Could there be a more gentle, loving, caring ruthless assassin than the Hunter? What!!!!! you say, contradiction, you say.... well just so you know, it's not! The pain he feels, the loss he experiences are all too real, even with the dagger screaming for blood, he refuses to kill for the sake of killing, he feels the burden of every kill. He refuses to do Soulhunger's bidding, which would bring forth an unprecedented evil. See? A companionate assassin... and such a tortured soul, constantly attempting to keep the voices at bay whilst trying to discover who he really is. Snippets of memory surface but he cannot make sense of them, it keeps eluding him, he knows he has to travel to Enarium, that the answers he needs he'll find there. So starts another perilous journey, together with Hailen, fraught with dangers and obstacles. I've said this previously, there's something about the Hunter that goes beyond tugging at my heartstrings, I want to envelope him in the biggest hug and console him, constantly. He's constantly being hounded and followed by Sir Danna and the Cambionari, no matter how much distance he thinks he between them, they always seem to find him. I loved the introduction of the two guides, one so stoic, the other fun loving, as they traip through the mountains looking for a path to Enarium. Another really interesting character, Evren, who has secrets of his own. Now that's an interesting new character and with a promise of more of him, I'm simply delighted! As the journey continues, the Hunter's situation becomes more and more dire. The guilt he feels, the choices he's made, have him in more agony than ever! He swore he would protect Hailen, he swore he would find his mystery woman yet once he finally gets to Enarium, it all falls apart. I wanted to throw my hands up in despair, my heart pounding dangerously fast, at what the Hunter endures. I breathed a sigh of relief that the Hunter's death count was, for him, relatively low, that is until the final third of the book. True to who and what he is, the body count sure pilled up massively! And the twists! OMG! I was agog! Just when I thought everything was falling into place for the Hunter, Andy pulled the rug from under me! By the end of this book, there's a sliver of hope from the Hunter, which I can't help but be elated. After learning the truth, what his purpose really is, the Hunter's new founded purpose and resolve are simply mouthwatering for more of this amazingly superb series. There is so much more one can say, so many awesome characters, I could go on and on. All that's left for me to say is, READ IT!
