In a word: Phenomenal!
Ok, I’ve been a fan of TR’s since he first started this whole Oriceran trip that he’s been on, and it has been a great pleasure to watch his writing and style of writing evolve over the years.
If you’ve read any of my reviews, there has been a definite pattern from book to book and also from series to series of continuous improvement. Both his stories and his characters have gradually acquired more depth until we reach the point where we have THIS book that is seemingly both simple and complex.
The “battle” scenes are perhaps the only element which are consistent across all of his series. I imagine TR must either be quite expert in multiple styles of fighting or takes the time to fully choreograph each fight sequence because the level of detail he brings to those is remarkable. Unlike his earlier books in which the “ action” scenes took center stage, here, even though the book launches into action from the get go, it’s all about the story/characters. At least that’s how it feels to me.
I was actually quite surprised when I hit the end of the book. I started reading it just before dinner and quickly became so lost in the world he was painting that I finished it just before climbing into bed. Well, let’s be honest, I had no intentions of going to sleep until I finished it. It was just that good.
Now, on the next morning, I find there’s nothing specific I can point to that makes it so good. Superficially, this might even be his most superficial story to date. But how it’s “assembled,” the way in which the characters come together and the plot develops, it’s all just so engaging that it’s simply his best work yet. As I said…. Phenomenal, and since the second book is already out, I’m off to find and pull that out of my digital TBR pile and dive in.
Enjoy!