I was excited to read this book since I enjoyed Moule's previous series. Sadly, these characters didn't grip me as much as I had hoped. I liked Locan, but Cetrik's idealism and naivety got annoying after a while. I give this book 3/5 stars.

Thank you to NetGalley and Second Sky for the opportunity to review The Assassin's Shadow by R.S. Moule.

Let us talk about "The Assassin's Shadow" by R.S. Moule.

I went into this book with no expectations, just wanting to get back into some high fantasy antics and found myself really enjoying this book. I found that R.S. Moule was very crafty in his description of his characters, the world building, and overall story telling. A bit slow at first, but as the story took off, the action and world really came into its own.

Reading this from a first person standpoint (from the eyes of Cetrik) - I understood that we were in a sense reading a "journal" on what was happening during Cetrik's younger self, but part of my own bias was a wish that we could have seen it more so from a third person point of view. I would have liked to have really known more about Locan and what his thoughts were throughout. (But again, that's a bias for my own reading.)

For those looking for a fun adventure, and a new high fantasy series to jump into, this one will be right up everyone's alley to read.

Thank you again to NetGalley and Second Sky Publishing for the ARC.

✨ Magical Creatures
✨ Found Family
✨ High Fantasy
✨ Political Intrigue
✨ World Building
✨ Magic

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️.5

The Assassin's Shadow by R.S Moule - ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ - publish date 14th March 2025

I absolutely loved this book! Epic fantasy with fantastic world building, interesting magic, great characters and lots of humour. A joy to read and even made me cry at one point.

The way this story is told keeps you fully interested. It's paced well and the fight scenes were well written.

I loved Cetrik and the journey we get swept up into. Locan is absolutely hilarious, morally grey and a badass.

The dynamics of Cetrik and his family were really well written. He can't seem to do right for doing wrong and despite him not particularly wanting to be part of the royal family, the treatment he receives made me so angry!

It had a lot of elements of what I love about Grimdark so I definitely recommend this if that's your bag, like me!

There's a small romantic sub plot in the book that made my heart ache for Cetrik. It's packed with emotion in this book and you find yourself desperately rooting for the underdog. Watching him become a man and stand up for himself is such a great journey to be a part of.

I can't wait to read about the next adventure. This was so enjoyable. I can tell that this series is going to be immense!

Thank you to Second Sky, NetGalley and the author for the arc. This is my honest review of the book!

This book is VERY high fantasy and readers who love a chaotic “mentor” and a mentee who doesn’t know what he’s getting into I think will really enjoy this.
Cetriks upbringing makes him very posh and haughty at the beginning of the book but by the end he’s a new person. This book does start off as a story telling/journal entry then evolves into the story itself. If you enjoy high fantasy, vampyres, a sassy horse, and a group of misfits then you’ll definitely enjoy this book!
Thank you Second Sky for the arc!

Well this is a great start to a series! I loved the fantasy world building and the banter between the characters. It was a mix of a coming of age and adventure and I enjoyed every minute of it.

As much as the world building was awesome- it did take me a little longer than expected to fully become immersed into the world, around the 28% mark but once I was there it was great.

I’ll definitely be ordering a paperback copy and waiting for the next installment!

Thank you to NetGalley and Second Sky for the ARC in exchange for a review!

Wow, what a start to a series! This was my introduction to Moule's writing and I really loved it! I have not read a book told in first POV with the main character retelling their adventures, and I found that I really enjoyed it. Reading from the perspective of a naive youth going through these trials and tribulations was really fun, and I especially loved his interactions with Locan. Locan as a character was also very enjoyable to read. I loved reading how a great legend ends up being after their prime days are over. I also liked the magic system, with Locan's abilities being unique.

The beginning of the book was a bit slow and I wasn't sure how this book was going to go, but as I got to around 1/3 of the book, I was hooked! The latter half of the book ended up being very fast paced and I enjoyed every second of it. I do wish there was a bit more world building to give more information about the great battle before this story's events as well as more on the magic system, and I do hope we get more details with the later books in the series.

I will be checking out the author's other works, as well as continuing this series!

Thank you to the publishers and netgalley for approving me to read this book. I’m rating it 3.5 stars rounded to 4 on here.

This was an interesting story following a mythological assassin and it’s quite the adventure for our MMC. There are twists and turns along the way, the story was darker than I expected. I found it a little slow in parts, but the core of the story had the intended impact.

I would happily continue series to see how the story further expands.

Wow! I was totally drawn into this world and its characters. The swashbuckling atmosphere reminded me of classic adventure fantasy books I’ve read and loved. I think the two main characters were the most compelling, and I liked their complicated relationship. The writing style was a great balance of atmospheric and efficient, and he had some turns of phrase I really enjoyed.

I think the world building threw me off a bit. It definitely mixed a lot of genres and vibes. I didn’t dislike it, but it could be jarring sometimes to read about a Nordic-coded culture fighting vampires.

I wanted more from the female characters. My favorite was probably the child who didn’t have any lines, if that gives any indication.

Overall, I really liked it and I look forward to the next installment!

Oh my goodness me. What a book. Wow. If i could rate this more than 5 stars i would. This was my first epic fantasy read and I absolutely devoured it. Ate it up like buffet at a wedding.
Firstly it's the first booked I've read with the main characters being men and I'm here for it. I loved how the book started with Cetrik telling a tale. I loved the banter, it had me cackling. The character growth with all the characters was good and had me drawn in. There wasn't one character that did my head in or got annoyed at.
I loved the swashbuckling sword fights, to the battles with creatures and everything in between. There was not one part of the book that dragged, there was always something going on.
I for one CANNOT wait for the next installment. I will be there with bells on and whistling from the highest hill.
You seriously need to make this your next fantasy read everyone, coz I will be talking about this book for a long time.

Thank you, thank you Second Sky, Netgalley and the author R. S. Moule for the opportunity to read this amazing book in exchange for an honest review

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