Review: Get Ready for an Awesome Conclusion
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 05 17, 2013
This is the beginning of the end.After five books, a novella and a handful of short-stories, Amaranthe Lokdon and her growing band of outlaws are set to face off against their biggest enemy: Forge. With three armies vying to take over the throne vacated due to Emperor's Sespian's "death," the capital of Turgonia is under martial law, and tensions are running high. Will Amaranthe and crew be able to stop the plots and help Sespian regain his throne (and the bigger question is should they? Or should they enact a bigger change?), stop a soul-construct on the loose, and find a way to end Forge--which has possession of the deadliest weapon in the world? The twists and turns don't let up...even as Amaranthe and Sicarius grow closer.As a long-time fan of the Emperor's Edge series, I approached EE6, Forged in Blood PART 1 (yes, there is a part 2), with reverence and a little wariness. This time, the second POV character is Sicarius. Yep, we finally get a glimpse inside the assassin's head, and it's surprising what you find there. His scenes with Sespian are priceless and his relationship with Amaranthe--especially what *he* thinks of it--is more fully realized. Most of all, though, you realize there's a lot going on behind that stoic expression.The story is fast-paced, with excellent world-building (you get to see inside a few key locations) and characterization. The ending will leave you spent and dying for Part 2 to come out. For the beginning of the end...it's a heck of a ride.