Amanda's Blog

This is one of the non-romance series that I'm still following and can't wait to read the finale. After 7 books, 5 novellas and 2 spin-offs, we are finally here. The grand finale for The Emperor's Edge. I'm ashamed to admit that I'm following purely for its romantic subplot and craving for the long awaited HEA for Sicarius and Amaranthe. (Romance < 20%)

Most of the time when I'm reading this series, is hard to fathom that it was written by a female author. This series is full of action, explosive and shenanigans with all its detailed description down to the nuts and bolts. But what really drew me in is the character Sicarius, the imperial assassin and Amaranthe Lokdon, the leader of their team of outlaws. She recruited Sicarius and the rest of the team members who are the heart and soul of the book to clear the bounty on their heads and help Emperor Sespian regain his throne.

Along the way, they hijacked a train, chased by man-incinerating machines, flung from an aircraft so alien the science can't begin to fathom it, and hurtled hundreds of miles to crash on a mountainside. The outrageous mission that they did reminds me so much of A-team. Is over the top, yet entertaining.

I absolutely love book 1 to 5 because both Sicarius and Amaranthe were always in mission together. Although there isn't any romance element, we can see how their relationship evolve from her wanting to kill him, to being a partner in crime and learning to trust each other. Sicarius is one of the most socially inept character that I ever read. He can hardly communicate with someone, so the way he slowly changes for Amaranthe is fascinating to read.

After Amaranthe had made her feelings to him known, they had a mutual understanding and commitment to each other. They are always together, yet they didn't further pursue their relationship due to a lot of circumstances. What with being a fugitive, constantly being shot at and having a son who had a crush on your potential lover.

Forged in Blood I and II are told in Sicarius and Amaranthe POV. With both of them separated most of the time, I find myself skipping pages just to know how they will be reunited. Yes, I skipped pages. I find the action is a tad too detail and I wanted it to be done asap. That's a bummer for me. Thank goodness by 50%, they had found each other. Phew. I love how it ended for the team, of course there were a lot sacrifices to be made, but in the end is a HEA for Sicarius and that's all it matters for me. Regarding the sex scene that every fans in the forum was so eager to read since like forever, it is not fade to black, as we might had expected. Initially we thought is going to be fade to black and we had to resort to dousing ourselves with fanfics. I absolutely love how Lindsay wrote it. Yes, 7 freaking books, I can't imagine I waited that long for it to happen. Is unbelievable.

"Once she'd likened Sicarius to a caged tiger, too dangerous to keep around if one didn't want people hurt. Others had called him a trained dog, ready to kill at the drop of a flag. He was neither of course. He was a human being. Once scarred by life, by fate. Just like her."