Troy Knowlton (Author of Seekers)

Troy Knowlton liked Nick Procter's review of Seekers: The Winds of Change: "Seekers: The Winds of Change is an action-packed, high fantasy adventure which is also full of mystery, betrayal, humour, romance, bromance and emotional punch. Indie author Troy Knowlton’s debut is set in an interesting, well-crafted world with disti" Read more of this review »
Aug 30, 2023 07:12PM · see review
Troy Knowlton liked Jennifer M's review of Seekers: The Winds of Change: "This was a good debut novel. The story was well paced and I enjoyed the world building."
Aug 25, 2023 05:30PM · see review
Troy Knowlton liked Brian's review of Seekers: The Winds of Change: "3.5 Stars rounded up to 4. For a debut novel, Seekers: The Winds of Change does many things pretty well. The world-building, political intrigues, interpersonal relationships, and relatively clipping pace all worked decently enough for me. I'm not sure" Read more of this review »
Aug 02, 2023 06:24PM · see review
Troy Knowlton liked Isamivictor's review of Seekers: The Winds of Change: This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.
Jul 31, 2023 01:51PM · see review
Troy Knowlton rated a book really liked it The Assassin of Grins and Secrets (Grinning Assassin #1) by K.E. Andrews (Goodreads Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
4/5 TLDR: The Assassin of Grins and Secrets is an exciting tale full of suspense, action, and plenty of delicious mysteries. The wonderfully executed twists and turns will keep you eager to see where Andrews takes you in this promising start to a pot ...more
Feb 03, 2023 01:14AM · 3 likes · like · see review
Troy Knowlton rated a book really liked it The Assassin of Grins and Secrets (Grinning Assassin, #1) by K.E. Andrews (Goodreads Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
4/5 TLDR: The Assassin of Grins and Secrets is an exciting tale full of suspense, action, and plenty of delicious mysteries. The wonderfully executed twists and turns will keep you eager to see where Andrews takes you in this promising start to a pot ...more
Feb 03, 2023 12:25AM · 1 like · like · see review
Troy Knowlton rated a book really liked it The Assassin of Grins and Secrets (Grinning Assassin #1) by K.E. Andrews (Goodreads Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
4/5 TLDR: The Assassin of Grins and Secrets is an exciting tale full of suspense, action, and plenty of delicious mysteries. The wonderfully executed twists and turns will keep you eager to see where Andrews takes you in this promising start to a pot ...more
Feb 03, 2023 12:24AM · 3 likes · like · see review
Troy Knowlton rated a book really liked it The Crew (The God Dust Saga, #1) by Sadir S. Samir (Goodreads Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
4.25/5 TLDR: The Crew by Sadir Samir is a unique, refreshing read. It's a wacky amalgamation of a shōnen anime, Deadpool, and middle-eastern fantasy brimming with hilarious dialogue/sequences that'll be sure to garner some laughs. While some may enjo ...more
Jan 30, 2023 11:20PM · 1 like · like · see review
Troy Knowlton is currently reading The Assassin of Grins and Secrets (Grinning Assassin #1) by K.E. Andrews (Goodreads Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Jan 30, 2023 09:29PM · 1 like · like
Troy Knowlton is currently reading The Crew (The God Dust Saga, #1) by Sadir S. Samir (Goodreads Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Jan 30, 2023 07:45PM · 1 like · like

Troy Knowlton liked Nick Procter's review of Seekers: The Winds of Change:

"Seekers: The Winds of Change is an action-packed, high fantasy adventure which is also full of mystery, betrayal, humour, romance, bromance and emotional punch.

Indie author Troy Knowlton’s debut is set in an interesting, well-crafted world with disti" Read more of this review »

Troy Knowlton liked Jennifer M's review of Seekers: The Winds of Change:

"This was a good debut novel. The story was well paced and I enjoyed the world building."

Troy Knowlton liked Brian's review of Seekers: The Winds of Change:

"3.5 Stars rounded up to 4.

For a debut novel, Seekers: The Winds of Change does many things pretty well. The world-building, political intrigues, interpersonal relationships, and relatively clipping pace all worked decently enough for me. I'm not sure" Read more of this review »

Troy Knowlton liked Isamivictor's review of Seekers: The Winds of Change:

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

Troy Knowlton rated a book really liked it

The Assassin of Grins and Secrets by K.E. Andrews

The Assassin of Grins and Secrets (Grinning Assassin #1)
by K.E. Andrews (Goodreads Author)

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1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars

4/5 TLDR: The Assassin of Grins and Secrets is an exciting tale full of suspense, action, and plenty of delicious mysteries. The wonderfully executed twists and turns will keep you eager to see where Andrews takes you in this promising start to a pot 4/5 TLDR: The Assassin of Grins and Secrets is an exciting tale full of suspense, action, and plenty of delicious mysteries. The wonderfully executed twists and turns will keep you eager to see where Andrews takes you in this promising start to a potentially epic series.

Let's start by briefly touching on the plot. Our story is centered around Serein, a renowned assassin who is currently rotting away in jail after being captured by her enemies. She is quickly transferred to fighting pits, where we get our first taste of her skills as she fights for survival. After her match, she is found by a prince who offers her a life contract to work for him. Serein initially refuses, having suspicions as to his intentions, but eventually accepts and our story kicks off from there.

I thought the plot was well executed with little to no drag in the progression of the story. The narrative holds many mysteries, twists and turns, and big revaluations. My only critique is that it posits many more questions than answers, which leaves a sense of unfulfilment upon finishing the novel. It also ends rather abruptly, which I paradoxically love and hate at the same time. I love it because it makes perfect sense given the tone, but I hate that we are given so many plot points and loose ends that don't seem any closer to resolving than they did fifty pages prior. ***HUGE DISCLAIMER: I'd be remiss not to stress that this is the first novel in what seems to be a series, and these minor critiques could be completely washed away in a sequel novel. In fact, I'm fairly confident many of these plot threads will lead to exciting and epic conclusions later on (as I've seen Andrews execute with smaller arcs in this novel), and that their introduction here was done in an effort to "get the ball rolling" with those plot elements.

Let's talk a bit about the characters. I enjoyed our cast of characters for the vast majority of the novel. When we meet Serein, she is at possibly the lowest point in her life, emaciated with lice crawling through her hair. It doesn't take much to get us invested in rooting for her, which provides a good start to us getting to know her. The rest of the cast is very likeable and multifaceted, be it the warm, charming prince or his workaholic bodyguard with a troubled past. Andrews gives us plenty of variety in her characterizations, though the previously mentioned 3 have by far the most time devoted to them. I particularly enjoyed the dynamic between the prince and his father, showing how familiar ties can muddy the once clear waters of morality. The only critique I have on the characters lies with Serein. While I thoroughly enjoyed Serein's character and loved learning more of her past and her motivations, those motivations and big reveal moments don't come right away. Andrews takes time to flesh them out, which I enjoy and thought made those secrets/ revelations all the more resonant. The unfortunate side effect of this is that, while I am in Serein's POV feeling her emotions and thoughts, it's hard to connect deeply with her character and understand her actions early on, being that so many aspects of her past that shape her decisions are kept under wraps and only slowly trickled in over time. This becomes less and less of an issue as the novel marches forward, but I had to mention this here. This was solely my experience and other readers may not run into this issue, so take this minor critique with a grain of salt.

Though most of this story takes place in one city, I appreciate all the details fed to the reader about the various cultures and locations within this setting. Andrews definitely seems to have a masterful grasp on her world, and she treats us to copious amounts of mythology, history, and culture from it. I'm eager to see where she takes us in future stories within this setting.

The action in this novel is beautifully executed. There's no shortage of it, and it always feels intense, as if it's jumping off the page. I LOVE how Serein diagnoses her opponents with razor sharp perception that's reminiscent of the Robert Downey Jr. Sherlock Holmes movies. Being able to see her thoughts as she fights was one of the major highlights for me, and I'm sure for many others as well. Expertly done!

All in all, I really loved The Assassin of Grins and Secrets. It has everything you'd want in a good "cloak and dagger" style of story: mystery, suspense, action, and tragedy. Andrews clearly has a knack for this style of story and I'm excited to see where she takes it next!!! ...more

Troy Knowlton rated a book really liked it

The Assassin of Grins and Secrets (Grinning Assassin, #1)
by K.E. Andrews (Goodreads Author)

Rate this book

Clear rating

1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars

4/5 TLDR: The Assassin of Grins and Secrets is an exciting tale full of suspense, action, and plenty of delicious mysteries. The wonderfully executed twists and turns will keep you eager to see where Andrews takes you in this promising start to a pot 4/5 TLDR: The Assassin of Grins and Secrets is an exciting tale full of suspense, action, and plenty of delicious mysteries. The wonderfully executed twists and turns will keep you eager to see where Andrews takes you in this promising start to a potentially epic series.

Let's start by briefly touching on the plot. Our story is centered around Serein, a renowned assassin who is currently rotting away in jail after being captured by her enemies. She is quickly transferred to fighting pits, where we get our first taste of her skills as she fights for survival. After her match, she is found by a prince who offers her a life contract to work for him. Serein initially refuses, having suspicions as to his intentions, but eventually accepts and our story kicks off from there.

I thought the plot was well executed with little to no drag in the progression of the story. The narrative holds many mysteries, twists and turns, and big revaluations. My only critique is that it posits many more questions than answers, which leaves a sense of unfulfilment upon finishing the novel. It also ends rather abruptly, which I paradoxically love and hate at the same time. I love it because it makes perfect sense given the tone, but I hate that we are given so many plot points and loose ends that don't seem any closer to resolving than they did fifty pages prior. ***HUGE DISCLAIMER: I'd be remiss not to stress that this is the first novel in what seems to be a series, and these minor critiques could be completely washed away in a sequel novel. In fact, I'm fairly confident many of these plot threads will lead to exciting and epic conclusions later on (as I've seen Andrews execute with smaller arcs in this novel), and that their introduction here was done in an effort to "get the ball rolling" with those plot elements.

Let's talk a bit about the characters. I enjoyed our cast of characters for the vast majority of the novel. When we meet Serein, she is at possibly the lowest point in her life, emaciated with lice crawling through her hair. It doesn't take much to get us invested in rooting for her, which provides a good start to us getting to know her. The rest of the cast is very likeable and multifaceted, be it the warm, charming prince or his workaholic bodyguard with a troubled past. Andrews gives us plenty of variety in her characterizations, though the previously mentioned 3 have by far the most time devoted to them. I particularly enjoyed the dynamic between the prince and his father, showing how familiar ties can muddy the once clear waters of morality. The only critique I have on the characters lies with Serein. While I thoroughly enjoyed Serein's character and loved learning more of her past and her motivations, those motivations and big reveal moments don't come right away. Andrews takes time to flesh them out, which I enjoy and thought made those secrets/ revelations all the more resonant. The unfortunate side effect of this is that, while I am in Serein's POV feeling her emotions and thoughts, it's hard to connect deeply with her character and understand her actions early on, being that so many aspects of her past that shape her decisions are kept under wraps and only slowly trickled in over time. This becomes less and less of an issue as the novel marches forward, but I had to mention this here. This was solely my experience and other readers may not run into this issue, so take this minor critique with a grain of salt.

Though most of this story takes place in one city, I appreciate all the details fed to the reader about the various cultures and locations within this setting. Andrews definitely seems to have a masterful grasp on her world, and she treats us to copious amounts of mythology, history, and culture from it. I'm eager to see where she takes us in future stories within this setting.

The action in this novel is beautifully executed. There's no shortage of it, and it always feels intense, as if it's jumping off the page. I LOVE how Serein diagnoses her opponents with razor sharp perception that's reminiscent of the Robert Downey Jr. Sherlock Holmes movies. Being able to see her thoughts as she fights was one of the major highlights for me, and I'm sure for many others as well. Expertly done!

All in all, I really loved The Assassin of Grins and Secrets. It has everything you'd want in a good "cloak and dagger" style of story: mystery, suspense, action, and tragedy. Andrews clearly has a knack for this style of story and I'm excited to see where she takes it next!!! ...more

Troy Knowlton rated a book really liked it

The Assassin of Grins and Secrets (Grinning Assassin #1)
by K.E. Andrews (Goodreads Author)

Rate this book

Clear rating

1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars

4/5 TLDR: The Assassin of Grins and Secrets is an exciting tale full of suspense, action, and plenty of delicious mysteries. The wonderfully executed twists and turns will keep you eager to see where Andrews takes you in this promising start to a pot 4/5 TLDR: The Assassin of Grins and Secrets is an exciting tale full of suspense, action, and plenty of delicious mysteries. The wonderfully executed twists and turns will keep you eager to see where Andrews takes you in this promising start to a potentially epic series.

Let's start by briefly touching on the plot. Our story is centered around Serein, a renowned assassin who is currently rotting away in jail after being captured by her enemies. She is quickly transferred to fighting pits, where we get our first taste of her skills as she fights for survival. After her match, she is found by a prince who offers her a life contract to work for him. Serein initially refuses, having suspicions as to his intentions, but eventually accepts and our story kicks off from there.

I thought the plot was well executed with little to no drag in the progression of the story. The narrative holds many mysteries, twists and turns, and big revaluations. My only critique is that it posits many more questions than answers, which leaves a sense of unfulfilment upon finishing the novel. It also ends rather abruptly, which I paradoxically love and hate at the same time. I love it because it makes perfect sense given the tone, but I hate that we are given so many plot points and loose ends that don't seem any closer to resolving than they did fifty pages prior. ***HUGE DISCLAIMER: I'd be remiss not to stress that this is the first novel in what seems to be a series, and these minor critiques could be completely washed away in a sequel novel. In fact, I'm fairly confident many of these plot threads will lead to exciting and epic conclusions later on (as I've seen Andrews execute with smaller arcs in this novel), and that their introduction here was done in an effort to "get the ball rolling" with those plot elements.

Let's talk a bit about the characters. I enjoyed our cast of characters for the vast majority of the novel. When we meet Serein, she is at possibly the lowest point in her life, emaciated with lice crawling through her hair. It doesn't take much to get us invested in rooting for her, which provides a good start to us getting to know her. The rest of the cast is very likeable and multifaceted, be it the warm, charming prince or his workaholic bodyguard with a troubled past. Andrews gives us plenty of variety in her characterizations, though the previously mentioned 3 have by far the most time devoted to them. I particularly enjoyed the dynamic between the prince and his father, showing how familiar ties can muddy the once clear waters of morality. The only critique I have on the characters lies with Serein. While I thoroughly enjoyed Serein's character and loved learning more of her past and her motivations, those motivations and big reveal moments don't come right away. Andrews takes time to flesh them out, which I enjoy and thought made those secrets/ revelations all the more resonant. The unfortunate side effect of this is that, while I am in Serein's POV feeling her emotions and thoughts, it's hard to connect deeply with her character and understand her actions early on, being that so many aspects of her past that shape her decisions are kept under wraps and only slowly trickled in over time. This becomes less and less of an issue as the novel marches forward, but I had to mention this here. This was solely my experience and other readers may not run into this issue, so take this minor critique with a grain of salt.

Though most of this story takes place in one city, I appreciate all the details fed to the reader about the various cultures and locations within this setting. Andrews definitely seems to have a masterful grasp on her world, and she treats us to copious amounts of mythology, history, and culture from it. I'm eager to see where she takes us in future stories within this setting.

The action in this novel is beautifully executed. There's no shortage of it, and it always feels intense, as if it's jumping off the page. I LOVE how Serein diagnoses her opponents with razor sharp perception that's reminiscent of the Robert Downey Jr. Sherlock Holmes movies. Being able to see her thoughts as she fights was one of the major highlights for me, and I'm sure for many others as well. Expertly done!

All in all, I really loved The Assassin of Grins and Secrets. It has everything you'd want in a good "cloak and dagger" style of story: mystery, suspense, action, and tragedy. Andrews clearly has a knack for this style of story and I'm excited to see where she takes it next!!! ...more

Troy Knowlton rated a book really liked it

The Crew (The God Dust Saga, #1)
by Sadir S. Samir (Goodreads Author)

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4.25/5 TLDR: The Crew by Sadir Samir is a unique, refreshing read. It's a wacky amalgamation of a shōnen anime, Deadpool, and middle-eastern fantasy brimming with hilarious dialogue/sequences that'll be sure to garner some laughs. While some may enjo 4.25/5 TLDR: The Crew by Sadir Samir is a unique, refreshing read. It's a wacky amalgamation of a shōnen anime, Deadpool, and middle-eastern fantasy brimming with hilarious dialogue/sequences that'll be sure to garner some laughs. While some may enjoy the sheer level of zaniness more than others, this is almost certain to be a quick, fun read for nearly everyone who picks it up!

Let's start with the plot:
The novel opens by introducing our protagonist, Varcade, a twin sword-wielding, fast-talking Deadpoolesque sell-sword who is full of witty banter and zany enthusiasm. We are quickly introduced to Edghar, a former spymaster of the nearby city-state of Akrab, who enlists Varcade to join a "crew" he is putting together with the intent of overthrowing the realm's ruler, a cruel Bone Lord. Much of the rest of the plot centers around the pair assembling the rest of their team and executing their plan of attack in an Ocean's 11-style group effort. The plot moved at a nice, quick pace for this type of 'crew-gathering' setup. Some of the members get a bit more plot buildup than others, but overall I enjoyed how this story moved; it kept rolling forward.

The characters were a highlight for me, mostly due to Sadir's incredible imagination and his keen sense for comedic genius that'll make you step back and go, "WTF?" I mean, have you ever read a novel where a naked old man with a beard long enough to preserve his modesty is standing on a floating cloud shouting incoherently as he throws exploding fish down at our heroes? I think not. Craziness aside, I enjoyed how each of the characters played off of each other, displaying a literary chemistry that was palpable, and very satisfying. While many of the characters don't necessarily get 'fleshed out' to the level of my personal liking, there were hints of that depth and a good foundation to build upon in future installments. I also really enjoyed the aspect of the two races: demon and human, and how the themes of conflicting cultures/racial tension were handled. This brought a lot of vibrancy to many of the character interactions. Overall, I loved these characters, with my personal favorite being Dog Man, the oft-ignored 'voice of reason' character of the group.

Let's talk about the comedy and the 'feel' of the novel. The Crew lives and dies on its near-constant barrage of comedic flair and colorful cast of characters. The comedy is handled in an almost 'fourth wall-breaking' manner, with many of the characters portraying characteristics or mannerisms more akin to our modern-day than their own setting. Vashi's fist bumps and much of Varcade's dialogue come to mind. While the hilarious banter and absurd situations are the heart of the fun (very much akin to the movie Deadpool), I feel, for me personally, it can be a tad overdone at times. Varcade's childish, carefree nature is part of what makes him so endearing (and he very much is) but, in certain moments, it feels a bit much. ***DISCLAIMER: This is 100% a matter of taste as I know quite a few people who have read this novel and loved this particular aspect, so please take this small portion of the review with a grain of salt. Reservations aside, this novel's 'feel' is so darn unique and refreshing that it'll make an excellent palate cleanser. It does an excellent job of merging the aforementioned comedy with a sort of shōnen anime setup where members of the 'good' team face off in battles against a host of enemies from the 'bad' guy team, which is a group of individuals snorting dust from the bones of dead gods. These 'dusters' make excellent obstacles for our heroes to overcome, and lead to some truly memorable 1v1/group fights.

One other extremely minor critique is the fluidity of the prose, which seemed to be a bit inconsistent in a few minor instances. This wasn't a huge issue for me, and it could simply be due to the fast-paced, zany nature of the narrative, but, in the interest of sincerity, I wanted to at least mention it. I do want to stress though, it could just be due to the nature of the wacky narrative or due to me personally. You very well may have no issue with the prose's fluidity. I'm also certain that Samir will only get better with his prose's consistency moving forward, which is extremely exciting given how many stellar attributes his work already possesses.

All in all, I had an absolute blast with The Crew. If you enjoy fun, you'll enjoy this, and if that sounds cryptic, go find yourself a giant toad to ride on, you onion! ...more

Troy Knowlton is currently reading

The Assassin of Grins and Secrets (Grinning Assassin #1)
by K.E. Andrews (Goodreads Author)