Promise of Blood (The Powder Mage Trilogy)

If you are looking for a new twist on your usual fantasy books this is it. Well developed characters,that have heart and soul. Plot twits that keep you guessing. Action and plenty of it. Looking forward to the next in the series. It did get off to a bit of a slow start,but that gust gave you the groundwork for the story.

It took me a little while to really commit to reading this, but as the book progresses the characters gain depth and the world gains complexity and roars to a brilliant and heart-pounding conclusion, with more to come. Loved it.

Very good first book in a series I'm looking forward to finishing. Good characters with fully developed battle scenes. Love the gun and magic mix along with the multiple plots. Well worth your money and time.

Best book this year. And I've read at least 30. I was a bit disappointed when I first started reading. I was told it was the french revolution with magic. Please note there is no France in this book. In retrospect I do not think the story could have been as good if France was involved.

Completely new and unique. This book will keep you on the edge of your seat until the end. From Adamat the sherlock Holmes of the story. To Tamas himself, this book profound characters and awesome magic systems makes it a must read for any fantasy readers.

It's a good to start to a promising trilogy. Fast paced and action packed. It never bogs down or gets tedious. I like the characters and the world they live in. It has an interesting magic system that isn't unnecessarily overcomplicated. I will check out the rest of this trilogy. The author does leave you thirsty for more.

This is a fantastic book. I loved it. I want more. I can not wait for the next book. I have preordered it. A great take on fantasy. I love the rough and tough powder mages. The characters are great, and the story line has just the right amount of different things going on. Buy it.

I was impressed with the author's innovative systems of magic. He introduces countervailing dangers to accompany many of the magical powers, so that the conflicts are more complex than simple tests of wizarding power. Also, many of the characters show adult emotions and understandable character flaws. I look forward to the next book of the series.

I love the story and characters. It was the sort of book I just want to keep reading because I'm so curious what will happen next. It feels appropriate that the cover has a Brandon Sanderson quote as I feel any fellow fans of his stuff will really enjoy this one. Looking forward to book 2!

I really enjoyed this first book in the series. An intriguing system of magical powers, believable characters, and a good plot line all made this book worth reading to me. I'll definitely pick up the second book in the series.

This is my first "Flintlock Fantasy" book, and I have to say that I am very impressed. Interesting characters coupled with an innovative magic system makes for a refreshing change of pace. Extremely entertaining read that leaves me looking forward to the 2nd book, as well as the assorted novelas/short stories already out there.

I grabbed this one on a lark mostly because Brandon Sanderson spoke of it highly on the cover. I was not expecting such a fantastic tale! If you like Mistborn or Elantris especially the way those novels of Sanderson's mix magic and science with political and social turmoil, you'll love Promise of Blood.

If you can power through the somewhat confusing beginning and begin to familiarize the characters you begin to fall in love with the powder mage world. If you're looking for a book with magic but still has that war, strategy, horror of war feeling you will absolutely love this book. (and more than one of the war speeches given in the book will give you goose bumps)

We heard great reviews about this book... and it was... *meh* Kind of a disappointment because the characters were not well-developed and the writing felt immature. This isn't "Brandon Sanderson" quality, even though he gives his student good reviews.

Again, a complex world created for a Fantasy series, with interesting characters, good guys and bad guys, and inbetweens. There has been so much simplistic Juvenile e-literature put out lately, so that you don't know what you are getting. This came out in hardback first and is very good. Heros, magicians and evil creatures; buy it for your Kindle

I found this book due to a recommendation from Brandon Sanderson, probably my favorite author right now. Considering Brandon's endorsement I was expecting a lot and I wasn't let down. The plot was quick paced and each character drew me in.
I am looking forward to future books in this series.

I'll admit that the first 1/4 of the book or so was tough for me to get into, however once I really got deeper into the story I was hooked. I can feel some traces of Brandon Sanderson's style in the book but it's not at all derivative; it unquestionably has a life of its own. The mix of sorcery with muzzle loader era warfare was executed well and the characters made sure I came back for book 2 (which I did).

I normally do not enjoy books that have multiple characters to follow.
This one is exceptional.

Great magic setup, good setting, really, really cool characters....read this story.

I cant tell you more right now, I have to get the next book (possibly the only downside--this is definitely not the end!).

I really don't know what to say about this book, other than meh. I got through it but the characters seemed stilted, poorly developed, and so flat that the story wasn't that overall. I read through it to give it a shot, but I won't continue with the series.

He really established characters that you could care about,(and some you don't)
Its not very nice of him to make us wait until the next book to find out what happens to these people.
Yes, I know its a fantasy book, and the people are not real. But they felt real to me as I was reading it.

A fantastic book - something like a cross between Brandon Sanderson and Joe Abercrombie. Magic system is fun, characters are engaging, and the story pulls you along. Just reread this (to prep for book 2) and liked it the scond time as much as the first - great fantasy!

This started off slow but this quickly became a great read. While I felt unclear on some of the background of the world being thrust into it, but the immersion worked as i quickly grew attached to the characters and their growth. Taniel quickly became my favorite as he struggled with his own personal demons.

When I first started this book I had, for lack of better words, culture shock. The completely different route that the author traveled to bring us into his world was worth every moment. The story conveys a sense of Napoleonic fantasy that was executed superbly. I just can't wait for the next installment.

The characters are one dimensional, cartoon-ish. The many different plot threads don't come together in any meaningful way, so the whole is less than the sum of its parts instead of more. And the author fails to build any tension, so despite the occational action the story comes off as boring.

I found this book a little difficult to follow. Possible if I had read other books by the author I would have understood some of his terminology.
If you are a sci fi/fantasy fan looking for an amazing "can't put it down" read then this isn't the book for you, in my humble opinion.

The author has hit a tried and true formula with this book (think mistborn). Not many books can keep me up at night reading, but this one did. For that I thank him. I will be following this story and its characters to the conclusion of the series, and hoping for more. Thank you!

Coming off of years of Wheel of TIme, I've been looking for new fantasy to sink my teeth into and stumbled upon the Powder Mage Trilogy. What you'll find inside is an excellent intrigue driven story set in a fully realized world of interesting characters. If you dig stories of court intrigue or epic fantasy, you'll love this book.

Anything different in fantasy is good. In this case it's the time period. This is a little different than every fantasy book out there which sets it apart. Nicely written, interesting characters, interesting Magic system

I am an avid fantasy reader and really enjoyed this story. It was a fast read with interesting characters that ranged from kings to assassin gangs to gods. The magic in this story was unique and made for a fun read. I recommend this book to any fan of the genre.

Very well written, engaging, and action packed. The characters are believable and so is the dialogue (something it seems most writers stumble with). The authors take on a magic system is unique and very intriguing. I'm really looking forward to reading the next book.

Obviously inspired by Alloy of Law, to the point of feeling a bit like a ripoff. The one dimensional character development in this book is frankly distracting from the story. This reads like a mediocre movie script.

Bought this book on a whim and let me tell you what I was sure glad I did. Really enjoyed the magic system that was put into place in this book. Enjoyed all the characters, how well they were written how fleshed out they were. Just an all around good read.

Like a locomotive it takes a little while to to get up to speed, but then it's a great ride. It was almost a "You'll be late if you don't put that down" book. Immediately went looking for the follow up.

Just awesome. Great character development. Moral dilemmas with no clear right answer. A bit of mystery, betrayal, and whodunit. And a whole lot of badass fighting, with an interesting and novel magic system, especially the powder mages. Can't wait to read the next book!

I liked the writing of the book, detailed and well written, and the idea, but it was rather boring and could hardly get into it. I forced myself to finish it, the fight scenes are cool though. I don't know if I will be purchasing the second book.

I really enjoyed this story and the characters brought to life in it. The world this author brought to life was different and interesting. If you enjoy Sanderson then you'll probably enjoy this book. There is an obvious influence there. I'm looking forward to the rest of the series.

I have not read the book because I have not purchased it! Why, because as a debate novel for a first time author, I do not consider a price of $9.78 to be very reasonable!!! I want new Authors to succeed and provide a living for themselves and theirs but I believe that this price for a first time published Novel is a bit too much (even more so for established Authors who peddle crap at high prices because of an established name).

Look at Anthony Ryan's Blood Song @4.74 (fantastic book!) and he is also a first time Author (originally the price was $2.99 but he was picked up by a Publisher and the price raised)

Brian McClellan comes out guns blazing with his novel "Promise of Blood". I'm used to seeing new authors struggle somewhat to find their voice over their first few books. Not so here. Solid characters, good dialog, novel ideas for world/magic/divinity. I'm very impressed and will be looking forward to the next book in the Powder Mage Trilogy.

My reading of this book came to a stuttering halt after a few chapters. I suppose that the author intends to eventually somehow portray the French revolution in a positive light, so I suppose I have to give him credit for attempting the impossible. Unfortunately the characters introduced at the opening are utterly unsympathetic and nondescript, and the early events create no tension or interest. There was nothing to latch onto or follow, so after yawning mightily for a while, I put the book away for good.

This is a fantasy with a very unique magic system, which is one of the things I enjoyed the most about it. It also has a fast paced plot that contains a twist that truly surprised me, and the story itself was actually much more fascinating than I thought it would be. The characters are well developed, and though the protagonists are morally ambiguous in many ways, I still found myself liking them a lot. McClellan has created a unique and fun fantasy, and I cannot wait to read the second book in the series.

The book is well written though not challenging for a prolific reader. The system of magic used in this world is wonderful and unique. One can relate to the characters even if every character isn't 100% likable.

I really enjoyed Promise of Blood. I picked it up because idea of gunpowder and sorcery was intriguing and I really enjoyed the book. The characters are really well written, although I wish they had developed the female characters better, especially Vlora. She was introduced as Taniel's cheating ex-fiance and I thought that story line would go somewhere. However, it didn't, and Vlora ended up getting very little characterization or page time. It felt like she was being set up as someone I was supposed to sympathize with, but I ended up not caring about her at all. I hope the author changes this in the next book.

The plot moves a little slowly at first, but picks up speed as the book moves along and the author no longer has to introduce the characters and their concerns. It's a promising start to a new trilogy and I'm looking forward to the next one.

I am not a fantasy novel junkie or anything of the sort. I came into this with being someone who has read only a few books from the genre. I thoroughly enjoyed the story/writing in Promise of Blood and I am definitely looking forward to the second installment.

I read this book based on Howard Taylors' (Schlock Mercenary) review. I was not disappointed.
This book held my attention all the way to the end. Good character development, good plot line.
Wow, this was a good book.

I was recommended this from Reddit r/fantasy and i must say that this book was amazing. It was well written and concept was great. The blend of technology and magic was seamless and clunky at all. I can't wait for what Brian comes up with next!

Admittedly, I was a little lost to begin with, because the author brings you in on fully realized world that you have to take a bit of time to grasp (at least on my part.) Once it gets going, it's extremely difficult to stop reading. It reminds of my favorite elements in Bernard Cornwall's "Sharpe's Rifles" series. A very compelling, imaginative book with complex interesting characterizations. I'm looking forward to reading the remainder of the trilogy.

I absolutely loved this book.
The characters are well explained and this book makes you feel like you're there.
The story is fantastic, I can't wait for the sequel to be released.
I highly recommend this book.

This book does a good job of setting up the story for the rest of the series. It jumps right into the characters and is kind of confusing at first, but by the end of the book stuff starts to make sense and you like the characters. I'd normally give it 4 stars, but after reading the second two books I realized all the character building was required.

Promise of Blood is a fantastic read. Completely engrossing! It’s a flintlock fantasy with a detailed magic system, great political intrigue and awesome characters. I admire McClellan’s ability to infuse tremendous world building into the story seamlessly. It’s masterful.

Very dynamic setting, fun characters, and excellent story. Tamas is one of the best older protagonists I've ever seen. A few of the twists were a bit strange, but this is beyond excellent, especially for a first novel.

This book came up as a suggestion as I was browsing my library online. I started reading with no knowledge or expectations and I'm happy that I did. I'm horrible at writing reviews but let me just tell you, you won't be disappointed with this one

I have two thoughts on PROMISE OF BLOOD.

1) Interesting world and magical/societal dynamics. The story takes place in the equivalent of the industrial revolution. But with magic.

2) I quite dislike cliffhanger endings.

This book is awesome..the story is original and once you get into it you won't be able to put the book down...i like how the magic system is approached and how the characters are not black and white..this is part of a trilogy that is already FINISHED(I hate you Mr Martin)..highly recommended..the best fantasy book i have read in a while..

A few lose ends in the story, magic system is a little to derivative of his mentor Sanderson but a pretty good effort for a first attempt. Liked the idea of the different Mage types but as with Sanderson his characters often are extremely powerful and push fantasy into super hero land.

Characters where good but the military feels a little off in terms of making his characters feel like soldiers.

Really good book. Magic system is a bit scattered in organization and explanation. The concepts are cool, but do not feel as rich as I was expecting. Characters are great. Pacing is wonderful. It is not quite to current "Sanderson" standards, but it could be compared to Sandersons early books. I am looking forward to more and think that McClellan could reach the standards of his "mentor" with a few more books.

This book started a little slow, and I wasn't immediately sold on the private investigation angle of one of the subplots. But I eventually found myself enamored of these characters and intrigued by the magic system. I hope the next books explore the magic system to a greater degree. Favorite characters: Taniel, Mihali, and Ka-poel. If anything happens to Ka-poel, I will riot in the streets! This novel definitely ended strong. Can't wait for the next one!

Seriously one of the best debuts I've read. For me, he outshines his mentor/teacher in Brandon Sanderson in writing style, suspense and world building. In a genre that has been crowed lately, this series stands with the best. "Autumn Republic" is already on order and paid for thru Mr. McClellan website, signed to boot!!! A must read series.