The summer flew past in a whirlwind of travel, lots of out of town company, the loss of my father, and plans for a move. And of course, the preparations for publishing Flight of the Spark! (In case you missed the news, it will be out December 3.)
In the middle of all that, of course, I carved out a little time to read. No matter what’s going on, I need to escape for a little in the pages of a book. Usually, I have no trouble finding plenty of books that let me lose myself in the world the author had created.
Not lately.
Not for lack of trying. I read a few with truly interesting and fresh concepts. But the execution fell a little short of what I was expecting. Or the characters ended up being annoying or downright dull.
Still, I did stumble on one series that was a joy to read.
The Emperor’s Edge (Books 1-3)
The Emperor’s Edge is another fun fantasy adventure from Lindsay Buroker.
Amaranthe is an enforcer with a bounty on her head for crimes she didn’t commit. She’s on the run with an assassin who has an even bigger bounty on his head for crimes he did commit. Together, they seek exoneration. Standing in their way is an underground organization seeking to kill the emperor, the only man who can pardon them.
In the first novel of the series, The Emperor’s Edge, Amaranthe collects an unlikely team around her, hoping to defeat the criminals who will stop at nothing to bring down the emperor. Through these first books of the series, Amaranthe and her team battle wizards, monsters and the Emperor’s enforcers, who are trying to bring wanted criminals to justice.
Making things more complicated are Amaranthe’s growing feelings for Sicarius, who’s reputation as a cold-blooded assassin is well-deserved.
One reason I enjoyed reading these books so much were the characters who seemed so true to life. They all had vivid personalities, their own motives and flaws, yet managed to work together. The friction between them made for some interesting dilemmas.
Often I lose interest in a series after three books. This one ends with such a compelling tease I’m sure I’ll read the fourth.