The Blackfire Blade by James Logan

On January 11, 2026 By The Unseen LibraryIn Fantasy1 Comment

Publisher: Arcardia (Trade Paperback – 11 November 2025)

Series: The Last Legacy – Book Two

Length: 583 pages

My Rating: 4.75 out of 5 stars

Prepare for adventure, intrigue and some fantastic character dynamics in the outstanding 2025 fantasy novel, The Blackfire Blade by James Logan.

Back in 2024 I had the pleasure of reading the outstanding The Silverblood Promise, which was the debut of author James Logan. A cool fantasy novel and the first book in the author’s The Last Legacy series, The Silverblood Promise followed the banished scion of a noble house, Lukan Gardova, who finds out that his estranged father had been murdered. Determined to find out who killed him, Lukan follows the one clue his father left him and winds up in an enticing Mediterranean-inspired fantasy city teaming with its own secret problems. Needing to uncover a conspiracy deep within this setting before he can achieve his goals, Lukan finds himself teaming up with a brave street urchin and a talented master thief to save the day. I really loved this awesome first novel from Logan, and The Silverblood Promise ended up being one of my favourite debuts of 2024. As such, I have been looking forward to Logan’s second novel for a while, and I was very happy to get my hands on The Silverblood Promise’s sequel a few weeks ago. This sequel, The Blackfire Blade, was another amazing read with an outstanding and highly entertaining plot behind it.

Plot Synopsis:

Winter has come early to Korslakov, City of Spires, and Lukan Gardova has arrived with it. Most visitors to this famous city of artifice seek technological marvels, or alchemical ingenuity. Lukan only desires the unknown legacy his father has left for him, in the vaults of the Blackfire Bank.

But when Lukan’s past catches up with him, his key to the vault ends up in the hands of a mysterious thief known only as the Rook. As Lukan and his companions race to recover the key, they soon find themselves trapped in a web of murder and deceit. In desperation, Lukan requests the help of Lady Marni Volkova, scion to Korslakov’s most powerful family.

Yet Lady Marni has secrets of her own. Worse, she has plans for Lukan and his friends. Plans that involve a journey into Korslakov’s dark past, in search of a long-lost alchemical formula that could prove to be the city’s greatest discovery . . . or its destruction.

The Blackfire Blade was another extremely awesome fantasy adventure novel from James Logan, who showcases his growth as a writer with this excellent sequel. Following three loveable, if chaotic, protagonists as they explore a new intricate urban fantasy setting, The Blackfire Blade was an exciting blast from start to finish, and I cannot get enough of this amazing series.

James Logan produced another particularly entertaining adventure narrative for The Blackfire Blade, which quickly drags you in with its fun excitement. Effectively reintroducing you to the three main protagonists, Lukan, the former street urchin Flea and thief Ashra Seramis, better known as Lady Midnight, as they finally reach their destination of Korslakov. Hoping to uncover the clue to Lukan’s father’s murder that is hidden within Korslakov’s Blackfire Bank, the group finds their mission imperilled when a drunken Lukan immediately has the vault key stolen by a mysterious thief, known as the Rook. With no other way of accessing the vault, Lukan and his companions desperately search for the Rook with the help of some unlikely friends within the city. However, they soon run afoul of some of Korslakov’s elites and become indebted to Lady Marni Volkova, a minor character from The Silverblood Promise.

This first part of the book nicely sets the scene for the rest of The Blackfire Blade’s plot, and I found myself really drawn into the various political intrigues and complex feuds that make up high society in Kroslakov. Logan also does a great job setting up some interesting dynamics amongst the protagonists, which allowed the characters to come together as a more cohesive family going forward. The second half of The Blackfire Blade was all excellent action and adventure, as the protagonists find themselves continuously forced to take on even more dangerous escapades to pay off their debts and recover the key. This includes a particularly deadly job navigating the most dangerous parts of the city, to find an alchemical formula. This part of the story was so damn fun, and features a great mix of scary monsters, fast-paced action, and some very interesting details about the city.

The final third of The Blackfire Blade features a range of fantastic sequences that really showcase the author’s imagination when it comes to unique obstacles and threats. Highlights include an excellent heist sequence, manipulations of the city’s warring elite, and encounters with a secret society determined to keep the formula out of anyone’s hands. Logan throws in a lot of great twists and turns here, and you are constantly on the edge of your seat as you wait to see what chaos will be unleashed next. Everything leads up to the entertaining and destructive finale, where all the lies and secrets come to light, and the protagonists are forced to come together against a truly overwhelming opponent. Logan clearly has fun detailing the resulting insanity that emerges, and it led to an impressive and deeply entertaining continuous action sequence. The Blackfire Blade wraps up with Lukan finally getting some details about the larger series narrative, which looks set to lead to some awesome additional adventures, and readers are guaranteed to come away from this book extremely satisfied.

I really enjoyed how The Blackfire Blade came together as a novel, and it is very clear that Logan has developed his skills when it comes to writing action-focused, fast-paced fantasy adventure narratives. Working extremely well as both a standalone novel and a great sequel to The Silverblood Promise (thanks to a great summary of the first book included at the start), The Blackfire Blade continues in a similar vein to the first Last Legacy novel, with the protagonists forced to explore and understand a new city before they can continue their main quest. While some readers might not appreciate the requirement for each book in this series to devolve into side quests before the main storyline can be explored, I really liked how it turned out in The Blackfire Blade, as the resulting intrigue, exploration of the city, and following deadly adventures, made for some outstanding reading. It helps that Logan excels at writing awesome and intense action sequences, and there are a lot of extremely fun moments scattered throughout this novel. Throw in some very moment sequences where Logan continues to develop his protagonists and their unique relationships, and The Blackfire Blade was a very worthy sequel to the author’s first book, and I felt it was actually a stronger overall novel.

One of the things that most impressed me about The Blackfire Blade was the way that Logan built and introduced a whole new unique fantasy city that the protagonists were forced to explore and understand. Serving as a fantastic contrast to the sunny and crime-infested Saphrona, the setting of The Silverblood Promise, Korslakov is a grim and snow-shrouded city of power, invention and alchemical might. The gloomy, purple fire covered spires of Korslakov, perfectly matches the mood of the book’s main characters as they attempt to find their feet in this new local, and the subsequent exploration and understanding of this new urban setting, are some of the best parts of the book. It’s impressive how effortlessly Logan moves his characters through the various elements of Korslakov, from the decadent battles of the high society to the terrifying abandoned section of the city, infested with flesh-eating monstrosities. All these detailed and well-written elements of Korslakov play a compelling role in The Blackfire Blade’s narrative, and the city feels like a major character in the book, with the protagonists and the reader, needing to fully understand and appreciate its place in the narrative. It will be very interesting to see what awesome new city Logan comes up with in his third Last Legacy book, but it’s going to be hard to top the setting he utilised here.

The final element of The Blackfire Blade that I want to highlight here are the complex and likeable central protagonists that Logan bases his story around. The three main characters, Lukan, Ashra and the very entertaining Flea, are excellent figures, each of whom are dealing with their own issues, such as Lukan’s drunken depression, Flea’s fear of abandonment and Ashra’s constant worry about vengeful enemies coming after her. Logan ensures that all three of these characters are well utilised in The Blackfire Blade, with a mostly equal balance of perspective chapters where they can work out their separate issues. While in some ways these protagonists, mainly Lukan, have lost a little of the development from the first book, Logan works through that again, which ensures they come out of this latest adventure stronger. However, the real magic of these protagonists is the way that Logan has morphed them into unconventional and dysfunctional family unit, that never ceases to entertain. While they may bicker, argue and misunderstand each other throughout the book, the reader is never in doubt that they care for each other, and this allows them to be an extremely likeable bunch who you constantly root for (especially Flea).

Aside from the three main protagonists, The Blackfire Blade is loaded with a highly entertaining and often outrageous collection of supporting characters, all of whom add a lot to the book’s impact. Primarily focused on the elites of Korslakov, who the protagonists need to deal with to achieve their goals, you are introduced to an interesting array of backstabbing nobles and self-important lords, whose intrigues and squabbles are a key part of the plot. My favourites include grizzled general Leopold Razin, who proves to be a particularly entertaining, if tragic, ally to the protagonists. There was also the imposing Lady Wretzky, the Iron Dame, who more than lives up to her title during her interactions with the main cast. I also need to highlight the deadly Lady Marni Volkova, an ultra-wealthy heiress who Lucan finds himself indebted to and whose appearances are always quite entertaining as she pulls the main character’s strings. There was also the briefly featured Clank, a great character whose inclusion reveals one of Korslakov’s biggest secrets, while also having some amazing interactions with Flea. I’m honestly only barely scratching the surface of all the very entertaining and compelling characters featured in The Blackfire Blade, and I was really impressed with Logan’s ability to create and then utilise this amazing cast in his second book.

James Logan continues to shine as one of fantasy fiction’s newest rising authors. His second novel, The Blackfire Blade, was a wonderful and highly entertaining read, that serves as an outstanding sequel to his amazing first novel. Exciting, powerful and extremely addictive, The Blackfire Blade really showcased Logan’s amazing ability as an author, and I honestly could not get enough of this incredible fantasy read. This second book from Logan was so damn good, and I cannot wait to see what adventures, revelations and heartfelt moments await us in his next entry in The Last Legacy series.

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The Silverblood Promise by James Logan

On May 12, 2024 By The Unseen LibraryIn Fantasy13 Comments

The Silverblood Promise Cover

Publisher: Arcardia (Trade Paperback – 30 April 2024)

Series: The Last Legacy – Book One

Length: 595 pages

My Rating: 4.75 out of 5 stars

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Promising new author James Logan presents an epic fantasy debut in the form of The Silverblood Promise, the first entry in his planned The Last Legacy series, and one of my most anticipated books of 2024.

Lukan Gardova, the disgraced heir of a noble family, is a man who has lost everything following a duel that ended tragically. Forced to drop out of his prestigious academy and abandoned by his family, Lukan travels the wild edges of the world, gambling, drinking, and seeking what adventure he can. Despite his malaise and despair, Lukan is still shaken when he is informed that his estranged father has been murdered by mysterious assassins.

Armed with fresh purpose and a determination to find out who was responsible for his father’s death, Lukan follows the only clue he has, a note his dying father wrote in his own blood. The names it contains lead him to Saphrona, an old and prosperous city ruled by merchant princes where everything can be bought. Filled with rogues, scoundrels, thieves, and miscreants, Saphrona seems an unlikely place to find his reclusive, academic father’s killers.

Engaging in an exhaustive search throughout Saphrona, Lukan discovers that the answers he seeks lie with one of the city’s merchant princes. Unfortunately, they have been condemned to death for the murder of another merchant prince, and if Lukan wants the information they have, he will first have to prove their innocence. Working with an unlikely group of criminal acquaintances, Lukan follows the few clues surrounding the merchant prince’s unusual murder. But the further he digs, the more danger he finds himself in. There is a deadly conspiracy at work in Saphrona, one that seeks to undermine everything the city stands for. Forced to contend with desperate nobles, deadly criminals, and dangerous forces beyond his comprehension, Lukan fights to keep his promise and find the truth behind his father’s murder.

Wow, now this was an awesome debut from Logan and one that I was really glad I got the chance to read. The Silverblood Promise has been on my radar for a while, and Logan did not disappoint with its excellent and exciting story, which is loaded with action, intrigue, cool fantasy elements and some great characters. Entertaining and fast-paced, The Silverblood Promise was an absolute joy to read, and I had an amazing time getting through it.

The Silverblood Promise has a deeply compelling narrative behind it that kept drawing me in with its intrigue, revelations and exciting adventure. While this is a lengthy novel, I honestly powered through it as it proved very easy to get caught up in the story. Logan maintains a very fast pace the entire way through The Silverblood Promise, and I enjoyed the mixture of action, character development and unique fantasy inclusions that the reader is treated to. Starting off with a strong introduction that effectively showcases the protagonist and his current situation, the reader is quickly thrust into the main background city of Saphrona, which proves to be a fantastic setting. Able to quickly interpret his one clue, the protagonist works with several connected figures to try and contact the person his father sent him after. What follows is a series of interlocking quests as Lukan must befriend a master forger, mastermind a break-in to a notorious prison, and then discover who set up one of the city’s leaders for murder. This results in a constant stream of adventures as Lukan jumps from one hurdle to the next, uncovering dark secrets about the city, and making unlikely friends.

The revelations about the true villain of the story occurs about two-thirds of the way through The Silverblood Promise, and while it isn’t too surprising, their methods and motivations are, especially as they reveal some interesting figures to the story. Forced to go up against some big fish, Lukan is caught up in their power play, which adds a lot of chaos to the narrative, and must desperately come up with a plan to fight back. The resulting carnage and confrontations are well handled, and I loved the great combinations of intrigue, battles and clever ploys that brought everything together. All the action within The Silverblood Promise is sharp and well written, and you get drawn into the many confrontations and battles of wits that emerge. Logan proved very able at hiding hints about the big bad’s schemes throughout much of the plot, and it was fun to see it all come together. I had such a great time with this impressive story, and I ended up reading the last 300 pages of the book in less than a day, it was that damn good. The reader comes away both satisfied and wanting more, which is lucky as it is clear Logan has some big plans for the series, with the adventure set to continue.

I felt that Logan came up with an excellent fantasy setting for The Silverblood Promise, and I really enjoyed how he utilised the new world throughout his plot. Filled with magic, adventurers, complex cities, mysterious interdimensional beings, and powerful artefacts from long-lost advanced races, there is so much for the reader to enjoy here, especially when hints about far greater hidden powers are also included. While a couple of the fantasy elements in The Silverblood Promise are a little derivative of other fantasy works, I personally didn’t mind, mainly because Logan makes them his own and they fit nicely into the fast and intense narrative of The Silverblood Promise.

While I loved the new fantasy world as a whole, the setting highlight of this book is the city of Saphrona, where most of the plot is set. Saphrona proves to be a complex and compelling trade city ruled by merchant princes and filled with dangerous commerce, criminal enterprises, alien structures, unlikely monsters, and all manner of political intricacies and plots. Readers will really enjoy unwinding the various elements of this city and it proved to be fun watching the protagonist explore Saphrona and attempt to find answers and stop a major disaster unfold. In a way Saphrona becomes a character in its own right as the book progresses, and I really appreciated how effectively Logan introduced the reader to the setting and inserted the story in its survival and underlying politics. Logan also ensured that readers got a good deal of information about some of the other locations outside of Saphrona, which are likely to become relevant to the plot in future books of the series. While a of map of the continent or Saphrona would have been appreciated, readers come away with a great sense of the world and will be interested in seeing more stories within it. Indeed, it looks like Logan plans to set each of The Last Legacy books in a different city of the world, and I for one am very excited to see what other memorable locations Logan will come up with.

I also really need to highlight the fun and memorable characters who were featured throughout The Silverblood Promise. Logan did a great job pulling together an intriguing and often outrageous cast for his first book, and I loved some of the awesome storylines that emerged. Most of the focus revolves around protagonist and primary point-of-view character, Lukan Gardova, a former noble turned roguish adventurer who finds himself way over his head in Saphrona. Lukan is a great central figure for this book, and he brings a lot of emotion to the story due to his disastrous past and determination to find his father’s killer. I felt that Logan provided just the right amount tragic history for his protagonist to enhance the dramatic tone of the book, and the character’s frustrations at the dangerous tasks he finds himself involved with, as well as his own stubborn need to move forward, were very relatable. Lukan also provides a fun scoundrel vibe to the plot at times, and it was interesting to see his cynical perspective on events throughout the book. I liked how Logan set Lukan up as a newcomer to the main setting of Saphrona, as this allowed the reader to see the city fresh through the eyes of someone unfamiliar with it, which enhanced the majesty, strangeness and cruelty of the setting. As such, I felt that Lukan was an excellent central protagonist, and I look forward to seeing how his story evolves in the future, especially as there are many more secrets around his family that need to be revealed, and other character elements that need to be expanded upon.

Aside from Lukan, The Silverblood Promise features an interesting array of fun figures, the majority of whom are locals to Saphrona. I loved all the unique characters that emerged, especially as Lukan is forced to deal with killers, scheming nobles, a mysterious forger, a blind beggar with way too much knowledge, an unlikely crime lord and a notorious band of mercenaries that Lukan is forced to alternatively fight or make deals with. One of the most distinctive characters is an infamous thief who joins the main cast late in the story, but who proves to be a fantastic addition thanks to her skills, kindness and pragmatism. However, my favourite character would have to be the young street urchin and pickpocket, Flea, who forms an unlikely partnership with Lukan early in the story. Hired by Lukan to help him around the city, Flea proves to be an invaluable ally, despite her age, and works to keep her benefactor alive against all manner of dangers. Bold, curious and utterly unflappable, Flea is a highly entertaining figure, especially as she keeps jumping into danger while also proving to be far wiser than Lukan. Flea and Lukan serve as fun contrasts to each other, and I liked their entertaining banter and the touching bond they form throughout the course of the book. This fantastic partnership really helped to make The Silverblood Promise that much more special, and all the characters featured within this book were really well written and cleverly featured.

Overall, The Silverblood Promise is an excellent and exciting fantasy novel that had me hooked the entire way through. Intense, compelling and wildly entertaining, The Silverblood Promise was very awesome, and James Logan did wonders with his debut novel. I will definitely be grabbing the eventual sequel to The Silverblood Promise when it comes out, and I cannot wait to see how this adventure continues and how Logan develops as an author.

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