Smashed through this book. Same level as Jhereg.
Loved it!
Didn't realise there were so many of these books written.
I will read the first 4 then whichever others I have.
Hope the standard stays as good. ( )

Continuing my reread. A fun book but not as strong as the first. ( )

This is the story of how Vlad met Cawti, which is as violent as you expect. Basically a boss of another area is trying to hone in Vlad's area, by setting up a gambling game just inside of Vlad's Territory. Of course, it goes from bad to worst. Its actually a fairly typical early Vlad book - no politicical movements, no judgment of morality.

This book is fun, but doesn't add a lot to the complete story, except that a better Dragon Heir is found, and theres a bit on Dragaeran Genetics. ( )

A fun multilayered fantasy story in an interesting setting. The are moments, particularly in the last third of the book, where the political complexities become almost impossible to follow, and not so much because they are complicated but because of how they are being untangled, but it all sort of makes sense in the end. The main character, Vlad, is a lovable sort of underdog. Even though he's the boss of his own mob territory he spends most of the time hobnobbing with some of the most powerful people in his nation, and sometimes this results in the other characters doing a lot of the work for him, but he turns around and pays it all back by figuring out the central question of the plot.

Ultimately, although there is some fun gang war violence, a whirlwind romance that I didn't quite believe, and a pile of lore to digest if you're into that sort of thing, the book is actually structured more like a mystery, where the climax depends on Vlad figuring out whodunit and why. The first book in the series was structured on a similar vein, so if you liked that one this offers more of the same, although I did find the plot of the first book more more tight and the characters a little more believable in Jhereg. ( )

Quick, fun and convoluted story of a mafia battle in a fantasy setting. Definitely better than that description would make it sound. ( )