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Blood-Cursed #1
The Legionnaire
Saiden, a Blood-Cursed legionnaire—blessed by both the God of Life and Goddess of Death—is a paradox. Called both “death-bringer” and “world-ender,” she is surprisingly careful about taking lives and proving herself to be a monster. Torn between her loyalty to her queen and the need to protect her people, Saiden struggles to decide who she is going to be in a world that has already cast her aside.
Queen Loralei is hiding the fact that she’s been blessed by the God of Life while navigating the manipulative and dangerous landscape of ruling a kingdom. When she discovers a mysterious prisoner in her dungeons, she begins to unravel a complicated plot that shadows her reign and would change the course of history.
Mozare, gifted by the Goddess of Death with the powers to control shadows, is hiding lots of secrets in the dark. As Saiden’s legionnaire partner, he would do everything to protect her—even if that means killing the queen she swore to protect to save her from a fate worse than death.
With friends and enemies becoming indistinguishable from each other, can these three individuals survive long enough to fulfill their destinies without losing those closest to them, or will their missions irreparably ruin them—and possibly the entire kingdom?
Queen Loralei is hiding the fact that she’s been blessed by the God of Life while navigating the manipulative and dangerous landscape of ruling a kingdom. When she discovers a mysterious prisoner in her dungeons, she begins to unravel a complicated plot that shadows her reign and would change the course of history.
Mozare, gifted by the Goddess of Death with the powers to control shadows, is hiding lots of secrets in the dark. As Saiden’s legionnaire partner, he would do everything to protect her—even if that means killing the queen she swore to protect to save her from a fate worse than death.
With friends and enemies becoming indistinguishable from each other, can these three individuals survive long enough to fulfill their destinies without losing those closest to them, or will their missions irreparably ruin them—and possibly the entire kingdom?
288 pages, Hardcover
Published November 14, 2023
About the author
Samantha Traunfeld
3 books15 followersSamantha’s love of stories began when she was about 12—could read a whole book in a day and wrote lots of stories featuring cute ghosts. Now she writes stories about badass women, sharp weapons, and banter-y relationships.
When she isn’t writing, she’s usually cuddling her dog, starting a new craft project she might not finish, or trying to figure out how video games work. There’s a 94.6% chance you can find her curled up in a bookstore somewhere (math is not her strong suit), but if you don’t, you can find more information about her at [samanthatraunfeld.com](http://samanthatraunfeld.com/). *The Legionnaire* is her first novel.
When she isn’t writing, she’s usually cuddling her dog, starting a new craft project she might not finish, or trying to figure out how video games work. There’s a 94.6% chance you can find her curled up in a bookstore somewhere (math is not her strong suit), but if you don’t, you can find more information about her at [samanthatraunfeld.com](http://samanthatraunfeld.com/). *The Legionnaire* is her first novel.
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Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews
December 1, 2023
Saiden, a Blood-Cursed legionnaire grapples with her identity amidst society's conflicting perceptions of her. The shadow-wielding Mozare, Saiden's platonic partner, harbors secrets while steadfastly protecting her, even at great cost to himself. Meanwhile, Queen Loralei navigates the perilous realm of rulership, concealing her divine blessing while confronting a mysterious captive in her dungeons.
The characters stand out as the novel's greatest asset. The story excels in portraying a compelling platonic relationship amidst a backdrop of intricate secrets and betrayals. Notably, the two partners unwavering friendship takes center stage, showcasing their commitment to prioritize each other despite their opposing allegiances. I've never read a relationship quite like this one where the friendship takes precedence over other loyalties and it was beautifully written. The unwavering commitment and prioritization of friendship created a unique dynamic seldom explored.
Nevertheless, the story grapples with pacing inconsistencies. While the compelling relationship between the main characters captivates, the rapidity of forgiveness feels abrupt and lacks deeper exploration. Additionally, the descent of one character into seemingly illogical choices, possibly attributed to madness, left the narrative somewhat confusing and disconnected. The world-building also seems occasionally muddled. The concept of the Blood-Cursed lacks the depth expected, seemingly reduced to mere physical attributes rather than a substantive, immersive element within the world's framework. The narrative fails to explore numerous intricacies surrounding its world-building, leaving it feeling superficial and underdeveloped. I was often confused.
Despite these pacing hurdles and occasional confusing character developments, "The Legionnaire" shines in its portrayal of loyalty, friendships, and the complexities of navigating divergent loyalties. There are aspects that shine and others that fall a little flat for me overall. Thank you to the publisher, author, and R&R booktours for the eARC. This is an honest review.
The characters stand out as the novel's greatest asset. The story excels in portraying a compelling platonic relationship amidst a backdrop of intricate secrets and betrayals. Notably, the two partners unwavering friendship takes center stage, showcasing their commitment to prioritize each other despite their opposing allegiances. I've never read a relationship quite like this one where the friendship takes precedence over other loyalties and it was beautifully written. The unwavering commitment and prioritization of friendship created a unique dynamic seldom explored.
Nevertheless, the story grapples with pacing inconsistencies. While the compelling relationship between the main characters captivates, the rapidity of forgiveness feels abrupt and lacks deeper exploration. Additionally, the descent of one character into seemingly illogical choices, possibly attributed to madness, left the narrative somewhat confusing and disconnected. The world-building also seems occasionally muddled. The concept of the Blood-Cursed lacks the depth expected, seemingly reduced to mere physical attributes rather than a substantive, immersive element within the world's framework. The narrative fails to explore numerous intricacies surrounding its world-building, leaving it feeling superficial and underdeveloped. I was often confused.
Despite these pacing hurdles and occasional confusing character developments, "The Legionnaire" shines in its portrayal of loyalty, friendships, and the complexities of navigating divergent loyalties. There are aspects that shine and others that fall a little flat for me overall. Thank you to the publisher, author, and R&R booktours for the eARC. This is an honest review.
September 27, 2023
Actual rating: 2.5 stars
"The Legionnaire" started off well enough, but there were quite a few issues towards the end of the book. I recognize this will supposedly be a series, so hopefully answers will be provided in later books. But there were still quite a few vague, unexplained events and nonsense plot twists.
The cover and synopsis is what drew me initially to this story. I love the idea of a female warrior who's singled out because of a curse or other bad omen. And because of it, she has to be the best fighter and prove herself every step of the way. I did assume there would be some romance between Saiden, our main character, and Mozare, especially since the cover sets up the three POV characters in a triangle (i.e. love triangle), and also because in the synopsis it's stated that he would do anything to keep his partner safe, including killing royalty, but there wasn't anything like that. Aside from the relationship between the queen and her lady's maid, there wasn't any romance at all, which is honestly refreshing.
Overall, the writing quality was okay. It definitely needs improvement. Sentences were often clunky and awkward, and reading descriptions that were worded weirdly didn't help the story's flow. Also, a lot of the world-building was glossed over. I didn't get a good sense of this fantasy realm, which I only learned the name of halfway through (Kaizain??) and I never got a clear picture of where things were on an imaginary map. Events like the queen's coronation and the big battle at the end were extremely vague and rushed.
Now, some specific problems that I find quite glaring. Towards the end of the book, there are significant plot twists that occur that I felt weren't necessary or lacked explanation. For instance, Saiden easily turns against the queen, and by association the Legion, despite being a loyal and steadfast protector all her life. And the reasons she turned against the queen were frustratingly stupid. For one, no one ever simply asked Lorelai why she had all of her previous advisors executed. Her reasons were just, considering they allowed numerous people to be killed over many decades, and yet everyone just assumed she was "going mad." Saiden never bothered to follow up on this and instead decided to turn against the one she was sworn to protect. Not to mention the turning point for Saiden was when Lorelai attacked Mozare, although the queen had absolutely no idea who was lurking in the shadows. All she saw was an intruder following her personal guard throughout the palace in the middle of the night. And yet Saiden's like, "How could she do this to Mozare?!?!" I mean....how could Lorelai have known it was Mozare and not an actual assassin? The queen reacted instinctively. It was clearly an accident and not a purposeful attack. It doesn't make any sense.
There's also the queen's random death. So many problems with this plot twist. For one, the entire reason the rebellion wanted to get rid of the queen was because she wasn't Gifted and therefore didn't represent the people. But....Lorelai WAS Gifted. She kept it secret the whole time from everyone except Saiden and her advisors. So what was the point? Also, Lorelai and Saiden swore a blood oath which stated that Saiden would get the queen to safety at the cost of her life in order to set her mother free. Well, the queen is immediately killed after this oath is taken, so shouldn't Saiden's mother have died too????? I don't understand why nothing happened to her. It just basically showed that the blood oath meant nothing, even though it clearly was a big deal since Mozare added his two cents when saying that no one had enacted a blood oath "for thousands of years."
I really didn't like Saiden by the end of this book. She allowed the queen to be killed after turning against her for next to no reason, and then she also just let the leader of the rebellion, Revon, usurp the throne, EVEN THOUGH throughout the entire book both Mozare and Saiden monologued about how horrible Revon was as a person, a rebellion leader, and now as the ruler of an entire kingdom. Making him king is completely nonsensical, and I don't see how the characters are okay with this happening. They seem like morons. Don't even get me started on Mozare, who frequently betrayed Saiden and then went on and on about how guilty and awful he felt by allowing Saiden to feel despair and guilt herself, and yet he then wouldn't do anything to resolve the issue. He would just let Saiden feel that way while knowing that he was definitely responsible for all the deaths and horrible things that unfolded throughout this story. He was selfish and honestly kind of unbearable. Big asshole vibes.
I can only hope Lorelai is still somehow alive in book 2. Although she was stabbed and dragged off, I never read that she was dead for sure. I don't understand how she could be killed off when she's one of the three POV characters and also on the cover of the book itself. I was originally going to rate this book higher, but the last 20% really made the rating drop. I won't be continuing with the series because I found the writing lacking and the plot frustrating, vague, and confusingly inconsistent.
"The Legionnaire" started off well enough, but there were quite a few issues towards the end of the book. I recognize this will supposedly be a series, so hopefully answers will be provided in later books. But there were still quite a few vague, unexplained events and nonsense plot twists.
The cover and synopsis is what drew me initially to this story. I love the idea of a female warrior who's singled out because of a curse or other bad omen. And because of it, she has to be the best fighter and prove herself every step of the way. I did assume there would be some romance between Saiden, our main character, and Mozare, especially since the cover sets up the three POV characters in a triangle (i.e. love triangle), and also because in the synopsis it's stated that he would do anything to keep his partner safe, including killing royalty, but there wasn't anything like that. Aside from the relationship between the queen and her lady's maid, there wasn't any romance at all, which is honestly refreshing.
Overall, the writing quality was okay. It definitely needs improvement. Sentences were often clunky and awkward, and reading descriptions that were worded weirdly didn't help the story's flow. Also, a lot of the world-building was glossed over. I didn't get a good sense of this fantasy realm, which I only learned the name of halfway through (Kaizain??) and I never got a clear picture of where things were on an imaginary map. Events like the queen's coronation and the big battle at the end were extremely vague and rushed.
Now, some specific problems that I find quite glaring. Towards the end of the book, there are significant plot twists that occur that I felt weren't necessary or lacked explanation. For instance, Saiden easily turns against the queen, and by association the Legion, despite being a loyal and steadfast protector all her life. And the reasons she turned against the queen were frustratingly stupid. For one, no one ever simply asked Lorelai why she had all of her previous advisors executed. Her reasons were just, considering they allowed numerous people to be killed over many decades, and yet everyone just assumed she was "going mad." Saiden never bothered to follow up on this and instead decided to turn against the one she was sworn to protect. Not to mention the turning point for Saiden was when Lorelai attacked Mozare, although the queen had absolutely no idea who was lurking in the shadows. All she saw was an intruder following her personal guard throughout the palace in the middle of the night. And yet Saiden's like, "How could she do this to Mozare?!?!" I mean....how could Lorelai have known it was Mozare and not an actual assassin? The queen reacted instinctively. It was clearly an accident and not a purposeful attack. It doesn't make any sense.
There's also the queen's random death. So many problems with this plot twist. For one, the entire reason the rebellion wanted to get rid of the queen was because she wasn't Gifted and therefore didn't represent the people. But....Lorelai WAS Gifted. She kept it secret the whole time from everyone except Saiden and her advisors. So what was the point? Also, Lorelai and Saiden swore a blood oath which stated that Saiden would get the queen to safety at the cost of her life in order to set her mother free. Well, the queen is immediately killed after this oath is taken, so shouldn't Saiden's mother have died too????? I don't understand why nothing happened to her. It just basically showed that the blood oath meant nothing, even though it clearly was a big deal since Mozare added his two cents when saying that no one had enacted a blood oath "for thousands of years."
I really didn't like Saiden by the end of this book. She allowed the queen to be killed after turning against her for next to no reason, and then she also just let the leader of the rebellion, Revon, usurp the throne, EVEN THOUGH throughout the entire book both Mozare and Saiden monologued about how horrible Revon was as a person, a rebellion leader, and now as the ruler of an entire kingdom. Making him king is completely nonsensical, and I don't see how the characters are okay with this happening. They seem like morons. Don't even get me started on Mozare, who frequently betrayed Saiden and then went on and on about how guilty and awful he felt by allowing Saiden to feel despair and guilt herself, and yet he then wouldn't do anything to resolve the issue. He would just let Saiden feel that way while knowing that he was definitely responsible for all the deaths and horrible things that unfolded throughout this story. He was selfish and honestly kind of unbearable. Big asshole vibes.
I can only hope Lorelai is still somehow alive in book 2. Although she was stabbed and dragged off, I never read that she was dead for sure. I don't understand how she could be killed off when she's one of the three POV characters and also on the cover of the book itself. I was originally going to rate this book higher, but the last 20% really made the rating drop. I won't be continuing with the series because I found the writing lacking and the plot frustrating, vague, and confusingly inconsistent.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 4, 2023
Legionnaire by Samantha Traunfeld
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️✨
4.5/5
❗️I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily❗️
This is the first book of the 𝐁𝐥𝐨𝐨𝐝-𝐂𝐮𝐫𝐬𝐞𝐝 series.
Saiden is blood cursed, and shouldn’t be alive, but she is. She has to hide herself constantly, or risk being attacked for being blood cursed. She’s the best fighter in the Legion, and the surrogate daughter of the general. Mozare is her best friend, and partner.
Everyone had been lead to believe one thing, but Saiden is starting to learn, there’s much they kept from everyone. Saiden is turn between her duty, and her heart….
This story was written in a way, I was transported while reading. I really felt for Saiden and all she had to endure. I enjoyed this was written in multiple POVs, so I was able to understand them better. I can’t wait for the next one to see what happens!
Includes
- epic fantasy
- Strong fmc
- Multiple POVs
- Magic
- Fighting
- Twists and turns
- Suspense
- Betrayal
- Rebels
- Cliffhanger
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️✨
4.5/5
❗️I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily❗️
This is the first book of the 𝐁𝐥𝐨𝐨𝐝-𝐂𝐮𝐫𝐬𝐞𝐝 series.
Saiden is blood cursed, and shouldn’t be alive, but she is. She has to hide herself constantly, or risk being attacked for being blood cursed. She’s the best fighter in the Legion, and the surrogate daughter of the general. Mozare is her best friend, and partner.
Everyone had been lead to believe one thing, but Saiden is starting to learn, there’s much they kept from everyone. Saiden is turn between her duty, and her heart….
This story was written in a way, I was transported while reading. I really felt for Saiden and all she had to endure. I enjoyed this was written in multiple POVs, so I was able to understand them better. I can’t wait for the next one to see what happens!
Includes
- epic fantasy
- Strong fmc
- Multiple POVs
- Magic
- Fighting
- Twists and turns
- Suspense
- Betrayal
- Rebels
- Cliffhanger
November 14, 2023
The Legionnaire by Samantha Traunfeld
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Saiden is a blood cursed legionnaire who is blessed by both the god of life and the goddess of death. Mozare is her partner in the legionnaires, and would do anything to protect her, even if it means killing the queen.
This is the first book in the blood cursed series and I enjoyed it. It features a strong FMC, fantasy, multiple POVs, magic, suspense, and betrayal. The many twists and turns had me engaged from beginning to end. If you enjoy fantasy reads, I recommend this one.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Saiden is a blood cursed legionnaire who is blessed by both the god of life and the goddess of death. Mozare is her partner in the legionnaires, and would do anything to protect her, even if it means killing the queen.
This is the first book in the blood cursed series and I enjoyed it. It features a strong FMC, fantasy, multiple POVs, magic, suspense, and betrayal. The many twists and turns had me engaged from beginning to end. If you enjoy fantasy reads, I recommend this one.
November 3, 2023
This book was amazing from start to finish. I’m a casual reader so as such tend to read a few pages then put the book down for awhile. That was impossible with this book. The twists and turns kept me wondering what’s next and the character development has me impatiently waiting for the next book. Five stars isn’t enough to rate this I wish they had a hundred stars.
December 8, 2023
I enjoyed this book immensely!
Saiden is a warrior
Mozare her protector
Lorelai the Queen
Everyone is hiding things, everyone is connected, and it might all fall apart. The first in a series I can’t wait to see where they go next.
Saiden is a warrior
Mozare her protector
Lorelai the Queen
Everyone is hiding things, everyone is connected, and it might all fall apart. The first in a series I can’t wait to see where they go next.
November 13, 2023
The Legionnaire by Samantha Traunfeld is an engaging, well-paced fantasy book (first book of the Blood-Cursed series).
Following along Saiden’s journey as a Legionnaire, I couldn’t help but feel the pain of her being ostracized, betrayed, and looked down on by so many. She’s a woman you want to root for to succeed, and watching her tackle each challenge she was presented with easily made her my favourite character in the book.
Each of the main characters has their own distinct personalities, their attributes and flaws making them dynamic and entertaining.
The plot kept me interested throughout, particularly during a few scenes in the middle and at the end that had me reading quicker to find out if the hero and her comrades would make it out alive.
While this book definitely tells a complete story, I would be interested in reading the next book to find out what happens after this climax!
Following along Saiden’s journey as a Legionnaire, I couldn’t help but feel the pain of her being ostracized, betrayed, and looked down on by so many. She’s a woman you want to root for to succeed, and watching her tackle each challenge she was presented with easily made her my favourite character in the book.
Each of the main characters has their own distinct personalities, their attributes and flaws making them dynamic and entertaining.
The plot kept me interested throughout, particularly during a few scenes in the middle and at the end that had me reading quicker to find out if the hero and her comrades would make it out alive.
While this book definitely tells a complete story, I would be interested in reading the next book to find out what happens after this climax!
January 31, 2024
* I received an advanced reader copy for free, but I read and am reviewing by choice. *
This story was great for my hectic life. With the short chapters and multiple POV, I could always spare some time to read 2-4 pages and come to a natural pause.
The amount of time took me to read by no means reflect the story.
Each character felt unique and although some shifts seemed rushed near the end, upon reflection each character motive made sense.
For anyone who enjoys young adult fantasies with a string, but flawed, female lead, this book will be an enjoyable. I loved that the main female lead wasn’t pushed for a romance plot. Also, to see a true friendship (with ups and downs) between a male and female without being a love interest is refreshing.
This story was great for my hectic life. With the short chapters and multiple POV, I could always spare some time to read 2-4 pages and come to a natural pause.
The amount of time took me to read by no means reflect the story.
Each character felt unique and although some shifts seemed rushed near the end, upon reflection each character motive made sense.
For anyone who enjoys young adult fantasies with a string, but flawed, female lead, this book will be an enjoyable. I loved that the main female lead wasn’t pushed for a romance plot. Also, to see a true friendship (with ups and downs) between a male and female without being a love interest is refreshing.
November 16, 2023
I've received a copy from rrbooktours
did we read the same book? theres so many good reviews that I blame this one on my reading slump. besides our main characters ride or die friendship , for me the books narration was hard to follow. the first chapter set up a 5 star read , but from the second chapter I felt like reading a first draft and not a finished copy of a book, there were a lot of grammatical and pacing errors , and the writing progressively got worse?
I uphold my right to reread and revise my review after the promotion but for now its a 4 stars.
did we read the same book? theres so many good reviews that I blame this one on my reading slump. besides our main characters ride or die friendship , for me the books narration was hard to follow. the first chapter set up a 5 star read , but from the second chapter I felt like reading a first draft and not a finished copy of a book, there were a lot of grammatical and pacing errors , and the writing progressively got worse?
I uphold my right to reread and revise my review after the promotion but for now its a 4 stars.
February 16, 2024
I need more, please and thank you! This is an excellent read and it wasn't what I expected, it exceeded them. I enjoyed the story, the characters, and how it all played out. This is a book that I think deserves more hype!
January 15, 2024
I feel misled by the blurb, it promised a plot that I did not get. The twists were confusing and I felt like there was no real depth to the story, it just all felt very surface-level.
January 28, 2024
Loved all the twists and turns-- it left me on the edge of my seat! The three POVs were well written and paced perfectly. I can't believe I have to wait for the sequel! T.T
February 6, 2024
Very enjoyable. Well developed characters with some unexpected plot twists. Strong world building. Looking forward to reading more about Saiden's story
January 7, 2024
I really enjoyed this book. I loved the complexity of the characters and how they interact with each other. I enjoyed her writing style in the way that you are “seeing” it through the eyes of the different characters. I think that’s called “point of view”. There are definitely a few curve balls that I was not expecting but I feel that it just makes the suspense even better. I can’t wait to read the next book. No matter what, I loved the book but knowing that this was Samantha’s first published book impresses me even more. I feel that she has a great future ahead of her and I look forward to reading the rest of this trilogy and many more in the future!
Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews