REVIEW: Bloodraven by P.L.Nunn
A son of a forest dwelling people, Yhalen knows little of the world outside the ancestral forest, until he is captured by a band of ogres on a slave-taking mission. Only grim tales of the barbaric giants had reached the forest, but Yhalen soon learns that even the darkest fireside story only hinted at the brutality of these Northern warriors. He discovers the meaning of true fear at their hands, and only the awakening of ancient magic saves him from destruction. Surviving ogre viciousness, he finds himself given to Bloodraven, the half ogre, half human war leader as a slave. Yhalen, refusing to bend, soon pays the price for offending prickly ogre pride. But Bloodraven is no mindless, violent ogrish beast. Bloodraven has an agenda and Yhalen finds himself drawn in the wake into human and ogre politics, into bloodshed and cruelty and into the forbidden magic that is damnation in the eyes of his own people, but which might mean the difference between death and salvation.
First and foremost PLEASE HEED THE WARNINGS IF YOU CANNOT READ ABOUT SEXUAL AND PHYSICAL VIOLENCE. I cannot stress it strongly enough, this book is not just violent, it is *brutal*. If I could I would put it in the red font, it is probably the most violent book I have ever read in m/m genre.
Review.
Dear P.L.Nunn,
I first read your book four or five years ago on the persistent recommendation of a friend, who insisted that even if the book would be too violent for my tastes, I would love the great characters, the love story, and the world-building. What can I say? She was right on both counts – the book was so violent that I have never had an urge to reread it (not only that, there were parts, especially a few chapters in the beginning of the book, which I had to skim, and some of it I skipped completely when I was rereading). The book was also so memorable, the characters so well drawn, that I never forgot it and kept recommending it left and right if I thought that my book buddies could handle the violence. When I decided to introduce the story to DA’s readers I knew that I had to brace myself for the reread and mostly I managed to do it.
When I think about it, I think one of the main reasons this book stood the test of time with flying colors for me is because for me it managed to be both: dark erotic fantasy and romance. While I had probably never read an m/m book as violent as this one, I have surely read some violent books which also tried to be romances, but for me all those books failed miserably at the romance parts. You see, usually when I have read an entire book about two people who keep doing horrible things to each other, hate each other, one of them raping the other, or just physically assaulting him, I cannot buy that this is the story of a couple overcoming those obstacles to build a relationship together. I just cannot buy it. And when the couple who has done terrible things to each other throughout the book suddenly gets their happy ending with none of their issues being resolved to my satisfaction – well, a flying workout for my Kindle is what I start thinking about. But I thought that “Bloodraven” succeeded spectacularly where so many books have failed for me. Here is what I think the author did right in order to convince me as a reader that this book is also a romance.
As the blurb tells you, Yhalen starts the story as a naïve,sheltered young man, who is caught by Ogres and who encounters terrible horrors at their hands. He then becomes a slave to Bloodraven and Bloodraven from the beginning does not treat him kindly either (that would be an understatement). But the characters grow and change throughout the whole book and readers can see it. They grow and change as individuals and they grow and change in the ways they see each other.
I am trying to decide whose character arc impressed me more, Bloodraven or Yhalen, and I really cannot decide. I mean, I did not really care for Bloodraven as “individual” for the first quarter of the story. “Disgusting, violent brute” summarizes pretty well what I thought about him. He never really stopped being violent, but I started to discover other things about him. Here we have somebody whose upbringing was a constant battle for survival and he still wants to help the other half-blood Ogres like him to have better life than they have. We see that Bloodraven may not talk much, but he can do political intrigue like nobody’s business. And we see that his attitude about Yhalen changes as well – oh possessiveness never really goes away, but shockingly I saw respect and I could even believe in his love.
“No,” Blloodraven agreed and looked away. “ I regret…my loss of…temper.”
Yhalen had no earthy idea of how to deal with that concession. He felt a vague little tingle of elation that it had been offered at all. He waited, but Bloodraven said no more, apparently having dried up his reserve of conversation. Yhalen settled back down in the bedding, curling within meager warmth. Bloodraven did not join him there, and soon enough sleep did creep up and take him”.
I have read stories with the “master-slave” trope and will continue reading them, but usually I prefer stories with a reluctant master and the slave being freed at the end, either because the society changes or because both of them are somehow transported to another, more tolerant society. I am usually not keen on very violent masters in my romances (obviously I do not expect anything but violent masters in non – romance books), but here the author somehow managed, if not to make me to love the violence, at least to get me to tolerate it and believe in the love story. I thought she did several clever things to achieve it. Even though Bloodraven certainly treats Yhalen badly in the beginning of the story, his worst trauma is caused by somebody else, and the more the story progresses, the less violent he becomes. In fact, the only times he unleashes violence on Yhalen later in the story is when there seems to be no other choice for them.
Another clever thing that the narrative did was to show me that eventually no matter how much brutal physical strength Bloodraven has, Yhalen also has some very scary skills at his disposal and if need be, he can easily do a lot of damage to Bloodraven, even kill him. In other words, the balance of power shifts over the course of the story and the two men truly become equals, even if one likes to submit to the other in bed.
“Little fool! Little fool who was the cause of this futile frustration, who belonged to him and refused to acknowledge it. Who insulted him with word and deed and threatened the very nature of his manhood by creating fear and doubt. Even his own dog, a snarling beast that even full-blooded ogre warriors were wary of, more often than not padded at Yhalen’s side more than his own, gentle as any cowering camp fur.”
There is nothing sudden about the way Yhalen slowly but surely learns the hidden and not so hidden truths about himself, about what he wants to do and what he can do. There is nothing sudden about Bloodraven slowly but surely realizing how much he cares for Yhalen. We do not just suddenly see at the end that everything is forgiven and now they have a happy future in front of them. Rather, we see them falling in love right in front of us.
Moreover, I thought the world-building was superb. Familiar magical creatures like Ogres and mountain trolls did not feel derivative to me at all – especially Ogres, because we get to know some of them. The magic is also creative as demonstrated by the excerpt from this battle scene.
“Then, with a great sound of creaking wood, the forest awoke. The ogre closest to him cried out in surprise as dozens of slithering branches reached down to wrap about his upper torso, piercing flesh as they wove their way around and into his body. They yanked him up off the ground and drew him into the snarl of limbs overhead. His comrades roared in shock, hacking away at wooden attackers as they were snared in the same fashion. And not just the branches from above, but from below, a well. Roots burst up out of the earth to encircle legs, torsos, and heads like great serpents, hauling bodies back into the earth and the tangle of old roots at the base of ancient trees as they retreated.”
I do not know if I will ever reread “Bloodraven” again, I am sure the story had some stylistic issues, but for the sheer power it holds over me for quite a few years, and because I flew throughout almost 10000 locations on my kindle, it gets an A.
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Good review, which cements my “never in a million years” outlook on this book. :-)
And I rarely say this with such persistense, but if violence is not something you can handle, do *not*, do *not* read this book.
And thanks :), where did my manners go?
This is one of those books I always planned to read. I really liked P.L. Nunn’s Dynasty of Ghost and have a large sample of Bloodraven (from smashwords) on my reader but just never got around to reading it. Maybe its the darkness of the story that has kept me from starting that sample but I do hope to read Bloodraven someday soon.
Amanda, it has been a while since I have read “Dynasty of Ghosts”, but from what I remember overall it had been a much tamer book violence wise than “Bloodraven”. I also remember and still am disappointed that no sequel ever appeared, because I thought it ended with a lot of unresolved issues which needed to be resolved.
Dynasty of Ghosts *growls in annoyance*, however moving on….. Bloodraven, this is a great review Sirius because it shows the balance the writer miraculously achieves between, yes I agree the worst violence in a fantasy ( not AU ) that I have read, and meticulous character growth. I am still not rereading it though :)
One thing about this book – since a violent rape happens early enough in the story that you can actually read it in the excerpt, it’s easy enough to figure out if it’s something you can be okay with. I definitely couldn’t. This book keeps popping up on my “recommend for you” lists, and I keep being tempted. Then I skim the excerpt and pass it by yet again.
Great review!
This one is on my “never, ever, ever in a million bajillion years” list but it sure sounds intriguing! Next time someone asks me for a rec like this, I’ll point this review.
Great review. I read the book years ago when it was still offered for free on P.L. Nunn’s website and I agree. It’s one of the most violent books around. And I say that as someone who at that time was reading a lot of the darker yaoi stories. I actually found PL. Nunn through that.
Despite the violence, though, it’s also very captivating and has a great staying power. I actually liked it better than “Dynasty of Ghosts”. And I love the fact that she’s done some art for the story (WARNING! the art reflects the violence of the story.).
Excellent review. I love PL Nunn’s Smallville stories. I could never convince myself to read Bloodraven. Maybe now I’m ready.
Excellent review.
And and excellent example of how thoughtful critique can help move readers beyond their comfort zones, into an understanding of the appeal of certain topics and tropes — although “problematic” seems almost too light a word — and how they can be handled either well or badly.
For me, I guess this book still remains on the Huge Bucket o’ Nopes piles, but …. well, BONE RIDER was there for ages, too, and y’all (along with Shannon of flightintofantasy.com ) convinced me to give that one a try, and I really enjoyed it (but will probably never re-read it).
Thanks everybody. I was really worried about this review.
Alix Nowarra, I also liked this one better than “Dynasty of Ghosts”, but I can never truly determine whether it is because I liked the story and characters better, or because “Dynasty” to me is screaming for a sequel.
This book sounds really awesome, but unfortunately (despite the Amazon link provided) does not appear to be available on Amazon? I’d love to read a sample. Oh, well…
I’ll keep my eye out for it.
I read Bloodraven about a year ago, during a phase where I was trying out a mix fantasy “dubious-consent” and “non-con” stories (often more horror than romance, however they may have been marketed). Many, many of them didn’t really work for me and it was a short-lived phase, but a phase that left me with a few stories that I enjoyed because they found a balance that worked for me. Bloodraven was one of the stories that worked for me, largely for the reasons Sirius described, despite having some of the more extensive “on-screen” violence.
I just noticed I used the phrase “work[ed] for me” 3 times in a handful of sentences, so I suppose it wouldn’t hurt to try to narrow down what that tends to mean for me. I react to books on a number of levels (as I assume do most readers): worldbuilding, fluency of the writing, character development, psychological realism and insight, plot development, execution of tropes, originality and diversity, etc. Finding the right blend of strengths can be exciting, even when some areas are weaker. This book, while it made me cringe at times, did so well in enough other areas that I was okay with that.
Pamelia, I am sorry. I should have mentioned this in the review. The book is not available on Amazon. It had not been available on Amazon for a while, that is why I suspect (but do not know) that this is what author wanted.
You can get it on Smashwords, LuLu and it looked like B&N actually has it. I have not checked other venues.
@pamelia: It looks liek you can get a sample through the author’s website: http://plnunn.com/fiction_new/main/index.php
I bought a copy for my kindle through Smashwords.com (make sure to turn off the adult content filter if you’re searching for it on that site).
JPeK I completely agree that for me the book did extremely well in several areas that you listed. Character development was great, worldbuilding, plot, etc.
And yes, the book is available on author website as well. Sorry again :).
@ JPek — thanks for the link! I will check it out.
@ Sirius — no problem! :)
Sirius, thank you so much for the review, and seriously thank you so much for the warnings, too. There’s stuff I can read if I know about it beforehand and can choose when to read it, and this falls really squarely in that category. I’m okay with pushing my comfort zone when I am the one doing it, and not someone doing it for me, if that makes sense? I’ve found authors I love that way, so I am willing to give this a shot because my likes in a book definitely align with yours.
What a well-written review. I’m on the fence about reading the book. Hurt/comfort is a trope that I can love in the right hands, but violence can sometimes be really hard for me to read about. I want more specifics about the violence, but I can’t think of a way to ask about it without possibly triggering others. Can you email me, Sirius?
@Janine: I really enjoyed the book (other than the torture parts) and have read it a couple of times. And yes there are still chapters that make my stomach turn. If you have questions you can email me, I promise I can give you a precise summary of the book Great review, this is a really challenging book to read, but quite worth it, at least for me
Janine I just emailed you .
Great review, Sirius! I think I come closest to Hapax on this: hard to move from my Nope Nope Nope list, but I can totally see why readers would be interested and would enjoy it.
I’m so glad you finally reviewed this, too, because it’s been floating around the m/m discussions I read for years and I’ve always been curious.
Hey Lindsay thanks so much, check the sample from Smashwords – it is long and horrible brutality in the beginning is definitely there, you will see if you can handle it pretty fast.
Sunita thanks and for being such a patient listener too :).
@Franziska: Thanks. Sirius emailed me already and answered my questions but I appreciate the offer.
Oh wow, I read this when it was still a work in progress, available free on Nunn’s site in the early ’00’s. As a result, I’ve never finished it. I believe at the time it hadn’t even gotten to the parts where we see anything humanizing about Bloodraven, and so I assumed it was a work of pure titillation, with no romantic narrative. There was a lot of that in the fandoms she drew for at the time, so it wouldn’t have been surprising.
I have a lot of dark kinks, so when I read this, it was pretty much exactly what I was looking for: extreme dehumanization, brutal rape, and other tropes found in particularly dark varieties of slavefic, and I do recommend the first eight or nine chapters wholeheartedly if you’re into those things. They’re vanishingly rare in published fiction aimed at women.
Ahhh, this was one of the first m/m books I read and it pretty much ruined all the rest for me. It’s blend of brutality and slowly growing respect and love is something I haven’t been able to find in another book. Nunn didn’t shy away from any of the ugliness, and it’s definitely not a book for everyone, but the brutality was balanced out by a believable romance and that’s something that is difficult for me to find in fiction. Any recs would be greatly appreciated!
B&B at times I check out what else P.L. Nunn is writing and I was told that her “Neko” is even more brutal than “Bloodraven”. I do not see myself picking it up, but maybe you will like it.
alia, I thought she managed to humanize Bloodraven in the later parts of the book. If you ever decide to check it out let me know what you thought?
@Sirius: I’ve read Neko and won’t touch that one again. That was too hard, brutal, and disturbing even for me.
I’ve luckily manged to forget most of the plot but the bad aftertaste it left behind is still present. It was very much rape and abuse on to of rape and torture with a completely broken main character. It lacked the redeeming qualities of “Bloodraven”, especially Yhalen’s emotional strength.
how does the violence compare to gann’s cottonwood, heat? read and loved those due to characterization, development of relationships, and world building but they were probably my upper limit for violence. I could re read last hour of the house of gann, don’t think I could read heat again.
thanks
how does the violence compare to smith’s cottonwood and heat? I read and loved those due to relationship, world building and characterization but they were probably my upper limit for violence. I could re read last hour of the house of gann again but probably not heat. thanks( and sorry if this posts twice, hit post button before I was ready by accident!)
Susan I have not read any of those books unfortunately. Maybe another reader who read all of them could answer your question ?
Thanks Alix – for me “more violent than Bloodraven” was enough :)
Read the first chapter based on the review. Unable to proceed further given the degree of brutality. Definitely for new readers to the author and this particular book, agree w/ the reviewer that this is a BRUTAL and graphic book and that the reviewer gave an appropriate warning!
Thanks for the review. It definitely sounds not like* not* my thing, and yet I’m seriously considering buying this just because I love reading some good character development. Maybe I can just skim the violent scenes and try this one, hmm..
@jenga: For what it’s worth, I tried to skim the violent scenes in the sample and only got as far as the end of chapter two before crying uncle. Even with skimming, it’s graphic and brutal.