For someone's first novella, well the second edition, it's not bad. It's got a good story for its basis and anyone who appreciates historical novels will enjoy this quick read. Now, that said, it does use generally straight-forward verbiage that at times is evident of a more simplistic writing style. At times the descriptions of scenes seemed a little too rigid, but overall I won't be too harsh on someone's first publication. I did appreicate this being a local author from where I live, so kudos to them! The best thing about the writing would be the choice to have Pavel's internal thoughts italicized, I really liked that choice to differentiate it from the general text. It also made it seem as if it came directly from the magazine article the author used for some of Pavel's actual history and thoughts. I wish the writer much luck with their first full-length novel!