Yasmin Angoe bursts onto the thriller scene with the release of her emotional, intense and unputdownable debut novel Her Name is Knight. It’s powerful and visceral, packing a brutal punch that sticks with you long after completion. And you don’t just read this book, you experience it with mind and soul.
Her Name is Knight features Nena Knight, a deadly assassin for a clandestine organization called the Tribe with the charter to fight for the betterment of the African continent and people. Nena is a trained professional and executes those marked for “dispatch” with cool detachment that belies her inner turmoil. You see, Nena has survived unimaginable pain and suffering from her childhood to get where she is today. The only solace is thinking that those responsible have paid with their lives. But when the past re-enters her life unexpectedly, Nena understandably leverages old emotions to guide her decision making in a primal need to get revenge. In the process, it puts those closest to her in mortal danger and Nena must rise up, overcome her triggers and once and for all put the past behind her…and six feet underground.
How do I love Her Name Is Knight, let me count the ways…
One: Great books make the reader feel something and Her Name Is Knight is so chock full of overwhelming emotion that it’s hard to even describe the feeling of reading this book. What Nena goes through in her childhood induces fury, sorrow, angst, anguish, frustration, disgust and a sense of deep unfairness. But as fate intervenes and gives her a chance at a better life those feeling morph into hope and rooting hard for Nena to be victorious while simultaneously praying there’s a scorching pit in hell reserved for the monsters who have hurt her.
Two: Her Name is Knight has two parallel storylines – Before and After – delineated by a major event in Nena’s life. And in a stroke of literary genius, the Before is written in the first person from Nena’s perspective and the After is in the third person. Which makes total sense based on the events in each part of the story, helping the reader to feel the immensely personal struggle Nena endures before her life changes and heads in a different direction.
Three: This book moves at a breakneck speed, building tension until it explodes with hardcore action sequences. That pacing and suspense makes it impossible to put down, yearning to know what will happen next. In fact, I lost quite a bit of sleep reading Her Name Is Knight. Which is possibly the best compliment/endorsement I can give because when you get lost in the pages and only realize how late it is once you finish the book, that’s the hallmark of a killer read.
Four: I’m a sucker for a strong female protagonist and Nena Knight is Strong with a capital S! To survive what she went through as a teenager to become a badass assassin with robust morals and values is incredible. I cannot wait to see what she does next!
I could go on and on about this book, but I’ll sum up by saying it’s simply fantastic! A must read by thriller fans. Yasmin Angoe has the goods and this series has immense potential. I’m eager to see what’s in store next for Nena Knight and if subsequent books are as good as this first one…look out! Because we’ll be looking at the next big star in the genre.
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Purchase Her Name Is Knight
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