This was a fantastic lighthearted classic adventure, with a fleshed out world and moving cogs and subterfuge going on in the background--which is where I often prefer them to be! I enjoy the rich tapestry of works like Tolkien and Wheel of Time, but too often fantasy gets bogged down by political details, and world building, and narrative-exposition. I can appreciate these extremely nuanced details in fantasy in a cursory way, but I often only read through them to get to the core story and characters I love. Sometimes this even feels like a chore. 
 And "chore" is the exact opposite of what I would call Theft of Swords. At 650+ pages, it was nothing but a joy to dive into every time. I felt like a kid waking up for a new episode of my favorite Saturday morning cartoon. You're just dropped into their world, and you pick up the details when and where you need to, with no loss to the story as a whole. 
 I've seen some complaints that it is too light and sparse on the finer details. And I can see that, especially if this is the type of thing someone really looks for. But even so, there's so much to enjoy that I can't see it being a huge drawback for most. 
 Royce and Hadrian are now possibly my favorite duo in fantasy. Their relationship with each other is perfectly fleshed out as incredibly close in the most subtle of ways--the least subtle of which being their absolutely hilarious,and realistic, banter. I appreciate that both characters are quite different in personality and methods as well. 
 The other characters are great as well--allies, villains, and the ones you can't quite decide on yet alike. Especially Myron! Alric, Essrahaddon, Magnus, Mauvin, Saldur, Luis Guy--all great in their unique ways. 
 Which brings me to a very minor complaint. The female characters are a bit lacking in screen-time and worthwhile moments. There are even a few times where their sole role appears to be damsel or emotional breakdown (and by them, I mean Arista and Thrace--not the forgettable love(?) interests of Hadrian and Royce, who are treated with far less characterization than the main duo's weapons, so I don't know their names). By the end however, both Arista and Thrace both have their shot at a couple of strong and memorable moments. I hope this is a promise of real growth to come! 
 In that same vein, the second half (and "book" I guess) seemed to have a few too many moments of melodrama. Most frequently from one of the female characters, but not exclusively. Thankfully, they were not long-lasting. In general, I think the first half/book was the superior one--a perfect, tight adventure. In fact, in the first half, where Arista is introduced, I thought she was a pretty fantastic character--but not until the very end of the second book did I see a return to this side of her. The second half was where the occasional melodrama happened too. And worst of all, an utter lack of MYRON!! 
 Even so, these are the most minor of complaints. The whole book is a solid 4.5 stars with promise of incredible growth. I round up to the full 5 stars because it was just so FUN! Like I said, a 650+ pg book that feels so fun the whole time. I have so much else on my reading-pile scheduled out, but I'm very much leaning towards picking up the sequel and starting it tomorrow.