Nightblade

A worthwhile fantasy read. The plot kept me interested. The details were vivid without being over the top. The heroes were imperfect and many of the villains were actually respectable characters. I found both of those attributes refreshing. The story lacked the profundity of some of my favorite novels. And the magic system was at times disappointingly vague. But all in all I finished the book feeling attached to the characters and excited to read the sequel.

I'm not sure why I picked this one up, but I'm really glad I did. I liked the characters, and the plot, and the fact that you really felt people were in danger. Ryan Kirk is something to keep an eye on with future books.

Ryan Kirk spends more energy creating interesting characters than endless pages of world building and scene setting. He lets the characters and their actions describe their world and I appreciate that. Ryan is not what I would describe as a great writer...yet. But give him a little more time, a better editor and a fan base for confidence. I will enjoy watching this young author grow in confidence and expertise.

this is a great story . i really like how Shiguru raised him like his own son. i like how they became so close. it was hard to put it away. i couldn't stop reading it. i couldn't wait to start the next book.

this book was one of the best iv read but the end is dissapointing i really wanted there to be a sequal as the end was pretty much a cliffhanger that is the only reason i gave four star review but other than the end it was awesome.

Well plotted and written, nicely edited too. An Oriental style story of discovery, of the world, oneself, and others. No absolute good or evil here, just people trying to find purpose, peace and honor.

Don't worry about sentence structure, whatever people say, I read this book for a story, not how Ryan spells or to see how his sentences are whatever. I have read this and second book, and blown away by how amazing and talented Ryan is concerning characters, and keeping the whole thing together. Thanks Ryan, I start book 3 today and couldn't be happier!

I don't normally write book reviews. I am a well educated college graduate and a very avid reader. I finished the book and as I was reflecting upon its closure I felt that I should leave a review.

I read several of the less than sterling reviews ( 1 and 2 stars ) and somewhat agree with their points. I am not a grammar expert by any means but I can usually tell when the rules are being violated. The point I want to make though is that if you can ignore those things the story is fairly good.

The prose feels comfortable and flows well. I think for the price ( kindle unlimited ) it was exceptional, and far above many of the trash books you see folks pandering off as worth reading on kindle unlimited.

It may not be the best book you will ever read, but it is well worth a relaxing perusal.

The protagonists are human, the story is well written. I think that this is a well thought and deep tale of bushido. The author does a great job making people feel real. Best thing is my internal editor didn't have to work hard at all to make sense of the writing. I give it 5 stars because it has a great story, with well written characters and few grammatical or spelling errors.

An absolutely fascinating take on sword and sorcery with an Oriental twist. The characters are believable and the magic and swordplay are riveting. I read the whole thing start to finish with no ability to stop the flow.

Again amazing and spellbinding.

This is an excellent series by a promising new writer. I enjoyed discovering this new world. Characters are developed and his sense of his world is solid. If it takes two days to travel from point A to point B in chapter 2, it still takes two days in chapter 10.

Tells the story of children who act a bit older than they should. However the pace was fast as the author moved us through to their maturity. A coming of age book that is an enjoyable read for young adolescents.

This book was well written, flowed smoothly, and had characters that made sense and didn't feel forced. Their dialogue was always believable and I found that all the major characters were compelling in some way.

I genuinely look forward to reading more of Ryan's work!

Well written, good plot progression, great character development. I enjoyed it a lot, whole series flows together well and ties up nicely. Subplots are not distracting, and character ethos is complex and intriguing. Very surprised how much I enjoyed it, and I would definitely recommend this book and the rest of the trilogy.

Great read! I've read many books since subscribing to Kindle Unlimited. This one I enjoyed, from the first page to the last I was eager to experience the story unfold. I can't wait to see how the story unfolds in the upcoming novel.

I don't normally write book reviews. I am a well educated college graduate and a very avid reader. I finished the book and as I was reflecting upon its closure I felt that I should leave a review.

I read several of the less than sterling reviews ( 1 and 2 stars ) and somewhat agree with their points. I am not a grammar expert by any means but I can usually tell when the rules are being violated. The point I want to make though is that if you can ignore those things the story is fairly good.

The prose feels comfortable and flows well. I think for the price ( kindle unlimited ) it was exceptional, and far above many of the trash books you see folks pandering off as worth reading on kindle unlimited.

It may not be the best book you will ever read, but it is well worth a relaxing perusal.

The protagonists are human, the story is well written. I think that this is a well thought and deep tale of bushido. The author does a great job making people feel real. Best thing is my internal editor didn't have to work hard at all to make sense of the writing. I give it 5 stars because it has a great story, with well written characters and few grammatical or spelling errors.

An absolutely fascinating take on sword and sorcery with an Oriental twist. The characters are believable and the magic and swordplay are riveting. I read the whole thing start to finish with no ability to stop the flow.

Again amazing and spellbinding.

This is an excellent series by a promising new writer. I enjoyed discovering this new world. Characters are developed and his sense of his world is solid. If it takes two days to travel from point A to point B in chapter 2, it still takes two days in chapter 10.

Tells the story of children who act a bit older than they should. However the pace was fast as the author moved us through to their maturity. A coming of age book that is an enjoyable read for young adolescents.

This book was well written, flowed smoothly, and had characters that made sense and didn't feel forced. Their dialogue was always believable and I found that all the major characters were compelling in some way.

I genuinely look forward to reading more of Ryan's work!

Well written, good plot progression, great character development. I enjoyed it a lot, whole series flows together well and ties up nicely. Subplots are not distracting, and character ethos is complex and intriguing. Very surprised how much I enjoyed it, and I would definitely recommend this book and the rest of the trilogy.

Great read! I've read many books since subscribing to Kindle Unlimited. This one I enjoyed, from the first page to the last I was eager to experience the story unfold. I can't wait to see how the story unfolds in the upcoming novel.

Very well written story with characters just fantastical enough yet who struggle with the same morals and perceptions we all do. Not too predictable. Makes you want to read more with hopes that the adventures continue

Not only was the story boring and predictable, but a general lack of attention to detail showed me that the book was not thought out nor edited well. e.g. This is a new world in a foreign place, but somehow their alcohol is called Sake? The whole concept of super ninja was just too superficial and it shows in the actual fighting / conflict scenes where outcomes are not explained or developed.

I don't generally review books, however, I wanted to support an indie author who wrote a great story. Not since Anthony Ryan's Blood Song has a book gripped me as much. Even though the POV jumped around, I was genuinely interested in every character in the story. Even in the POV sections that were not as interesting to me, the story moved quickly and onto the next interesting section. Keep up the good work Mr. Kirk, I look forward to the remainder of the trilogy. Thank you

The writing was superb; the editing was not. This shouldn't detract from a great story, however. Characters are believable, conflicted, and,in the main, well developed. The storyline is well executed and pulls you in. The world is drawn over time and so easily incorporated. Would highly recommend.

I enjoyed this book. The difference between nightblades and day lakes was explained well. There was just enough interaction between the characters to hold the attention. The ending enticed you to read the next book.

This book was simple astounding. The story flowed together perfectly, and I found myself lost in the dialogues and descriptions. I feel like my life is just a little bit better from reading this book and hope book 2 will fill me with even more wonder.

I enjoyed this book. The difference between nightblades and day lakes was explained well. There was just enough interaction between the characters to hold the attention. The ending enticed you to read the next book.

This book was simple astounding. The story flowed together perfectly, and I found myself lost in the dialogues and descriptions. I feel like my life is just a little bit better from reading this book and hope book 2 will fill me with even more wonder.

This was a highly enjoyable story and I found myself eager to turn each page as I delved further down into Ryuu's saga until the very last one. I feel eager to continue with World's Edge! Truly wonderful read!

This is a really good book. I really like the development of the characters a lot. Orochi was one of my favorites. I liked him as soon as he was introduced and his attitude was interesting. I won't go too much into it but if you like fictional stories about legendary assassins/swordsman, then this is the book for you.

I wanted to like this book but the writing was average and I just couldn't talk myself into caring about any of the characters. I wasn't too sad because it was Kindle Unlimited, but I would have been disappointed if I had paid for this.

Nightblade is a wonderfully imaginative story and well paced so that the imagery keeps unfolding in an interesting manner. I recommended this book to friends who are martial artists because I thought they would enjoy it. A few grammatical errors were noticed.

I enjoyed this book. The characters are enjoyable and well thought out. I wish they would have proof read and edited a little better had to reread parts to see if the author was intending to make the character sound different or a wrong word was added

very good book, I like the way in which the author keeps you engaged all the time, and that not focus on many characters also is a point in its favor, all I can say is that the novel is a little raw for my taste.

I wasn't sure what to expect from this book since it didn't look like the kind of story I normally am into. I tend to lean more towards sorcery rather than swords. This book surprised me with a wonderful blend of both. The magic was subtle but potent. The characters involved were very memorable. The romance wasn't so overdone that it detracts from the overall story like some books I've read lately. I will be waiting anxiously for the next book.

The beginning was a little slow but set the book up for a very deep and enjoyable read, I am unable to picture things in my mind so found the descriptive texts a bit much although I found this to be one of the most enjoyable books I have read in a long time. I strongly recommend it.

Good story line that flowed well. Hopefully the grammatical errors seeded throughout will improve with the next one. I did enjoy the book though and didn't feel that they detracted from the story line.

Fairly classical protege moves on from the master story. But was well done and was worth the read.

I picked this up hoping it would be decent, and got sucked in so fast to the story I read it all in one day. I enjoy fantasy and several other genre's and this book did not disappoint. I can't wait to get the next book in the series

I thought the plot was pretty good. The writing was quite confusing. Some awkward sentences. Point of view for different characters can change in the next paragraph. The writing did improve in the next two books though.

The beginning was a little slow but set the book up for a very deep and enjoyable read, I am unable to picture things in my mind so found the descriptive texts a bit much although I found this to be one of the most enjoyable books I have read in a long time. I strongly recommend it.

Good story line that flowed well. Hopefully the grammatical errors seeded throughout will improve with the next one. I did enjoy the book though and didn't feel that they detracted from the story line.

Fairly classical protege moves on from the master story. But was well done and was worth the read.

I picked this up hoping it would be decent, and got sucked in so fast to the story I read it all in one day. I enjoy fantasy and several other genre's and this book did not disappoint. I can't wait to get the next book in the series

I thought the plot was pretty good. The writing was quite confusing. Some awkward sentences. Point of view for different characters can change in the next paragraph. The writing did improve in the next two books though.

This is a great read for anyone who doesn't like full details on everything going on in the book! I personally like to choreograph my own action scenes, and this author does a good job of just leaving it out there to do with it what you will!

The author kept me interested until the end, he provided details to know what was happening in the story but not too detailed to make it boring. It was a good start to a trilogy and I'm looking forward to finishing all the books.

I really enjoyed this book. Interesting characters, good action writing, solid pacing, and an interesting overall.... world as far as how things magic etc work. I burned through it in just a few days. A little bit predictable but would definitely recommend.

I enjoyed the book but at the same it dragged on a bit. However the author shows that actions have consequences and not everything will turn out perfect nor will the correct answer be clear to see. Overall it is a book that makes one ponder about choices one makes and what consequences may follow.

Starts off a little slow, as the story is told from three different characters. Hard to keep track at times in the beginning of the bouncing back and forth. But overall was a great book and had me reading the whole trilogy.

I've been reading a lot of dystopian fiction lately and started to hunger for some fantasy fiction. Mr Kirk's Nightblade took me completely by surprise. This story was so deep, so rich, so "old school" - and so enjoyable! This is one of the few stories i.e. Ever read that had excellently handled character development. I thought the fourth main character introduced was one too many until I got into her story. And man she really added to the tale. I can't recommend this book enough and I'm so glad there are two more to read. :)

Ryan Kirk's Nightblade trilogy (Nightblade is book 1) was an enjoyable read. The characters and world were well developed with some twists as the arch progressed. As soon as one book ended, I started the next - even when that transition happened at 2am.

I read a few of the negative reviews on this series and laughed out loud, it seems some people are critical of sentence structure and the like and I feel miss the true purpose of a good book. It should spark your imagination, keep you entertained and be hard to put down. The Nightblade series did all of this and more for me and I'm sure will do the same for many more.

Good book, I thought the Moriko storyline was a bit weird and it jumped back and forth but I understand it was necessary. I also like that there weren't many characters you could really call evil. Just lots of gray.

This book is the written equivalent of craptastic movies like Sharknado. I enjoyed reading it, but it's best not to look to closely at the objective quality. The low-star reviews on this book are right; this book is overrated.

Wonderful story and very enjoyable. I did feel it started a little slow, and was choppy in places (nothing another edit couldn't fix), but it kept building as it went and just got better and better. I loved the characters, the magical system, the setting, and the overall story - and now I'm off to start the next book.

I was really surprised at how much I enjoyed this book. I read a lot of fantasy novels and it is not often that an author creates a new mythology that is so complex and flushed out. I cannot wait for the final book in the series.

I read many books and this is one of the very best of the thousands I have read. I recommend it to anyone who loves being totally immersed in a story. I eagerly look forward to the continuation of this sublime saga

I was really surprised at how much I enjoyed this book. I read a lot of fantasy novels and it is not often that an author creates a new mythology that is so complex and flushed out. I cannot wait for the final book in the series.

I read many books and this is one of the very best of the thousands I have read. I recommend it to anyone who loves being totally immersed in a story. I eagerly look forward to the continuation of this sublime saga

I have read over 1000 books and never written a review. I felt I had to in this case. It is a really good book. I was entertained and surprised. I enjoyed the characters and the plot. It is great that the store has a way for new authors to get their writing out to the masses. I look forward to to the next book. Thank u!

I was fascinated from the beginning and must confess was not the least disappointed. Caught up in the events and curious to see how the story unfolded I overlooked the grammatical errors which would otherwise have left me disillusioned .I would recommend the book even to Senior citizens who like me look forward to a good book

Really enjoyed this story and its sequel. Well written. Characters are intriguing and the swordplay is easily visualized, at least it is for those of us that play with swords ;) . Eagerly awaiting the third part.