This book wasn't exactly bad, it was just unimaginative. All the conflicts were strangely foreign, and all the resolutions felt slightly "Deus Ex Machina". The battles hinged on single days of fighting, after which a side that was "confident it would win" the day before became now "on its last legs". The writing style was generally poor, and the plot with the Lothan Aklun was terrible, largely because they were never even introduced in the book through anything other than rumor.

I may read the next one, because it promises to be more interesting, but this definitely did not excite me. ( )

Just as good the second time around ( )

Had David chopped this sucker down, cutting much of the slow buildup, this would have been a much bigger impact. The world-building is top notch - I loved the idea the Creator's song was stolen by man, and this theft corrupted the word and the world and the Creator in his sadness left it behind. ( )

An original vision of a fantasy world with interesting characters, cultures and a complex social system. I really enjoyed the story and need to look for the other books now. ( )

Read February 2010-Unfinished
Read December 2010

February 2010 Review:
This story seemed like my thing. A kingdom about to undergo tumult, royal children spirited away, assassins, etc. But for whatever reason, I just couldn't get into it. I tried 5 times, and would read 5-10pages, and then lose interest. So I gave up. I would recommend it anyway, how weird is that?


December 2010 Review:
After having tried to read this [twice!] earlier this year, I had given up on this series. However, after some encouragement from people here, I tried again, and I have to say, it was worth it.

The setup for the plot IS laggy. But after the 150 page mark, things get better and better. I was really drawn into the world Durham creates and am looking forward to more stories in this world. ( )