DNF Review – A Dance of Cloaks (Shadowdance, Book 1) by David Dalglish (3/5 stars)

“Thren Felhorn is the greatest assassin of his time. All the thieves’ guilds of the city are under his unflinching control. If he has his way, death will soon spill out from the shadows and into the streets.

Aaron is Thren’s son, trained to be heir to his father’s criminal empire. He’s cold, ruthless – everything an assassin should be. But when Aaron risks his life to protect a priest’s daughter from his own guild, he glimpses a world beyond piston, daggers, and the iron rule of his father.”

I got this book to review many years ago (hangs head in shame). To be fair I have started it a few times and set it aside because I just couldn’t get into the story. So it shouldn’t be a surprise that this one was a DNF for me. I read the first 300 pages and just realized I didn’t care and wasn’t going to read any more of this series.

The book was okay but it was one of those epic fantasies where, 300 pages in, they are still introducing boatloads of characters. There are a ton of politics, some action, and lots of infighting between clans and groups. I just didn’t find it at all interesting; I am not a huge fan of politic heavy fantasy.

The writing isn’t bad and is easy to read. It is harder to keep track of all the characters. The main storyline focuses on a ongoing struggle for power between Thren (who is in an assassin’s guild) and the Trinity (a powerful group of merchant leaders).

The characters are pretty interesting but the story jumps around between many different people and felt disjointed to me. This isn’t one of those books that I absolutely fell into and got engaged in. I had to struggle to stay focused on this book.

Overall, while this wasn’t a bad book, it just wasn’t for me. I used to read a lot more political epic fantasies when I was younger. I have found as I get older I like reading books that are more creative, fun, and engaging. I am just too busy to slog through a series about politics and people backstabbing each other and I don’t enjoy it. I would recommend to those who do enjoy politically motivated epic fantasy. I won’t be continuing on with the series…obviously.

This book goes towards the following reading challenges:
– Mount TBR Reading Challenge
– You Read How Many Books? Reading Challenge
– Flights of Fantasy Reading Challenge
– Steampunk Reading Challenge