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krgangi 's review for:
The Emperor's Blades
by Brian Staveley
I started The Emperor's Blades soon after reading A Song of Ice and Fire. I was searching for something that held the same qualities; multiple protagonists, characters you can love and hate, a plot that is as wide as a world our favorite authors create. When I researched this book, which is something I do very often before attempting a series, I found mixed reviews, and to be honest, I almost didn't give it a shot.
Glad I did, because hot damn.
If you've ever read my reviews, which you absolutely should, because I'm as transparent as a glass of water, you'll notice that I fall in love with books that have strong characterization and plot. That, in my opinion, is what makes a great story. At least, that is for me. So, if you're also one of those readers, I think you'll find answers here.
The Characters are so diverse and distant from one another but are still wrapped up in the same plot. Valyn is training to be an officer in an elite mercenary group. Kaden is training with a group of monks in the Bone Mountains, trying to master Zen, an trance of becoming both emotionless and painless. Adare is our princess, held up in the Dawn Palace, investigating the murder of her father.
I'm trying not to stick on each individual character, because I could rant on for hours, and nobody wants that. I will say, however, that all of these characters are very well done. Politics are hard to master in a book, but the way Staveley does it with Adare was simple to follow, yet intriguing all the same. You really feel for her as she investigates the murder of her father, and you also get a nice "who done it" feel with her story-line as it continues.
Kaden and Valyn are fun to read because they are literally just getting their ass kicked into shape. However, where one is trying to be the best officer in an elite mercenary group, one that flies on the backs of giant hawks, the other is enduring endless amount of pain so that he can become, simply put, apathetic.
If it didn't say it plainly, you would never guess that these characters were siblings, and Staveley does an awesome job winding the same plot within all three protagonists even if they are, quite literally, on the other side of the world.
As for the plot, in the first book at least, it's a fantasy mystery. We don't know who murdered the king, but we do not that it doesn't stop there. Things start happening with our protagonists; Valyn sees many "accidents" happening during training, and some of those accidents involve him in bodily harm, as well as attempts at ending his life. Adare, as she is conducting her own investigation, doesn't know who to trust anymore, and we see a threat hiding in the shadows for her. Kaden gives us a good feel about he history of our world, and why it's important to train the way he is.
There are many great qualities of this book. It's easy to follow, yet it doesn't feel simple. The characters are fun to learn about, yet they don't feel invincible. We think we know what it's going to be about, but we really don't have any idea until the end. Ancient enemies, blood and monsters, complicated magic, giant birds, and adventure. Overall, well done.
Glad I did, because hot damn.
If you've ever read my reviews, which you absolutely should, because I'm as transparent as a glass of water, you'll notice that I fall in love with books that have strong characterization and plot. That, in my opinion, is what makes a great story. At least, that is for me. So, if you're also one of those readers, I think you'll find answers here.
The Characters are so diverse and distant from one another but are still wrapped up in the same plot. Valyn is training to be an officer in an elite mercenary group. Kaden is training with a group of monks in the Bone Mountains, trying to master Zen, an trance of becoming both emotionless and painless. Adare is our princess, held up in the Dawn Palace, investigating the murder of her father.
I'm trying not to stick on each individual character, because I could rant on for hours, and nobody wants that. I will say, however, that all of these characters are very well done. Politics are hard to master in a book, but the way Staveley does it with Adare was simple to follow, yet intriguing all the same. You really feel for her as she investigates the murder of her father, and you also get a nice "who done it" feel with her story-line as it continues.
Kaden and Valyn are fun to read because they are literally just getting their ass kicked into shape. However, where one is trying to be the best officer in an elite mercenary group, one that flies on the backs of giant hawks, the other is enduring endless amount of pain so that he can become, simply put, apathetic.
If it didn't say it plainly, you would never guess that these characters were siblings, and Staveley does an awesome job winding the same plot within all three protagonists even if they are, quite literally, on the other side of the world.
As for the plot, in the first book at least, it's a fantasy mystery. We don't know who murdered the king, but we do not that it doesn't stop there. Things start happening with our protagonists; Valyn sees many "accidents" happening during training, and some of those accidents involve him in bodily harm, as well as attempts at ending his life. Adare, as she is conducting her own investigation, doesn't know who to trust anymore, and we see a threat hiding in the shadows for her. Kaden gives us a good feel about he history of our world, and why it's important to train the way he is.
There are many great qualities of this book. It's easy to follow, yet it doesn't feel simple. The characters are fun to learn about, yet they don't feel invincible. We think we know what it's going to be about, but we really don't have any idea until the end. Ancient enemies, blood and monsters, complicated magic, giant birds, and adventure. Overall, well done.