While I don't think 3 stars are particularly low by any means, the fact that i enjoyed the predecessors, makes this a bit of a bad outing.

Saying that, I'm also very aware that i read the previous book - King of Thorns - so long ago, that it took me awhile to get invested in the story because I'd forgotten everything!

However, once i was able to get invested in the story again, there were a lot of things going for it but equally a lot that wasn't. For me, this was mainly the time hopping, the internalising and to an extent, the main character himself.

Jorg Ancrath is by far one of the most unlikeable characters i've ever come across but where Darrow in Pierce Brown's Red Rising series has an inept reasoning and somewhat justification for his actions, Jorg's motivations are shallow and based at its core.

While the writer in me marvelled at the extent of his insidiousness and depravity in the first two books, the reader in me got annoyed with his continued lack of care for basic things such as friends and family. I understood that he'd been broken irreparable after his ordeals - abuse at the hands of priests was a particularly shocking scene - but to not have learned much about redemption for others or himself during that time was a bit much.

While there was a lesson learned nearest the end, it came almost too late so rang unrealistic. Why now? Why this? After everything you've ever said?!

The story is incredibly clever in its post apocalyptic nature and the mesh of future-turned-feudal world was amazing to read but just fell off a little at the end.

I do recommend people read it though, just to understand how infuriating Jorg is and at times how clever, witty and actually quite wise he really is.