I thought this book would never end. Finishing this book proved to be a challenge. I loved the first law trilogy but this was utterly disappointing. The narrative was bogged down by excessive banter and a convoluted political landscape that was difficult to navigate. The multitude of characters introduced became a task to track, and the extensive buildup often culminated to both lackluster and predictable conclusions.

The premise of this book is intriguing—a girl banding together with an eclectic mix of mercenaries and former foes—but the execution leaves a lot to be desired. The plot feels scattered, all over the place, and lacks depth. I struggled to empathize with the main character; partly because the relationship between her and her brother isn’t compellingly depicted, and partly because her character is poorly developed. She claims to have led a thousand swords—an army of mercenaries—for eight years, yet she exhibits no leadership qualities throughout the narrative. It is mostly other people doing the work and calling the shots for her. She relies heavily on treacherous criminals and foes who are ready to stab her in the back.

With that being said, there are certain parts and characters that are really well done. Unfortunately, the good parts are buried under a pile of boring pages. The needed better editing. 

The two characters that stand out are Nicomo and Morveer. They carried the whole book for me. The character of shenkt is intriguing and I hope to see him return.

Unfortunately, the poorly written sex scenes make a comeback. They are even more detailed and gross than in the previous books. I think Joe should refrain from writing these kinds of scenes. You can tell the author is as straight as a stick because he thinks dipping into someone’s posterior is wet and sloppy when, in fact, it’s usually a messy endeavor. IYKWIM, lol."