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Darkblade #1
Assassin: Darkblade, Book 1
All in Voramis know the legend of the Hunter.
Relentless. Immortal. Death walking. The greatest assassin who ever lived.
Pay the master killer his due and the Hunter will execute any target, carry out any contract, no matter how impossible.
But when the Bloody Hand crime syndicate harms the innocents under his protection, they foolishly make an enemy of the one man they can't afford to anger. The price of the Hunter's vengeance is high-paid in blood and eternal damnation. Not even an army of crooks, cutthroats, and demonic creatures of nightmare can stand in his way.
He's far more than just one man . . . he's the Keeper-damned Hunter of Voramis.
Relentless. Immortal. Death walking. The greatest assassin who ever lived.
Pay the master killer his due and the Hunter will execute any target, carry out any contract, no matter how impossible.
But when the Bloody Hand crime syndicate harms the innocents under his protection, they foolishly make an enemy of the one man they can't afford to anger. The price of the Hunter's vengeance is high-paid in blood and eternal damnation. Not even an army of crooks, cutthroats, and demonic creatures of nightmare can stand in his way.
He's far more than just one man . . . he's the Keeper-damned Hunter of Voramis.
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First published July 6, 2021
2817 people are currently reading
5261 people want to read
About the author
Andy Peloquin
91 books1,298 followersI am, first and foremost, a storyteller and an artist--words are my palette. Fantasy is my genre of choice, and I love to explore the darker side of human nature through the filter of fantasy heroes, villains, and everything in between. I'm also a freelance writer, a book lover, and a guy who just loves to meet new people and spend hours talking about my fascination for the worlds I encounter in the pages of fantasy novels.
Fantasy provides us with an escape, a way to forget about our mundane problems and step into worlds where anything is possible. It transcends age, gender, religion, race, or lifestyle--it is our way of believing what cannot be, delving into the unknowable, and discovering hidden truths about ourselves and our world in a brand new way. Fiction at its very best!
Fantasy provides us with an escape, a way to forget about our mundane problems and step into worlds where anything is possible. It transcends age, gender, religion, race, or lifestyle--it is our way of believing what cannot be, delving into the unknowable, and discovering hidden truths about ourselves and our world in a brand new way. Fiction at its very best!
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 347 reviews
May 31, 2022
WOW! WOW! WOW!
Small Backstory:
The Hunter (Assassin) wants to clean up his city of Voramis by taking out the trash so to speak as thugs called the Bloody Hand are trying to tarnish the city by ruling it anyway they can even if it means killing people that get in their way.
The Hunter learns more than he wants to know about the Bloody Hand and he finds out eventually that what is actually ruling the Bloody Hand is far more evil than he realized but stopping it will take everything he has including body and soul!
That is about all I can hand out without giving away spoilers so if just that tiny bit of info sounds intriguing then you need to go read this book!
Thoughts:
This book was freaking awesome! It is quite lengthy but it packs a major wallop within as the pages light up with sword/dagger fights, evil villains, and tons of action! Besides all the action, there are tons of emotions within this book as well - lots of characters that interact with our main character the Hunter which you will become attached to as you move through the book.
There is also suspense, nail-biting tension, breathtaking hitch moments and heart string pulls throughout the book. The visual writing style of the author will literally pull you into his world and you will see and feel everything that happens within the storyline.
There was a little bit of world building in the beginning but there was action right away too - the book never slowed down - in fact the more I read of it the faster the pace seems to become.
After the 50% mark the pace became even faster and I would find myself staying up all hours of the night reading as more things were revealed within the story.
The author, Andy Peloquin is the real deal and I am looking forward to reading the rest of the series which there are quite a few books to read now and more to come in the future so I am here for the long haul and absolutely cannot wait to continue on this journey into the world of the Hunter! Giving this book five "Sword/Dagger Action" stars!
Highly Recommend!
Small Backstory:
The Hunter (Assassin) wants to clean up his city of Voramis by taking out the trash so to speak as thugs called the Bloody Hand are trying to tarnish the city by ruling it anyway they can even if it means killing people that get in their way.
The Hunter learns more than he wants to know about the Bloody Hand and he finds out eventually that what is actually ruling the Bloody Hand is far more evil than he realized but stopping it will take everything he has including body and soul!
That is about all I can hand out without giving away spoilers so if just that tiny bit of info sounds intriguing then you need to go read this book!
Thoughts:
This book was freaking awesome! It is quite lengthy but it packs a major wallop within as the pages light up with sword/dagger fights, evil villains, and tons of action! Besides all the action, there are tons of emotions within this book as well - lots of characters that interact with our main character the Hunter which you will become attached to as you move through the book.
There is also suspense, nail-biting tension, breathtaking hitch moments and heart string pulls throughout the book. The visual writing style of the author will literally pull you into his world and you will see and feel everything that happens within the storyline.
There was a little bit of world building in the beginning but there was action right away too - the book never slowed down - in fact the more I read of it the faster the pace seems to become.
After the 50% mark the pace became even faster and I would find myself staying up all hours of the night reading as more things were revealed within the story.
The author, Andy Peloquin is the real deal and I am looking forward to reading the rest of the series which there are quite a few books to read now and more to come in the future so I am here for the long haul and absolutely cannot wait to continue on this journey into the world of the Hunter! Giving this book five "Sword/Dagger Action" stars!
Highly Recommend!
May 30, 2022
This book was a complete blast to read from start to finish. The action starts immediately and literally keeps going the entire time. There are some deep emotions in this one and some phenomenal characters that are flawed yet lovable. The backstory is amazing and we get it in pieces throughout the book.
The battles are written perfectly and there are tons of awesome weapons, gore and spectacular deaths! I freaking loved it! Fantastic dark fantasy, will definitely be continuing this series and looking into everything else from Andy because this guy is legit!
The battles are written perfectly and there are tons of awesome weapons, gore and spectacular deaths! I freaking loved it! Fantastic dark fantasy, will definitely be continuing this series and looking into everything else from Andy because this guy is legit!
December 16, 2022
A fantastic read!
This is a dark fantasy with the main character being an assassin, obviously, look at the cover right?! But not the standard assassin. This one has upgraded features. You'll figure that out rather quickly.
The story is written in a very visual style which makes it easy to picture in your head. That's not saying it's overly wordy. It is not. You don't have to work too hard to "see" what is going on. I really like this style as I'm a visual type learner as well.
Emotionally, you'll be on a roller coaster. There are some rather gut-wrenching things in this one but it is a dark fantasy after all. There are some twists and turns too. This one keeps you on your toes. The witty and cheeky humor keeps things from being too dark.
Highly recommeded!
I say great job to Andy Peloquin for this one. I'm really looking forward to reading the rest of this series!
This is a dark fantasy with the main character being an assassin, obviously, look at the cover right?! But not the standard assassin. This one has upgraded features. You'll figure that out rather quickly.
The story is written in a very visual style which makes it easy to picture in your head. That's not saying it's overly wordy. It is not. You don't have to work too hard to "see" what is going on. I really like this style as I'm a visual type learner as well.
Emotionally, you'll be on a roller coaster. There are some rather gut-wrenching things in this one but it is a dark fantasy after all. There are some twists and turns too. This one keeps you on your toes. The witty and cheeky humor keeps things from being too dark.
Highly recommeded!
I say great job to Andy Peloquin for this one. I'm really looking forward to reading the rest of this series!
August 21, 2021
Ten stars ********** !!!!!!!!
Will Hot Damn!!!!! From being to end no stop excitement. You just can't put it down. The writing is excellent you feel every sword thrust every punch, you feel the damage to yourself as the Hunter feels it. Every smell every walk through the filth muddled streets. All the tears that Hunter draws down his face. That's what the writer brings in this book. Its been so long since I have been pulled in to a story an feel what he is bring across to the read. You can't help but cheer for the Hunter an the creator that is his other half. All I can say Andy Peloquin is that you did a flippen damn ass great job with this series.
Will Hot Damn!!!!! From being to end no stop excitement. You just can't put it down. The writing is excellent you feel every sword thrust every punch, you feel the damage to yourself as the Hunter feels it. Every smell every walk through the filth muddled streets. All the tears that Hunter draws down his face. That's what the writer brings in this book. Its been so long since I have been pulled in to a story an feel what he is bring across to the read. You can't help but cheer for the Hunter an the creator that is his other half. All I can say Andy Peloquin is that you did a flippen damn ass great job with this series.
July 15, 2021
4.5/5
ASSASSIN: A DARK EPIC FANTASY novel by Andy Peloquin is the revised first book in his Darkblade Assassin series. It is 150% longer than the original version of the book with a great deal more focus on the characterization of the Hunter of Voramis. The Hunter of Voramis is the greatest assassin of the worst city in the world and already a legendary figure in the city's underworld at the start of the book.
I didn't read the original novel so I can't tell how much is improved but I will say that the book is about 750 pages and just shy of an entire trilogy's worth of content. Well, more like two good sized fantasy novels but I'm not lying when I say this is a massive book and well worth its price. The fact it only costs $4.99 and is available on Kindle Unlimited also makes me think this is a good deal but it's not the size of the novel that matters but what's in it.
The premise is that the Hunter has fallen into something of a self-serving rut. He started as an assassin with the idea of hunting down the scum of the city and getting paid for it. Certainly, he gets paid to kill some truly reprehensible people and we begin with him killing a bunch of slavers. However, he has drifted from his original motives as he now mostly kills for coin and to satisfy his magic dagger. A accident with the local Thieves Guild, the Bloody Hand, results in him getting hired to kill the one truly good man in the city and this sets him on a path of unwelcome soul searching.
Voramis is a fascinating sort of location that is in the fine tradition of "wretched hive" locations like Mos Eisley, Dragon Age's Kirkwall, or Waterdeep. The city is ruled from behind the scenes by the Bloody Hand with its only competition being a ruthless hanging judge who is every bit as vile as the Thieves Guild he faces. Everyone is a different kind of scumbag and that actually makes the Hunter's job of trying to sort through the worst of the citizenry but the merely awful an interesting task.
The Hunter is supernaturally fast, strong, and possessed of an intelligent dagger that provides him additional benefits in exchange for regular supplies of souls. This doesn't make the Hunter a particularly nice person but he's never had any ethical issues about his professional until now. Admittedly, possessing such an objectively evil object does make it a bit weird that he staunchly refuses to believe in demons and is incredulous when the Beggar Priests try to hire him against some.
I am a big fan of Andy Peloquin's NIGHT GUILD books and am familiar with the Hunter, Bloody Hand, and Voramis from them. Andy loves Dungeons and Dragons-like thieves and assassins, hyper competent Medieval criminals in wretched hives. He plays them with a grit and darkness that makes them believable, though. Even with magic and demons, the primary motivations of the people involved is money and power. Sex, drugs, corruption, and murder are all depicted aplenty. It lends an authenticity to the setting without it going full grimdark.
The book is full of action, strong characterization, and a great treat for those of us who enjoy dark fantasy. While I prefer Andy's Cerberus and Night Guild series, it is still something I am picking up the sequel for. This is the sort of novel I wish I had written and that is the best compliment I can give it.
ASSASSIN: A DARK EPIC FANTASY novel by Andy Peloquin is the revised first book in his Darkblade Assassin series. It is 150% longer than the original version of the book with a great deal more focus on the characterization of the Hunter of Voramis. The Hunter of Voramis is the greatest assassin of the worst city in the world and already a legendary figure in the city's underworld at the start of the book.
I didn't read the original novel so I can't tell how much is improved but I will say that the book is about 750 pages and just shy of an entire trilogy's worth of content. Well, more like two good sized fantasy novels but I'm not lying when I say this is a massive book and well worth its price. The fact it only costs $4.99 and is available on Kindle Unlimited also makes me think this is a good deal but it's not the size of the novel that matters but what's in it.
The premise is that the Hunter has fallen into something of a self-serving rut. He started as an assassin with the idea of hunting down the scum of the city and getting paid for it. Certainly, he gets paid to kill some truly reprehensible people and we begin with him killing a bunch of slavers. However, he has drifted from his original motives as he now mostly kills for coin and to satisfy his magic dagger. A accident with the local Thieves Guild, the Bloody Hand, results in him getting hired to kill the one truly good man in the city and this sets him on a path of unwelcome soul searching.
Voramis is a fascinating sort of location that is in the fine tradition of "wretched hive" locations like Mos Eisley, Dragon Age's Kirkwall, or Waterdeep. The city is ruled from behind the scenes by the Bloody Hand with its only competition being a ruthless hanging judge who is every bit as vile as the Thieves Guild he faces. Everyone is a different kind of scumbag and that actually makes the Hunter's job of trying to sort through the worst of the citizenry but the merely awful an interesting task.
The Hunter is supernaturally fast, strong, and possessed of an intelligent dagger that provides him additional benefits in exchange for regular supplies of souls. This doesn't make the Hunter a particularly nice person but he's never had any ethical issues about his professional until now. Admittedly, possessing such an objectively evil object does make it a bit weird that he staunchly refuses to believe in demons and is incredulous when the Beggar Priests try to hire him against some.
I am a big fan of Andy Peloquin's NIGHT GUILD books and am familiar with the Hunter, Bloody Hand, and Voramis from them. Andy loves Dungeons and Dragons-like thieves and assassins, hyper competent Medieval criminals in wretched hives. He plays them with a grit and darkness that makes them believable, though. Even with magic and demons, the primary motivations of the people involved is money and power. Sex, drugs, corruption, and murder are all depicted aplenty. It lends an authenticity to the setting without it going full grimdark.
The book is full of action, strong characterization, and a great treat for those of us who enjoy dark fantasy. While I prefer Andy's Cerberus and Night Guild series, it is still something I am picking up the sequel for. This is the sort of novel I wish I had written and that is the best compliment I can give it.
March 8, 2023
Buckle in!
His blade hungers. A relentless call to feed. It’s wielder the Hunter of Voramis. The deadly & feared assassin. Now that lines have been crossed a rampage of death awaits.
An adrenaline surging blast of relentless action. Addictive and exciting.
His blade hungers. A relentless call to feed. It’s wielder the Hunter of Voramis. The deadly & feared assassin. Now that lines have been crossed a rampage of death awaits.
An adrenaline surging blast of relentless action. Addictive and exciting.
Read
September 17, 2024SO. MUCH. DEATH.
DNF at 51% p336. Unfortunately, I am not in the right headspace to deal with a book so bloody and bursting with killings on every page.🩸
The Hunter had come to the Port of Voramis, and death followed in his wake. With the bloodthirsty, insistent voice of his dagger, Soulhunger, craving the souls to power him, the Hunter carries out contracts killing the strong.
For all he hated it, however, he could not escape it. So he killed. And was bloody damned good at it.
The writing style was engaging and evoked touching moments where the Hunter intermingled with the weakness and defenceless of the city. Contrasting this with his hatred for the powerful and noble was a great way to show the dynamics of the city and the Hunter’s personal vendetta.
Other times, it felt repetitive and redundant with loathing and bloodlust.
There was also an intriguing mystery surrounding the Hunter’s past which he can’t remember and rumours of demons.
However, there was too much killings and fighting. This wasn’t helped that the Hunter felt invincible until the key villain is introduced at the 45% mark.
If you liked Nevernight by Jay Kristoff, I would recommend this!
Thank you to the author and his publicist for sending me a PR box!
Bookstagram
DNF at 51% p336. Unfortunately, I am not in the right headspace to deal with a book so bloody and bursting with killings on every page.🩸
The Hunter had come to the Port of Voramis, and death followed in his wake. With the bloodthirsty, insistent voice of his dagger, Soulhunger, craving the souls to power him, the Hunter carries out contracts killing the strong.
For all he hated it, however, he could not escape it. So he killed. And was bloody damned good at it.
The writing style was engaging and evoked touching moments where the Hunter intermingled with the weakness and defenceless of the city. Contrasting this with his hatred for the powerful and noble was a great way to show the dynamics of the city and the Hunter’s personal vendetta.
Other times, it felt repetitive and redundant with loathing and bloodlust.
There was also an intriguing mystery surrounding the Hunter’s past which he can’t remember and rumours of demons.
However, there was too much killings and fighting. This wasn’t helped that the Hunter felt invincible until the key villain is introduced at the 45% mark.
If you liked Nevernight by Jay Kristoff, I would recommend this!
Thank you to the author and his publicist for sending me a PR box!
Bookstagram
September 8, 2023
This blew me away, and I wasn't expecting it. Not because I didn't know that Andy Peloquin is a master story-teller, but because (on paper) this is not the type of book I usually go for (think traditional epic fantasy).
Assassin is a like a Quentin Tarantino movie meets Raymond E. Feist by way of Jimmy the Hand, and it was amazing. Seriously, I couldn't put it down.
This was a rip-roaring, edge of your seat epic with all the worldbuilding and lore I look for merged with blood-soaked battle scenes that make the heart pound in the chest.
I thoroughly enjoyed Assassin and can't wait to dive into more of the Darkblade series. Highly recommended.
Assassin is a like a Quentin Tarantino movie meets Raymond E. Feist by way of Jimmy the Hand, and it was amazing. Seriously, I couldn't put it down.
This was a rip-roaring, edge of your seat epic with all the worldbuilding and lore I look for merged with blood-soaked battle scenes that make the heart pound in the chest.
I thoroughly enjoyed Assassin and can't wait to dive into more of the Darkblade series. Highly recommended.
October 4, 2021
Brutal. Thrilling. Full of heart.
Assassin was my first Andy Peloquin read, and it’s a great place to start. The Hunter is a memorable and gripping character. He’s not one to sit on his laurels — and when he decides to do something, he damn well gets it done, and in the bloodiest fashion possible!
But though the action was great, I was surprised at how human Peloquin made the Hunter. He has a dark lineage and a violent career, and his pain and loneliness may be suppressed. But he’s not the cold-blooded killer one expects at the outset. The people the Hunter cares for and for whom he will sacrifice everything is what makes this story shine — and shine it does, through all the grime and guts.
Looking forward to reading more of Peloquin’s catalogue, and definitely recommend this first book in the revamped Darkblade series!
Assassin was my first Andy Peloquin read, and it’s a great place to start. The Hunter is a memorable and gripping character. He’s not one to sit on his laurels — and when he decides to do something, he damn well gets it done, and in the bloodiest fashion possible!
But though the action was great, I was surprised at how human Peloquin made the Hunter. He has a dark lineage and a violent career, and his pain and loneliness may be suppressed. But he’s not the cold-blooded killer one expects at the outset. The people the Hunter cares for and for whom he will sacrifice everything is what makes this story shine — and shine it does, through all the grime and guts.
Looking forward to reading more of Peloquin’s catalogue, and definitely recommend this first book in the revamped Darkblade series!
December 15, 2025
Fun Fast Paced Dark Fantasy
This is a fun fast paced dark fantasy assassin story with just enough interesting lore and mystery to be a hook. Got a little fatigued by the action near the end and not super strong characters or themes, but overall a pretty good time.
This is a fun fast paced dark fantasy assassin story with just enough interesting lore and mystery to be a hook. Got a little fatigued by the action near the end and not super strong characters or themes, but overall a pretty good time.
March 21, 2025
Andy Peloquin’s Darkblade Assassin is a fast-paced, brutal fantasy that delivers nonstop action and a compelling antihero. The Hunter, an assassin with no memory of his past, stalks the blood-soaked streets of Voramis, uncovering dark secrets about himself and the forces pulling the strings. The book has polished writing, the gritty edge of Joe Abercrombie, the street-level scheming of The Lies of Locke Lamora, and the rooftop chases and immersive worldbuilding of Assassin’s Creed, all mixed with the relentless, close-quarter brutality of John Wick.
The action scenes are a definite highlight—cinematic, intense, and very well-written. The world is intriguing, with hints of a larger mythos that make you want to keep going with the series. For me, the middle section drags a little with more exposition than I usually prefer and some repetitive internal struggles that could have been tightened up. That said, the final quarter accelerates into a thrilling climax with a satisfying ending that entices you to pick up the next book
Overall, Darkblade Assassin is an engaging, dark and bloody read. If you like your fantasy sharp-edged, action-packed, and full of morally gray characters, this is a series worth diving into. I’ll definitely be continuing on to see where the Hunter’s journey takes him next.
The action scenes are a definite highlight—cinematic, intense, and very well-written. The world is intriguing, with hints of a larger mythos that make you want to keep going with the series. For me, the middle section drags a little with more exposition than I usually prefer and some repetitive internal struggles that could have been tightened up. That said, the final quarter accelerates into a thrilling climax with a satisfying ending that entices you to pick up the next book
Overall, Darkblade Assassin is an engaging, dark and bloody read. If you like your fantasy sharp-edged, action-packed, and full of morally gray characters, this is a series worth diving into. I’ll definitely be continuing on to see where the Hunter’s journey takes him next.
July 6, 2021
If there were 6 stars, I'd give them.
This story is plain full of awesome.
Taking place in the city of Voramis, we see the Hunter - paramount assassin, he is more than that. Capeable of deep compassion and care, haunted by the past, the Hunter is a 3 dimensional character.
The action is non-stop, the plot moves you along so smoothly that you don't always notice the body count, the descriptions are of a vibrant and gritty world written so well you can picture it clearly. (And be very glad you don't live there.)
Author Peloquin manages to put both the Grim and Dark in grimdark with this one!
This story is plain full of awesome.
Taking place in the city of Voramis, we see the Hunter - paramount assassin, he is more than that. Capeable of deep compassion and care, haunted by the past, the Hunter is a 3 dimensional character.
The action is non-stop, the plot moves you along so smoothly that you don't always notice the body count, the descriptions are of a vibrant and gritty world written so well you can picture it clearly. (And be very glad you don't live there.)
Author Peloquin manages to put both the Grim and Dark in grimdark with this one!
July 18, 2025
Darkblade Assassin is an action-packed grimdark fantasy that follows the hunter of Voramis, a near invincible assassin. With no recollection of his past, he spends his days going mark to mark sending those that deserve to meet his cursed blade to an early end. Everything changes though when he finds himself going head to head with the crime syndicate of Voramis, the bloody hand, and entangled in an ancient war.
This was one of those dark fantasy stories that hits the ground running from the very beginning and doesn’t stop until the very end! Andy builds a fascinating world with a protagonist that is quite simply, bad ass. The action scenes of this novel are very impressive. They are easy to follow and so well described making the book very exciting. The hunter is definitely one of the more interesting characters I’ve read as there is much more to him than what’s on the surface, especially as the storyline line evolves and becomes more complex.
I’d say it was like reading the equivalent of watching a John Wick movie but with an overarching storyline that keeps you interested
This was one of those dark fantasy stories that hits the ground running from the very beginning and doesn’t stop until the very end! Andy builds a fascinating world with a protagonist that is quite simply, bad ass. The action scenes of this novel are very impressive. They are easy to follow and so well described making the book very exciting. The hunter is definitely one of the more interesting characters I’ve read as there is much more to him than what’s on the surface, especially as the storyline line evolves and becomes more complex.
I’d say it was like reading the equivalent of watching a John Wick movie but with an overarching storyline that keeps you interested
April 30, 2024
With a body count that makes John Wick look like a boy scout, the Hunter of Voramis is a merciless killer and this is definitely a book with a dark tone.
Yet such is the skill of the author I was quickly right behind the Hunter. Who is the ultimate anti-hero, he has a reason for every action and was a character of far more depth that I was expecting. I wont say more for fear of spoilers!
Whilst its a dark world that Andy has created, there are some real moments of humanity that enrich the story. This is a world with many layers and I'm eager to jump back into it as soon as I can
Yet such is the skill of the author I was quickly right behind the Hunter. Who is the ultimate anti-hero, he has a reason for every action and was a character of far more depth that I was expecting. I wont say more for fear of spoilers!
Whilst its a dark world that Andy has created, there are some real moments of humanity that enrich the story. This is a world with many layers and I'm eager to jump back into it as soon as I can
July 8, 2021
https://undertheradarsffbooks.com/202...
We find ourselves in the ancient city of Voramis. Every citizen knows the stories of the Hunter, a relentless, immortal killing machine for hire. When the Hunter gets caught up in the criminal plans of the Bloody hand, no amount of money or valor will keep the Hunter from his vengeance and desire to protect the innocent of Voramis. Andy Peloquin has created something truly epic in terms of scope, grit, and bloody chaos. If you are a big fan of assassins’, this is the book for you.
Although a first entry to this new series, Assassin is actually a rewrite of the authors first published series The Hero of Darkness. Both series contain the same character and some of the events will overlap, but the story is fresh and expands upon the themes, characters, and history from the original series. Andy has mentioned that since the time of publishing the first book of the Hero of Darkness series, he has grown by leaps and bounds as a writer and that the series needed a reboot. Having not read the original series myself, I can only comment of this new epic as a whole and boy was this a joy to find. Coming in just shy of 1,000 pages, Assassins puts the petal to the metal from start to finish.
The Hunter is a dark figure with a shady memory of his past. Bits and pieces come back to him but always disjointed and without context. The one thing he knows for certain is he is horrified by the person he use to be. Moving throughout Voramis performing job after job, his skin showing the bloody markings of his profession, and strapped to his belt is the deadly blade Soulhunger. Soulhunger is an ancient artifact and always thirst for blood of its victims. The Hunter is forever haunted as Soulhunger communicates in his head like a drug addict pleading for its next fix. With the Bloody Hand now on the lookout for the Hunter, alliances need to be made and the discoveries will span not only the deepest secrets of Voramis but also its darkest histories.
Andy’s writing style is fast paced and is always driving towards the next scene. The many sects, guild, and histories of Voramis are told very naturally although they can come in waves over the course of a few chapters back to back. This is not a simple assassin gets caught up with the wrong crowd type of story. Religion, dark magic, and the themes of protecting the weak are central to the plot of this story. The action scenes are so tense and have great malice that there is not one stab, thrust, or slash unaccounted for. This book is not for the reader uninspired with the darker works of the fantasy genre.
Assassin combines the works of the first and part of the second books in The Hero of Darkness series with three more works scheduled to be released. If the sequels are anything like this excellent book, the series is in great hands and one I look forward to read in the future. It takes courage to rewrite an entire completed series to make it a better version of itself, but Andy Peloquin did an amazing job and the sky is the limit!
Cheers!
We find ourselves in the ancient city of Voramis. Every citizen knows the stories of the Hunter, a relentless, immortal killing machine for hire. When the Hunter gets caught up in the criminal plans of the Bloody hand, no amount of money or valor will keep the Hunter from his vengeance and desire to protect the innocent of Voramis. Andy Peloquin has created something truly epic in terms of scope, grit, and bloody chaos. If you are a big fan of assassins’, this is the book for you.
Although a first entry to this new series, Assassin is actually a rewrite of the authors first published series The Hero of Darkness. Both series contain the same character and some of the events will overlap, but the story is fresh and expands upon the themes, characters, and history from the original series. Andy has mentioned that since the time of publishing the first book of the Hero of Darkness series, he has grown by leaps and bounds as a writer and that the series needed a reboot. Having not read the original series myself, I can only comment of this new epic as a whole and boy was this a joy to find. Coming in just shy of 1,000 pages, Assassins puts the petal to the metal from start to finish.
The Hunter is a dark figure with a shady memory of his past. Bits and pieces come back to him but always disjointed and without context. The one thing he knows for certain is he is horrified by the person he use to be. Moving throughout Voramis performing job after job, his skin showing the bloody markings of his profession, and strapped to his belt is the deadly blade Soulhunger. Soulhunger is an ancient artifact and always thirst for blood of its victims. The Hunter is forever haunted as Soulhunger communicates in his head like a drug addict pleading for its next fix. With the Bloody Hand now on the lookout for the Hunter, alliances need to be made and the discoveries will span not only the deepest secrets of Voramis but also its darkest histories.
Andy’s writing style is fast paced and is always driving towards the next scene. The many sects, guild, and histories of Voramis are told very naturally although they can come in waves over the course of a few chapters back to back. This is not a simple assassin gets caught up with the wrong crowd type of story. Religion, dark magic, and the themes of protecting the weak are central to the plot of this story. The action scenes are so tense and have great malice that there is not one stab, thrust, or slash unaccounted for. This book is not for the reader uninspired with the darker works of the fantasy genre.
Assassin combines the works of the first and part of the second books in The Hero of Darkness series with three more works scheduled to be released. If the sequels are anything like this excellent book, the series is in great hands and one I look forward to read in the future. It takes courage to rewrite an entire completed series to make it a better version of itself, but Andy Peloquin did an amazing job and the sky is the limit!
Cheers!
May 15, 2025
4.25 - Stars
Opening:
As mentioned in another recent read and review, I had two team leaders for the March Mavericks Readathon that I had yet to read. That was Tori Tecken and Andy Peloquin. You can check out my review of Phased by the former and here you will find my review of Assassin by Andy Peloquin. Andy is another author that I've heard some chatter about and simply hadn't found a way to get his work into one of my monthly TBR lists.
After doing a bit of researching and asking others who have read several of Andy's books I decided to start his Darkblade series which book one is Assassin.
Pacing:
As beefy as this book was, I went with the audiobook which was narrated by John Lee. As happens often with me when I'm experiencing both an author and narrator for the first time, I struggled getting settled in with this one. I restarted twice but on the third go around I picked up the Kindle version to get a bit of an emersion read which was exactly what I needed. It allowed me to get used to John Lee's performance while visually focusing on the story with the Kindle in front of me.
Once I got settled in this story just flowed. It's a longer read but I didn't feel like it was ever a slog. I will say this one might lean slightly to the slower only because this is a very richly described story and world. I do struggle with those at times but I know many fellow readers who love that style of story telling, so I wanted to make sure I mentioned it. Anyone who picks this book up whether a visual read or an audio like I went with, you're definitely going to get your money's worth!
World Building:
The world building in Assassin was definitely one of my favorite aspects to this book. As I said there is a lot of detail helping us visual locations and what is going on around us. This was very easy for me to lose myself in those scenes once I got settled into the book.
This world is rich in culture, religion, politics, and magic. Even with that being said, the martial skills on display in fights are great. The Hunter is one bad "man". I loved the societies within societies. Just layers of intrigue piled on top of each other.
Speaking of religion, I also want to point out that I really started getting into this one heavily around the midway mark when we start to find out more about the gods, demons and the Hunter's history. Things go so good from that point on. It was perfect for my preferences from there.
Character Development:
That is a good transition right into the character development within Assassin. The arc of the main protagonist The Hunter was really good. It's a very long yet interesting tale as book one progresses. It's always interesting to read stories where characters learn about themselves right along with us the reader.
That isn't to say this read isn't jammed full of supporting characters though. Some of the priests were great and easy to grow attached to. We have a plethora of villains to dislike as well. An entire organization of criminals as well as some possible connections to demons which will follow along those same lines.
Even several of the lesser characters that The Hunter meets and may or may not help along the way add some great flavor to moments. It might be a bit of a stretch but I feel he is this city's Robin Hood in a twisted brutal way.
Closing:
I might be alone in this thought, but there is something about a book that creates many new curse words and phrases for me to enjoy. I have no idea but this just makes a world seem that much more real. The fact an author can come up with these beyond just using commonly used one in our daily lives, just adds so much more to a book.
Scoring:
Pacing 4.0 / 5.0
World Building 4.75 / 5.0
Character Development 4.5 / 5.0
Opening:
As mentioned in another recent read and review, I had two team leaders for the March Mavericks Readathon that I had yet to read. That was Tori Tecken and Andy Peloquin. You can check out my review of Phased by the former and here you will find my review of Assassin by Andy Peloquin. Andy is another author that I've heard some chatter about and simply hadn't found a way to get his work into one of my monthly TBR lists.
After doing a bit of researching and asking others who have read several of Andy's books I decided to start his Darkblade series which book one is Assassin.
Pacing:
As beefy as this book was, I went with the audiobook which was narrated by John Lee. As happens often with me when I'm experiencing both an author and narrator for the first time, I struggled getting settled in with this one. I restarted twice but on the third go around I picked up the Kindle version to get a bit of an emersion read which was exactly what I needed. It allowed me to get used to John Lee's performance while visually focusing on the story with the Kindle in front of me.
Once I got settled in this story just flowed. It's a longer read but I didn't feel like it was ever a slog. I will say this one might lean slightly to the slower only because this is a very richly described story and world. I do struggle with those at times but I know many fellow readers who love that style of story telling, so I wanted to make sure I mentioned it. Anyone who picks this book up whether a visual read or an audio like I went with, you're definitely going to get your money's worth!
World Building:
The world building in Assassin was definitely one of my favorite aspects to this book. As I said there is a lot of detail helping us visual locations and what is going on around us. This was very easy for me to lose myself in those scenes once I got settled into the book.
This world is rich in culture, religion, politics, and magic. Even with that being said, the martial skills on display in fights are great. The Hunter is one bad "man". I loved the societies within societies. Just layers of intrigue piled on top of each other.
Speaking of religion, I also want to point out that I really started getting into this one heavily around the midway mark when we start to find out more about the gods, demons and the Hunter's history. Things go so good from that point on. It was perfect for my preferences from there.
Character Development:
That is a good transition right into the character development within Assassin. The arc of the main protagonist The Hunter was really good. It's a very long yet interesting tale as book one progresses. It's always interesting to read stories where characters learn about themselves right along with us the reader.
That isn't to say this read isn't jammed full of supporting characters though. Some of the priests were great and easy to grow attached to. We have a plethora of villains to dislike as well. An entire organization of criminals as well as some possible connections to demons which will follow along those same lines.
Even several of the lesser characters that The Hunter meets and may or may not help along the way add some great flavor to moments. It might be a bit of a stretch but I feel he is this city's Robin Hood in a twisted brutal way.
Closing:
I might be alone in this thought, but there is something about a book that creates many new curse words and phrases for me to enjoy. I have no idea but this just makes a world seem that much more real. The fact an author can come up with these beyond just using commonly used one in our daily lives, just adds so much more to a book.
Scoring:
Pacing 4.0 / 5.0
World Building 4.75 / 5.0
Character Development 4.5 / 5.0
December 18, 2024
You know when a book is sitting on your TBR shelf for awhile and you finally get around to reading it, after the first couple pages you start kicking yourself because you wished you had of picked it up sooner..
That was this book for me!
Had me from the first page and has placed in my top 10 for the year.
I love a villain that is also the hero. I love a morally grey character. The Grimness is real!!!! What a wild ride and an incredibly deep and emotional character development.
A story of vengeance and atonement. Protecting one’s soul is important business and must never be let go.. The Hunter’s determination to avenge the fallen was savage and raw and held me in his grip through the whole book.
“A man often meets his destiny on the road he took to avoid it”
That was this book for me!
Had me from the first page and has placed in my top 10 for the year.
I love a villain that is also the hero. I love a morally grey character. The Grimness is real!!!! What a wild ride and an incredibly deep and emotional character development.
A story of vengeance and atonement. Protecting one’s soul is important business and must never be let go.. The Hunter’s determination to avenge the fallen was savage and raw and held me in his grip through the whole book.
“A man often meets his destiny on the road he took to avoid it”
dnf
November 19, 2023dnf
Ich fand die Hauptfigur, "The Hunter", eigentlich gar nicht so schlecht, aber die Geschichte war schon nach 150 Seiten so repetitiv und zog sich zum Teil sehr, da wollte ich die übrigen 500 Seiten nicht so gerne weiterlesen.
Wäre das Buch 200 (oder mehr) Seiten kürzer, hätte ich es evtl. noch weiter versucht. Aber ich musste mich die letzte Stunde zwingen am Ball zu bleiben. Schade.
Ich fand die Hauptfigur, "The Hunter", eigentlich gar nicht so schlecht, aber die Geschichte war schon nach 150 Seiten so repetitiv und zog sich zum Teil sehr, da wollte ich die übrigen 500 Seiten nicht so gerne weiterlesen.
Wäre das Buch 200 (oder mehr) Seiten kürzer, hätte ich es evtl. noch weiter versucht. Aber ich musste mich die letzte Stunde zwingen am Ball zu bleiben. Schade.
January 18, 2022
I didn't know a book could over act.
Overall this book was like a screenwriter decided to write a half formed story using exclusively cliches, then tried to constantly force scenes of high emotion without any reason.
The main character, an assassin character, has a trite pseudo-monologue running thru his head for the entire book. The result is that of a narrator in a movie, which is unusual and breaks reader engagement somewhat. Eventually another voice appears in the characters head also, which thematically could have been explained many ways, but instead is written off as the most nonsensical option possible (not-spoiler: it's the devil on his other shoulder). With all characters constantly waffling back and forth between extreme aggression and and overly empathetic sobbing sadness, usually between one dialog sentence and the next, the characters were total throw aways. With an extended build up of no plot, minimal story direction, and character driven motivation from failed characters, there was nothing to keep you engaged. The blatant attempts to throw cliche after cliche into the story to try and find traction never pans out and even with big last minute cliff hangers I'm left with no interest in reading any of the sequels.
Overall this book was like a screenwriter decided to write a half formed story using exclusively cliches, then tried to constantly force scenes of high emotion without any reason.
The main character, an assassin character, has a trite pseudo-monologue running thru his head for the entire book. The result is that of a narrator in a movie, which is unusual and breaks reader engagement somewhat. Eventually another voice appears in the characters head also, which thematically could have been explained many ways, but instead is written off as the most nonsensical option possible (not-spoiler: it's the devil on his other shoulder). With all characters constantly waffling back and forth between extreme aggression and and overly empathetic sobbing sadness, usually between one dialog sentence and the next, the characters were total throw aways. With an extended build up of no plot, minimal story direction, and character driven motivation from failed characters, there was nothing to keep you engaged. The blatant attempts to throw cliche after cliche into the story to try and find traction never pans out and even with big last minute cliff hangers I'm left with no interest in reading any of the sequels.
June 3, 2023
the story that never ends
This book is so long winded and never ending. I thought I was going to die trying to get through it. Not only is the lead character a fumbling idiot, but what kind of assassin can’t bluff??? He is constantly filling pages of his self doubt, his inability to go on, just for him to find the strength and courage that he needs to, in fact, go on. It really could have been an amazing book/series but I can’t bring myself to even think about the next book let alone try to read it. Lord have mercy, author EDIT some of the fluff OUT, make the book shorter if you have to, but make it less boring too.
This book is so long winded and never ending. I thought I was going to die trying to get through it. Not only is the lead character a fumbling idiot, but what kind of assassin can’t bluff??? He is constantly filling pages of his self doubt, his inability to go on, just for him to find the strength and courage that he needs to, in fact, go on. It really could have been an amazing book/series but I can’t bring myself to even think about the next book let alone try to read it. Lord have mercy, author EDIT some of the fluff OUT, make the book shorter if you have to, but make it less boring too.
November 6, 2025
It's so refreshing to read a book about an assassin where they, you know, actually assassinate people. You wouldn't think that would be so rare but here we are.
Sometimes you are just in the mood for an action-centric fast-paced story of swords and sorcery, demons and devilish people, and this book has that in spades. A flawed and somewhat amoral main character meets some far worse 'people' and is absolutely not having the dark deeds they are trying to sell. Criminal empires, street thugs, corrupt nobles and religious orders abound in Veramis, making it an excellent place for a good old-fashioned rampage!
Sometimes you are just in the mood for an action-centric fast-paced story of swords and sorcery, demons and devilish people, and this book has that in spades. A flawed and somewhat amoral main character meets some far worse 'people' and is absolutely not having the dark deeds they are trying to sell. Criminal empires, street thugs, corrupt nobles and religious orders abound in Veramis, making it an excellent place for a good old-fashioned rampage!
July 12, 2024
Maybe you don't know it, but apparently, John Wick once killed three people with nothing more than a pencil. Usually, he uses guns - but what if he instead used a cursed dagger? Then he would be the protagonist of this series. Welcome to the world of Darkblade!
Well, MacGyver would have used the pencil,a rubber band and a chewing gum to ... Oh, nevermind.
Imagine you're soul bound to a weapon that empowers you, but demands indiscriminately killings to feed itself. Would you do it? Could you keep up some semblance of honor by picking your victims to those who deserve it, or would you give in to the darkest desires?
Meet Hunter, the assassin for whom this is not a rhetorical question, but the reality of his life. There's more to him than meets the eye, and even more that he himself knows about. (Yes, amnesia of his life before a certain point is a trope you'll encounter in this story, along with the obvious trope of the anti hero.) And also meet his dagger, Soulhunger, who is aptly named, if I say so myself.
Soulhunger, if it were a plant instead of a dagger.
Hunter's world is grim and dark, everybody out for their own good - or at least most. But even the dark and feared assassin has a weak and humane side to him, even if that isn't on full display all the time. It does serve well to turn the ruthless killer into a more likeable character, though.
On a negative side note, there was one occasion where I really struggled with the main character: The first time the existence of demons is mentioned, Hunter immediately declines the notion. Don't get me wrong - I think it would be a rather sane reaction coming from you or me, sitting here in my IKEA armchair, watching out the window at cars driving by. But it's rather rich coming from someone in possession of a dagger that - literally! - screams bloody murder into his thoughts. Just saying, the existence of a weapon like this is a rather big point towards the existence of dark and cruel forces.
I like you, but my knife disagrees...
Despite the possible philosophical and moral implication this might bring to the story, at its heart, it is a revenge story. If you've been reading this blog for a while now - you have, right? And if not, you should! -, you will already know that space operas are one of my guilty pleasures, along with the LitRPG genre. I might as well complete the set and come out with my confession about my love of revenge stories, despite the genre or the medium. Fantasy, science fiction, thriller; book, graphic novel or movie - I love revenge stories (as well as underdog stories, and both concepts usually work well together). I love the old Mel Gibson movie Payback, as well as John Wick. I've read - and watched - the Count of Monte Cristo (but truth be told, I don't remember much on account of this being a long, long time ago), and a lot of other stories. It all boils down to this: I'm a simple man, and I like to see justice dealt out. The primal lizard part of my brain insists that this kind of revenge is a dish that can be enjoyed, and thinks not much about the digging of two graves. Of course my real life experience is different - but escaping the real world in favour of an imaginary world with different rules is exactly the point why I like reading. So, in terms of my lizard brain: bad guy bad, good guy smash bad guy, everything good, Stefan happy. Ugh.
Alright, it's also a story about the battle with our inner demons - quite literally, in some cases, and also the external ones. It's thrilling, and quite satisfying in the revenge parts.
Where there's light, there's also shadow. (What else should an assassin use to conceal himself?) In this case, I would say it's the pace. The story does have its lengths, and quite a few of them are fueled by needless repetitions. I swear unto all thirteen gods, I will scream if I have to read one more version of »He WOULD avenge them!« - I got that the first time around, and even for a more dense audience, the third time would have sufficed. Every repetition after that is just overdoing it.
All in all, I enjoyed my time hunting through Voramis, but the pacing issued will mean I'll take a little time before I pick up the second installment in the series. 3 out of 5 cursed daggers!
Well, MacGyver would have used the pencil,a rubber band and a chewing gum to ... Oh, nevermind.
Imagine you're soul bound to a weapon that empowers you, but demands indiscriminately killings to feed itself. Would you do it? Could you keep up some semblance of honor by picking your victims to those who deserve it, or would you give in to the darkest desires?
Meet Hunter, the assassin for whom this is not a rhetorical question, but the reality of his life. There's more to him than meets the eye, and even more that he himself knows about. (Yes, amnesia of his life before a certain point is a trope you'll encounter in this story, along with the obvious trope of the anti hero.) And also meet his dagger, Soulhunger, who is aptly named, if I say so myself.
Soulhunger, if it were a plant instead of a dagger.
Hunter's world is grim and dark, everybody out for their own good - or at least most. But even the dark and feared assassin has a weak and humane side to him, even if that isn't on full display all the time. It does serve well to turn the ruthless killer into a more likeable character, though.
On a negative side note, there was one occasion where I really struggled with the main character: The first time the existence of demons is mentioned, Hunter immediately declines the notion. Don't get me wrong - I think it would be a rather sane reaction coming from you or me, sitting here in my IKEA armchair, watching out the window at cars driving by. But it's rather rich coming from someone in possession of a dagger that - literally! - screams bloody murder into his thoughts. Just saying, the existence of a weapon like this is a rather big point towards the existence of dark and cruel forces.
I like you, but my knife disagrees...
Despite the possible philosophical and moral implication this might bring to the story, at its heart, it is a revenge story. If you've been reading this blog for a while now - you have, right? And if not, you should! -, you will already know that space operas are one of my guilty pleasures, along with the LitRPG genre. I might as well complete the set and come out with my confession about my love of revenge stories, despite the genre or the medium. Fantasy, science fiction, thriller; book, graphic novel or movie - I love revenge stories (as well as underdog stories, and both concepts usually work well together). I love the old Mel Gibson movie Payback, as well as John Wick. I've read - and watched - the Count of Monte Cristo (but truth be told, I don't remember much on account of this being a long, long time ago), and a lot of other stories. It all boils down to this: I'm a simple man, and I like to see justice dealt out. The primal lizard part of my brain insists that this kind of revenge is a dish that can be enjoyed, and thinks not much about the digging of two graves. Of course my real life experience is different - but escaping the real world in favour of an imaginary world with different rules is exactly the point why I like reading. So, in terms of my lizard brain: bad guy bad, good guy smash bad guy, everything good, Stefan happy. Ugh.
Alright, it's also a story about the battle with our inner demons - quite literally, in some cases, and also the external ones. It's thrilling, and quite satisfying in the revenge parts.
Where there's light, there's also shadow. (What else should an assassin use to conceal himself?) In this case, I would say it's the pace. The story does have its lengths, and quite a few of them are fueled by needless repetitions. I swear unto all thirteen gods, I will scream if I have to read one more version of »He WOULD avenge them!« - I got that the first time around, and even for a more dense audience, the third time would have sufficed. Every repetition after that is just overdoing it.
All in all, I enjoyed my time hunting through Voramis, but the pacing issued will mean I'll take a little time before I pick up the second installment in the series. 3 out of 5 cursed daggers!
December 30, 2023
Imagine Durzo Blint is the main character of Brent Weeks' Night Angel series but with a more interesting group of side characters.
Andy Peloquin's the Hunter is a seemingly cold killer but he has his moral compass - specifically, the Hunter tends not to kill innocents (although I'd argue this rule is used rather situationally as the Hunter occasionally makes some decisions that had me wondering how stringent he is with this code).
Darkblade Assassin is split into two parts, and if I had to rate each part separately, I'd probably do...
Part 1: 5⭐
Part 2: 4 ⭐
Part one is a page turner - I couldn't put the book down and was always desperate to read more... Then I moved across the country and read part two in a very sporadic way (so I'm unsure if my problems with book two are warranted or not, thus the straight 5⭐ rating). Even part two had me wanting to read more frequently - I just had a difficult time incorporating reading time over the last few months. But I finally finished!
I had a few quibbles with Darkblade Assassin - part two had a couple of really overextended death sequences and the Hunter spent a lot of time recovering from various things that felt like it took awhile to get through.
My favorite parts of this book were the side characters. From Farida, to Celicia, to Bardin (my favorite, of course), to Jak and Karrl, Peloquin had me always interested in meeting new people. I thoroughly enjoyed the characterizations.
If you're into assassin stories, along with a healthy dose of revenge, you're likely going to be super interested in this series.
Andy Peloquin's the Hunter is a seemingly cold killer but he has his moral compass - specifically, the Hunter tends not to kill innocents (although I'd argue this rule is used rather situationally as the Hunter occasionally makes some decisions that had me wondering how stringent he is with this code).
Darkblade Assassin is split into two parts, and if I had to rate each part separately, I'd probably do...
Part 1: 5⭐
Part 2: 4 ⭐
Part one is a page turner - I couldn't put the book down and was always desperate to read more... Then I moved across the country and read part two in a very sporadic way (so I'm unsure if my problems with book two are warranted or not, thus the straight 5⭐ rating). Even part two had me wanting to read more frequently - I just had a difficult time incorporating reading time over the last few months. But I finally finished!
I had a few quibbles with Darkblade Assassin - part two had a couple of really overextended death sequences and the Hunter spent a lot of time recovering from various things that felt like it took awhile to get through.
My favorite parts of this book were the side characters. From Farida, to Celicia, to Bardin (my favorite, of course), to Jak and Karrl, Peloquin had me always interested in meeting new people. I thoroughly enjoyed the characterizations.
If you're into assassin stories, along with a healthy dose of revenge, you're likely going to be super interested in this series.
July 21, 2024
Dark Fantasy at it's Best
I was expecting a dark story about an assassin. With his abilities, I thought he might have been a vampire, but what I wasn't expecting was for him to be a half demon, which was a cool twist. Peloquin sets of a GOT-esque world where things are bleak but hope still flickers. I love a good conflicted morally gray character, and the Hunter was that. Don't get attached to any characters because chances are they will die. There were some spots that I felt were a bit repetitive and made the narrative drag a bit when I wanted it to keep moving faster, but this is such an interesting story that I'm excited to read the second one.
I was expecting a dark story about an assassin. With his abilities, I thought he might have been a vampire, but what I wasn't expecting was for him to be a half demon, which was a cool twist. Peloquin sets of a GOT-esque world where things are bleak but hope still flickers. I love a good conflicted morally gray character, and the Hunter was that. Don't get attached to any characters because chances are they will die. There were some spots that I felt were a bit repetitive and made the narrative drag a bit when I wanted it to keep moving faster, but this is such an interesting story that I'm excited to read the second one.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 12, 2025
An excellent book one to an assassin series.
Assassin is, to put it simply, a fantastic book, especially for the first book in a series. As far as assassin fantasy goes, this is off to the best start I can remember. It was hard to put this down, and I will definitely be continuing the series at some point.
The character work is very well done. The emotional beats are on point. The balance of powerful and fallible is excellently delicate. The action scenes are incredible, with some of the best choreography I've come across.
I really can't praise this book enough, and I'm struggling to bring to mind anything to criticize about it.
An absolute must read.
Assassin is, to put it simply, a fantastic book, especially for the first book in a series. As far as assassin fantasy goes, this is off to the best start I can remember. It was hard to put this down, and I will definitely be continuing the series at some point.
The character work is very well done. The emotional beats are on point. The balance of powerful and fallible is excellently delicate. The action scenes are incredible, with some of the best choreography I've come across.
I really can't praise this book enough, and I'm struggling to bring to mind anything to criticize about it.
An absolute must read.
April 14, 2025
A solid beginning to a promising series. Do you like action within a fantasy setting where mysterious characters fight and flee through dark back alleys and tunnels of an old city? Do you like intrigue, politics, demons, and old gods clawing out of the pages of your book? Then look no further--the DarkBlade Assassin, by Andy Peloquin, is for you. While it is a chonker of a book (over 600 pages), it reads very fast. Go grab your copy today!
Enter the world of the Hunter and good luck returning alive.
Enter the world of the Hunter and good luck returning alive.
February 15, 2025
That was quite a lot to take in!
Although it was occasionally repetitive, the core story was compelling. Who is The Hunter?! There are numerous twists and turns—some foreshadowed and others surprising—as we root for his success despite (or perhaps because of) the escalating death and destruction.
Now he has a new task, and it will be fascinating to see how he approaches it.
Although it was occasionally repetitive, the core story was compelling. Who is The Hunter?! There are numerous twists and turns—some foreshadowed and others surprising—as we root for his success despite (or perhaps because of) the escalating death and destruction.
Now he has a new task, and it will be fascinating to see how he approaches it.
July 6, 2021
Arc
This book is awesome. You will be taken to the depths of despair and revenge. The Hunter may be an assassin, yet he has a protective for side for some. When those he cares about become targets of the Bloody Hand he will go to no ends for vengeance. A whirlwind of death is about to come to the forefront, hold on to your seats, you are in for a wild ride.
This book is awesome. You will be taken to the depths of despair and revenge. The Hunter may be an assassin, yet he has a protective for side for some. When those he cares about become targets of the Bloody Hand he will go to no ends for vengeance. A whirlwind of death is about to come to the forefront, hold on to your seats, you are in for a wild ride.
March 21, 2025
Can I give this more than 5 stars? I listened to the audiobook and read the physical book. The narrator does an excellent job.
The author writes a dark epic fantasy. It’s gritty, gory and so so good. I really liked the internal struggle of the assassin and how he deals with some big revelations in this book. I will be picking up book 2.
The author writes a dark epic fantasy. It’s gritty, gory and so so good. I really liked the internal struggle of the assassin and how he deals with some big revelations in this book. I will be picking up book 2.
June 16, 2021
So far this book is incredible, ill rewrite this review at the end but the characters have really created a new world for me to escape. Scary in parts but so so exciting
Displaying 1 - 30 of 347 reviews