This book is so fantastic and fun. It will make you laugh and cry and it was probably one of the best books I ever bought!!! Warning though, not for the faint hearted, this is a rather violent book full of bawdy jokes and characters who you grow to love.

Personally I think Joe is probably one of the best fantasy writers today, so I waited with a lot of anticipation for this book, and afterwards, I still feel the same. Have to say I tend to listen to the audible versions, because while I don't doubt my own imagination, Steven Pacey's narration in the First Law series utterly captivated me, so why deny myself that with new characters! And as many others have noted in the reviews here, its the characters that Joe manages to create, that the reader will fall for. Yes, he remains certainly amazing at portraying battles and violence...just read/listen to The Heroes, to get an idea of that, but his ability to create characters you can emotionally invest in, remains truly remarkable. Hope there's more to come.

Before you start, sit comfortably. And brace yourself... Once you open this book, the action starts fast. Then, things speed up. Again, and again, and again. This is like watching an Hollywood action movie. A very good one. A gorgeous, very lively and believable setting. Non-stop life threatening action, and equally non-stop witty banter between the characters. Characters whom we all grow to understand and love more and more with each chapter, and wil remember for a long time afterwards. All in all, a great book for fantasy lovers. It has a bit of everything, and does everything really well.

Repetitive, predictable, shallow, grotesquely violent, profanity ridden and incredible immature Loved it

A rag tag bunch of the Holy Empire’s best kept secret- The Devils (ahem, prisoners boasting unique skill sets caught in the wrong place and at the wrong time). Are forcibly bonded and tasked with restoring the princess Alexia, starving gutter rat and dubious liar, to her rightful throne of Troy. A historical country with a ruinous legacy of regicide and ready to topple at any moment. This is, sadly for brother Diaz, not a quest for the faint hearted or those of delicate sensibilities. There are diabolical creatures and three heirs to battle. Brilliant new series from a master of fantasy. I enjoyed guessing who the real baddie was the whole way through the book and how Abercrombie kept steering us toward different suspicious characters. Of which there are plenty. The devils throws out plenty of barbs, crude humour and cruel irony that fans of The Blade Itself will recognise, and newcomers will find enthralling. Particularly in Vigga, the werewolf who embodies all this and a repressed memory that along with her cohort’s own origins navigate how bittersweet life is. And in the case of Brother Diaz and his abrasive handlers, romantic souls fighting against political machinations and the power of doctrine wielded like a blunt instrument or a deadly feather-light bargain. Their fate is inescapable…or is it? I found Balthazar’s dogged attempts at freedom highly entertaining as well as his character arc. There’s plenty to shock and delight readers in this first instalment (please be a long series) from Abercrombie. What are you waiting for? get started! Many thanks to the publisher for providing a copy for review.