The Way of Shadows by Brent Weeks

What the back of the books says:
For Durzo Blint, assassination is an art-and he is the city's most accomplished artist.

For Azoth, survival is precarious. Something you never take for granted. As a guild rat, he's grown up in the slums, and learned to judge people quickly - and to take risks. Risks like apprenticing himself to Durzo Blint.

But to be accepted, Azoth must turn his back on his old life and embrace a new identity and name. As Kylar Stern, he must learn to navigate the assassins' world of dangerous politics and strange magics - and cultivate a flair for death

What I have to say about it:
Gritty is, I think, a good word to describe this book. And thought-provoking. Gritty because Weeks, like Karen Miller, doesn't shy away from the dirty parts. People die, and not just because this is a book about a wetboy (NOT an assassin, tyvm). There's blood and gore and cursing and some disturbing parts and sex and all that stuff. But, as I said, thought-provoking. Weeks talks religion, in an oblique way. Philosophy and the idea of a just god, which is interesting for a book who talks about the perfect killer. Really, I liked it.

It's got a slow start, though. For maybe the first half of the book, I felt like I was twiddling my thumbs, waiting for Kylar to grow up. But once he finished growing up, things got good. I liked the world, the magic, and even the country of Cenaria, run by what sounds like a mafia with a puppet king. Or a pathetic king. Whatever. My least favorite part was the ending, which just seemed too happy and maybe a little corny (especially after how gritty the rest of the book is).

So, final thoughts? I liked this book a lot. I wish I could have skipped the beginning and gotten to the good stuff, but whatever. I have a whole trilogy of what I hope is the good stuff, so 100 pages of blah is forgivable. After all, I guess we need some background.  So I'd recommend it, especially if you like those gritty fantasy books with authors who aren't afraid of killing off characters and getting their characters a little down and dirty. AKA fantasy books with a little depth to them.