Glass Sword suffers greatly from second book syndrome. The plot is repetitive and lacks any deep feeling without ever pushing the story forward. The few major plot points really could have been condensed into the first few chapters of King's Cage before that story kicks off. I hear great things about the rest of the series so I'll give it one more try

I really don't think I was the intended audience for this...but I'm not sure who this was written for? This feels like a love letter to the men who require action and blood in any media they consume, but that audience tends to be quite conservative. This is not a conservative friendly book. But then at the same time, it's not progressive enough to appeal to that kind of crowd either.

I'm not saying that a book has to be one or the other, in fact there are many that blur the conservative/progressive line well. But in my opinion, this book fails to represent either side, or a middle of the road perspective, well at all. I am impressed that this book is as popular as it is despite all this.

I appreciate that the main characters were always themselves even when their thoughts or actions aren't palatable to readers. Cosby does a great job making these characters unlikeable without making it about their imprisonment. They're just not great guys and it's always impressive when an author can write that way without it making the book bad!

My reason for the low rating is ultimately the confusing audience, action scenes that feel forced, and the way the female characters are treated by the author.