Here's what I love about this book: scoundrels. Fantasy has gotten pretty dark of late and many books feature anti-heroes and dark or grim types but the members of the underworld featured in The Barrow have have uniqueness and panache. They enjoy their dastardly deeds and they carry them out with a bit of flair. Whereas Game of Thrones (which I enjoy) is largely peopled with bloodthirsty pragmatists the heroes and villains in The Barrow like to take risks and have a bit of fun.Any chapter with Leigh is a good one. I spent a few moments at one point wondering if there wasn't just a bit too much of the lurid and prurient in this story; it seemed gratuitous and there seemed to be one too many brothel scenes early on but this was balanced out nicely. The characters were surprisingly complex (which is an absolute rarity in Fantasy). This is not a book for the prudish. There are a lot of graphic sex and depraved sex scenes. I'm one of those people who do not mind graphic sex as long it is between consenting adults. I do draw the line at rape and child porn. I am glad the author chose not to cross the line which I found interesting. How many fantasy books have rape as a plot point?Despite the erotic nature of the book, there are swashbuckling characters, action and adventure that kept me turning the pages from the prologue to right to the end. The characters, especially Erim and Stjepan, are wonderfully realized and human in their motivations. My only annoyance was the incredibly detailed world building. There were so many names, places and events that it jarred me from reading as I had to stop and constantly refer to the glossary.
There's plenty to like here, but it needed a bit more intensity for me.
—chelsea
The best thing about this book was the cover art.
—FknLiz
Excellent book! I want more, please.
—Rona
