traciloudin

At times, some of the subplots seem slow, but overall, this book is well done when you consider that it's slated to be the first of a 10-part series. If you think about it that way, then you realize this is like a prologue, which makes the slow pace of a few chapters forgivable. Especially with how amazingly realistic the character interactions are and how epic the tale is. The battles are fun, although perhaps not as fun as some in the Mistborn books--but again, this is just the beginning of a very, very long series. By the middle I was thoroughly enjoying the read. Toward the end, my thoughts were along the lines of, "Oh wow... they are so screwed." And then at the end, "Oh wow... they are REALLY screwed." Awesome. Definitely looking forward to the rest of the series.

After 2014 reread:
This was way slower than I remember. Sometimes because things we'd seen before were later told/reminded. Sometimes because very similar things happen over and over (endless studies and bridge carries and battles). But the ending was still just as mind-blowing, especially since I'd forgotten the smaller details of what happens. The ending makes it all worthwhile.