This story was entertaining and well written. My copy had a few typos. A few phrases and words seemed too our worldly to fit in perfectly with the other world constructed in this book. The character development was mild. This can be read as a stand-alone although it ends setting the scene for what may follow. ( )

I’ve declined some cringe worthy books in the last few months for review and The Sword Chronicles: Child of the Empire was a blast of fresh air. Collings knows his craft and fans (teens through to adults) of fantasy and dystopian fiction will enjoy reading this book.

Collings’ novel is set in the kingdom of Anborn. Anborn is built on five mountains named – Faith, Strength, Knowledge, Fear and Center. It rests above the cloud line and anyone from Anborn who attempts to travel below the clouds dies horribly. The one dynasty has ruled Anborn for generations.

The narrative opens with the dramatic, bloody dream of a girl – a dog. People, often children, are sold into the fighting pits (kennels) and once there, they are known as dogs. Everything about life in the kennels is dehumanising and torturous. The rule of life, for this girl, is kill or be killed. The girl doesn’t know her name or her age. She knows nothing of life outside the kennels. At the end of one of her fights events take a strange turn and she becomes one of Anborn’s Blessed Ones and in the service of the emperor. This sparks the beginning of an adventure that is action packed and has plenty of heart as well.

Collings’ opening scenes had me intrigued and hooked me to continue reading this story. The initial dream and the girl’s point of view are conveyed wonderfully well. The action sequences are gritty with no holds barred. The use of staccato sentences in the action sequences adds to the pacing, provides great emphasis on key elements and directs the reader’s attention. “There was that particular noise of sword cleaving flesh. A gurgle…He laughed. The blood washed away. The day was begun.“

These abrupt sentences also place emphasis on the girl’s fragmented point of view early on. It serves to highlight animalistic nature of her existence – moment to moment survival and a struggle to understand the unfamiliar.

This also works to create an effect for the reader like a camera panning in on specific moments in a film. This is a very cinematic piece of writing. The reader will have no trouble visualising the story as it unfolds and Collings sets a cracking pace.

The characterisations within the novel are well written. The girl's culture shock at life outside the kennels, her psychological recovery and gradual education are handled well and though she is the heroine of this story she is not without fault. The supporting cast are all well rounded and given detailed backstories which are woven into the narrative seamlessly. My only complaint was that it became clear to me early on who the bad guy really was, although there was a nice little twist to that which I didn't anticipate.

Collings blends familiar dystopian elements along with many fantasy genre tropes and the tech in the novel is a blend of science and magic. Overall the world building has an eastern flare to it. The combination works and even though I knew where the story was heading, its execution was so good that I really didn’t mind – I was carried along on the roller coaster ride until the end.

Would I read the next one? You bet!

Four Stars! ( )

My original Child of the Empire audiobook review and many others can be found at Audiobook Reviewer.

Child of the Empire is the first novel in the series called the Sword Chronicles by Michaelbrent Collings. She is a Dog, a girl fighting for her life for the entertainment of people more fortunate that her. Fighting in the dog arenas is all that she remembers. One day she picks up a knife for the first time in her life, and without any training, she utilizes it with expert precision. Suddenly, she is pulled out of the arenas to serve the empire and emperor as an assassin or die. Her greater gift of magic that allows her to use weapons with expert skill gives her the new name, Sword, and a brand new family of greater gifts. As she trains and carries out her job as an assassin, she is soon confronted with the facts that begin to make her believe that she might have been fighting on the wrong side all along. Now, she must try to figure out what is true for herself.

The story of Sword is really compelling. The first half of the story is focused on the becoming of Sword and her growing relationships with the other greater gifts of the empire. It’s a coming of age story as she leaves behind her traumatic childhood and becomes accustomed to her new life. As the story progresses, her worldview is challenged and she has to figure out how she really fits into the world. While this struggle is not unique, it is still a good story. In addition to this struggle, there is a lot of action as the greater gifts are busy with their role as assassins. There is also an element of how to make decisions when the orders coming from the top are in conflict with what you think is right, which is a good element to the story. There are a lot of additional characters that serve as friends and mentors to Sword and these relationships changes as the story, and Sword, develops.

The narration by Danielle Cohen was okay, but it felt a little forced, as if there was an attempt to make every sentence sound really dramatic. This was a bit distracting. The production quality of the novel was good. I would recommend this story to anyone who enjoys coming of age stories and epic fantasy.

Audiobook was provided for review by the author.

Please find this complete review and many others at my review blog

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I would like to thank Michaelbrent Collings for a copy of this e-book to review. Though I received this for free, that has no impact upon the honesty of my review.

Goodreads Teaser: "She is a Dog - one of the many children and teens across the empire of Ansborn who have been sentenced to fight in the arenas. There they fight in battle after battle until they die for the sport of the people of Ansborn - an empire built atop the peaks of five mountains.

But one day she picks up a knife... and everything changes.

She discovers she is a Greater Gift - one of a handful of magic users with powers so great they only have two choices: to join the Empire as one of its premiere assassins, or die as a threat to the Empire itself.

She is no longer a Dog. Now, she is Sword. And soon she will realize that in this Empire, not all is what it seems. Good and evil collide, and she can never be sure whom to trust - not even herself.

She holds life in her hands for some. Brings death by her blade to others.

She is a killer.
She is a savior.

She is Sword."

Definitely a unique world, with a fascinating twist to an old story. Dog can't recall life before the kennels, or at least very little of it. Just enough to know that she can read and write, but even those skills are limited, and certainly nothing shell ever need as a Dog. As horrid as her life may appear on the outside, she's made a kind of peace with it. So the day she is thrown a knife while in the arena she's given a choice, both ways end with her death. But when she picks up the knife something happens. Something that takes her away from her life as a Dog.

Following her journey from Dog, to Sword, and the changes that follow her once she becomes Sword is intriguing, entertaining, and emotional. Watching her navigate the world outside the kennels is astounding, as it's so well done that the kennels and attendant lifestyle seem very real. Which is rather horrifying to say the least. But her innate intelligence shines through, and given just the smallest crumbs Sword promptly begins making up for all the education she lacked in those dark years. But part of what makes her so interesting is that she doesn't regret her years as a Dog, for they pared down her world to the very basics, the only true rule of which was survival. And when she meets others that lacked that experience she sometimes feels sorry for them; sorry that they've not had an experience to hone their sense of life and refine their inner fire.

Sword finds a family in the other Blessed Ones, something she's never had before, or at least not in her memory. Her joy in having a family, in finally belonging, is almost tangible. But it comes at at cost. She accepts everything about her life as a Blessed One at face value, never questioning the Empire and the things that are allowed, or even encouraged, under its rule. She accepts what she sees and is told as truth. So when forced to confront the fact that her current truths may in fact be lies she struggles mightily. Sword must once again find her way in her latest incarnation. She must face the new realities of her life, regardless of how she feels about them. And eventually she comes to terms with the changes in her life, though they bring both great satisfaction and heart rending sorrow.

The other characters, especially the Blessed and Cursed Ones, are very powerful influences in Sword's life. As such they've been well crafted and most could easily stand alone with their own story, though we're not usually given anything remotely close to their whole story. But each one has qualities that are necessary, and all play roles of similar importance. In fact I think I'd have been quite happy to follow most any of their stories much further, going much more deeply into their backgrounds. Hopefully I'll get the chance in future books in this series.

All told this story moved quite smoothly, with nice transitions between each segment of Sword's life thus far. The character development played into the arc of the story very melodiously, creating a book that was as much story as it was bardic tale. Even the time of the Empire lent itself well to the crafting of one epic bard's tale. Each character helped to create yet another layer to the tale, adding a warp and weft that made a tapestry of imaginary people come to vivid life before my very eyes. I cared about these people, and found myself invested in the outcome of their personal stories. I can't think of better praise for a book than that! ( )