❤️ loved this book because...
'Blackcloak is...'
I sat with that sentence for a long time, trying to figure out how to describe the journey I went on while reading it. Because that's what it was: a journey. And like any journey that matters, it was more about how we experience the story, than it was the checkpoints along the way.
Yes, there's a sword wielding anti-hero in a rich Night-worshipping fantasy world. And yes, there's an absolutely riveting antagonist exerting control over said anti-hero for their own ominous end. And YES, the book is an exploration of identity, as we witness a mind dissected and then pieced back together, somehow ending up with more parts than it started with.
But Blackcloak is so much more than the sum of its plot points.
In a time when everyone is looking for an escape, Blackcloak is an abduction. Chan traps you in the first-person perspective with his writing style. When the protagonist is overlooking the clues, so are you. When he's confused, you don't know what the fuck's going on. But it can also be beautiful and tragic.
I will say that the first five or six chapters might seem a bit confusing, but trust me -- there's a perfectly good explanation for that. The pay-off is worth it later.
I love many things about this book. I love the subtle character nuances. I love the poetic violence (yes, there is violence; it's essential). I love the themes about identity and fraught mother/son relationships and free will. I love that this is not a book where you can figure out the ending before it happens. The ending happens *to you*.
Highly recommend to anyone who enjoys literature, dark fantasy, and horror.
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Loved Most
🥇 Writing 🥈 Thoughts -
Writing style
❤️ Loved it -
Pace
🐕 Good, steady pace
1 author picked Blackcloak as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.
Bear witness to a psychological vivisection.
Blackcloak is the disturbing tale of a fractured, damaged personality set in a land not unlike ancient China. Here, elemental forces are real, dreams can reshape a lifetime and the night is owned by horrifying yet revered entities. Here, two very different halves of the same man are teased out, tempted, examined, cross-examined and eventually reconstructed to form a whole of unprecedented power. Two ambitious women vie for control over this potential weapon: Dhiana, who took his memories in the first place, and Vachaelle, who is determined to mould the boy into a sword…
- Coming soon!
