Damien Francis

After finishing Unsouled I was very keen to continue the story and journey with the 2nd novel in the Cradle series, Soulsmith.
However, after an intense fight and escape at the start, the novel quickly slowed down to a grind.
Differing factions, ancient ruins, dreadbeasts, Lindon attempting to grow in power, mysterious strangers, and new threats and characters all should have manifested into an interesting read. But it just kind of...meandered along.
All of these could have been incredibly interesting and there were some strange choices made that continued to stall things and what should have been some impossible escapes.

There was very little character growth beyond powering up, and very little actual story. I think I wanted more from the 2nd book after such a promising start. I also don't think it suffers from the sequel problem, because it doesn't really feel like a traditional ‘sequel' more just kind of a pause in the journey.

Now that's not to say there weren't positive things. The progression was cool, the action was still quite well written, and the world continues to expand including the powers. I think sometimes the power we're seeing only in the 2nd novel from other characters gets a bit much at times at how powerful everyone is. I still like Lindon and Yerin (though she doesn't get much time to be interesting beyond just ‘sword aura stuff' which she does frequently). I think the highlight was definitely the introduction of Eithan. Without Eithan I might have struggled more through this book.

Overall I wanted to like Soulsmith more and it just didn't do it for me.
I will however be continuing the series because there is still stuff here I'm invested in and interested to discover.
However, this book felt like a set-up for future stuff. Future antagonists, fights, levelling up, etc etc.

I am still looking forward to Blackflame and I hope the story and character growth pick up again.

Music Recommendation: Skrillex - Quest for Fire

I really enjoyed this!
A quick read, an easy read and one that makes me excited to read the rest in the series!

I loved Lindon, loved the world, loved the mid-novel twist.
If you haven't picked up Unsouled yet, then you should definitely get it and start reading!

Music recommendation while reading:
Pendulum - Immersion

4.25/5 (rounded down to 4/5 for Goodreads)

Blackflame is the 3rd novel in Will Wight's series, Cradle. The story continues to follow Lindon as he attempts to grow strong enough to contend with an impending threat. However, this novel focusses specifically on Lindon training to prepare for a fight against Jai Long which was revealed at the end of the last book. But as he enters the Blackflame Empire, Lindon must work through several trials on a brand new path if he is to become strong enough to fight Jai Long.

Lets start with the things that didn't quite work as well for me so we can end on a high note!
Firstly, the villains weren't built up enough. There are promises made that aren't necessarily fulfilled and the solution feels kind of cheap. The match-up with heroes vs villains also felt a little off as again promises were made but weren't met. Maybe they will be in the future, but to base the whole book on this purpose and then toss it away felt annoying.
The pace was both good and bad too. Bad because it rushes through pretty much a whole year very quickly. But it did keep the story moving, however with little time to breathe and take a break.
Also when the levelling up happened it felt powerful in the previous installments but here it kinda just happened and then the story rolled on.
There is also a distinct lack of real consequences or anything to make me concerned about anyone. People are again pushed to their limits but i don't feel like they're in any danger.

On to the good stuff.
So why the 4.25/5 you ask. Well the action is awesome. It feels powerful and there are cool trials (i love trials a protagonist has to overcome) that Yerin and Lindon go through.
The path of Blackflame is also awesome. A true power upgrade for Lindon and a match for his Pure Madra as well as finally giving him something else to use on his Path of Twin Stars.
More Eithan is always warranted and a definite favourite.
The introduction of Orthos is also cool. He is most definitely the coolest animal companion!
Character development is also good too. Yerin starts to grow a bit as well which is a nice touch.
But more importantly this book feels like it has finally started in a direction. The first two books felt like an introduction and a taster of what's the come, but here we have finally reached what feels like an actual story.
And its for this reason that Blackflame feels stronger, it feels better and it starts to show us just what is in store for Lindon, Yerin, and Eithan.
But the main reason why i rate it higher, is because I enjoyed it more. I devoured this book very quickly. Its an entertaining read and that's just as important of a scale to judge the merit of a novel upon.
It also leaves us questioning some things at the end with an intriguing ending for several characters.

Overall Blackflame is a strong improvement from Book 2, Soulsmith. While there are still a few hiccups here and there I am definitely on board with the overall story and keen to see how it continues in the next book, Ghostwater. Will Wight, don't fail me now!

Music Recommendation: Royal Blood - Back To The Water Below

If you aren't reading this series, you need to get onto is ASAP!