Why do you break my heart so???

This is a book that after the end you have to take a step back to really appreciate where it ended up. I both hated and loved the end and could definitely see why this book has some very conflicting reviews. Not everyone makes it out alive (this is Grimdark Fantasy what did you expect) and when you care about the characters that is always a hard thing. But I really loved how true to the story Cook stayed and how he made me respect and root for characters even when they were apposing each other. So even though so many people died throughout this book in both fantastical and ordinary ways overall I like the story that was told.



Cook does not have a single character that is perfect. They are all so hopelessly flawed and I love that. Raven has been a favorite character of mine since the beginning of the series. But he is somewhat diminished in this. I still love him for a lot of reasons

“Many men admire Raven. He fears nothing concrete. He takes no crap from anyone. People who mess with him get hurt, and the hell with the consequences. But those are the only dimensions he has. They are the only dimensions he permits himself.

While Raven is so smart in tactics, killing and how to be a badass in general he severely lacks in how to deal with emotions. He might be able to kill a man with a devastating blow but he has no idea how to make amends to the girl he ran away from when she admitted her feelings for him. It was a little difficult to see Raven in this new lackluster light. Most of the time in this book I wanted him to suck it up and reclaim his badass nature but I understood his struggle and so his arc was the most heartbreaking for me.

Chase gets some new exciting page time and I loved his devotion to Raven but also I liked how he was able to take on the role of storyteller and give some separate insights into Darling, Raven and Silent. He made their story incredibly interesting and somewhat darkly funny at times.

Raven wasn’t going to talk to Darling unless she made the first move. Silent wouldn’t have nothing to do with Raven on account of he thought Raven was going to try to steal his girl. A girl he never really had. Darling wasn’t talking to Raven because she figured he owed her about twenty giant apologies and he had to pay off before she gave him the time of day. And she was pissed at Silent because he was being presumptuous, and maybe at herself some, too, for maybe having given him grounds for his presumptions. Just between you and me and the pillow book, I don’t think she’s no blushing virgin.

Like GRRM and the Game of Thrones series (I use that reference since it is widely popular and most people have seen the show at least) Cook made me care about characters on all sides of the conflict. Sure I’m always rooting for Darling and crew but he also made me like some of the characters that got us into this mess along with Toadkiller Dog. Even when they are fighting against each other there are people that I really want from both sides to overcome and hopefully not kill each other in the process.

An unlikely crew went to steal the silver spike and from that crew I have to say that I both loved and hated Smed and Fish. Fish because while he is an older guy he is smart manipulative and I knew how he stayed alive all this time. He was fantastic as a character, but he was also in opposition to Darling and so when they clash it is really tense. Smed has survived against all odds and so I have to respect the tenacity with which he finds new ways to keep himself alive.

The fight at the end was intense and when everything starting coming together I couldn’t read it fast enough to see what happened and how it would all resolve. If you like grimdark and you’re not afraid of no HEAs then by all means pick up a Glen Cook book.