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titusfortner 's review for:
The Emperor's Blades
by Brian Staveley
I had a hard time putting this book down (figuratively since I'm listening to the audio book). The world is fascinating, the mysteries intriguing, and the protagonists at least emotionally relatable. The narrators are the three children of a murdered king, each living under completely different circumstances (the crown prince learning important lessons at a monastery, his brother training to join the most elite units of the military, and his older sister learning to operate the political system at the capital knowing she can never rule the kingdom.
Technically this is another entry in the grimdark genre. I did not find it as audacious in scope as Game of Thrones, or as weighty as the absolutely brilliant (but emotionally draining) First Law trilogy by Joe Abercrombie. In this first book at least I've been able to mostly skip past the dark parts and enjoy the humor and become engrossed in this very well paced and well structured plot.
Technically this is another entry in the grimdark genre. I did not find it as audacious in scope as Game of Thrones, or as weighty as the absolutely brilliant (but emotionally draining) First Law trilogy by Joe Abercrombie. In this first book at least I've been able to mostly skip past the dark parts and enjoy the humor and become engrossed in this very well paced and well structured plot.