*This review is for the audiobook version*
Overall: I'm not sure if my dislike of the book is due more to the narrator Derek Perkins or the author. This was a veeeeeeery boring listen, that I put on when I'd gone through all my other books, likely due to a few factors: 1) repetitive dialogue (Why do all the characters use the same affected speech without contractions ("I do not know" "I cannot say"), empty/uninformed threats (If you do x, I will be forced to do y) 2) Characters with such potential and interesting back stories who don't learn from prior experience or the experiences of others (how many times must you underestimate your enemy Lee before you stop using terms like "always" and "never"?), 3) Gewey as a main character's name evokes something distasteful every time it is spoken; 4) Gewey's lingering childishness even after it's pointed out in the book by Kaelia, his speech and actions belie his immaturity, so it is unbelievable even after 3 books that he could be anyone's savior; 5) Simplistic, linear dialogue, especially when it comes to when decisions are made. Just a few back and forth phrases and people set out to go long distances or go to war. Really? When someone objects once, they are cut off with a phrase akin to ("I will not be moved" or "Arguing is useless" "You cannot change my mind") 6) by whoever is speaking. Real people don't have conversations like that after cursory objection. 7) Slow pace, even after 3 books. And not a good sense of the boundaries of their world/lands - Does it take weeks to raise an army because travel is slow or because the land is so vast?
These and many other points are why I won't be continuing in this series. The bones are there for a good story and the world is interesting, but the series is just boring because the dialogue really kills it in a story with this many characters. I dont care about any of the characters. I would not recommend the audiobook version. In this case, Derek Perkins adopts a handful of voices and speaks in a bit of a monotone to my ears.