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An Assassin's Blade #2
The Miscreant
There is a realm the living were never supposed to visit and the dead were never supposed to leave. The rules have changed.Astul, an infamous assassin with a woeful reputation, finds his brother's corpse curiously absent from its tomb. This amid accusations that grave robbers are terrorizing the world of Mizridahl. But Astul soon discovers the cadavers aren't being robbed. They're being gathered. Harvested.A dreadful enigma creeps into Mizridahl, with the might of an army that was never supposed to see the living realm again. Astul lost nearly everything dear to him when conjurers swept across his world four months ago. Now he stands to lose the rest.Conjurers were the beginning. This is the end.
- GenresFantasy
458 pages, Kindle Edition
First published April 25, 2016
16 people are currently reading
98 people want to read
About the author
Justin DePaoli
26 books64 followersJustin DePaoli called Pittsburgh home for twenty-one years, but now lives in Kentucky with his fiancee, stilt-legged German shepherd, two cats, and a company of fish.
Beginning his career as a freelance writer, he now writes fiction full-time.
When he's not writing, he enjoys playing guitar (quite horribly), running, lifting, playing video games, and spending time with his fiancee and menagerie of pets.
Beginning his career as a freelance writer, he now writes fiction full-time.
When he's not writing, he enjoys playing guitar (quite horribly), running, lifting, playing video games, and spending time with his fiancee and menagerie of pets.
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
April 18, 2016
I have reviewed the first book and must say that Justin knows how to deliver a follow up. This second book might even be better than the first; this isn't the typical filler you find in a trilogy but a story unto it's own.
In fact, The Miscreant is done so well it makes you wonder if he has already written all three books and just chopped them up (wink wink) into delectable little pieces.
Keep 'em coming, Justin DePaoli.
In fact, The Miscreant is done so well it makes you wonder if he has already written all three books and just chopped them up (wink wink) into delectable little pieces.
Keep 'em coming, Justin DePaoli.
November 9, 2016
Excellent continuation
I really enjoyed this book, much more so than the first one. It flows much smoother and, although the language is still vulgar, it fits into this story very well and becomes a part of it rather than having to work at being something. The characters have grown and this story is action packed and exciting. Recommended.
I really enjoyed this book, much more so than the first one. It flows much smoother and, although the language is still vulgar, it fits into this story very well and becomes a part of it rather than having to work at being something. The characters have grown and this story is action packed and exciting. Recommended.
January 30, 2021
*This review can also be found on my book review blog, The Never-Ending TBR Pile.
Destruction. Deceit. Turmoil.
Astul hasn't quite recovered from the war with Conjurers when a new world-ending problem is laid at his feet. Well, beneath them, anyway. Someone is stealing corpses, his brother's being one of the stolen, and Astul is determined to find out who's doing it and introduce that individual to his ebon blade.
Unfortunately, nothing is ever that simple for the witty assassin and soon he's teaming up with Lysa Rabthorn to find a solution to this new dilemma: armies of undead attempting to send all living creatures to their deaths. When they discover who's behind this army and what their ultimate goal is, however, things don't look so hot for the land of Mizridahl.
Being the second book in this trilogy, I was pleasantly surprised to discover that it didn't drag or seem pointless like most book 2's of trilogies. It was just as engaging and immersive as the first novel and even though Astul's character has begun to morph into something 'more', he's still the witty, smart-ass assassin I've come to love from the first book. I do like that the author has his character get to know himself more in this book, diving deeper than Astul is comfortable going. Definitely more depth created that allows for Astul to grow as a character, but not change his core being.
Again, this book has a beginning, middle, and end, just like the first book, which makes this series so different from the typical fantasy series that flows from one book to the next. I wouldn't recommend it, but you could read these books in any order if you're just going for story line and don't care what sort of relationships Astul has developed with the various characters from one book to the next. For me, though, I'm perfectly happy reading these in order and like how the characters and interactions are evolving and changing depending on what's happening at the moment.
The ending was fascinating and the path to it twisted enough that I had no idea how Astul was going to pull things off. Just the kind of ending I like, because it's unpredictable!
In all, a fantastic second book in a trilogy that is fast becoming one of my favorite fantasy reads!
Destruction. Deceit. Turmoil.
Astul hasn't quite recovered from the war with Conjurers when a new world-ending problem is laid at his feet. Well, beneath them, anyway. Someone is stealing corpses, his brother's being one of the stolen, and Astul is determined to find out who's doing it and introduce that individual to his ebon blade.
Unfortunately, nothing is ever that simple for the witty assassin and soon he's teaming up with Lysa Rabthorn to find a solution to this new dilemma: armies of undead attempting to send all living creatures to their deaths. When they discover who's behind this army and what their ultimate goal is, however, things don't look so hot for the land of Mizridahl.
Being the second book in this trilogy, I was pleasantly surprised to discover that it didn't drag or seem pointless like most book 2's of trilogies. It was just as engaging and immersive as the first novel and even though Astul's character has begun to morph into something 'more', he's still the witty, smart-ass assassin I've come to love from the first book. I do like that the author has his character get to know himself more in this book, diving deeper than Astul is comfortable going. Definitely more depth created that allows for Astul to grow as a character, but not change his core being.
Again, this book has a beginning, middle, and end, just like the first book, which makes this series so different from the typical fantasy series that flows from one book to the next. I wouldn't recommend it, but you could read these books in any order if you're just going for story line and don't care what sort of relationships Astul has developed with the various characters from one book to the next. For me, though, I'm perfectly happy reading these in order and like how the characters and interactions are evolving and changing depending on what's happening at the moment.
The ending was fascinating and the path to it twisted enough that I had no idea how Astul was going to pull things off. Just the kind of ending I like, because it's unpredictable!
In all, a fantastic second book in a trilogy that is fast becoming one of my favorite fantasy reads!
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews