The Way of Shadows

If you are into fantasy this is a great book to add to your collection. There is such a contrast within each character, and it's impossible to hate them even when they do things that would be viewed as wrong. I can't wait to read the next in the series.

This is sort of hard to explain, but in a lot of books (and movies too) I find things are "too easy" for characters. Things will conveniently happen that help them out or push the plot forward, but they'll be sort of unrealistic. It usually bothers me a lot, but there's none of that in this book.
The characters in Brent Week's "The Way of Shadows" never have it easy. They get trampled upon and shoved in the mud and they have to face the horrors of reality, but because of this they become unforgettable. Their emotions are pushed and played with, so the reader gets to really explore their personalities, relationships, and histories.
Place a complicated yet interesting plot of politics, several action scenes, believable magic, a crumbling world, and an assassination or two on top of great writing, and you've got an unforgettable story. Read this book. You honestly won't regret it.

I don't even know where to begin with this particular trilogy. It was amazing, the characters, the plot, the setting and everything else involved. I find I've read so many books now that I can get a rough idea of what's going to happen in the end. With this trilogy, however, I found it impossible to predict anything. As soon as you've got an idea as to what was going to happen next, a plot twist occurs and sends all of your hunches out the window, leaving you to start from scratch only to have it occur to you again and again and again. An outstanding trilogy that I would recrommend to anyone.

This trilogy was awesome, one of the best I have ever read. I would recommend this to everyone. If you like fantasy, this is a must read.

I thought Brent Weeks did an awesome job of portraying a fantasy world, his writing more toned-down than some authors in the genre and he didn't get carried away with making the setting and characters completely foreign. His characters were easy to relate to with desires and flaws and the subtle meanings of life throughout the story were appropriate. I loved the character, Durzo Blint and the many twists accompanied with him throughout the series!

I have read a few fantasy novels in the past but none of them held my attention beyond the first 100 pages of the book. I found them complicated and hard to grasp. That is why I had second thoughts about picking up this book.

After reading the first paragraph of The Way of Shadows, I was glad that I caved in and bought the entire trilogy. Brent Weeks has a completely different view of the fantasy world, which I very much appreciate. The concepts are easy to grasp, and you don't have to read the sentence three times to be able to understand or imagine the object or situation. His fantasy world is like reality with a touch of magic. It is the perfect fantasy setting for non-fantasy readers like myself.

The Way of Shadows involves memorable characters and is packed with action from beginning to end. The character development is fantastic, and the plot is well thought out. The twists and turns still result in a coherent story, and the events in the novel still make sense.

I absolutely loved this book and would recommend it to anyone.

I have to say, I do not usually read Fantasy novels as I'm more of a Sci-Fi person myself, but I had heard through the grapevine that this was a book to check out and I must say it did not fail, not even in the least! In fact, if anyone failed it was I, who tried valiantly but ultimately failed to finish it in one sitting, sleep claiming my victory for itself. This story grabs you in the first few pages and keeps you hooked for the entire journey. The writing is excellent and the mental images it creates are vivid just like the emotions which the text evokes from the reader. As I read this book I felt connected to the characters and the events which shaped their lives. Excellent work Mr. Weeks, excellent! (Oh, and PS, whomever you got to design the cover did an excellent job, hooked me at first sight)

This was my second fantasy book to read and I was very hesitant as it is not my choice of genres. The book jacket did not do it justice but I loved it and could not put it down (lost some sleep). I read the rest of the series and enjoyed them thoroughly. It took a bit to get used to the author's terminology of his fantasy world.

The characters are enticing, the story twists/turns and leaves yearning for more. It would make a great TV miniseries. Hint..hint!

This is the very first book that I got and I was really hooked up into it. I finished the whole series in a week considering that I don't really like to read books.

It seems that so often when a series of books is released in quick succession, it's because the publisher is worried that, although the blurb on the back is intriguing, the actual content of the book is lacking. They worry that readers won't bother to buy next books months or years later so they release them all at once hoping to sucker people into buying them all together. I was one of those suckers but it turned out to be an excellent purchase.
From page one I was hooked. The writing is excellent. Fluid and perfectly paced. The narrative is distinctive from the voices of the characters and each character has their own particular voice. The plot is extensive and spans a significant time frame and yet is easy to follow. A wonderful world was created, including my personal favourite for any fantasy, a map, telling us that there is so much more to come from this realm. Many secrets are revealed and mysteries solved while more still are left to speculation and fancy.
Only negative comment I have is that there was one particular plot line that seemed as if it could have been left out, however, there are two more books to come so I'm sure the reasons behind it's inclusion will become apparent soon.
Can't wait for book two; Shadow's Edge.

This was great fun. I love a story that involves rigorous training, or some kind of initiation, whether that be mental or physical... But this story involves so much more- I was regularly surprised at how much depth there was to the story layering and character developement. The descriptions of magic, stealth, assination, and bonding really creates characters that are understandable, interesting, horrible, and human. Plus it's fun.

This is my first book with this author and it wasn't bad. However, I disagree that this was a page-turner. The characters were good; the plotline was good and overall, this fantasy novel rates fair. I've read other fantasy novels that were a bit more exciting than this novel and that's why I didn't hang on every word. Sorry fans! It made for a quick weekend read but I won't be continuing with 2nd part of the trilogy.

I was not expecting this book to be as good as it was. I had heard a lot of mixed reviews from my friends about it, and it looked too much like Assassin's Creed for me. But once I picked it up I could not put it down. This book just kinda sucks you in and the characters are well thought out and developed, and there's something new to add to the storyline around every corner.

The best thing about Brent Weeks continuously giving you a new tidbit for the storyline is that he spreads it evenly and in small doses so you're not overwhelmed and are able to keep everything straight in your head.

Needless to say you should always judge a book for itself and not by its cover or what others think. If I had done that, I would have missed out on a great new series.

This first book in Brent Weeks' Night Angel Trilogy became, in a very short time, an addictive read. Getting involved with the character of Azoth is just the beginning and I, for one, salute Brent Weeks!
In the 'Author Interview' Brent Weeks discussed the conflicted character and this is definitely a big part of the attraction that I had to both Durzo and Azoth (later Kylar). Just as in life there is no straight black-and-white rightness; just people in sometimes intolerable situations doing the best they can.
And speaking of intolerable conditions! Whew... the characters are the poorest of the poor in a society where the only fortunate ones are those that are wealthy. Not in any way, shape or form can this be construed as anything light and airy... but don't let that deter you: The characters, the entire story, are extremely compelling and unforgettable.
I can definitely see that this trilogy ~ and I've only read the first book so far ~ will become one of the "classics" of fantasy literature.

I must say that this book was amazingly written, very fast pasted and gritty, i couldn't put it down and finished it all in one day. It really showed the underside of living in the slums and the dark live that some of our heroes and heroines experienced. It made the book that much more believable and easier to connect and understand the motives behind their actions. can't wait to pick up second and third. Would recommend it to anyone interested in fantasy/adventure novels.

I usually don't read books about Assasins, sorry Wetboys. But I needed something to read and a quick browse of the book in book convinced me to try it. Brent Weeks has a way with words, he doesn't over use them, he uses just enough to say what needs saying. I was up until far to late finishing. I look forward to the rest of these books and anything else Mr Weeks has to offer.

The character development was good, Mr Weeks writes combat very well, and doesnt gloss over the more martial aspects of the book as I've found a lot of other fantasy genre authors.

To be honest Im usually quite picky what what I do bother to read but this book pleasantly surprised me. It keeps you reading. Once you get about two thirds into the book you will not be able to put it down.

Looking foreward to the second installment.

This is a great debut novel for Brent Weeks, it has a wonderful storyline, with great character development. It is a novel that you can pick up and get lost into the world that Weeks created!