Rosell blends close-focus siege warfare with moments of practical metaphysics, creating a heroic fantasy tale that centres character without having victory be solely the work of a lone hero.

The events of this novella take place between the final chapter and the epilogue of Rosell’s Legends of Tal series.

Garin Dunford and his companions have saved the Westreach from the false gods and their . However, the civil war between elves loyal to their current queen and those who would replace her with a more just and noble monarch is not over. With the queen’s forces bottled up in a single area of the elven homeland and the noose tightening, Garin hopes peace is finally within reach; but the broken lifts and bridges that prevent the last of the queen’s leaving easily also keep anyone else out.

The overarching plot of this novel follows the final siege of an evil sorcerer’s fortress with the action focused on small and disparate group of war heroes and other plucky protagonists. Rosell’s pacing is good, shifting from final skirmishes to close off the last escape routes of the enemy through a tense siege and into a dramatic attempt for a small group to clear an beachhead for the remaining rebel forces to take the fortress. Un the more usual castle at the heart of the city or lone tower in harsh terrain, the final bastion is one massive tree amid a tree-city; this adds an interesting variation to the strategic and tactical options the protagonists have.

Rosell states in his author’s introduction that readers should have read the Legends of Tal series to understand what is going on. This is not a baseless warning as when characters refer to past events they often use the brief allusions of people who already know events well rather than a slightly more descriptive manner that would give a new reader context. Thus, those not familiar will almost certainly feel less emotional resonance at certain scenes and be less certain why characters act in a certain way.

However, as Rosell highlights in his introduction, there are appendices at the end of the book which give potted biographies of characters from the previous series, briefly the physical and political geography, and give some information on various creatures. Therefore, new readers who can retain the salient points from these—or do not find it distracting to flick back and forth—are willing to take things such as “the queen is the villain and the rebels are the heroes” on faith from the start rather than needing to have seen any villainy could still enjoy this as an engaging fantasy castle-assault narrative.

As the events of the epilogue to Legends of Tal occurs after this novella, many readers are ly to remember what the outcome will be for certain characters and the world as a whole; the challenges are therefore slanted toward the details of how things happened rather than the broader what might happen. However, it is a complete arc in itself rather than merely a bridge between existing work.

Garin and the other returning characters from the previous series have a feeling of realistic complexity to them; their choices, abilities, and interactions clearly stem from their past experiences but are not utterly constrained by them to the point they feel they are merely reprising a past role.

Although Rosell’s characterisation does slant toward good-vs-evil rather than least-worst and moral relativism, the supporting cast display impetuousness, imperfect assumptions, and other imperfections that both make them seem people rather than balladic tropes, and add an aspect of politics to the overall pursuit of a common goal.

Overall, I enjoyed this novella. I recommend it to readers who enjoyed the previous series or who fast-paced high fantasy and are happy not to sweat the bigger picture.

I received an advance review copy from the author with a request for a fair review.reviewed1 Joel AllanAuthor 1 book22

Thank you to Josiah for providing me with an eARC of this novella in exchange for an honest, unbiased opinion.

A Battle Between Blood by J.D.L. Rosell takes all of the best things about Josiah's writing and crams them into 100 pages. There's history and world-building, there's a ton of character, there's beautiful prose and some really nice turns of phrase. All in all this is an entry in Josiah's ever expanding library that you won't want to miss.

Introducing an expanded story Universe, Tales of Aolas, this serves as a capstone to the Legend of Tal and the teaser for what comes next. I will admit that my Tal knowledge was a little forgotten in the old memory, but it only took me about five pages before the mind squirells brought out the necessary information and I was able to fully engross myself in the story. You could technically read A Battle Between Blood without reading the four Legend of Tal books, but I don't recommend it. There's backstory that sharpens this novella and its going to be so fun to reread once I've also reread the Tal series.

Out of the main characters I d Rolan the most because his relationship with his little brother was so wholesome. But that isn't to say that I had any lesser of a time with the other three POVs, Garin, Wren, and Ashelia. Each character added a lot in very little space and my usual disdain for multi-POV novellas was totally irrelevant here. I think the best use of multi-POVs in such a short story is when they are all in the same situation and we just do basic head jumping between chapters to see a different perspective. Its when the stories are seperate that I have a harder time keeping up and remembering all of the facts and storylines. So, the way that A Battle Between Blood is presented is perfect for me.

When I finished this novella I had a few mixed feelings. On one hand I am so excited for the expansion of Tales of Aolas and this novella does everything to set that future up for us. On the other hand I do feel a little disappointed. I won't say why unless you read this and ask me in private, but I know my concerns will be smothered by Josiah's incredible writing ability. We now know what comes next and I cannot wait to see where Tales of Aolas takes us in this world.

A Battle Between Blood releases on May 14th 2024 and you can pre-order now via the button above.

Rating: 4/51 Miriam Michalak794 26

I adored the Legend of Tal series so was very happy when I heard there was a new tale set in that world - and on reading I was not disappointed.

A Battle Between Blood is a novella, short but packs a MIGHTY punch. Back in Aolas the civil war is still raging and we jump back into the action with Garin & his companions.

The pacing & action is pretty spot on and a LOT is packed into this wee book. It's a nice sequel to the Legends of Tal and certainly an appetizer for more Tales set in Aolas.

Note: reading Legends of Tal first is recommended as this book won't make an awful lot of sense unless you have.

1 Tanya13.9k 70

The last battle has arrived and he knows he needs to fight hard to save more than one country this time round. One kingdom is held by the enemy and he needs to fight hard to get an army together to try to win. How will they get on? Will he get an army? Can freedom be won? See how it will go1 Manie315 2

Aolas had a war raging amongst the elves, between false gods and the true and between illegitimate queen versus the true queen.
But the end is in sight as the false queen retreated to a kintree for a final trap filled confrontation that even opened up a portal to a nether reality.
This is a war that Garin and Wren has to conclude...if they can. Surprises there sure are.

Author JDL Rosell with A Battle Between Blood introduces a new series in the Aolas world and judging from this novella promises to be a humdinger as well.
Enjoy.1 Roger4,612 18

A Battle Between Blood: A Legend of Tal Novella, my eleventh read from author J.D.L. Rosell. Well written & enjoyable. “I received a free Kindle copy of this book and am voluntarily leaving a review." The gifting of this book did not affect my opinion of it. I'll be reading more from this author. (RIP Marley January 20, 2014 - July 24, 2018).1 Jen Davis146 4

This book was interesting, I felt it started a little slow but really enjoyed reading it towards the end. Now I want to read the next book to see how it will continue. I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.1 MGB1,394 13

"It is the tale of one war ending and the foretelling of the one still to come. We scarcely glimpsed what was fated. The blood waiting to be spilled. So do many tragedies unfold."

And so begins this tale. It is a tale of a civil war, as bloody as they can be. Yet it is also a story of love, love of a people, love of a country, love of family. The author will pull you into this story and you will feel the emotions which bring out both the best and the worst of events and people.

If you love your fantasy and magic in your face and that of the enemy, you will not be disappointed. This story should be on your reading list.1 Yael118 3

This was a great read. With exceptional talent and skill, JDL Rosell delivers such a compelling story that grabs you from start to end. The stage is set for the next thrilling adventure in the universe of Tales of Aolas, which I can’t wait to read!
1 Beba Andric1,060 53

The action scenes are amongst some of the things this author does so magnificently. Another is his majestic world building. Another is his command of his storytelling, taking me where HE wants me to go, propelling me forward with each new event to a state of mesmerising bliss! One where I get to feel each blow, suffer each slice and punch that I'm frankly amazed I'm intact by the end of the book! Yep, this author takes hold of me entirely until I'm reeling in awe! I love the magic system and the skill of the author in the implementation, it feels so normal, so natural, so believable. The world is rich and opulent, an easy one to visualise and immersive oneself in, as are the characters, multi dimensional, with meat on their bones, distinct and really cool! So too is the plot, very cool, very compelling, urging me to discover more, see more, feel more. Which I do... Even though it's a novella, it's beautifully laid out, packed to the brim and compulsive reading!

After a long and protracted war, battle weary Garin and Wren are trying weeding out the stragglers who are on the opposing team, the existing queen Vs those for the Crownless queen, Ashelia. I enjoyed the multiple POV'S, I love seeing the same event from a different perspective. It brings ALL perspectives to light, and allows for an unbiased and descriptive view from all angles. So different are the characters, their musings, their stance, yet one understands them all. One of my favourite, along with Wren, is Rolan, he's a bard but he's also Ashelia's son. Tough one, he wants in on the action, his mom wants him safe and I could definitely hear and understand his 'disquiet', his resentment and his resolve. The most 'balanced' is Garin, he knows what needs to be done but doesn't go overboard. Wren on the other hand, goodness, it's almost as if she has no qualms ending anyone!

The battle scenes were really fierce and certainly unexpected! My mouth hung open when a VERY unexpected jabbing with a VERY evil dagger occurred! But what ensured, well, that was even more astonishing! Garin and Wren sure were on the backfoot, desperately fighting, desperately trying to contain the horrors before them! The side characters come to the fore, they really mix it up splendidly, and, once more, take me on another path! Who would have thought that tiny Kaleras would be capable of THAT! In all honesty, I found the second half much more engaging, exciting and unpredictable but that did not deter my enjoyment and pleasure. Yes, the author does warn that the books need to be read in order for maximum enjoyment but I confess not to have read the prior books (which I DO have!) and this novella was perfectly entertaining and held it's own, even without reading the others. So guess what? That leaves me with a curiosity, a compulsion to read the rest! 1 Christopher Bray29 5

The Resurrection of the Legend!

J.D.L. Rosell has written this novella as the first step in the extension of the original Legend of Tal series into its own extended universe - to be known as Tales of Aolas - which will include the Legend of Tal stories as well as the upcoming prequel and sequel series..

Set after the Legend of Tal series, this novella takes us back to Aolas to experience the bloody civil war of Gladelyl through the eyes of Garin, Wren, Rolan, and Ashelia. Blood against Blood, Queen against Queen, bothers against sisters, husbands against wives, demons, dragons, wizards, mages, supernatural beings - there is an awful lot crammed into this comparatively short but prodigiously effective book, another page turner which just keeps you on edge and wanting to know what happens next!

So, do you need to have read the original series first? The answer is that whilst it is not actually necessary it does help to have some of the back story and understand who the characters are and what they are about.

I keep wondering if I am doing something wrong when the majority of my J.D.L. Rosell have ended up with five stars, but looking back I can honestly say that every word I have said was honest and every single star is very well deserved. This one is highly recommended, just all the others, and I can't wait for the next installment!1 Erika Lynn Hampton1 review

Disappointed

Waited so long for this book to finally be released only to finish reading it and realize it was only 100 pages. Why The long wait if it was only 100 pages? Great storyline, consistent with the author's previous works, but just know it is very short & in my opinion was not worth the wait. J.D.L. RosellAuthor 35 books468

A Battle Between Blood is out as of May 14th, 2024! I hope everyone enjoys the return to Aolas and our cast from Legend of Tal.

~Josiah1 Jackie11.4k 165

This might be a short novel but it intrigues just the same. Glad there was another story in this world. Don’t miss out. Debbie504 3

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