Master Assassins by Robert V.S. Redick (3.3 Stars)

Kandri Hinjuman was never meant to be a soldier. His brother Mektu was never meant for this world. Rivals since childhood, they are drafted into a horrific war led by a madwoman-Prophet, and survive each day only by hiding their disbelief. Kandri is good at blending in, but Mektu is hopeless: impulsive, erratic—and certain that a demon is stalking him. Is this madness or a second sense? Either way, Kandri knows that Mektu’s antics will land them both in early graves.

But all bets are off when the brothers’ simmering feud explodes into violence, and holy blood is spilled. Kandri and Mektu are taken for contract killers and must flee for their lives—to the one place where they can hope to disappear: the sprawling desert known as the Land that Eats Men. In this eerie wilderness, the terrain is as deadly as the monsters, ghouls, and traffickers in human flesh. Here the brothers find strange allies: an aging warlord, a desert nomad searching for her family, a lethal child-soldier still in her teens. They also find themselves in possession of a secret that could bring peace to the continent of Urrath. Or unthinkable carnage.

On their heels are the Prophet’s death squads. Ahead lie warring armies, sandstorms, evil spirits and the deeper evil of human greed. But hope beckons as well—if the “Master Assassins” can expose the lie that has made them the world’s most wanted men. 

Premise: How compelling or unique is the overview of the story?
----- 8: I like the idea of the protagonists accidentally throwing the empire into flux. The premise sets up a fun capor and chase story with a larger conflict looming

Plot: How well does the action of the story fulfill or even expand the potential of the premise?
----- 7: My main issue with the plot is that it raised more questions than it answered. I get it, it's the first of a series. But I still think it's important to satisfy your readers by giving out a little more information. I'm mostly thinking of what the heck is up with Mektu and where are Ari and Lantor? AND, the question if did answer, the big one, was a bit of a let down after all the secrecy around it. The rest of the plot was pretty good, although I think it let down the premise a little by failing to convince me that our characters actions are really warrant the significance everyone is placing on them.

Characters: Overall feelings towards the characters. Are they memorable? Exciting? Human? Do we even like them?
----- 5: I didn't like them. Kandri is boring, Mektu is wacky, and none of the supporting characters are memorable. The one redeeming factor is they all seemed pretty human... So maybe I just don't like reading about real people.

Pacing: How strong is the momentum of the story? Is it hard to put the book down?
----- 7: Started and ended slowly, but the middle was strong. I was never completely hooked by the story.

Prose: Does the author have strong writing skills? Is the text easy and enjoyable to read and not jarring or distracting?
----- 5: Present tense is hard to do. It gives a sense of urgency when done right, like in Red Rising, but here it just felt off. It distracted me from the story and I don't know why past tense wasn't the choice here. The author also adds a lot of odd punctuation (random parentheses) that isn't needed. There were also a few times that I had to go back and carefully reread portions to figure out who was talking or what had happened. Too much brevity at times.

Depth: Do elements of the story combine to form an immersive setting? Is it easy to visualize and well thought out?
----- 8: I really liked the world. It was well developed and had some especially cool settings.

Epic-ness: Are cool things happening? Are story elements used to creating plot action that is exciting and satisfying?
----- 6: It never quite had that scene that was cool enough. Lots of small action scenes, but no big climax where it all paid off. 

Total: 46/70 = 3.3 stars. The wacky prose and boring characters were a big let down in an otherwise interesting and well thought out story.

Disclaimer: There is a lot of language, on the level of Scott Lynch. Brief sexual content