R. S. Moule
Second Sky
14 March 2025
442
eBook - EPUB
Fantasy
ARC via NetGalley
They say Locan A’Shadow is the greatest assassin who ever lived.
They say he faced down dragons and the armies of an undead king.
And every word of it is true.
Locan was once the deadliest man in the Dominion. Now he’s a nobody—a stranger living quietly at the edge of the world. And that’s just how he likes it. But when bandits raid his home in the night, killing and burning, Locan is forced to reveal his skill with a blade. A vicious enemy ordered the attack—someone Locan thought he killed years ago. But the vampire Solis Deadhand is alive. And far to the north he is building an empire of blood and magic.
Locan is no hero. He always laughed at the stories people told about his adventures. But there are evils he cannot ignore. And grudges that can never be forgotten. He marches into the wilderness, through haunted forests and snow-capped mountains, with an idealistic young noble and a beautiful elf sorcerer by his side.
As they draw ever closer to the vampire’s realm, Locan must step out of the shadows. He might not be a hero. But to save his world from centuries of darkness, he must become a legend.
The Assassin's Shadow was an appealing if predictable fantasy read. From the fact Cetrik is relating these events, we know he survives to tell the tale, which did take away from the suspense a little, while the story progression itself was pretty predictable with no major, unexpected twists for anyone who has read a lot in the genre. The characters, too, were pretty standard: naive, young protagonist thrown into an unexpected adventure, surly assassin who likes to drink, beautiful elf maiden.... However, the predictability did not mean it wasn't enjoyable. I liked the narrative style, which contained humorous undertones, and it was still an adventurous romp that was fun to read even if you could guess in advance where things were heading. This book is not going to redefine the genre, but if you are looking for a fantasy read that ticks all the boxes when it comes to tropes and genre expectations, you will likely enjoy this. I am giving it four stars. It was a light, enjoyable read after coming off some books with heavier topics, making it an excellent palate refresher.
I received this book as a free eBook ARC via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
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