Thanks to NetGalley for this ARC.

This was an interesting book, it started slowly, and with not an unusual formula, but grew gradually into something darker. The plot centers around a kind of coming of age story, following a mythological hero assassin, who turns out to be......well, that's the story.....

The main protagonists are never the untarnished heroes, just a little darker and greyer..

I'm looking forward to seeing where the characters go in the future, as I'm sure there is more to come.

Classic fantasy given a modern voice and packing adventure, drama, and high stakes action, this is a seriously impressive book. I look forward to the next in the series.

I wasn’t sure how I was going to feel about this book during the first chapter. However, once I actually settled in for a good read I found myself drawn into the story. Lots of twists and turns and adventure. The lead character is a teenager boy who is learning what kind of man he wants to be and is being told years after the events had happened. During the adventure he faces friendships, betrayal and self growth. I look forward to the next chapter in the series.

The Assassin's Shadow was an appealing if predictable fantasy read. From the fact Cetrik is relating these events, we know he survives to tell the tale, which did take away from the suspense a little, while the story progression itself was pretty predictable with no major, unexpected twists for anyone who has read a lot in the genre. The characters, too, were pretty standard: naive, young protagonist thrown into an unexpected adventure, surly assassin who likes to drink, beautiful elf maiden.... However, the predictability did not mean it wasn't enjoyable. I liked the narrative style, which contained humorous undertones, and it was still an adventurous romp that was fun to read even if you could guess in advance where things were heading. This book is not going to redefine the genre, but if you are looking for a fantasy read that ticks all the boxes when it comes to tropes and genre expectations, you will likely enjoy this. I am giving it four stars. It was a light, enjoyable read after coming off some books with heavier topics, making it an excellent palate refresher.

A very enjoyable and fast paced read.

A clever concept for the ability of the assassin and amusing how "our hero" gets himself into problems, often through his naivety and how he is then extricated from these perils.

I like this type of book and have enjoyed other works by this author and this disn't disappoint.

Huge thank you to Second Sky for providing this book for review consideration via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

I will admit, I was coming off two DNFs with some incredibly dense writing/political schemes when I cracked this open. The first page was like a breath of fresh air. The conversational tone as our narrator, Cetrik, begins to tell the life of the most deadliest man alive had me hook, line, and sinker.

You get an inkling of what might be about to happen, but it doesn’t feel like a disappointment. The pace is so fast and the action is back to back. There isn’t much downtime or idleness for the characters even in the first quarter of the book. I love the begrudging ally relationship that develops with Cetrik and Locan (very Falcon and Winter Soldier-esque).

Make no mistake this is straight fantasy, we have orc-like characters, clerics, elves, and everything else between. If you love D&D or the old DragonLance Chronicles this novel is going to hit the sweet spot of nostalgia for you. But the best part is the fight scenes. These are so well-crafted and detailed, you are holding your breath while you sweep through them. The vivid imagery is grisly, no doubt. But there is beauty to it, too. Really well done! (And I say this as someone who tends to skim fights because they tend to drag on and get boring/repetitive.)

Overall fantastic read, perfect for anyone that wants to get lost in an adventure! I’m very much looking forward to the next book in the series!

This is the start of a new fantasy series full of great worldbuilding and characters you
can invest in ..........where kingdoms being built in the North will bring terror to the South ,
full of magical creatures , battles and betrayals ..... what more is needed for a new epic series .
The story is told from the viewpoint of Cedrik , who is writing his memoirs about the
his adventures alongside the legendary assassin , Locan .
Locan had thought his fighting days were over , he could finally live a quiet life ......... but
an attack on his home brings a previous foe he long thought dead back into his life .
A life he will have to give up if he is to stop what is to come - the adventure starts here !
This is a strong start to what appears to be an epic series and although I am not a fan
of a third party writing his memoirs it does seem to work here .

I cannot wait for the next book in the series to see how the journey proceeds for our
assassin and his friends against a formidable foe

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own

This was an absolute pleasure to read and a really strong start to a new fantasy series.

I immediately liked the prose, characters and setting, and the world-building was very well done. There are plenty of familiar epic fantasy themes to be found in this novel and I definitely felt influences from the LOTR and Wheel of Time series'. That was no bad thing though, as the adventure our main group go on was exciting, tense and action-packed, with some very cool scenes.

I loved the various creatures (both encountered and hinted at) and feel there is so much potential here, especially given the strength of the character development, which I felt was really nicely weaved throughout the story.

I was expecting a much longer and in-depth quest though, and that is what holds me back from giving 5 stars, as the last quarter felt a little rushed.

Overall, a brilliant read and a series I'll continue reading. An easy 4 stars with very little to fault.

A very big thank you to Netgalley and Second Sky for the ARC.

This book was… disappointing. A story told as a chronicle of past events - similar to The Lord of the Rings - it follows Cetrik, a boy who ran away from his family to search for the famed assassin Locan O’Shadow. This style of storytelling tends not to be my favourite, and in this book especially it felt like it removed a lot of the stakes in the early part of the story. From the beginning, you know that neither Cetrik nor Locan are going to end up dying, which leaves you with the risk of a few minor characters who you don’t really care about dying as the only stakes in the book. On top of this, every character in this book felt incredibly one-dimensional and inconsistent, with characters frequently oscillating between opposing traits and emotions. Cetrik feels like a pretty standard fantasy protagonist - physically weak, but mentally brilliant - and his struggles with his family feel like something I’ve read a dozen times.
The prose in the book also wasn’t for me. For much of the earlier parts of the book, the writing felt detached and didn’t draw me in. While it did improve later on in the book, it was too late and I already had lost much of the potential emotional investment in the characters. The plot was generally quite predictable until the very end as well, when it became incredibly bloody and violent. As a whole, this book is reminiscent of a lesser version of The Rage of Dragons by Evan Winter, which has many of the same themes and is written in the same style.
There are themes of discovering the harsh realities of the world explored in the book, but they aren’t executed particularly well and leave you feeling disappointed. This had the potential to be a really interesting coming of age story, but Cetrik doesn’t really seem like he’s changed from the beginning to the end of the book in most meaningful ways.
I do think the premise of the book itself is really interesting, and some of the plot points were enjoyable, particularly the action scenes, which are very well written and are definitely the highlights of the book. Overall, I wish the author the best of luck, but I likely won’t be reading any further in the series.

The story is told by Cedrik who is writing his memoirs, his adventures in the company of Locan, a legendary assassin. From his meeting with Locan and their first battle, their fight against a vampire using magic to conquer the world.
It's an epic story with tribal clans, conquering kingdoms, magical creatures, betrayals, politics and battles.

The writing is beautiful and the descriptions of the surroundings throughout the quests added to the eerie atmosphere. There were a few unexpected twists and turns that kept me guessing and doubting certain characters. The way Locan fought using his shadow magic was very interesting. And the vampire is developed with some traditional lore but also with a unique twist using blood and elvin magic and there is no doubt how maniacal and dangerous he is.

This is the first book in a series and the ending holds promise for other intriguing adventure stories, but it could be read as a standalone.

Thank you to NetGalley and Second Sky for the eARC.

R.S. Mouse has written a fantasy lovers happy dream with complex cast of characters from different fantasy groups, for me both known & unknown. Although, extensive, the verbiage is easy to read & excellently paced.

As mentioned above, the multiple characters and types are many, but the descriptions the people & environment creates an immersion experience.

I found it a sword & sorcery wild ride that doesn't stop! Loaded with magic, and twists to keep the most experienced adventurer satiated!

I look forward to more in the series

This book gives the same vibes as JRR Tolkien's Lord of the Ring series as the narrator recalls his epic tale of battles against an evil villain and various magical creatures. Cetrik is a young, foolish boy who sets off on a hunt for a mysterious assassin he has read about named Locan A'Shadow. Cetrik finds Locan, and they travel on grand adventures through the North lands, chasing after an ancient Vampyre who utilizes elven magic and blood magic to strengthen himself. Locan and Cetrik must work together to stop the Vampyre from conquering the world.

The story moves quickly and has interesting twists that keep the reader on the edge of their seat, eager for more. With tropes such as found family, epic quest, ragtag heroes, good vs. evil, and misguided mentor, this is a fantastic novel for adult readers beginning to enter into fantasy reading. While many themes are young adult, there are gory battles, blood magic scenes, and graphic child murders that are intended for an older audience. The epic tale, magic, and creatures drew me into this story. Though it is a slow starter, the story pace increases steadily, leading to the final battle.

A very good story well told. The story is told by Cetrik who, at 18, has heard and read many stories about the assassin Locan A'Shadow. Cetrik decides to go and find Locan, to meet the legend. Well, he does find him, even if it is completely by accident, and gets drawn into an adventure he could never have imagined in his wildest dreams. Great characters. Cetrik is really naïve to start with, but comes into his own eventually. Locan is a very morally grey fellow. He may be the best assassin but he's also very selfish, only doing something if he'll get something out of it for himself. The battle scenes are well described and exciting. The author is new-to-me and I enjoyed this so much I'll be going to look for his Erland Saga series so I can enjoy more of his work.
Thanks to Netgalley, Second Sky Books, and R.S. Moule for the free ARC. All opinions are my own.

This was a solid story. I am a sucker for assassin stories and I couldn't resist. We have vampyre and elves and assassins...come on! What's not to like!

Looking for a book about cynical assassins and naive, but sympatic nobels plus some mysterious elves? This one is for you! I read the whole novel in 3 days and it was the best book in months. Fans of Tad Williams and Patrick Rothfuss will very likely love this high fantasy quest narrative that combines beloved tropes and changes them in surprising ways. Great story!

First time I've read anything by this author but I completely enjoyed it even though it does start at slow but I tend to find that when a fantasy does that it not only helps with the world building but also with the characters as well as the plot of the story. Because it helps you to see the world and the characters come to life as well as getting to understand them a little bit better. And sometimes even make the story an even more enjoyable reading experience which in thus it worked.

Solid debut by an emerging author, slower beginning, but compelling ending.

I've read Mr. Moule's other series a while back, and enjoyed that plenty. (Seriously, check out the "Erland Saga", this is Game of Thrones on a smaller scale, but wrapped up and completed after 2000 combined pages of skilled storytelling). I was pleased to see that he is now creating a new series with comparisons to Jay Kristoff's work, so I was easily confused to give this a read too. I liked this well. It wasn't perfect, not at all, but it is a decent first book that has me interested in the forthcoming sequels (the ending hints at some interesting stuff too). My main nitpick was that the book took a while to get going, and it took some time for the main characters to really grow on me. But all eventually worked out well, and the last 20% of this book shined.

"The Assassin's Shadow" follows a young nobleman Cetrik (who is more than your usual dandy) who teams up with seemingly nihilistic assassin Locan A'Shadow to combat an old enemy of the latter- this being a cruel vampyre hell-bent on ravaging the tribes and villages of Narlond. Their relationship is tense, in more ways than one, but their goals remain the same to slay the vampyre. Other notable characters show up- such as Urlissa the elf healer, and Elbows the religiously devout tribesman. These side characters (including some notable spoiler ones that show up more than halfway through) were developed well too. In regards to the story, there wasn't much that I haven't seen before, but Moule enhances much of this, crafting unexpected plot twists (his specialty in his previous series) and writing quality action.

Once again, a solid debut. Hopefully more exciting adventures to come!