This book was somewhere between "it was okay" and "I liked it". I will continue with the series so I think I'm closer to "I liked it" than not.

I enjoyed the characters, and with my first exposure to reading anything from Lawrence I wasn't sure what to expect. The characters are unique but I couldn't shake the feel that Jalan was similar to Locke Lamora of the Gentleman Bastards series.

I also feel that the ending was a little flat. There was a climax at the Black Fort but it was a little underwhelming. I would have preferred to have our weary road warriors a little more downtrodden or have the odds even stacked more against them. Instead the conclusion felt rushed, like a page limit was set and Lawrence had to quickly put a bow on things.