Review – The Thrice-Bound Fool (The Blacktongue, Book 2) by Chistopher Buehlman (4/5 stars)

Reading Level: Adult
Genre: Fantasy
Length: 370 pages
Publisher: Tor Books
Release Date: October 13, 2026
ASIN: B0G76V6XNQ
Stand Alone or Series: 2nd book in The Blacktongue series (can be read as a stand alone)
Source: eGalley from NetGalley for Review
Rating: 4/5 stars

“Professional thief and inveterate trickster Kinch Na Shannack has always enjoyed a good book. But now his life, and the future of all of Manreach, depends on deciphering a very bad book indeed; a stolen, sentient tome that tries to kill him every time he opens it—and often when it’s closed.

Galva, veteran of the goblin wars and death’s sworn handmaiden, has vowed to protect Kinch while he mines the book for its dark magic and even darker secrets. She does so not for Kinch’s sake—though the cheeky bastard is growing on her—but because the book is the key to stopping the shadowy tyrants out to kill the queen she serves—and loves.

The ruthless, all-seeing Taker’s Guild dogs their every step, and thief and knight must flee the known world entirely if they hope to succeed. But trouble finds Kinch wherever he goes, and the pair may have traded the devil they know for horrors far darker and hungrier as they enter lands unknown.”

Series Info/Source: This is the 3rd book in the Riftwalker series, but each book can be read as a stand alone. I got an eGalley of this from NetGalley for Review

Thoughts: I liked “The Blacktongue Thief” a bit more than this book, but enjoyed this more than “The Daughters’ War”. Buehlman has a completely unique way of writing and Kinch Na Shannack’s voice is distinct and unlike anything you’ve read before.

In this installment Kinch and Galva are fleeing from Kinch’s shadow guild into the mountains to allow Kinch time to learn dark secrets and spells from an evil book. Glava hopes that these new secrets and spells will help protect her beloved queen from Kinch’s shadow guild. However, right from the beginning of the journey, things go horribly wrong.

This book is gory, crass, and not for the faint of heart; similar to the other two books in this series. We are back to more humor here (versus “The Daughters’ War”, which was very dark throughout) and many parts in the first half of the book had me laughing out loud. I really enjoyed the humor, the action, and the adventure of the first half.

Things slow down quite a bit mid-book, and I struggled to get through some of these parts. The events that do happen are a bit wonky and hard to picture and follow. The story also gets much darker as we get into the second half of the book, and I just didn’t find this as enjoyable or entertaining to read. While I enjoyed the descriptions, sometimes the story gets a bogged down by these long descriptions. I would find myself skimming these portions and then have to force myself to go back and re-read those parts.

I really enjoyed the unique way language is used throughout. This series is really unlike anything else I have read, so I appreciate the novelty here. I also really loved how Kinch and Galva gain depth as characters and grow as traveling companions. I loved the adventure component to this story and enjoyed this complex world full of goblins, giants, and gods.

The ending is well done, and it seems like we can expect another book in this series (I hope). I would definitely recommend reading “The Blacktongue Thief” before reading this book. I would also recommend reading “The Daughters’ War” before reading this so you have Galva’s background; however, be prepared for a dark and depressing read when you read that one. I do think you could skip “The Daughters’ War” and get through this book fine; you just won’t understand Galva and her motivations as well.

My Summary (4/5): Overall I enjoyed this, not quite as much as “The Blacktongue Thief” but more than “That Daughters’ War”. I love the unique world here and really enjoy Kinch’s turns of phrase and general nuttiness. This is crass, gory, and a lot of fun. While this book started incredibly entertaining and moved at a good pace initially, it really slowed down mid-book and started to drag. Things did pick up again towards the end. I plan to continue with this series and look forward to the next book when it releases.