Rating: 3 out of 5
I think I became progressively less interested in the well-being of the characters as the plots became more complex. The ending was a nice one — a good, well-timed and executed move, but overall, the majority of this deals with conflicts between two kings and Yarvi shuffling between everyone doing his own thing. Admittedly, the twists and action make for a nice story but I was expecting either something more or something less.
Skara, however, is a wonderful character. Her parts make for a very good read — especially how she manages to “conquer” the two kings, and the small pieces of her education that come back later on. She also develops massively during the story. The heroine of the story is perhaps also the part in here that I was most surprised Mr Abercrombie was able to write so well — generally, the characters he has succeeded in are quite different.
