I don’t read a lot of classic sword-and-sorcery adventures nowadays, and I went into the book with mixed expectations. But to my surprise, it turned out to be a fascinating experience. The elegant prose and the fairytale-esque landscape is set in a brilliant contrast against the macabre aspects liberally interspersed throughout the story, and they kept me hooked throughout. From moments that are stupendously hilarious to events that are utterly horrifying, no emotion is left untouched.

This is not your conventional good vs evil story, and nothing is as it initially seems. That a few dark elements are to be expected becomes apparent right from the prologue, but as we progress deeper into the story, it keeps surpassing expectations again and again.

The multi-POV presentation was a great fit for the story. Canthorn and Alrix come from opposite ends of the power spectrum, and they complement each other’s personalities very well. While Daese’s role does not become prominent until the later half of the book, her moral conflicts and her evolving impression of the establishment of Templars, whose cause she had once been fervently passionate about, was quite interesting. Lunelle’s unique abilities and her zeal to help the deceased were also brilliantly portrayed. Canthorn’s struggle with addiction was an interesting touch.

And, of course, we have the monsters. The narrator may trick you into believing that you can guess who the bad guys are early on, and the mystery only lies in the discovery of their motives, the extent of their abilities and whether or not they succeed in their ambitions. But don’t be so sure - the book is full of surprises.

When you start, the story feels like looking at an elegant tapestry of beautifully described places and characters. But as you move further beyond the first few chapters, you begin to notice that if you look at it from a slightly different angle, you can see the dark spots under the weave. As you progress through the story, the spots become more and more prominent, and then suddenly the whole thing comes undone, and you are drowning in gore.

Besides the characters, I loved the pacing and level of detail. The lore and background was just enough to provide a solid framework for the story, and no point felt overwhelming. The narration revolved around a small cast of characters, and never meandered into unrelated, far off tangents.

It is one of those stories where everything fits together so well, that it is hard to find something to criticize, even if you wanted to. The magic system is left intentionally vague, and its nuances are never exposed to the readers. While not a big concern for me, I understand that this may disappoint some readers. I did find myself yearning for a deeper exploration of Canthorn’s past, but the author did mention that future books would delve into those periods, and I’d certainly be looking forward to them eagerly.

A few choice quotes:

• Then that itch of newly grown backbone soiled the wisdom of tavern fantasies.

• The more you travel this world, the more you will find there are very few spaces available to anything but hypocrites

• “Not all of us need to ward off the evil spirits,” he said evenly. “Some of us are them”

• Had he gone mad? Yes, but that had happened ages ago. His madness slept beside his sanity like an old married couple.

• if there are any gods, if they have a will and you are a part of it, it will not end well. It never does.