By Blood, By Salt is exactly the kind of book I love. Incredibly enjoyable and solid prose? Check. A rich plot with political and religious tones? Check. An incredible MC to root for? Check! A pace befitting the story? Check. 

It just never fails, with good books you know from the very start that you’re onto a winner. I LOVED how the intrigue was steadily rolling off the page from get-go. I loved how Odom‘s approach and writing supported the steady advancement of plot, intricately setting everything up for the next destination on this journey. It wasn’t rushed or too overly action-centred, but done with wit and cleverness. The maneuvering of higher orders, the ill-will of ambitious “articles”, the mystery of unknown… Man, I love me stories like this!

The military aspect was just strong enough to add nuance to the story without being over the top. The political, religious and cultural elements were delivered in perfect balance providing plenty of layers, making this story an absolute delight to devour. It is a brilliant, engaging story with incredible world-building and tons of emotional buy-in. Odom simply knows what she’s writing about and you can feel it off the page.

Azetla is the type of character that, as you get to know him, demands respect. Sure, Odom threw him into some very difficult to stomach situations, racially abusive moments, humiliating moments in which no man should ever be, but the consistency with which his Character (with capital C) was written, demonstrated a solid backbone. But, it’s not only the very respectable characteristic of remaining true to himself in difficult situations that makes Azetla an incredibly strong character, he’s also observant, intelligent and does not kick up an unnecessary fuss when he knows it wouldn’t do him any good. There was essentially not a bad decision made by him, he was clever and cunning and he did it without brawl. Makes you think there’s still more to learn about him, that the plot hasn’t yet really opened up in full… That there’s more to the story.

As someone who LOVES character-driven stories, this one gave me tons of rewards through Azetla. It didn’t hurt that all of the action was a darned good read, too. As the story drew to a conclusion, when I thought the good couldn’t get any better, Odom hinted at a bombshell – at least, I think that’s what it was – making me effectively yearn for the sequel. Luckily, not long to wait! A Haunt for Jackals is set to drop in a little over a month from now. Just… Perfect! 👌