A reaper at the gates

3.5 stars. Still enjoyed most of the story, but it definitely dragged a bit in the first half. Also, was disappointed in how the author treated the Blood Shrike in this book. She came off as criminally stupid against Keris, and it seemed to be solely in service of the trope of making the enemy seem almost impossible to defeat. But honestly, I'd much rather not have that trope if it meant the Blood Shrike not stupid just for the plot.

I've read the first three of these. They are full of incident, suspense, action and despair. They are very dark - lots of blood, death and destruction. The main characters are agonised and full of self-reproach, with Silver-Surfer syndrome piled on high. Good people are mass killers, and evil mass-killers are really good people if only you look at it right.

It's also grim. If there were any jokes, they passed me by. I needed to read some Sandman Slim after this.

Helene is the best character ever. ember novel series would be the same without her and her character development through out all 3 books