I have only read the first half of the book so far, due to Real Life getting in the way. I like the way the book is set up. It follows three main characters through several different sections (usually only 2 per section) with Interludes in between that give you an idea of what is going on...

First, I had a misconception. I remember BS saying somewhere(his website or an interview) that magic was gone in this world, but that it is making a return (don't call it a comeback ) I have noticed two (possibly a third) different systems and I have no clue how they work...yet. At least one was there since Chapter 1.

The first third of the book, I was a little lost. The characters were interesting to a point, the world was ill described, and there is very little inkling of what is going on or if there is even a 'Big-Bad'.

Then at around the 300 page mark (of around 950 pages of story), it changed. The descriptions of the world, of people, of events all got a lot better. The character development of two of the characters really has me pulled in and hating the fact that I can' t take time off right now to just sit down and read. The last two hundred pages have been a great read and I am soooo looking forward to the next half...and I still have little idea of where the story is heading.

One thing that I really like that BS did was put in a bunch of artwork; maps, drawings, and such. A few are missing from the ARC, but the ones that are there are pretty cool.


Verdict right now is, get passed the first third and it turns very enjoyable. Thumbs up. I will post more complete thoughts when I finish the book.