AmyM

[I won an ARC through Goodreads Firstreads!]I really enjoyed Hawk Quest and growing up with a healthy appetite for adventure stories (as well as fantasy) probably had a lot to do with it. This felt like older adventure stories where the time period wasn't always congruent, but there was enough accuracy to get by. While there were minimal fantasy elements (a ring) I would liken the style more to fantasy than many other historical fiction books, which are usually more attuned to history. This worked well enough for me as I love both genres, but am a bigger fan of fantasy works.The characters are well-rounded and most reside in grey, but the major players could've done with some more development, especially Vallon. Lyndon does a good job in making you care for his cast and you really do want to see them get through their task with their lives intact. Be warned that this author doesn't shy away from death, though! I think he wrote such scenes well and you felt the dire situations that these characters faced, but I guess I'm still a sap because I didn't want them (two at least) to go.In keeping true to the times the women are secondary or tertiary characters, but Lyndon writes them strong in their own ways which I appreciated. Syth was probably one of the more intriguing characters, at least at first with her upbringing. Even with the stock characters, they were all treated with respect and care which helped when some were in really bad situations. There is rape, but its neither glossed over or gratuitous in nature. Its unfortunate and its brutal, but it was treated with realistic gravity. I will definitely check out future books from this author, and am curious to see if he will continue with any of these characters [like Wayland!]. This is a stand-alone novel, but was left open for future installments or companion works. I love a good stand-alone, but when written well I will welcome more! True rating: 4.25/5