Second paragraph of third chapter:

Hard to say what they were watching for. Signs of life? A later-than-last-minute reprieve?

Having got all enthusiastic about the first of the Faction Paradox books last month, I'm afraid this left me rather cold. It's a story of a few key characters interacting with a town that is being devastated by a mysterious war. I didn't care about them and I was annoyed not to know more about what was going on. And there is a chapter written almost entirely in anagrams, which is really self-indulgent.

Many people like it more than I did, or find it more interesting.

Next up is Of The City Of The Saved… by Philip Purser-Hallard. I'll give it a fair try. (I'm in slightly sunk cost territory here, having bought a number of the Faction Paradox books in my first wave of enthusiasm.)