spoiler-free review: ★★★
Allies & Assassins was good, but not the Game of Thrones type novel it is being hailed as. While the writing can be quite dry and repetitive sometimes, the plot manages to carry it along. The characters are all very well-written and fully fleshed out. The world can seem a bit too modern sometimes, but it's an interesting change from realistic medieval Europe.

diversity: ★
I wasn't expecting much from a medieval fantasy, but surprisingly, sexuality (and asexuality) was brought up.

Allies & Assassins takes place in a fascinating medieval world which is utterly different than any other medieval fantasies. Gender equality is commonplace in historical fantasy for children and teenagers, but there's a matriarchy mentioned in the book, and the concept of sexuality is brought up casually. Medical conditions like hypothermia are known about, as well as placement of arteries. Because of this, the medieval world seems incredibly modern - possibly too modern. Other than that, I rather liked the world-building. It was different from the normal fantasy getup, even if some of the logistics didn't personally make sense to me.

The novel is at its heart a mystery novel, and mystery it is. Savvy readers might be able to guess the final culprit. (I'm not a savvy reader. I didn't guess prior to reading the Big Reveal, though I didn't find myself surprised - rather, I found myself rolling my eyes that I didn't expect it.) I haven't read much mystery, except for some Nancy Drew, so I don't know if it's a genre thing, but I found that there were far too many twists and turns. It got overwhelming by the end.

Most of the characters were nicely developed. Jared was a nice main character. I've read The False Prince and the similarity between the two characters end with both of them being boy kings with a name that starts with "Jar." Jared was hesitant, and he acted his age. Child monarchs wouldn't be cunning or wise, and Jared reflected that. I also enjoyed Asta Peck a lot. She was the right amount of inquisitive and devoted, though I dread that there may be romance coming up between Jared and Asta in later books. Asta is a strong character - well written without being ass-kicking. Oddly enough, my favorite was Edvin; even though we saw only a bit of him throughout the book, what we saw of him developed him very well. The Executioner was also one that interested me.

Allies and Assassins is a good book that manages to be a refreshing alternative to other fantasy novels consisting of battles and magic. I will be looking out for the sequel once it comes out. ( )

When you forget abot reviewing a book for years..... O.o
Anyway, I remember enjoying this book, it was kind of a fantasy/political/mystery mashup of a thing (No magic that I can remember though, so more of a GOT feel than LOTR) but yeah. It was a pretty quick read; the story grabbed my interest, and the political aspect wasn't to heavy. I also seem to remember not being able to guess the end until I was almost there, which is kinda rare for me, so there's that. :)
(I'm pretty sure I got this for free in a goodreads giveaway....? Not 100% though.) ( )

Review courtesy of Dark Faerie Tales

Quick & Dirty: This densely packed book didn’t give me the suspense nor tension that I expected; nevertheless, the writing was pretty and the characters complex.

Opening Sentence: The last of her seven falcons balanced on her wrist, Nova Chastain walked back out onto the balcony once more.

The Review:

Archenfield’s leader has just been assassinated, plunging the kingdom into chaos. Suddenly, his Edling Jared is pushed into the spotlight, forced into a crown he’s not sure he’s ready for. Everyone expects something from him, and he doesn’t think he can satisfy everyone. Not only this, but they still must find his brother’s killer – the blood price must be paid. Asta Peck, the physician’s apprentice, is bright and curious, the perfect ally for Jared – or maybe more than an ally. As more and more people fall victim to murders, secret romances are revealed and new clues come to light, but will it be enough to bring the killer to justice once and for all? And even if they can, will Jared ever become the ruler his brother was and lead a whole kingdom to prosperity?

I read this in pieces. This book was five hundred pages. Given, I’ve read much bigger books, but this one had such thick description that it was incredibly dense. Reading one page felt like reading three, so it got hard to read this novel. First I got about halfway through, and then I couldn’t take it, and stopped for a few months. Then I read the rest later on in a few days. The problem wasn’t the length, it was really the lack of action and the absence of good tension that made it feel so dull. Luckily, this book did have something good going for it. The writing was beautiful, and enjoyable in its melodic flow; it was perfect for the high fantasy genre it was placed in.

The characters were also good in this novel as well. There is a lot of them, so you have to reference the little chart at the beginning quite a bit until you can get the hang of them all. One thing that Somper did that was cool to me was feature many different side character’s points of view. He probably gave around ten different characters their own chapters. You got to see a small but incredibly revealing glimpse into their thoughts, emotions, and turmoil in just a couple pages, and it definitely helped to understand the world and created empathy in readers.

Jared and Asta were a team in this novel. They worked together and Jared at some points thought that Asta was the only one he could trust. She was curious and thirsted for truth, and although Jared tried to keep her safely on the sidelines, eventually she was too immersed in the mystery to back out. There was this whole thing with “he’s a king, he can’t be a real friend” going on, but Jared didn’t give that an ounce of credit. Something super funny is that despite the obvious chemistry between the two, in five hundred pages they didn’t kiss once. Okay, I lied – but a peck on the cheek hardly counts as a kiss. I’m assuming something will happen in the next book. It must.

Altogether, I thought this book achieved certain facets such as the characters, writing style, and rich imagery. Other aspects, not so much. It failed in tension and suspense. I have heard, actually, that other people thought it had rich tension, but I couldn’t see it at all. It made the book feel incredibly long, longer than it needed to be. Nevertheless, I feel that certain people will enjoy the lush medieval setting and intrigue of the murder mystery, so go ahead and give it a try – but maybe pick it up from the library first, instead of buying it?

Notable Scene:

“What’s that you say, child?” Elin inquired of her.

Silva’s eyes had a new determination about them. “Anders lives on in me.”

“What exactly do you mean?”

Silva smiled sweetly but she did not answer with words. Instead, she simply raised a delicate hand and placed it apon her belly.

FTC Advisory: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers/Hachette Book Group provided me with a copy of Allies and Assassins. No goody bags, sponsorships, “material connections,” or bribes were exchanged for my review. ( )

I was excited by the premise of this book, but it didn't work for me. It got a slow start and then the writing style really bothered me. I'm not sure if this is going to express it right, but there were lots of descriptive adjectives that just felt off, like: He obediently turned, or or the Poet offered a fleeting touch. For me it came across as telling instead of seeing the action. Then the perspective changed with every few chapters, which felt like it kept slowing everything down. ( )

I really wanted to love this book. But it didn't pull me in and I didn't connect like I thought. All in all, not a horrible book, but my expectations were just too high, I think. ( )