I've enjoyed several of Beecroft's books, but I felt this was one of the weakest.

Although I liked the cultural background I found it very hard to believe that any man could be beaten to within an inch of his life and then escape, ride great distances on horse and not seem to have any great difficulty doing so.

Also, if someone has a lance go through their body just below the shoulder blade, I expect a punctured lung... ( )

I have to admit that for the first half of this book I really struggled. I didn't like any of the characters and I wanted to throttle the main character, Vali, most of the time. However, after I got over the 50 page mark, things progressed in a way much more to my liking. The character growth and development was both massive and also made perfect sense given what the characters, Vali especially, was having to go through and experience. I'm definitely going to miss these characters now that I'm finished reading the book for the first time. I think my favorite parts of the book happened when Vali and Mihai were at Rodica's for a while. Definitely worth a read and I'd absolutely recommend it. I would caution, though, that there are parts of it that aren't for the faint of heart. People do die, and horrifically. There is violence against women and children, and there is even rape. I was not expecting it and was a little startled at first, so I thought I'd mention it here to try to save others that shock. It's still absolutely worth a read, though. It's a short, but intriguing, ride. I also think that this could (and perhaps even should) easily be turned into an anime. Also, the last line of the book? Loved it. ( )

I liked this book for its setting--I certainly haven't read historical fiction set in Transylvania before. And it hit the spot as some easy and engaging reading on the train. ( )