Prince of Thorns impressed the hell out of me. Jorg Ancrath is the best kind of protagonist: flawed, stumbling, sometimes evil. He's human, and has that greatest of human capacities: the ability to make mistakes, learn from them, and drag the world forward with him.

Jorg doesn't disappoint in the 2nd installment in the series. If anything, his sharp wit, dark perceptive humor and almost precognizant read of complex situations develops. Lawrence ups the stakes in King of Thorns, and takes a complex, layered approach to his story that's more daring than book 1 of the series. It's a risky move, but one that he pulls off with grace, resulting in a book that's poignant and compelling. It tips its hat to the requisite fantasy tropes while pulling the genre in a new and exciting direction.

Lawrence joins Brett, Rothfuss, Lynch, Martin, Novik and Mieville as one of the bravest and best new voices in fantasy. With King of Thorns, he has absolutely secured my loyalty as a reader.