The Ashen Orb Bounty

The author provided this book to me in exchange for an unbiased review. First, I was given the ability to choose which books I would like to receive and review. Cowboy Bebop meets the Witcher? Sold.

Secondly, the 5-star reviews weren't wrong. Until the Shadow Blades Chronicles, I hadn't read anything by Patrick Dugan. Now that I have, though, I am a fan. One of the most challenging things about reading fantasy books is trying to keep up with the world-building and magic systems. The Ashen Orb Bounty starts immediately in the story. It builds the world and magic around the reader, making it easy to digest since you learn as you go. Why is this good? Two-fold, really, it prevents you from reading several chapters of background to get the world-building before you understand anything while eliminating the burnout you get from overly complex storylines.

The story feels like Cowboy Bebop, Witcher, and Dungeons and Dragons. I loved learning about the Shadow Blades but also learning about each of the team members, what role they played, and how they all got along (or didn't).

While this story has a fantastic amount of detail and leaves you on a quasi-cliffhanger, it is an effortless read that goes quickly. I look forward to seeing what Book 2 has for our Shadow Blades.