Dance of Daggers by Connor WebbMy rating: 5 of 5 stars
Synopsis: A storm is brewing on the horizon and Prince Lysander Stormfury of Arodell knows that he must stop it. However, when a new threat emerges and his father is stolen away from him in the heat of a battle, Lysander--who consequently is the next heir to become king--realizes that there is a fresh, more evil force at play amongst the Planes. Tension and the outbreak of war is only the beginning. Lysander knows that he must stop the evilness from spreading but just when he thinks he knows who the enemy is, new evidence comes into light and terrible conflicts arise. Devastation burns the Planes like wildfire and nothing is really as it seems between the worlds of the Planeshifters.
"Amongst the countless bleak white specks of sand, one could find the center of the world--all the worlds." (page 1)
I'm normally a selective fantasy reader but Dance of Daggers captivated me right from the first chapter. You're immediately pulled into the POV of Prince Lysander Stormfury of Arodell but the plot starts rolling quickly when a terrible tragedy occurs. The characters of this book were phenomenal and well-developed. They felt very sophisticated and invited you to feel their emotion. I was also very particular about the naming of the characters, which was unique and creative. I honestly thought the entire book was going in to be in the perspective of Lysander (which was fine because I really enjoyed Lysander's journeys and trials) but I was quite surprised when each new part was in the POV of a new character that was vital to the movement of the plot. In fact, each time I was moved to a new POV, something even more shocking would develop. I would like to note that although the POV moved fairly frequently (but not too frequently) it was not confusing to follow in the least. Connor did an excellent job in making sure that the characters were easy to follow each time.
The plot was so well-developed that I had my mind blown on more than one occasion. Some books take forever to give you even faint evidence of what the plot is about but Dance of Daggers emerged you in it right away. This was one of the qualities I loved because it didn't give you any time to be bored. I was fascinated right away by the idea of superpowers in medieval-like times. Yes, fantasy often involves magic and power from the gods and such, but Dance of Daggers had a cutting-edge, unique twist on things. It was interesting reading about each Plane, which was inhabited by Planeshifters with the coolest abilities designated to each location. I also have to say, the plot twists that occur are natural, yet they left me on the edge of my seat, absolutely shocked at the turn of events. Even better, after these special plot twists happened, I realized that they had been subtly hinted throughout the book.
Connor's writing style is very descriptive (but not overbearingly so) and contains the perfect combination of interest and awesomeness. I highly recommend this book to all, especially you fantasy fans out there. Connor has great potential and I can't wait for his sequel, Vigil of Light.
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