The Assassin's Tale

Isle of Dreams #1

by K.L. Jones

Secrets and death. The Isle is made of both. Enter a broiling mass of blood feuds and bitter conflicts between the battling races of Mage and Arcane. Life is a commodity to be bought and sold. To some it is murder, to the Valley of the Ri it is business. Mistral, an abandoned orphan, finds her way to the mysterious Valley of Ri to train as a warrior and assassin. There, amongst the dispossessed of the Isle, she finds there is more to life than death ...

Genres: Fantasy

738 pages, Unknown Binding

First published December 8, 2012

Reviews

[Krista Benner · Rating 2 out of 5]

I liked the premise of the book and the world it was set in. However, the main character, Mistral, was very unlikeable. She was rash beyond reason, crazy moody and would have temper tantrums. She didn't even care about the people who raised her. For instance, when she found out her adopted mother had died, even though her adoptive parents were really good to her, she didn't care. Then she met some guy and after several days, it seemed as if she became a totally different person. I read the whole book hoping my view of her would change because I liked some of the supporting characters and the plot but when the book ended I knew I would not be reading the sequel. If Mistrel had been tweaked in varying situations to make her more grounded and willing to learn, I think I would have liked the book. Yet, as it stands, I would not recommend it.

[Diane · Rating 2 out of 5]

I went on to read the sequel, and ended up lowering my rating to 2 stars. Unfortunately, after getting about 80% finished (with book #2), I had to pull the plug on it and the series (I've never quit a book this far along before). I could not handle Mistral any further. Selfish, inconsiderate, stupid, impetuous (certainly), careless, reckless, and uneducated. It was very hard to accept the misogynistic attitude of most of the characters, but she is out of control - and it just continues, on and on. Several times she nearly causes failure of a task by her poor self control. The last straw is her total disregard for her horse. Running it into the dirt, riding it hard even when injured, without a care for providing food, water, or medical care for the horse. Totally self absorbed. Perhaps this is just due to the author being detached from animal care, or that such details as animal care are too trivial - however with events like an exhausting horse race featured, abusing the horse by galloping the horse in a temper tantrum less than 2 days later is not excusable, and a character I can not associate with as a positive protagonist.

[Crystal Simpson · Rating 2 out of 5]

The book was so long. It was filled with useless drivel so much so that I needed to skip paragraphs of useless information or Mistral's aggravating whining. I thought this book was going to be about a kick butt heroine and sadly I was mistaken. I like the plot of the training and the half-breeds. I think that a lot can be done story line wise with it, but for me Mistral and Fabian didn't reach the mark. The twins I liked actually all the side characters I liked. Mistral and Fabian's relationship I loathed and I keep waiting for him to do some thing to betray her. That would have been interesting it never happened but oh how I wanted it to.

[Rob Francis · Rating 5 out of 5]

From the first few pages I was completely drawn into a different World. Wonderfully written, K L Jones can not only set a scene with cinematic detail, but can fill it with strong believable characters and an intriguing story line. Intelligently written with scenes of emotion, companionship, danger, compassion, humour and all out bloody battle, I recommend this read highly! Can't wait for more in the series from this talented author!

[Clara Brown · Rating 5 out of 5]

after a long sabbatical from reading, this book was not a disappointment at all!! It has magic, drunken taverns, and a variety of lovable mercenaries for characters!!! Also the main character Mystral, I love her cynical attitude (similar to my attitude after just finishing university), and her ability to find herself in constant trouble!