I love Tau as our protagonist. He is incredibly badass, but also incredibly stupid. He has a singular focus and that is to kill the nobles who betrayed him and killed his father. The book starts with bloodshed and keeps going with the bloodshed. That being said, I wouldn’t call it grimdark because the violence is not just for the aesthetic. Each battle Winter includes highlights a moment of growth for Tau or a moment of world-building for the reader. They are quickly paced and do not linger. There were moments when I just slipped into the narration, where “one more chapter” turned into an hour of listening to the audiobook later and, oops.

The supporting characters are also incredible, with their own character arcs and complexities within the world. My personal favorites are Zuri, Tau’s childhood crush and a Gifted, and Udwak, his enormous brother-in-arms. Both reveal new things about Tau and the war-torn world he inhabits. The evolution of Tau from an angry young man bent solely on revenge to an enraged young man who actually considers consequences was endearing to watch through each spray of blood. These characters, I’d say, help him a lot on that journey.

In addition, without spoiling anything, Winter expertly explores caste and social structures in ways that remain consistent with the rest of the narrative. It is as intriguing as the physical aspects of the book, and I cannot wait to start Book 2 to see what new perils await Tau and the Omehi people.