This is a light and fun fantasy that happens to be mostly traditional in that it features kingdoms, elves, betrayals, a wizard and a big bad monster and a broken sword. 
 And oh, yeah, two lovable rogues, a princess, a prince, and a geek. Um, sorry, I mean monk. 
 It's really all about the adventure, adventure, adventure. 
 This book was originally two smaller volumes that was combined into one, and I'm not quite sure that combining them was really the proper way to go about it. Do they really fit together all that well? Sure, in terms of characters, but not really in terms of flowing story. Years pass between the books and the individual adventures are pretty much complete unto themselves. Still, it may not matter that much. 
 Both are an enjoyable romp, even if it's pretty traditional Sword and Sorcery. So what are the real differences, as opposed to the many, many similarities to the rest of the Traditional Fantasy Adventure? Mostly it's in the elves, superior to humans and also the great losers in a long lost war. Our main surprises revolve around them, too, whether in long-plot or characters, so hold your horses. Or not. There really are too few horses in this Fantasy, and that's a feature, not a bug. :) 
 This is not gritty and definitely not grimdark, which I happen to think is a good thing. The focus is on the story and the characters and in securing life, limb, and kingdom. :) 
 The writing is clear and easy. I'm more than willing to continue on with this series to see where it heads.