A Veil of Spears (Song of Shattered Sands)

In the first part of this book, the only parts I found interesting are the ones involving Ceda. The rest were nothing but greed for power and political scheming and maneuvering which bored me to tears. I can get that from the current news on TV minus the torture and killing of the public. Everyone involved are despicable only Ceda has a higher ambition in freeing the asirm, true she still wants all the Kings dead, but considering the motley crew of characters, having one person who wants to do something for another without personal gain is unusual. Then I got to the second half of the book which has all the characters coming together and the writing hits a high note and the potential of this series was reached as all the scheming comes to fruition especially when Meryam's plans are unveiled and Ramahd finally pulls his head out of his ass. I came to care for some of the other characters as they showed that they have the capacity to believe in a higher cause than just themselves. It also helped that the story didn't have the killing of the innocent public that was prevalent up to now by the actions of the Moonless Host. The story doesn't end with this book, but leads onto the next. I can't help but think that to get through this series I had to endure reading a lot detailed extraneous, boring sections just to find the good parts.

This is a beautiful story. The first two books captured my attention and imagination and this book has only drawn me in further. There are rich complexities to this story and I like how the author has gradually expanded the characters stories, while staying focused on the protagonist. The villains are also compelling and this is a story that will grab you and keep you reading to the last page, while yearning for more.

I really love this series. The first one took me completely by surprise, the second one continued to impress, and now the third on is here! A Veil of spears sport more character, and more stories than than the pervious books in this series. Although deliciously intertwined I am not so interested in all of these characters. The stories are interesting, but I don't necessarily want to spend over half the book reading about them. To me it feels like the first two books fits nicely into a trilogy, but the third one works really hard to enlarge the universe adding new characters, and new plot lines. It is not a bad book, not at all, but I'm a bit disappointed. Reading the first two it felt really right to end by the third, and I was really looking forwards to the conclusion. By expanding the univers I feel that Ceda gets lost, and her story suffers the most. In this book she is just one of many, and I think her story deserved a bit more space. Lastly, there are still so much we do not know, the first two books were genius in the way they balanced giving out answers, new clues, and pushing the story forward. A lot of the riddles starting to come unraveled in the first two books gets less space in the third, also here I feel that the focus that I loved in the first two is sacrificed to enlarge the Shattered sand universe. All that said, putting away my own preferences for how tis story should have evolved, I must say that I am impressed. The author really has made a good jobb expanding the story and making a foundation on which to build three more books. Most things fit together, and the ending of the book is mostly satisfying. I will be looking forwards to see how this will end, because this is most certainly an ambitious project!

A unique and beautiful story set in a very well developed and unique desert setting. Excellent characters, an intricate plot and a fresh twist on the standard sword and sorcery fare.

This arrived in two days which is amazing. The books are FANTASTIC

I am such a fan of this series. Perfect reading for cold wet days when all you want is the hot desert sun on your back. I can't wait to see what comes next!

This book is great but for some reason I thought it was the conclusion of a trilogy. I guess the series will be six parts in total. Great fantasy and excellent world-building.

The book was great. All the his books are great!

Ceda's character is more political here, persuading people to join the cause rather than simply fighting. Since of the other characters develop some depth Ramahd has a particularly hard time.The pace is slower and the battle is a bit of an anticlimax, there are a few too many speeches and attempts to be emotional.The blood magic also seems too powerful now to allow for the way the Kings have ruled for so long.Another annoyance is that quite a bit of this book refers to a short story so without reading that it seems like there is a gap in the plot.There are still enough plot twists to keep you interested but certainly not as strong as the previous book.

This series is very engaging. Each book progresses nicely and this one ups the ante. All characters seem now fully fleshed to the point that the story doesn’t need any further background information and the story just takes off.Action packed. Very subtle plot points are simmering along nicely. I can’t wait for more.As one other reviewer said, I thought things was a trilogy. However I’m delighted there will be 3 more books because I really love the setting and backdrop of this story and the author has done such a fine job of building up the characters and setting as well as Peter Brett’s Demon Cycle books that I don’t want this story to end.

Great 3rd installment, can't wait for the next book to be released. Great paced adventure.

Each book in the series wonderfully builds on the characters and drives the story forward to what I am sure will be well told ending.

Excellent development of the story, has me looking forward to the next book.