Of Blood and Fire

Fun read but nothing special, yet?

The story was very vanila but very well crafted, the pacing was on point, not too fast, not too slow at any moment, and it was always engaging, and the dialogue was nothing crazy but it felt very natural for the first half of the book when the protagonists where talking between themselves.
Then by the ending is where i expected this book to get more personality in it of itself, but it instead the ending was even more vanila, which i didnt dislike, i just expected that for it to be like a 4 star, to become its own thing by that point, i dont think this book has any big flaws, except if you count being basic a flaw.

I dont mind tropes as long as they are used to tell something new, i've heard this series becomes its own in the second book tho so im very thrilled to keep goin, since i see a loooot of potential here.

It's been a while since I read the prequel novella The Fall which was pretty impressive and I've been waiting to read this debut novel since. And just at the time I thought I was falling into a slump, I picked this up and I'm glad it was the right decision.

There are just some books which pull you in from the first page and this was definitely one of them. But I was expecting that because I really enjoyed The Fall and was looking forward to more exciting adventures in this one. And it was both surprising and not at the same time. I'm not used to reading classic fantasy much, so it was nice to see that I can still enjoy it. And this had all the those old school fantasy tropes done well - human, elves, dwarves, Mages practicing elemental magic even if the magic system is slightly different, the always popular farmboy trope, and the best thing of them all - dragons and their riders. The pacing is perfect and I never felt like putting it down. It's been a while since I've read a fantasy with predominately a journey, so the sense of adventure with high stakes was quite fun. The author managed to create a world with familiar beats and infused it with more unique elements, making it a very entertaining read while also evoking some sense of nostalgia.

Calen is an interesting protagonist because I saw my feelings about him fluctuate pretty frequently. He could be arrogant and reckless and impulsive at times which frustrated me, but he was also a young brave man who was thrust into situations he never expected, and was tested for his mettle and strength of heart. He is aptly supported by his two bffs Rist and Dann who are equally brave even if their strengths are different, but also provide some of the levity in this otherwise tense story. Their banter was definitely very entertaining and endearing and I kept wishing that nothing would happen to this trio.

We also have a huge cast of characters, ranging from people of various races fighting against the cruel emperor, who put their trust in and decide to mentor our main character in his newly discovered destiny. They are all mysterious with each one having their own backstories and it was cool the way the author peeled the layers of their personalities slowly, while also leaving some mystery left for the upcoming books and maintaining our anticipation for discovering more. I'm particularly excited to know more about Aseon and Therin, as well as see where Ella's story is going. And ofcourse, Valerys is amazing and I can only wish to see more of him.

Lastly, I can only say this was an unexpectedly delightful read with a fascinating ensemble cast of characters, a unique world with familiar elements, and a fantasy book that reminds us of old classics with its generous use of popular tropes executed well. I really enjoyed the author's own take on the themes we know so well, and I'm very excited to see where this story is going. All I hope is to see many more dragons in the sequel.

I loved this book, and really wavered between 4 and 5 stars. This is an excellent modern take on the old-school fantasy epic.

I was honestly shocked at how much I enjoyed this book, as I've not been able to even finish a self-published book before. Cahill is an excellent writer and I cannot wait to read further in the series.

OBAF is a great debut novel. It's highly inspired by lots of classic, but also other modern, fantasy books, but it never bothered me.
The pacing was really great and the world building was slow and steady. I think this book can speak to a lot of people, also those that are not familiar with fantasy.
Characters felt realistic and the small changes in POV definitely added to the story.

Dragons, humans, elves, dwarves, giants ... this was classical and just a new fantasy book without any originality. The characters and the plot were flat to me, and I was bored until the very last line.

BUT, the story was logical, there was no odd scenes, and the plot was solid, like without any mistakes done in the story.

Won't read the next ones though.
This is not what I'm looking for in fantasy.

4.5/5. This is grown up Eragon and I mean that in the best way. Eragon got me into fantasy as a kid and this just felt like a mature version. It wasn't a rip off at all though. You can definitely tell there were some books in the past that may have inspired this story, but it still felt fresh and original. I thoroughly enjoyed it and based on what Booktube says about the next 2 books, I'm very excited to continue this journey

I have seen this all over bookstagram of course, and many of my friends have sent it to me as a phenomenal indie. After giving the audible audio a sample, I decided to go with it, and Derek Perkins did a good job with it. 

I do feel like I'd be remiss if I didn't mention this, especially with it being an all-time favorite of mine. I read other reviews of this, and I'd have to agree with some of it, at least on the surface. In the beginning of the novel especially, the lore and world building can read as very formulaic or cookie cutter to Christopher Paolini's Eragon. I was afraid that this would read as a negative (and overall I do wish that there were some wider gaps in the similarities), but I found some of the super harsh reviews to be kind of closed minded? Do we not remember the wave of people bashing Paolini for being unoriginal? (I have quite a lengthy review in defense of him). When you're dealing with dragon eggs, dragon riders, young underdog heroes, evil tyrants, it tends to mesh a bit. 

What I found to be the most enjoyable were the parts that differed from it. Although it's similar, it also tells its own tale, with lore and world building and beings all its own. As a fellow reader Nat recently said to me, “if it's cookie cutter, at least it's my favorite brand of cookie.” I would agree. The author distances himself from others like him by focusing on the traits he's pulled from, and fleshing them out on his own. 

I've also heard that the sequel does an even better job of distancing the two. At this point, I will absolutely move onto a second book. I'm actually listening to the prequel right now. 

Worth your time, effort, or money to read. 

This book is a great, engaging read with really interesting world building and a great cast of characters. The opening is fantastic, building the tone and atmosphere of the world as well as introducing the characters it in an entertaining way, laying down some mysteries and questions along the way. Even the more minor characters, such as Ella and Rist, are well fleshed out and have depth.
The world-building is excellent. Epheria is a land full of different races and cities, and a history going back centuries. This series also has a magic system, which I am looking forward to learning more about.

I originally gave this 3 stars a couple years ago and I have no idea why. This book is awesome! Yes it's classic fantasy and brings nothing new to the table but it pulls all the strings I like so I'm cool with it. It's definitely a blend of Eragon and Lord of the Rings, maybe sprinkle in a little Wheel of Time. If you enjoyed those books and would like more of the same with the potential for the next books to expand from that then this is your story

4.5 stars

This was really good!!

There's really not a single thing I didn't like about this.

As some other reviews have said, this doesn't particularly bring anything brand new to the genre but I don't think it needs to when the core elements of a fantasy story are done this well.

I think one of the best things about this was the pace of the world building. There were no big info dumps but a steady drip of nuggets about the world - lore, elves, uraks (orcs), magic, dwarves, dark spirits, assassins, DRAGONS!

It was just very very well done and I look forward to continuing soon!

{4.5 stars}

Of Blood and Fire from Ryan Cahill is a great debut, marking the start of The Bound and the Broken series, which proved an addictive read. It is a classic epic fantasy with a modern interpretation. Though this starts off in familiar territory - with 3 young men, as close as brothers, on the eve of their manhood trial, which inevitably goes awry and the village bully gets involved - it is very much worth the read.

The central characters are ones you can care about and root for. Calen, Dann & Rist are our three freshly-proven young men who get caught up in a kerfuffle with the big bad Empire after they befriend the mysterious Erik who is travelling incognito with his brother and father. After coming to the aid of their new friends, our main boys are landed in the shit and it gets worse before getting better.

Along their journey these three make discoveries about themselves and the world around them. They witness a baby dragon hatching - the first in over 400 years - they meet elves, giants, dwarves and are chased across the continent by a Fade hellbent on destroying the aforementioned baby dragon.

Without giving too much more away there are stakes, there is loss, there is wonder and awe in this book. At times there are some words used that feel a bit jarring or out of place where a more simple descriptor could have sufficed but I think Cahill shows a lot of promise. Book 2 in the series, Of Darkness and Light, is already out and the next installation is due later this year (Of War and Ruin) so you won't have to wait long to continue the story. Cahill is also planning to release a novella set in The Bound and the Broken world prior to Book 3's release to keep eager fans ticking over.

I would recommend reading the prequel novella, The Fall, as it clues you in to some of the language and magic of this world and gives a good sense of the epic proportions the main series is heading for. Did I mention there are dragons?

Genuinely so conflicted on this book. Plot, themes, world building were all really solid stuff. It's...the writing. It's not enough to stop me from continuing the series, but man did it feel robotic. I know this is just the first book (maybe his first book at all?) and it doesn't make the story bad, but I do feel almost all characters had the same tone or same “voice.” Hoping it gets better in the next book!