This book is a slight departure from the rest of the books in this series. It follows Vigholf the Abhorrent and Rhona the Fearless. They have been fighting together for 5 years, Vigholf has secretly had a crush on Rhona the entire time. Rhona has been irritated by him for 5 years. They are both linked to the royal family but not part of it. 
 I was getting a little bored with all the royals and their interactions so at first this was a welcome break from all that craziness. I realized about halfway through the story that I kind of missed the royal craziness. It's still a part of the book, just in side stories most of the time and in much smaller doses than I'm used to. 
 It's a very good story and at its base is a very sweet romance between Vigholf and Rhona. It still has all the violence and humor I've grown to expect from Aiken. Of course at this point I really want to know what's going to happen with Eibhear the Blue and Izzy. I'm ready for the next one :)