Week 35 Reviews: The Night of Knives, The Rebel Army

From Goodreads:

Written by New York Times bestselling author V.E. Schwab and torn from the universe of the Shades of Magic sequence, this all-original comic book adventure continues the story begun in The Steel Prince – perfect for fans of bloody, swashbuckling adventure and gritty fantasy.

The young and arrogant prince Maxim Maresh, having faced the terror of the Pirate Queen, now aims to capture the respect of the combative port town of Verose – by taking the impossible challenges of the Night of Knives… and surviving, where none has survived before.

These are the hidden, secret adventures of Maxim, from long before he became the king of Red London and adoptive father to Kell, the lead of A Darker Shade of Magic!

Collects Shades of Magic #2.1 – 2.4

From Goodreads:

Written by New York Times bestselling author V.E. Schwab and torn from the universe of the Shades of Magic sequence, this third volume in the all-original comic book adventure series sees the saga of the story begun in The Steel Prince – perfect for fans of bloody, swashbuckling adventure and gritty fantasy.

Once just a single ship, now the pirate fleet of the Rebel Army numbers in its thousands. Made up of traitors from each of the three empires, the fleet, who once made the open waters of the Blood Coast their home, have set their sights on establishing their own land based empire with London as their capital.

The Rebel Army is a battalion made up of traitors to each of the three empires, who've claimed the open waters of the Blood Coast as their territory. Led by a Faroan, a Veskan, and an Arnesian (Rowan, the Antari from the Night of Knives), the Rebel Army started as a rag-tag gang, a single ship, but in the last few months, they've gained momentum. Once content to claim the open water as their empire, they've grown in ambition and scope, and now they're claiming ports, creeping toward a full-on land assault. Their goal? London. But first, they'll have to cross Versoe, where Maxim, Isra, and the royal guard are waiting.

My Review:
These were really great to read! I really enjoyed the first one, and continuing to see how Maxim became who he was in the main series. He got a reality check in The Steel Prince, and now he's learning from that, to be an effective leader!

Graphic novels aren't really my thing, I prefer prose. I did have a bit of a difficult time figuring out what was going on in the fight and action scenes, like the challenges from the Night of Knives, I'm not sure what he did to get through them. 

One thing that these deal with, is truth vs. legend, and how because he's the Prince, he gets the credit for those under him, as well as the benefit of the doubt. So that was an interesting idea to read about. Because while he's getting better at being a leader, gaining respect, it's not fair that credit doesn't go where it's due. 

That the bad guy revealed in the 2nd book, an Atari, was the leading force in the 3rd, worked really well, for Maxim to face some consequences for his actions. I don't know why he did what he did in the end but it was really great to read!

Loved reading these stories and I can't wait to read more by V.E. Schwab!

Author: V.E. Schwab
Series: Shades of Magic #5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12
Read: August 25th, 25th, 2024  
Source: Online 
Reason Why: Love her writing and this world, and they're Prequel & Sequel Challenge 2024 Books, and The Rebel Army is a End of Series 2024 Book! 
Publisher: Titan
Published: October 16th 2019, April 21st 2020

The Night of Knives:

5/5 Hearts

5/5 Books

5/5 Stars

The Rebel Army:

5/5 Hearts

5/5 Books

5/5 Stars