The Flowered Blade: Saricaeli Saga, Book 1

This review comes super duper late, as I was originally provided an ARC for a review, but then I got a new full-time job and all my spoons disappeared for a few months while I learned how to navigate my lack of free time again, so major apologies to you, Taylor! That said, while it took me a while to get through this book, it definitely was not due to a lack of desire, but a lack of time. Having not blown through it like I typically would if I had more time on my hands, I was able to read it for what it is: A cozy comfort read about the longing for freedom, love, and security, and the journey to finding it. Going into it, I wasn't sure what exactly to expect out of the story. At first, Silvyr wasn't really my favorite, but as he grew and blossomed throughout the book... Well, he grew on me quite a lot. He's a bratty bottom, but that's not all he is, and I appreciate that throughout the story, we get to see more and more of what makes him the way he is. I'm a fan of seeing characters come into their own, so watching him gain his confidence and begin to reach out for the things he wanted was great! Brokil was a delight for me from the beginning, but I also think he had the advantage of being seen with his people and in his element to make a good impression as a character. What really got me, though, was the worldbuilding. The world was well-fleshed-out, vibrant and full of life. I loved the side characters, even the ones that ended up not being so good, and I highly enjoyed…

i absolutely adored this book. silvyr had me hooked from the beginning and he & brokil’s relationship was amazing to read as it built to more and more. the only reason i didn’t give it 5 stars was because of the editing. there were quite a few issues with copies of words, phrases, and once a whole paragraph, but the story was so good that they didn’t take me out of it.

This is a beautifully told story; it has all my favorite tropes. Every description, down to the smallest detail, is breathtaking. It’s a fantasy reader’s dream: dark, spicy, cozy, and utterly captivating. I need more of Silvyr and Brokil! True to my mood reader ways, I started this a while back, and then I got distracted. When the audiobook came out, I picked it up again and followed along with the audio. The audio duet was absolute perfection; especially with Brokil’s voice, this orc had me melting a few times whenever he said “Little Flower.” I loved every minute of it; I could listen to this on repeat!

This is everything I could possibly hope for in an epic fantasy novel. The characters, character development, world building a la political intrigue, and absolutely gifted emotional landscape portrayal are the stuff dreams are made of. Admittedly, the focus is more on character and emotion than extensive world building, but that really works for the characters and story being told. That said, oh man, it's an emotional journey. Well done, and definitely worth it, but phew. I was moved to tears on multiple occasions. To avoid spoilers, I don't want to say much more, but I do want to thank the author (and possibly allay any potential readers concern) for not having one single word of anything transphobic anywhere in the entire narrative. Silvyr goes through a lot, and some of it is incredibly rough, but NONE of it is transphobia rooted. So, thank you, Taylor Hubbard for creating Silvyr with so much love and sharing his (and Brokil's) story.

It's cute but a little fan fictiony. Like the whole super delicate flower LI with the big burly man LI, so it got a little corny at some points. I still enjoyed it and felt motivated to keep reading.