Blood and Bile is the first book in the Legacy series by the author duo JC Boyd and Joshua Robertson. Runa loves her brother, Ranvir. She is happy living with him and her kin-sister Caitriona. She had never thought him capable of the deed she witnessed. Her eyes could barely process the image of Ranvir bent over his wife, his face and hands glistening with blood as he devoured her flesh. The word 'Stjarfi' played on his lips, and Runa was convinced he had been claimed by madness. Their people have a law, death is answered for with death and, madness or not, there is a call for justice, an insistence that Ranvir be made to answer for his actions. Runa begs for mercy for him, insisting that one with a clouded mind should not be condemned in the same way as one whose thoughts were clear at the time of the act. For the sake of her brother, there is nothing Runa will not do. Conflict is coming, a confrontation that will be answered with blood.

Blood and Bile is certainly not your run of the mill dark fantasy. Progressing at a steady pace, you get drawn into a world of dark fantasy, cannibalism, beliefs, and politics. There's rarely a dull moment as you follow the characters' adventures and learn their motivations. There are those you will like, and others you will outright hate. As the plot focuses around one small community, you get a real sense of the way of life, and yet JC Boyd and Joshua Robertson also achieve some amazing world building. Blood and Bile is written with talent and skill. The characters are real, emotional, fallible, and develop and change throughout the course of the story, along with the rising tension of events. This was certainly an interesting first book, and shows much promise for the series.

Blood and Bile by JC Boyd and Joshua Robertson is the first installment in the Legacy series, a dark fantasy featuring zombies and centered on a small Scandinavian community. The reader is introduced to a cast of compelling characters and the part they play in the community. It is difficult to pull out a protagonist — the community is the protagonist. Without going into the complex, labyrinthine plot, I’d like to share some of the things that fascinated me with the writing.

First off, the setting is gorgeous, a reflection of a small community with its rules and way of life and extraordinary characters. The authors do a wonderful job of bringing out the cultural elements of the setting through the narrative. The images of places are strongly impressed on the minds of readers, thanks to the excellent descriptive prose. The writing is awesome, and it is punctuated by intelligently crafted dialogues and powerful descriptions.

The story is told in the alternating voices of the characters — Runa and Hunfrith. The authors are masters at creating suspense and getting readers emotionally involved in the story as they follow the characters. I also enjoyed the cast of feminine characters and the role they play in the story. There is a kind of darkness about this novel that absorbs the reader, irritates them at times, but it is a darkness that is irresistible. Blood and Bile is beautifully written, intelligently plotted, and readers can’t help but allow themselves to be pulled into the world the authors have created.