Merion Hark barely has enough time to acknowlege his father’s murder before he is bundled away from nearly everything he knows. Stranded in a small town on the other side of the world and under the eye of an Aunt he’d never met, encounters a number of dangers and begins to realize that his Aunt is not the only secret his father kept.

Disclaimer: This review is based on an ARC copy provided by the author.

As the primary protagonist, Merion is equal parts understandable and annoying. His need to get back to his former home and look into his father’s murder make complete sense based on the way he was brought up, as does his unfortunate sense of superiority to everyone around him. Thankfully, that begins to fade after about the halfway point.

He also has the seeming inability, or unwillingness, to listen to or take any advice that contradicts his already chosen course of action. This holds true whether it comes from his Aunt Lilian, the local gold prospector Lurker; or his closest friend, the Fae warrior turned exile, Rhin.

While Rhin, his backstory and, by extension, the Faerie realm are one of the larger fantasy elements in this weird west story, it’s not the only one. There are the mysterious creatures killing the local workers, native Shohari mysticism and, not least, the magick that gives the book it’s title.

While there is a goodly amount of world-building regarding these various types of magic(k), as well as setting up the world at large, it does feel like there is a lot more still to be discovered. Hopefully that’s something that will be addressed in the remainder of the trilogy. But those minor quibbles, it does a good job of setting the stage for the adventures and, no doubt, obstacles yet to come.

An entertaining mix of frontier adventure, political intrigue and a quest for vengeance, Bloodrush is a great start to the Scarlet Star trilogy.

4 out of 5 Railwraiths

Links: Ben Galley – Bloodrush