Bloody Rose by Nicholas Eames Review

The follow-up to the hugely popular (and rightly so) Kings of the Wyld arrives on shelves this month, and for some, including myself, it’s felt like a long time coming. But trust me, it’s more than worth the wait.

Bloody Rose takes place 6 years after the end of Kings of the Wyld, and switches focus onto Fable, the band set up and run by Rose who you’ll know about if you’ve read the first book. And yet, despite the title of the book referring to Rose, and her exploits being the main focus of the storyline, we see the story focused on Tam Hashford. Having fluked her way into becoming the bard of Fable, one of the most well reputed bands in existence, she travels with them as they ignore the latest incoming hoard of bad things and heads off to try and defeat the Simurg – the allegedly mythical Dragoneater.

Tam’s role shifts as the story progresses, but it’s not just her transition that catches your attention. Every character depicted in the book, be that a fellow band member or one of several other characters that form part of the story, is developed into a believable being which considering how bizarre some of them are is quite impressive. By the end of the book, as the action comes to a head and everyone is at risk in some way, my emotions were starting to fray at the edges. I’d become so invested in the band and their allies, and sucked in by the phenomenal writing that I couldn’t stop reading the last 100 pages. I stayed up into the early hours to find out what had happened, and wouldn’t do it any other way. This is addictive, exciting writing at its best.

So what I thought would be a “tricky 2nd album” has done something I thought was almost certainly impossible – it’s somehow improved on Kings of the Wyld. The tale of Golden Gabe and co will still stay firmly in the mind, but it’s the adventure of Rose, Tam and Fable that grabbed me by the heartstrings and still hasn’t quite let go. Bloody Rose is a work of literary art, something incredibly rare and valuable and shows just how engrossing fiction can be. It’s epic, it’s exciting, and it’s undoubtedly one of the best books I’ve read in recent years.

It’s pretty impossible to recommend this enough. Just go and buy a copy.