The Silverblood Promise is...fine. The book seems to check all the boxes of a modern fantasy story without bringing anything particular unique or interesting to the table. The prose is serviceable and keeps you reading, but there wasn't anything particularly memorable about. Lukan, the protagonist, is a standardish fantasy swordsguy with limited backstory beyond a single tragic duel. There's a mystery, but it didn't do much to grip Lukan's father is murdered and leaves an enigmatic note (if characters have time to write long names down, why not ever"so and so killed me?").

World-building was also...fine. The story mostly takes place in the city state of Saphrona, but some of the cultures mentioned seem to borrow from real-world counterparts, like a fantasy Russia. Note to fantasy authors-it'd a fantasy world, not ours-go nuts!

The story is a page turner however, and I did like the little pickpocket. Basically, if you want a modern fantasy adventure, Silverblood Promise delivers. If you want something new and different, you may be a bit disappointed.

A review copy was provided by the publisher.

THIS is how fantasy should be written. You have a nicely flawed main character, a whip-smart urchin who grows on everyone, an intriguing world with a backstory of a civilization that fell ages ago that created amazing artifacts, treachery, characters briefly mentioned, then slid in ever so smoothly when it's their turn to join the action. The ending sets readers up for more of the same. ( )