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Shadow Brigade #1
Rogue
Rogue is a cantankerous warrior, a bandit, and a brawler. He only wants to be left alone and occasionally rob the king who once betrayed him.
But when assassins try to kill a young woman, Rogue gets involved. Now he is involved in a dangerous plot, and to protect the girl he must save a kingdom, a kingdom he once almost destroyed.
But when assassins try to kill a young woman, Rogue gets involved. Now he is involved in a dangerous plot, and to protect the girl he must save a kingdom, a kingdom he once almost destroyed.
190 pages, Kindle Edition
First published September 20, 2018
204 people are currently reading
154 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews
October 17, 2019
Nice read, could be better.
The book in hindsight was a fun read. You have a MC that is a powerful warrior who has lost all he cared for due to betrayal by a King and now lives in the foreign land of said king and plays robin hood in attempt to find justice. Eventually he becomes involved in an assassination attempt and fights for the good of the innocent people he built relationships with along the way.
Pros:
The main character is immediately presented as a dangerous and reputable warrior that has a personal vendetta. (I see this as a pro, some may not. Truly tired of weak or naive MCs)
The world building is done well and allows the reader to quickly grasp the state of the kingdoms and the type of characters that will become involved later on in the story. The author did a fantastic job on the beginning of the story and had an engaging plot.
Not any overwhelmingly long detail or chapters randomly discussing the “journey to”. Author consistently got right to the point or action giving all the details necessary.
Cons:
The lack detail brings a negative in battles the MC is engaged in. Sometimes you have to infer what happened for the MC to gain the upper hand.
The pre-established relationships of the MC and the other characters are either not properly described or aren’t sensible when you consider a badass warrior having loyalty to a business woman with distant royal ties.
Another issue I tired of was how every woman seemed to desire the MC without any detail of how an attraction between him and his admirer even began or developed. The trope of strong powerful warrior gets forward yet attractive woman was consistently pushed down your throat.
Lastly what the world defined as “Magic” seemed very inaccurate and not at all what any reader should truly define as Magic. Basically the MC drinks potions to have quicker reaction times and better vision and is apparently from the only country that discovered how to create smoke bombs and this is deemed “Magic”.
The book in hindsight was a fun read. You have a MC that is a powerful warrior who has lost all he cared for due to betrayal by a King and now lives in the foreign land of said king and plays robin hood in attempt to find justice. Eventually he becomes involved in an assassination attempt and fights for the good of the innocent people he built relationships with along the way.
Pros:
The main character is immediately presented as a dangerous and reputable warrior that has a personal vendetta. (I see this as a pro, some may not. Truly tired of weak or naive MCs)
The world building is done well and allows the reader to quickly grasp the state of the kingdoms and the type of characters that will become involved later on in the story. The author did a fantastic job on the beginning of the story and had an engaging plot.
Not any overwhelmingly long detail or chapters randomly discussing the “journey to”. Author consistently got right to the point or action giving all the details necessary.
Cons:
The lack detail brings a negative in battles the MC is engaged in. Sometimes you have to infer what happened for the MC to gain the upper hand.
The pre-established relationships of the MC and the other characters are either not properly described or aren’t sensible when you consider a badass warrior having loyalty to a business woman with distant royal ties.
Another issue I tired of was how every woman seemed to desire the MC without any detail of how an attraction between him and his admirer even began or developed. The trope of strong powerful warrior gets forward yet attractive woman was consistently pushed down your throat.
Lastly what the world defined as “Magic” seemed very inaccurate and not at all what any reader should truly define as Magic. Basically the MC drinks potions to have quicker reaction times and better vision and is apparently from the only country that discovered how to create smoke bombs and this is deemed “Magic”.
December 9, 2020
Rogue is a cantankerous warrior, a bandit, and a brawler. He only wants to be left alone and occasionally rob the king who once betrayed him.
But when assassins try to kill a young woman, Rogue gets involved. Now he is involved in a dangerous plot, and to protect the girl he must save a kingdom, a kingdom he once almost destroyed.
When Jasmin first meets Rogue, she completely misreads the situation and judges him harshly, so when she learns he's a friend of her mother's and is there to protect her as a distant heir to a throne rapidly running out of heirs, she has no choice but to trust him with her life.
This was a fun fast read full of great characters who live in a world that truly feels real, like it's existed forever--things happened before you arrived and continued on after you leave. There are friends and enemies, twists and turns and surprises galore. It's a great adventure and offers up some profound spotlights into human nature, at its best and worst. What a fun read--escapism at its best!
But when assassins try to kill a young woman, Rogue gets involved. Now he is involved in a dangerous plot, and to protect the girl he must save a kingdom, a kingdom he once almost destroyed.
When Jasmin first meets Rogue, she completely misreads the situation and judges him harshly, so when she learns he's a friend of her mother's and is there to protect her as a distant heir to a throne rapidly running out of heirs, she has no choice but to trust him with her life.
This was a fun fast read full of great characters who live in a world that truly feels real, like it's existed forever--things happened before you arrived and continued on after you leave. There are friends and enemies, twists and turns and surprises galore. It's a great adventure and offers up some profound spotlights into human nature, at its best and worst. What a fun read--escapism at its best!
January 23, 2020
This is a terrific book!
Robyn Wideman is a new author for me and the craftsmanship of this book is amazing. If you are looking for gut-wrenching action, page turning danger, assassins, intrigue, magic with fantastic characters, this is the book for you! I absolutely loved it. I became immersed in the story from the beginning. This particular story arch is complete, yet there is more adventure to come in the next book and I can't wait to read more. I highly recommend this book!
Robyn Wideman is a new author for me and the craftsmanship of this book is amazing. If you are looking for gut-wrenching action, page turning danger, assassins, intrigue, magic with fantastic characters, this is the book for you! I absolutely loved it. I became immersed in the story from the beginning. This particular story arch is complete, yet there is more adventure to come in the next book and I can't wait to read more. I highly recommend this book!
February 23, 2022
I continue to enjoy author’s works
A quick and pleasant read. Dialogue can be a little stilted at times but overall well enough written. The story flows nicely to (I assume) the larger events of book two. Elements of traditional fantasy plots are skillfully used in a manner that does not seem stale. The main character has just enough backstory to build your interest for the sequel, especially given the events at the end. Wish I had a horse like the roan ! Looking forward to the next book.
A quick and pleasant read. Dialogue can be a little stilted at times but overall well enough written. The story flows nicely to (I assume) the larger events of book two. Elements of traditional fantasy plots are skillfully used in a manner that does not seem stale. The main character has just enough backstory to build your interest for the sequel, especially given the events at the end. Wish I had a horse like the roan ! Looking forward to the next book.
January 10, 2020
A betrayal of a king, downward spiral of a mage, a bunch of assassins and a young lady who is not what she believes, forms an outstanding fantasy series. With new characters being added throughout the series and the great writing/ plot making of the story, will keep you turning the pages and wanting more. Highly recommend! Great Reading Everyone!
September 22, 2020
Consider that this is based on only 8% of the book, but i could not stand the writing! Permanently deleted from kindle. Was this a story by a high school sophomore? Maybe i canned it because it was the third book in a day that had this same choppy writing style that had trouble making sentences flow together.
December 19, 2018
Very Entertaining!!
Yes another book very well written because it's exciting,has lots of Action and the main character is a real Hero!! Just a beautiful story,don't need pt2 or 3......
Yes another book very well written because it's exciting,has lots of Action and the main character is a real Hero!! Just a beautiful story,don't need pt2 or 3......
September 22, 2019
This is the first book where I felt that multiple POV’s actually worked and was enjoyable. It helped push the story along and added depth to events. Exposition on backstory was handled so naturally that it helped tell the story without feeling like an info dump
October 29, 2019
To repay a debt
Love sword & sorcery and this is the beginning of a good epic tale. Betrayal, assassin guild and waring kingdoms, all the necessary plot lines. Battle scared warriors & we get fierce women as well, this looks to be a great new adventure.
Love sword & sorcery and this is the beginning of a good epic tale. Betrayal, assassin guild and waring kingdoms, all the necessary plot lines. Battle scared warriors & we get fierce women as well, this looks to be a great new adventure.
February 22, 2022
Shadow Brigade of 1?
Great story of intrigue
Lots of great characters introduced
Lots of action
Multiple paths to follow
The story of rogue, why he is what he is and why he can no longer hide is the main theme
His helpfulness hopefully will save his world from the power mongers!
Great story of intrigue
Lots of great characters introduced
Lots of action
Multiple paths to follow
The story of rogue, why he is what he is and why he can no longer hide is the main theme
His helpfulness hopefully will save his world from the power mongers!
January 6, 2025
This is a well-written tale of a young woman who has no recollection of her previous life, only the one with her father and mother and the joy she felt. It all changes at the ‘drop of a pin’, such is life.
September 23, 2018
Awesome read
Awesome read with treachery abounding while throughout the realms are different struggles that continue to threaten the royal line of rule.
Awesome read with treachery abounding while throughout the realms are different struggles that continue to threaten the royal line of rule.
October 17, 2019
Rogue
Rough characters who have a good heart and even if their ethics are a little skewed, always win me over. This book won me over.
Rough characters who have a good heart and even if their ethics are a little skewed, always win me over. This book won me over.
October 27, 2019
Unexpectedly ok
Have never come across this author before but I have enjoyed the story and I’m hooked for the next part of this adventure.
Have never come across this author before but I have enjoyed the story and I’m hooked for the next part of this adventure.
Read
November 14, 2019Best middle ages story I've read this year, perhaps longer.
Awesome! Best middle age fantasy book I've read for quite some time. Can't
wait to read more Robyn Wideman books
Awesome! Best middle age fantasy book I've read for quite some time. Can't
wait to read more Robyn Wideman books
June 24, 2020
Pretty darn good
Conanesque main character with a similar upbringing but in a more "civilised" place . It even has a Red Sonja like character.
Conanesque main character with a similar upbringing but in a more "civilised" place . It even has a Red Sonja like character.
March 20, 2021
Terrible editing, logic errors. I like the Rogue character and I generally like Robyn but seems like he just rushed to get this book out and didn't do his best here.
April 17, 2021
Terrific and engaging
Always a joy to get to know new characters from the author. It is a story that draws you along and you want to keep on reading.
Always a joy to get to know new characters from the author. It is a story that draws you along and you want to keep on reading.
February 4, 2022
Good start
A good start for sure. Obviously meant as a beginning for a series this story fulfills that. Rogue is an interesting character.
A good start for sure. Obviously meant as a beginning for a series this story fulfills that. Rogue is an interesting character.
August 1, 2019
Very enjoyable. Characters well developed enough action to keep you reading.
Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews