The first book of the series totally leaves you eager to find out what comes next, especially in the character relationship department. Gen finds himself promoted to the Chalaine's Protector because he was the only one with the moral fortitude to stand up for her when her future husband, the Ha'Ulrich, tried to treat her like a common harlot. Of course, this puts Gen in quite a predicament as the Ha'Ulrich and the Chalaine are prophesied to marry and conceive a child that will become the embodiment of a god. Because of the way Gen humiliated the Ha'Ulrich he knows that once the marriage is complete, the Ha'Ulrich will have the power to order his death. Still, that won't stop Gen from doing his duty, but the enemy army led by the evil god Mikkik just might.

The backdrop of the events in this book involve a pilgrimage to an ancient city where the foretold wedding must take place, but it is the complex relationships between the characters that make the book compelling. Gen may be a unparalleled fighter, but it is his origin as a bard and the strange events that occurred to him as a child that make it obvious that he is more than a trope. Of course the Chalaine, bred over generations to be the most beautiful woman in the world, is smitten with Gen. She secretly longs for him and dreads her betrothal to her morally corrupt future husband. Toss in that both her best friend and her mother, the second most beautiful woman in the world, also want Gen and you have a powder keg of relationships just waiting to go off. 

Once again there is no resolution to the story and it is painfully obvious that if you start this series you will need to read all four books before you have any kind of closure. So far at the halfway point, the tale is worth the time investment.

With Simon Vance at the microphone, listening is an excellent option over reading, despite the many female characters that he has to voice.