Review: To Blackfyre Keep (Seven Swords #4) by Anthony Ryan

MY ⭐️ RATING: 4.5/5

Format: Kindle Whispersync

BOOK DESCRIPTION

GUYIME-DEMON CURSED WIELDER OF THE NAMELESS BLADE-FOLLOWS THE TRAIL OF THE FABLED SEVEN SWORDS INTO THE TROUBLED NORTHLANDS, A REALM WHERE HE WAS ONCE CALLED KING…AND RAVAGER.
Magically guided to enlist in the retinue of a lovesick knight, Guyime and his companions journey to the haunted ruin of Blackfyre Keep, a castle legend tells cannot be held.
But a far deadlier threat than mere ghosts awaits. An ancient evil has been coniured and to defeat it Guyime may be forced to become the monster he used to be–the Ravager reborn.
Continuing the epic adventure of The Seven Swords, To Blackfyre Keep is an enthralling tale of creeping menace and pulse pounding action from New York Times bestselling author of the Raven’s Shadow and Draconis Memoria trilogies.

MY REVIEW

I really enjoy that Ryan continues to give a different fantasy style of story with each addition of the series. With book 4, he introduces a perilous siege against an army of the dead, aka dire-wights. The more I read this, the more it feels like a quest video game. As I’ve been playing Elder Scrolls Online quite a bit, I find myself constantly putting these two together. With Ryan’s story telling and the vivid imagery of the games, this is just clear as day to see in my head.

“To love fiercely and not be loved in return is a more terrible curse than anything a demon could conjure.”

The character development was the best so far in the series, almost taking center stage. Watching Guyime evolve in each novella, particularly this one, has been terrific story telling. The banter between Guyime and Lakorath continues to be great, as well as the banter between Guyime and the other characters. Getting to know each one of them a little more along with an action packed story made me love this story. Seeker and her story of searching for her daughter is starting to tie in into the broader story which also made this so much better!

Something that I didn’t mention in previous reviews is that I like how Ryan keeps adding to the group with each sword comes a new bearer of a sword and a new member of the group as they continue to collect all seven. And finally, the narration by Steven Brand also continues to be a bright spot in this dark fantasy world of Mr. Ryan’s!