Ahoy there me mateys! I received this fantasy eARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. So here be me honest musings . . .

While I enjoyed this book while reading, I find that overall my impression is that it is just an okay read. The book has a very Norse feel to it (in me limited experience) and is about two cultures at war.

The Anakim are the Northerners who have a culture of battle and a deep-seated love of nature. They are long-lived, have an oral tradition, and have very little art. The Suthern folk are more like medieval humans. Both sides dislike the other but have been at a limited peace. Then an upstart Suthern commoner, Bellamus, has a plan to use the Anakim in a plot to gain power and fame. The Northerner, Roper, is suddenly thrust into a position of power when his father is killed. Can he keep the Anakim intact with also fighting a civil war from within?

I felt that the characters, battles, and politics were a little flat. Me favourite sections were the discussions of the culture of the Anakim and particularly their relationship with nature and hardship. I also liked the civil war elements of the Anakim sections and the parts that took place at the Northern keep. Roper’s wife was awesome and I wish she would have played a bigger part.

While in general I cheered for the Anakim side, I did occasionally find Roper to be a ineffectual leader whose successes seemed more lucky than skillful. Also the set-up for the next book was a bit abrupt in the end. I will potentially be reading the next book in the series but will wait for me crew’s reviews before making that decision.

Side note: I wish that fantasy authors would stop using the North as lands of ice, snow, and barbarians and the South as lands of heat, culture, and learning. There be other cardinal points, folks!

So lastly . . .
Thank ye Orbit Books!

Check out me other reviews at https://thecaptainsquartersblog.wordpress.com/