Autumn reading #2 and #3: The Lies of Locke Lamora and Red Seas Under Red Skies, Scott Lynch.
So this is books 1 & 2 in a series; book 3 just came out. Will I get it? I'm not sure.
Pros to this series: the writing is good, the plot is often funny, there's a sort of screwball comedy aspect to it, there's also lots of the training school thing, which is oddly satisfying as always. And it's clever. It's sort of like the Stainless Steel Rat, but in a fantasy setting rather than science fiction.
Cons: there's a lot of death. This series gets really grim, and you're not really expecting it, and honestly, I'm not sure that's actually a con, because in some ways, it maybe makes them better books. But I feel like there are tone issues with both books -- different tone issues, in fact. I ended up feeling vaguely dissatisfied a good portion of the time I was reading, while, at the same time, liking the writing. This is a weird feeling.
So I can't figure out whether to recommend them or not. Glad I read them, I guess? So probably yes? Hm.
This may be my most ambivalent book report yet.