Hi everyone! Welcome to my blog and the Master Assassins Blog Tour! I’m Simone of Simone and Her Books and I’ll be sharing my review of this wonderful new series.
Let’s get right into it!
Here’s some more about the book
Kandri Hinjuman was never meant to be a soldier. His brother Mektu was never meant for this world. Rivals since childhood, they are drafted into a horrific war led by a madwoman-Prophet, and survive each day only by hiding their disbelief. Kandri is good at blending in, but Mektu is hopeless: impulsive, erratic—and certain that a demon is stalking him. Is this madness or a second sense? Either way, Kandri knows that Mektu’s antics will land them both in early graves.
But all bets are off when the brothers’ simmering feud explodes into violence, and holy blood is spilled. Kandri and Mektu are taken for contract killers and must flee for their lives—to the one place where they can hope to disappear: the sprawling desert known as the Land that Eats Men. In this eerie wilderness, the terrain is as deadly as the monsters, ghouls, and traffickers in human flesh. Here the brothers find strange allies: an aging warlord, a desert nomad searching for her family, a lethal child-soldier still in her teens. They also find themselves in possession of a secret that could bring peace to the continent of Urrath. Or unthinkable carnage.
On their heels are the Prophet’s death squads. Ahead lie warring armies, sandstorms, evil spirits and the deeper evil of human greed. But hope beckons as well—if the “Master Assassins” can expose the lie that has made them the world’s most wanted men.
I’ve been slowly getting more into fantasy and high fantasy recently. I think it’s turning out to be one of my favorite genres and male fantasy authors is a place I haven’t explored yet. Yes, you have the classics like J.R.R. Tolkien, but with authors like George R.R. Martin, there’s a certain style to their books completely different from how female fantasy authors approach the genre.
I’m glad that I started with MASTER ASSASSINS in exploring the genre with male authors. It was definitely a different voice than I’m used to reading and took me some getting used to, but I still ended up loving this book.
Most of the book takes place with Kandri and Mektu and their friends fleeing from the Rasanga and the Prophet who is getting revenge for the deaths of her two sons. One of them just happen to be her favorite and is a little salty about that. The story is extremely rich with a ton of description and realistic characters and their actions. I really felt like I was on this journey with the boys escaping from this evil Prophet. The mistaken identity was well handled and you’ll definitely be binge reading this book.
What I loved the most is how Redick organized the book. The story is broken up into the present and the past. The present keeps the story moving forward so you’re always inundated with action and understanding of what’s happening. However, the story also gives you a glimpse into Kandri and Mektu’s past. You see how they grew up and how they basically made it to where they are. This kind of world building allows for the story to keep moving forward without having to stop and explain everything that’s going on.
I thought I would get lost in the names and language used here, but it was expertly done. I didn’t search around Google or for some appendix on what everything meant. I was able to enjoy the book without having to pull myself out of that joy.
The writing itself is not the most refined thing ever, but I think it works with the characters and high stakes situation these boys are in. There’s a lot of cursing and the language is simple, but it also makes for entertaining reading. If you’re a fan of big action films, then you know that there’s some rough and tumble language to convey stronger emotions.
I think the only thing that really annoyed me was the human trafficking and raping of women. Redick uses these two serious issues throughout the story, but I really wish it wasn’t women being sold off and put into brothels. I feel like in a new fantasy series coming out in 2018 you can do more than just have the bad guys raping women and selling them off.
However, Redick does use it well and also has a ton of female characters who are bad ass and fighting for themselves. I don’t know if it’s a good trade-off. As long as these issues serve a purpose to the plot, then I’m not totally against it. I will say that it is pretty jarring if you’re sensitive to that material.
Aside from that, I thought this book was great! If you’re into lots of action and adventure, brotherly relationships, and high fantasy, then I think you’ll love this one. It’s an amazing start to another epic fantasy series and I can’t wait to read the next one.
- Paperback: 458 pages
- Talos Press (March 6, 2018)
- Rating: 4/5 stars
- Buy Master Assassins on Amazon
Simone and Her Books is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com. This in no way affects my opinion of the above book.
I received a copy of this book from Skyhorse Publishing for free in exchange for an honest review. My opinions have not been influenced by the publisher or the author.
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