Clockwork Gunslingers • Chinese Tongs • An Epic Quest
When assassins jump half-clockwork gunslinger Jake Lasater, he knows the Chinese Tong wants to finally settle an old score. Unfortunately, Jake has no idea the Tong is just the first milepost on the road toward a destiny he refuses to believe in.
With his riding partner Cole McJunkins in tow and his ward Skeeter secretly hidden away, Jake squares off against a deadly clockwork mercenary from his past and a troop of crazed European soldiers who want him dead. Add an insane Emperor with knowledge of Jake’s past and a mysterious noblewoman who desperately needs his help—and Jake is faced with a whole mess of trouble, with no end in sight.
Blood Ties launches an epic saga that spans worlds and threatens the human race itself.
Title: Blood Ties (Book 1 of the Blood War Chronicles)
Author: Quincy J. Allen
Genre: Western; Steampunk; Epic Fantasy; Supernatural
Published: October 11th, 2015
Rating
Hello Fellow Readers,
I found this Blood Ties on my recent trip to Salt Lake City Comic Con. I also got to meet the author a self-described author of crossing genres and I am I so glad I picked this book up. I really like the main character Jake, He a bad ass gunslinger who does not take any crap but knows when he is beaten. Plus there's also Cole who I absolutely adore and Skeeter a young girl who is a genius when it comes to technology.
First of all, this book does not try to be something it's not. By that I mean it is first and foremost a Western with Steampunk technology, it then throws in elements of fantasy and supernatural. This is done in a very balancing way, the book is not so convoluted that I felt Allen did not know what the hell he was doing. In fact, he very much knows what he is doing because he does it well.
Second of all, this is very much a setup book. Considering it is supposed to a six-book series, it is going to need to set up a world that seems like it is going to be epic. Despite this, the story still flows incredibly well. There were no long drawn out explanations that hurt my head, no rushed backstory on all the characters, and no long talks where the characters keep repeating things over and over so you would remember.
Thirdly, Allen does great action scenes. I can sometimes get lost in an action scene because well frankly there is just so much going on that I have to reread it a couple of times. Surprisingly, I had no trouble at all with keeping up with Allen's descriptions. While still fast-paced and very detailed, I was able to fully imagine everything the first time around.
Finally, even though Allen is male, Jake is male and Cole is male, there was no shortage of bad ass women. This is incredibly important to me, as sometimes male authors get lost in the physical of a female character that they tend to forget to add more characterization and they fall flat. I wasn't cringing when a new female character was introduced because Jake didn't focus on her ample bosom, the way she smelled or the softness of her skin. While yes there are a couple of those moments it was not out of context or demeaning (I'm thinking of a certain popular author...).
You must be wondering why only 4 stars and not 5. This is just for the simple fact that it's the first book. Like I said before that Blood Ties had to set up the world, so the story couldn't fully take root like the coming books will be. I have the second book Blood Curse which I will be reading, when I am not sure, but hopefully soon.
First of all, this book does not try to be something it's not. By that I mean it is first and foremost a Western with Steampunk technology, it then throws in elements of fantasy and supernatural. This is done in a very balancing way, the book is not so convoluted that I felt Allen did not know what the hell he was doing. In fact, he very much knows what he is doing because he does it well.
Second of all, this is very much a setup book. Considering it is supposed to a six-book series, it is going to need to set up a world that seems like it is going to be epic. Despite this, the story still flows incredibly well. There were no long drawn out explanations that hurt my head, no rushed backstory on all the characters, and no long talks where the characters keep repeating things over and over so you would remember.
Thirdly, Allen does great action scenes. I can sometimes get lost in an action scene because well frankly there is just so much going on that I have to reread it a couple of times. Surprisingly, I had no trouble at all with keeping up with Allen's descriptions. While still fast-paced and very detailed, I was able to fully imagine everything the first time around.
Finally, even though Allen is male, Jake is male and Cole is male, there was no shortage of bad ass women. This is incredibly important to me, as sometimes male authors get lost in the physical of a female character that they tend to forget to add more characterization and they fall flat. I wasn't cringing when a new female character was introduced because Jake didn't focus on her ample bosom, the way she smelled or the softness of her skin. While yes there are a couple of those moments it was not out of context or demeaning (I'm thinking of a certain popular author...).
You must be wondering why only 4 stars and not 5. This is just for the simple fact that it's the first book. Like I said before that Blood Ties had to set up the world, so the story couldn't fully take root like the coming books will be. I have the second book Blood Curse which I will be reading, when I am not sure, but hopefully soon.
I LOVE your tea cup rating graphic! :)
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