This was a fantasy novel, by a male author. Most of the fantasy I read is by female authors. It's just a style that I enjoy.
This book, though not in my usual reading style was quite good. It was detailed without being endlessly descriptive (I'm not a huge Robert Jordan fan, I really don't care about every blade of grass and every bead of sweat). The characters were a bit different - a gang of theives. The story was a bit, gory, in parts but not overly so. It was a complicated plot with enough twists to leave me not knowing exactly what was going to happen next or how it was all going to end. (I do actually enjoy when authors kill off seemingly main characters, it's more real that way)
There is a sequal out, I think I will request it from the library.