Review: Sloppy
Rating: 2 out of 5
Date: 07 11, 2013
I really enjoyed book #1 and was looking forward to the sequel, but to steal a quote from Caina, this "got sloppy" from the start.Chapter 1: We are reminded that Caina is now one of the empire's elite assassins. The home she is sneaking into has a few loud guards who "are barely adequate to keep out common thieves". Yet our elite Ghost forgets to lock the door behind her, and then proceeds to get caught because she forgot to hide.Chapter 2: Halfdan is apparently semi-retarded now...he holds loaded crossbows to the heads of people he's known for years and forces them to recite inane secret phrases when they come to his inn, even though he's even expecting them. The second time he does this, the other Ghost tells him its stupid, but Halfdan says "protocol is protocol" and threatens to shoot him anyway. Perhaps he's a meth head and tweaking.He also seem upset that someone used the front door of his inn, even though it was unlocked, and its a, well, an inn. With this type hospitality I assumed that there probably weren't any (living) guests, but come to find the place is full for breakfast the next day.Oh, and this quote: "Caina did not know what Halfden did before becoming a Ghost, but suspected he might have been a vintner." Umm, perhaps the author didn't read his first book where Halfdan talks at length about being a vintner while they train at the vineyard? At this point I was starting to suspect this wasn't going to end well.As it turns out, I couldn't make it to the end. Watching Caina infiltrate a barracks by hiding under beds in the bunk room during shift change, then count to 300, and magically everyone went to sleep...it was really bad. But nowhere near as bad as Caina, who while in disguise as a noble woman, chases another Ghost across town, across rooftops, all in full daylight while wearing a formal gown. But knowing she can't be recognized, she cuts a strip off her dress (while running) and ties it over her face...and presto! impenetrable disguise!Not to mention the pointless dream sequences. Or the pages long "speeches" by religious figures that we have to overhear. Or the stilted dialog.Sometimes selfpubs turn out great, like in book one. And sometimes we see why having a good editor can be so very important. While it is easy to list all the things I don't like about book #2, I honestly can't put my finger on what exactly made the first book so enjoyable. But then, I don't think the author could either.