I received this book in exchange for an honest review. I didn't read the first novel so I can't say book 2 was better or worse but I can say it was long. I had a hard time sticking with the read although there was plenty of action, the book just felt long. I do like the writers style and the characters were great but I think the book could have been shorter which would have made it a better book. ( )

I felt the storyline was more interesting than book 1 in the series - lots if action, almost too much fighting for my taste, but more entertaining for sure. My main complaint is that despite this improvement, the novel felt stretched. I am normally a fan of long novels, but I had to make myself read it to the end, as I lost interest a few times. ( )

Eh, can't say my favourite genre of reading is the fantasy, ancient regime, but this book did have some redeeming qualities. The story itself was interesting, but the first couple chapters weren't that clear or easy to follow. About the middle of the book is where readers get hooked in. A fair read, giving the chance. ( )

I already read the first in the series which gave me a bit of a headache due to the (difficult) language used. As I received this book through the Member Giveaway program I felt obliged to read / review this second book as well.
So why no stars? Because I really did try but struggled to get past the first half of the book for the same reasons. For what it is worth, the plot in the first half of this book seems more consistent (but as I did not read it through, things may change further on) and could have been quite enjoyable with the main person, Baus, being sort of kidnapped by pirates and being drawn into their plots. So what stopped me from finishing the book? Again the language.

Please Chris, turn back to the writing style of Denibus Ar and I'm more than willing to review future books but I will not be bothered with books in this writing style...

This book was tough to read. Literally. I had to make myself read it due to one major issue: the language.

You get the sense that Chris Turner loves the English language, from his wide and varied diction. This meant that the book's greatest strength and greatest weakness is its language.

I had I hopes from the introduction, which is very strong. The first sentence "Baus, an impulsive young man, seemed destined to become an outlaw". The sentence is attention catching and promises an adventurous story-line. This is supported in random moments in the book, such as a dead soldier described as having "sad, fish-hungry eyes", which is a very effective use of imagery.

However, at many times, I didn't understand what was going on because there was too much descriptive language, which tended to confuse me as to what was happening. This wasn't helped by the fact that many words (such as 'ophidian', 'obdurate' and 'obstreperous') were obscure (to me), and didn't seem necessary and actually detracted from the "magic" of reading.

While Baus was initially a curious and engaging character, as the book developed, I lost the goodwill I held towards him. Although he is a Rogue, he should have at least some redeeming qualities, if not only to endear him to the reader. And again, the language didn't help in forming a reader-character bond. It made his less redeeming qualities (his lack of hesitation to take advantage of others was most prominent) more obvious and obscured his good qualities (of which I couldn't see).

I really tried to like this book. The plot was decent and the opening had a lot of promise. But unfortunately, it didn't suit my tastes and in the end, I had to force myself to finish the book.

Disclaimer: I got this book from the librarything members giveaway. I wasn't asked to write a positive review. ( )