“I rose and stood with Kest and Brasti. Somehow it always came back to the three of us. Even when we journeyed apart, we always knew we would come back together again. For nearly fifteen years we had been the arrow and the blade and the heart of the King’s dream...” It's been a long time since I fought the urge to sleep just to stay with a book a little longer. And Knight's Shadow was worth it. I adore the engaging and funny characters, the exiting fight scenes and all those damned plot twists. There's so much violence that I am glad the author doesn't let us in the heads of Brasti and especially Kest, because I cried me a river being in Falcios and I have troubles comprehending how he's still sane? I'd love me a little bit more magic in this series and the supernatural elements back from the first book but I hope we just get Kest's and Brastis's POVs in the following book. Eventhough I'm a lost case for Kest, the things Falcio had to endure crushed me. I cried so much I just wanted it to be over. Writing believable characters and engange you emotionally are the things that make a book a perfect friend for me. I need Saint's Blood asap!

In general, I'd say that this book is a little more chaotic plot wise than the other books in the series. It's about Falcio barely surviving and still trying to save Tristia. Which is getting harder, because the country is falling apart under numerous rebelling villages and the assassinations of the Dukes. I did like how there is always an overarching question whether or not Falcio and his friends should even bother preventing a civil war or if this is what Tristia needs. After all, things might be better with all the Dukes dead and a fresh start. On top of that, Falcio and his friends are always one step behind. While the humor has to take a back seat in this installment, it provides many emotionally charged scenes that I absolutely love. The events become even darker and more suspenseful. I also loved how, finally, there are more important women taking the stage, something book one lacks. Another huge plus is that the friendship between Falcio, Kest and Brasti has more time to unfold. Every one of them has to fight something, but still they stick together and support each other - sometimes from afar, if they have to. What I noticed this time around was Brasti - his conflict with the destruction of the country and its citizen with his usually nonchalant and carefree personality is very powerful. To be honest, when I compare Knight's Shadow to the other books in the Greatcoats-series, it still feels the weakest. The plot is focused on preventing a civil war, but everything Falcio does is very indirect and most of the time too little and too late. That is to say, even the weakest book in the series is still awesome and everyone should read it!