SOLVED. Fantasy, I think. Not necessarily YA. Assassin and assassin training, fighting with swords - no guns. [s]

[Aimee]

I read this book in the early 2000s - between 2003 - 2007. I'm pretty sure the author was a male and the book was part of a duet or trilogy. The first book had a silver cover (paperback) and the second book had a coppery cover. I THINK the book started with the main character, who was a male, as a 13 year old who had to "prove" he was a man by staying in the woods for 3 days and nights alone with just a knife. Not sure how this transitioned into an assassin-in-training book, which makes me kind of feel like this could've been another book, but I remember that the main character had to fight someone, and he killed the opponent by stabbing him in the groin with a knife (not sword), and the opponent bled out since his femoral artery had been severed.
Not a lot to go off of, but it's been driving me crazy for years. The book really did feel more targeted to a male audience, but I really enjoyed it. :) Thanks in advance for any help!

[Kyri]

This is a bit of a longshot since they're not particularly for a male audience and I can't remember if those specific plot elements appear, but Robin Hobb has a fantasy series about an assassin character named Fitz. The early books would have been available during the time period you're talking about and they did start out with his boyhood and training.

[Aimee]

Thank you for your suggestion! I did look into it, but that wasn’t it, unfortunately. 😞

[Aimee]

I found it! It was Talon of the Silver Hawk by Raymond Feist!

[Kris]

Glad you found your book, Aimee. Here's the link - Talon of the Silver Hawk by Raymond E. Feist.