Hale is back with the lovable jokester, Razo. The sheep herder is now one of Bayern’s Own. Or Bayern’s worst which is what other soldiers say behind his back. Yes, Razo knows he isn’t the best fighter or spear thrower nor can he speak the fire language and wind language of his friends. But he is of the opinion, why should he insert himself into battles when others are much more competent than he.

Can’t deny it still stings to be considered a runt who his friends keep around for jokes and entertainment.

So he is shocked when Captain Talon chooses him as one of the entorage to escort Bayern’s ambassador to Tira and stay in the kingdom’s Palace of Thousands to assure war won’t return.

But the Palace of Thousands should be called Palace of a Thousand Secrets. A rebel group is trying to assassinate Bayern’s ambassador, and someone is burning bodies. Razo fears Enna may be burning in her sleep and if she isn’t, someone is killing innocents just to frame Bayern. Either group can tip the balance towards war, and Razo is the unlikely hero set to stop it.

Razo knows his limitations in battle. After the previous war he doesn’t want to see more faces of dead comrades or become one of the dead himself, yet he manages to get into trouble anyway. From a burly Tirian soldier that bullies him when caught unawares to the numerous citizens that are bitter by Tirian’s defeat in the war.

Still, it gives him plenty of free time to observe the kingdom’s unique culture with its preference for white and grey colors, their flavorful foods, and twittery female servers.

It is precisely his powers of observation that prompt Talone to choose him as a spy. It is a classic underdog story that Razo is so used to his label as the runt and the jokester that he can’t recognize his own skills. It’s when Talone gives Razo his mission to find the murderer before the assembly can vote on war or peace that really picks up the pace of the book. It gives Razo a purpose and prompts him to take initative to improve Tira-Bayern relations himself by joining the Tirian festivals, wearing their clothes and even befriending the prince (who is such a hoot btw).

There are plenty of red herrings as to who the real fire burner is that will leave readers with a lot to ponder but also able to piece it out themselves. It’s a nice balance of intrigue, world building and character growth as Razo begins to view himself as a competent. He may not be able to wield a javelin like Finn, but he can scout and hunt and save a kingdom.

Speaking of Finn, Enna and the others. Geric and Isi have to stay in Bayern, but Enna and Finn are determined to help the ambassador. In fact, Enna has a personal stake. She may have to hide her fire-witch identity, but she wants to prove to herself that she can help rebuild and not only destroy. Maybe it will help with the nightmares she still suffers from, and it is heartbreaking. Enna’s scars over Sileph still affect her feelings towards Finn, for she finds it easy to love him but she is still terrified of being consumed and losing herself in someone else.

It alo has a great element about the effects of war, and prejudice among the two kingdoms with Razo’s attempts at diplomacy facing up against the deep seated beliefs Tirians have about Bayerns and the “we must win no matter what” mentality of the villain that leads to his destruction because he didn’t grieve. Just war is hell and the aftereffects don’t go away just because there’s a truce.

As for Razo’s love life, Hale gives him the potential for a lovely romance after his own heartbreak. I mentioned in the previous novels that I found the romances to be underwritten but Razo and Dasha’s was nicely done from Razo’s obliviousness to his own feelings to Dasha slowly confiding in him about her river magic (and her fears) and their cute conversations of “Would you rather.” They are a nice match despite class and kingdom differences and I believe they’ll have another happily ever after just like their friends.

Another solid entry to the Bayern series.

4 stars