Helpful Score: 7
This is one of the best fantasy novels I have read in a long time. Its fast-paced action and gritty realism are secondary to the strong character development found in this first book in the trilogy. A young boy wants to get away from the poverty and crime in the streets by attaching himself to the most notorious wetboy, or hired assassin, in town. He gives up his name, his friends and his old life for a newer, darker one; but imperial politics and power shifts make it hard to know who to trust. Can an assassin ever really have any loyalties?
I loved everything about this book. The day I finished it I bought the next two in the series.
UPDATED to say that the rest of the series does not disappoint! I'll look for more from this author.
~Andrea
I loved everything about this book. The day I finished it I bought the next two in the series.
UPDATED to say that the rest of the series does not disappoint! I'll look for more from this author.
~Andrea
Helpful Score: 6
The story is something that I think most fantasy readers will be somewhat familiar with. Azoth is a young boy surviving on the streets of Cenaria City. An orphan and pickpocket, Azoth works with a cell of children that have been organized by Cenaria's large, nfluential crime syndicate. Seemingly by chance, Azoth meets Durzo Blint. Blint is a wetboy, a ruthless killer-for-hire who has magical gifts known as Talent. Azoth convinces Durzo Blint to take him on as an apprentice. He spends years working on learning the trade, but is frustrated because he cannot tap into his Talent--without which he cannot be a wetboy.
Meanwhile, Cenaria has troubles of it's own. In addition to a major Organized Crime problem, the king is weak and neighboring Khalidor has plans of conquest. As invaders swarm in, Azoth, now called Kyler Stern, has to find his Talent, no matter what the cost, to save his country and those he holds dear.
Like I said, this plot sounds pretty familiar. So much so that it starts to feel like a road well travelled. But that's okay. THE WAY OF SHADOWS is comfort reading at it's best, and it was exactly what I was looking for. The plot moves quickly, the characters are pretty fun, and the writing is decent.
In a year from now, I'll probably remember is the relationships in the book. The tag on the cover is "The perfect killer has no friends -- only targets." Kylar struggles all throughout the book with this. How can he be an effective wetboy, yet still retain his bonds with those close to him? In the end, it hurts him because Durzo uses those bonds to secretly use Kylar for his own purposes.
One thing I should mention, though, is that THE WAY OF SHADOWS is really, really gritty. Although the story has a lot of familiar plot elements, Weeks puts his characters through ugly situations. As an example, young Azoth has to kill another child in order to convince Durzo Blint to accept him on as a pupil. There's also a lot of harsh language, but I think that it's necessary for the story that Weeks is trying to tell. The nobles of the story are for the most part very civil, but they're a minority of the characters. Weeks is telling the story of criminals, killers, and prostitutes, and he doesn't try to sanitize them.
So, if you're squeamish about those types of things, I'd definitely steer clear. But if you don't mind that, and you're looking for a solidly plotted adventure trilogy, THE WAY OF SHADOWS would be a great place to start.
Meanwhile, Cenaria has troubles of it's own. In addition to a major Organized Crime problem, the king is weak and neighboring Khalidor has plans of conquest. As invaders swarm in, Azoth, now called Kyler Stern, has to find his Talent, no matter what the cost, to save his country and those he holds dear.
Like I said, this plot sounds pretty familiar. So much so that it starts to feel like a road well travelled. But that's okay. THE WAY OF SHADOWS is comfort reading at it's best, and it was exactly what I was looking for. The plot moves quickly, the characters are pretty fun, and the writing is decent.
In a year from now, I'll probably remember is the relationships in the book. The tag on the cover is "The perfect killer has no friends -- only targets." Kylar struggles all throughout the book with this. How can he be an effective wetboy, yet still retain his bonds with those close to him? In the end, it hurts him because Durzo uses those bonds to secretly use Kylar for his own purposes.
One thing I should mention, though, is that THE WAY OF SHADOWS is really, really gritty. Although the story has a lot of familiar plot elements, Weeks puts his characters through ugly situations. As an example, young Azoth has to kill another child in order to convince Durzo Blint to accept him on as a pupil. There's also a lot of harsh language, but I think that it's necessary for the story that Weeks is trying to tell. The nobles of the story are for the most part very civil, but they're a minority of the characters. Weeks is telling the story of criminals, killers, and prostitutes, and he doesn't try to sanitize them.
So, if you're squeamish about those types of things, I'd definitely steer clear. But if you don't mind that, and you're looking for a solidly plotted adventure trilogy, THE WAY OF SHADOWS would be a great place to start.
Derrick J. (ravensknight) reviewed The Way of Shadows (Night Angel, Bk 1) on + 178 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 5
A young boy becomes the apprentice to the cities top wetboy [super duper assassins] and grows up. Lots of intrigue and politics and the city falls to another kingdom. Turns out the Wetboy had a magical item and it ends up bonding with the apprentice, allowing him to become the next Night Angel, a creature that is a balance to 6 other magical creations.
It was a bit brutal and graphic. As the reviewer before me noted, this is "gritty" and about the underbelly element of a society. I certainly don't/can't recommend this to any younger teens because the level of ugliness in this book, while not in the really graphic/offensive region, pushes it to the edge, imo. Really well written though.
One side note. This is a LONG book. Be prepared for a long haul once you get into this.
It was a bit brutal and graphic. As the reviewer before me noted, this is "gritty" and about the underbelly element of a society. I certainly don't/can't recommend this to any younger teens because the level of ugliness in this book, while not in the really graphic/offensive region, pushes it to the edge, imo. Really well written though.
One side note. This is a LONG book. Be prepared for a long haul once you get into this.
Helpful Score: 2
This book was so hard to put down. I enjoyed the character development, the interactions between the characters, the unexpected happenings, everything. Parts I almost skimmed through because I just had to see what happened, knowing it was okay because I was going to read the book again anyway. Loved it.
Helpful Score: 2
How do I describe this book? It starts off sort of simple and then becomes more complex as you go along. At first when I got a sense of the city, I wasn't that impressed by the world building. II felt like it wasn't something I hadn't seen before: the groups of street children, the idea of Guilds, the corrupt king and unrest while a neighboring land populated by evil magic-doers plots to invade. It reminds me of a lot of other fantasy, but that was okay, because after the world building foundation was in place, the characters and the plot were so unique fascinating my earlier quibbles were forgotten and I enjoyed the book. The author also introduces some new-to-me magical aspects which are peppered throughout the story.
Overall I found this an gritty epic fantasy tale with more twists than a bag of pretzels. It didn't quite wring me out and I thought it was ultimately hopeful and worth the read, but it was a roller coaster. I'm very curious where things will go now.
Overall I found this an gritty epic fantasy tale with more twists than a bag of pretzels. It didn't quite wring me out and I thought it was ultimately hopeful and worth the read, but it was a roller coaster. I'm very curious where things will go now.
