The fifth book in a series of six makes it clear that things are heading toward the grand finale, but just as clear that the finish line isn’t close yet. And that gaining the upper hand might be hard for either side.
By the end of the fourth book, Shanti and Cayan had freed Cayan’s hometown from The Hunter’s grasp. But things are still quite turbulent as the people are licking their wounds, a mix of people from different cultures gathered in a single town, and it’s clear that it’s about time to be on the move, but the main question is still unanswered: where to? For while enemies are aplenty in the land, the whereabouts of their leader is unclear.
Sanders, who is a traditional soldier, becomes quite a lively character here, about to lose his mind on several occasions as he grapples with the current state of things, and this provides a strong comic element, along with Shanti’s crazy stolen horse, whose name, “Bloody Bastard” for its temperament, seems to now be pretty much official.
As the book title would suggest, Shanti and the – more colorful than ever – gang around her move on and besiege a city with a strong enemy presence, finally going on the offensive. But things are never easy, and while both Shanti and Cayan tend to just rush things, it’s not without preparations that let other characters show of their skills. It’s the teamwork and all the characters with their various talents that make this book shine, because it’s not just about a pair of heroes, but also about the people they inspire to follow them, and the progress they make with their own skills.
Read date: 4.10.-11.10. 2026
Published: 11.5.2016
Goodreads/Amazon rating: 4,4/4,6
My rating: 90%
Length: 372 pages
My highlights
The series keeps its spirit with a great cast of characters, a good mix of action and humor, and a fast pace (which is likely the result of the individual books being shorter). That said, it seems that both Shanti and Cayan don’t have as much space left to grow, and thus the development is more offloaded to secondary characters, especially her “Honor Guard”. There are also some smaller scenes focused on providing a glimpse of the enemy’s side, and those are done well to support tension without telling too much.
