This is a gritty book that manages to be gritty without grimdark. It's all about war and the succession of kings, but it's a damn good story with nice world building.

The big question to me, is whether or not you want to bother with another epic story from the Nordic regions.

A bit of warning for some readers: This is closer to some sort of fake historical novel that what you may think of history. While the series may change, at this point there is no magic. Fake countries and races are all the fantastic elements.