Another unusually angry young man - this one so selfish as to be frustratingly unpleasant to everyone throughout. I know the author is attempting to show growth and character development over time, but there is little enough of that and not even always in the right direction. I guess if the takeaway is supposed to be "life is messy" and that we change as much in good ways as in bad - then maybe

between this and the other series by this author I am done ( )

Spoiler alert!

Interesting book, but the main character principal flaw distracts from the story all the way to the end. Fortunately, that flaw is explained then, so that closes that loop, but it is still a drag all the way through the story. ( )

Plot: The first third has mostly subplots, in the middle a quest plot with political sidelines comes up. Most of the subplots are handled well, the central plot falls flat a little too often. The ending is downright offensive in how blatantly it sets up for the sequel. There is no temporary end to this; it's like stopping in the middle of a chapter.

Characters: The side characters do not get a lot of attention, but it is acceptable. The main character, however, is a problem. Whiny, idiotic, insensitive, arrogant brat. Even when redemption came around I couldn't bring myself to care.

Style: The worldbuilding is interesting, though there are a few concepts that do not mesh very well. The writing flows, mostly, but ideas and scenes get repeated too often for them to have any impact towards the end.

Plus: The political background is done in an interesting way.

Minus: The main character. Unbearable, vile, whining emo kid.

Summary: It's an average read. It has redeeming points, but the central character makes it hard to stick with the story. ( )

http://www.sfreader.com/read_review.asp?ID=380 ( )