Covenant of Steel - Review
Link to the author's (A. Ryan) personal website
Book 1: The Pariah
Book 2: The Martyr
Book 3: The Traitor
Blurb: (From Book 1) Born into the troubled kingdom of Albermaine, Alwyn Scribe is raised as an outlaw. Quick of wit and deft with a blade, Alwyn is content with the freedom of the woods and the comradeship of his fellow thieves. But an act of betrayal sets him on a new path - one of blood and vengeance, which eventually leads him to a soldier's life in the king's army.
Fighting under the command of Lady Evadine Courlain, a noblewoman beset by visions of a demonic apocalypse, Alwyn must survive war and the deadly intrigues of the nobility if he hopes to claim his vengeance. But as dark forces, both human and arcane, gather to oppose Evadine's rise, Alwyn faces a choice: can he be a warrior, or will he always be an outlaw?
Review: This made me feel like a kid again. I devoured the entire series in a week of holidays, with it being rare nowadays that I can get hooked so heavily. This series just completely had me. The story is well told. It fits the classical fantasy story to a tee, and delivers at every point. The world described is rich, creative in certain aspects, and actually meaningfully explored. Combine this with a large amount of interesting fleshed-out characters and a magnificent main character for the point of view, and you've hit fantasy gold. Alwyn Scribe is a joy to read about.
This series has all the classical tropes. It contains a beauty of an origin story, feuding duchies with a kingdom in strife, a tragic love story, and the rise of an outcast to queenmaker. The horror is not skimped on too. Battles in this series are frequent, lengthy, bloody, and harrowingly grim affairs.
I'm hoping there are future stories told in this world. The ending of the series at least implied this will be the case. If I had to be nitpicky then I'd say that the ending of the series could have been improved. The climax felt rushed, whereas everywhere else the pacing was slower. That is nitpicky though as it didn't diminish my enjoyment of the series one bit. This series is an absolute recommend for all fantasy readers.