I was really struggling wether to give it three or four stars. I believe that this book deserves a four star rating but from my personal enjoyment point of view it was more of a three star. This is only due to me not getting into the mood of this type of book so it does not seem to be fair to give it a three star rating.

I really enjoyed the characters and the banter between them, that they were not too tropey and I loved the vulnerability as well as all of them having flaws.none of our characters was a typical hero with super powers that is morally perfect. We have a really interesting magic system where tattoos give you certain powers and after the prime tattoo you can pretty much go out and collect all of the powers in the world by finding tattoo artists who will give them to you for a price. I got the feeling that this book is not taking itself too seriously and is making sometimes a little bit of a mockery out of traditional fantasy books without getting into slapstick and too obvious jokes. At the same time you can get into a seriously great atmosphere and I believe the mainly desert setting for a fantasy book to be rather unique.
Sadly the plot felt rather tropey and like it has been done 1 million times. this might be the reason for me having lost interest in following the storyline. After around 70% I caught myself speed reading the description bits and just getting to dialogs but I continue to enjoy a lot. If you are in the mood for a traditional sword & sorcery fantasy adventure with a fun magic system fun characters that are vulnerable and no apparent morally perfect hero in a fantastic desert setting then this book might before you.

Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for providing a copy for review

I never read Fire Beneath the Skin but I did not think it was necessary. They may be in the same world but this is its own journey. Azusa was a strong character you wanted to root for. I fun new fantasy read!

Zayda is a ink mage and also a slave. She tries to become free with the help of an envoy from another country. This fantasy held my interest and I would recommend it to patrons of fantasy.

Victor Gischler creates a complex and mystical wolrd that was easy to dive into. Zayda is sold into slavery to clear her fathers' dept. Chosen as a prime, she is inked with warrior magic tattoos that have been lost for centuries, and found by a powerful wizard when he was lost in the desert. This was a great fantasy full of action and magic during a journey across the desert to remove a slave collar.

I haven’t read many publisher’s blurbs on their books. Usually, when I select a book, I’ve had it recommended to me. As I was considering this book, I had no recommendations. I admittedly fell victim to the cover. The artwork is eye catching and unique. Then I settled in and read the blurb. Strong woman. Harrowing circumstances. Hapless love interest. Romance? Fantasy? Adventure? Sold!

I’ve been in an absolute reading slump these last few months. I’ve picked up titles I was excited about releasing and then put them back down after I realized I wasn’t “in the mood”. You know, you wait so long for a title to release, and then when you go to read it and you’re not ready for the world? You hesitate to dive in and waste the experience!

I was presented the opportunity to read Victor Gischler’s, Warrior Prime (available April 30th – and it’s going to be available as a KindleUnlimited book – win win!)

And since all the books I want to read and haven’t read aren’t catching my interest… I decided to jump in feet first into this new title (and be prepared to force myself to finish it).

Forced?! To Finish?! Was I ever more wrong! I spent my entire weekend hiding from my children to finish this book!!

I recently had a really good discussion with my fellow reading-enthusiasts at a monthly Book Brunch where all we do is practice book pitches. Literally. We try to convince each other to read the books we’re reading so we can talk more about the books we are reading. I highly recommend this style of a book club. No forced reading. No forced book discussions. It’s simply a game of one-up-manship on whose got the more addictive book to encourage others to read. I usually walk out of Brunch heady with All The Titles I Must Read.

But I digress..

Over Sunday Brunch we were doing our usual back and forth of “read this” and “read that” etc… etc… and we fell into a really good conversation. Often, as Book Enthusiasts, we know that you have to buckle down and bear through some drudgery in a book. There are many titles I have read where I’ve encouraged people to “keep with it” as it does pick up and get better. to fellow avid readers – they understand this struggle. To those who often find reasons to hate a book, or hate reading, or put books down… it can make less sense.

Warrior Prime does not suffer from this problem.

The pace of the book is quick with significant twists and turns that keep you flipping the pages to find out what’s next. For my busy life, thankfully, the suspense isn’t so high that I felt compelled to speed read to feel a moment of safety for the characters.

The plot is well thought out, the movement from scenes is effortless, and the dialogue is amazing. Victor’s writing style is engaging and his ability to develop characters is a rare gift.

As a reader, you’re going to be sucked in and invested in the main characters from the moment they splash on the page. I was prepared to love them – the publisher gave me clues I would. I was not nearly as prepared to fall in love with all the side characters as quickly as I did. Each one, though not fully fleshed out for us, are given moments to shine. I loved the multi-narrative approach so we could get to know them each individually without a single narrator holding us back from things a single narrator wouldn’t have known.

The choice for a multi-narrative is selective and not consistent. You do not have to flip back and forth between narrators to carry the plot. And for that, I am thankful. I can’t stand being on a hook in one chapter and on to the next chapter about an entirely different character. The multi-narrative is simply a way to open us up as readers to all the characters. I commend the approach and it certainly kept me engaged.

Real quick… before I bore you with my gushing over this book. I have to take a moment to give props to the characters individually.

Peyne, as described in the synopsis, is the stereotypical “rich boy” lordling. He’s privileged. He likes to drink. It’s assumed he likes women. His intro into the story… really highlights all his vices. As a reader we are supposed to know Peyne is charming, vapid, and sweet. I’ve read those characters numerous times. What Victor was skilled at, is representing that with the narrative (the whole show-not-tell approach). I often know what an author is intending me to feel. It’s rare that an author writes it in such a way that I feel the characters charm.

Spoiler free — here is one of my favorite lines of Peyne in the entire book:

“I feel that sarcasm is anti-productive at this time.”

Zayda is not a weak woman in need of rescuing, that’s clear, from the first moment we get introduced to her – we as readers know that. Her struggle to become free is what leads all of us on a journey through a mysterious world. She’s not innately a bad-ass. She wasn’t born for the role she was foisted into. Her openness to her situation, her willingness to learn, and her desire to be free makes for an amazingly engaging heroine.

I had not read Victor’s fantasy trilogy A Fire Beneath the Skin and so I was learning about Ink Magic as Zayda was and I am so glad I did. It really layered a richness to this book. Will I be diving head first into the trilogy now? You bet. It was so enriching to go on the journey with Zayda… understanding her new life with her.

You’d think given Zayda’s circumstance as a slave that she would be bitter or angry about her lot in life. On the contrary, she offers some great introspection’s to the world around her and I believe that grounds her.

Spoiler free — here is one of my favorite quotes from her in the book:

“I think women are stronger than men,” she said. “I don’t mean muscles. I mean inside. A kind of willpower. Men could never go through childbirth. And when my father is sick, he lies in bed all day. Mother keeps working.”

Even the notable bad guys (aside from the absolute insane villains – fuck those guys) of this story are rich and intriguing. At one point I found myself rooting for the nemesis wizard who had no interest outside of learning more and controlling more magic. I could see his side, see his purpose, and from his point of view… yep. Nope. Fuck him too. But still. The power in the writing was there to make me listen to his narrative too.

The side plot of two countries prepared for war, on conflict with ambassadors, on a King who surprisingly wants to do right by his people? All of it layered a richness to this book that words can do no justice.

This is a MUST read of 2019.

I cannot wait for the following books that follow these rich characters! I leave you with one of my favorite paragraphs from the novel as Zayda… does what she must:

She became a perfect running machine, flashing across the roof, launching herself into the air and landing on the next roof, running and jumping again, a beacaon of cold light blazing across the top of the city, the wind a roar in her ears.

A fun, easy read. Nothing of note caught my interest--I lost interest halfway in the book with the switching of perspectives. I liked the whole idea of ink mages but it threw me off in the beginning that they are apparently the most powerful people but they need to be enslaved or have to travel deep in the desert to free themselves.

Zayda is kickass, determined but I still felt a sense of naivety from her.

Peyne was too charming for me and at times I just rolled my eyes but I liked his and Zayda's interaction, especially in the beginning when they couldn't speak each other's language. Peyne was not a believable character to me.

Overall, I would recommend if you want an easy, quick, fantasy read.

An intoxicating and exciting action-adventure with a great storyline, I was captivated from the beginning, the characters are excellent especially the women, who are some real kick-ass fighters. Zayda, Peyne Jaff and Maurizan were in search of a way to rid Zayda’s of her slave color and find a way to avoid the soon coming war. Faced with a power-hungry wizard and his three prime elite fighters, was a monumental task for these four. It paved the way for a deadly encounter that left a badly wounded few and others just not making it.

Zayda is sold into slavery to clear her fathers' dept. Chosen as a prime, she is inked with a warrior magic that has been lost for centuries, and found by the princes' wizard when he was lost in the desert. This was a great fantasy full of action, magic, shipwreck, and an arduous journey through the desert to find a way to remove the slave collar. Great side characters that need their own story. Believable worldbuilding around the magic. I voluntarily reviewed an ARC of this book from Netgalley.

An entertaining and engaging fantasy book!
I loved the world building, the quirky characters and the humour.
It was a fast and fun read.
I look forward to reading other books by this writer.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC. I voluntarily read and reviewed this book, all opinions are mine.

Solid and engaging fantasy! Loved the idea of a strong female warrior and her plucky sidekick/love interest. Sometimes you don't need a macho man in every story. Added a little depth and humor.

In Warrior Prime, Gischler returns to the fantasy world of Helva that he first explored with his ink mage trilogy several years ago. Although it’s the same world and same magical power system, this book features all new characters and you wouldn’t know there were other ink mage books without stumbling on them.

This is a fantasy world of sword and sorcery with the powerful magic of the ink mages provided to them through magical tattoos. This is such a powerful sorcery that when they fight it’s at warp speed like superheroes battling. And, like in a Dungeon and Dragons 🐉 game, mages can gain additional superpowers 🦹‍♀️ by finding wizards who will give them new tattoos. Collect them all and impress your friends! For some, the ink mages are so fearfully powerful that they are enslaved in unbreakable collars that are controlled by nearby remotes. Dare to throw off your shackles and your head explodes! Literally.

This is a fantasy book that doesn’t take itself too seriously. The hero of the book is a drunkard and womanizer with no real experience or fortitude for swordplay. The characters sometimes make remarks to each other that often feel out of place but are witty and sarcastic. It’s a fun journey into the desert on a camel 🐪 like creature that maybe shouldn’t have a name to find lost cities of gold and magic. And it’s a fast easy read.

Many thanks to the publisher for providing a copy for review.

Victor Gischler is best known as an author of crime fiction, but he also occasionally works in other genres, such as his "Ink Mage" trilogy. His latest is set in that same world, but picks up the action 20 years later. So if you haven't read the earlier books, don't worry, as "Warrior Prime" stands out just fine on its own. I don't read a lot of fantasy, but when I do, I look for the same thing I do when I read mystery or suspense novels: a good story with good characters. That's always the bottom line for me, and I'm pleased to see that once again Gischler delivers. If you like swords & sorcery (who doesn't?), with well-drawn characters, this is definitely worth taking a peek.