Review of The Way of Shadows by Brent Weeks

The intense introduction of this book did not disappoint me. Brent Weeks fulfiled his promise of an amazing adventure in this assassin's tale.

What I enjoyed most about this book was the characters. Azoth is very complex. As a wetboy's apprentice, he knows how to fight, to poison, to leave no witnesses, to become the shadow of the night. But there is one thing he cannot do--the one thing that he swore to his master he would do--and that is to stop loving Doll Girl.

I've written and rewritten this review in hopes of being able to summarize this story adequately. My words just don't seem to do it justice. So I decided to let the author tell the story himself by sharing some of my favorite quotes:

A wetboy was like an assassin--in the way a tiger is like a kitten.
--The Way of Shadows by Brent Weeks, page 4

"Life is empty. When we take a life, we aren't taking anything of value. Wetboys are killers. That's all we do. That's all we are. There are no poets in the bitter business," Blint said. "You aren't making art, you're making corpses. Dead is dead ... Don't play with your kills. Don't go for the one-thrust beautiful finish. Cut someone twenty times and let them collapse from blood loss--then finish them. You aren't making art, you're making corpses."
--The Way of Shadows by Brent Weeks, page 92

"You're not shit unless I say so!" the king said. He strode forward, coming down his double flight of seven steps to stand in front of Durzo. Tactically, a poor move. He was now blocking at least three of the archer's shots. "You're . . . you're shit! You shitting, shitting shit!"

"Your Majesty," Durzo said gravely. "A man of your stature's cursing vocabulary ought to extend beyond a tedious reiteration of the excreta that fills the void between his ears."

The king looked momentarily confused.
--The Way of Shadows by Brent Weeks, page 368