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Nightblade #1
Nightblade
Ryuu is a boy orphaned by violence at a young age. Found by a wandering warrior, he learns he may have more strength than he ever imagined possible.
A quiet child, Moriko is forced into a monastic system she despises. Torn from her family and the forest she grew up in, she must fight to learn the skills she’ll need to survive her tutelage under the realm’s most dangerous assassin.
Young, beautiful, and broke, Takako is sold to pay for her father’s debts. Thrust into a world she doesn’t understand and battles she didn’t ask for, she must decide where her loyalties lie.
When their lives crash together in a Kingdom on the brink of war, the decisions they make will change both their lives and their Kingdom forever.
If they can stay alive.
A quiet child, Moriko is forced into a monastic system she despises. Torn from her family and the forest she grew up in, she must fight to learn the skills she’ll need to survive her tutelage under the realm’s most dangerous assassin.
Young, beautiful, and broke, Takako is sold to pay for her father’s debts. Thrust into a world she doesn’t understand and battles she didn’t ask for, she must decide where her loyalties lie.
When their lives crash together in a Kingdom on the brink of war, the decisions they make will change both their lives and their Kingdom forever.
If they can stay alive.
427 pages, Kindle Edition
First published August 3, 2015
1251 people are currently reading
5492 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 339 reviews
May 14, 2018
Nightblade
By: Ryan Kirk
Narrated by: Andrew Tell
I liked this book despite it describing the rough and seedy lifestyle of this world they live in. The bandits raping and killing a woman, although it wasn't overly graphic, it was rough. A father selling his 10 year old daughter to a who're house, she has no idea what the place is, and tells them she is older. Then the vicious beatings from the Abbott at the Monastery to the children but especially one of the girls.
Despite these things, the story is good. These things were meant to show how tough the life is I suppose. The adventure, action, characters, and plot were good. I am knocking it down a star for rape and beatings. I hate that, sorry.
The narrator was pure genius! Excellent voices, emotional fluctuations, and feelings. Perfect!
By: Ryan Kirk
Narrated by: Andrew Tell
I liked this book despite it describing the rough and seedy lifestyle of this world they live in. The bandits raping and killing a woman, although it wasn't overly graphic, it was rough. A father selling his 10 year old daughter to a who're house, she has no idea what the place is, and tells them she is older. Then the vicious beatings from the Abbott at the Monastery to the children but especially one of the girls.
Despite these things, the story is good. These things were meant to show how tough the life is I suppose. The adventure, action, characters, and plot were good. I am knocking it down a star for rape and beatings. I hate that, sorry.
The narrator was pure genius! Excellent voices, emotional fluctuations, and feelings. Perfect!
December 5, 2016
“Before you embark on a journey of revenge, dig two graves.”
Confucius
I was in a reading slump for a while, nothing I picked up drew me in or held my interest...you can probably get an inkling of this by looking at my "Currently Reading" shelf and the number of unfinished books there. Then I started Free the Darkness and it was pretty good. Therefore I checked out the "people who liked this book also liked" page for it here at Goodreads. On there I found (among others) Six of Crows, A Dance of Blades, and this book Nightblade.
This book drew me in and held my interest...finally. I already have the 2nd.
The book begins by introducing us to our main characters, and our secondary characters...and you may not be able to tell who is who to begin with. There is a storytelling technique (used frequently) where you follow each of the different characters along their own story line. Sometimes this works better than at other times.
Really. Some writers do this better than others.
here I thought it (it being the story-line or plot) started out rather slowly but that rapidly changed and I found myself almost enthralled at times. The book's core or driving plot-line very much revolves around the Confucius quote above. Layers of revenge bringing about "Hatfields/McCoys" types of situations here carrying along death generation after generation with participants who are seemingly caught in an inescapable pattern or labyrinth.
That said there is also some deeper parts of this one and it begins to take on a multifaceted plot.
I like it.
The book has a very Asian flavor with the characters showing much influence from iconic eastern characters such as "warrior monks" and "Samurai". While there is no dearth of works with this type character this one is done well and doesn't fall into any of the cliche type traps some have.
As noted I like this book and am looking forward to starting the next in the series as soon as I finish a couple of books already "in progress".
5 Stars and recommended. Enjoy.
Confucius
I was in a reading slump for a while, nothing I picked up drew me in or held my interest...you can probably get an inkling of this by looking at my "Currently Reading" shelf and the number of unfinished books there. Then I started Free the Darkness and it was pretty good. Therefore I checked out the "people who liked this book also liked" page for it here at Goodreads. On there I found (among others) Six of Crows, A Dance of Blades, and this book Nightblade.
This book drew me in and held my interest...finally. I already have the 2nd.
The book begins by introducing us to our main characters, and our secondary characters...and you may not be able to tell who is who to begin with. There is a storytelling technique (used frequently) where you follow each of the different characters along their own story line. Sometimes this works better than at other times.
Really. Some writers do this better than others.
here I thought it (it being the story-line or plot) started out rather slowly but that rapidly changed and I found myself almost enthralled at times. The book's core or driving plot-line very much revolves around the Confucius quote above. Layers of revenge bringing about "Hatfields/McCoys" types of situations here carrying along death generation after generation with participants who are seemingly caught in an inescapable pattern or labyrinth.
That said there is also some deeper parts of this one and it begins to take on a multifaceted plot.
I like it.
The book has a very Asian flavor with the characters showing much influence from iconic eastern characters such as "warrior monks" and "Samurai". While there is no dearth of works with this type character this one is done well and doesn't fall into any of the cliche type traps some have.
As noted I like this book and am looking forward to starting the next in the series as soon as I finish a couple of books already "in progress".
5 Stars and recommended. Enjoy.
September 16, 2016
This was a dark YA coming of age fantasy tale. The fantasy setting had a definite Japanese tinge to it. The Nightblades were like Samurai warriors with a bit of extra Jedi-like powers.
This story followed three main POV characters in Ryuu, Moriko, Takako. They were all of a similar age and we followed them from childhood into early adulthood. None of them had easy lives.
Ryuu's whole family was murdered by bandits when he was a child. He was saved from the same fate by the man who went on to become his mentor. That man was a fabled Nightblade. The Nightblades are little more than legends in the Three Kingdoms as they were hunted to extinction after a war that broke a once powerful kingdom into the three parts that make up the Three Kingdoms. Ryuu's mentor teaches him the ways of the Nightblade but they live a lonely existence in the forest as he also believes that the only way to live in peace is to live apart from others.
Moriko was taken from her family as a child and forced to train with Dayblade monks as soon as her skill with the Sense was discovered. The Dayblades do not use the Sense to kill and fight as do the Nightblades so they are less feared by the populace but the Monastic system is in place to keep them under control. Moriko resents her confinement there.
Takako is just a regular Sense-less human but has no easier a life as she was sold to a brothel at a young age by her father who had lost more than he had at the gambling tables. She ends up at a high class brothel that caters to the elite of the Southern Kingdom nobility and army.
Our three characters encounter each other along the way and end up making choices that have far larger consequences than they could have anticipated.
The story could have been quite good but was hindered by a couple of things. The first was the writing style of Ryan Kirk.It was a bit strange and always created a bit of distance between the reader and the happenings. The second main issue was that both the female characters ended up being little more than romantic interests and object lessons for Ryuu. I was particularly frustrated by what this meant for one of the characters towards the end.
All in all this was an OK story that threatened to be better than it actually was. I'm unsure at this point if I will pick up the second book or not.
Rating: 3 stars.
Audio Note: Andrew Tell did a decent job with the audio.
This story followed three main POV characters in Ryuu, Moriko, Takako. They were all of a similar age and we followed them from childhood into early adulthood. None of them had easy lives.
Ryuu's whole family was murdered by bandits when he was a child. He was saved from the same fate by the man who went on to become his mentor. That man was a fabled Nightblade. The Nightblades are little more than legends in the Three Kingdoms as they were hunted to extinction after a war that broke a once powerful kingdom into the three parts that make up the Three Kingdoms. Ryuu's mentor teaches him the ways of the Nightblade but they live a lonely existence in the forest as he also believes that the only way to live in peace is to live apart from others.
Moriko was taken from her family as a child and forced to train with Dayblade monks as soon as her skill with the Sense was discovered. The Dayblades do not use the Sense to kill and fight as do the Nightblades so they are less feared by the populace but the Monastic system is in place to keep them under control. Moriko resents her confinement there.
Takako is just a regular Sense-less human but has no easier a life as she was sold to a brothel at a young age by her father who had lost more than he had at the gambling tables. She ends up at a high class brothel that caters to the elite of the Southern Kingdom nobility and army.
Our three characters encounter each other along the way and end up making choices that have far larger consequences than they could have anticipated.
The story could have been quite good but was hindered by a couple of things. The first was the writing style of Ryan Kirk.It was a bit strange and always created a bit of distance between the reader and the happenings. The second main issue was that both the female characters ended up being little more than romantic interests and object lessons for Ryuu. I was particularly frustrated by what this meant for one of the characters towards the end.
All in all this was an OK story that threatened to be better than it actually was. I'm unsure at this point if I will pick up the second book or not.
Rating: 3 stars.
Audio Note: Andrew Tell did a decent job with the audio.
February 8, 2019
Nightblade was a refreshing change of pace to what I have been reading recently. The authors writing style was a little different, but as I kept reading I noticed it fit the story perfectly. It did take me a while to really get into it, but it was time well spent.
The setting has an ancient Japanese feel to it where warriors live by their sword and their honor. The plot is definitely character driven, and follows three main POV’s Ryuu, Moriko, and Takako from childhood to young adults. Their journey is the main focus of the book, but I found the culture and warrior aspects of the book interesting as well.
The story itself is dark and even sad at times. You get your fair share of sword fighting and action, but that is only a fraction of what makes this a good book. I have a strong feeling this series is going to get better with each installment. Recommended!
3 stars***
The setting has an ancient Japanese feel to it where warriors live by their sword and their honor. The plot is definitely character driven, and follows three main POV’s Ryuu, Moriko, and Takako from childhood to young adults. Their journey is the main focus of the book, but I found the culture and warrior aspects of the book interesting as well.
The story itself is dark and even sad at times. You get your fair share of sword fighting and action, but that is only a fraction of what makes this a good book. I have a strong feeling this series is going to get better with each installment. Recommended!
3 stars***
April 21, 2016
This book is a terrible inconsistent mess.
The world is inspired by feudal Japan and the world building is quite generic. This book's conception of honor is so stereotypical, it'll make a Klingon blush.
The prose is stilted and uninspired. The vocabulary is simplistic. Descriptions are unimaginative and bland. The action is very low on detail. While that's likely due to a stylistic choice, much of it seems to be due to the fact that author doesn't know how to write action because there's no variety. He uses the same words and descriptions over and over again.
The dialogue is banal. The characters talk to each other like they're children. They fail to ask obvious questions or give simple explanations, leading to pointless conflict and confusion.
The book constantly mentions how brilliant and observant the protagonist is but he's indecisive and constantly makes incredibly dumb decisions. At the beginning of the book, he was able to fully control his emotions while watching his mother raped and murdered along with an entire caravan. However, after receiving years of rigorous training, learning discipline and self control, he becomes an impulsive fool who never considers the consequences of his actions.
There is a character who exists for the sole purpose of being tortured in order to motivate the protagonist.
The book tries to convey a message about the unintended consequences of the protagonist's actions but anyone with half a brain could have seen how idiotic and dangerous his choices are.
This book is just bad. Don't read it.
The world is inspired by feudal Japan and the world building is quite generic. This book's conception of honor is so stereotypical, it'll make a Klingon blush.
The prose is stilted and uninspired. The vocabulary is simplistic. Descriptions are unimaginative and bland. The action is very low on detail. While that's likely due to a stylistic choice, much of it seems to be due to the fact that author doesn't know how to write action because there's no variety. He uses the same words and descriptions over and over again.
The dialogue is banal. The characters talk to each other like they're children. They fail to ask obvious questions or give simple explanations, leading to pointless conflict and confusion.
The book constantly mentions how brilliant and observant the protagonist is but he's indecisive and constantly makes incredibly dumb decisions. At the beginning of the book, he was able to fully control his emotions while watching his mother raped and murdered along with an entire caravan. However, after receiving years of rigorous training, learning discipline and self control, he becomes an impulsive fool who never considers the consequences of his actions.
There is a character who exists for the sole purpose of being tortured in order to motivate the protagonist.
The book tries to convey a message about the unintended consequences of the protagonist's actions but anyone with half a brain could have seen how idiotic and dangerous his choices are.
This book is just bad. Don't read it.
September 21, 2016
4.5*
Not without some minor flaws but it was thoroughly enjoyable regardless. I actually found the simple writing style a refreshing change. It genuinely had me captivated from the very start and maintained my interest throughout.
Not without some minor flaws but it was thoroughly enjoyable regardless. I actually found the simple writing style a refreshing change. It genuinely had me captivated from the very start and maintained my interest throughout.
December 28, 2015
This was fan-feaking-tastic!! I didn't just read this, I devoured it. Everything about it was phenomenal, but non more so than the character building. Every character in this was extremely well written and developed.
We have Ryuu, a boy who saw his parents being killed and who was rescued by a mysterious man. This warrior is a Nightbade. Ryuu had heard that the Nightbades were the enemy but the man who rescues him, is anything but. He is kind, honest and wise. He passes on as much as he can to Ryuu and thus changes the boys life.
We have Moriko. She is taken from her family by the monks, whom she despises, and taken to the monastery. There she is trained to use the powers they sense in her, but with her inquisitive nature, she doesn't follow direction good, and she hates the way the monks treat her, and other people. She is sentenced to death, but ends up training with the assassin the monastery use. She soon realises that this assassin, is in fact a Nightblade, and she might just have their powers too.
Lastly, we have Takako. Her father sells her to a Madame at a young age, and she captures the attention of an important man. He wants her for his sons consort but Takako soon realises that the boy isn't a nice person. How can she escape this life that has been forced on her.
3 different people, 3 different lives, but when they all collide, their lives are changed forever.
As I said. The characters in this were amazing. The character growth was practicably amazing. Poor Ryuu learns that his actions have consequence, sometimes deadly! Moriko learns that what you are told, isn't ways the truth. That you have to trust your instincts and do what's right, even if it hurts. And Takako learns that life is hard. One mistake is all it takes.
Another plus with this is the world building. The lore behind the magic and the Nightblades was amazing.The descriptive way the author writes the world, makes it impossible not to be drawn in. The writing just grabs you and weaves the story around you. It really is amazing!
In all, this was an amazing read and one I can't recommend enough. The authors writing was phenomenal, the characters made you love them and the whole story will devour you. I listened to this over 2 days and had a hard time unplugging from it. I need book 2 to come to audio ASAP.
Andrew Tell was amazing. He gave each character their own voice and really brought the story to life. He brought the heartache and sadness that each one experienced expertly to life and really gave his performance his all.
*I received a copy of this for review. This in no way affects my thoughts.*
We have Ryuu, a boy who saw his parents being killed and who was rescued by a mysterious man. This warrior is a Nightbade. Ryuu had heard that the Nightbades were the enemy but the man who rescues him, is anything but. He is kind, honest and wise. He passes on as much as he can to Ryuu and thus changes the boys life.
We have Moriko. She is taken from her family by the monks, whom she despises, and taken to the monastery. There she is trained to use the powers they sense in her, but with her inquisitive nature, she doesn't follow direction good, and she hates the way the monks treat her, and other people. She is sentenced to death, but ends up training with the assassin the monastery use. She soon realises that this assassin, is in fact a Nightblade, and she might just have their powers too.
Lastly, we have Takako. Her father sells her to a Madame at a young age, and she captures the attention of an important man. He wants her for his sons consort but Takako soon realises that the boy isn't a nice person. How can she escape this life that has been forced on her.
3 different people, 3 different lives, but when they all collide, their lives are changed forever.
As I said. The characters in this were amazing. The character growth was practicably amazing. Poor Ryuu learns that his actions have consequence, sometimes deadly! Moriko learns that what you are told, isn't ways the truth. That you have to trust your instincts and do what's right, even if it hurts. And Takako learns that life is hard. One mistake is all it takes.
Another plus with this is the world building. The lore behind the magic and the Nightblades was amazing.The descriptive way the author writes the world, makes it impossible not to be drawn in. The writing just grabs you and weaves the story around you. It really is amazing!
In all, this was an amazing read and one I can't recommend enough. The authors writing was phenomenal, the characters made you love them and the whole story will devour you. I listened to this over 2 days and had a hard time unplugging from it. I need book 2 to come to audio ASAP.
Andrew Tell was amazing. He gave each character their own voice and really brought the story to life. He brought the heartache and sadness that each one experienced expertly to life and really gave his performance his all.
*I received a copy of this for review. This in no way affects my thoughts.*
May 6, 2020
Mini-Review:
3.5 Stars for Narration by Andrew Tell (I can't blame him for not being excited about reading this book.)
3 Stars for Concepts
-2 Stars Sloppy Writing/Plot
I wasn't planning on writing a review for this book because I didn't take it all that seriously. In fact, for 2/3 of the story, I figured I would be nice, rate it 3 stars and forget about it. The writing is rough but there were a couple of cool ideas and character based scenes. Tell did a good job of narrating the story, and I figured I just hit a dud on my attempt to try new authors/books that I had bought on sale.
There's nothing graphic in this book but there are several dark/harsh scenes. At first, I just shrugged it off as poor gimmick writing. Later, I was fed up and just felt disgusted. Sorry, book, you had my complete & undivided attention. That gained you one star.
- Odd Narrative Changes
- Uneven Pacing
- Unnecessary Brutal Acts (Rape/Torture of Only Women) aka Gimmicky Grim-dark Hijinx
- Poorly Executed/Planned Plot/Characters/Setting
I need to stop buying audiobooks just because it "might" be a good story. Geez.
3.5 Stars for Narration by Andrew Tell (I can't blame him for not being excited about reading this book.)
3 Stars for Concepts
-2 Stars Sloppy Writing/Plot
I wasn't planning on writing a review for this book because I didn't take it all that seriously. In fact, for 2/3 of the story, I figured I would be nice, rate it 3 stars and forget about it. The writing is rough but there were a couple of cool ideas and character based scenes. Tell did a good job of narrating the story, and I figured I just hit a dud on my attempt to try new authors/books that I had bought on sale.
There's nothing graphic in this book but there are several dark/harsh scenes. At first, I just shrugged it off as poor gimmick writing. Later, I was fed up and just felt disgusted. Sorry, book, you had my complete & undivided attention. That gained you one star.
- Odd Narrative Changes
- Uneven Pacing
- Unnecessary Brutal Acts (Rape/Torture of Only Women) aka Gimmicky Grim-dark Hijinx
- Poorly Executed/Planned Plot/Characters/Setting
I need to stop buying audiobooks just because it "might" be a good story. Geez.
August 1, 2016
Definitely an excellent read! Fast paced and interesting the whole way through however the story may have been a little too quick for my tastes.
This book follows there children as tragedy leads them down a collision course for each other once they reach their majority. This book is a very nice departure from the run of the mill Western European fantasy as it is based on Asian cultures. Though the plot moved quickly the story is not light. This book gets dark. Not Jorg Ancrath dark but dark all the same.
I really enjoyed this book despite the fact that I wish that it was a little more deep than it was.
RECOMMENDED.
This book follows there children as tragedy leads them down a collision course for each other once they reach their majority. This book is a very nice departure from the run of the mill Western European fantasy as it is based on Asian cultures. Though the plot moved quickly the story is not light. This book gets dark. Not Jorg Ancrath dark but dark all the same.
I really enjoyed this book despite the fact that I wish that it was a little more deep than it was.
RECOMMENDED.
September 7, 2018
Same Review Also Posted In My Blog:Dreamy Addictions
This book was surprisingly good and I quite enjoyed reading it. I picked this up because the synopsis sounded intriguing and I love reading books with samurai’s with blades and stuff like that. Apart from comics, I’ve never read books with samurai themes before so I thought why don’t I give this a shot. It turns out to be a good read. I really liked the plot, the setting, the characters and also the unique concept of dayblades and nightblades. It has a slow start, but it has an engaging plot that'll surprise you at every turn.
Ryuu’s parent’s were killed by a group of bandits when he was just a little boy. He is rescued by a wandering stranger who is also a nightblade. The stranger discovers a special gift hidden inside the boy and offers him to become his apprentice and train under him. Moriko is forced to leave her parents when a monk finds that she has been gifted and he takes her to a monestry filled with many young people gifted with powers like her who calls themselves whiteblades. Moriko didn’t like the way they were living and starts to rebel and soon she was given a death sentence but she was very special so instead of getting killed, she was trained under a dangerous assassin who is a nightblade. Lastly, we have beautiful Takako. When she was only ten years old, her father sold her to a brothel which is run by a woman who calls herself Madame. During her time as a house assistant in the brothel, she captures the attention of a general who wants her to be his son’s consort. Her life changes forever when she meets Ryuu who seems to have so many secrets. When these three collides together their lives changes forever.
The characters were the strongest part of this book and I liked all of the characters including the supporting ones. The three MC’s Ryuu, Moriko and Takako are strong characters and each of them has their own unique personality. Ryuu is strong headed who wants to help others in need without caring about the consequences. Moriko is stubborn and kickass character who wants to live her life the way she wants. Takako is an innocent girl who wants to lead a normal life without violence. Besides these interesting characters, I really enjoyed Ryuu and his relationship with his mentor Shigeru. I loved the bond between them.
Despite dragging a little bit at some places, the plot was quite interesting and well written. There were so many twists and turns in the plot that made it an unputdownable read. It has great world building. The world the author has build reflects the japanese culture which is divided into three kingdoms. I liked the writing which was very descriptive especially in the fighting scenes. The characters are all well built and they are developed quite nicely. This book was written in multiple POV's so that we could understand the characters better.
Overall, it was an incredible read and I absolutely loved it. The book finally concluded with a bittersweet ending and a twist, so I’m definitely going to read the next book. It is a great fantasy book filled with action, adventure, violence, light romance and may not be suitable for young adults due to some mature themes. If you like reading books with action and samurai themes, then you’ll definitely enjoy this book.
This book was surprisingly good and I quite enjoyed reading it. I picked this up because the synopsis sounded intriguing and I love reading books with samurai’s with blades and stuff like that. Apart from comics, I’ve never read books with samurai themes before so I thought why don’t I give this a shot. It turns out to be a good read. I really liked the plot, the setting, the characters and also the unique concept of dayblades and nightblades. It has a slow start, but it has an engaging plot that'll surprise you at every turn.
Ryuu’s parent’s were killed by a group of bandits when he was just a little boy. He is rescued by a wandering stranger who is also a nightblade. The stranger discovers a special gift hidden inside the boy and offers him to become his apprentice and train under him. Moriko is forced to leave her parents when a monk finds that she has been gifted and he takes her to a monestry filled with many young people gifted with powers like her who calls themselves whiteblades. Moriko didn’t like the way they were living and starts to rebel and soon she was given a death sentence but she was very special so instead of getting killed, she was trained under a dangerous assassin who is a nightblade. Lastly, we have beautiful Takako. When she was only ten years old, her father sold her to a brothel which is run by a woman who calls herself Madame. During her time as a house assistant in the brothel, she captures the attention of a general who wants her to be his son’s consort. Her life changes forever when she meets Ryuu who seems to have so many secrets. When these three collides together their lives changes forever.
The characters were the strongest part of this book and I liked all of the characters including the supporting ones. The three MC’s Ryuu, Moriko and Takako are strong characters and each of them has their own unique personality. Ryuu is strong headed who wants to help others in need without caring about the consequences. Moriko is stubborn and kickass character who wants to live her life the way she wants. Takako is an innocent girl who wants to lead a normal life without violence. Besides these interesting characters, I really enjoyed Ryuu and his relationship with his mentor Shigeru. I loved the bond between them.
Despite dragging a little bit at some places, the plot was quite interesting and well written. There were so many twists and turns in the plot that made it an unputdownable read. It has great world building. The world the author has build reflects the japanese culture which is divided into three kingdoms. I liked the writing which was very descriptive especially in the fighting scenes. The characters are all well built and they are developed quite nicely. This book was written in multiple POV's so that we could understand the characters better.
Overall, it was an incredible read and I absolutely loved it. The book finally concluded with a bittersweet ending and a twist, so I’m definitely going to read the next book. It is a great fantasy book filled with action, adventure, violence, light romance and may not be suitable for young adults due to some mature themes. If you like reading books with action and samurai themes, then you’ll definitely enjoy this book.
August 13, 2016
4.5 Stars
Nightblade represents a whole year spent taking chances on books I’ve never heard of, all with the hopes of finding new authors and hidden gems. Some didn’t turn out that way but most turned out to be excellent and fun choices. Nightblade is truly one of those gems.
Instead of your run of the mill, European based fantasy we are treated to a world with Japanese/Chinese parallels with a very rich history. The land is split into three main Kingdoms, with other nations surrounding that, and each has a tenuous and fragile peace with the other. But our story takes place on a smaller more personal scale. Ryuu isn’t tasked with changing the world or bringing peace to a set of kingdoms, instead he us simply trying to live a life where he can use his strength to protect those without choice or means of doing so themselves…which is refreshing after reading so many books where the main character sets out to utterly dismantle the status quo. I think that difference really brings the raw emotion of the experiences he goes through to the forefront. The kingdom itself is oddly beautiful despite it’s issues and the author’s skill with building worlds is fairly apparent. I could see the busy streets of the city, and the shadow streets of the red lit road where men go for companionship, I could easily picture the old forest and stone paved courtyard of the monasteries. One can go a long time without experiencing world building on a scale where everything becomes an actual sensory memory, as opposed to just a plot line, and I never realize how starved I am until I find one.
Ryuu is definitely a fantastic character to follow, as is Moriko and Takako…who all come together in different ways. Each of them shares the loss of their family and the chance of a normal life but the way the view the world is different. Ryuu is headstrong and curious, and he wants to help others no matter what and most of the story centers around each consequence of his actions and the weight it puts on a single person. While he is skilled and hardened in many ways in some others he is a bit naive, which joins nicely with Takako’s loving personality and her knowledge of what the world is really like.
Nightblade is definitely a highlight to this year’s books, and I’m glad I took a chance on it when I did.
Nightblade represents a whole year spent taking chances on books I’ve never heard of, all with the hopes of finding new authors and hidden gems. Some didn’t turn out that way but most turned out to be excellent and fun choices. Nightblade is truly one of those gems.
Instead of your run of the mill, European based fantasy we are treated to a world with Japanese/Chinese parallels with a very rich history. The land is split into three main Kingdoms, with other nations surrounding that, and each has a tenuous and fragile peace with the other. But our story takes place on a smaller more personal scale. Ryuu isn’t tasked with changing the world or bringing peace to a set of kingdoms, instead he us simply trying to live a life where he can use his strength to protect those without choice or means of doing so themselves…which is refreshing after reading so many books where the main character sets out to utterly dismantle the status quo. I think that difference really brings the raw emotion of the experiences he goes through to the forefront. The kingdom itself is oddly beautiful despite it’s issues and the author’s skill with building worlds is fairly apparent. I could see the busy streets of the city, and the shadow streets of the red lit road where men go for companionship, I could easily picture the old forest and stone paved courtyard of the monasteries. One can go a long time without experiencing world building on a scale where everything becomes an actual sensory memory, as opposed to just a plot line, and I never realize how starved I am until I find one.
Ryuu is definitely a fantastic character to follow, as is Moriko and Takako…who all come together in different ways. Each of them shares the loss of their family and the chance of a normal life but the way the view the world is different. Ryuu is headstrong and curious, and he wants to help others no matter what and most of the story centers around each consequence of his actions and the weight it puts on a single person. While he is skilled and hardened in many ways in some others he is a bit naive, which joins nicely with Takako’s loving personality and her knowledge of what the world is really like.
Nightblade is definitely a highlight to this year’s books, and I’m glad I took a chance on it when I did.
January 14, 2016
This is the type of book I never know how to review and yet I feel must. It's violent. Might just be one of the most violent books I've read. Rape, torture, abuse and one of the main characters is sold into prostitution by her father at the age of 10. Normally these are the types of things that would cause me to abandon it as I did Game Of Thrones. However, unlike GOT, I liked these characters and cared what happened to them.
Will I continue with the series? I honestly don't know. I care about the characters, but the level (and type) of violence makes me uncomfortable.
Will I continue with the series? I honestly don't know. I care about the characters, but the level (and type) of violence makes me uncomfortable.
March 10, 2017
I really enjoyed this first book in the Nightblade trilogy.
This is a fantasy with an Asian flair and a cross with GOT, with three kingdoms living harmoniously, but there is a history that lurks and reeks of powers and magic?
We have our main character Ryuu, with powers discovered at age 5, a Nightblade in training and two others. This is presented as three seperate coming of age story lines, that eventually merge by novel's end.
The coming of age stories give us the backgrounds of other characters, the way of life, the world around, potential enemies, princes, generals, monks etc.
Looking forward to book 2.
This is a fantasy with an Asian flair and a cross with GOT, with three kingdoms living harmoniously, but there is a history that lurks and reeks of powers and magic?
We have our main character Ryuu, with powers discovered at age 5, a Nightblade in training and two others. This is presented as three seperate coming of age story lines, that eventually merge by novel's end.
The coming of age stories give us the backgrounds of other characters, the way of life, the world around, potential enemies, princes, generals, monks etc.
Looking forward to book 2.
May 20, 2016
Rating for book: 1/5
Rating for series: 1/5 (Did not bother starting 3rd book)
The only way I can imagine people giving this book anything more than 3 stars is if they're insanely in love with the idea of ninjas/assassins and that love makes them overlook everything. Or if they're really light readers who read without devoting too much attention. Funnily enough though, I love the idea of ninjas/assassins myself. Which is probably why I went ahead and read the second book too. But it was still impossible for me to overlook the sheer lack of quality thats in here.
To start off, the writing is horrendous. I've seriously never read any book (okay wait, maybe I have read one other book) that was this badly written. Details are non existent. There is very little imagery created in your mind when you read this. Scenes flash from one to next. There is no linkage. No flow. Characters have no life of their own. Even though you're reading their POVs it feels as though the author is telling you what the character thought and felt instead of the characters themselves coming to life. Their traits are also inconsistent. A supposed prodigy keeps on asking stupidest of questions and making silliest of mistakes. The romance is ridiculous. The action scenes pathetic, which, in a book like this, is just unbelievable.
What about the imagination and ideas then? Well to me they're a smush of Night Angel Trilogy and Raven's Shadow, with the most important mechanic feeling like its pretty much taken from Inheritance Cycle.
I just cannot take bad writing or bad characters, so not going to bother reading the 3rd book. To me a book has to make you dive into the world first and foremost, have characters that feel genuine enough to make you forget that all of them have been written by just one person, and then spin a decent story with as little holes as possible. Sadly I'm finding less and less and less of those books.
Rating for series: 1/5 (Did not bother starting 3rd book)
The only way I can imagine people giving this book anything more than 3 stars is if they're insanely in love with the idea of ninjas/assassins and that love makes them overlook everything. Or if they're really light readers who read without devoting too much attention. Funnily enough though, I love the idea of ninjas/assassins myself. Which is probably why I went ahead and read the second book too. But it was still impossible for me to overlook the sheer lack of quality thats in here.
To start off, the writing is horrendous. I've seriously never read any book (okay wait, maybe I have read one other book) that was this badly written. Details are non existent. There is very little imagery created in your mind when you read this. Scenes flash from one to next. There is no linkage. No flow. Characters have no life of their own. Even though you're reading their POVs it feels as though the author is telling you what the character thought and felt instead of the characters themselves coming to life. Their traits are also inconsistent. A supposed prodigy keeps on asking stupidest of questions and making silliest of mistakes. The romance is ridiculous. The action scenes pathetic, which, in a book like this, is just unbelievable.
What about the imagination and ideas then? Well to me they're a smush of Night Angel Trilogy and Raven's Shadow, with the most important mechanic feeling like its pretty much taken from Inheritance Cycle.
I just cannot take bad writing or bad characters, so not going to bother reading the 3rd book. To me a book has to make you dive into the world first and foremost, have characters that feel genuine enough to make you forget that all of them have been written by just one person, and then spin a decent story with as little holes as possible. Sadly I'm finding less and less and less of those books.
November 12, 2015
It gets surprisingly good.
I was apprehensive of starting this book but it turned out so much better than I thought. I liked all the characters which is unusual for me and I felt the ending was good and sets up for more. The only downside, like what other reviewers have said, is that the fight scenes are over too quickly and with little description. It's apparent the author may just not be good enough at that aspect to try. While it still worked I'll be looking for some improvement in the next book.
I was apprehensive of starting this book but it turned out so much better than I thought. I liked all the characters which is unusual for me and I felt the ending was good and sets up for more. The only downside, like what other reviewers have said, is that the fight scenes are over too quickly and with little description. It's apparent the author may just not be good enough at that aspect to try. While it still worked I'll be looking for some improvement in the next book.
December 1, 2019
This is Fantasy. I'm not sure I'd shelve this as Young Adult given all the violence, especially towards women. I mean some of this was Karin Slaughter worthy. I liked that the author was liberal with the axe when it came to several of the characters. I may have been attached to them, but it wasn't enough to save them. The author did a lot of unexpected things. I liked that I never knew that was going to happen. I also enjoyed the creativity in the world building. It was kind of fascinating. Lastly, the ending was a nice set up for the second book. I already have it ready to go for this coming month.
Overall, I enjoyed this one. However, this is one of those books where I was torn because I liked the story but some of the writing felt sparse at times and stiff in others. Then I would think, "Well I still liked this so it wasn't a deal breaker." I did like so much of this, I think I just wanted more detail and sometimes these characters were screaming for a first person POV. But still....not a deal breaker. So 4 stars.
Overall, I enjoyed this one. However, this is one of those books where I was torn because I liked the story but some of the writing felt sparse at times and stiff in others. Then I would think, "Well I still liked this so it wasn't a deal breaker." I did like so much of this, I think I just wanted more detail and sometimes these characters were screaming for a first person POV. But still....not a deal breaker. So 4 stars.
Want to read
October 24, 2017
September 18, 2019
This is the first book in the Nightblade trilogy and is a solid epic fantasy done in more of an old school style. It was similar in tone to series done by Joe Abercrombie and Brent Weeks.
I listened to this on audiobook and the audiobook was well done. My only complaint is that the narrator sounds a bit robotic at points, especially when he is reading the narration rather than doing a character voice.
This book follows multiple characters. The first we hear from is Ryuu, an orphaned boy who is found and mentored by a mythical Nightblade. The second is Moriko who is forced to join a monastery because of her innate magical talent. The third is Takako, a beautiful young woman sold to a brothel by her father. We watch as they grow up in a kingdom on the brink of war.
There is excellent world-building here and the characters are engaging, if infuriating at times. The writing flows well and the shifts between character POV are clearly marked and easy to follow.
My main complaint is the amount of violence done to women and the lack of a truly strong female character. Although there are two main female characters, they both have incredible violence committed against them time and time again. In addition to that (even the female fighter) needs to be rescued by the main male hero. There is a lot of discussion about how smart and capable these women are but that capability is never shown. The whole thing reads like a fantasy targeted at young men.
I am going to warn those away who don't like reading about violence against women. In the first chapter alone there are multiple rape scenes. One of the main female characters deals with repeated rapes. In addition to that both of the main female characters are often humiliated with forced nudity and brutally tortured. While I understand that this is part of the story, I was curious as to why similar tortures and humiliations never happened to the male characters.
Aside from the above rather large issue, I liked the idea of the Nightblades and thought the story telling and writing were solid. There is good world-building here. This story very much echoes traditional ninja/samurai tales and seems to pull from a lot of Asian influences around ideas of honor and with respect to how the fight scenes are laid out.
Overall, despite some good storytelling here, my dislike about reading about violence and rape against women and the lack of any truly strong female characters turned me off on continuing the series. I would recommend to fans of Brent Weeks and Joe Abercrombie...to be clear I have similar issues with these authors and their “use” of female characters.
I listened to this on audiobook and the audiobook was well done. My only complaint is that the narrator sounds a bit robotic at points, especially when he is reading the narration rather than doing a character voice.
This book follows multiple characters. The first we hear from is Ryuu, an orphaned boy who is found and mentored by a mythical Nightblade. The second is Moriko who is forced to join a monastery because of her innate magical talent. The third is Takako, a beautiful young woman sold to a brothel by her father. We watch as they grow up in a kingdom on the brink of war.
There is excellent world-building here and the characters are engaging, if infuriating at times. The writing flows well and the shifts between character POV are clearly marked and easy to follow.
My main complaint is the amount of violence done to women and the lack of a truly strong female character. Although there are two main female characters, they both have incredible violence committed against them time and time again. In addition to that (even the female fighter) needs to be rescued by the main male hero. There is a lot of discussion about how smart and capable these women are but that capability is never shown. The whole thing reads like a fantasy targeted at young men.
I am going to warn those away who don't like reading about violence against women. In the first chapter alone there are multiple rape scenes. One of the main female characters deals with repeated rapes. In addition to that both of the main female characters are often humiliated with forced nudity and brutally tortured. While I understand that this is part of the story, I was curious as to why similar tortures and humiliations never happened to the male characters.
Aside from the above rather large issue, I liked the idea of the Nightblades and thought the story telling and writing were solid. There is good world-building here. This story very much echoes traditional ninja/samurai tales and seems to pull from a lot of Asian influences around ideas of honor and with respect to how the fight scenes are laid out.
Overall, despite some good storytelling here, my dislike about reading about violence and rape against women and the lack of any truly strong female characters turned me off on continuing the series. I would recommend to fans of Brent Weeks and Joe Abercrombie...to be clear I have similar issues with these authors and their “use” of female characters.
July 2, 2020
I don't really know what I expected, but introducing a ten year old character by describing the size of her breasts is pretty disgusting to me.
February 7, 2019
This novel is set in a world inspired by feudal Japan, which sounds thrilling at first.
However, although the setting is quickly made obvious through a very few hints, the author then seems to rely on the reader filling in the details from the stereotypes of popular culture (in comics, films, TV, or computer games) rather than provide any evidence of research, fresh descriptions, or worldbuilding of his own.
And he commits basic inconsistencies: for example, contracts are signed with a western quill rather than an eastern brush and inkstone or with a signature stamp, and they are on paper rather than on bamboo scrolls, meanwhile a brothel keeper is called “Madame”, all of which shows little consideration of the author’s supposed sources. Okay, I accept this is not true Japan, but fantasy Japan. Nevertheless, the inspiration is clear and should not be muddled in this way. Details matter.
The story is narrated from the close third person point of view of several characters of different backgrounds and experiences, all very young to start (Ryuu for example is five years old at the beginning), but the style of narration does not reflect these differences and is not appropriate to the characters’ (changing) ages or (changing) experience, nor does the dialogue differ between the characters, who therefore all seem to be the same and hence dull.
The whole narrative feels jarring, an impersonal and detached monotone summarising what’s going on rather than imbuing the characters’ points of view with personality or emotions. There’s no elegance or spark in the rather rudimentary, droning writing. It’s all very matter of fact, but painfully naive, even childish in outlook if not in content, as well as needing a good proofread for grammar, missing or substituted words, and the occasional blaring modern American colloquialism. The narrative (let alone the dialogue) constantly shifts from relatively formal language (aimed at being “epic”) to using very informal expressions.
The characters all seem equally naive and dim, rather than the highly accomplished and cautious individuals they are meant to be. Their actions are rash and foolish almost as a matter of course, rather than showing any strategy or tactics. I expect to be thrilled by the cleverness of ninjas. That is not the case here. I am bored and irritated by these characters’ lack of logic, intelligence, or moral code. Ryuu is a poor clone of Anakin Skywalker, a rebellious toxic git driven by idealised notions of a mother to avenge and of a paramour to save whether she agrees or not - and then he has the hots for Moriko (who is utterly improbable as an ally) before Takako is sacrificed as a plot point. The great enmity between Shigeru and Orochi is merely born of teenage sexual rivalry? Is that it? Come on ...
For a ninja novel, there is almost no description of combat. Not even on an impressionistic level. Swords are drawn and then someone lies dead. As quick as that, with no transition. Where’s the artistry? This is a novel in an action genre with all of the action cut out. So frustrating!
The author’s sparse and direct descriptive approach does not disguise a large number of jarring implausibilities that prevent the reader being plunged into the story. At the outset, for example, a pyre built of straw by a five year old in a blizzard-ridden winter wasteland is meant to consume the bodies of his dead parents in a few moments, rather than merely scorch them before petering out. Uh, no. A professionally built funeral pyre will take a huge amount of wood and many hours to consume a body to any extent, and only in the right conditions. Takako is described as exceptionally tall for her age despite growing up in poverty and often facing hunger. Uh, no. That tends to stunt growth. And there are many, many more such implausibilities throughout. There’s a need for a good story edit here, as well as a proofread.
The few women visible in this world seem to have a narrow range of options, all improbably accepted meekly by them. At the novel’s half-way mark, these are only: suicide, rape and murder, abusive marriage, prostitution, brothel running, being sold into slavery, and being trained as a ninja (which involves a whole lot of abuse). Actual feudal Japan was probably a better place than this, despite its undoubted brutality. This is boringly unpleasant. Takako is devoid of any agency as a character. She exists merely as a pretext for Ryuu’s entirely self-centred actions. He admits as much to her straight up, and she accepts it! What? And her end, as tortured bait, is appalling.
Ryuu is completely unaffected by the tragedies caused directly by his selfish actions, and Takako absolves him from blame almost immediately. What?? Isn’t he a man of honour and a defender of the innocent? Is he completely blind to the egregious consequences of his stupid actions? A ninja would have lost face badly and opted for ritual suicide for much less dishonour.
Shigeru clearly knows that any display of nightblade skill will call down his nemesis, and yet he does not explain this to his apprentice either before or after Ryuu’s stupidity seals their fate. What kind of an incompetent master is he?
The actions of the characters are utterly inconsistent with who they are meant to be, and utterly implausible throughout. This is deeply disappointing for anyone with any notion of samurai, ronin, or ninjas. Orochi, the antagonist of all people, is the best warrior of all of them in that he makes a little sense and seems to have a code.
And why call a year a “cycle”? It’s irritating! And unnecessary in a fantasy world where the seasons match those of the real world. And confusing, when reference is also made to a Cycle of fate and rebirth. This is just clumsy.
Overall, reading this novel became a chore the further I progressed, even when skimming monotonous illogical ramblings. It could have been a brilliant story, but was utterly ruined by spectacularly poor execution. I forced myself to finish it, but won’t read the sequels or any other work of this author. Abysmal.
However, although the setting is quickly made obvious through a very few hints, the author then seems to rely on the reader filling in the details from the stereotypes of popular culture (in comics, films, TV, or computer games) rather than provide any evidence of research, fresh descriptions, or worldbuilding of his own.
And he commits basic inconsistencies: for example, contracts are signed with a western quill rather than an eastern brush and inkstone or with a signature stamp, and they are on paper rather than on bamboo scrolls, meanwhile a brothel keeper is called “Madame”, all of which shows little consideration of the author’s supposed sources. Okay, I accept this is not true Japan, but fantasy Japan. Nevertheless, the inspiration is clear and should not be muddled in this way. Details matter.
The story is narrated from the close third person point of view of several characters of different backgrounds and experiences, all very young to start (Ryuu for example is five years old at the beginning), but the style of narration does not reflect these differences and is not appropriate to the characters’ (changing) ages or (changing) experience, nor does the dialogue differ between the characters, who therefore all seem to be the same and hence dull.
The whole narrative feels jarring, an impersonal and detached monotone summarising what’s going on rather than imbuing the characters’ points of view with personality or emotions. There’s no elegance or spark in the rather rudimentary, droning writing. It’s all very matter of fact, but painfully naive, even childish in outlook if not in content, as well as needing a good proofread for grammar, missing or substituted words, and the occasional blaring modern American colloquialism. The narrative (let alone the dialogue) constantly shifts from relatively formal language (aimed at being “epic”) to using very informal expressions.
The characters all seem equally naive and dim, rather than the highly accomplished and cautious individuals they are meant to be. Their actions are rash and foolish almost as a matter of course, rather than showing any strategy or tactics. I expect to be thrilled by the cleverness of ninjas. That is not the case here. I am bored and irritated by these characters’ lack of logic, intelligence, or moral code. Ryuu is a poor clone of Anakin Skywalker, a rebellious toxic git driven by idealised notions of a mother to avenge and of a paramour to save whether she agrees or not - and then he has the hots for Moriko (who is utterly improbable as an ally) before Takako is sacrificed as a plot point. The great enmity between Shigeru and Orochi is merely born of teenage sexual rivalry? Is that it? Come on ...
For a ninja novel, there is almost no description of combat. Not even on an impressionistic level. Swords are drawn and then someone lies dead. As quick as that, with no transition. Where’s the artistry? This is a novel in an action genre with all of the action cut out. So frustrating!
The author’s sparse and direct descriptive approach does not disguise a large number of jarring implausibilities that prevent the reader being plunged into the story. At the outset, for example, a pyre built of straw by a five year old in a blizzard-ridden winter wasteland is meant to consume the bodies of his dead parents in a few moments, rather than merely scorch them before petering out. Uh, no. A professionally built funeral pyre will take a huge amount of wood and many hours to consume a body to any extent, and only in the right conditions. Takako is described as exceptionally tall for her age despite growing up in poverty and often facing hunger. Uh, no. That tends to stunt growth. And there are many, many more such implausibilities throughout. There’s a need for a good story edit here, as well as a proofread.
The few women visible in this world seem to have a narrow range of options, all improbably accepted meekly by them. At the novel’s half-way mark, these are only: suicide, rape and murder, abusive marriage, prostitution, brothel running, being sold into slavery, and being trained as a ninja (which involves a whole lot of abuse). Actual feudal Japan was probably a better place than this, despite its undoubted brutality. This is boringly unpleasant. Takako is devoid of any agency as a character. She exists merely as a pretext for Ryuu’s entirely self-centred actions. He admits as much to her straight up, and she accepts it! What? And her end, as tortured bait, is appalling.
Ryuu is completely unaffected by the tragedies caused directly by his selfish actions, and Takako absolves him from blame almost immediately. What?? Isn’t he a man of honour and a defender of the innocent? Is he completely blind to the egregious consequences of his stupid actions? A ninja would have lost face badly and opted for ritual suicide for much less dishonour.
Shigeru clearly knows that any display of nightblade skill will call down his nemesis, and yet he does not explain this to his apprentice either before or after Ryuu’s stupidity seals their fate. What kind of an incompetent master is he?
The actions of the characters are utterly inconsistent with who they are meant to be, and utterly implausible throughout. This is deeply disappointing for anyone with any notion of samurai, ronin, or ninjas. Orochi, the antagonist of all people, is the best warrior of all of them in that he makes a little sense and seems to have a code.
And why call a year a “cycle”? It’s irritating! And unnecessary in a fantasy world where the seasons match those of the real world. And confusing, when reference is also made to a Cycle of fate and rebirth. This is just clumsy.
Overall, reading this novel became a chore the further I progressed, even when skimming monotonous illogical ramblings. It could have been a brilliant story, but was utterly ruined by spectacularly poor execution. I forced myself to finish it, but won’t read the sequels or any other work of this author. Abysmal.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 18, 2017
Truth is, I’m not sure this is a 4 star book, but I really enjoyed it in spite of its weaknesses. The plot, while nothing really fresh or new, was entertaining and engaging and every time I put it down, I found myself unable to stop thinking about it and anxious to get back to it.
As much as I enjoyed it, there was one aspect that left me disappointed. I loved that the two female main characters were strong, smart women, unfortunately, they both felt a bit flat in comparison to the male characters. Furthermore, the author choose to force them both into positions where they needed rescuing by male protagonists. I would have preferred for at least one of them to have served as more than a prop to drive Ryuu’s character growth. I will continue the series with hope that Moriko continues to grow and develop with the same kind of depth and dimension as the male protagonists.
One last nit-picky thing, I found the choice of character names corny and predictable. The meaning of nearly everyone’s name represented their character traits. I suppose that’s fitting but, like I said, corny and unoriginal.
As much as I enjoyed it, there was one aspect that left me disappointed. I loved that the two female main characters were strong, smart women, unfortunately, they both felt a bit flat in comparison to the male characters. Furthermore, the author choose to force them both into positions where they needed rescuing by male protagonists. I would have preferred for at least one of them to have served as more than a prop to drive Ryuu’s character growth. I will continue the series with hope that Moriko continues to grow and develop with the same kind of depth and dimension as the male protagonists.
One last nit-picky thing, I found the choice of character names corny and predictable. The meaning of nearly everyone’s name represented their character traits. I suppose that’s fitting but, like I said, corny and unoriginal.
February 26, 2016
First things first, I relly liked this book.
It was fun, fast-paced and most importantly, it was entertaining. Sure there were a number of issues that should have knocked off one or two more stars, but the entertainment factor makes up for all that. So many authors these days seem to forget that books need to entertain before all else and when they do, the reader is willing to forgive a lot.
That mini-rant over, on to the review.
THE GOOD
1 - The Pacing - In spite of the book covering a 10-15 year period (or there about) the story never feels slow. There is plenty to carry you through the book and keep you wanting to turn pages.
2 - Explored dark, adult themes without glorifying them - I've seen this book classified as young adult in some places. It's not. There are some very dark, adult themes including rape and torture that were explored in this book, but never glorified. It helped create real tension and danger for the characters involved.
3 - Not afraid to make the characters awesome - I enjoy an everyman hero as much as the next guy, but I fell in love with fantasy because of awesome superpowers and powerful characters. The genre is all about wonder and this book certainly delivered on that. The main character has some serious skills and is a total badass. His character wouldn't work in everything, but he really does in this book.
There's more to like of course (the easy to read language and interesting magic system to name just two) but those are the three things that really stood out to me.
THE BAD
1 - The Action - This book made a bold move in the early chapters by showing how awesome the nightblades were by not describing their fights. Each battle was told with a one-liner along the lines of 'After 5 quick cuts, the battle was over' (I'm paraphrasing here, not a direct quote). This was great at first as it showed how easy the nightblades found every fight. However, when nearly every fight in the book is described in a similar fashion, you start to feel like you're missing out on something. At one point this same technique is used to describe what should have been an epic fight scene that shows a major moment where the protagonist evolves, which was a bit of a letdown.
2 - Inconsistent characters - Some of the characters would start the novel with one personality and belief set, and finish it with a completely different one. This could be argued as character growth but it felt more like the characters forgot who they were. Takako and the antagonist nightblade in particular not only seemed to do complete U-turns, but acted as though they had behaved with that new set of beliefs and personality from the start. It was a little confusing.
Again there are a few more things I didn't like about this book (the dialogue was a bit stilted and the characters were a touch one dimensional) but they aren't worth exploring. The charm and fun of the book more than made up for these flaws that are typical of a first-time author.
FINAL VERDICT
I loved it. Its an easy reading book that offers up a few hours of escapism and is highly entertaining. I'm looking forward to reading the next novel in the series.
It was fun, fast-paced and most importantly, it was entertaining. Sure there were a number of issues that should have knocked off one or two more stars, but the entertainment factor makes up for all that. So many authors these days seem to forget that books need to entertain before all else and when they do, the reader is willing to forgive a lot.
That mini-rant over, on to the review.
THE GOOD
1 - The Pacing - In spite of the book covering a 10-15 year period (or there about) the story never feels slow. There is plenty to carry you through the book and keep you wanting to turn pages.
2 - Explored dark, adult themes without glorifying them - I've seen this book classified as young adult in some places. It's not. There are some very dark, adult themes including rape and torture that were explored in this book, but never glorified. It helped create real tension and danger for the characters involved.
3 - Not afraid to make the characters awesome - I enjoy an everyman hero as much as the next guy, but I fell in love with fantasy because of awesome superpowers and powerful characters. The genre is all about wonder and this book certainly delivered on that. The main character has some serious skills and is a total badass. His character wouldn't work in everything, but he really does in this book.
There's more to like of course (the easy to read language and interesting magic system to name just two) but those are the three things that really stood out to me.
THE BAD
1 - The Action - This book made a bold move in the early chapters by showing how awesome the nightblades were by not describing their fights. Each battle was told with a one-liner along the lines of 'After 5 quick cuts, the battle was over' (I'm paraphrasing here, not a direct quote). This was great at first as it showed how easy the nightblades found every fight. However, when nearly every fight in the book is described in a similar fashion, you start to feel like you're missing out on something. At one point this same technique is used to describe what should have been an epic fight scene that shows a major moment where the protagonist evolves, which was a bit of a letdown.
2 - Inconsistent characters - Some of the characters would start the novel with one personality and belief set, and finish it with a completely different one. This could be argued as character growth but it felt more like the characters forgot who they were. Takako and the antagonist nightblade in particular not only seemed to do complete U-turns, but acted as though they had behaved with that new set of beliefs and personality from the start. It was a little confusing.
Again there are a few more things I didn't like about this book (the dialogue was a bit stilted and the characters were a touch one dimensional) but they aren't worth exploring. The charm and fun of the book more than made up for these flaws that are typical of a first-time author.
FINAL VERDICT
I loved it. Its an easy reading book that offers up a few hours of escapism and is highly entertaining. I'm looking forward to reading the next novel in the series.
March 18, 2016
I'm sure I'm not the only one who has made the comparison between "the sense" of this book and "the Force" of Star Wars fame. Really, there's little difference between the two. So, if you're interested in reading a book about Jedi in a pre-Industrial Revolution Asian setting, then this book is what you've been waiting for. While fairly derivative, this book was not without its charm.
This book is told from a number of perspectives, but primarily three young people. One, a young girl, has been sold into slavery at a brothel. The next, another young girl, is taken into a monestary for those that are detected to have aptitude in the sense, the preternatural sixth sense that enables some to sense other living beings, sense intention, have slight premonitions, heal, and fight. The final main character, Ryuu, is saved as a young boy from a bandit attack that killed the rest of his group by a practictioner of the sense, and, wouldn't you know it, Ryuu happens to be talented in the sense as well. The story follows these three as their stories become intertwined.
I realize I'm probably not painting a very flattering picture of this book, but I did enjoy it. It just wasn't anything really special. It was obvious that Kirk didn't want to attempt to describe fight scenes, but he did a good job, I thought, of conveying action without going through the complex descriptions that other authors go into. Really, it is no different than Robert Jordan using form names during sword fights. Stuff is happening, swords are swinging.
This book tries to differentiate itself, I believe, in examining the unintended consequences put into motion by Ryuu's actions. He's a young man who becomes extremely skilled and wants to use these skills in some meaningful way, but the question becomes if wading sword first into situations is really the best way to go about things.
Like I said, I enjoyed this book and will be picking up the next book in the series. Yes, there are a lot of familiar fantasy elements in this book, but they are used so often because they work well most of the time.
This book is told from a number of perspectives, but primarily three young people. One, a young girl, has been sold into slavery at a brothel. The next, another young girl, is taken into a monestary for those that are detected to have aptitude in the sense, the preternatural sixth sense that enables some to sense other living beings, sense intention, have slight premonitions, heal, and fight. The final main character, Ryuu, is saved as a young boy from a bandit attack that killed the rest of his group by a practictioner of the sense, and, wouldn't you know it, Ryuu happens to be talented in the sense as well. The story follows these three as their stories become intertwined.
I realize I'm probably not painting a very flattering picture of this book, but I did enjoy it. It just wasn't anything really special. It was obvious that Kirk didn't want to attempt to describe fight scenes, but he did a good job, I thought, of conveying action without going through the complex descriptions that other authors go into. Really, it is no different than Robert Jordan using form names during sword fights. Stuff is happening, swords are swinging.
This book tries to differentiate itself, I believe, in examining the unintended consequences put into motion by Ryuu's actions. He's a young man who becomes extremely skilled and wants to use these skills in some meaningful way, but the question becomes if wading sword first into situations is really the best way to go about things.
Like I said, I enjoyed this book and will be picking up the next book in the series. Yes, there are a lot of familiar fantasy elements in this book, but they are used so often because they work well most of the time.
June 1, 2016
I began reading this book a few days ago. It has the hallmarks of an intriguing plot with good character arcs. However, I was completely disillusioned from the plot by the terrible grammar and sheer number of errors that pop up. I don't know if this is due to a bad transfer to Kindle, but either way it was enough to make me give up. Words were missing from the middle of sentences, infinitives used in the wrong places, commas not used at all in some instances (such that certain sentences made no sense, requiring re-reading before I could decide upon the best way to carry on).
Regarding technique, the speed of each characters' monologues makes them seem superficial and unrealistic. Ryuu and Takato meet and have a discussion very briefly (with no mention of timing), and suddenly Ryuu is incensed at nothing in particular and Takato is whimsically in love with him. It just seems very amateurish and I think the editors have done a bad job helping this guy develop. I honestly got so frustrated with the glaring mistakes that I thought maybe Kirk didn't speak English as a first language and this had been a translation.
It's like a prolonged piece of high-school literature that got a B. Those who are saying it's well written have got shit in their eyes.
Regarding technique, the speed of each characters' monologues makes them seem superficial and unrealistic. Ryuu and Takato meet and have a discussion very briefly (with no mention of timing), and suddenly Ryuu is incensed at nothing in particular and Takato is whimsically in love with him. It just seems very amateurish and I think the editors have done a bad job helping this guy develop. I honestly got so frustrated with the glaring mistakes that I thought maybe Kirk didn't speak English as a first language and this had been a translation.
It's like a prolonged piece of high-school literature that got a B. Those who are saying it's well written have got shit in their eyes.
November 22, 2015
A story worthy of the word "Saga" or "Legend"
In spite of the editing issues in a few places (words missing or syntax out of step) I found myself completely enthralled by the story and relationships. I also recognized the subtle (and not so subtle) martial arts/Eastern influences mixed with western story telling. There were understandable overlays but in truth this author created a culture which rang true even as it reflected Japanese/Chinese overtones.
To say the least, he doesn't sacrifice the story for the sake of a happy ending. Tragedy and success go hand in hand in real life, so with this book. Fiction is our reimagining of reality with fantasy to make it interesting, Ryan Kirk does this smoothly and remains a good story teller.
In spite of the editing issues in a few places (words missing or syntax out of step) I found myself completely enthralled by the story and relationships. I also recognized the subtle (and not so subtle) martial arts/Eastern influences mixed with western story telling. There were understandable overlays but in truth this author created a culture which rang true even as it reflected Japanese/Chinese overtones.
To say the least, he doesn't sacrifice the story for the sake of a happy ending. Tragedy and success go hand in hand in real life, so with this book. Fiction is our reimagining of reality with fantasy to make it interesting, Ryan Kirk does this smoothly and remains a good story teller.
March 31, 2016
Please do not listen to any positive review on this book.
Let's start with the obvious: this book appears to be bad fan fiction based on the video game Ninja Gaiden.
Next, the story is very weak, and simply hits story wave tops throughout, failing to show you what is happening in the lives of the characters, and instead relied heavily on narrative summary through the book.
This makes the horrible dialog even worse than it was written; the dialog itself is simply off, with mistakes all over the place which pull you out of the story. The poor story telling and shallow and confusing character relationships result in a lot of dialog (and relationships) which are out of place.
This is one of the worst fantasy books of the last decade.
Let's start with the obvious: this book appears to be bad fan fiction based on the video game Ninja Gaiden.
Next, the story is very weak, and simply hits story wave tops throughout, failing to show you what is happening in the lives of the characters, and instead relied heavily on narrative summary through the book.
This makes the horrible dialog even worse than it was written; the dialog itself is simply off, with mistakes all over the place which pull you out of the story. The poor story telling and shallow and confusing character relationships result in a lot of dialog (and relationships) which are out of place.
This is one of the worst fantasy books of the last decade.
May 3, 2018
Ok, basically I have been spending the last month kind of grabbing books that I think I might like to fill the void from when I finished Brent Weeks "The Broken Eye" to the day the next installment of Mr. Weeks fantastic series comes out. Wow, am I glad I found Nightblade! What a fanatic read, good pace, great characters, fantastic plot... Of all the fantasy books I have read, this book is probably the closest ever written that is a perfect match for my tastes. Loved book 1 and already on to book 2... Thank you Ryan Kirk
July 22, 2017
Well written but nothing new here except the setting that favors a more Japanese inspired background. The 'snapping' is seen before within the assassin genre and the .
March 1, 2019
1.5
I save my one stars for books that I literally cant find a nice thing to say about. And while this is not my favorite book, it doesn't fall into that camp. I really wanted to like it and on the surface there is a lot too like about it, but the lack of a good copy editor got in the way. Words repeat in the same sentence, phrases repeat in the same paragraph, plot points repeated on the same page. It is distracting to say the least and thats not even getting into the almost useless dialogue. Really. An astounding lack of dialogue in general and the little that we do get is simplistic and clumsy.
So why did I not DNF at the 40% mark like I wanted? The paths these three characters where on are interesting and Im a sucker for a team-up, so I stayed around. How was I rewarded for my perseverance you may ask? With a bad ending the wasted all the promise of these three people. They were not given the opportunity to grow. This should have been a tragic backstory but was instead made into a whole useless, unsatisfying book.
I save my one stars for books that I literally cant find a nice thing to say about. And while this is not my favorite book, it doesn't fall into that camp. I really wanted to like it and on the surface there is a lot too like about it, but the lack of a good copy editor got in the way. Words repeat in the same sentence, phrases repeat in the same paragraph, plot points repeated on the same page. It is distracting to say the least and thats not even getting into the almost useless dialogue. Really. An astounding lack of dialogue in general and the little that we do get is simplistic and clumsy.
So why did I not DNF at the 40% mark like I wanted? The paths these three characters where on are interesting and Im a sucker for a team-up, so I stayed around. How was I rewarded for my perseverance you may ask? With a bad ending the wasted all the promise of these three people. They were not given the opportunity to grow. This should have been a tragic backstory but was instead made into a whole useless, unsatisfying book.
January 10, 2016
3.5 stars.
I found that I rather enjoyed the story here. There were some slow moments in the beginning but the story finished strong. I look forward to continuing the series.
I really like the way Ryan leads us to learn of the Nightblades and Dayblades, and that there is a slight difference between the two. Through the lessons of these three kids as they grew to adults, we learn the different stories and history Nightblades and Dayblades have to the land.
****FULL REVIEW****
*This audiobook was provided by the author, narrator, or publisher at no cost in exchange for an unbiased review courtesy of AudiobookBlast dot com, at my request.
Ryuu, Moniko, and Takako are young children in different parts of the kingdom that have a touch of the sense. Each is sent on a different path in life. Ryuu watched his parents killed by bandits and is rescued by a man skilled with a sword. Ryuu follows Shigeru home and finds a father figure in the man while he learns the ability to use the sense strong in him along with the sword, growing into a powerful Nightblade. Moniko is found by the monks to have the old form of the sense and she's taken to the monastery to life under the thumb of the Abbot, in solitude with others like her. Moniko is different than those here and is taught by Herochi to be a Nightblade. Takako's father can't take care of all in his family and sells her to a brothel. Takako's kind soul struggles with all that happens after meeting Ryuu and the friendship they have when Ryuu comes to save her from the Generals cruel son. Their lives cross as time moves on, causing fear of the Nightblades to rise again.
This is the first for me listening to Ryan as a narrator. He does subtle differences for a few characters, but this story doesn't seem to have as much dialog as it does thinking by the characters. Before I knew it, I thought there were notable differences for the characters, even when doing a drunk speaking. The chapters are set in each characters POV so it's easy to differentiate who's who. Ryan's work is clear and easy to understand as a narrator. The audio is clean and smooth. There were no distractions from his voice as he told the story. Ryan started to become the voice of the story and characters for me, long before half way.
There is a magic, of sorts, present. It's referred to as The Sense. Only some people are born with it. It seems to have changed in the way it works over the generations since the Great War. But there are a few that the power of the old ones is present, and strong. It seems this is the power that the Nightblades and Dayblades held, and could be what is feared by those of standing in the kingdom as they blame the Nightblades for the fall of the Great Kingdom. We start with seeing the Sense as a way to sense others or things around them. They can feel more keenly than others, beyond the natural five senses, and sense what move would be next in battle.
I really like the way Ryan leads us to learn of the Nightblades and Dayblades, and that there is a slight difference between the two. Through the lessons of these three kids as they grew to adults, we learn the different stories and history Nightblades and Dayblades have to the land.
Our three main characters start young and age through the book. The world searches for those of the Sense, but don't always find the ones of the old ones power. Ryuu is a perfect example of this. He's saved by Shigeru when his caravan returning home is attacked by bandits. Moriko is found by a monk that tests all the young children, only because of touch. She is spared from death by the Abbot to become like Herochi, a Nightblade that can track others of his kind, which the Abbot wants in his command. Takako is a gentle soul sold to a brothel by her father. She doesn't want fighting and death, but she's stuck in the middle watching it happen around her.
The world has those that are strong with a blade yet have a strong honor and restraints on themselves. A sort of with power comes great responsibility, and consequences when it's used. Then there is the opposite of the mindless cruelty and abuse of power and revenge. The book did have me thinking on how peace would be nice to have as the characters spoke their thoughts, and some listened to what was said.
There's not much dialog early in the book. Feels as though thoughts and telling of the world through events the characters live through. We start with a prologue. I could go either way on this, keep or not. It's here as a catcher to draw you into the story. I wondered for a good bit of the book when we would learn where it was from. I think I did finally place it, but it wasn't referenced in the same manner as where I thought it fit. As we get into the book and meet our characters, I felt like there was over explaining of family and family history. My mind started wondering in these moments, which is like skimming when reading. But as the book moved on, this became less and less and we got more of the current events and worries.
There is a strong sense of Oriental influence in this story from the dress to the manner of descriptions by characters to the honor of sword battle. I loved this feel to the book.
I found that I rather enjoyed the story here. There were some slow moments in the beginning but the story finished strong. I look forward to continuing the series.
I found that I rather enjoyed the story here. There were some slow moments in the beginning but the story finished strong. I look forward to continuing the series.
I really like the way Ryan leads us to learn of the Nightblades and Dayblades, and that there is a slight difference between the two. Through the lessons of these three kids as they grew to adults, we learn the different stories and history Nightblades and Dayblades have to the land.
****FULL REVIEW****
*This audiobook was provided by the author, narrator, or publisher at no cost in exchange for an unbiased review courtesy of AudiobookBlast dot com, at my request.
Ryuu, Moniko, and Takako are young children in different parts of the kingdom that have a touch of the sense. Each is sent on a different path in life. Ryuu watched his parents killed by bandits and is rescued by a man skilled with a sword. Ryuu follows Shigeru home and finds a father figure in the man while he learns the ability to use the sense strong in him along with the sword, growing into a powerful Nightblade. Moniko is found by the monks to have the old form of the sense and she's taken to the monastery to life under the thumb of the Abbot, in solitude with others like her. Moniko is different than those here and is taught by Herochi to be a Nightblade. Takako's father can't take care of all in his family and sells her to a brothel. Takako's kind soul struggles with all that happens after meeting Ryuu and the friendship they have when Ryuu comes to save her from the Generals cruel son. Their lives cross as time moves on, causing fear of the Nightblades to rise again.
This is the first for me listening to Ryan as a narrator. He does subtle differences for a few characters, but this story doesn't seem to have as much dialog as it does thinking by the characters. Before I knew it, I thought there were notable differences for the characters, even when doing a drunk speaking. The chapters are set in each characters POV so it's easy to differentiate who's who. Ryan's work is clear and easy to understand as a narrator. The audio is clean and smooth. There were no distractions from his voice as he told the story. Ryan started to become the voice of the story and characters for me, long before half way.
There is a magic, of sorts, present. It's referred to as The Sense. Only some people are born with it. It seems to have changed in the way it works over the generations since the Great War. But there are a few that the power of the old ones is present, and strong. It seems this is the power that the Nightblades and Dayblades held, and could be what is feared by those of standing in the kingdom as they blame the Nightblades for the fall of the Great Kingdom. We start with seeing the Sense as a way to sense others or things around them. They can feel more keenly than others, beyond the natural five senses, and sense what move would be next in battle.
I really like the way Ryan leads us to learn of the Nightblades and Dayblades, and that there is a slight difference between the two. Through the lessons of these three kids as they grew to adults, we learn the different stories and history Nightblades and Dayblades have to the land.
Our three main characters start young and age through the book. The world searches for those of the Sense, but don't always find the ones of the old ones power. Ryuu is a perfect example of this. He's saved by Shigeru when his caravan returning home is attacked by bandits. Moriko is found by a monk that tests all the young children, only because of touch. She is spared from death by the Abbot to become like Herochi, a Nightblade that can track others of his kind, which the Abbot wants in his command. Takako is a gentle soul sold to a brothel by her father. She doesn't want fighting and death, but she's stuck in the middle watching it happen around her.
The world has those that are strong with a blade yet have a strong honor and restraints on themselves. A sort of with power comes great responsibility, and consequences when it's used. Then there is the opposite of the mindless cruelty and abuse of power and revenge. The book did have me thinking on how peace would be nice to have as the characters spoke their thoughts, and some listened to what was said.
There's not much dialog early in the book. Feels as though thoughts and telling of the world through events the characters live through. We start with a prologue. I could go either way on this, keep or not. It's here as a catcher to draw you into the story. I wondered for a good bit of the book when we would learn where it was from. I think I did finally place it, but it wasn't referenced in the same manner as where I thought it fit. As we get into the book and meet our characters, I felt like there was over explaining of family and family history. My mind started wondering in these moments, which is like skimming when reading. But as the book moved on, this became less and less and we got more of the current events and worries.
There is a strong sense of Oriental influence in this story from the dress to the manner of descriptions by characters to the honor of sword battle. I loved this feel to the book.
I found that I rather enjoyed the story here. There were some slow moments in the beginning but the story finished strong. I look forward to continuing the series.
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