Ah, should've expected it, but still a disappointment how much the story stalls in this one. Well, happens to the best too (Song of Ice and Fire from Crows onward, anyone?). Increasing the number of sex scenes doesn't really take the narrative forward--although it might attract new pubescent readers. Well, I'll probably wnat to see the story to the end, the first installment was very good for a high fantasy novel, anyway.

Re the audio version: the reader is worse than the previous one, but not *that* bad. The narration bits are actually quite good at times, but he does ruin the dialogue by making Arlen sound like a retarded Arkansas cowboy. Hence the two stars.

I want to love this book. I really do. The magic system is cool, the demons are cool, and Arlen Bales aka The Warded Man aka Magical Batman (at this point, maybe Superman) is cool. In fact, I think Brett does a good job getting inside the mind of most of his male characters, and he makes them feel realistic (to a point), flawed, and relatable. Given the despicable nature of some of those characters, that's no small feat.

What does not work, and what this book focuses on for much too long, is the way the female characters are portrayed. Entirely too much of the arcs of the main female characters is focused on what they mean to the man they are fixated on. In truth, it's the driving force behind the chapters devoted to Leesha, Renna, and even Inevera. The blatant use of female sexuality as a weapon and tool, likewise, belongs to an archaic kind of thinking that is best left to writing from a less enlightened age.

If the rest of the books in the series focus on the male characters, that will be a very good thing. Because while the male characters have lots of interesting politics and battling and humanness on offer, the female arcs manage mostly to serve as an example of why paternity tests should be mandatory.

While I would never advocate starting a series anywhere but at the start you could probably read this book without having read the previous ones.
It ends on a cliff hanger.

First of all, I love love love, the cover!
I really liked Inevera point of view and even though the book is quite interlocutory in the overall plot, I was caught in it. Seeing how things had evolved but from the POW of other actors was wuite interesting. Strangely enough, I found Arlen's POW quite boring if compared to the previous book.
I'm more than ready for the grand finale now, indeed I'l go have a look if it's already out

A disjointed start but comes together nicely about a third of the way through.

I absolutely adore this series of books, which I consider to be one of the best fantasy series released in the last ten years. The Warded Man and the Desert Spear were both amazing books, and this one does not disappoint. Despite a cliffhanger (hehe, no pun intended-- that's a joke you'll get once you finish the book) of epic proportions, I would still highly recommend it.

3.5 similar issues as the second book to much character backstory, but enjoyed the story moving forward a bit more.