By Blood, by Salt

Land of Exile, Book 1

De: J. L. Odom

Narrado por: Micah Popp

Azetla has served the Maurowan Army for thirteen years. There are seven left to pay. A pariah and a debt soldier, he is a commander with no rank, a soldier without citizenship, and wears a sword that it is unlawful for him to either own or use. He has learned to hold his tongue or risk losing everything.

When Azetla’s battalion is sent into the desert to catch a Sahr devil—one of the famously brutal inhabitants of the region—his tenuous position is threatened. He discovers that there is far more to this mission than catching a fiend. For the Emperor of Maurow, it is a way to prove that he fears nothing, not even devils. For the Emperor’s brother, it is a stepping-stone to rebellion. For Azetla it could be deadly either way, as he is cornered into choosing a side in the coming coup.

But the devil that Azetla finds in the desert is not what anyone expects or wants. As the conspiracy against the Emperor becomes entangled with the simmering ambitions of the desert tribes, Azetla must decide if he’s willing to strike a bargain with a devil in order to survive.

Naturally, she is not to be trusted. But then again, neither is he.

©2024 Jayme Ficken (P)2025 Jayme Ficken

Interesting

3.5 stars.

The character work here is exceptional. Each is distinctive and memorable, and there are good reasons to like the protagonist. And the characters, while feeling real, are not especially reminiscent of any others I've read.

The world is atmospheric and unique, unlike any other I've seen in epic fantasy. The closest analog is probably the world in Mistborn, in that it's dark, with limited hope of improvement, and with the protagonist on the bottom of society.

The writing is strong. The descriptions are memorable, and there was no point at which I was unclear as to who was speaking or what was going on.

On the other hand, the plot is more hinted at than shown. There are consequential actions, but progress toward a goal is lacking, not least because it's not at all clear what that goal is. The pacing is quite slow, which allows for all of the character and world work, but without signposts at least giving something in the way of a direction, the slowness of the plot works against the overall feeling of the book.

I will be continuing this series, because I do want to know what is going on, but it didn't leave me with a burning need to pick up the next book immediately. There is much good here, but until the story is done, I can't say much more than that.

Highly recommend!

If you like military and fantasy this is your go to. Short and consistent. Entertaining. Will grow on you. just get over the hump and you will be hooked. Intreaguing story, characters and mysteries.
Worthy winner of SPFBO.

Wow!

Great plot. Amazing setting. I cannot believe i found this book by accident. One of the best hidden gems I’ve ever found. I cannot recommend this book enough

I love these characters and can’t wait to find out what happens next. Highly recommended.

Hang on to your hat, this book will take you for a ride. Well written, strong characters and lots of intrigue and plot twists. As the story unfolds it suddenly becomes a page turner, OK, I bought the audio version, but I the point is that I ran out of time but I tried to get it finished in one listen.

I bought the book some weeks ago and have already listened to it several times. It was well performed and produced and the story has enough detail that I pick up something new every time I go through it.

I can’t wait for book two to come out in audio.

Did I mention that especially enjoyed the performance? I hope they keep the same reader for all these books.

Intriguing story

This is a slow-paced fantasy story that takes a while to get going, but is worth it to stick it out and see all the pieces fall into place. I thought the narration was fine—not my favorite.