Hey, Germs! This month’s book was recommended to me by my friend Morgan. I was looking for e-book/indie book suggestions since it can be extremely difficult to find a book that I actually want to read, even with Amazon’s HUGE library. Thankfully, Morgan saved the day and made it easier for me! That being said, feel free to send me an email at [email protected] if you have an e-book/indie book to suggest.
The Emperor’s Edge by Lindsay Buroker is a fantasy tale that follows the journey of Amaranthe Lokdon. She’s one of the only female enforcers in her city, and she’s good at what she does. Her job is to take down petty thieves, deal with thugs, and keep the peace. Her job gets more complicated, though, when her higher-ups send her on a mission to deal with a renowned assassin. Even though she knows that it’s a poor choice to go through with the task, Amaranthe follows her orders, causing a whirlwind of mystery and chaos.
What I Liked
Simply put, I adored the characters in The Emperor’s Edge. For starters, Amaranthe is a really fun protagonist. She’s tough and strong while still managing to fit into the “feminine business role.” She is caring and compassionate, which makes her a great contrast to the other characters, who are (depending on the character) aloof, abrasive, vain, or just plain rough around the edges. It’s just a good cast of characters — one of my favorites being Sespian, the emperor himself. There was also a good deal of mystery and conspiracy in the book. Although I did have some vague predictions turn out to be right, I love that I didn’t manage to figure out what was going to happen in the story. The book is also set in an interesting world, and I can’t wait to see how it’s explored in the subsequent books.
What I Didn’t Like as Much
Sometimes it felt like the leaps in logic were happening a little too easily. There were several dire situations in which escape seemed to happen too easily. The character who made the leaps in logic could just naturally be that clever or intuitive, but I just wanted to see them struggle to get out of those situations a little more. Also, a good portion of the villains in the story were very obviously villainous. I was just hoping for a little more challenge on figuring out who was and who wasn’t on our protagonist’s side. There were also a few times that the dialogue felt a bit stiff, but that might just be how certain characters talk.
Conclusion
This was another book that I thoroughly enjoyed reading. The Emperor’s Edge is 322 pages long, and I read a good 70% of it in one day. It really pulls you in. I’m not entirely sure the series is done being released at this point, but there are 8 books, and The Emperor’s Edge is free! Truly a steal. Also, be warned, there are some darker, grittier bits that I wouldn’t recommend for our younger readers. Like with my last review, I’d say that The Emperor’s Edge is probably best suited for people over the age of 14 or 15. I would give this book a solid 4 out of 5 stars.
crossposted on my personal blog