Grim, but beautiful like a mix of fairy tales, Oliver Twist, and A Series of Unfortunate Events. Arthur's story is realistic and filled with hope in times of darkness. I like that Arthur didn't end up becoming a messiah figure like many other fantasy books. He has a few extra skills, but his greatest strength comes from his ability to see the good in others. He trusts those of whom people are usually suspicious of, and he remains truthful and polite. He's not the stereotypical sly fox, which is wonderful in a book about battling class and race discrimination. The only fault I found was in the pacing. Parts one and two are more slow and steady, while everything sort of jumps into action all at one in Part three. It gets a bit action-crowded compared to the rest of the book.