This was my first Joe Abercrombie book that I genuinely liked without any major caveat. I still have some quibbles. The plot and characters from the earlier books seem largely irrelevant, making this trilogy feel much more like a standalone than a culmination of the series as a whole. I've said it before, but that isn't necessarily a weakness in the sense that I honestly would recommend people to skip everything else and jump straight into it due to that aspect of the writing...but it also means I was constantly wondering if any of the numerous unanswered threads from prior books were ever going to be reintroduced (they were not). The lore and world feel very vaguely defined. But outside of that, I really enjoyed this book. Instead of spending lengthy sections on action, this book zoned in on actual politics. I enjoyed seeing the different characters try to forge alliances or stab people in the back. It also felt like most of the characters had interesting interior conflicts that were reflected in their attempts at grasping power. Also, it does not really feel like a middle book. Even though it definitely sets up the final book in The Wisdom of Crowds, it feels like there are complete arcs within this book itself which I really appreciated also. I am enjoying this final trilogy significantly more than any of the other books in the series.