A review by hforsythe26
The Blacktongue Thief by Christopher Buehlman

adventurous dark funny medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.25

I was surprised by The Blacktongue Thief. The description led me to expect a fantasy action story, perhaps a bit of a quest, maybe some witty puns here and there. And I did find all of those things inside the pages of this odd book but I also found something unexpected... heart. Nothing prepared me for the emotional punch packed into this story. It's weird and it's violent and sometimes the humor is more roll-your-eyes funny than laugh-out-loud funny but I absolutely loved it all. There's a depth to the characters and relationships that fosters a level of emotional investment that is often missing in books twice as long. The main problem is that the second installment in the series isn't out yet and I desperately need to know what happens to everybody next. Hurry up, Mr. Buehlman!

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Content Warnings

There are some very icky mentions of

goblins eating people. Not in battle or during a war but actually butchering captive humans and eating them salted with a side of potatoes (ok, I'm kidding about the potatoes).

It's not necessarily graphic in description but the way it's written made me very uncomfortable and somehow seemed even worse than if it had been a straightforward graphic description.