So this is the first book I have ever won from a Goodreads giveaway! Woohoo! I went in really excited because I have always had a soft spot for a "good villain" main character. And Lynch did not let me down. Locke was a fantastic lead and the story was fun and well created from beginning to end. I usually lump everything I think into one long paragraph when I write reviews, but there are a lot of things to say here, so I'll bullet point:

- The Gentleman Bastards is the BEST name for a group of thieves. I enjoyed their brand of thievery as well, more involved than your common pickpocket. Along with that, the "interludes" with flashbacks to their training with Father Chains were always well placed and the anecdotes well picked. I honestly enjoyed those almost as much as reading the story in present time. It is also a great character development device, as was used to potential.
- The humor. I love a book that makes me laugh, even though the story and the characters are real and dramatic. Lynch nailed the humor.
- Sabetha. I have never before read a novel where a character never once makes an appearance...how original! And intriguing. It really is the thing pulling me towards reading the next one, more than anything else. Locke hasn't seen her in 4 years and STILL hasn't ever been with anyone else. I can't wait to hear more about that storyline.
- The Grey King. The Falconer. Nicely written as far as bad guys go. I was creeped out by them and the bondsmage (as a representation of them as a larger group) was a great character. I do hope to read more about them as well in future books. Cutting off the fingers/tongue. Smart! I will say, revenge is always a perfect motivator, and was well used as a device in this book, but for some reason, the Grey King's story fell just a little flat for me. I wanted a little something else to make his story more compelling than anyone else who ever had a friend/family murdered. That the Berengais twins were his sisters...cool reveal! I hadn't guessed.
- The Spider (and, I suppose, all the nobles) played their parts well. I was so glad she was a woman!
- CALO, GALDO, and BUG. HEARTRENDING. I mean seriously, they all died?!?!?! It happened so fast. I was so attached. And I loved Bug. I cried. I want to hate Lynch for doing it, but it was exactly what the story needed. But STILL! And the offering that Locke pulled off, at the end, of the boat full of the stolen money...that was exactly right. I hadn't even considered that's what he was doing. And it left me feeling so much better about their deaths...satisfied somehow. More than the death of the Grey King, that's for sure.
- At times, the descriptions of the city and it's sections got a bit verbose. Beautiful imagery. Truly. But I think they needed to be cut just a little bit shorter. I ended up skimming large parts of it. Except the parts about the Elderglass. Coolest substance ever. I want some.
- I do believe Lynch fell into the classic trap of: the main characters get beat up and suffer through so much and yet absolutely will not die. Just, borders on the unbelievable is all.
- The story as a whole, the little details, and how everything came together in the end, was just plain nicely done.

While this was not the best fantasy I've ever read, it was really entertaining from start to finish and kept me interested and got me to care. I would definitely recommend it.