So I went into this not quite sure what I'd be getting into other than I'd heard to it referred as some of the grimmest of dark fantasy. There's no denying that it is indeed grim and very, very bleak. Truthfully its borderline horror whilst having its roots firmly in fantasy. The protagonists are a very mixed bunch, not exactly likable but I did want to find out more about them. Also interestingly, the MC in a way ends up not being the MC at all. There were decent twists and the ending/cliffhanger were good but not what I expected at all, I actually wanted to throw the book across the room as it's not what I wanted to happen but that doesn't make it bad. I would only say that for me personally it was a bit of a slog due to the bleakness and I love grimdark as a subgenre but I looking forward to reading the sequel next.