"Since it's always easier to list all the stones in the shoe than dress the praise in words, I will start with what drove me to great deal of annoyance."

"What Lawson did in his first novel was to show us a very harsh world environment torn in wars. However, he is not the typical one trick pony. What he does with his main character is traveling around the areas unrevealed in book one and presenting an even darker aspect of his universe, which is full with grotesque details and interesting concepts that are downright creepy, if not nauseating at times."

"What I positively loved about the novel was the underlying theme of the traveling man, the holy pilgrimage and reevaluation of faith."

"Despite the off-screen machinations of great rulers and esoteric magics, as well as the incursion of foreigners and alien species, the action here is defiantly local, not the least I suspect, because there's a very "community" feel to the locale (the tavern, the woods, the church and the palace), it all has a relatively cosy feel to it (which is perhaps what makes Sorrow's arrival -- not to mention Hashii's -- so unsettling: both are alien to this place, but not completely unknown)."

The author has created a very real, dark fantasy world and I was able to picture the setting vividly in my mind. The descriptions, mood, and dialogue all help bring Lawson’s detailed world to life. The characters are deftly drawn and come across as genuine people. The prose sparkles with beautifully crafted language.

"This is an opportunity to try fantasy that is not the standard romance of the genre."