OnlineBookClub.org

[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "The Lords of Blood and Honey" by David Edward Martin.]

The Lords of Blood and Honey, by David Edward Martin, is a dark fantasy novel filled with intrigue, suspense, and adventure. The first book of the The Kingdom of Honey series is set in a kingdom where the city and its people are modeled like a beehive.

In the Kingdom of Honey, news of the King’s death and the casting of the Queen creates havoc as powerful figures rise to compete for the vacant crown. Lord Hardknot, the 967th Keeper of the Royal Honeybees, wants to restore the outlawed Honeyist faith and he will stop at nothing to complete his goals. This angers Cardinal Oblong, Primate of the Holy Church of Afterwords, who has his agenda in mind and wants to build an even bigger church. Another contender by the name of Lord Chillhide, a young noble, is plotting with a few other nobles to lead the Kingdom back to Purethic values. Meanwhile, Punsworth Pooter, a proprietor, is tasked with an important task set by a mysterious Lord Rootsby, but to complete it he must find his inner strength and resolve. As Lord Hardknot plans to mold a young femone, Lasivia, into being the next Queen, a new scent catches the attention of the bees, creating trouble for Lord Hardknot. As the struggle for power rises, the entire Kingdom is left wondering: who will take the crown?

What I liked most about this book was the elaborate plot. It was suspenseful, engaging, and it kept me on the edge of my seat. I never knew where the story was going to lead me. There were some foreshadowing and plot twists as well. The author was very descriptive with the settings, the fight scenes, and interactions between the characters. This made it easy to visualize each scene as they played out. The fighting scenes were intense, and it added tension and suspense. Moreover, there were a few unanswered questions at the end of the book, but I think it was purposeful so that it could set up the next plot for the second book.

A lot of characters were introduced, but it wasn’t difficult to keep track of them. I liked how the author described each of the characters because it made them seem lifelike and relatable. While there was a good mix of good and bad characters, there were a few characters in the grey area whose actions seem justifiable, but still evil. Also, each chapter was from the perspective of different characters. For example, one chapter would be from Lord Hardknot’s point of view then it would switch to Lord Chillhide’s perspective and then switch to another character. I do like how the author includes a list of characters at the beginning of the book. This helped to explain the various roles of most of the characters.

There is violence, nudity, and graphic scenes, so I would not recommend this book to younger readers. I would say that since this book falls under dark fantasy, there were a few scenes that were a little horrifying to read. Other than that, there were a few grammatical errors, but they did not detract from the book.

Overall, I rate this book 4 out of 4 stars. I rated it 4 stars because of the detailed descriptions of the settings and interactions between the characters. I could easily visualize each scene in my head. I found this book to be well written, and it has a great storyline. I would recommend this book to readers who like to read dark fantasy novels.

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The Lords of Blood and Honey
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This seems an exciting dark fantasy novel. I expect this kind of novel to be quite brutal, so the fact that it can be graphic is not a problem. I'll keep an eye on this series. Thank you for your great review!

Dark fantasy novels aren't my thing, so I'd probably pass on this one. However, after reading your review, I might have changed my mind. Thank you for writing this review!

What a curious concept. Almost whimsical, if a dark fantasy can be considered such. This is a definite would-read for me. Great job with the review!

This book sounds like a joy to read. The political struggle is my favorite part about fantasy novels. Great review!

This book has a lot of interesting elements that I eagerly expect from a good story. Thanks for the review.

I must admit that the title and cover for this book attracted me here to read the review. And it seems this dark fantasy novel is well worth the hype. Thanks for your honest review. Good job!

What a fascinating concept - to model a kingdom on a beehive! It sounds as though the author did a good job of carrying this metaphor through the story, especially with the characters' names and titles. Thanks for a great review.

Sounds like an engaging read! Thanks for this great review.

The book title and review go hand in gloves.
I like fast pacing novel that keeps me in suspense through out, I guess I've found another. Great review.

Wow sounds very intense! I normally thing these sort of stories to be dry at times so I would be interested to read it. Great review!

Valkyrie9 wrote: ↑16 Jul 2020, 01:51 What a fascinating concept - to model a kingdom on a beehive! It sounds as though the author did a good job of carrying this metaphor through the story, especially with the characters' names and titles. Thanks for a great review.

I was thinking the same thing about the character names. This story seems to be a clever allegory of medieval European society because it includes the elements of royalty and religion being closely connected.

Well not much of dark fantasy fan. But maybe I'd give this book a try. I really like your review.

I love books about a fight for the throne, always keeps me glued

I love it when fantasy/sci-fi books are based around the events of a kingdom, and it seems like th author did an amazing job with this novel. I laso like it when we get to read from different character's perspectives as it makes the story seem more real and profound. Thanks for the recommendation.