Allies & Assassins

Allies & Assassins #1

by Justin Somper

They killed his brother. Now they're coming for him. . .

As the second prince of Archenfield, Jared never expected to rule. But behind the walls of the castle is a dark and dangerous court where murder and intrigue are never far below the surface.

Now his older brother is dead. The kingdom is his. And the target is on his back. Can he find the assassin before the assassin finds him?

Genres: Fantasy, Young Adult, Mystery, High Fantasy, Adventure, Fiction, Young Adult Fantasy

406 pages, Hardcover

First published September 19, 2013

About the author

Justin Somper is a bestselling UK author whose Vampirates books have been translated into over twenty languages. Justin trained in sword-fighting to help him write the fight scenes in the Vampirates series.

Reviews

[Melissa ♥ Dog/Wolf Lover ♥ Martin · Rating 4 out of 5]

www.melissa413readsalot.blogspot.com

This book was pretty good! From the name of the book and the front cover I was thinking all of this was going to go on!





But no this is about Prince Anders being assassinated and his brother, the new Prince Jared trying to find out what is going on.

Come to find out, there are a lot of different people for different reasons that wanted the old prince dead and now the new prince.

There were many times I wanted to slap some sense into people!!!!!!!!



And right from the start of the book I wanted to be off with a head. What is it with me and getting these people? His name is Axel and I say.......



Trust me, if you read the book and meet him, you will be saying the same thing!

I really loved Nova at the beginning of the book, but they never really talked about her any more until the end, which sucks. She's the Falconer that sends messages all over the kingdom for the Prince.



Hopefully she will be in the next book.

My favorite characters in this book are Asta, she's the niece and assistant to the Prince's Physician. And I loved Prince Jared, he had to take over and rule after his brothers death at the age of 16 and was thrown into all of this conflict, but he seemed to do a really good job and started figuring out you can't really trust anyone. Although, I wanted to smack him a time or two :)

I have the next book on my Amazon wish list and we will see where this is going.. by the way this one ended.. all hell is going to break loose!

[Cora Tea Party Princess · Rating 4 out of 5]

North East Teenage Book Awards Nominee 2014

5 Words: Fantasy, mystery, intrigue, murder, royalty.

It's fair to say that this book got off to a shaky start. A very shaky start. In fact, I almost put it down. But I decided to persevere and by the end I found that I'd quite enjoyed it.

I think my favourite character was one that we didn't see very much of. There was something fascinating about Koel and I hope very much that she's featured more in the next book. There was something about her, the way she was so guarded and definitely hiding something, that made her absolutely intriguing. And I loved her sneaky ways too.

This book is very much a world-builder for the rest of the series, which did make for some slightly boring reading at times, but I'm a huge fan of mysteries and the mystery aspect of this book certainly made up for it.

The thread of mystery in this story is very cleverly written. First you're rushing in one direction, then another and then you start doubting yourself. And I never seriously considered the actual culprit even if it did cross my mind a few times.

I quite liked the almost flowery descriptions. But this is a case of personal preference, because the more flowery, extravagant and over the top the descriptions, the more I tend to like the book. The better the descriptions, the easier to get lost.

Overall this was a great read, quite absorbing and with some great characters. But you have to stick with it, and get past those first few chapters, before you can truly enjoy it.

[Kristen · Rating 4 out of 5]

I won this book in a Goodreads giveaway. Thank you!

4/5 stars

The skinny:

Jared, the younger brother of Prince Anders, is 16 years old and highly unprepared to lead a kingdom. One fateful day, his brother is killed, and he is given no choice but to step up. From day one, the new Prince Jared gives himself a very difficult task; to discover what exactly happened to his brother and who exactly did it. With only one person he can really trust, Jared has a daunting, and dangerous mystery before him.


The review:

Honestly, I really loved this book. This being said, it wasn't at all what I was expecting. Based on the title and cover, I was anticipating a read with epic battles galore. Instead, what I got was a book with an intricately woven plot that focused more on unraveling a complex murder mystery than depicting epic battles. Throughout the book, I was constantly left guessing who had committed the crime. Something would occur, and I would feel CERTAIN that I now knew who the killer was.....wrong. Not until the very end, did everything come together.

If you are looking for a book that is heavy on the fantasy, than this is probably not the book you are looking for. It can best be described as fantasy-lite; there is no magic, no mystical type creatures, etc. It is more of a who-dunnit that is set in an alternate/medieval time period.

I really liked the characters in the book, even the ones that were of a more devious nature. I especially liked Jared, the new Prince of Archenfield. While reading I felt for Jared, because he is trying to be a good Prince while dealing with the murder of his brother. Jared makes mistakes and second guesses himself, yet is driven and determined. He is the type of character that people can easily like and root for.

Overall:

This was a light read, that held my attention the entire time. The ending of the book left a perfect opening for a continuation of the story. I will be waiting in anticipation for book 2!!

[Grace (LovingDemBooks) Z. · Rating 1 out of 5]

Hmmm where to begin with this book? When I entered the giveaway for the ARC of this book, I thought it would be great. I saw so many good reviews and ratings and thought "okay, I should probably read this when it comes out". I'm not exactly a big historical fiction reader. I don't even you think you can categorize this book as that. Actually, I don't know what to categorize this as. Anyway, I was very disappointed and bored throughout the entire book.

Watch my spoiler free book review in detail:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jPRls...

[Camly Nguyen · Rating 4 out of 5]

No really what I expected...
I thought it was going to be very action-y and very assassin oriented like Throne of Glass or Graceling but it wasn't that and I gotta say, I'm not that disappointed either.
So we start off with the murder of the prince and pretty much the whole book, we're thing to find the killer. That's pretty much it really, but it amazes me how it left me guessing every single time. Who's the killer? Who's the killer? Who's the killer? And even if it's just that, I'm satisfied because I never would've guessed.
Absolutely love Asra, SHE DA BOMB.

[kim · Rating 5 out of 5]

I absolutely fell in love with this book. It had romance, mystery, murders and royalty... who could ask for more?

So, the story starts off with everyone finding out that the previous Prince (who rules the land so he’s basically a king but, the tradition is to call the leader ‘The Prince’), Prince Ander was killed and that he appointed his younger brother Jared to succeed him.

Jared is a 16 year old boy who has been thrust into this world of unknown. He doesn’t really know what to do and hasn’t prepared himself to lead a land/ country as the thought of his brother dying had never crossed his mind. As inexperience as people think he is, he is not naïve at all and doesn’t trust people who pretend to have his best interest at heart for example, Axel who was his cousin. From the start, you knew that Axel wasn’t happy that Jared was Prince albeit, he seemed so eager to find the killer of Jared’s brother. He acted so determined and that he would stop at nothing, until he found the person who killed ‘his beloved leader'.’
I found Jared inspiring as a character but, I also felt sorry for him- he was just 16 and he had to grow up in a matter of minutes because he had to be the Prince and at the beginning of his reign, he has to deal with a number of deaths and grows distrustful of so many people around him.

I was quite shocked to find out who the culprit was. The author did very well to make me dismiss that certain character so easily and I felt like a fool. During the book, I was just guessing random people mainly because, they were random but, this culprit was so clever, very patient and is very good at acting.

I adored this book. I hated that the book ended and I seriously can’t wait for the sequel! There was a lot of drama, suspense, affairs, and slight promise of a future romance...maybe? I wouldn’t say there is a big cliffhanger at the end but the whole book makes you want to read more.
I would definitely say that this was one of the best books I’ve read in 2013. It had everything that I liked in books.

And as I said before, I can’t wait for the sequel and I’m going to feel so empty without another story of Archenfield!!

[Kaila · Rating 3 out of 5]

"Your words have no meaning behind bars, that is, unless they are pleas of mercy and regret."

Jared finds himself taking the throne when Prince Anders of Archenfield, his older brother, is found assassinated within the walls of the court. Thrown into the deep end with rules of court and protocol, 16 year old Jared struggles to adapt to the role as Prince and leader of the nation that has been in his family for generations. With the help of The Twelve, following the week proceeding his brother's death, Prince Jared is caught in a tangle as an investigation goes underway to uncover the identity of the assassin. Fulfilling his role, the young prince must figure out who he can trust as the situation grows deceitful with lies and betrayals, and hidden secrets of the former, deceased ruler.


"But the truth matters to me. And I think it does matter to you too."

Asta Peck from the settlements is only the Physician's niece, but she isn't fooled by the proceedings at court. She soon finds herself hell-bent on solving the case of the assassination of Prince Anders against all orders, questioning the honorary members of court recklessly, but not unwisely. As she gathers her findings, she is able to see through the illusion that is painted by the assassin as they strike again. Making an acquaintance with Jared, together they are able to narrow down the suspects and reveal the true assassin bringing down Archenfield.

Only to uncover deeper and darker threats heading their way.

Which will be fully revealed in the next instalment.


I did enjoy this book towards the end as the tension arose as to who was up to what, but I am sad to say that although the characters were very much likeable, I couldn't connect with them. I find myself feeling that this read was a bit youngish but even so, the language was certainly formal enough considering the setting of the book, and I took the book quite seriously.
I liked how a friendship came about for Jared and Asta and I feel there is a connection there. I even liked how it didn't really even reach a point of romance but seeing how they work together, I feel they both needed it.
I am now feeling confused as to whether I will continue with the series, perhaps when it comes around, I will give it a try. The characters were certainly likeable with a good pace of plot, if not a bit slow, but well thought out in my opinion.

[Kayla · Rating 5 out of 5]

I received this in exchange for an honest review.

This book really surprised me. I thought it'd be more focused on the main characters for some reason, but it starts out very focused on the story and world building. I really enjoyed reading it and exploring the mystery.

The book takes place at a court and features multiple POVs. All of the POVs held my interest and seemed warranted. There are many characters and it can be a little difficult to keep track of at first but I was quickly pulled into the story anyways.

I recommend it to those who like historical fiction, fantasy or even mystery novels.

[Rashika (is tired) · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was AWESOMENESS.

[Alyssa · Rating 4 out of 5]

***Review posted on The Eater of Books! blog***

Allies & Assassins by Justin Somper
Book One of the Enemies of the Prince series
Publisher: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
Publication Date: May 27, 2014
Rating: 4 stars
Source: ARC sent by the publisher

Summary (from Goodreads):

Prince Anders, the ruler of Archenfield, has been murdered, leaving his younger brother, Jared, to ascend the throne. Sixteen-year-old Jared feels unprepared to rule the kingdom and its powerful and dangerous court, yet he knows he can rely on the twelve officers of the court to advise him. He also knows he can just as easily be at their mercy-especially when it appears that one of them may be responsible for his brother's death. Unable to trust anyone, Jared takes it upon himself to hunt down his brother's killer-but the killer may be hunting him, as well. Murder, betrayal, and intrigue abound in Justin Somper's thrilling YA series debut. Exploring the political machinations of the medieval court and the lives that hang in the balance, Allies & Assassins is a gripping tale of a teen torn between duty and revenge.

What I Liked:


Just to clear up something - this is NOT a Middle Grade novel. It's Young Adult. Just saying.

I featured this book as my Waiting on Wednesday choice a few months ago on a whim - I didn't know much about the book, except that it was a fantasy novel, and it sounded epic. I hadn't read any of Somper's previous novels, though my sister had, and she said she enjoyed his Vampirates series. So, when the publisher sent me this book, I was thrilled! A chance to read a book that I already wanted to read, even if I knew very little about it. I ended up really enjoying this book - all 500 pages of it (or thereabout).

Jared is the new Prince of Archenfield, after his older brother is suddenly assassinated. No one expected the assassination, as Archenfield has been maintaining friendly alliances with all of its neighbors. But royalty always has enemies, and it is Jared's first task as the new Prince to figure out who is behind the assassination. But nothing is as it seems, as more murders follow Anders' death, and the list of suspects grows longer but vaguer. Help comes in unexpected forms, but so does danger...

This book is told from several different perspectives, including that of Jared, Asta, Axel, Michael, Koel, and others. Some are minor characters whose perspectives we only see once, but others, like Jared and Asta, we see time and time again. There are many, many characters in this book, but surprisingly, it is very easy to follow each character without getting confused.

Prince Jared is one of the protagonist, and he is surrounded by a large court. There are twelve officers who counsel him. Jared's mother the Queen, his younger brother Edvin, and his sister-in-law Silva are also close to Jared. There is Asta, the niece and apprentice of the Physician (one of the twelve of the counsel). Her role is crucial in this book, as it is her intuition and investigating skills that bring the truth to light.

This book takes place in less than a week. Actually, I think it is exactly five days. I KNOW. Five hundred pages = five days. Crazy, right? But I think it's incredible, because Somper goes into all of the ins and outs of the life of a new Prince who has the role dumped onto him, after the death of the reigning Prince. It's so amazing how intricate and detailed this book gets, from meetings to speeches to private audiences... Somper really convinces readers of what he thinks a royal's life is like, especially after the death of a royal. That was one of the things that really struck me, how well-done the tiny little details are.

The world-building is pretty great too - I love this fantasy setting. It's not too different from what you would typically think of when it comes to kings and queens and kingdoms and whatnot, but Somper has his own spin on things. This world felt very political and almost modern, but I suppose that makes sense, because even in the medieval world, politics weren't all that different from the politics of today.

The characters, as I mentioned, are many, but very easy to pick apart and follow. I love the character development of Jared - he changes a lot, in less than a week. Of course, when you're following every intimate detail of a person's life, like readers are in this book, you can very clearly see how the protagonists change. I wouldn't say that Asta, the other protagonist, changes as much. I really like her! She's very smart and inquisitive, and she is genuine. She and I are very similar, I feel.

This book is CRAZY. The politics, the scheming, the plotting, the twists and turns... I barely saw any of anything coming. I saw ONE thing happened, with Anders and the locket and the private bathhouse, but that was about the only thing that I solidly discerned. The assassin? Nope, didn't see it coming. And this is ME, the girl who usually can divine plot twists from early in the book. But that is great! It kept me on my toes. Somper really surprised me with all of the twists and curveballs, and I was always turning pages, trying to figure out what was happening.

This book wraps up well, tying up several parts of this book, but there will be more books in this series, especially after that ending. In terms of Prince Anders, things are cleared up. But there is a larger threat at hand, and it is tied to Prince Anders' assassination. YAY for more craziness! I love it.

What I Did Not Like:

At this very moment, I can't really think of anything specific that I didn't like about this book. I'm hoping to see the appearance of romance in the next book - I can see it happening between two specific characters in book one. I like that Somper is drawing it out, to develop the romance, if that's what he's doing.

Would I Recommend It:

If you like books like this, that are heavily politically driven, then this is definitely one that you should not miss. In a way, this book reminded me a little of Grave Mercy by Robin LaFevers, with all the scandal and duty and plotting and scheming. I love that type of novel, but I know that not everyone does. It's very intelligent and careful and tricky, not light and filled with nonstop action. Although there was plenty of action in this book. There was also a lot of considering and puzzling. I really liked this book, and I hope that if this seems like a novel for you, that you enjoy it as well!

Rating:

4 stars. What an intriguing fantasy novel! I absolutely love novels like this - one that features a fantasy world with plenty of scheming and twists and turns and mystery. Political scandal and machinations? I'm all about that! This was such a great book. I cannot wait to read book two!

[Scarlett Attari · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’m really pleasantly surprised by this book!!! I’m not entirely sure what I expected but it did exceed my expectations. Perhaps I expected more battles/war type of book but instead it focused more on building up a murder mystery of sorts

The plot was well developed, and I liked the characters. I’m not sure entirely how to characterise this book- low fantasy historical fiction maybe?? There’s no magic, mystical creatures or anything like that but it is a made up universe (although I was confused by Jared seeing some sort of ghost/his father in the beginning?) The society functions a bit similarly to a medieval historical fiction though.

I wouldn’t say that the murderer was predictable Per se, but it wasn’t a surprise either. It was still a fun read the whole way through!

Think I will continue on!!

[KitCat · Rating 3 out of 5]

Reading this with my 6th grader and we both found it as okay. We were not super engaged with the court intrigue and really not enthralled by the ending. We did like the characters and wish them the best. We decided not to continue with the series.

[Dicy Heitger · Rating 4 out of 5]

Amazing!!!! I couldn't put it down!!!

[BADASSBOOKWORM · Rating 4 out of 5]

So impressed.

[Angela]

29 April 2020: $1.99 on Kindle

[Aaliyah · Rating 1 out of 5]

Boring. Slow

[Dark Faerie Tales · Rating 3 out of 5]

Review courtesy of Dark Faerie Tales

Quick & Dirty: This densely packed book didn’t give me the suspense nor tension that I expected; nevertheless, the writing was pretty and the characters complex.

Opening Sentence: The last of her seven falcons balanced on her wrist, Nova Chastain walked back out onto the balcony once more.

The Review:

Archenfield’s leader has just been assassinated, plunging the kingdom into chaos. Suddenly, his Edling Jared is pushed into the spotlight, forced into a crown he’s not sure he’s ready for. Everyone expects something from him, and he doesn’t think he can satisfy everyone. Not only this, but they still must find his brother’s killer – the blood price must be paid. Asta Peck, the physician’s apprentice, is bright and curious, the perfect ally for Jared – or maybe more than an ally. As more and more people fall victim to murders, secret romances are revealed and new clues come to light, but will it be enough to bring the killer to justice once and for all? And even if they can, will Jared ever become the ruler his brother was and lead a whole kingdom to prosperity?

I read this in pieces. This book was five hundred pages. Given, I’ve read much bigger books, but this one had such thick description that it was incredibly dense. Reading one page felt like reading three, so it got hard to read this novel. First I got about halfway through, and then I couldn’t take it, and stopped for a few months. Then I read the rest later on in a few days. The problem wasn’t the length, it was really the lack of action and the absence of good tension that made it feel so dull. Luckily, this book did have something good going for it. The writing was beautiful, and enjoyable in its melodic flow; it was perfect for the high fantasy genre it was placed in.

The characters were also good in this novel as well. There is a lot of them, so you have to reference the little chart at the beginning quite a bit until you can get the hang of them all. One thing that Somper did that was cool to me was feature many different side character’s points of view. He probably gave around ten different characters their own chapters. You got to see a small but incredibly revealing glimpse into their thoughts, emotions, and turmoil in just a couple pages, and it definitely helped to understand the world and created empathy in readers.

Jared and Asta were a team in this novel. They worked together and Jared at some points thought that Asta was the only one he could trust. She was curious and thirsted for truth, and although Jared tried to keep her safely on the sidelines, eventually she was too immersed in the mystery to back out. There was this whole thing with “he’s a king, he can’t be a real friend” going on, but Jared didn’t give that an ounce of credit. Something super funny is that despite the obvious chemistry between the two, in five hundred pages they didn’t kiss once. Okay, I lied – but a peck on the cheek hardly counts as a kiss. I’m assuming something will happen in the next book. It must.

Altogether, I thought this book achieved certain facets such as the characters, writing style, and rich imagery. Other aspects, not so much. It failed in tension and suspense. I have heard, actually, that other people thought it had rich tension, but I couldn’t see it at all. It made the book feel incredibly long, longer than it needed to be. Nevertheless, I feel that certain people will enjoy the lush medieval setting and intrigue of the murder mystery, so go ahead and give it a try – but maybe pick it up from the library first, instead of buying it?

Notable Scene:

“What’s that you say, child?” Elin inquired of her.

Silva’s eyes had a new determination about them. “Anders lives on in me.”

“What exactly do you mean?”

Silva smiled sweetly but she did not answer with words. Instead, she simply raised a delicate hand and placed it apon her belly.

FTC Advisory: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers/Hachette Book Group provided me with a copy of Allies and Assassins. No goody bags, sponsorships, “material connections,” or bribes were exchanged for my review.

[Small Review · Rating 4 out of 5]

Originally read August 24 to September 01, 2014

Really good! Full review to come.

Originally posted at Small Review

A murdered prince, an assassin on the loose, a shady group of advisers, tensions between kingdoms? Yes, Allies and Assassins has all the making of a Small book for sure, and thankfully it lived up to almost every one of my hopes.

But I'm a character girl!

I say almost because the characters weren't quite real enough for me. I didn't dislike them, and I did actually like a lot of them, but none are particularly memorable or fleshed out beyond their surface roles. I'm intrigued by a bunch of them, but I never really felt like Justin Somper delved deep enough.

For a character reader like me, that was disappointing, but luckily everything else was so good this is only a minor complaint. Though, there is definitely a good foundation to dig in further and really develop them into fascinating characters. Since this is only part one of a series, I'm thinking this will likely happen across the story.

Trust no one

The mystery is what really hooked me and kept me reading. Information is doled out at a nice even pace, and combined with the shorter chapters I was able to fly through this big book pretty fast.

I had my suspicions early on as to who was behind the murder, and even though I was ultimately right, Justin Somper had me questioning everyone. There were several times where I was fully ready to believe the complete wrong person did it (and for the complete wrong reasons). There were also a few big surprises that I won't spoil now, but I will say my jaw very literally dropped after several totally unexpected twists.

That jacket hints at romance

Look, I'll be honest, I was hoping for a little romance between Jared and Asta. I mean, jacket blurbs can't just write "Asta and Jared take it upon themselves to hunt down his brother's assassin..." and NOT expect me to infer "and each clue they uncover propels them closer to THAT KISS." Am I right?

Apparently Justin Somper didn't get the slow burn romance memo. Asta and Jared are Just Friends.

Oh well. I'm sighing now, but by the end of this series I'm pretty positive I'm going to be clutching the books to my chest in happiness because, despite my frustration now, I think Justin Somper secretly DID get the memo and he's not going to spoil the series by doling out a premature THAT KISS.

And you know what? If that's what ends up happening, then that will be perfect.

Bottom line

This is what I was hoping The Goblin Emperor would be, so I'm happy to have found at least one book to fulfill my desire for a whodunnit within the palace walls kind of story.

Allies and Assassins was well on its way to reading perfectly fine as, if not a standalone (because, impending war. Yay!) then at least a series start that ends nicely and allows me to wait in peace until the next book is published.

And then those last five pages totally blew any chances I might have had of being able to calmly wait until the next book comes out—which, by the way, is when??? I don't even see a title on Goodreads. How am I supposed to deal if I can't even mark the next book as "Want to Read" on my Goodreads lists??

So, clearly, I'm invested in this series and highly recommend it to fans of court fantasy and intrigue. The cover (is awful, but has good "boy appeal") screams middle grade, but it has crossover appeal to older audiences for sure, and actually touches on some not-so-middle grade subjects (so caution for younger audiences there).

Originally posted at Small Review

[Jennifer Ellision]

DNF at 12%; Here's why:

Posted to The Bevy Bibliotheque:

Allies & Assassins by Justin Somper is the kind of book that held a lot of promise for me: a fantasy concept of betrayal and death, an interesting chapter set-up, and a cover that is kind of bananas-awesome.

But those things are not enough to hook a reader, and here’s what lead to me declaring Allies & Assassins by Justin Somper DOA– errrr… DNF.

Predictability- I’m not sure if this was intentional or what, but there were “twists” as early in as the first few chapters of Allies & Assassins by Justin Somper… and I saw them basically as each new character was introduced

Distant narration- We go through multiple POVs, which is fine, but we’re distant… especially in the opening chapter which is not only distant, but BORING. Justin Somper seems to have been going for the slow poetic, meandering feel, but missed by a mile. The ruler of the kingdom was just assassinated. A little more urgency wouldn’t have been out of place.

Editing-

Filtering- So, Allies & Assassins by Justin Somper is written in 3rd person past, which isn’t the closest POV as a rule, but that’s not something that would have ruined it on its own. (While I think that 1st present or past would have helped it, that’s neither here nor there) But there is a lot of “Jared could see” and “Jared felt” going on which only distanced us more. To put me with the character, the writer should have removed that extra layer of distancing… at least sometimes.

Adverbs and adjectives- I LOVE ADVERBS AND ADJECTIVES TOO, JUSTIN SOMPER, BUT JEEZ. To make matters worse, he often used two-four adjectives for one thing (a la “It was ___ and ____, _____ and _____”).

Dialogue tags- Sometimes you don’t need them. And Jesus, sometimes, they can just “say” a thing instead or needing to “inform” or what-have-you.

Repeating unusual word choice in close proximity- When you use the word “conjure” to describe someone imagining/picturing something, I like it the first time. When you do it again a few pages later, I’m rolling my eyes at you.

Basically, internally editing as I read got real old, real quick. This book made an assassin of me– and the victim was my reading of it.

DNF at 12%

[Lois · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book won me over. It shouldn't have had to, because the premise was something I was very interested in, but it took a while for the characters to gel.

Jared's brother has just been assassinated at the beginning of the book. He was the prince of a princedom (I had never heard of this concept! And I still don't follow why it couldn't just be king of a kingdom?) and Jared is the next in line for the throne, automatically becoming prince.

Jared was somewhat weak as a character at first. He was likeable enough, but he was neither pitiable or admirable, and his lack of preparation to be prince seemed a little silly. No-one expects an older brother to die young, but if one is the next in line to a throne - usually one appreciates the heightened risks of older brother dying and has been given a lot of training just in case.

Jared grew on me sufficiently, and I did come to admire some of his qualities. I was surprised that I really liked his love interest/supporting character Asta much more. The whole story was very much like a detective story, and Asta was the detective. She tracked down clues and interviewed suspects, and was tenacious. There were a lot of red herrings, but I was very satisfied with the outcome.

There were three other things I really liked about this book. Firstly, there was a ruling council to assist the prince, and each member of it had a title related to their general office, such as The Cook, The Huntsman, The Poet, The Beekeeper etc. I enjoyed this set up, and it was a good way to introduce a number of characters at once and still have them memorable. Secondly, Axel - who is mostly a 'villain', but not entirely, and truly an interesting character. I'm really looking forward to seeing him in the next book, and I hope Jared will grow and match him in personality. Thirdly, there was one scene that made me cry, between Jared and his younger brother, which finally did cement Jared as a character for me. It was touching and caught me off guard.

I'm certain the follow up book will be five stars for me.

[Carys · Rating 4 out of 5]

My feelings about this book are a complete mess - there are reasons why I loved this book and why I didn't like it very much, and it's so hard to sort them out and decide how much I actually enjoyed it! For me Allies and Assassins started out a bit slowly, and even though it didn't take me that long to read it felt like I was reading it for a very long time. Also, at first I found it quite difficult to connect to the characters and didn't really care what happened to them. Some parts of it were also very predictable! However, I enjoyed it more and more as it went on, and became gradually more intrigued by the storyline as it took turn after turn. That's one thing that I can say for sure about this book- there were so many plot twists! You would think it was going to be solved one way, then another, then another... I loved that aspect of it, because although some of it was very predictable I think it was supposed to be like that since it made you think one thing, and then realise that wasn't right at all! One problem for me was that it wasn't tied up at all really at the end, because it's the first in a series, but I think I would prefer it as a stand-alone; I want to know what happens and for the mystery to be solved but at the same time I'm not sure I can be bothered to read the next book in the series! Overall though I did enjoy it a lot, but there are definitely things I didn't like about it, for example the pace and the characters.

[Ben Jeffery · Rating 5 out of 5]

1.I decided to read 'Allies and Assassins' by Justin Somper because I liked the look of the character which drew me in to look at the book a bit closer. I also liked the sound of the blurb because it had mature vocabulary in it.

2.One of the charaters I found interesting in the novel was Jared who was the air to the throne of Archenfield until his brother, prince Anders was assassinated. Jared is that main protagonist in the book who tries to find out who murdered his brother and tried to comfort his Widow. I found him interesting because he didn't want to be prince of Archenfield. he wanted to be a unimportant lower-ranked prince who wasn't depended on. If i got that chance I would've tried to make life a better place in archenfield.

3.A quote I found interesting in the novel was said by Jared to his poet. he said "Your words have no meaning behind bars, that is, unless they are pleas of mercy and regret." I found this quote quite chilling to the bones because I felt he had grown up from a quite Prince to a Fierce ruler who would stop at nothing to protect his people.

4.Something I thought deeply about in the book was when prince Jared searched for clue against the warning of the court. he was nearly killed when he looked in the forest for his brothers cabin. but still he kept searching for clues. i found this quite dangerous because he could've been killed again.

[Natalie Martinez · Rating 5 out of 5]

I rarely give a book a 5 star rating. I ADORED this book. There is a mystery at the heart of this story - who killed Prince Anders. Before I go further - we might as well say King Anders because he was basically the King.

Anyhow, usually in a mystery, the murderer is obvious. You know it's person X from the get go. Not so in this story. A couple of times I thought I knew who killed Anders. Each time it turned out I was not only wrong, but horribly wrong.

Jared, 16 years old, is forced to take upon his shoulders the burden of the crown. He has a group of councilors of 12 to help him. One of these is his cousin Axel. Axel is a devious asshole who helps and hinders Jared at times.

Other than that there is the doctor's apprentice (and niece). Sorry her name escapes me right now, but she drives a lot of the plot by attempting to solve the mystery.

I don't want to say more without ruining the plot. But if you liked Game of Thrones or The False Prince then I think You'll love this book.

[Joseph Racconti · Rating 2 out of 5]

First off, I would like to thank the author for the ARC copy of this book that I was lucky enough to win through a Goodreads giveaway.
With that being said, I'm afraid that I can only give this story 2 stars. It tended to put me to sleep for long stretches of the story. I completely understand that this is a world builder and that is more common than not when putting together a series consisting completely of made up people and places. I just feel as if there should have been something exciting to keep me turning the pages, but there simply wasn't.
I didn't outright hate the book. There were spots that had me intrigued, albeit not enough to look forward to the other books that are to follow this one.
I would recommend this book to the right friend, but to the casual reader on a plane or at the beach I would not.

[Alondra Miller · Rating 3 out of 5]

**I won this in the Goodreads Giveaway!!**

2.5 Stars

Don't get me wrong. I did not hate this book; I just didn't like it. It just wasn't for me. I think this is a probably a good middle-school YA.

With some overly descriptive parts, lagging storyline mid-way, and about 100 pages that could have been left out.

It ends in a cliffhanger; but I am really debating whether I should read it or not. The main story was good; a nice mystery with murder and mayhem set in fantasy. And again, it just didn't work for me. Read it for yourself and let me know your thoughts; but remember, this is just my opinion.

[Rebecca Khalid · Rating 4 out of 5]

so in my point of view the starting of allies and assassin was a bit slow and I wasn't really liking it but after some time it got so good
in this book nothing was predictable in the end I was shocked in every page of the book
I guess that in the starting all the character's were grieving on their prince death so it was kind of slow
because for God's sake the book was based on only seven or more days so it was supposed to be slow but it was a good book and a good experience because I really don't read books like these but I am glad I read it.

[Natalia · Rating 4 out of 5]

I started reading this book, but after a while I stopped because I was reading another book. Anyway, I have to say the twists on this book cough me off guard. This book has now become one of my favorite series. Not because I am exaggerating or anything maybe I am, to your eyes. But wow, this book is good. The charterers, the setting, plot and the story are all good. This book is like a pustule, you can try to put the poses together if you can, hope you like it and enjoy reading. P.s. Give each book it's chance if you're willing.

[Isabell · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really liked this book, but at the same time I thought it was really slow. I got really surprised that it was [SPOILER ALERT!] Logan that did everything and not Axel because I really thought it was Axel. I'm really looking forward to start the second book to see where everything will go.

[Noah Spangler · Rating 5 out of 5]

To take his throne, they’ll have to take his life. Somper’s Allies & Assassins captured me with its detail and plot of the book.
Each book has its own theme, and I believe this book has a very special theme. The theme of this book is just that not everything is always as it seems. The theme shows that in life truly we do not know of every little thing that goes on. In the story we find out that the last Prince who died was actually seeing another woman besides his wife. We also learn the biggest suspect for the Prince’s murder, is one we least expect. I can connect with this because I can remember how I used to take everything for granted, but now that I am older I see beyond that, that there are somethings that are different from what we see and assume.
Along with having a very captivating theme, Somper also writes his book with great detail. I would not say this book has very much comedy in it. The storyline overall is sad and depressing, as things, one after another keep pounding down at the main characters. But the way he writes really gives the reader a sense of how the characters may be feeling, and what it would be like to be in the story. At the same time his writing can be similar to others, it is also so different. He set up the plot so well, and really had me wanting to keep reading. It got me excited to read again. The text says, “We have an assassin to catch”(Somper 40). This one sentence had me wanting to keep reading.
As we can see, Somper has great ideas for theme and writes really well, but he develops the story very well. He tells the story and the characters act as they should in real life. Like I said earlier, it had me feeling like I could have been any one of those characters and I would have know what their point of view was like. Prince Jared made a moving speech where he said he was now the Prince of All Archenfield, and he will work hard to make it the best. This shows that he cares deeply about the place and wants the best for it. Asta is another main character. There is a moment in the book where she is talking to Silva, and she gives her stuff of Anders’, but she knows the one item is risky but she does it anyway. We can see how right away she knew it was a mistake and felt bad. We can see how she is a very caring person and thoughtful and feels bad. She cares about others and wants the best for them. As I was reading this I could imagine being her, and how bad it must have felt.
The setting in the book is another big part to the development of the story, and it is really well described. You can understand where they are in the book, and their surroundings. The only, really one big difference is that this book takes place in medieval times. As you are reading you can automatically picture the setting in your head, like if you were to close your eyes, you could picture it really strong. The biggest setting part is at the river. You can picture in your head the bridge connecting the two sides, and the tall grass on the sides. But most importantly the big boulders in the water, along with the rapid waters.
All of the above are great examples of things that help develop the story, but by far I think the plot is the best part to the story. The town of Archenfield is struck with the murder of their prince, Prince Anders. The next one down to be prince is his younger brother Jared. Jared has to learn the ways of the prince, and solve a murder or suicide, but is slowed down due to obstacles in their way. Just as they get closer and closer things change and they learn new things, which question their judgement.
Just like all parts of the book that help it go together, the connections help too. While this book does not compare to another book I have read, it does connect to now. Just recently there was a killing in Alabama, and the wrong man was killed for it, and that is one thing that happens in this book. On a personal level I can relate to the theme, which is that not everything is always as it seems. I can say that I used to judge too quickly or not realize other things, but now that I have changed, I understand everyone is different and has their own story.
Finally I would definitely recommend this book to anyone, especially people who enjoy mystery, specifically murder mystery.

[Kacey Vanderkarr · Rating 4 out of 5]

Allies and Assassins by Justin Somper

I received a copy of this book through a Library Thing giveaway. All opinions are my own. Thank you to Hachette Book Group.

This is a difficult review for me due to my conflicting feelings regarding this book as a whole. I think, for sake of my sanity, that I will split it into two parts, starting with my comments on the story.

Allies and Assassins is carefully plotted. The characters, though many, each have a specific duty to the kingdom as well as the storyline. Let’s start with the prince and the twelve, who serve at advisors to the prince, and correlate to the bell tolls in Archenfield. I’m not going to comment on all of them because that’s too much, but a few were memorable characters.

The Prince: Jared
Prince Jared becomes Prince of All Archenfield after his older brother, Prince Anders, is murdered. At sixteen, Jared knows that he is young and far too inexperienced to fill his late brother’s shoes. I think out of everyone, Jared is my favorite character. I found his struggles relatable and realistic. He’s a teenage boy thrown into a situation he doesn’t fully comprehend, who often makes adult decisions and has childish reactions. I empathized with him as he struggled to become a leader over the twelve, who seem to run the kingdom without much input (or interest) from the prince. As the story unfolded, Jared grew into a prince, learning how to be authoritative when the situation warranted, though he never lost his open-mindedness. Politically, he always had someone whispering in his ear. While I found some of his decisions frustrating, I understood the internal battle to make the right choices while giving the impression that he knew what he was doing.

The Beekeeper: Emelie
Emelie is a bit of an enigma to me. She has a scathing attitude though I don’t fully understand why. I’m hoping that, as the story was left open-ended, we will learn more of her story in upcoming novels.

The Bodyguard: Hal
The story sets the reader up to distrust Hal, who serves as bodyguard of the prince. In the opening scenes, we see Hal conspiring with Axel to murder the princes. I get the impression that Hal is a bit simple-minded, a “do what you’re told” kind of man. Though I knew I should distrust him, by the end of the story, I found myself warring between liking and disliking him as a character. He is very obedient to Jared and we never see him conspire with Axel again.

The Captain of the Guard: Axel
Axel is a well thought out character. As captain, Axel has access to the inner workings of the kingdom. He conducts all the investigations into the murders, and as I stated with Hal, we see him plotting early on to kill Jared. No matter what happened, I distrusted Axel, even when he had his redeeming moments. We know all along that he wants to be prince and is power hungry, no matter the consequences. I kept expecting him to make his move.

The Cook: Vera
Vera was not an exceptionally important character to the story. I didn’t get a good feeling for her guilt/innocence as it relates to twelve. She could go either way, I think.

The Executioner: Morgan
Morgan is an interesting character. As executioner, he’s a bit macabre. However, he has a close relationship with Jared’s mother, the queen. I get the impression that he is an honorable man, however his relationship with Elin (the queen) makes me question his loyalties.

The Falconer: Nova
The story starts with Nova. I found her mysterious and suspicious. She has strong opinions and for a while, I didn’t understand why. I enjoyed the imagery of her in the mews with her falcons. I hope to see more of her in future novels. There is one point I didn’t like regarding Nova, and that was her fast recovery. It felt too convenient.

The Groom: Lucas
The Huntsman: Kai
The Physician: Elias
The Priest: Father Simeon

The Poet: Logan
Early on, I found Logan untrustworthy. He seemed too smooth, too calculating, and he knew far too much. He had his hands in everyone’s business and constantly “advised” Jared as to what decisions to make. It frustrated me that he was a know it all, even when he seemed informed and conscientious.

The Woodsman: Jonas
I don’t remember Jonas. Not even a little.

The last character I want to talk about is Asta, who is the physician’s apprentice. She’s a fiery girl from the country who doesn’t know how to act appropriate at court. I found her endearing and feisty. Whenever there was a disaster (or a murder) Asta was all about it. She seemed to be a catalyst for a lot of the murders, even if she wasn’t directly involved. She left a trail of unintentional destruction with her inquiries into everyone’s lives.

I particularly enjoyed Asta’s relationship with Jared, as they were on the same level emotionally, even though their statuses are markedly different. They worked well as a team, and I think Asta kept Jared on the level when the princedom threatened to ruin his unjaded personality.

The Storyline:
The storytelling was intricate and detailed, woven together in ways I didn’t always expect. With so many characters that were fairly easy to keep straight, I think Somper did an excellent job of making everyone memorable with some degree of importance to the plot. Obviously, not all of the twelve were fully developed, and I hope there will be a sequel.

The mystery of who killed Prince Anders kept the story moving along. There wasn’t much fluff or detours from important information. There’s enough room to suspect everyone as guilty, and still enough of an open ending for me to STILL suspect some of the characters, despite the Clue-like ending. (It’s Miss Scarlet in the conservatory with the candlestick!) The ending was satisfying without being obvious, even if the execution was a bit forced.

I liked the shifting points of view, but at times felt there were too many and the story should’ve only been told from Jared and Asta’s points of view.

I’m left curious about Jared’s mother, the queen. She seems a bit shady, especially where Axel, Morgan, Silva, and Jared’s family history are involved. I want to know more about Morgan, Kai, Koel (cool name, by the way!), and the Priest. Also, we never find out HOW the murderer actually gets the poison to kill the prince.

The story is what’s getting this book 3.5 stars. It could’ve been 4 or even 4.5 if not for what’s below.

I almost quit reading Allies and Assassins within the first ten pages. I am by no means and expert, but I think the editor might’ve let down the author on several points. The first 50 or so pages contain so much passive voice that I spent most of my time editing them as I read. There were enough “could feel” “could see” and “could hears” to fill an entire notebook. Far too much telling and not enough showing. The extra words were annoying to get through, especially when clear, concise writing is so lauded these days. The passive voice made Jared seem disconnected from his body and distracted me. The story, at the beginning, wasn’t strong enough for me to overlook the writing, and had I not agreed to review this book, I would’ve put it down and never picked it back up. Had I done that, I would’ve missed out on Somper’s enjoyable storytelling.

In addition to the distracting passive voice, Somper used several “cliché” and modern phrases that didn’t fit his time period. “Plan A” “Precious cargo” “Automaton” “Brain cells” “Running on empty” “Jury’s out on that” just to name a few. These pulled me right out of the story and should’ve been flagged by an editor.

So really, I’m of two minds with Allies and Assassins. After the story caught my interest, it became easier for me to ignore the passive voice, and I think it tapered off farther into the story. However, it’s hard for me to recommend something, even when the storytelling is great, when the writing (mostly the editing) was subpar.

Bottom line? I will read the sequel if there is one, but I hope more care is taken to give Somper’s story the editing it deserves.

3.5 Stars