Shadow’s Edge by Brent Weeks is the second book in the Night Angel Trilogy. The first novel is titled The Way of Shadows with the third being titled Beyond the Shadows. After reading the first book in this trilogy, I was both excited and nervous to read this book. Excited because the first novel was one of the best books I have read in long time, I loved ever word of it. Nervous, because I as concerned that Mr. Weeks would not be able to catch lightening in a bottle twice. Could he possibly live up to the greatness that was book one? There is also the trend in some trilogies that that the second book is merely a bridge novel to further the story without much substance behind it. Here are my thoughts on this novel.

The plot of this novel picks up where the first novel ends. Kylar Stern has done enough killing and wants to walk away from the wetboy business. He goes to extraordinary steps to get away from everything and renounce his one time profession. What, if anything, could get him to once again pick up that life he tried so desperately to put behind him? This novel is also riddled with sub plots that make this book, and world, come to life. Some of the sub plots include, Logan Gyre was left in the ultimate prison cell with societies worst criminals at the end of book one. Does he survive the battle with losing his sanity, and battling the other people in the cell? The prophet Dorian can see the future. However, seeing the possibilities of the future leave him teetering on the edge of sanity. There is also the sub plot of the Godking and what his rule means to the country. There are several other sub plots, but in the interest of space and not wanting to spoil anything I will stop there. Suffice to say that, while book one was a sprint into the realm on an assassin and occurred at break neck speed, this book has a slightly less frantic pace. However, the slight slow down does nothing to affect the plot or book. The story is a masterwork of pacing, and it is obvious that Mr. Weeks put a great deal of thought into not only each book, but how the overall plot meshes together. I can not really put into words how good the storyline is in this book. It is a story that is easy to get caught up in and one that you want to read just one more page before you go to bed. Only to realize that it is four in the morning. To me a book that can capture a reader like that is a rare thing, and so far, Mr. Weeks is two for two on that.

The characters in this book are largely the ones from the first novel. Characters such as; Kylar, Logan, Vi, Momma K, Jarl, Elene, and Garoth. This, of course, is just a small sample of the characters in this novel. There are a lot of characters in this novel. However, unlike other novels with a lot of characters, I never once felt like a character was lost or pushed to the side. In fact, I think each character was written near flawlessly. There is a great deal of character development in this novel, actually more than what I thought would be present. The thing that surprised me were the number of characters that were developed to a significant extent. In most books, significant character development is usually reserved to one or two characters. In this book, there are no less than half a dozen characters that receive significant development. This makes the book feel much more rich and vibrant, and it is very easy to connect with this wide assortment of characters. At no time did the characters feel like they were being dragged through the plot, it actually felt like they were creating the plot and influencing events. This is something I can not say about several books I have read. I really enjoyed the characters and the vibrant nature in which they were written.

I have one very minor criticism about this novel:

There are several places throughout the novel where the copy editing was off. There are missing word that snap the reader out of the experience to figure out what word is missing. It’s not a big deal, but when a book flows this smoothly, those things are easy to notice.

Some things I enjoyed about this novel:

1 – The depth of the plot and sub plots. It is rich, vibrant, and has enough twists that the reader is never allowed to get comfortable with what they think will happen. I enjoy being surprised while I am reading, and I was surprised several times in this novel.

2 – Just like the first novel, this novel doesn’t hold any punches. Some authors become too attached to their characters and never kill any of them. That is not the case with this book, or series. If a characters death will benefit the story, Mr. Weeks is not afraid to kill them. It’s refreshing and makes the books that much more interesting to read.

3 – For a new author, Mr. Weeks prose is very refined, fluid, and expressive. Mr. Weeks writing is very easy to read, but at the same time it is an adult novel. If you are looking for a feel good story with flowery language, this is most certainly not the book for you.

When all is said and done, I really enjoyed this novel. This book, and series, gives me renewed hope that the fantasy genre still has new and fresh ideas to offer to its readers. With the first two books in this trilogy, Mr. Weeks has announced himself to the fantasy genre as a name to watch. Usually when I read a series I try to take a break in between novels to read something different. That will not be the case with this series. I will be starting the third and final book immediately as I must know what happens. The degree to which Mr. Weeks has been able to get me connected with the characters is amazing; I can not even guess what will happen next. This is certainly a series that fantasy fans should read, it has something for everyone. I would even hazard a guess and say that people who usually don’t read fantasy novels may enjoy this one as well. I know this series will be very high on my recommendation list for a long time to come. Do yourself a favor and check this one out.