The Way of Shadows - Brent Weeks

Goodreads description: For Durzo Blint, assassination is an art-and he is the city's most accomplished artist.

For Azoth, survival is precarious. Something you never take for granted. As a guild rat, he's grown up in the slums, and learned to judge people quickly - and to take risks. Risks like apprenticing himself to Durzo Blint.

But to be accepted, Azoth must turn his back on his old life and embrace a new identity and name. As Kylar Stern, he must learn to navigate the assassins' world of dangerous politics and strange magics - and cultivate a flair for death.

This is the first straight fantasy book I have read in a long time. It took me quite a while to get into it but when I did it was very good. I really enjoyed following the characters' stories throughout this book. The narrator changed every few chapters so I always got a very broad view of what was happening. The novel was difficult to follow at some parts but once I got back on track with what was happening the other parts did make sense.
The new world that Weeks has created is full of corruption which makes for addictive reading. Conspiracy is rife throughout this novel and I do think that is part of the reason why I found the story so hard to follow at some times.

This book is part of a trilogy and I think I would read the other two books but I am not desperate to read them.