The Way of Shadows

How did 600 pages break and remake me 20 times? This book was a fantastic read.

The Way of Shadows is a re-read for me, although it does not show on goodreads. I originally read the entire trilogy when I was around 15 years old and I think I read it too fast as I didn't remember what happened right after finishing the books. This time around I consumed the book a lot slower and took the time to try and adsorb the plot as best as I could.

The book follows Azoth, a young boy from the slums who is given the opportunity to remake himself when he apprentices himself under the greatest wetboy in the city, Durzo Blint. The process is no gift and proves to change Azoth in more ways than one. The book follows his journey from a boy of 12 to a man over the age of 20 and his quest to become a wetboy worthy of the respect of his master.

This time around I enjoyed every aspect of the book and managed to understand the plot much better than I had before. I felt the characters and the plot were the strongest aspects of the book and both were done incredibly. I had no complaints there., and in fact found myself experiencing the full spectrum of human emotion by the time I had finished the book. In the effort to keep this review spoiler free, I won't go into any further detail. Suffice it to say, I wish all books had plots this fast paced and complex.

Additionally, the characters really compelled me. Azoth and Blint broke and remade my heart multiple times each, and at the heart of this book was their progress from master and apprentice relationship to one closer to a father/son. By no means was this a clean or healthy relationship but it felt all the more real for it.

I do wish the various countries and their rivalries had been established better before later aspects of the plot came into play as it was difficult but not impossible to understand the different rulers and their motivations. I adored the writing in this as it toed the line between poetic and the type of fast paced action writing I enjoy.

All in all, I would recommend this book and I can't wait to crack on with the second book in the series. I'm fairly certain I won't finish it without crying.

Executive Summary: I seem to read nothing but grimdark fantasy these days, but compared to say Malazan or Song of Ice and Fire this isn't nearly as bleak. I enjoyed this one start to finish.Audio book: This is the first book I've listen to narrated by Paul Boehmer. He's a pretty good narrator. He speaks clearly. I never had trouble understanding him. He does a few accents for the various nations, but not really distinct voices. Sometimes I had a little trouble knowing who was talking, but not often. He didn't really add or detract from the book. He looks to read the rest of the trilogy, and I welcome that.Full ReviewI thought this book was going to be a 5 star one, but it lost a little steam at the end. It might have been the epilogue which was over 30 minutes by itself.That said, I really enjoyed this book. The pacing was good, I enjoyed the characters and the story. It probably has one of the best villains I've read in a long time. I was literally yelling at my audio book a few times in outrage at their actions. It's really hard for me to believe this is Mr. Week's debut novel.There are few silly things, like the term Wetboys. There are assassins and then their are wetboys. Wetboys are in a class well above just an assassin. That said, it's a really stupid name. Especially for a grown adult. Night Angel: cool name. Wetboy? Sorry, no. Couldn't he have come up with something better?The book itself is loosely based on the coming of age fantasy trope, with a much darker flavor. Instead of the young farmboy being whisked away on an adventure to save the world, we have a young street urchin named Azoth, who aspires to become the apprentice to the best Wetboy in the city Durzo Blint.The book has some pretty good action, and an interesting magic system that I don't really understand at this point. If you're looking for clear rules a'la [a:Brandon Sanderson 38550 Brandon Sanderson http://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/authors/1201547425p2/38550.jpg] you'll have to look somewhere else.Overall I really enjoyed this one and I'm looking forward to the next book, which I plan to start immediately.

I still absolutely adore this book! I've heard some people say it's quite slow paced but I disagree, so much happens in this book it can't be slow paced. We span years with a load of different characters, all with story arcs and back stories. It's just so brilliant that I recommend it to everyone who loves a intricate and exciting fantasy!