Buehlman's horror background shines in his gruesome depiction of goblins, intelligent creatures bent on carnage, and the gorey description of battles' aftermath.

We follow a 20-year-old Galva dom Braga surrounded by flesh-eating creatures, seeing the dwindling numbers of friends and foes alike. It's a somewhat coming-of-age tale, so even in such an inauspicious environment her life is also made out of warm moments of friendship and love as much as loss.

From her first skirmish against the goblins, dedicating her life to a death goddess, suffering heartbreak, experiencing sexual pleasure, and dealing with men's egos, we see her becoming the woman that Kinch gets to meet.

My only grudge against it would be the romance we see in Galva's future is intriguing enough to spark an interesting story of how it came to be. It can be summarized in insta-love and a couple of sensual encounters with a tinge of grooming.

The Daughter's War expands on Buehlman's world-building in The Blacktongue Thief. It's grimmer and more gut-wrenching than its predecessor, portraying not only the glorification and violence of war but its consequences, the unplanned last words and unspoken goodbyes.

War doesn't spare the good or the brave, just the unlucky enough to carry it with them.