{Review} Decoy (Assassin's Rising) by S. B. Sebrick

ASIN #: B005KW98DI

File Size: 514 KB

Page Count: 295

Copyright: September 2, 2011

Publisher: S. B. Sebrick

Book Summary:

(Taken from Goodreads)

The last few grueling years of training have served Kaltor well. He's learned to harness the magic within his body, overcome a stronger opponent, avoid capture, and everything else an assassin-in-training needs to survive.

Or so he thought.

But when those they protect at an excavation site release a demon from the Abyss itself, Kaltor realizes just how poorly prepared they all are for what's coming. Within a single night, their mining camp of one thousand people plummets to a couple hundred terrified survivors, the majority turned against each other by the demon's potent abilities. Then he turns towards Shaylis, the largest city in the region, for the next stage of his plan.

In a constant battle of both steel and strategy Kaltor and his friends struggle to delay, deceive and defeat their opponent, who's spent the last thousand years planning out every detail of her assault to perfection. As the number of casualties mounts and her final plan comes to light, Kaltor is left with only one option. He must draw on the secret power within himself, knowing if his true identity is discovered, his life and the fate of the world, will be changed forever.

Kathy's Review:

The fantasy genre is not my favorite. I am not well-read in that genre, don't know the major players, and don't know what separates good fantasy from bad. I can only go by my personal taste.

Decoy, the first book in a trilogy, follows the story of Kaltor, a highborn young man with amazing powers - which he must keep hidden in order to blend in with his fellow trainees. Kaltor and his training pals are quickly thrown into a very dangerous situation. The action picks up and you are taken for a whirlwind ride as Kaltor races to stop an evil force.

This book held my interest, and I am always amazed when an author can just invent a completely different world than the one we live in. There were some familiar elements, but to build entire cities, class systems, etc., takes some serious imagination. The pace of the book was quite good - there always seemed to be action happening with every turn of the page.

The version I received had numerous mistakes, sometimes sporadic, and sometimes so concentrated that it would detract from my reading. I am hoping that this has since been corrected. My only other complaint with this book was that there seemed to be several loose ends that were left unresolved at the book's end. Keeping in mind that this is a series, I'm hoping to see some of those tied up in later books. However, there were minor things in the plot, such as a female bandit that was captured, that seemed like they might develop into something bigger, and never did.

I think this trilogy could be enjoyed by the young adult crowd as well as any fantasy fan. Like I said, it's not usually my cup of tea but I liked it!


*An ecopy of this book was provided by the author for an honest review.