jaredwsaltz 's review for:

The Emperor's Blades by Brian Staveley
4.0

Really quite excellent. This tells the story of three children of an emperor, each placed in a dramatically different training regime for 8 years. One is to become a warrior, one a philosopher, and the other a politician. They have been separated for 8 years, but with trouble brewing in the empire and the potential return of an ancient race, these three find themselves dramatically unprepared.

The characters are distinct and distinctly like able. The magic is familiar but fresh. The world is open and bears expansion. I read the first one quite quickly and was disappointed to learn that I wouldn't be able to read the second until January.