<b>3.75 ★★★★
It’s like biting into a stale donut—technically edible, but chewy and harder to swallow.</b>

I have so many brutal criticisms—the review is going to be juicy! If you can’t handle criticism, look away now.

I was ready to rate this book three stars until I reached the final 150 pages, where it resolved most of the issues I had. That’s when the world-building and character development truly shine, showcasing Joe Abercrombie’s signature character work. However, slogging through 400 pages for the plot is a bit much. I imagine most readers will be tempted to DNF before reaching the payoff. The book's structure feels weird—the first 400 pages are essentially one continuous action scene after another. While the action is well written, it’s also predictable and low-stakes, with little variation to keep it engaging. Usually, I devour Abercrombie’s work, but this one took me more than ten days to finish.

I still enjoyed it. It’s better than a three-star, but pales in comparison to his older works.


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<b>The Premise Had So Much Potential</b>

A group of eight unlikely characters, Suicide Squad-style, is ordered by the church to escort a princess safely to the city of Troy—all while fighting deadly hybrids. The cast had everything one could ask for: a cunning vampire, a deadly werewolf, a cocky necromancer, a soft-hearted immortal, a sneaky elf, a struggling priest, and a clever thief. What could go wrong? Well, the answer: ALOT


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<b>Dialogue and Character Development: A Missed Opportunity </b>

The banter between characters was fun—for the most part. But eventually, it became exhausting. Abercrombie never passed up an opportunity for one-liners. In fact, the book wouldn’t feel like such a slog if the dialogue had been toned down or replaced with actual character work. He could’ve used the downtime between battles to develop his characters through explorations of their pasts and current motivations.

Take Vigga, the werewolf—she was constantly horny. If she wasn't tearing flesh, she was riding meat or harassing men.  Her arc didn’t extend beyond that. She embodied everything certain liberals think a "modern woman" should be.

I don’t mind strong female characters - In fact enjoy reading them-  but it’s frustrating when an author goes out of their way to scream, “Look! She’s strong and independent!” instead of simply showing it.

Baron, the vampire, only existed for one-liners. He, especially, played no role in any battle scenes, and there was no explanation for his absence during the fights. It felt as though Abercrombie wasn’t quite sure how to utilize him until the final battle, where he outshines every other character. That scene was easily the most epic moment in the entire book. Perhaps Joe intended to save him for that grand finale? Still, I would have liked some explanation of his whereabouts during the earlier fights. His conversation with the magician toward the end made me chuckle—Baron Rickard is a cunning sadist, and I love him for it, lol.

Then there’s Alex—the thief who suddenly discovers she’s a princess and the rightful heir to the throne. She accepts her fate without question. Initially, I suspected she had a hidden agenda—perhaps stealing from the rich to pay off debts? But I soon realized she was merely a plot device to set off the journey and to bring together the band of "The Devils". Fortunately, she did receive some development toward the end, though by that point, I had already lost interest.

I also felt that three massive battle scenes were a bit overkill. Those pages could have been better spent developing character arcs from the get go, rather than delaying for 400 pages.

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<b>The Political Intrigue? Barely There</b>

The political world-building emerges only in the final few pages—and even then, it’s poorly constructed. The politics are reduced to a gender war: one religious sect ruled by men, the other by women. Men refusing to bow to women and scheming against them. The most *typical* and predictable approach to portraying female empowerment.

Most of the events and historical context were merely hinted at, with the expectation that the reader was already familiar with them. For example the mention of the Twelve Virtues, but never actually explaining what they are. Similarly, the origin of "The Devils" remains unexplored, leaving a frustrating gap in the world-building. Why are the way they are? Why do people like them exist in this world? Is it because of some lab experiment like the hybrids, or are they the chosen ones? Banished ones? 

Another typical trope I had anticipated was the portrayal of the church and religion as inherently negative. The message seems to be that you are your own savior, God doesn’t exist, and to be a good person, you must abandon your faith. While I don’t mind stories that explore the complexities of belief, I prefer when authors present multiple perspectives rather than pushing their own viewpoints onto the reader. 

I’ve read other books where religion is handled with far more nuance. For instance, Brandon Sanderson frequently uses religion as a plot device, but he always presents both sides of the arguments. He never dictates which path is "correct." Instead, he allows the reader to interpret the moral and philosophical dilemmas on their own terms.

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This book had potential, but its execution made it difficult to enjoy. It wasn’t terrible, but it certainly wasn’t Abercrombie at his best.