Traitor's Blade by Sebastien de Castell 9/10

     First things first. I loved this book. It's kind of like if 'game of throne,'s had its gritty world, but characters that are more inherently likable (by likable I mean more moral here). I know some people that were really turned off by 'Game of Thrones.' They didn't really have anybody they cared enough about to root for.
     The dialogue is really clever and has a lot of one-liners that are really memorable and potent. In some ways, it's a lot like 'Lies of Locke Llamora," by Scott Lynch. It's got a troupe where all the people in the troupe have their thing they're really good at, but the protagonist is the one making most of the decisions.
   One thing done really well in this book is the fight scenes (Which is a rare thing). Most of the fight scene is spent inside the main character's head explaining each move he's making, and why. It's a lot like the modern manifestations of Sherlock Holmes where you see his thought process. Which makes it fun because he's basically the Sherlock of fencing. 
    The tone is a lot like George R.R. Martin's books in that the world is really gritty. It's gritty for a different reason though. That reason being that the harshness of the world acts like a crucible refining the characters and making them better and stronger. Whereas in Martin's universe it's there to pick off people. If you like those two books I really can't see you not liking this one. I loved it.