This is an entertaining story that hits a few of my buttons. First of all, I loved Devon, who fits one of my favorite fantasy character types – the strong, older grizzled veteran who is world-weary and lets his actions speak more than his words (think Logen Ninefingers from The First Law or Clay Cooper from The Band). Also, I love when these types of characters have a deeper sense of morals that inspire them to help those in need, or to fight against a greater enemy, and that is Devon.
In this book, Devon (at times grudgingly) agrees to help two siblings who are trying to escape the tsar. (Sidebar note: I listened to the audiobook, and it was annoying the way the narrator consistently pronounced tsar as “tt-zar” almost as a 2-syllable word. I have always heard the word with the silent “t” as “zar”.)
Overall this was well done and ended with some surprise twists and a big cliffhanger. 3.9/5 stars.