For a debut of Stang, this wasn't too bad!
The dark fantasy vibes he's known for in Lamplight is minor compared to the rest of the book. It's more of a character and political drama, with battle scenes and dry humor with a big dollop of gore.



Prose: it's passable

Worldbuilding: there's not a whole lot but there is some. Not enough to satisfy me so I have to dock it a star here.

Dialog: it's the selling point of the book, though a few times characters go on monologuing for a few pages that it loses meaning.

Vibe: stereotypical medieval town with a dark atmosphere but it changes a few times along the way

Plot: I also need to deduct half a star here. It's entertaining enough but there are times when it's too predictable, however, the major plot twists were a surprise

Pacing: slow as molasses, but picks up around the 150 pg mark then goes through several uptick in the pace

Characters: the other up side to this book is characters, though a ton of them are one dimensional, you get a few multifaceted characters to keep you satisfied

All in all, though this is a 3.55/5, I'm still rating this 4 stars because I still enjoyed it, I don't hate that much to give it a 3. Also it's a huge accomplishment of a debut doesn't go lower than 3.5 stars as their part in quality can only go up from there (and we've seen it in Lamplight)

Go in with low expectations and it's a fun ride on KU!

TW: animal death, gore, violence, sexual assault, minor POC trope

3.55/5 Would love to meet Jim again