Blood of Assassins cover art

Blood of Assassins

The Wounded Kingdom, Book 2

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Blood of Assassins

By: RJ Barker
Narrated by: Joe Jameson
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About this listen

To save a King, kill a King....

The assassin Girton Club-foot and his master have returned to Maniyadoc in hope of finding sanctuary, but death, as always, dogs Girton's heels. The place he knew no longer exists.

War rages across Maniyadoc, with three kings claiming the same crown - and one of them is Girton's old friend Rufra. Girton finds himself hurrying to uncover a plot to murder Rufra on what should be the day of the king's greatest victory. But while Girton deals with threats inside and outside Rufra's war encampment, he can't help wondering if his greatest enemy hides beneath his own skin.

The Wounded Kingdom trilogy begins with Age of Assassins, continues with Blood of Assassins and will continue with King of Assassins.

©2018 RJ Barker (P)2018 Little, Brown Book Group Action & Adventure Classics Epic Epic Fantasy Fantasy Fiction Historical Royalty Assassin War

Critic Reviews

"Reveals its mysteries with the style of a magic show and the artful grace of a gifted storyteller." (Nicholas Eames, author of Kings of the Wyld)

"Outstanding...Kept me reading well into the early hours of the morning." (James Islington, author of The Shadow of What Was Lost)

"Dead gods, dread magic, and a lead that feels like a breath of fresh air. Great fun." (Peter Newman, author of The Vagrant)
All stars
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"Blood of Assassins" is set about 5 years after the events in the first book. During this time, our narrator, Girton, has suffered traumatic experiences and now returns to the Kingdom to be presented with new mysteries to solve and higher stakes.

I listened to this book straight after the first, and the change in tone is dramatic. Gone is the lighthearted banter of the younger Girton. This Girton is petulant, irritable and often rash. It all makes sense; he is emotionally damaged, physically scarred to control his magic, and no longer idolises his master, Merela. It just makes for a more difficult reading experience.

Despite the change in tone, the plot moves at a pace and reveals more about the characters and politics, as well as how hard it is to do good in a cruel and desperate world.

Darker and higher stakes

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having enjoyed first in the series, I was looking forward to this one. However I found the childish impulsive main character very annoying and will not continue with the third book

disappointing

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