Reader's Discretion Advised

It...wasn't bad, I suppose, but Micah seemed way too self-aware at the beginning especially since he's only been at wherever that is for 2 weeks. I don't think he'd be able to break years and years and years of conditioning during his most impressionable years that easily. He also seems to have suddenly developed a political savvy that really doesn't make sense, given how at the end of the first book, he was still in the process of learning the world. For example:I would always be the hateful man’s son. Hisyoungest and most useless son, true. With a score ofelder brothers before me, I’d never inherit the throne,and I was far too damaged to be of any use to Cyrus instrengthening political alliances through marriage either.I was reportedly his favorite, though.How the hell could Micah possibly know that? Sure, someone might have told him, but I'd think that people would be more treading on eggshells around him. Besides, his tone conveys a depth of belief that goes beyond simply reciting what had been told to him. The characterization of Micah is extremely non sequitur. In fact, it seems to have lost a bit of its original rawness...while it moves steadily towards the real of Mary-Sue-ism.In rereading as I'm writing this, a nuance that I hadn't quite picked up on/registered earlier occured to me - struck me as odd. The king provided a tutor, apparently. So early? Mayhaps the king does not fully understand the full implications of Micah's enslavement? Either way, it just rings...oddly. Like the pieces of the puzzle are good approximations, but don't quite fit. A hastily home-made piece to substitute for a lost original, perhaps.The fear a little later made more sense to me than the anger/resentment I sensed earlier. I doubt anyone could develop emotionally as fast as Micah seemed to have towards the very beginning of the book. The later part - the first meeting of the king - did serve to somewhat justify the anger, but I was still perplexed by the king's attitude. It seemed...incongruous at first, but I can see why? But not quite. I can come up with an excuse, but it didn't quite fit with what had been revealed of the king before. But perhaps they were simply politically sanctioned statements, and therefore not entirely true.Another aspect - kind of small? - that bothered me was Micah's claim that Herra had taught him through the "art of agony," that is, accomplishing a "great deal of damage." This is at odds with what we are given to know in the first book - that he never fought back. I suppose you could argue that he picked it up from watching others, but the syntax has a surety that suggests he knows from personal experience. Which is not true, unless Gregg is somehow attempting to ret-con (very badly) this nuance.And then there was the awkward reference to Hamlet... *cringes.(And yes, I'm commenting as I read now)*cringes. Gregg realizes that if Micah can say "please," he can say "Eli," right? The l-sound can transfer over...=_=It angers me, though, the Gregg made the king so cold-hearted. Cyrus, that guy. I'd have hoped that he had even a little bit of empathy, but he seems to lack it completely...I guess she decided to ret-con it. It made it...boring. Too predictable. I'd have rathered King Cyrus be morally ambiguous. It would have made more sense in the long run of things and given at least someone else redeeming features to make Micah+Eli less of Mary Sues.Oh my goodness. I really want to strangle this kid. His completely screwed up logic is just...not framed correctly at all. His "revelation" about him being the only monster...again, I still feel like he's way too self-aware and mentally mature from someone who's still recovering from what he went through. Psychologically speaking, I don't think he should have been able to progress as far as he has, especially considering the fear and distrust he generally holds for Alekia (Eli doesn't count, obviously). Mentally, he should still only be a small child.Also, it annoys me that Gregg has Micah insist he hated what happened to him. That's exactly it. He hadn't. Maybe he hates it now, now that he realizes the implications, which I still hold shouldn't be possible, not in such a short time span, but at the time, he didn't. He didn't know better. Mentally, he was still the small child. Mentally, in this book, he technically still should be. It seems more like a couple months have passed instead of only 2 weeks. Gregg is overestimating the ability of the mind to recover. Either that or she's forgotten the implications.Also, she uses the word turgid. It just...It's one of those moments I mention below, one of those that remind me of other slave-fics. Syntax reveals a lot, and I think Gregg's syntax is way too advanced for Micah.Eh, the apology from the dad wasn't bad, I guess...I really don't understand what Gregg was getting at with the earlier douche-baggery, though.The "breakthrough" with the singing was...too easy. And too...readily done.The goat thing was kind of meaningful, even cute, until Micah threw his damn tantrum and probably terrified the poor kid who had the misfortune to be named after him.The part where he says:“Herra was easier,” I mumbled. “I didn’t feel anythinganymore. I was…numb.”My master nodded and fidgeted with the grass.“Now you feel…”“E…everything,” I whispered.Finally. Something good.But...but...when the hell did Micah's nose get broken? And not just once, but several times???DAMNIT AND THEN SHE RETURNS CYRUS TO DOUCHE-BAGGERY.While I rather liked the first one, the entirety of this book is just...exasperating. There are some good moments and some of the ideas Gregg invokes are intriguing within this context (eh, but as my physics teacher would have said, "even a blind squirrel can find a nut now and then"...), but overall, it just...disappoints.I think the main problem is that it's told from Micah's POV. With what is there, some of what the author presents may be vital information, but doesn't quite make sense coming from Micah. (stuff like "how would he know?" and "how can he possibly know?" etc) The other problem is, the only way this story would have worked is from Micah's POV. So I guess the main problem is content, then.It got a little better as I got used to the idea. I suppose because of the length and tedium, time passed in my head...probably more time than actually did in the timeline.I think I started skimming about 1/3 (maybe more like 3/7) the way through...This one is more...ordinary. The characterization doesn't quite fit and the ideas Gregg invokes seem to be eclipsed by "conventional" slave-fic. It reminds me of several other ones I've read all at once (in different spots) so it's boring in an "ordinary," "that's been done before" sort of way, yet there's enough of Gregg's original voice as presented in Spoils of War that reading is also exceedingly frustrating.It ended too abruptly. There should have been a little more...dénouement. All it really was was the climax, then the falling action, and then an abrupt end scene.I had actually briefly contemplated giving it a 3 star (sometime after Micah made his resolution to go and do his little solo mission thing) but the ending disgusted me a bit (it lacks a dénouement, sheesh), so I'm sticking with 2.The names have and still do make me lol. The king of Alekia, which is decidedly Greek, is Cyrus (Persian). One of his sons is Barak (Swahili? I think it has some sort of Hebrew variant), the other Micah (Hebrew), who "owns" Eli (also Hebrew) (and whose clan is apparently "Greece"/"Greek" O_o). The Cyrus dude has a servant named Rigel (Arabic). Isanna seems vaguely Sanskrit, but not that exact spelling. I think this is why fiction/fantasy authors generally prefer (and sometimes should use) bastardized versions of established names.