#Review - The Assassins of Consequence by Marshall Ryan Maresca #Fantasy

Series: Thorn of Maradaine # 4
Format: EBook, 392 pages
Release Date: March 29, 2022
Publisher: DAW
Source: Publisher
Genre: Epic Fantasy

The autumn semester at the University of Maradaine is underway, and Veranix Calbert is doing his best to balance the new responsibilities of being a fourth-year magic student under the militant Altarn Initiatives, while still acting as The Thorn, the street vigilante deep in a personal war against the drug kingpin Willem Fenmere. With the help of his friends Kaiana, Delmin, and Mila, he’s been able to strike real blows against Fenmere’s empire.

But Veranix’s fight has earned him more enemies than just Fenmere, including the mad alchemist Cuse Jensett, the imposters Erno Don and Enzin Hence, and the Deadly Birds Magpie and Jackdaw. These five killers join forces to escape Quarrygate Prison and offer an alliance to Fenmere, bringing with them the perfect leverage to seal the deal: the Thorn’s identity.

Once Fenmere knows who Veranix is, he doesn’t just want to kill him, but to utterly shatter him. Calling on everyone in Maradaine holding a grudge against the Thorn, he unleashes a brutal hunt against Veranix. With old and new enemies all looking to claim the bounty on his head, stripped of the security of his secret identity, Veranix faces the most brutal fight of his all too-short life.

The Assassins of Consequence is the Fourth installment in author Marshall Ryan Maresca's Maradaine series. So, here's the deal, the author has begun Phase 2 of his Maradaine series. This is the first installment in that phase. The next book will return to The Streets of Maradaine with the featuring the Rynax brothers. Veranix Colbert, aka The Thorn, has made numerous enemies throughout this series trying to bring down Willem Fenmere, and stop the spread of a dangerous drug called effitte which has cost him his mother and father.

As the book begins, it is year 1215, and the autumn semester at the University of Maradaine is underway. Veranix is doing his best to balance the new responsibilities of being a fourth-year magic student under the militant Altarn Initiatives, while still acting as The Thorn, the street vigilante deep in a personal war against the drug kingpin Fenmere. With the help of his friends Kaiana Nell, Delmin Sarren, and Mila Kendish (who is a first year at Maradaine), he’s been able to strike real blows against Fenmere’s empire. But life is about to get extremely dangerous for Veranix and his friends.

Thanks to a breakout of Quarrygate Prison, some of the most dangerous individuals to have faced the Thorn (outside of Fenmere) include the mad alchemist Cuse Jensett, the imposters Erno Don and Enzin Hence, and the Deadly Birds Magpie and Jackdaw, are looking for revenge. These five killers join forces to offer an alliance to Fenmere, bringing with them the perfect leverage to seal the deal: the Thorn’s identity which only a handful of people including Kaiana, Delmin, Mila, Inspector Welling, who gets daily magic sessions with Veranix, knows the truth, and his cousin Colin.

Once Fenmere knows who Veranix is, he doesn’t just want to kill him, but to utterly shatter him. Calling on everyone in Maradaine holding a grudge against the Thorn, which is basically every single gang in Maradaine, he unleashes a brutal hunt against Veranix. With old and new enemies all looking to claim the bounty on his head, stripped of the security of his secret identity, Veranix faces the most brutal fight of his all too-short life. Meanwhile, Lieutenant Bendan and his squad, including Jace Welling, find themselves smack dab in the middle of a huge street war all looking for one person: The Thorn.

This book also introduces readers to a new player. Someone from Thorn's past has come back home after being gone for 4 years to reign down hurt on people who destroyed his family. While Veranix goes through literal hell in this book, this character could posse extreme problems for Veranix in future installments. It is nice to know that Corrie Welling was mentioned in this story. After her own story, An Untended Voyage, it's time for Corrie to come home. The author posted that the next title in this series is called The New King of Rose Street. 

Overall, this is a must read. It is highly entertaining, action packed, and suspenseful. Our hero and friends get tossed in the literal shredder, and it will take a miracle for them to all escape with their lives. I can't this enough, if you haven't started reading this author and his books yet, put it on your list of things to do this year. 

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