With this effort, Roberts has established herself as a skilled story teller. An indication of such is the ability to surprise the reader. In this offering of the Wrak-Anya series, we have a disgraced leader experience an unexpected redemption as the story reaches the height of what appears to be a very predictable outcome. The author builds a literary trope that the reader recognizes immediately:a powerful bad actor whose cruelty is highlighted by his willingness to allow others to suffer gets his comeuppance by the very people he has persecuted. Nope. Doesn’t turn out that way. Not by a long shot. The result is an original story that is pleasing not only because it veers away from the trope but also because the way it is accomplished: it makes the reader more invested in the characters involved in this process. These are not simply characters in a story following a plot line; these are “real” people with complex motivations that are not easily predicted. Absolutely OUTSTANDING. Can’t wait to start book five!!