I saw this in the library and, since I already read The False Prince, I was like, "GET. ME. THIS. NOW." So I got it, along with The Shadow Throne. I had seen that people hadn't liked it on Goodreads, so I had prepared myself. But this? I didn't expect this. This was fantastic. 
 Plot: The plot was, hands down, one of the best elements of the book. It had many twists and turns, just like its predecessor. The plot is so unpredictable that eventually I just gave up on guessing where it was going to go next. The synopsis reveals just about enough to get you started in the book and a clear idea of where it's going to go next. This was an A+ plot and I really think the plot is one of Nielsen's writing strengths here. So many plot twists. So many. So many characters that Jaron knows randomly appearing out of nowhere just to spur on the plot. (Does that matter? No.) 
 Characters: I'll have to admit. The characters were...good? I guess Roden was okay. Mott was meh. I liked Imogen and Amarinda, though. Imogen was portrayed more in this edition and I appreciated that. I think we really have a feel for her character now. But Jaron? 
 WHAT HAPPENED TO HIM I ASK YOU. 
 Seriously. I have no idea what happened to Jaron over a month. We leave him for a month, and poof, he's changed. Sure, he still has that humor that we all love. That's great and all, I guess, but he is not clever. He has all of these crazy "plans" that are really just hinging on him getting a lucky shot or something. Each "plan" is different, but they ALL. REQUIRE. EXTREMELY. GOOD. LUCK. (view spoiler)[If you need proof of this, Jaron challenged Roden to a duel when he had a broken leg. What kind of logic is this? (hide spoiler)] 
 I liked the different characters they introduced here, and the character development for previous ones, but TELL ME WHAT HAPPENED TO JARON I'M BEGGING YOU. 
 Writing/Humor/Style: The writing was fine, I suppose. Each character had his/her own unique traits. And the humor...I loved the humor. Jaron helped lighten things up when things were tense and helped me relax to read the book. But honestly, HOW SMALL ARE THESE COUNTRIES? They are COUNTRIES, and apparently it takes a day to pass one? It took the Pony Express 3 weeks to go back and forth across this country, and I do NOT THINK that there are 21 states in a straight-across path. ARE YOU TELLING ME THAT CARTHYA IS SMALLER THAN A STATE? HOW MUCH LAND DO THESE COUNTRIES SHARE? 
 Anyway. The pacing was good. At first it seemed a little confused on where it was going, but after a while it got the idea and set off on its destined course. 
 Overall: I really liked this book. It was a great read and I'm going to immediately read The Shadow Throne. NIELSEN, HOW DARE YOU LEAVE US ON SUCH A CRAZY CLIFFHANGER. I NEED TO READ THE NEXT BOOK NOW. 
 4/5.