DM News:Fantasy Review: The Way of Shadows

[EbonyAdo]

The Way of Shadows is the first installment of the Night Angel trilogy by Brent Weeks.  Weeks will be the Author Guest of Honor at this year’s JordanCon, taking place April 26-28, 2019.

 

The story follows Azoth, an orphan living on the streets of Cenaria.

 

Azoth's character development is fascinating since he starts as a relatively young child living on the streets in the Warrens, the seedy underside of Cenaria.  We watch him go from child to young adult under the tutelage of Durzo Blint. Durzo is not the best of influences, but he is all Azoth has.  Azoth's character arc almost seems to be the reverse of Blint's which makes the interaction between the characters interesting.

 

As far as Weeks writing style, he does not spend an extensive amount of time on descriptions of settings or clothing, but it does not take away from the story. Character interaction gives the reader the complete experience of setting and mood.

 

Week's portrayal of female characters fell a little short for me. He seems to stick to many of the tropes women are regulated to in fantasy. That being said, there is one female character that shows promise at the end of the story. Hopefully, this continues into the second installment.

 

My Pros:

• There are plot twists. I always enjoy it when an author can catch me off guard.
• Once the action starts, it is quick paced and holds the reader's interest.
• Azoth is a well-developed character, and it is interesting to see how his character grows and changes as he learns the ways of the world.

 

My Cons:

• Contains possible triggers for those that have experienced sexual abuse.
• The beginning of the book that takes place in the Warrens is rather dark, more so, because the characters involved are children.

 

All in all, The Way of Shadows is a good read, provided you are not bothered by the darkness of the beginning chapters.

 

You can find out more about Brent Weeks and his other books at his website.

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