Black Blade Blues is a TOR novel by J A Pitts.
Book Blurb:
Sarah Beauhall is a young woman who has loved fire and the lure of the forge all her life. She is now living her dream as a blacksmith, by day creating works that are practical and fanciful, and working nights as a props manager for low-budget movies to pay the bills.
When Sarah's favorite sword is broken on the set of a new movie, it sends the director into fits, and Sarah agrees to repair the blade to avoid reshooting scenes. One of the extras - who claims to be an actual dwarf - shows up at her forge and offers to help Sarah with her destiny.
That's when things start to get weird. Could the sword really be magic, as he claims? Are dragons really living among us as shape-shifters, and are evil power brokers controlling our world? And why would he think that Sarah would be willing to kill a Portland investment banker just because he says that the guy is one of those supposed creatures?
She refuses to believe...and then one of the dragons makes its move. Suddenly, what was unthinkable becomes all too real.
And Sarah will have to decide if she can reject what is safe and become the heroine that is needed to save her world?
I did not enjoy this book and Black Blade Blues was a DNF.
Black Blade Blues has 397 pages and I made it to 224.
Sarah has found a blade that is supposed to be the slayer of Dragons. But how are we to know anything about that because what I read of Black Blade Blues has Sarah trying to come to grips with her sexuality.
No, don't yell. I am not saying anything is wrong with that - on the contrary. But of the 224 pages I read of Black Blade Blues - Sarah is going through a very hard time with the fact that she is, indeed, a lesbian.
Now if this were a coming of age book - or a book of self discovery - I would not have any trouble with this story line at all. But it is not. Black Blade Blues is in fact, a TOR Fantasy - with a sword, a dwarf, a tough blacksmith and a couple of dragons. And all of that comes second to Sarah's personal journey.
I think it would have made a better read had the dragon business been left out. Without that element of fantasy - it would have been a story of personal discovery. And maybe I would have finished it. In this instance - the fantasy element got in the way - and did nothing to help the book. The two stories did not meld at all - they seemed to fight each other - and neither came out the winner.
Black Blade Blues was a DNF.
M
5 comments:
That's so sad that the book was trying too hard to be two things - the premise actually sounded pretty interesting!
Too bad, but yeah they could have focused on one thing
Sorry to hear it didn't work for you Michelle. The synopsis did sound good, but hey you gave it a valiant effort!.
Thanks for sharing and I hope you are well.
Dana,
I think that is exactly what happened - it tried too hard. :)
B,
I agree. One or the other of the storylines would have worked much better.
Lea,
I am well, thank you. :) I hope you are too.
Thanks for stopping by ladies.
M
100% agree.
I am posting my review of this today and I say pretty much the exact same thing.
Except I actually got through it... don't know how, but I did.
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