I am ½ way through Valor at this point, and I really like it. It's a great mixture of classic fantasy, with a hint of grimdark in it.
Only one major thing is annoying the hell out of me.

Why are the "kings" so incompetent without spoiling what I talk about, but they just don't seem that bright and secure. Is that a tendency that proceeds throughout the series, where instead of having intelligent rulers going against a intelligent villain, it just makes the rulers dumb to progress the plot?

And is it a tendency that also consist in his other series? It's just so I know what to expect going forward.