I first heard about the Raven’s Mark series when the Orangutan Librarian reviewed Crowfall, the third in the series. It sounded amazing and I immediately made a mental note to borrow the first book someday. Well, the someday is here (and sooner than some other book I have on my TBR list) and you know what? This book is amazing!

Blackwing is a post-apocalyptic fantasy set in a world where humans war against Deep Kings, immortals who are set on conquering their land. The main defences the people have are the help of Nameless, also immortals, and the Engine, a machine strong enough to destroy the Deep Kings.

Ryhalt Galharrow is our protagonist and a bounty hunter who has traversed Misery, the twisted result of the battle with the Deep Kings, for twenty years. When his highest master, Crowfoot, orders him to save an old friend, Ryhalt finds himself in the midst of a conspiracy that could destroy his whole world.

And what an amazingly dark world it was. It was unfamiliar to me, with the warring immortals and the unpredictable Misery and monsters, but so well-built. McDonald doesn’t do info-dumps but he does give you enough about each monster as it appears that you appreciate how dangerous it is. And those monsters were fascinating, very unlike those that I’m used to. It’s a terrifying and well-written world and I cannot imagine the book taking place anywhere else.

In terms of characters, the book is centered around Ryhalt, who’s years of experience in Misery has left him cynical. But the reappearance of someone from his past forces him to remember things and feelings that he’d rather forget, creating an emotional arc that drew me in and stopped me from putting down the book. I also appreciated the fact that while the romantic feelings (best term I could think of but this is not a romance) arc had the biggest focus since it was the one that kept developing, the book also grounded Ryhalt in strong friendships within his band of mercenaries. His differing loyalties to his master, friends, and lady he loved increased the character depth and when combined with the marvellous world-building, creating an immersive story.

I don’t think I’ve read many grimdark fantasy stories but this was such an emotional and gripping read. I’m definitely going to be looking for the rest of the books in this series.