Rating: 5 out of 5
I was surprised by how strong this book was. My opinion regarding several of the previous volumes was less than complimentary, but here, the various strings that had been cast were pulled together into a very neat ending.
The anti-Imperial war is going rather poorly, with most of the characters trying to survive in different parts of the continent. My favourite part, oddly enough, was the dual act by Thalric & Cheerwell who worked together surprisingly well. This was a more refreshing plotline to that of Tisamon, who, unsurprisingly, is walking around (well, not quite…) and killing people—all for a conjured up slight. I found Tisamon to be quite poorly written overall.
Stenwold’s storyline is more exciting than before but nothing overly glorious though the first look into the Commonweal was very interesting. Salma’s I found again most excellent, especially the way Mr Tchaikovsky managed to described what motivated this character. It’s quite odd that some characters, motives, and plans are written very well while others are dull, but there really is a distinct difference.
Very pleased with this book!
