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kcirtap's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
heathernh1996's review against another edition
2.0
Prose was ok (which is saying a lot) but there wasn't enough characterization for me. It was mostly about the plot, which didn't quite suck me in. I quit 1/3 of the way through, or before that.
mellhay's review against another edition
5.0
I was so tangled up in the story, needing to hear every word spoken, that I couldn't have other sounds around me. Everything drifted away as I was engulfed in the tale spun with these assassins and their mystery to solve.
I love how we learn about the assassins as we read of Girton and his Master, who are assassins, looking to solve the mystery of who hired another assassin to kill the kings heir. So well constructed together!
****FULL REVIEW TO FOLLOW****
I love how we learn about the assassins as we read of Girton and his Master, who are assassins, looking to solve the mystery of who hired another assassin to kill the kings heir. So well constructed together!
****FULL REVIEW TO FOLLOW****
rollforlibrarian's review against another edition
4.0
Early in reading this I thought I would be giving it two stars. Glad to be proven wrong. Not a strong start but it grew on me and I thoroughly enjoyed the latter two thirds or thereabouts
drknightingale's review against another edition
4.0
Fun debut. I love fantasy books about people being trained in their craft, especially martial combat. It's a genre of fantasy that I really enjoy, as its far more pleasant than reliving my own high school memories. Age of Assassins doesn't quite fit the genre because by the time the protagonist arrives in his training, he's already been trained as an assassin for years and is just pretending to be a squire-student, but it has the same feel.
thereadingstray's review against another edition
fast-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? No
1.75
mary_soon_lee's review against another edition
4.0
This is the opening book in an epic fantasy trilogy. Narrated by a fifteen-year-old apprentice assassin, it fits comfortably into a heroic, European-flavored tradition, yet is distinct enough not to feel generic. In particular, the fight sequences, the impact of magic, and the character of the book's hero are all nicely handled. I was by turns interested, amused, moved, swept up in the story's sweep, and generally well entertained. I note that, in addition to swashbuckling assassinship and coming-of-age elements, the story also has a mystery thread running through it, which, while occasionally drawn-out, comes to a satisfying conclusion.
In some ways, this reminds me of the start of another fantasy series that I read two months earlier: the Spellslinger series by Sebastien de Castell. Both were fun to read, with effective moments of humor. Both have an original take on magic. Both have a sympathetic young male narrator, who is helped by an older, wiser, highly skilled, intriguing woman. But I preferred this book; its world and its characters seemed one shade truer, one shade more memorable.
In some ways, this reminds me of the start of another fantasy series that I read two months earlier: the Spellslinger series by Sebastien de Castell. Both were fun to read, with effective moments of humor. Both have an original take on magic. Both have a sympathetic young male narrator, who is helped by an older, wiser, highly skilled, intriguing woman. But I preferred this book; its world and its characters seemed one shade truer, one shade more memorable.
jimber101's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
bookish_satty's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
3.5
Well I'm quite conflicted about my feelings regarding this book. To be honest for the first 60% nothing much happened plot wise which was quite boring for me as I'm mainly a plot driven reader. I thought about DNFing the book twice but kept on reading because I love Joe Jameson's narration so much.
I liked the main character but I'm quite exhausted reading about coming of age stories where teenagers don't listen to good advice and just keep mooning over crushes and fret about how to fit in with their peers when world ending events are happening just under their noses. I know I was the same when I was a teenager but after a while this trope becomes tedious to get through when all the popular fantasy series I keep picking up ends up having this trope.
I loved Merala's Character a lot more but we don't get to see a lot of her and what we do see is only from Girton's POV which in my opinion didn't do justice to her character. I had the same problem with Justice of Kings by Richard Swan where I loved Sir Konrad but hated having to experience his story from Helena's POV because of the same 'coming of age' trope. Oh well!
I didn't like or connect to any of the side characters which was a shame. Unfortunately I figured out both of the main mysteries regarding the assassination of the heir as well as the identity of the sorcerer a lot sooner than the actual revelation which dimmed my excitement a lot. I loved the writing style a lot.
Overall a good story and awesome Audiobook narration.
I liked the main character but I'm quite exhausted reading about coming of age stories where teenagers don't listen to good advice and just keep mooning over crushes and fret about how to fit in with their peers when world ending events are happening just under their noses. I know I was the same when I was a teenager but after a while this trope becomes tedious to get through when all the popular fantasy series I keep picking up ends up having this trope.
I loved Merala's Character a lot more but we don't get to see a lot of her and what we do see is only from Girton's POV which in my opinion didn't do justice to her character. I had the same problem with Justice of Kings by Richard Swan where I loved Sir Konrad but hated having to experience his story from Helena's POV because of the same 'coming of age' trope. Oh well!
I didn't like or connect to any of the side characters which was a shame. Unfortunately I figured out both of the main mysteries regarding the assassination of the heir as well as the identity of the sorcerer a lot sooner than the actual revelation which dimmed my excitement a lot. I loved the writing style a lot.
Overall a good story and awesome Audiobook narration.