Eternal Blades
DETAILS: Series: Maks Kolba, #1 Publication Date: October 5, 2025 Format: Paperback Length: 252 pg. Read Date: June 20-22, 2026
What’s Eternal Blades About?
In the middle of a nasty snowstorm, Maks Kolba tries to drive home from work and comes across dragon and a winged warrior of some sorts in the middle of an epic combat. He can’t believe his eyes, but he also has to get out and see what’s happening. He perhaps got a little too close—but no matter.
He wakes up the next day in his room—completely unscathed, but with a voice in his head. He’s apparently replaced the winged warrior in their multi-dimensional war against that dragon and its ilk.
Poor Maks now has to get used to this seemingly-permament voice in his head (think Roen and Tao) as he tries to understand his new abilities and powers, learns to combat his foes, successfully get the police to stop asking questions about that night in the storm, and to try to figure out what he’s going to do after he graduates from high school.
Senior years are just never easy…
Why did I pick this up? Why did I keep reading?
I met Imakaev at the Nampa Library’s Book Fair and not only was it a fun chat, his book seemed like it’d be plenty of fun.
I kept with it because it was a fast and engaging read—it didn’t take itself too seriously and had some fun with things—but it still treated the stakes as important. It was just an entertaining read.
What does this book tell us about humanity?
One of the things I appreciated most was the way a bunch of people got together to address a looming calamity. These people had little in common (some were open antagonistic toward each other), not all of them believed in the supernatural forces before their eyes—or that there was anything good that possibly could come from them. But a threat was there, and obvious, and they were able to set all of that aside to work for a common goal, and form some sort of bond over it. Bonds that might be tested—probably will be—and some may not stand up to the pressure. But still—a common goal was faced.
It’s easy to focus on division right now. It’s nice to see an example of the alternative—and a nice reminder that humans frequently act that way.
So, what did I think about Eternal Blades?
This was fun! A solid action-adventure for younger YA readers* with some cool supernatural aspects.
It’s easy to like these characters—even those who are a bit prickly. The supernatural system is pretty cool. The action scenes are well excuted and will keep you turning the pages as fast as you can. It took me very little time to decide that I could’ve read this in one sitting if I just had the time.
It feels like I should have a lot more to say, but…I really don’t. It’s a great intro to this universe, we get just enough of the supernatural world to entice and satisfy for the purposes of this book and to still have questions, and, welllll…basically, I want more of these, and I want them soon.
* Or readers who don’t get hung up on that kind of thing.
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