Summary: The continuing story of the rise of the 'dark/end lords' and the preparations being made for the 'final battle'. The story continues not much has substantially changed by the end of the book. It's starting to get a bit boring.

Things I liked:

Some of the characters are still pretty interesting e.g. Riana, Vallo (dog lord).

The author seems remembers to add details about hunting and survival that I think adds to the atmosphere of the setting.

Kid characters have a distinct voice.

Things I thought could be improved:

The author could use less modern metaphors e.g. 'the seeds exploded like shots' (shots of what a modern firearm I guess). It also seemed to me that the battle strategies of the 'clan chiefs' seemed to resemble modern warfare in both language and style. I think it should be the job of a good editor to spot these gaffs and suggest fixing them. They totally break the 'suspension of disbelief' that allows me to enjoy the fantasy setting.

Some of the scenes felt a bit like a script for a movie. I'd suggest less focus on schlick, movie stunt scenes and more work on believable, fail-able characters which is what gets me reading these books in the first place.

Highlight: Probably the bit with Raif and the moon snakes. It was a cool build up with the heart-empathy and the final battle. Also it put enough work in for me to believe his transition the 'the watcher' ( )

This series is complex, with lots of moving parts. Normally I re-read early books before reading the latest in a series, and I strongly recommend doing that here. I wasn't able to, and the provided "What has gone before" summary was limited (and seemed to lose steam half-way through its few pages). You can jump straight in, but it takes a while to remember and re-orient.

Watcher of the Dead is a straightforward continuation of the series. We learn more about our hero Raif, and, separately, his engaging sister Effie. The plot moves forward in fun if not terribly surprising ways. One of the things I enjoy about Jones is her willingness to defy happy-ending expectations and maim or kill key characters, and some of that goes on here.

A few mysteries are revealed, but not very many. This book is primarily about moving the story along. I was disappointed to finally reach the Heart of the Sull, and find it not very different from anywhere else. This was surprising from an author who normally does well in creating murky mystery and revealing excitement. The same is somewhat true for some of Raif's travails. While interesting, it didn't feel like a top rung effort, and there's an element at the end that seemed to come almost out of nowhere.

Nonetheless, this is a very enjoyable sequel, and the overall story is still exciting and fairly fresh. All in all, well worth picking up for readers of the series. Definitely not the place to start if you've not read the prior books. (Though if you haven't, I recommend you do). I haven't seen anything about Ms. Jones' plans, but I anticipate that the next book (or at most the one after) will be the end of the series. Much more than that (without a fresh infusion of energy), and I think the story will have stretched too far. ( )

Little new ground is covered in Watcher of the Dead, the fourth installment of the Sword of Shadows series. Ash March is barely mentioned, her character doesn’t even make an appearance until page 232. She is still struggling with feelings of abandonment and trying to gain acceptance from the Sull. Raif Severance has been captured, drugged and tortured by a group of rouge Sull who think to train him into a killing machine that will do only their bidding. However as the Watcher of the Dead, Raif proves to be far more difficult to control then even they could imagine. Veylo Bludd, the Dog Lord is still on the run, planning on how to re-take his own roundhouse from his eldest son. Angus Lok continues his quest to kill the assassin that murdered his family, before he can turn his attention to finding his one remaining daughter. And Bram Cormac takes his first steps into his training with the Phage, where intrigue and information are the most prized positions.

The best parts of the novel is when the story focus’ on Effie Severance or Raina Blackhail. Effie has been captured by the cured clan, Clan Grey and struggles to find out what terrible forces are slowly killing that clan. Meanwhile Raina solidifies her position as the true Hail Chief, driving the Scarpes from the Blackhail House and confronting the Weasel Queen in open battle.

There are still lots of loose ends to be tied up though. Raif is half mad from his treatment by the Sull’s. Ash still hasn’t found her place or realized her true potential. Angus Lok, The Dog Lord and Bram Cormac each have their own struggles and journey’s to make. And Raina must still face her most dangerous adversary, her husband/foster son/rapist, Mace, in her battle to save the soul of Clan Blackhail. Readers can only hope that the next installment will at the least offer more forward momentum to the overall story. ( )