I was really struggling wether to give it three or four stars. I believe that this book deserves a four star rating but from my personal enjoyment point of view it was more of a three star. This is only due to me not getting into the mood of this type of book so it does not seem to be fair to give it a three star rating.

I really enjoyed the characters and the banter between them, that they were not too tropey and I loved the vulnerability as well as all of them having flaws.none of our characters was a typical hero with super powers that is morally perfect. We have a really interesting magic system where tattoos give you certain powers and after the prime tattoo you can pretty much go out and collect all of the powers in the world by finding tattoo artists who will give them to you for a price. I got the feeling that this book is not taking itself too seriously and is making sometimes a little bit of a mockery out of traditional fantasy books without getting into slapstick and too obvious jokes. At the same time you can get into a seriously great atmosphere and I believe the mainly desert setting for a fantasy book to be rather unique.
Sadly the plot felt rather tropey and like it has been done 1 million times. this might be the reason for me having lost interest in following the storyline. After around 70% I caught myself speed reading the description bits and just getting to dialogs but I continue to enjoy a lot. If you are in the mood for a traditional sword & sorcery fantasy adventure with a fun magic system fun characters that are vulnerable and no apparent morally perfect hero in a fantastic desert setting then this book might before you.

Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for providing a copy for review

I never read Fire Beneath the Skin but I did not think it was necessary. They may be in the same world but this is its own journey. Azusa was a strong character you wanted to root for. I fun new fantasy read!

Zayda is a ink mage and also a slave. She tries to become free with the help of an envoy from another country. This fantasy held my interest and I would recommend it to patrons of fantasy.

Victor Gischler creates a complex and mystical wolrd that was easy to dive into. Zayda is sold into slavery to clear her fathers' dept. Chosen as a prime, she is inked with warrior magic tattoos that have been lost for centuries, and found by a powerful wizard when he was lost in the desert. This was a great fantasy full of action and magic during a journey across the desert to remove a slave collar.

A fun, easy read. Nothing of note caught my interest--I lost interest halfway in the book with the switching of perspectives. I liked the whole idea of ink mages but it threw me off in the beginning that they are apparently the most powerful people but they need to be enslaved or have to travel deep in the desert to free themselves.

Zayda is kickass, determined but I still felt a sense of naivety from her.

Peyne was too charming for me and at times I just rolled my eyes but I liked his and Zayda's interaction, especially in the beginning when they couldn't speak each other's language. Peyne was not a believable character to me.

Overall, I would recommend if you want an easy, quick, fantasy read.

An intoxicating and exciting action-adventure with a great storyline, I was captivated from the beginning, the characters are excellent especially the women, who are some real kick-ass fighters. Zayda, Peyne Jaff and Maurizan were in search of a way to rid Zayda’s of her slave color and find a way to avoid the soon coming war. Faced with a power-hungry wizard and his three prime elite fighters, was a monumental task for these four. It paved the way for a deadly encounter that left a badly wounded few and others just not making it.

Zayda is sold into slavery to clear her fathers' dept. Chosen as a prime, she is inked with a warrior magic that has been lost for centuries, and found by the princes' wizard when he was lost in the desert. This was a great fantasy full of action, magic, shipwreck, and an arduous journey through the desert to find a way to remove the slave collar. Great side characters that need their own story. Believable worldbuilding around the magic. I voluntarily reviewed an ARC of this book from Netgalley.

An entertaining and engaging fantasy book!
I loved the world building, the quirky characters and the humour.
It was a fast and fun read.
I look forward to reading other books by this writer.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC. I voluntarily read and reviewed this book, all opinions are mine.

Solid and engaging fantasy! Loved the idea of a strong female warrior and her plucky sidekick/love interest. Sometimes you don't need a macho man in every story. Added a little depth and humor.

In Warrior Prime, Gischler returns to the fantasy world of Helva that he first explored with his ink mage trilogy several years ago. Although it’s the same world and same magical power system, this book features all new characters and you wouldn’t know there were other ink mage books without stumbling on them.

This is a fantasy world of sword and sorcery with the powerful magic of the ink mages provided to them through magical tattoos. This is such a powerful sorcery that when they fight it’s at warp speed like superheroes battling. And, like in a Dungeon and Dragons 🐉 game, mages can gain additional superpowers 🦹‍♀️ by finding wizards who will give them new tattoos. Collect them all and impress your friends! For some, the ink mages are so fearfully powerful that they are enslaved in unbreakable collars that are controlled by nearby remotes. Dare to throw off your shackles and your head explodes! Literally.

This is a fantasy book that doesn’t take itself too seriously. The hero of the book is a drunkard and womanizer with no real experience or fortitude for swordplay. The characters sometimes make remarks to each other that often feel out of place but are witty and sarcastic. It’s a fun journey into the desert on a camel 🐪 like creature that maybe shouldn’t have a name to find lost cities of gold and magic. And it’s a fast easy read.

Many thanks to the publisher for providing a copy for review.

Victor Gischler is best known as an author of crime fiction, but he also occasionally works in other genres, such as his "Ink Mage" trilogy. His latest is set in that same world, but picks up the action 20 years later. So if you haven't read the earlier books, don't worry, as "Warrior Prime" stands out just fine on its own. I don't read a lot of fantasy, but when I do, I look for the same thing I do when I read mystery or suspense novels: a good story with good characters. That's always the bottom line for me, and I'm pleased to see that once again Gischler delivers. If you like swords & sorcery (who doesn't?), with well-drawn characters, this is definitely worth taking a peek.