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3.9 AVERAGE
3.9 AVERAGE
DNF - got about 60% of the way through.
I’ll update later with my thoughts
I’ll update later with my thoughts
This fantasy novel is a good chaser for folks who have finished with the Game of Thrones. This is a world that is equally gritty, sexy, traitorous and murderous. Weeks has created a very interesting definition of magic that complements the normal world without so completely dominating that any non-magical character is irrelevant. I highly recommend this book for fans of adult fantasy, but be prepared to get hooked for the full series, cuz I know I am.
Kept me hooked and constantly thinking. I loved it, though at times it got a bit out of hand. :P
adventurous
dark
mysterious
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
My mistake was starting at least two other fantasy genre books at the same time as I was reading this one. It was pretty good, but I ended up putting it aside to finish the others. I bought the omnibus, so I plan to read all three at some point.
This was a read recommended by my husband. He's been really into the idea of us reading books closer together, and this is what he wanted me to read. I was pleasantly surprised, I must admit. I quite enjoyed this. I've had some heavier reads lately, and I was a little hesitant about this one because of the page count, but it went by really quickly and enjoyably. It is very readable, and even though there are dark events, it's not generally a heavy book, which I appreciated.
Beyond the easy readability of this, I thought that the characters were pretty great. The main character is shown over the course of around 10 years, and I really enjoyed watching him grow and learn. This can be a touchy thing for me, as I'm experiencing with another current read. Sometimes, I feel like telling a story over a long span of time like this result in a complete disconnect from the characters and plot, but that wasn't an issue at all. Weeks does a really good job of keeping everything connecting and giving the reader all the details needed to prevent confusion. Beyond the main character, there's a host of other interesting and unique characters. Even though quite a few people get mentioned throughout the book, I was easily able to keep everyone straight.
In terms of plot, the first half of the book spans quite a stretch of time, so the plot doesn't flow as smoothly as the second half. Still, I thought that Weeks did a good job of introducing people and situations without making things boring. And that second half, when events start to pick up! Things got really exciting! The book definitely picked up some of that 'can't put it down' quality, and there were some twists that I didn't see coming at all.
On the other hand, this is a debut work, and it sometimes shows. As others have mentioned, there are some moments of excessive scene-setting and architectural detail. There was also a bit of an emotional disconnect from the characters. I generally liked a lot of the characters, but I didn't find myself terribly attached to most of them, which is one of my key ingredients of a 5-star read. Still, this was a quick and enjoyable read, and I'm excited to move on to the next book in the series. (The hubby just finished it yesterday, so it'll probably be my next read.)
Beyond the easy readability of this, I thought that the characters were pretty great. The main character is shown over the course of around 10 years, and I really enjoyed watching him grow and learn. This can be a touchy thing for me, as I'm experiencing with another current read. Sometimes, I feel like telling a story over a long span of time like this result in a complete disconnect from the characters and plot, but that wasn't an issue at all. Weeks does a really good job of keeping everything connecting and giving the reader all the details needed to prevent confusion. Beyond the main character, there's a host of other interesting and unique characters. Even though quite a few people get mentioned throughout the book, I was easily able to keep everyone straight.
In terms of plot, the first half of the book spans quite a stretch of time, so the plot doesn't flow as smoothly as the second half. Still, I thought that Weeks did a good job of introducing people and situations without making things boring. And that second half, when events start to pick up! Things got really exciting! The book definitely picked up some of that 'can't put it down' quality, and there were some twists that I didn't see coming at all.
On the other hand, this is a debut work, and it sometimes shows. As others have mentioned, there are some moments of excessive scene-setting and architectural detail. There was also a bit of an emotional disconnect from the characters. I generally liked a lot of the characters, but I didn't find myself terribly attached to most of them, which is one of my key ingredients of a 5-star read. Still, this was a quick and enjoyable read, and I'm excited to move on to the next book in the series. (The hubby just finished it yesterday, so it'll probably be my next read.)
You know what, I have NO IDEA why I waited so long to read a Brent Weeks book. i have been told by various people that he's like marmite and you either love or hate his writing and for me that was a little intimidating I suppose and I wasn't sure which way it was going to go. However, after James convinced me to start with the first book in this series I am thoroughly happy and elated that I did follow his advice, and I can say with certainty that Weeks is a new favourite author for me.
This book is action, fantasy, adventure, and a coming-of-age story. It's also political, it's dark, it's savage, it's mysterious, and it's grim. I really, really enjoyed this, and I have to say that the last 3rd of this book was impeccable. So many twists and turns, so many crazy things that there was no way I could anticipate, yet it all still made sense and it was all exciting.
This is the story of Azoth, a young boy who grows up in the Warrens (the poor district) as part of a gang which is run by a horrible creature named Rat. Rat beats his followers, he's nasty, cruel and perverted. He's a dark and grim character, and truly I despised him (which is good and really shows Week\s skill at character creation). Azoth doesn't like his life, in fact he hates it so much and fears for his own safety and his friend's safety that he wants to apprentice himself to Durzo Blint, the city's most deadly assassin.
The story is a crazy whirlwind of action and excitement straight from the start, and I found it really interesting to dive in and enjoy it. The story is fast-moving and I could tell early on that this book was going to be at least a 4* book for me, because I was just so engaged, however as the book and story went on and everything was dramatically ramped up in intensity I slowly noticed myself getting more and more drawn in and loving the book more and more. By the final third of this book I couldn't put it down and I read this in basically 2 long sittings and one shorter. If I'd had more time I think I'd have just read it straight through!
So, this is a classic fantasy world in some ways, for example we have magic, mages, assassin's, councils, Kings, plots and more, but equally there were some interesting twists to these things which make it original and unique. This is a Grimdark book if ever I saw one, and was a lot more brutal in places than I had anticipated it being, but it was all the more shocking and engaging because of that.
I liked the characters in this probably as much as the ever-changing plot. The character of Kyler and Durzo were by far my favourites because they each go through some personal battles with morals and integrity. I thought Kyler grew a lot over the course of this book and he was ace by the end of it. He really develops as he faces many trials and problems, he trains hard, fights harder, and he's an all-round bad-ass (well, when he's thinking hard enough to outwit those he faces).
On the other hand Durzo is a bad-ass from the start and he's a crazily good assassin. He's a very mysterious and questionable character and you never truly know where you stand with him because as his secrets are slowly revealed there is both honour and shame to his actions. He's a good master and a great teacher, yet he's also brutal, mean and nasty when he needs to be. Seeing his battle with the external forces which influenced him was really great and I was always engaged with seeing what his character would throw out next.
Momma K and Elene were also both very cool characters in their own way. I liked the aloof aura that Momma K has around her and her status. She's a very skilled and wise woman who's worked her way to the top of the Courtesans, and I think her wisdom and ideas really helped our main characters to blossom and develop.
Elene was a very interesting character because of her roots and her backstory. She has grown up in a world where she knows little about how she got to where she is, and her fantastical way of viewing things was both heartening and dashing as the story tested what she believed. I think there were some moments with her character which shows resilience and love, and I think she's a character I would like to see more of.
Logan was another character whom I came to love over the course of this book and truly he is a gentleman. He's a son of a Duke and he's abandoned early on by his father due to political makeovers. He has to grow into a role before expected to, and he has to become a leader to his house and his friends. He's a kind character, loving character and very enjoyable to read about. his interest in doing what's right and fighting for justice made him a great part of the plot, and he certainly because much stronger as the story went on.
In this book we have a few storylines we follow. The main one is that of the main character but there's another storyline which involves the other race in this world, the Khalidoran. There are various political plots going on involving this other race and people who are connected with them, and whilst I found that story to be intriguing, we see far less of that and it seems more to be a set up for more revelations following those characters in the next two books.
Overall, in case you can't already tell, I really enjoyed this book, a lot more than I had initially anticipated, and I would 100% recommend it. I will be picking up the next two books in this series as soon as I can and reading them, and I look forward to it :) Highly recommended (I'm not sure why people don't like Weeks, but I say that I really do!)
This book is action, fantasy, adventure, and a coming-of-age story. It's also political, it's dark, it's savage, it's mysterious, and it's grim. I really, really enjoyed this, and I have to say that the last 3rd of this book was impeccable. So many twists and turns, so many crazy things that there was no way I could anticipate, yet it all still made sense and it was all exciting.
This is the story of Azoth, a young boy who grows up in the Warrens (the poor district) as part of a gang which is run by a horrible creature named Rat. Rat beats his followers, he's nasty, cruel and perverted. He's a dark and grim character, and truly I despised him (which is good and really shows Week\s skill at character creation). Azoth doesn't like his life, in fact he hates it so much and fears for his own safety and his friend's safety that he wants to apprentice himself to Durzo Blint, the city's most deadly assassin.
The story is a crazy whirlwind of action and excitement straight from the start, and I found it really interesting to dive in and enjoy it. The story is fast-moving and I could tell early on that this book was going to be at least a 4* book for me, because I was just so engaged, however as the book and story went on and everything was dramatically ramped up in intensity I slowly noticed myself getting more and more drawn in and loving the book more and more. By the final third of this book I couldn't put it down and I read this in basically 2 long sittings and one shorter. If I'd had more time I think I'd have just read it straight through!
So, this is a classic fantasy world in some ways, for example we have magic, mages, assassin's, councils, Kings, plots and more, but equally there were some interesting twists to these things which make it original and unique. This is a Grimdark book if ever I saw one, and was a lot more brutal in places than I had anticipated it being, but it was all the more shocking and engaging because of that.
I liked the characters in this probably as much as the ever-changing plot. The character of Kyler and Durzo were by far my favourites because they each go through some personal battles with morals and integrity. I thought Kyler grew a lot over the course of this book and he was ace by the end of it. He really develops as he faces many trials and problems, he trains hard, fights harder, and he's an all-round bad-ass (well, when he's thinking hard enough to outwit those he faces).
On the other hand Durzo is a bad-ass from the start and he's a crazily good assassin. He's a very mysterious and questionable character and you never truly know where you stand with him because as his secrets are slowly revealed there is both honour and shame to his actions. He's a good master and a great teacher, yet he's also brutal, mean and nasty when he needs to be. Seeing his battle with the external forces which influenced him was really great and I was always engaged with seeing what his character would throw out next.
Momma K and Elene were also both very cool characters in their own way. I liked the aloof aura that Momma K has around her and her status. She's a very skilled and wise woman who's worked her way to the top of the Courtesans, and I think her wisdom and ideas really helped our main characters to blossom and develop.
Elene was a very interesting character because of her roots and her backstory. She has grown up in a world where she knows little about how she got to where she is, and her fantastical way of viewing things was both heartening and dashing as the story tested what she believed. I think there were some moments with her character which shows resilience and love, and I think she's a character I would like to see more of.
Logan was another character whom I came to love over the course of this book and truly he is a gentleman. He's a son of a Duke and he's abandoned early on by his father due to political makeovers. He has to grow into a role before expected to, and he has to become a leader to his house and his friends. He's a kind character, loving character and very enjoyable to read about. his interest in doing what's right and fighting for justice made him a great part of the plot, and he certainly because much stronger as the story went on.
In this book we have a few storylines we follow. The main one is that of the main character but there's another storyline which involves the other race in this world, the Khalidoran. There are various political plots going on involving this other race and people who are connected with them, and whilst I found that story to be intriguing, we see far less of that and it seems more to be a set up for more revelations following those characters in the next two books.
Overall, in case you can't already tell, I really enjoyed this book, a lot more than I had initially anticipated, and I would 100% recommend it. I will be picking up the next two books in this series as soon as I can and reading them, and I look forward to it :) Highly recommended (I'm not sure why people don't like Weeks, but I say that I really do!)
I really liked this book, the plot and the characters were really interesting.