Reading It All: Knight of Wands by S.M. Blooding

by SM Blooding

Book 2 of the Devices of War Trilogy

Genre: New Adult Fantasy Steampunk Adventure Publisher: Blooding Books Book Description: (Can be read as stand-alone) Return to a world of mind blowing visuals, heart stopping action, and ships that sail the skies. Nix, Queen of Wands, has exactly what she wants—Synn El’Asim, the greatest Mark the world has ever seen. Even though she bound his soul to hers, he is not easily controlled. If she wants him, she must do the one thing that pains her most. Let him go, and give him what he desires. Peace. Armed with a treaty bearing Nix’s seal, Synn sets off to bridge the gap between the world’s two reigning tyrants—the Hands of Tarot and the Great Families. He struggles to trust Nix as he fights for control of his soul. He’s going to need every ounce of restraint when dealing with his mother, leader of the Great Families. She will not give up her power without a fight. Nix will honor her treaty only if Synn agrees to become her knight. His mother refuses to sign the peace agreement if he falls into the queen’s control. Frustrated, Synn does the one thing neither woman saw coming. He invites all the tribes, currently voiceless in the war between these two ruling tyrants, to partake in the treaty negotiations. All they have to do is prove their worth in his Peace Games. As Synn’s influence and subsequent power grows, a new fight begins. Who will control Synn’s League of Cities? Can he protect more people as a leader of the Great Families, or as the Knight of Wands?

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My Thought: Knight of Wands is the second book in the Devices of War Trilogy. I loved the first book, Fall of Sky City, and I was so excited to get to read book two. It was amazing to see what was happening in this beautiful world and to all the interesting characters. While this book wasn’t all about showing their Marks, or abilities, it was more political, it didn’t lose any of its appeal. The action was still there, but now interspersed with trying to gain peace in an unstable world.

The book centers on Synn as he struggles to gain peace for all the people in his world. His struggle with not only the Families, but with the Queens is brave and exciting. For every inch he gave, they took a mile. I loved Synn’s journey. Synn is still unsure of his leadership capabilities, so he tests himself constantly. He may not want to lead, but with the world looking at him, he proves a great deal about himself in this book. I love his story, and I have hope yet that he will find someone to love who isn’t a psycho that stole part of his soul.

Once again, I loved the secondary characters. I always enjoy a book that can make me just as interest in the secondary characters as I am the main character. I loved reading about all the people from the first book. Not all of their stories were as prevalent as the first book, but their personalities still shined through. The new characters and the ones that were explored more in this book were so fun to read about. I loved Aiyanna in the book. Her part wasn’t constant, but I hope to read more about her in the third book. I really enjoyed the introduction of the Kowka Clan, too.

I loved every part of this book, even the parts that broke my heart a little. The world S.M. Blooding created sounds amazing and frightening. I read it in a day because I just couldn’t put it down, and once I was finished I wished it hadn’t ended. This is a beautifully written fantasy that I think could appeal to anyone. Knight of Wands is full of political upheaval, adventure, deception, and danger. I cannot wait to read the third book, Menagerie.

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Praise for Fall of Sky City

Wow! What did I just read?? The story was deliciously complex, full of fear, wonder, magic, gadgets, gizmos, one heck of a psycho Queen and wonderful friends. Every character brought something to the story, each with a unique personality that came to life through the book, each with their own fears to overcome. Victoria Limbert I love the world Blooding has created. She managed to create it in a way that it combines specs of all my favorite movies, books, etc. It’s a mixture of young adult fantasy, steam punk, dystopia, sci-fi, paranormal and even some tiny bit of romance. Fall of Sky City is a diverse book that is intense, a little bit violent, and a whole lot of awesome! I look forward to reading the next book of the series! Unputdownable Books SM Blooding is a new author to me, but this is definitely not the last book I’ll read by her. Synn El’Asim is a powerful character–the reader sees him grow from a young man who has not yet come into his power to a strong man who is courageous enough to fight for what he believes in–his family and his people. The world building Ms. Blooding does is nothing short of remarkable. A world composed of flying ships, ice worlds, danger, and intrigue. My World of Dreams This book is action-packed and intense. You feel like you’re part of the drama. This story is intense. The action is perfectly paced. I had trouble putting the book down. I really felt for Synn from the very beginning. He goes through so much. As soon as he gets his mark, he is plunged into one situation after another. Queen Nix, who is horrifying by the way, pushes Synn to new levels, in more and more diabolical ways. With the help of friends and family, Synn becomes a strong leader. Waiting on Sunday to Drown I’m amazed of the world Blooding has created and built. It has Sky, Land, and Water Cities. These cities each has its own technologies, language, and a whole different way of life. These worlds remind me a lot of Avatar the Last Airbender and Star Wars, which I both loved wholeheartedly. Bahrain Newspaper Article Review!

Meet the Author:

SM “Frankie” Blooding lives in Colorado with her pet rock, Rockie, and Jack the Bird. Jack has refused to let her to take up the piano again, but is warming to the guitar. It might help that Frankie has learned more than two strings. She’s added a few more Arabic words to her vocabulary, but don’t invite her into conversation yet—unless, of course, you’re willing to have a very . . . slow . . . conversation. She’s dated vampires, werewolves, sorcerers, weapons smugglers and US Government assassins. Yes. She has stories.

She’s also an investigator with a local paranormal investigation group, Colorado Paranormal Rescue!