Take a photo of a barcode or cover
3.9 AVERAGE
3.9 AVERAGE
An excellent intro to the series. Fantastic characters, very compelling plot and and a non-stop pace. I'm amazed that Brent Weeks managed to create two main characters, both with decidedly unsavoury lifestyles, and yet both compelling, and somehow overall good. A fantastic read that had me hating to put the book down. Looking forward to reading the second in the series.
I found it to be a action-packed and enjoyable fantasy read. I loved that Weeks did not shy away from having bad things (including death) happen to appealing characters. I thought this gave the book some much needed grit that I would expect in the harsh world that he created.
I really enjoyed the action/battle sequences, perhaps because I am a D&D dork. For the last several chapters, I could not stop listening (I listened to the audio book).
I also like the myriad of characters and the way the author wove their lives together. There were even times that I was touched by the story and found some extra moisture in my eyes.
Having said that, the characters could use some more depth. Also, for a group of hard core survivors living in a harsh world, I thought that everyone fell for the treacherous plot just a little too easily. And, for characters who were good to the point of being willing to sacrifice themselves for others, there also seemed to be a whole lot of willingness to sell out their precious few trusted compatriots.
Also, while some of the battle scenes were fantastic, the pacing was inconsistent and there were parts of the book that seemed to drag. Probably a good thing, because otherwise I may not have gotten anything done for the very long duration of the audio book.
Perhaps because I listened to the audio book, I was a little confused about Dorian actually turned out to be. Was he a bad guy or a good guy? This was not very clear to me at all. Maybe I missed something?
Finally, the biggest reason that I downgraded my rating to 3 stars was the few chapters where I felt like there was the beating of the one true god horse. This just did not seem to fit the context of the rest of the book, and maybe it was just me, it felt a little like I was having some religion forced into it, which is kind of a turn off for me. I almost gave up on the book at one point because of this, but then I felt it got beyond its preachy point and let it go to enjoy the rest of the book.
PS - I really liked the cover art. The covers for books two and three did not play out as well, but I really like this one.
I really enjoyed the action/battle sequences, perhaps because I am a D&D dork. For the last several chapters, I could not stop listening (I listened to the audio book).
I also like the myriad of characters and the way the author wove their lives together. There were even times that I was touched by the story and found some extra moisture in my eyes.
Having said that, the characters could use some more depth. Also, for a group of hard core survivors living in a harsh world, I thought that everyone fell for the treacherous plot just a little too easily. And, for characters who were good to the point of being willing to sacrifice themselves for others, there also seemed to be a whole lot of willingness to sell out their precious few trusted compatriots.
Also, while some of the battle scenes were fantastic, the pacing was inconsistent and there were parts of the book that seemed to drag. Probably a good thing, because otherwise I may not have gotten anything done for the very long duration of the audio book.
Perhaps because I listened to the audio book, I was a little confused about Dorian actually turned out to be. Was he a bad guy or a good guy? This was not very clear to me at all. Maybe I missed something?
Finally, the biggest reason that I downgraded my rating to 3 stars was the few chapters where I felt like there was the beating of the one true god horse. This just did not seem to fit the context of the rest of the book, and maybe it was just me, it felt a little like I was having some religion forced into it, which is kind of a turn off for me. I almost gave up on the book at one point because of this, but then I felt it got beyond its preachy point and let it go to enjoy the rest of the book.
PS - I really liked the cover art. The covers for books two and three did not play out as well, but I really like this one.
Tell me a book is written by a man without telling me it’s written by a man:
“He was suddenly silenced as breasts went past. No, not just breasts. The breasts. They were perfect.”
“He was suddenly silenced as breasts went past. No, not just breasts. The breasts. They were perfect.”
I’m super picky about my fantasy books (with Scott Lynch and George R. R. Martin being my favorites), and I really loved this book. It’s gritty (but only to make the triumphs that much more beautiful), the characters are gray and complicated (i.e., seemingly real), and the plot has plenty of fun twists.
Fuck it, I give up. DNF at 67%.
This book is probably one of the most boring books I have ever had the misfortune of experiencing. Absolutely everything is dull. The writing does absolutely nothing for me. The characters are bland. I didn’t care enough to want to even attempt to learn the magic system. And the plot seemed to be going absolutely nowhere.
Now, I rarely ever DNF books. Usually I will finish any book, no matter how bad. But this was just so mind-numbingly boring that I just couldn’t push myself to read it anymore. Normally, when a book is slow like this one, the characters can make it up for me, but the characters in this book are just as boring as the plot. The only character I even remotely liked was Logan, and even he was super bland. The love interest did absolutely nothing for me, and I hated how Kylar was more focused on her rather than the job he was supposed to be doing. In fact, he reminded me of another incredibly infuriating character in that regard (cough cough Celaena Sardothien cough cough). I hated the decisions he made, and I also thought the relationship between him and Durzo Blint was just not good. They didn’t seem to hate each other, but they also didn’t seem to like each other, so it just felt unnatural and pointless. If you’re spending something like 10 years of your life around one person, you’re going to form an opinion about them, whether it be a positive or negative one.
Overlooking the super boring characters, I just couldn’t bring myself to care about anything in the story, whether it be the plot or the magic system or the world building. Because I didn’t care about the characters, I didn’t care about what happened to them, and therefore didn’t care when they explained magic that could possibly affect them. Basically, this entire review could be summed up by saying “I didn’t care”. Because I really didn’t.
0/10, would not recommend. Obviously, I will not be continuing on with the series.
This book is probably one of the most boring books I have ever had the misfortune of experiencing. Absolutely everything is dull. The writing does absolutely nothing for me. The characters are bland. I didn’t care enough to want to even attempt to learn the magic system. And the plot seemed to be going absolutely nowhere.
Now, I rarely ever DNF books. Usually I will finish any book, no matter how bad. But this was just so mind-numbingly boring that I just couldn’t push myself to read it anymore. Normally, when a book is slow like this one, the characters can make it up for me, but the characters in this book are just as boring as the plot. The only character I even remotely liked was Logan, and even he was super bland. The love interest did absolutely nothing for me, and I hated how Kylar was more focused on her rather than the job he was supposed to be doing. In fact, he reminded me of another incredibly infuriating character in that regard (cough cough Celaena Sardothien cough cough). I hated the decisions he made, and I also thought the relationship between him and Durzo Blint was just not good. They didn’t seem to hate each other, but they also didn’t seem to like each other, so it just felt unnatural and pointless. If you’re spending something like 10 years of your life around one person, you’re going to form an opinion about them, whether it be a positive or negative one.
Overlooking the super boring characters, I just couldn’t bring myself to care about anything in the story, whether it be the plot or the magic system or the world building. Because I didn’t care about the characters, I didn’t care about what happened to them, and therefore didn’t care when they explained magic that could possibly affect them. Basically, this entire review could be summed up by saying “I didn’t care”. Because I really didn’t.
0/10, would not recommend. Obviously, I will not be continuing on with the series.
This book takes place in such a grim world that normally I would have bailed after the first 50 pages. However, the plot and the characters are so interesting that it kept be turning pages for all 650. Besides the predominance of evil, the only other negative is that the magic and politics are somewhat confusing. Even after finishing, I still don’t understand how the major artifact works. Because of how gripping it was, I’m giving it four stars; however, because of how grim the world is, I’m still on the fence about proceeding to book two.
8/10
This was an epic beginning to what I feel like will be one of my new favorite trilogies. "The Way of Shadows" is by far the darkest fantasy book I've read yet, with murder rampant and not even frowned upon by the main characters. As becomes a mantra for one character, "Life means nothing. We take nothing when we take a life." The entire book is a mess of pain, death, betrayals, revelations, revenge, and blood, mixed with philosophy and magic and history. I've never read something with so much evil in it, while at the same time bringing humanity to all of the characters.
It was a fantastic read, by far better than any of his Lightbringer books in my opinion, so I'm ready for the next installment.
This was an epic beginning to what I feel like will be one of my new favorite trilogies. "The Way of Shadows" is by far the darkest fantasy book I've read yet, with murder rampant and not even frowned upon by the main characters. As becomes a mantra for one character, "Life means nothing. We take nothing when we take a life." The entire book is a mess of pain, death, betrayals, revelations, revenge, and blood, mixed with philosophy and magic and history. I've never read something with so much evil in it, while at the same time bringing humanity to all of the characters.
It was a fantastic read, by far better than any of his Lightbringer books in my opinion, so I'm ready for the next installment.
No bueno. This book gave me anger-induced depression. Brilliant ideas - and such a strong start that I loved - ultimately executed so poorly that it hurts. 1 star more for my pain at the lost potential than it being bad. I’ll profitably end up going to 2 once I recover.
The author writes like a 12 year old. The pacing is throughly confusing and takes away from what could have been brilliant ideas. Some characters are so confused and confusing. It just boggles the mind. The end was a clusterfuck.
The author writes like a 12 year old. The pacing is throughly confusing and takes away from what could have been brilliant ideas. Some characters are so confused and confusing. It just boggles the mind. The end was a clusterfuck.
MADRE MIA QUE PEDAZO DE LIBRO EN SERIO ME ESTOY MURIENDO LO AMO DEMASIADO
This book reminded me a little bit of a Scott Lynch and Joe Abercrombie love child.
The story is about a young guild rat who gives it all up to apprentice to the number one wetboy in the city, Durzo Blint. A wetboy being an assassin who has the Talent and can use magic. (Strange terminology I know!)
Life is empty. Life is meaningless. When we take a life, we aren't taking anything of value. Wetboys are killers. That's all we do. That's all we are. There are no poets in the bitter business.
This book surprised me with its darkness.
Looking for a story where the heroic good guy defeats evil and gets the girl? You won't find it here. The characters are scarred, the battles bloody and someone doesn't swoop in to save the good guy(s) at the last second.
Despite this I found myself enjoying it quite a bit. I felt the characters could have been developed a lot more, but I actually found myself liking them even when the lines between good and evil started to blur. And a few funny parts mixed in with epic battles kept me turning those pages.
"You're... you're shit! You shitting, shitting shit!"
"Your Majesty," Durzo said gravely. "A man of your stature's curing vocabulary ought to extend beyond a tedious reiteration of the excreta that fills the void between his ears."
I'm not sure why I took so long to actually pick this book up and read it. Recommended for any others out there who just can't get enough of assassins.
The story is about a young guild rat who gives it all up to apprentice to the number one wetboy in the city, Durzo Blint. A wetboy being an assassin who has the Talent and can use magic. (Strange terminology I know!)
Life is empty. Life is meaningless. When we take a life, we aren't taking anything of value. Wetboys are killers. That's all we do. That's all we are. There are no poets in the bitter business.
This book surprised me with its darkness.
Looking for a story where the heroic good guy defeats evil and gets the girl? You won't find it here. The characters are scarred, the battles bloody and someone doesn't swoop in to save the good guy(s) at the last second.
Despite this I found myself enjoying it quite a bit. I felt the characters could have been developed a lot more, but I actually found myself liking them even when the lines between good and evil started to blur. And a few funny parts mixed in with epic battles kept me turning those pages.
"You're... you're shit! You shitting, shitting shit!"
"Your Majesty," Durzo said gravely. "A man of your stature's curing vocabulary ought to extend beyond a tedious reiteration of the excreta that fills the void between his ears."
I'm not sure why I took so long to actually pick this book up and read it. Recommended for any others out there who just can't get enough of assassins.