Will Scarlet takes a turn narrating sections of this book, and while it makes for a more entertaining read than the first volume due to his relatively high spirits and colloquialisms, it takes away from the time of other characters and in the end this book drags just as much as the first. Bran is still severely underdeveloped, the Normans don't get enough page time to show their stories, the romance didn't fit in with the story, and the battles were lackluster. Lawhead has a wonderful grasp of history and a lot of great ideas, but his execution is poor.