I enjoyed this particularly the world building and context for the story. I preferred it to the Blacktongued Thief. Many thanks for an arc of this book.

2.5 stars

I was really looking forward to this one as I had a great time with The Blacktongue Thief. I knew this book would be different though, as we would focus on a different character – the first book was from the point of view of Kinch, and I absolutely loved the humour that came through his narration, whereas this book would tell an earlier story, from the perspective of Galva – and being something of a prequel, I expected that Kinch wouldn’t feature at all.

Being a first-person narrative from a different character, I think the difference in style is both a good thing and a bad thing. On the good side, it shows that the POV is from someone else, and that the narrators of the two books are two very different people. That was done well, and you can see the character “voice” in each of the two books. The bad side, for me, is that where I loved Kinch’s narration, I really didn’t get on with Galva’s. Part of that was the story and the narrative style itself, but a big part of it was the lack of that humour that I enjoyed so much.

I like Galva as a character, but she comes across here (to me) as an awful narrator. It meant the book just really didn’t work for me at all. There were various points where, while telling her story, Galva would say “I received a letter from… [typically one of her brothers],” and then would go on to read the entire letter verbatim, sign-off and all. Elsewhere, it would say “I’ll let [another brother] tell this part, because he was there,” and it would shift the narrative, for a single chapter, to that other character, in whose head we have spent absolutely no time up to that point.

I didn’t like this (either example) as a narrative style at all, it would really throw me off my reading stride when I came across them. Another example that really didn’t work for me was some odd narrative signposting. At one point for instance, Galva said “I’ll tell you what it looked like, and then I’ll tell you what it did,” and then she immediately went on to tell us what this thing looked like, and then tell us what happened. It was a peculiar piece of narrative for me that just had me looking away in confusion as I was reading it.

The story itself was decent, and I liked meeting some characters who had been mentioned in The Blacktongue Thief, and I liked the expansion of the world and its history as well. All in all though, this was a big disappointment for me. It wasn’t even that I was disappointed because I didn’t love it, I could live with that, but rather, I was disappointed because I didn’t even like it.

In this fantasy novel, readers are drawn into a world both familiar and foreign, where magic pulses through every scene and ancient conflicts simmer just below the surface. The protagonist, flawed yet captivating, embarks on a journey that reveals the cost of power and the strength found in unlikely alliances.

The author masterfully blends rich, atmospheric descriptions with intricate lore, crafting a setting that feels both expansive and intimately detailed.

A must-read for fans of epic, character-driven adventures.

5/5 star, love Blacktoungue thief also by the same author.

*The Daughters' War* by Christopher Buehlman is a dark and gripping fantasy set during a war-ravaged period, where goblins have devastated the land and forced humanity into a desperate struggle for survival. The story follows Galva, a determined young soldier who defies her family's wishes to join the Raven Knights, an experimental unit that battles alongside giant war corvids in a bid to reclaim their world from the goblin horde.

The novel doesn’t shy away from portraying the grim realities of war, vividly depicting the hunger, exhaustion, and trauma faced by soldiers. Galva’s perspective as a future narrator adds depth, with her sarcasm and commentary occasionally breaking the gloom and providing a touch of levity. The inclusion of her youngest brother’s humorous journal entries adds further relief, though I wished we could have spent more time with him and the wizard he accompanies.

The characters are well-crafted, especially Galva’s relationships with her brothers and fellow soldiers, revealing a vulnerable side to her otherwise hardened character. The corvids make for fascinating and formidable companions, adding a unique dimension to the story. Overall, *The Daughters' War* is a gritty and compelling read that immerses you in its war-torn world, making you root for Galva and humanity’s survival. Highly recommended.

I didn't even realise this was book 2 in a series but I still enjoyed what was happening. I've never read anything by this author before, I may pick up more by them in future but I'm more of a mood reader than a set genre reader.

It took a while for me to get into the world building, and enjoy the story but I eventually got lost in this magical place. I could see what was happening if I closed my eyes (neurospicy for the win) it really was beautifully done.

The writing was beautiful, the Adventures and the family vibes that came with it made this book for me.

Over all it's a 4/5 for me :). Now off I go to find more books to add to my TBR just in case I have the urge to read more.

Incredible, the Daughter's War is the perfect expansion to a world which The Black tongue Thief started.

It's the story of Galva I didn't know I needed - superb.

Thank you for providing me with an ARC copy of this book. This was a really action packed, conflict heavy book with a ton of world building and interesting characters. The Daughter’s War is different to anything else I’ve read so far which was unexpected. I really enjoyed how much action and world building was in this book and the unique characters. The writing style was vivid and powerful with heavy and detailed descriptions of the war which seemed to the characters to be dark and unending and packed with emotion.

Overall I found the book really enjoyable to read however, it is quite dense in parts which led me to finish the book over a much longer period than usual. Although, that said, it’s definitely worth the read and I found it seemed to flow more after the first 1/4 or so of the book and got into a bit more of a rhythm. I also wasn’t too invested in that many of the characters but I didn’t mind too much, although I’d have liked to be able to know more about some of the other characters Galva was close to.

I would definitely recommend this to those who like battles and war in a fantasy novel (and lots of it) and for those who enjoy heavy and vivid description and world building. This is definitely not a happy book and has dark war imagery but is definitely worth the read.

Thanks to Netgalley and Tor Books for providing a digital ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This is a very different book from Buehlman's incredible Blacktongue Thief (which I also gave 5 stars) to which this is a prequel. This is due in no small part to the shift in POV from Kinch, the amoral thief of the Takers Guild racing to pay off his debt and save his own skin, to Galva, a straight-laced and naïve knight getting her first taste of war against the goblin hordes. Her character comes through so clearly in every line that the world, so wonderfully explored in Blacktongue, is seen in a completely different light.

Galva's thoughtful and nuanced narration made me initially feel the pacing was too slow, but I was wrong. Once I'd recalibrated my own expectations I was rewarded with a deeper and more emotionally rich experience - leading to a coda that damn near broke my heart.

It doesn't necessarily feel as crazily inventive as Blacktongue, but it doesn't have to be. The stage is already set. Now we can explore the inner lives and family relations of our characters, and see how they are twisted, torn, burned and eaten by the war.

The battles, when they come, are swift, confusing and brutal without ever leaving me feeling I didn't know what was going on.

I still prefer Blacktongue but the space between the two books is too narrow to get a sword edge between. This is another 5 star read for me.

Holy. Fucking. Shit.

This book has absolutely rendered me speechless.

Buehlman has gifted us with a prequel of The Blacktongue Thief which offers us a fresh perspective of the world previously established.

We spend time with Galva who is twenty years younger and it shows in her mannerisms which only added to my enjoyment of this book as it gave me more insight into her character.

This is bloody, brutal and filled with medieval fantasy goodness. The Goblins were brutal which only solidified that this was not a happy book, but one filled with blood, misery and brutality on a grand scale - my favourite!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.5/5

probably more brutal of a novel than what i would usually go for but i was intrigued by the premise and the fact it is female led i hadnt read the other book from these series and if i had maybe it would feel more connected at times i felt i was missing context i particularly liked the bond with Corvids and how they feel like their own characters also you definitely feel on galvas side could be be comparable to the asoiaf series in tone

What a book! - For fans of medieval fantasy or strong female leads.

I will start by saying I haven’t read anything by Christopher Beuhlman before and after this book I will definitely be reading the book this is prequel to. I don’t in anyway think not reading the original hindered my reading experience.

This story took me a few chapters to get into but after that I was hooked, the tale of adventure, family, sisterhood and camaraderie was written beautifully.

The idea of an army built from magically engineered corvids I loved 🐦‍⬛

I am a crier so I can confirm this book has now been added to the list of books that have made me weep 😂

Thank you to Orion publishing and NetGalley for allowing me to read this book ❤️

Alright, up front, this is one of my favourite books of the year. Its a thoughtful paean on the horrors of war. It's a story of what family is and what it means. It's a means of exploring and understanding grief, and conflict, and trust, and faith. It's a story about kicking goblin arse, and a story of war with an unapologetic, harrowing darkness to it, a razor edge that makes sure you know you're bleeding. It's a tough read, no doubt, but also one that made me think and feel, and explore a little more what it means to be, well, human. It's a book that can be brilliantly funny, understatedly smart, and emotionally devastating in a handful of pages.
Anyway. That's probably telling you that I quite liked it. And I did! It's worth noting that it's a prequel to Buehlman's The Blacktongue Thief, but I'd say it could happily be read as a standalone. And it's very tonally distinct from that story, with an interlocutor whose perspective is very different to that of the previous novel, and in a different time and place entirely. Decades before, during the last Goblin war, which ripped apart a continent.

Our protagonist is Galva, a young woman who has defied her family to go to war. It helps that her family are one of the pre-eminent noble families of her kingdom, and it helps that two previous wars with Goblins have savagely lowered the number of men available to, well, fight wars - so now the military is heavily populated by women. Incidentally, the story does delve into the socio-political issues this causes, with a minority of rich men struggling to come to grips with the idea that their command structure is now populated mostly by women, many of whom both aren't taking any of their crap, and also are looking to step up and replace the existing hierarchy pretty soon now.

But anyway, Galva. Those of you who read The Blacktongue Thief may recognise her from there, but here she's twenty years younger, and it shows. This Galva is blunt, but thoughtful. She struggles to reach out and make human connections, but also seems very incentivised to make them - trying to be a little less self contained, looking for, if not romance, at least peace and comfort during a conflict that means life is likely to be cut short at any moment. Galva is also well trained and dangerous, though not yet a hardened killer - she has an innocent side to her, slowly calloused by the sheer brutality of what she's exposed to. But she's also sweet, compassionate, and probably not going to put a sword in you unless you deserve it. Her struggle to really understand people is something that gives her startling vulnerability, even when she's slogging through mud, falling headlong into the horrors of war, and marching with magical war-ravens (read and, well, find out). I mean...I don't want to go on about this exactly, but as a protagonist, she's pitch-perfect, drawing us in, letting us empathise and sympathise, and showing us not only the best and worst of her world but what it means and how it feels. She does also kick serious butt, but her emotions are there, her humanity is there to make us feel the raw nature of the events she's embroiled in. In summary, Galva is wonderfully realised here, and if you've seen her before, then this adds a rich texture to her previous appearance - and if not, well, she's still great.

This is a war story, and I will say that the Goblins, as primary antagonists, are brutal. This is not a happy-go-lucky book. It's laced with blood and tragedy, and you know what by the end I absolutely loathed these creatures as much as Galva does. Buehlman manages to make them repulsive while also giving the, a life and culture of their own, it's just one that sits at a solid ninety-degrees to our own (actually, since they can't abide straight lines, probably at eighty-five degrees). They're viciously intelligent, brutal, and horrifying in equal measure. And every battle (and there are a few) is viscerally felt, bloody, uncompromising in the grit and sweat and horror. But this is also a world that plays with triumph and with subtler emotions - the grief, for example, that an equestrian nation feels when its horses are cut down by an engineered plague, laced with a need for vengeance, and sorrow.

Anyway. Maybe I haven't sold you with all that. So I'll say this. The Daughter's War is a war story, a story of family, born and made, a story of horrors and a story of love that could light the stars. It's a story that you'll want to tear through, a story that you won't want to end, an story that will make you feel. Go and get a copy as soon as you can, you won't regret it.

The Blacktongue Thief was a 5 star book for me it was so fun but I really struggled with this one. I just found that Kinch's narration is Blacktongue is what made the book for me and I missed him in this. Galva makes a fantastic side character but not a great pov. I was excited to learn more about her but I don't think this really added much to the story. For me I think this would have worked better as a short novella.

I adored the authors first book The Blacktongue Thief and read this ARC with much anticipation. I did love this book but it is very different in tone to the roughish narrative provided by Kinch in Blacktongue Thief.
This book has Galva dom Braga front and centre and precedes the events of the first book. We are thrust into the third Goblin war, who have spread a disease to kill the horses and who have taken over human cities creating cattle of the people as goblins like nothing more than human flesh.
As the war has progressed and whittled the ranks of men to fight, daughters are called to defend humanity. Galva chose to join the Raven Knights and new, magically created unit which uses mutated giant corvids to fight the goblins. Her three brothers are also in the war which makes for interesting family dynamics with the potential for betrayal.
The book is gritty, dark with the occasional ray of light but all set against the context of a unspeakable war where people of all ages have witnessed and committed atrocities that would only rarely be found in less troubled times. The Goblins are a truly fearsome enemy, possibly from another reality, with humans being intelligent meat.
Galva's story is captivating in a can't look away sense, once grabbed there was no letting go and the pace is unrelenting. Have tissues at the ready!
My thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for access to this ARC. All vies are my own.

Review: The Daughter’s War by Christopher Buehlman a prequel novel to the author's The Blacktongue Thief.

Thanks to Netgalley and Gollancz for the eArc

Galva dom Braga is the daughter of a powerful novel family and also a member of an elite experimental unit put together to train war corvids. She is sent to war and along with her brothers and her companions in arms experiences the worst of the war against the Goblins who are a foe worse than any have known.

I really enjoyed this book, I had high hopes after The Blacktongue Thief and I was not disappointed. The story is told through the first person of Galva for the most part and partly through the eyes of her youngest brother Amiel and is so well told. I really enjoyed the plot as we see Galva set out with the army across the sea to face the Goblin hordes with her companions. We also get to see the story of her younger brother in his own words in parts of the story as he sees the war from a different angle as the escort to a Magician.

The characters in this book were really well done, Galva was such an interesting character to read as were her brothers and companions. She develops really well through the course of the book as we also see her relationships changes with some of the characters. I really enjoyed the character of Amiel and his journey and relationship with his siblings.

I love the worldbuilding in this book as we see the different nations come together to defeat the Goblins and see the different elements of the world. It was also interesting to see the magic of the world as shown by the Queen of Gallardia and the magician Fulvir. I enjoyed seeing the how the armies of both humans and goblins were represented and the tactics of each that went into the battles. That war corvids were brilliant and such a cool idea well executed.

Overall this is a great book, however, be aware that it is not the cheeriest and there are some dark elements to it, and it hits hard in places but all for fans of fantasy a little on the darker side I highly recommend it.

The "Daughter's War" offers a fresh perspective on The Black Tongue Thief world, acting as a prequel to the original story. It highlights the resilience and valor of widows and female warriors. The central character, Galva (or Galvicha), brings a contrasting viewpoint compared to the first book, hailing from a noble background. The narrative traces Galva, her army, and various members of her family as they partake in multiple campaigns and impending battles.

Galva's narrative underscores the importance of truthfully depicting the realities of war. This is a captivating tale delving into themes of love, disillusionment, humor, religious significance, and courage in the midst of harrowing events. The author's occasional wit is tastefully employed, adding depth to the storytelling. My thanks to both Orion books and NetGalley for the opportunity to review this book.

A special branch of the army trained to use magically mutated giant ravens is tasked with the job of assisting the main forces to overthrow the goblin invaders of a mythical world. There is family conflict - our female main character Galva is the 3rd of 4 children of a duke and her three brothers are also involved with the war effort in different roles. There are relationships both friendly and intimate developing between people as they face death on a daily basis and try to avoid the many efforts that goblins can apply to try and defeat a human force - one of which being just full on snacking on them as they're fighting. This book is gory, grim and dark, hope is thin on the ground, and there is peril and dread laced throughout the story. Don't get too attached to any of the characters! Will be pushing The Blacktongue Thief up my TBR because this world was really well developed and I'd love to know what happened after the golbins were dealt with.

A book laden with tragedy and heartbreak. A soul-crushing, hesrtwrending look at love and loss.

Beuhlman has crafted a masterpiece.

The Blacktoungue Thief was humorous fantasy, this is a grimdark that shows you the war, the victims and the violence.
The prequel that tells you what happened before.
It's a great story, not the one I was expecting, but I loved it
A more extensive review will follow
Recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher for this ARC, all opinions are mine

Thank you to NetGally for providing me with an e-arc for the The Daughters' War.

I eagerly anticipated this book after The Blacktongue Thief became one of my favourite books last year. I knew the tone of this instalment would be somewhat different due to being from Galva's perspective and before her adventures with Kinch. Honestly, I was a little dubious about how much I would like the book knowing the sarcasm and humour that I loved from the previous book might not be there. What I wasn't expecting was to fall in love with this book for completely different reasons. The way in which the war is described . . . . If you have ever watched the opening scene to Saving Private Ryan, it made me feel the same sorrow, devastation and horror. This book will stay with me as one of the most beautifully written descriptions of hope, loss and fear I think I will ever have the pleasure to read. Short life, bloody hand.