The novel starts and ends very strongly but I found my attention waning several times around the middle of the book. However, there are several problems with Seven Blades in Black. Liette was all right, she did annoy me at times, especially near to the end. The supporting characters are also interesting, I enjoyed reading Tretta’s reactions to Sal’s story and I found Cavric to be a very good character. Her weapons are equally awesome and they really help to make her look like a complete badass. I love her strength, her determination and her sweariness. Sal, especially comes across as a badass wonder as well as vulnerable when she needs to be. Sykes is a great writer who can easily engage the reader and for the most part the pacing moves along quickly. The magic system is well done and easy to understand and I love what Sykes has done with both of them.

Sykes has created an excellent world, very interesting and dark and it feels realistic. It works well to separate the two timelines. The narrative shifts between third person in the present and first person as Sal is telling her tale. The book begins after Sal has been arrested and is awaiting execution and she is telling her story. It focuses on Sal the Cacophony, a Vagrant and a bounty hunter who hunts down her fellow vagrants and kills them in increasingly bloody ways. There are some excellent parts but there are also some rather glaring weaknesses which stop this book from being as amazing as it could have been. Seven Blades in Black is a novel which has a lot of potential. All she has left is her name, her story and the weapon she used to carved both. Betrayed by those she trusted most, her magic torn from her and awaiting execution, Sal the Cacophony has one last tale to tell before they take her head. But vengeance is a flame swift extinguished. The Scar, a land torn between powerful empires, is where rogue mages go to disappear, disgraced soldiers go to die and Sal went with a blade, a gun and a list of names she intended to use both on. Once revered, now vagrant, she walks a wasteland scarred by generations of magical warfare. And among mages, none have will like Sal the Cacophony. Summary: Among humans, none have power like mages. I don’t mind the black, white and red colouring but the face is really jarring. I am going to admit, I’m not really a fan of the cover.

Seven Blades in Black by Sam Sykes