Andy Peloquin

If there were 6 stars, I'd give them.

This story is plain full of awesome.

Taking place in the city of Voramis, we see the Hunter - paramount assassin, he is more than that. Capeable of deep compassion and care, haunted by the past, the Hunter is a 3 dimensional character.

The action is non-stop, the plot moves you along so smoothly that you don't always notice the body count, the descriptions are of a vibrant and gritty world written so well you can picture it clearly. (And be very glad you show more don't live there.)

Author Peloquin manages to put both the Grim and Dark in grimdark with this one! show less

When I began Blade of the Destroyer, I found myself blown away. The attention to detail and creation of imagery was so intense that I felt I was actually there, alongside the Hunter, watching him carry out his dark deeds. The book was well written and had a nice flow to it. Tension built steadily within each scene and resulted in payoffs that brought me to the edge of my seat. Fearless, unique, and above all dangerous, the Hunter's character is one I adore.

The Hunter is as much a mystery to show more himself, as he is to others. He knows next to nothing about his past and internalises a strong sense of isolation. With a great sense of sarcasm, the Hunter brings the tale to life and lightens an otherwise dark and twisted plot. There were many surprises and unique twists that I didn't see coming. All in all, I found Einan to be an incredible world of gory Fantasy, where death and suffering are rife.

A true tale of sacrifice, devotion and above all, fear. With so many enemies, will the Hunter survive?
Why not give Blade of the Destroyer a read and find out for yourself. :) 5 stars! show less

This book was a complete blast to read from start to finish. The action starts immediately and literally keeps going the entire time. There are some deep emotions in this one and some phenomenal characters that are flawed yet lovable. The backstory is amazing and we get it in pieces throughout the book.

The battles are written perfectly and there are tons of awesome weapons, gore and spectacular deaths! I freaking loved it! Fantastic dark fantasy, will definitely be continuing this series show more and looking into everything else from Andy because this guy is legit! show less

Author Andy Peloquin does an amazing job in just a couple of chapters, bringing his readers up-to-date if they haven’t read book one for a while. With vivid, realistic scenes of human cruelty countered by the buoyant human spirit, the story unfolds and, as in book one scares the bejeebers out of me.

This book is much more than about the cruelty and greed of power. It’s about children surviving abusive lives, left with nothing, and beaten out of them anything they previously were. They show more became one of the hundreds of children taught to be thieves using whatever potential they have. They belong to the Night Guild. From this dark beginning the human spirit re-emerges. We are privy to its growth and its hope.

Ilanna is a complex, damaged girl, who has made the best of her circumstances. Even with her ability to destroy people in her path to succeed in her thievery, I like her character. She is not all hard, her heart isn’t completely dead. There is something alluring about the person she is and who she is becoming.

Her fifteen years enslaved in the Night Guild have not all been entirely bad. She has met kind, caring, intelligent people who have suffered much as she has. However, she values above all her freedom, and so has wrangled her price for freedom from Master Gold –one million imperials. A huge amount to obtain, but Ilanna is anything but resourceful, particularly in a tight spot.

She has revenge on her mind. Her few Guild friends have been made examples of by the governing powers. She comes up with a plan, one accepted by the Masters of all the Houses and the Gold Master himself. She is planning on taking down their kingpin and gain her freedom. She stages the biggest heist the Guild has ever tried.

Ilanna is brazen, bold, and determined with every fiber of her being to pull herself from the death trap she is now in. Her quick mind and persistence to not give up, saves her time after time. The overall arc of the story is superb. I begin on edge, the reins would slacken and then the author was back tightening the rope, adding more pitfalls and escapes until I was a mess. My gut coiled. My heart pumped. It’s a thriller, readers.

Ilanna is so good at what she does, she is admired by those of her House, the Hawks. They are the unfortunates who were trained to thieve by moving from rooftop to rooftop, fly with hanging invisible rope where needed. Ilanna is very clever. Cleverer than most. She’s been pirating away small amounts of her thievery through the years she’s been in service/slavery. If caught, it would be her death. This is a girl with grit!

She wants to have a life. Her son, product of a rape, is the only person she loves and she doesn’t want him to have the ending she has—to be in servitude to the Guild. She trusts Ria, a woman she took away from a life battering experience. She relies on her to care for Kodyn, but in so doing has helped Ria heal from her trauma. There is a budding friendship between the two, a special bond by those who have suffered greatly.

Kodyn had given her something to fight for, but Ria gave her something to hope for.

The story highlights the power of greed, the lure of gold, whether you hold a legitimate respected position within the government or provide some service to protect the hoard you now possess. Who will hold the best hand and win this game of thrones?

Just when you think the plot is straight forward, you once again are confronted with more challenges, more decisions. It is glorious!

When evil exists, is one evil less so than the other? Ratcheting up the alternatives only creates more drama and tension. Will one part of the city ruled by Bloody Hand get their way with the Guild? Does the means justify the ends? How many people must one climb over to reach one’s goal?

Hope and a new life touches Ilanna. We almost have our happily ever after. This story ends on a cliffhanger of such huge proportions, I must continue the sequel!

I was provided an advanced review copy by the publisher in exchange for an honest and fair review. show less