I loved the previous book in this series, The Pariah, and thankfully this one keeps it going without any disappointment. Once again I was so impressed with how well the author writes characters and builds the lore and history of this world.
I also appreciated the short summary at the beginning to remember the plot from the previous book (because there are a lot of characters and scheming going on). It’ll be a long time until the next book, and I’m sure I’ll need another summary then, too.
If there is any criticism I have, it is that there is a bit of repetition on the grand scale of things. Gathering soldiers, being put in a disadvantageous position, overcoming it (usually thanks to our main character), and then going somewhere else, gathering more soldiers, etc. The cycle works as a source of new characters and a way to kill off others, but I wanted more diverse situations (for example in this book the short stay in a mysterious village).
This was a great read – I hope that the writer can keep it up. I like most of the characters and I am definitely eager for the next book in the series.
My next read is The Premonitions Bureau by Sam Knight.
