This book is largely a coming-of-age story. There are three main characters the author follows through their formative years. It isn’t until the very end of the novel that the paths actually connect between the three. This is both positive and negative in my mind. It’s interesting to see how each character develops on their own and events that shape them into who they are, but there are parts I think would have been a bit more interesting if the characters were connected to the others that Brett was following.

The writing was great, the events were believable and progressed believably. Concerns the characters had as children ended up being major character development points, which was good to see. All in all, I truly did enjoy reading this book and I was sucked into it in a way I didn’t expect. It took me a good chapter before I started to care, but after that I was really pulled in.

The only flaw I can see with Brett’s book was that some parts, to me, had almost no reason to be in the book. Without giving too much away I will point to an event that is somewhat controversial that happens in the last 10% of the book. To me, it was totally unbelievable. The character didn’t quite react believably and I can see almost no point in it being inserted in the book. That was a detraction to me. I wonder if the author inserted it to be more edgy or something.

This book is built on a unique premise. There are demons which come out of the earth every night and the humans have to stay behind warded lines to stay protected. Very unique. There are also some unique perspectives on religion. The events aren’t driven by prophecy, as is common in fantasy novels, which I enjoyed. They unfold because of passions the characters have. None of the characters come from wealthy, upper crust families. They are all run-of-the-mill common, which is another refreshing plot point.

His world is very unique and very well developed. There were some minor plot issues I had but other than that it was a joy to read and I am anxiously moving on to the next book in his series “The Desert Spear.” I believe this was Brett’s first work, so my complaints are very few and very minor for someone who has published his first fantasy book.

I also need to throw out a comment on the author. I wrote Brett and asked him about character development for this novel and he actually wrote me back. This really impressed me because a lot of authors don’t take the time to write back their fans. So, I am a Peter V. Brett supporter.

I recommend this book for anyone who enjoyed Brent Weeks “Night Angel Trilogy,” people interested in reading books that break away from the “same old, same old,” series that build on previous books, multiple points of view, and of course fantasy fans.