Blade by Wendy Walker

Genre: Psychological Thriller/Sports Thriller

My Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

Ana Robbins was an Olympic star in the making—until tragedy forced her to leave that world behind. At the age of sixteen, she gave up her dream and never looked back. Fourteen years later, she’s a successful defense attorney, revered for her work with minors. But when her former coach turns up dead, Ana lands right back where it all began, and abruptly ended: The Palace, a world-renowned skating facility nestled high in the mountains of Colorado.

Ana returns to The Palace to defend the young skater accused of the brutal crime—Grace Montgomery. Despite her claims of innocence, all evidence points squarely at Grace’s guilt, and she’s days away from facing charges of first-degree murder.

But Ana’s investigation dredges up childhood memories of her own, triggering the fear that permeates this place where she once lived and trained far from home as an “Orphan.” With a blizzard raging outside, and time running out for Grace, Ana is determined to uncover the truth—even if it means exposing her own secrets that she buried here long ago.

Review of Blade

I can already tell Blade is a book that will stay with me for years. It took me on a vivid emotional journey with protagonist Ana Robbins and her friends, the “Orphans.”

There was one thing that held this book back from 5 stars for me: it felt like the author didn’t tie up all the threads of the story in a satisfying conclusion. The scope of the novel was ambitious, with a lot of material about Ana and the Orphans’ past at The Palace. However, much of it was irrelevant to the central mystery.

The solution to the mystery was honestly disappointing. Some characters who played a vital role in the finale were pushed to the side for much of the book, so their motives were unconvincing.

Overall, Grace Montgomery’s conundrum was dwarfed by Ana’s past. I was so overcome with all of the raw emotion in Ana’s story. But when it came time to check in with Grace, she felt like an afterthought. The two narratives didn’t mesh together enough.

Honestly, it felt like Ms. Walker really wanted to tell Ana’s story, and that was definitely the most compelling part of this book. Perhaps Ana and the other “Orphans” should have been the main suspects, and the book could have focused on them banding together to solve the murder while giving us the story of their past. Grace wasn’t a very interesting character. I preferred hearing about the Orphans.

Despite these issues, Blade was excellent and gripping. I highly recommend it. Here’s what didn’t work for me, followed by the things that shined.

A quick trigger warning: this book contains depictions of sexual assault and abuse, which will be alluded to in my review. Also, mild spoilers ahead.

The Structure of the Book Was Too Rigid

In my opinion, the structure of the book was rigid to the point of creating a poor reading experience. The story ping-ponged back and forth between past and present in a way that was more jarring than curiosity-inducing. The author followed the same pattern throughout: a chapter in the present day, a chapter in Ana’s past, and a chapter devoted to court trial testimony. It’s an interesting concept, but made for a frustrating reading experience.

My biggest issue is how some scenes were broken up over non-consecutive chapters, making it difficult to keep key details in my head. Every time the story revisited the interrupted scene two chapters later, I had to reorient myself. Most readers will be coming back to the scene after having put the book down for a few hours or days, causing even more confusion by the constant time skips. A little bit of this is ok to build suspense. Over time, it became a source of irritation.

The Story Contained A Few Loose Ends

As I mentioned above, the story was ambitious in its scope, but the threads didn’t all tie up in a satisfying conclusion. A prime example is the prologue that links to a later situation (no spoilers here). That whole arc felt incomplete. It was thrown in at the last minute and then promptly resolved without having much of an impact on the characters. In the end, it felt like an artificial shot of tension pumped into the story for the sake of misdirection. It was extremely clever, but needed more space to play out.

There were also some characters involved with the finale who didn’t have enough page time. I was disappointed that they played such a big role in the climax of the book, yet I barely knew them.

The Mystery Fell Flat

Overall, the mystery fell flat for me. As I said above, the Orphans should have been the main suspects since the author spent so much time telling their individual stories. I didn’t know Grace well enough to care whether she was convicted of the murder.

That being said, Ms. Walker did an excellent job creating vivid, believable characters throughout the story. I don’t mean to detract from that in any way with my criticisms of Grace. She was one of the few exceptions to an otherwise brilliant cast of characters.

Blade Is a Masterclass in Characterization

Any author who wants to learn how to create complex, believable characters ought to read Blade. Each Orphan had her own distinct personality and poignant backstory. Each had their struggles at The Palace.

Indy Cunningham was my personal favorite because of her grit and defiance. It was heartbreaking to watch her bruise herself over and over again as she grappled with the triple Axel. It was infuriating to see how her mother imprisoned her at The Palace and how Dawn abused her to play out a personal rivalry with her mother.

Dawn Sumner herself was a masterclass in antagonists. The abuse, the manipulation, the cruelty – all under a perfectly composed mask of talent and professionalism. I am in awe of Ms. Walker’s skill in creating this character.

Emile Dresier is tied with Dawn for most hated character. What he did in Chapter 35 is absolutely vile. The scene haunted me, particularly this line from Ana’s POV: “It didn’t matter if she did or if she didn’t. The only thing she knew that mattered in that moment was that she would have sold her soul for the comfort of being held.” (pg. 230)

The raw ache inside of Ana made her actions completely believable. It also made Emile that much more despicable. Ms. Walker did an excellent job capturing the victim mentality and the endless cycle of shame and disgust that keeps victims trapped in abuse.

Raw, Emotional Storytelling

The emotion of this book gripped me from the beginning and carried me through the narrative. The physical and psychological abuse the girls suffered was appalling. Their “Orphans” nickname was sadly appropriate, as they had zero guidance from responsible adults. They were vulnerable children at the mercy of predatory adults. It was infuriating. It was incomprehensible.

This book will fill you with the same rage Ana was taught to weave from her unmitigated fear and sorrow. It will bring you to tears, crying alongside her. Emotion is the engine of this story, propelling the reader down a track that plunges into despair before finally arriving at a sense of peace.

Rating

I rate this book 4 out of 5 stars and strongly recommend it to anyone who appreciates a deeper emotional arc in a thriller. There was plenty of action and tension, but the focus was more on relationships and power dynamics. I personally love that in a story! I care more about people than plot points. Action alone bores me, but give me complex relationship dynamics and I’m sold.

I commend Ms. Walker for bringing me on such a powerful emotional journey. This book will stay with me for a long time.