Heroes or Thieves by J.J. Sherwood
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

What can I say except that this is a much stronger continuation of the greater tale, proving that Epic Fantasy is far from losing fresh voices.

Both books end on fantastically evil revelations, and while I must be honest in saying that I actually welcomed the surprises, whether they were deaths, increasing power, massive reversals of fortune, or simple betrayal, the one surprise I wasn't quite prepared for was the option of a middle path.

Alvena proves to be a leaf on the wind for most of the book, alas, while Jikun proves to be a fairly consistent ass to his steady friend and massively powerful necromancer friend. At least Jikun, Navon, and one crazy Elf managed to rise above their thieveries even if they never quite matched either title in this book's title. As for the jackass nobel? Well, all raspberries go to him, not because he was a poorly written character, indeed, all characters were written well and were all interesting, but because of his actions and interactions with everyone. He's truly unlikeable in my opinion, but then, all these elvish nobles are so damn flawed. Just look at how they still behave with every human, and it informs us all of their character. *sigh* I'm looking forward to more bloodshed.

Fortunately, these novels are getting quite novel in that department, and I can also honestly feel righteously giddy with all the rising necromancy, no matter what side is using it. These are easily my favorite parts. :)

Or perhaps it is the inclusion of Jerah, while slow at the beginning, turned out to be a breakaway awesome character, and it's not just because of his wings or claws or how he towers above all those lowly mortals. :)

I'm hooked. And it's not just because I was given a copy to review in trade for an honest review. It's because the tale is becoming more and more solid, the characters are becoming a true delight, the worldbuilding is as solid as they come, and because the reveals are truly, truly nasty. I'm fascinated!

By the way, I may be alone in this pronouncement, but I loved the surprise death. :) It tickled my fancy. :)

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