The Way of Shadows by Brent Weeks REVIEW

 

 Night Angel Trilogy: Book One
Summary:

For Durzo Blint, assassination is an art--and he is the city's most accomplished artist.
For Azoth, survival is precarious. Something you never take for granted. As a guild rat, he's grown up in the slums and learned to judge people quickly--and to take risks. Risks like apprenticing himself to Durzo Blint.
But to be accepted, Azoth must turn his back on his old life and embrace a new identity and name. As Kylar Stern, he must learn to navigate the assassins' world of dangerous politics and strange magics--and cultivate a flair for death.

My Thoughts:

I honestly don't know where to start with this. The book was interesting, but the way it was written was a little confusing. For example, it would randomly switch from one character's part to a different character's part with zero warnings.
Secondly, some characters, such as Elene, should have had more parts in the book, considering her apparent impact in Azoth/Kylar's life. This would also make certain parts less confusing.
And thirdly, some groups of people/animals/objects were mentioned either once or frequently, but were never properly explained, if they were explained at all. If for example if the ka'kari was explained further, the reader would have more of an idea of why its impact on some of the characters' decisions were heavy.
In conclusion, I still don't know what I think of it. At first it was pretty boring, then it got better, and then it got quite a bit confusing. However, the story was good enough that I will consider reading the other two books in this series.

My Rating: 2.5 stars

 

Gauntlet by Holly Jennings REVIEW

**Sequel to Arena**

Summary:

There's a new game in town: a brutal, winner-takes-all international video game tournament showcasing the world's most elite players and promising fame, prestige, and unbelievable fortune. But there's a catch. The game uses new VR pods guaranteed to push digital warriors to their physical and psychological brink--adapting every time a player makes a move.

As the first female captain and youngest team owner in the Virtual Gaming League's history, Kali is used to defying the odds. But when the all-star-tournament heats up, her determination starts to waver and the pressure of media, sponsors, and the game itself begin to put cracks in her hard-set convictions--and strain her relationship with the one person who matters most.

If Kali and her teammates are to survive, they'll have to find a way to be stronger than ever before. But battling the system may prove too difficult for even the most hardened of fighters . . .

My Thoughts:

At the beginning, it was kind of confusing. Like, things happened in between books that are mentioned but not really explained? Which made the book kind of hard to follow?

The book was well written and interesting though. The new game's system and the pressure of media and sponsors make it even better. Not to mention someone in charge is trying to get them out of the game and ruin their reputation because they revealed the hardships of gamers to the public.

The thing is though, the end was very much a cliffhanger. There'd better be another book, because how are they going to get back to their life, if gaming is their life?

My Rating: 3.5 stars

Arena by Holly Jennings REVIEW

Summary:

The RAGE tournaments--the Virtual Gaming League's elite competition where the best gamer in the world face off in a fight to the digital death. Every kill is broadcast to millions. Every player leads a life of ultimate fame, responsible only for entertaining the masses.

And though their weapons and armor are digital, the pain is real.

Chosen to be the first female captain in RAGE tournament history, Kali Ling is at the top of the world--until one of her teammates overdoses. Now she's stuck trying to work with a hostile new teammate who's far more distracting than he should be. Between internal tensions and external pressures, Kali is on the brink of breaking. To change her life, she'll need to change the game. And the only way to revolutionize an industry as shadowy as the VGL is to fight from the inside . . .

My Thoughts:

The beginning of this book was kind of boring. To the point where I wasn't sure if I was going to enjoy it. 

But I'm glad I kept reading, because it got a lot more interesting.

When Kali's teammate Nathan is found dead of an overdose, Kali snaps. She knows many gamers do eventually go mad, but she stands up to it eventually, which saves her life and her team's reputation. The new teammate, Rooke, seems to not like anyone, but she finds out that he has struggled with the same problem and had a friend experience madness like Nathan's.

They start to pull together and work hard to win the final tournament.

The end was a bit sudden though.

However, I really ended up enjoying this book a lot.

My Rating: 4 stars

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Author Bio

**I received this book from Blogging For Books for free to review. Thank you!**

Tokyo Heist by Diana Renn REVIEW

Summary:

Sixteen-year-old Violet loves reading manga and wearing scarves made from kimono fabric, so she's thrilled that her father's new painting commission means a summer trip to Japan. But what starts as an exotic vacation quickly turns into a dangerous treasure hunt. Her father's client, the wealthy Yamada family, is the victim of a high-profile art robbery. Someone has stolen van Gogh sketches from the Yamadas' Seattle mansion and is holding them hostage until the Yamadas can produce the corresponding van Gogh painting. The problem is that nobody knows where this painting is hidden, and until they find it, all of their lives are in danger.

Joined by her friend Reika, Violet searches for the missing van Gogh in a quest that takes her from the Seattle Art Museum to the yakuza-infested streets of Tokyo to a secluded inn in Kyoto. As the mystery deepens, Violet's not sure whom she can trust. But she knows one thing: she has to find the painting and the criminals--before it's too late.

My Thoughts:

Considering that I love manga and anime, reading this book was probably one of the easiest decisions I have ever made.

The main character is someone I can sort of relate to. Violet loves manga (like me) however her taste in manga is much different than mine, as she seems to prefer shojo manga, not shonen.

Her parents' relationship seems kinda complicated, and I still don't really understand it. But they don't live together. Her mom is on a trip to Italy, leaving her with her father, who is a painter. There's kind of some drama to show that Violet doesn't fit in with anyone, she just has Edge, her best friend, who she also secretly has feelings for. But when she goes to Japan, they haven't made up from an argument.  She meets her friend Reika there, and they kind of start investigating on their own. Hideki, who is really someone who was never suspected, ends up being behind the paintings. And when Violet returns to Seattle, she submits her original manga storyboards she created into a contest. She gets third place and makes up from her fight with Edge. Apparently Edge also likes her back, so it seems like they're dating now?

/sorry this review seems kind of all over the place/

Overall, I really enjoyed this book a lot.

My Rating: 5 stars