The Blood Dimmed Tide by Stephen Aryan

Book Review

Sarah Deeming

Genghis Khan’s legacy of a united land is threatened by infighting among his sons, and if war breaks out, it will consume the whole world. Hulagu Khan is the most blood-thirsty of all the sons, ambitious, ruthless and increasingly paranoid. Kaivon, the last Persian General, does what he can to sow dissent among Hulagu Khan’s followers to lessen the Khan’s army. Temujin, Hulagu’s youngest son, is using his newly discovered Cozen powers to protect and support a rising warlord so that he might triumph over his father. Kokochin, Huluga’s newest wife and a servant of the House of Grace, has been exposed as a traitor by one of the other wives, and she must find a way to escape so she can continue her work undermining her husband’s allies. But Hulagu has a Cozen working for him, one who sees into the hearts of the men and women around Hulagu and will use his power to kill any who get in the Khan’s way.

The Blood Dimmed Tide is the second book in The Nightingale and the Falcon series and picks up a few months after the events of the first book, The Judas Blossom. As before, we follow a few characters closely. Aryan uses points of view in this book to devastating effect. Page-turner is a phrase often banded around, but in this case, it is accurate. There are some epic fight scenes, and we’re left uncertain if the characters have survived. A couple of times, I sat forward in my chair; the action was that tense. There aren’t many books that prompt a physical reaction from me, but The Blood Dimmed Tide is one.

I loved Kokochin’s character in the first book, and in The Blood Dimmed Tide, she develops into a hard woman, capable of great and dangerous things. I liked the hard side of her that came over the book as each experience changed her from the frightened youth she was into a capable and ruthless assassin. And she isn’t the only one who undergoes some dramatic changes. Temujin develops his Cozen powers, becoming a more effective sorcerer, although he still has a lot to learn. Temujin starts perceiving things he would have otherwise missed before, and this gives the reader the biggest revelation of the novel, turning everything we thought we knew on its head.

With plenty of action, betrayals, deaths and surprises, The Blood Dimmed Tide doesn’t suffer from any of the problems of a second book. Instead, it is as strong as The Judas Blossom, if not stronger, and once again leaves us on a cliffhanger that made me scream with frustration that I have to wait to find out what happens next. I am emotionally attached to the characters and am genuinely worried whether some of them survive.

The Blood Dimmed Tide is a masterpiece in storytelling, with vivid fight scenes and lush locations, an array of memorable and emotive characters, and no-win situations that the characters have to choose the course of action that gives them the least terrible outcome. I cannot praise The Blood Dimmed Tide highly enough. This isn’t a recommendation, The Blood Dimmed Tide is required reading for all fantasy fans.