Okay I'm gonna be honest, when I first started reading it seemed just like an average crappy dark fanstasy novel. But lord, this series really does pick up steam. Ive been reading all of the books on and off for the past year or two, and I just finished the last book. Joseph Delaney really did put a lot of effort into this series and it totally pays off. Hes got an awesome way of creating imagery that gives you a sort of eerie feeling, and he is incredible at giving things detailed history that makes you hungry for lore and the history of chippenden and the world outside of the county. Amazing all around.