This was a banger of a sequel. Tons of action, intrigue, and betrayal. I couldn't have picked a more perfect read for myself at the moment. It's exactly what I was looking for. 

I've often heard readers claim that such and such fantasy series has the best fight scenes or the best battles, but I'm thinking Bernard does it best. Here, the battles felt natural to the story, character, and setting. I think the reflective narrative contributed to the success of those scenes. For example, Uhtred, telling his story in a memoir like first-person narrative, likes to point out which moments have faded in recollection and which have stuck with him. It gives the brutality of the scenes more complexity. Plus, the plot and pacing gave variety to each and every fight or battle. It was just well done overall. 

Beyond the fights, I find myself invested in most of the characters and can't wait to see how Uhtred navigates his slice of history.

I did the audiobook narrated by Jonathan Keebler, which I would recommend. However, it doesn't look like the whole series his narrated by him. I'm disappointed. My library has the next book with Tom Sellwood, and then in book 4, it's back to Keebler. After that, it's a new narrator every other book. Hopefully, the changes won't ruin my enjoyment of the series. I'll just have to read and find out.