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Review: Darkblade Assassin

Darkblade Assassin (Hero of Darkness 1)

by Andy Peloquin

Reviewed by JMD Reid

Voramis is a city where every vice can be experienced and every sin indulged. In the dirty back alleys where the beggars eek out a painful existence and the perfumed corridors of the nobility stalks the Hunter. An assassin so feared, whispers of his almost demonic powers are heard in every alehouse and whorehouse.

The Hunter is a man without a past. The first thing he remembers is walking into Voarmis already carrying his dreaded dagger—Soulhunter. The dagger whispers in the Hunter’s mind, begging him to kill. His soul drenched in blood, the Hunter struggles to keep whatever threads of his humanity he can.

Everything changes when the Hunter kills a noble in bed with the Bloody Hand, the powerful syndicate that controls crime of Voramis from the shadows. The Bloody Hand are tired of the Hunter’s interference. They want to make an example of the rogue Hunter and show the citizens of Voramis just who controls the city. And those the Hunter care for will pay for his mistakes.

Darkblade Assassin is a fast paced, dark tale of revenge and redemption. The world the Hunter lives in is stained with filth, but moments of beauty emerge, whether its the orphan girl pushing her wheelbarrow of flowers or a young mother holding her child. Andy Peloquin keeps you reading the the hurtling plot, adding twists and turns as the Hunter carves a bloody path through the city.

The Hunter is a fascinating character. A man of with a thirst for blood that wars against his own nature at all turns. He exists only as a series of disguises, never letting even those he cares for to see who he truly is. His desire to protect the unfortunate dregs of Voramis is at odds with his dark soul.

If you’re a fan grimdark fantasy or just an exciting, fast-paced plot you’ll enjoy the dark world of the Darkblade Assassin!

I was given an ARC copy in exchange for an honest review.

You can buy Darkblade Assassin from Amazon. Check out Andy Peloquin’s website, connect on Linked In, follow him on Google Plus, like him on Twitter @AndyPeloquin, and like him on Facebook.

Review: Rule of Fire

Rule of Fire (Rise of the Five Orders 2)

by Autumn Brit

Reviewed by JMD Reid

 

81m171ahfFL._SL1500_The curse has been defeated. Ria, Niri, Ty, Liviana and there new allies Darag and Zhao can finally stop running. But now what do they do? They have escaped the Church’s wrath, defeated its most powerful creation: the curse.

They search for answers.

The curse had once been a man, and thanks to Ria’s powers, he has regained his human form. But he possesses none of his memories. Ria is desperate to understand her strange powers, and the only other man who can help her has no memories.

And in the ruins of the Temple of Dust, Sinnika, a High Priest and Fire Elemental of the church, is rescued from the prison Niri left him in. Sinnika burns to get revenge on his once pupil.

Rule of Fire is a great followup to Born of Water. Autumn nurtures the seeds the last book planted, the secrets buried in the past sprouting and are revealed to the light of day. Questions are answered, mysterious are solved, and a new war brews, sparked by the decisions of our heroes as they search for the answers they need to find peace.

The characters soon begin splitting up. The flight from the Church and its Curse was what kept them together, now other concerns move them. Niri has promised Kalila, the former Curse, that she would help him find his people.

Once again, the magic shines in this book. Autumn is always finding new ways to weave the magic into her action scenes. There are some tense moments in the middle part of the book as characters sneak through places they shouldn’t be, and Sinnika only grows as a more disgusting villain as the book grows.

If you read Born of Water and loved it, then you’ll find Rule of Fire even more satisfying, building on the solid foundation of book one. I’m excited to start Spirit of Law and find out how this story ends!

You can pick up Rule of Fire from Amazon.