I received a copy of this book from the publisher via Netgalley. 
 When I first started this book I was expecting something with the same impact of Derr's Lost Gods series, which happens to be one of my favorites in the genre. I'm afraid to say I was a little disappointed, though. While the story started out very well, I soon lost a lot of my interest in it. The secondary characters never flesh out and remain flat for most of the story. Even the main character, Raffe, is unapproachable because he lacks emotional depth. It's a shame because Derr has created such an interesting fantasy world and I would have liked to have experienced it more through the eyes of the characters. I just didn't feel any emotion from any of them. 
 The plot itself is good, if a bit confusing at first. There was a of of worldbuilding and description which made me feel bogged down at times. That being said, the creatures and the different classes of characters were really cool. 
 There were also some spelling errors which will hopefully be fixed in the final version. 
 I will still give the next book in the series a shot because I love the author's imaginative creatures and the world she has created. And because I am a big fan of Megan Derr. This one just missed the mark for me.