Book Review: The Way of Shadows by Brent Weeks

Goodreads Summary: For Durzo Blint, assassination is an art-and he is the city's most accomplished artist.

For Azoth, survival is precarious. Something you never take for granted. As a guild rat, he's grown up in the slums, and learned to judge people quickly - and to take risks. Risks like apprenticing himself to Durzo Blint.

But to be accepted, Azoth must turn his back on his old life and embrace a new identity and name. As Kylar Stern, he must learn to navigate the assassins' world of dangerous politics and strange magics - and cultivate a flair for death

Review: 
I must say, this story was action-packed! Brent Weeks wove together a story of so many different people over quite a length of time (around 10 years) and although I don't think it was polished to perfection, I was still positively entertained. 

Let us begin with the characters, Azoth (later known as Kylar) and Durzo are two very rough characters for obvious reasons, killing people for a living does that to you. But it was still very interesting to see the relationship that grew between them, as well as seeing the different ways they handled important things in their lives; especially love, and even their view of life itself. I felt that both characters were well written, however I did have an issue with the way that the story jumped through their lives, at times it felt quite choppy and I would have liked to see more of their development through the years rather than just getting snippets. 

The side characters were even better than the main, in my opinion, since I found myself caring more about their well-being. I especially focused on Logan and Regnus Gyre, as well as General Agon, and I would have liked to have seen more from their perspectives. 
  
The plot, oh the plot. I think that this book could have been so much more, the plot was actually incredibly intriguing, but it didn't actually make sense until the end, and I was confused with most things for the entire book. In some books it is interesting to be confused for most of the book, and can make the book even better, but my confusion with this one was simply because things were not better explained. I just wish that the world-building had been a bit stronger.

This book is also incredibly dark and gritty, which may be appealing to some, but made it so that multiple times I had to set this book down and take a breather, so definite warning for that.

All in all, I really enjoyed this book and I am very curious as to what happens next, so I will certainly be picking up the next two. 

4/5 stars!

Book Review: Elantris by Brandon Sanderson

Goodreads Summary:
Elantris was the capital of Arelon: gigantic, beautiful, literally radiant, filled with benevolent beings who used their powerful magical abilities for the benefit of all. Yet each of these demigods was once an ordinary person until touched by the mysterious transforming power of the Shaod. Ten years ago, without warning, the magic failed. Elantrians became wizened, leper-like, powerless creatures, and Elantris itself dark, filthy, and crumbling.

Arelon's new capital, Kae, crouches in the shadow of Elantris. Princess Sarene of Teod arrives for a marriage of state with Crown Prince Raoden, hoping -- based on their correspondence -- to also find love. She finds instead that Raoden has died and she is considered his widow. Both Teod and Arelon are under threat as the last remaining holdouts against the imperial ambitions of the ruthless religious fanatics of Fjordell. So Sarene decides to use her new status to counter the machinations of Hrathen, a Fjordell high priest who has come to Kae to convert Arelon and claim it for his emperor and his god.

But neither Sarene nor Hrathen suspect the truth about Prince Raoden. Stricken by the same curse that ruined Elantris, Raoden was secretly exiled by his father to the dark city. His struggle to help the wretches trapped there begins a series of events that will bring hope to Arelon, and perhaps reveal the secret of Elantris itself.
  
Review:
To say that I adored this book would be one of the biggest understatements of my life. This book changed me. 
It is no surprise to anyone that I am a huge fan of Fantasy; I devour it. I have read so much that sometimes it is hard for Fantasy authors to bring something new to the table because I feel like I've read it before (yet I still have so much to read). But every time I pick up a Brandon Sanderson novel, I know I am in for something new and exciting. 

Elantris was perfect. Perfect world-building, perfect characters, perfect plot, perfect ending! It was everything I could have hoped for in a Fantasy novel and I don't know if anything could surpass it.  

1,000,000/5 stars

Bout of Books 10.0 Read-a-thon TBR

Bout of Books 10.0

Whoo! Read-a-thon time! This is my first Bout of Books read-a-thon and I am super excited to join in on the fun!
You should go and sign up as well on the Bout of Books blog!

For those who don't know what I'm talking about:

"The Bout of Books read-a-thon is organized by Amanda @ On a Book Bender and Kelly @ Reading the Paranormal. It is a week long read-a-thon that begins 12:01am Monday, May 12th and runs through Sunday, May 18th in whatever time zone you are in. Bout of Books is low-pressure, and the only reading competition is between you and your usual number of books read in a week. There are challenges, giveaways, and a grand prize, but all of these are completely optional. For all Bout of Books 10 information and updates, be sure to visit the Bout of Books blog. - From the Bout of Books team"

A video will up up later today to show off my TBR for the read-a-thon!