Note: I would rank this book a 5, but the series as a whole is trending in at around 3. Book 1 ends on a cliffhanger and each book just seems to be a next chapter to continue the story, so it feels like they should be ranked a whole.
This book opens with Dusk, enslaved in the salt mines, he is a shell of a human, just struggling to get to the next day. His time at the mines is coming to a close (slaves change ownership every ten years) and on his final day he stumbles upon dragon remains. He manages to leave with a crystal eye and escapes his slavers.
The opening is visceral and striking, it pulled me in immediately. Along the way Dusk meets new folks and companions and encounters new challenges as he tries to find his way to freedom.
It is written in a single POV (which is a detriment, I believe in the later books, but less so here). The best part of the first book is seeing Dusk come alive. He goes from uncaring, and a tad callous to a brave and caring (and a little naive) individual.
The world building is done well, with magic mostly gone from the world except for those who use the remains of dragons.
Book 1 is very much a journey in which Dusk and his new companion, Lex, just keep getting captured and escaping (and this is essentially what goes on through most of the series, plus another companion, Tara). It gets a little tedious after 4 books. And the story adds elements, challenges and capabilities, but it is still mired in being a road trip book. Book 1 ends on a cliff hanger and there isnt much of a conclusion for any of the books.
There is no romance in the first book and very little even later, so it is very much a fantasy adventure book. It is not very comedic, though some banter starts arising more in the later books.
Recommended for those who enjoy reading about people finding themselves while battling bandits, rogue magicians and goblins (not in that order).