Tags: fantasy, assassins
Summary
Amaranthe Lokdon is one of the few female enforcers working for her emperor, but when she gets in the middle of a sinister plot that threatens the emperor’s life, she’s forced to drop everything from her old life in order to save herself—and possibly save the emperor. Amaranthe amasses a ragtag team, including Sicarius, a lethal assassin, to execute her crazy plan. But what if she can’t trust even her own team to have her back?
Review
To give credit where credit’s due, I kept on returning to this book after every time I decided to put it down because I found problems with the writing. So as far as self-published books go, this is a real nice free find. It has some of the problems that I’ve experienced in other self-published books—notably in pacing, world-building, and plot—but at its heart is a very delightfully strong protagonist and some chuckle-inducing dialogue.Summary
Amaranthe Lokdon is one of the few female enforcers working for her emperor, but when she gets in the middle of a sinister plot that threatens the emperor’s life, she’s forced to drop everything from her old life in order to save herself—and possibly save the emperor. Amaranthe amasses a ragtag team, including Sicarius, a lethal assassin, to execute her crazy plan. But what if she can’t trust even her own team to have her back?
Review
Amaranthe is the type of woman that many protagonists think they are but aren’t really. With her enforcer training, she’s more than physically and intellectually competent. She’s also capable of getting herself out of sticky predicaments with creative thinking. Instead of saying all the time that she’s resourceful and smart and badass, she actually IS. Whenever I thought I was done with this because of some writing weaknesses, Amaranthe comes out with something that impresses me.
About those writing weaknesses… Well, it’s just the stuff that I’ve generally found to appear in self-published books. As in, the world makes sense in the author’s mind, but somewhere down the line, the author’s intended world doesn’t align with the words that actually end up on the page. THE EMPEROR’S EDGE claims to be a fantasy with steampunk elements, but besides for a few mentions of engines and mages and whatnot, it was difficult to distinguish what made this world so different than a medieval/contemporary mashup of our own. (At one point one of the characters calls out, “Yo!” I facepalmed like it was the end of the world.)
I also haven’t warmed up to the Amaranthe-Sicarius romance yet, primarily because Sicarius himself doesn’t demonstrate even a HINT of romantic gestures throughout the whole novel. Amaranthe, girl, you are really deluded if you’ve spotted anything even remotely resembling him caring for you in this episode of your life. However, I believe that the potential for romance is there, and it can pay off in the end, if that’s something that motivates your reading.
Nevertheless, THE EMPEROR’S EDGE exceeded my expectations for a free self-published novel. It’s got its flaws, but they’re not deal-breakers, not with great characters and an admirable female protagonist leading the charge. I may even consider reading on in the series sometime in the future. Snap up this free e-book and be prepared to be impressed with how much heart it’s got.
I got this e-book free on Amazon.
One of my friends has read this one and said some nice things about it. I have the book somewhere and I'll give it a try. I mean I agree with you. More or less self publishing books have certain problems but then again some of them are really decent. :)
ReplyDeleteYep. This one was decent. Which doesn't sound like the best endorsement but because it's self-published actually means a lot coming from me. :)
DeleteWow, free! I'll look for this for my Kindle (though I had to laugh at your facepalm moment).
ReplyDelete^_^;
DeleteFree? Well that's hard to pass up! I've been burned by self-pubbed books lately, but this is a great review. :) Cassie @ http://knowsprose.com
ReplyDeleteI know exactly what you mean, which is why this one stood out for me, and hopefully for you as well!
DeleteYo! Hahaha. I'm not particularly a fan of steampunk, but then again, I thought I wasn't a fan of UF either. Maybe I'll check this one out after On the Edge. :)
ReplyDelete-Maggie
Look at you being all Ilona Andrews fangirly. :D
DeleteI definitely like the sound of Amaranthe as a protagonist. She certainly sounds like she could kick my butt, and a truly strong young woman. That will probably be enough to keep me interested in the story, even with all the typical self-published novel problems that you mention.
ReplyDeleteYou should read it! I'd be curious to hear what you think of it. I can hardly find a friend that has read this one.
DeleteI'm curious about this one now, even though it didn't impress you across the board. I really like the sound of Amaranthe. It's great to hear that she can actually lives up being a kickass character, rather than trying to be one. Great review, Steph!
ReplyDelete