The Blacktongue Thief is a fantasy novel that feels at times like it is as much about the author's cleverness, humor, and ability to sing as it is about the characters. However, overall it is clever, funny, and well written enough that the author's presence doesn't ruin the story.

What separates this book from every other sword and sorcery novel isn't the characters, the setting, or the plot (I mean, I knew the second that the main character was given the mission what would happen), but the details and the writing. The characters have backgrounds with interesting little details (the people who worship a female Death in a joyous, loving way), so do the setting (magic being associated with tattoos, what happened to the horses) and the plot (the conspiracies, the clever tying up of plot threads). None of these details are ground-shakingly unique, but altogether they make something really interesting.

The writing also sets this book apart. There is a lot that is really clever, and when I started the audiobook (which the author reads), I was super impressed. But, I also got the feeling that the author was just really pleased with himself. There were a lot of songs like in Tolkien, which (like in Tolkien) were annoying after a bit. The author has a nice singing voice, but again I could just feel how pleased he was with himself. However, the story never really dragged or felt like it was wandering too far from the main plot, and when things really got moving, I was sucked in enough to not care that the author was prancing along with the characters, being super clever.

With the fairly unhappy setting, this book could have been really dark. However, despite everything, I never found it depressing, which is really impressive. If anything, the characters are actively fighting against the misery of the setting in various places. I really liked that.

I think that most people who like sword and sorcery would enjoy this book. There is clearly a plan for a sequel, which I will absolutely read. However, the prequel (The Daughter's War) looks incredibly grim, and reviews indicate that it is pretty miserable (but well-written, so people who go for that may enjoy it). So, I won't be reading that one.