This was not such a stellar novel as much as it was the right book at the right time. This book presents an engrossing fantasy universe with an intriguing enough story and three young characters written for adults. This is a welcome change from all the fantasy, SF and dystopian fiction that borders on YA even when it's not marked as such.

But, the best part of this is that one of the characters is undergoing his training in a remote monastery (inspired by Buddhism, but with a twist) and there is a strong spiritual component to his arc which is rare in contemporary fantasy fiction and which I loved. Kaden's story was the slowest, but the most intriguing for me. It offered a nice respite from Valyn's arc. Adare's chapters were the weakest for me, so I was grateful that there were not as many. I guess this was because the political events in the capital were the only predictable part of the book for me.

I won't go into the stuff so many people write here in the comments about the treatment of female characters, traumatic experiences etc. I strongly believe every writer has the artistic freedom to write about whatever they want and create whatever fictional world they want. It is especially tiring to see every new novel following certain trends that get boring very quickly. In that respect, this novel feels almost traditional, but after so many fantasy novels I've read it still manages to be fresh. It reads like a classic.

This is a rare combo for me in the recent fantasy, hence the 5 stars. ( )

By in large I enjoyed this book. I wasn't particularly interested in the characters til closer to the end, but I did want to figure out yhe world. ( )

The vocabulary in this book was just... *fans self* ... SEXY!!!

In addition to a number of well-developed characters and a dynamite story, this thing had a depth I rarely get to enjoy in a fantasy book. I love the idea of exploring the human capacity/capability through several sets of eyes, all to which I can definitely relate. This thing has swords and monsters and princesses and assassins and everything that makes readers of this genre LOVE the genre, plus a bit of crossover for exploratory readers.

If you are a lover of fantasy and/or new words, definitely read it! ( )

Three words: women in refrigerators.

The Emperor has been murdered, leaving the Annurian Empire in turmoil. Now his progeny must bury their grief and prepare to unmask a conspiracy. His son Valyn, training for the empire’s deadliest fighting force, hears the news an ocean away. He expected a challenge, but after several ‘accidents’ and a dying soldier’s warning, he realizes his life is also in danger. Meanwhile, the Emperor’s daughter, Minister Adare, hunts her father’s murderer in the capital itself. Court politics can be fatal, but she needs justice. And Kaden, heir to an empire, studies in a remote monastery. Here, the Blank God’s disciples teach their harsh ways – which Kaden must master to unlock their ancient powers. It definitely took me a while to click into this book, but that had more to do with my circumstances than with the book itself. The prologue was fantastic. The rest just didn’t sink in and I had to keep pushing to stay interested. Once it clicked? Awesome. Only drawback -- I somehow fell asleep last night with twenty pages left to go, then had to go to work this morning instead of finishing. Fail.
( )