Book Review: The Blackfire Blade (The Last Legacy 2) by James Logan

4/5 stars. I have to be honest. The first third of this book was a real struggle for me because my level of dislike for the main character and knowing he was going to make another bone-headed decision, discouraged me from picking the book up at times. In fact, I had much the same visceral reaction to Lukan Gardova (the MC) in the first book of this series. However, this book was an eARC from NetGalley and I felt that I owed it to the author, NetGalley, and myself to push through. I am so very glad that I did. The last 2/3 of this story was excellent – with some horror elements, some wonderful fantasy tropes that were upended at times, and an overall story that was filled with action, adventure, danger, and intriguing challenges. The other primary characters were all a pleasure to read, and even Lukan grew on me as this story developed. Mr. Logan writes very well, telling an epic fantasy story with some unique, almost steampunk ideas, and some nice twists and turns. Some of the setup seemed a bit contrived at the beginning, and not all of the storylines were as fully fleshed out as I would have liked, but being the second in the series, it does set up his future entry in a very compelling way. 

The world that Mr. Logan has created in this series reminds me of something that might have come from the mind of James Islington or Robert Jackson Bennett. He has fully fleshed out the two cities we have visited so far and I look forward to seeing what other intriguing places we will get to visit in future volumes. The magic system here is largely dependent on the Phaeron, an extinct civilization that has left behind artifacts with seemingly magical properties. The first volume had another form of magic that we do not see in this story. If you enjoyed the first book in this series, then I am confident you will find the last 2/3 of this book an improvement on James Logan’s earlier work. If you have not read anything by Mr. Logan yet, I certainly encourage you to do so. He has a wonderful imagination and provides an entertaining reading experience.

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