I want to love this book. There is lots of action, cool characters and a ton of twists. But for a satisfying read, I need things to be more woven together with every event feeding character development and growth. Many things happen for no apparent reason, other than the action of it. Many characters are introduced, but we are left hanging about their fate. The twists felt contrived; they need more foreshadowing and backstory to feel authentic. That being said, if you want raw creativity unleashed with tons of action, you should read it. Even if you're like me; this is still an author to watch. ( )

I want to love this book. There is lots of action, cool characters and a ton of twists. But for a satisfying read, I need things to be more woven together with every event feeding character development and growth. Many things happen for no apparent reason, other than the action of it. Many characters are introduced, but we are left hanging about their fate. The twists felt contrived; they need more foreshadowing and backstory to feel authentic. That being said, if you want raw creativity unleashed with tons of action, you should read it. Even if you're like me; this is still an author to watch. ( )

beautiful language, a variety of interesting characters, a world full of mystery, action and twists galore. What's not to love? ( )

Fantasy authors often make a name for themselves with a series of books and then break it off and try something entirely new. Such is the case with author of the Chathrand Voyage Quartet, author Robert V.S. Redick, world traveler and lifelong lover and writer of fantasy. His new series, The Fire Sacraments, begins in and arid landscape with two brothers desert from a cultist army and flee for their lives after the inadvertent killing of the prophet’s favored son. While most in their world believe that such a horrendous crime could only have been committed by skilled assassins, readers will soon recognize Kandri and Mekru for what they actually are, frightened young men, little more than boys really, who are scrambling to stay ahead of the ruthless forces that are pursuing them across a desolate landscape.

Master Assassins plot is very reminiscent of many young adult fantasy adventures that I have read, with young people on the run from an authoritarian state but it includes many elements (prostitution, rape, child predators, strong language) that are definitely not found in books aimed at a younger market. Kandri and Mekru will seem very familiar to readers as the quintessential bickering teenaged siblings, one serious and steady, the other spontaneous and reckless. The tension that builds between the two is almost as palpable as the tension between the brothers and the forces that are pursuing them across the desert.

Redick has done a great job of world-building and it is clear that there is a much larger world over the horizon that will be shown to us as the series progresses. So far it is a delightful tale, full of fearsome beasts and duplicitous people. I look forward to reading more of the series.

* The review was based on an advanced reading copy obtained at no cost from the publisher in exchange for an unbiased review. While this does take any ‘not worth what I paid for it’ statements out of my review, it otherwise has no impact on the content of my review.

FYI: On a 5-point scale I assign stars based on my assessment of what the book needs in the way of improvements:
*5 Stars – Nothing at all. If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.
*4 Stars – It could stand for a few tweaks here and there but it’s pretty good as it is.
*3 Stars – A solid C grade. Some serious rewriting would be needed in order for this book to be considered great or memorable.
*2 Stars – This book needs a lot of work. A good start would be to change the plot, the character development, the writing style and the ending.
*1 Star – The only thing that would improve this book is a good bonfire. ( )