Seven Blades in Black

Seven Blades in Black is violent, messy fantasy with a surprising emotional core. Fast-paced is an understatement. This book is an action movie over and over, and nothing every goes easy for the characters. I wouldn't normally pick this book up from the description, but the magic system is great and Sal is a ruthless, pragmatic, and yet deeply sympathetic anti-hero. Sam Sykes said that he was partially inspired by Rin from The Poppy War, and I can definitely see it. The single-minded protagonist, even when they are aware of the damage their actions cause. The other interesting piece here is that Sal is bisexual and has relationships either shown or alluded to with men and women, and this does not feel forced in the way that 90% of the lesbian/bi women in stories written by straight men do. Sal and Liette's relationship is deep, tragic, and easy to invest in. Sal and Jindu's is more mysterious, but still very real. Sal's relationship with Cavric is subtle, platonic, but still emotionally invested. In short, Sal is not defined by her sexuality, but it is an important note in a very nuanced character. While again, the actual story is not to my typical tastes, the character study of it kept me reading to the end, and I'd be interested to read the next book.