Review: Petrodor by Joel Shepherd

Sasha, the princess turned warrior, has been exiled from Lenayin and has joined her Master in the trading city of Petrodor. They, and others, seek to prevent a crusade against the Serrin, but disagree about the method to do so. Political, religious, family, and even philosophical differences conspire to light a spark to the volitile world of a too-powerful city.

I enjoyed this second book in the Trial of Blood & Steel series much more than I did the first, though a slow start did not bode well. Jaryd, the main protagonist of a sub-plot in Lenayin, is as tiresome as Sasha was in the first book, and the first part of the book is too long, with too much academic discussion and not enough tangible demonstration of the political, cultural and racial realities. Only when a deadly failure brings Sasha to a personal realisation do things really start taking off; and the wait is worth it. Shepherd is great at building characters and building up to character reversals that really count in the story's climax. Petrodor is a gripping and satisfying read. Apparently there's two more in the series; I'm really looking forward to reading them.
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