that didn't involve long and torturous 'backfill' when a character did something that the author was unable to explain away. I felt, almost like a bad joke, that if it needed that much explanation then, really, that scene shouldn't have happened or wasn't needed.

There were also moments when the plot made no sense whatsoever. There are too many 'gods' and too many events that seem 'forced'. There is no overriding narrative that holds the story together, and the author revels in using language that I've never heard of. Repeatedly I had to make use of the dictionary on kindle to understand the words - a strange occurrence as I've never had to do this before in any of the many books I've read. There are also, and this is a pet peeve, lots of silly sounding names for all the peripheral characters - Gods, people, places.

I very much tried to be open minded about the novel. From my own experience about writing side-stories to an already established universe, I know how hard it can be to find a storyline that doesn't depend on the other novels - one that truly stands alone - and from what I can gather, I think the author has done this. However, if the novel was intended to inspire me to read more of the 'world' that has been created, it has failed. While Pyrre may have been a bold and decisive character, ultimately, I found her to be too 'little'. There was little to love there, in fact, the characters who surround Pyree are far better - perhaps because we don't constantly have to listen to their self-doubt - Ruc Lan Lac, Kossal and Ela. They might be more one-dimensional - but they are easier to connect to and understand.

Yet, I still give the novel 4 stars - mainly because it is so detailed and confident in itself and I'm sure that fans of the series will love it.

Nonostante la premessa non fosse fra le più originali (ultimamente è un tripudio di giovani assassine di talento affiliate a scuole, ordini religiosi, supermercati et similia) il romanzo prometteva di rivelarsi un buon intrattenimento.
Invece, nonostante uno stile passabile, mi sono trovata metà annoiata metà irritata: devoti di un Dio della Morte che uccidono random, senza motivi, ma non sono psicopatici (o almeno non vengono rappresentati come tali; la promessa dell'insta-love per lo gnokkone di turno; dialoghi che tentano di essere brillanti ma risultano forzati; personaggi piatti e prevedibili.
Se un romanzo che promette omicidi come se piovessero ti fa da sonnifero, c'è qualcosa che davvero non va.