The Blood Within the Stone is well written with compelling characters in a believable (although fantastic) setting. In the first half of part 1, we are introduced to Wilt, a young thief in Greystone who has the ability to read minds. Although Wilt eventually leaves the town and it's people, Greystone is not merely a two dimensional world serving only as the 'before' of Wilt's life. The characters and social structure of the town are fleshed out in detail; this is a complete world.

Thompson has created a complex magic system for his world. Halfway through part 1, Wilt is recruited by a delegation from Redmondis, a school of magic. There are wielders, also called Black Robes, who can read and control minds; crafters like Higgs who apply magic to mundane skills such as blacksmithing, stone carving, etc; and guards selected because they can be easily controlled by mental powers. The story focuses on WIlt's studies, using "welds" to connect his mind to that of others. There is a darkness within each wielder, a desire to drain the life out of those to whom one connects. But within the darkness, beneath the welds, is a malevolent force. And things aren't as they seem at Redmondis.

I received book three in the series through the library thing early reviewer program; the publisher included the first two books for context. ( )

I received this book from LibraryThing as an early readers edition. I really enjoyed this book and thought it was written well especially for a first book. There was a lot going on in this book, but it was not overwhelming. I really liked that the author did not make you wait too long to explain what was going on.
The reason I did not give this 5 stars, I would have given 4.5 but that is not an option, is because I felt the ending was too easy. I felt that issues were resolved much more simply than I would have guessed, but it may just have been due to how very powerful our main character is.
This was a great first book from the author, fast paced, will definitely keep the reader interested throughout. I had a hard time putting it down. I will definitely be reading the rest of the books in the series and wish the second book was out already as I don't want to wait. ( )

I do appreciate that the author attempted to be somewhat unique in defining his fantasy world, I just wish he did a better job of it. The main character is established as a master thief, then becomes a mentalist of sorts, then a master psychic wizard. Why? Well, because.

The characters are rather poorly developed, and none are particularly sympathetic. The rules, never firmly established, seem to change on a whim. Character reaction to mass carnage is simply not believable. To top it off, this is the first in a series titled "The Wraith Cycle" - yet there was no defined wraiths in the story. Where it goes here I can't imagine...nor can I care. The author needs to work on character development , develop parameters for his fantasy world, and then ensure everything occurs within those parameters. Otherwise, the result is mostly nonsense. ( )

I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This book is about survival and finding out how to wield magic. I liked it well enough, but I didn't feel a connection with the main characters. Which is a shame, because the magic system is interesting. ( )

I do appreciate that the author attempted to be somewhat unique in defining his fantasy world, I just wish he did a better job of it. The main character is established as a master thief, then becomes a mentalist of sorts, then a master psychic wizard. Why? Well, because.

The characters are rather poorly developed, and none are particularly sympathetic. The rules, never firmly established, seem to change on a whim. Character reaction to mass carnage is simply not believable. To top it off, this is the first in a series titled "The Wraith Cycle" - yet there was no defined wraiths in the story. Where it goes here I can't imagine...nor can I care. The author needs to work on character development , develop parameters for his fantasy world, and then ensure everything occurs within those parameters. Otherwise, the result is mostly nonsense. ( )