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Nightblade #2
World's Edge
Two cycles have passed since Ryuu lost his adopted father, and he dares to hope that he’s found peace at last. But nightblades live by the sword, and when a new breed of warrior threatens the Southern Kingdom, Ryuu and Moriko are pulled to opposite edges of the known world to uncover mysteries that have lain dormant for hundreds of cycles.
As the Three Kingdoms descend into chaos, the two nightblades must decide what they stand for. There’s no place to hide, and the secrets they reveal will have the power to change the world forever.
Book Two of the Nightblade Trilogy
As the Three Kingdoms descend into chaos, the two nightblades must decide what they stand for. There’s no place to hide, and the secrets they reveal will have the power to change the world forever.
Book Two of the Nightblade Trilogy
366 pages, Kindle Edition
First published November 20, 2015
523 people are currently reading
857 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 142 reviews
August 25, 2017
Well....look, first note that I'm giving this a 4 star rating so it's an excellent book. I wanted to point that out before I made this statement. This is a good read, but not as good as the first one.
Here the plot is "spreading out" a bit and (in my opinion of course) the author didn't hold the plot progression and character development together as well as he had been.
Our heroes have moved on with pain in their souls (and soles also) determined to survive in the face of a world that (on the whole) seems to want them dead. They will meet new characters, separate to accomplish the ends each of them must face. We'll see new places, face new or at least extended challenges.
We'll also face new enemies we had thought didn't exist.
A good read. While it didn't draw me in or hold my interest as well as the first in the series i can recommend it. Enjoy.
Here the plot is "spreading out" a bit and (in my opinion of course) the author didn't hold the plot progression and character development together as well as he had been.
Our heroes have moved on with pain in their souls (and soles also) determined to survive in the face of a world that (on the whole) seems to want them dead. They will meet new characters, separate to accomplish the ends each of them must face. We'll see new places, face new or at least extended challenges.
We'll also face new enemies we had thought didn't exist.
A good read. While it didn't draw me in or hold my interest as well as the first in the series i can recommend it. Enjoy.
August 16, 2016
This installment was disappointing. This book is much too short to drag so much.
This book suffers from what many series suffer from when the first book is a coming of age story: The story and characters are only interesting as a coming of age story. Let those same characters as fully formed adults loose in the same world and the spark just isn't there.
This book is just boring. I have no interest in knowing what happens to these characters or this world. I am not continuing to book three. I just barely finished this one.
Not Recommended.
This book suffers from what many series suffer from when the first book is a coming of age story: The story and characters are only interesting as a coming of age story. Let those same characters as fully formed adults loose in the same world and the spark just isn't there.
This book is just boring. I have no interest in knowing what happens to these characters or this world. I am not continuing to book three. I just barely finished this one.
Not Recommended.
December 6, 2019
This is the second book in the Nightblade trilogy. I like this type of fantasy. It is an interesting world, with interesting characters. I also like this author's knack of doing the unexpected. It keeps things moving at a wonderful pace. It also provides some great suspense. I really enjoyed that part of this book. The only reason this gets 3 stars and not 4, is that this felt like half of a book. It ended abruptly with so many balls in the air. I always hate when that happens.
August 3, 2016
Disappointed.
December 18, 2017
I was a bit underwhelmed by Nightblade’s sequel, World’s Edge. Though there was a fair amount of action and intrigue, it felt flat to me. The relationship building was lackluster and, for the most part, even the relationships that were interesting and dynamic, didn’t really captivate me.
Like with Nightblade, I was disappointed with the way the female protagonists were developed. This time there were 3 strong, talented, intelligent women but 2 of them, Rei and Shika, served mainly as props, at least at this point in the series. That said, Moriko’s development was less as a prop and more as strong and nuanced character in her own right. Sadly, she grew arrogant and obnoxiously cocky. Meanwhile, Ryuu remained humble in spite of his growth as one of the most skilled nightblades.
Final nitpick: when describing the main female characters, their beauty, as well as their strength and talent, was observed by the male characters. When the male characters were described, however, their handsomeness or lack thereof, was never mentioned. The males were recognized for their skill and talent, and while their build and size were often mentioned, their beauty was not. I don’t mind observations of beauty but if the author felt it was relevant or worth noting, I wish there would have been equal consideration regardless of gender. To me it read as “even though these women are strong warriors, their physical beauty is a priority to the male gaze and somehow a measure of their worth.”
I continue on to the last in the series, expecting more of the same but hoping to be entertained nonetheless.
Like with Nightblade, I was disappointed with the way the female protagonists were developed. This time there were 3 strong, talented, intelligent women but 2 of them, Rei and Shika, served mainly as props, at least at this point in the series. That said, Moriko’s development was less as a prop and more as strong and nuanced character in her own right. Sadly, she grew arrogant and obnoxiously cocky. Meanwhile, Ryuu remained humble in spite of his growth as one of the most skilled nightblades.
Final nitpick: when describing the main female characters, their beauty, as well as their strength and talent, was observed by the male characters. When the male characters were described, however, their handsomeness or lack thereof, was never mentioned. The males were recognized for their skill and talent, and while their build and size were often mentioned, their beauty was not. I don’t mind observations of beauty but if the author felt it was relevant or worth noting, I wish there would have been equal consideration regardless of gender. To me it read as “even though these women are strong warriors, their physical beauty is a priority to the male gaze and somehow a measure of their worth.”
I continue on to the last in the series, expecting more of the same but hoping to be entertained nonetheless.
June 3, 2023
As he was instructed a young Nightblade travels to expand his abilities. As a civil war gets more deadly another will battle for her life.
More super samurai wildness! Intense battles, great characters in a violent land! Great sequel!
More super samurai wildness! Intense battles, great characters in a violent land! Great sequel!
November 1, 2017
Ryuu and Moriko have been in hiding for two cycles when they are tracked and hunted by a new breed of warrior. The enemies have similar powerful skills as the Nightblades, but who are they? Ryuu and Moriko set off on different journeys to seek the answers but will they find them and to what cost?
With the Three Kingdoms descending into war, will Ryuu ever find peace?
Book 2 of the Nightblade, I'm really enjoying this series. Will read the 3rd.
With the Three Kingdoms descending into war, will Ryuu ever find peace?
Book 2 of the Nightblade, I'm really enjoying this series. Will read the 3rd.
July 22, 2017
A bit slower than the first in both plot pace and character development - except for the 'sudden' and gigantic leaps in fighting ability the main characters does in only a page or a chapter.
The Nameless remains so, but there is a clear progression towards the climatic battle waiting in book three.
The Nameless remains so, but there is a clear progression towards the climatic battle waiting in book three.
August 1, 2016
Sword fights, epic battles set in an ancient Japan type setting. Characters that make sense and pure badassery An awesome, well written series. On the last/third book now and I'll be sad when the trilogy is over. Pick it up and enjoy.
January 8, 2016
<3333
Best book and series i've read in a long while. Love the complex characters. Can't wait for the next one!
Best book and series i've read in a long while. Love the complex characters. Can't wait for the next one!
February 15, 2017
Good follow up
Good story and well told. Could use an experienced editor to help with continuity and plot, but overall enjoyable read.
Good story and well told. Could use an experienced editor to help with continuity and plot, but overall enjoyable read.
December 13, 2016
I'm half way through this book, and struggling to push through it, even though this is exactly the type of book I want to read. I've had enough of the sprawling multi-character epic Game of Thrones wannabe fantasy series. Give me a good old fashioned David Gemmell style heroic fantasy. So I'm struggling to get through it, because I want to like it, but it's difficult because it's so badly written.
I'm reading some of these other reviews and I just don't get it. The writing is really poor. I don't even have massively high standards.. it's just flat out bad. This author takes writing 101's number one rule, show, don't tell, and effectively shouts out loud WRONG! with this book. He goes to great efforts to tell, tell and tell some more. Tell the reader in explicit detail, one obvious little thing a particular character observes. Theorise on it. Repeatedly. Don't leave a thing to the readers imagination. Nightblades are dangerous. I got it. I got it the first time. Loud and clear. Without even explanation. Just via demonstration of their fighting ability. I also got it the 7,250th time it was repeated or internalised by a character. And theorised over. And over and over. And over. This is just one example of many. It becomes mind numbing after a while. One horrible side effect I've found of this is that it completely and utterly drains the book of intrigue. In a setting that should offer mystery and intrigue in abundance, it's mostly missing or muted because of the authors need to relentlessly spell things out.
Another major issue I had, is that the characters do have rather paper thin personalities. That in and of itself is an issue, but the author goes a step further. The author obviously has an idea of all the plot points and where he wants to drive the story. Instead of reaching those plot points in organic ways, he will instead have characters become puppets that say or do things purely to drive the story in the direction required, regardless of whether those actions fit with said characters established personality. More on this is explained in the spoiler below, which actually drove me to write this review, because of how much it annoyed me in a story I really wanted to get into.
In closing, let me say, I really like the setting, the subject matter, the world and the idea of the Nightblades. I want more proper heroic fantasy, which seems to have fallen by the wayside somewhat in favour of Game of Thrones style sprawling 100 character pov epics. It's the reason I've given this 2 stars, not 1. I just wish this story was written in a more coherent, intelligent fashion. I will try to finish this book, maybe even the series, but the further I get in, the more I think that will be a struggle. It's like seeing a big plate of your favorite food in front of you, but then taking a bite and finding you've been served fresh air fillets. It looks so good, but eventually you have to register that it just doesn't fill you up because it's empty and tasteless.
I'm reading some of these other reviews and I just don't get it. The writing is really poor. I don't even have massively high standards.. it's just flat out bad. This author takes writing 101's number one rule, show, don't tell, and effectively shouts out loud WRONG! with this book. He goes to great efforts to tell, tell and tell some more. Tell the reader in explicit detail, one obvious little thing a particular character observes. Theorise on it. Repeatedly. Don't leave a thing to the readers imagination. Nightblades are dangerous. I got it. I got it the first time. Loud and clear. Without even explanation. Just via demonstration of their fighting ability. I also got it the 7,250th time it was repeated or internalised by a character. And theorised over. And over and over. And over. This is just one example of many. It becomes mind numbing after a while. One horrible side effect I've found of this is that it completely and utterly drains the book of intrigue. In a setting that should offer mystery and intrigue in abundance, it's mostly missing or muted because of the authors need to relentlessly spell things out.
Another major issue I had, is that the characters do have rather paper thin personalities. That in and of itself is an issue, but the author goes a step further. The author obviously has an idea of all the plot points and where he wants to drive the story. Instead of reaching those plot points in organic ways, he will instead have characters become puppets that say or do things purely to drive the story in the direction required, regardless of whether those actions fit with said characters established personality. More on this is explained in the spoiler below, which actually drove me to write this review, because of how much it annoyed me in a story I really wanted to get into.
In closing, let me say, I really like the setting, the subject matter, the world and the idea of the Nightblades. I want more proper heroic fantasy, which seems to have fallen by the wayside somewhat in favour of Game of Thrones style sprawling 100 character pov epics. It's the reason I've given this 2 stars, not 1. I just wish this story was written in a more coherent, intelligent fashion. I will try to finish this book, maybe even the series, but the further I get in, the more I think that will be a struggle. It's like seeing a big plate of your favorite food in front of you, but then taking a bite and finding you've been served fresh air fillets. It looks so good, but eventually you have to register that it just doesn't fill you up because it's empty and tasteless.
July 22, 2020
Much better than the first one. I like the point of views from Tanark and Akira. As well as the storyline development of Moriko and Ryuu. The writing was much better and developed smoothly. I didn't have trouble following the storyline and there wasn't over description! Really enjoyed this book.
May 20, 2018
Great
Much better from the first book. So many events happened and there was growth in both of the characters. On the the next!
Much better from the first book. So many events happened and there was growth in both of the characters. On the the next!
November 18, 2018
Great second installment of the series. Expanded the characters while seamlessly adding in new. Easy read the story flowed and kept your interest.
April 24, 2018
Scout
Seems like a scout is not a good thing to be for Moriko . Ryuu goes off to do more training.
Seems like a scout is not a good thing to be for Moriko . Ryuu goes off to do more training.
March 24, 2018
I liked this better than the first book. More happened in an intertwined fashion and there was less emphasis on the the struggles that Kirk poorly defined in the first installment. The ideas that needed elaboration were given their due. I still feel that many of the women are portrayed as objects - except Moriko again. She is the exception and remains a quality character with her own plight. But others feel like side pieces that are there for a male to ogle. The hunters were also a good addition to add to the intrigue. I appreciate that their is a coming storm and battles to be staged on multiple fronts. Also, the strange powers that are manifesting within the sense point to more challenges ahead, more growth and hopefully some cool battles. One thing I did see here which was missing in the first series was the development of Ryuu to actually debate a choice rather than dive in headfirst without viewing the big picture. It adds to his dimension and helps the first book. Let's see what book three holds.
August 21, 2017
An enjoyable follow-up to the excellent Nightblade.
Ryuu continues to develop and master the sense, however I think he starts to come across as somewhat one dimensional. A bit like Rand al Thor in the Wheel of Time series he starts to go a bit up himself and is obsessed with his own strength and thinks he has to do everything.
I still enjoyed Kirk's writing style, it does flow quite nicely.
The plot does feel something of a repeat of the first book in some ways - a much stronger opponent that must be bested in order to achieve whatever.
The development of Moriko was a good aspect of the book, she begins to become much more interesting and integral to the storyline.
I am very glad I continued with the series but it did feel somewhat flat in comparison to the first book.
However, I did continue with the final book in the series so obviously did enjoy it.
Ryuu continues to develop and master the sense, however I think he starts to come across as somewhat one dimensional. A bit like Rand al Thor in the Wheel of Time series he starts to go a bit up himself and is obsessed with his own strength and thinks he has to do everything.
I still enjoyed Kirk's writing style, it does flow quite nicely.
The plot does feel something of a repeat of the first book in some ways - a much stronger opponent that must be bested in order to achieve whatever.
The development of Moriko was a good aspect of the book, she begins to become much more interesting and integral to the storyline.
I am very glad I continued with the series but it did feel somewhat flat in comparison to the first book.
However, I did continue with the final book in the series so obviously did enjoy it.
February 10, 2018
Captivating Adventure!
This truly was a captivating adventure! Unfortunately, I liked it so much, I skipped over writing the review after first finishing Book 2 in the NightBlade series, as I wanted so badly to just start Book 3. Now it is difficult to remember and separate thoughts out from the whole story. However, I can tell you that this is the book that convinced me to go to bed early so I could read late into the night. I truly love the series! It is also nice to not have aggravating typos and misspellings. Thank you!
This truly was a captivating adventure! Unfortunately, I liked it so much, I skipped over writing the review after first finishing Book 2 in the NightBlade series, as I wanted so badly to just start Book 3. Now it is difficult to remember and separate thoughts out from the whole story. However, I can tell you that this is the book that convinced me to go to bed early so I could read late into the night. I truly love the series! It is also nice to not have aggravating typos and misspellings. Thank you!
March 8, 2018
I was worried...
...that this book would be too much for me. The first one was very violent towards women but it really got to me til the end, but I liked where the story was going, so I got book 2. The whole time I was worried that it was going to happen again, but I didn't. Still very violent, for both sexes, but in a battle way, not a masochistic kind of way. Anywho, really enjoyed it, but going to take in a different book before I return. But I will return
...that this book would be too much for me. The first one was very violent towards women but it really got to me til the end, but I liked where the story was going, so I got book 2. The whole time I was worried that it was going to happen again, but I didn't. Still very violent, for both sexes, but in a battle way, not a masochistic kind of way. Anywho, really enjoyed it, but going to take in a different book before I return. But I will return
November 6, 2017
Enjoyed this second book as much as first, strong story, engaging characters, stories continue to twist and turn as fate steams forward! Engrossing world building, timeless questions, answers continued to be pursued. Already began third book, looking forward to finishing quickly, good strong writing, well done!
February 12, 2018
So so.
Entertaining for the most part if you like Japanese jedi tales with a bit of dragon ball z ever expanding power levels thrown in. The storytelling was a times a bit basic and could have used a little of what Peter F Hamilton uses way too much of. I'll finish the series but it's by no means a classic.
Entertaining for the most part if you like Japanese jedi tales with a bit of dragon ball z ever expanding power levels thrown in. The storytelling was a times a bit basic and could have used a little of what Peter F Hamilton uses way too much of. I'll finish the series but it's by no means a classic.
November 9, 2016
The continued story of Ryuu and Moriko is engaging and sensible with a completely unexpected twist beginning to unfold.
I loved every second of this book and finished it in a record breaking three days!
I loved every second of this book and finished it in a record breaking three days!
February 14, 2017
Possibly 3.5 stars. I really like the audio and am invested in the characters. .. but the overall story wasn't quite as enjoyable as the first. However I am still keen to see how things go in the next book.
January 18, 2018
I really like these series. The second book is good if not better then the first. The story continues where it ended in the first. The plot slowly reveals but almost not until the end of the book. And by then you want more, you want to know who wins or lose. Good read, recommend!
May 25, 2017
Wow
Better then the first book in the series, adds interesting politics and character development! Look out for #3 and the blades return to the 3 kingdoms.
Better then the first book in the series, adds interesting politics and character development! Look out for #3 and the blades return to the 3 kingdoms.
August 7, 2017
Dynamite!
I liked pretty much everything about this book. Highly recommend. The style and intrigue kept me going back for more and looking forward to the next book!
I liked pretty much everything about this book. Highly recommend. The style and intrigue kept me going back for more and looking forward to the next book!
December 14, 2017
I am more and more addicted to this story! The characters are awesome and I'm having a lot of fun following their adventures.
January 10, 2018
Very entertaining
The story line was well thought out. I couldn’t wait to turn the next page to see what was to happen next.
The story line was well thought out. I couldn’t wait to turn the next page to see what was to happen next.
March 17, 2018
Not the strongest book in the series, but still very compelling reading.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 142 reviews