3.75/5 stars

Was expecting more of this as the main characters are more diverse than the usual pure good Drizzt and his mob. Could have gone many direction.

Another solid book from an author that has withstood the test of time. My hands literally shake when I get a new book off the shelf from the Drizzit line of novels. Granted I missed this one in time order, but it was still an excellent read and stood on its own.

A good "break" from Drizzt, but didn't enjoy quite as much as the main characters - moving on to The Thousand Orcs now and looking forward to it! :)

Liked this one a bit more on re-read. I really love how it basically drops Jarlaxle and Entreri in the middle of a completely different book series, with a different, interesting, and powerful set of protagonists with King Gareth and his party.

I do not like, however, that this plot ends about 3/4 way through the book, and swerves into something totally different. Also not a fan of how Entreri is a confused passive participant in huge swaths of the story.

Really wish I could do half stars here, as this is a solid 3.5 from me, but I leaned higher on the actual score because of the core concept of implanting known characters in such a radically new setting.

This book is pretty boring, because not much happens overall, except a bunch of conversations and slowly developing intrigue between a bunch of characters we don’t really know or care about that much. There are some interesting interactions between the two main characters and the two dragons, but far too much time is spent on digging into the backstories and motivations, and the psychological and philosophical arguments of the characters rather than building, a real motivating and suspenseful plot.

The middle was very confusing and left we wondering why anyone was doing what they were doing. Most of it didn't make sense and wasn't explained. Also, there were several inconsistencies that made we wonder if they changed authors halfway through (i.e. why would Kimmuriel kill Jaraxle to keep Bregan D'arthe if he didn't want to keep the position anyway.)The beginning, middle, and end seemed entirely disjointed and convoluted.

I really had to drag myself through this one because it just felt like nothing was happening. Most of the action in the book seemed to be packed into the last 20% or so and it just felt like this story could have been so much more interesting.

"Those who rely on certainties are certain to be disappointed.”

2/5 stars.
ebook, 267 pages.
Read from May 15, 2019 to May 21, 2019.

Review at The Pluviophile Writer: https://bit.ly/2XEGAHF

This is the final instalment in the Sellsword's Trilogy that follows the two "bad guys", Jaraxle and Artemis. Jaraxle's plan starts to become clear as the two of them make some very ambitious decisions and dare to challenge a king as well as two ancient dragons. Jarlaxle's ambitions and outrageous schemes are always almost enough to get them killed, almost.

I wish I were into the premise of this story more but it just didn't do it for me, as was most of this trilogy, unfortunately. The series lacked the character work that I loved so much with the Drizzt series. Both Jarlaxle and Artemis are at constant battle with themselves in terms of their partnership, or rather, friendship. Their experience tells them that they shouldn't be friends yet this also seems to be a challenge for them despite the two of them being generally cold-hearted. Artemis becomes especially vulnerable in this book as well which is puzzling for the reader as his tough exterior seems to break. He starts to question the meaning and purpose of his life as well as his relationships with other people. What will this new cracked exterior mean for the assassin? Of course, all is revealed in the end... Spoilers ahead.

Jarlaxle's motives don't seem as clearly defined in this book, or at least they're not as robust as Artemis' and for that, Artemis has the more interesting narrative of the two. I do appreciate that at least Jarlaxle is still mostly true to his conniving and manipulative ways, even to those closest to him but then I found myself disappointed in Artemis for not being able to catch on to what Jarlaxle was doing. I appreciate that Artemis' newfound vulnerability in this book was not necessarily of his own doing and I know that will eventually make him a very dynamic character but he just didn't seem as badass in this book.

Salvatore could have had a whole offshoot of stories with Jarlaxle and Artemis but it felt as if he wasn't as heavily involved or invested in the stories as much as he has been with Drizzt and his companions. Considering their shallow development within this trilogy, perhaps it's best that they remain secondary characters for the time being. I know that they appear later within Drizzt's storyline (Neverwinter Series) and it does help to know their stories from this trilogy going into those books, so I hope that they continue to present themselves within the Drizzt storyline.

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"Sont-ils encore ensemble, à marcher de conserve, la main près du manche de leur arme, pour se défendre l'un de l'autre, il me semble, autant que de leurs ennemis?"

"- Qu'est-ce qui a créé un guerrier de la perfection d'Artémis Entreri? L'entraînement? La discipline?
- La colère."

"Je ne salis pas mes vêtements raffinés. Pour aucun homme. Pour aucun souverain."

Un dernier tome qui conclut en beauté l'association entre Jarlaxle et Entreri! This book was wild!

Le duo fait face aux ambitions et aux manipulations de Jarlaxle, ce qui pertubent Entreri qui fait face à l'apparition de ses sentiments refoulés. On a enfin pu connaitre le passé de nos deux protagonistes, mais principalement celui d'Entreri. Une histoire dure à lire mais qui finit par un acte de vengeance et qui permet à Entreri de "tourner la page".
La réapparition de Kimmuriel et des autres drows était un petit plus que l'on apprécie.

L'action était omniprésente et était bien écrite. Jarlaxle est tellement fou et manipulateur que ça pimente l'écriture du livre. Entreri est toujours aussi sombre et contraste avec Jarlaxle, ce qui rend leurs interactions assez comiques.

Nos deux (anti-) héros ont donc conclus leurs aventures ensemble, en espérant qu'ils se retrouvent pour de prochaines aventures!

I appreciated seeing the end of Entreri's journey. Jarlaxle really shines in this one.

2 for story + 1 for Artemis Entreri (like this 'badass' character)