As Endric continues his search for the traitor Urik, a new threat emerges, one that demands the attention of the Denraen. Now an officer, Endric should be a part of the planning, but the general seems determined to keep him from it. Endric searches for information that might help him understand, and as he finally thinks he’s getting close to discovering word on Urik, he’s sent from the city on what appears nothing more than a pointless mission.
When an asset he cares for goes missing, Endric betrays the Denraen to go after them, and doing so brings him into contact with the new threat. Endric might be the only one able to respond, but doing so means he must lead, something he’s struggled with since his commission, and means he’s drawn into a game of Urik’s choosing, one where the stakes are his life and the leadership of the Denraen.
Endric is back with his father, now serving as one of his officers after the events at the end of the first book. Endric is doubling down on his training and is almost free of feeling inferior to his brother. Good personal growth, both mentally and physically. There is plenty of unrest to the north and south, with the enemies of the previous book in one direction and a new group to the other. Much cleaner book than the first, with a better flow.
Damn! I was really getting into this one but that one loss at the end really did me on. I wanted to hurl my kindle across the room. 🤬 Wtf. He was the one interesting character in the whole damn series!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Holmberg has the knack. He takes one of the oldest literary tropes, the Hero's Journey, and makes it new again. And he does it in multiple series. I'm a big fan of Timothy Ellis, James Haddock and Glyn Stewart. Holmberg, like them, manages to tell a cracking good story, well plotted w/o a lot of unnecessary explanation. The worlds of his books simply are. And like the others, he moves the plot along in an intelligent and interesting way. The characters are appealing and fit the plot lines. If you're looking for an entertaining 3 or 4 hours, these books will deliver. And, yes I know the plots, characters and circumstances are derivative and some what repetitive. So what? Shakespeare stole all of his plots and many of his characters from somewhere else. Read my 1st sentence again. And then pick up any of Holmberg's (or any of the others I mentioned) and spend an enjoyable 3 or 4 hours wallowing in a well written adventure. It ain't T H Lawrence which is the whole point. It's just plain indulgence and fun.😎
As good as the first book. Endric is again forced to make decisions while knowing little and given answers to even less and his struggle to understand what is going on and how is he supposed to be the leader he is expected to be is well done. Even though the book starts a bit slowly as Endric is lurking around and trying to learn more, when the action starts it's unstoppable and the schemes unleashed are complex and thought-through.
Endric has grown up into a great warrior, if only be believed in himself. He is his own worst enemy. Can he overcome his fears? Will he ever see in himself what others see. Read it for yourselves, fast paced with lots of adventure thrown in. Hope you enjoy this book as much as I did. Happy Reading!!
I really like this story a lot. All the characters are interesting making this a hard book, Kindle, whatever, to put down. I'm just waiting for the next book to come out because there are questions to be answered, nasty bad guys to be dealt with and ancestors to learn about. It should be good.
The 2nd installment brings Endric along his journey nicely. He continues to learn more about the world around him and the power within him. I look forward to following Endric’s next adventures.
Finally back in the Generals Endric accepts a commission as his fathers has been wanting him to. But will he be able to lead men? Will men allow him to lead them. Only time will tell as Endric is still young and still learning.
It's an interesting story even though the writing and pacing are not great. I ordered the third right after finishing it so the author is doing something right ;) let's see if it is finish the series.
Love the storyline, pace and characters. The missed words and fragmented sentences got worse as the book progressed. In fact book one had less errors as well. It was very distracting and several times pulled me out of my intended immersion into the story. But keep up the great work with the series. I'm going to go and grab book three now!