I'm honestly not much of a fan of quest fiction. You know -- Robert Jordan, J.R.R. Tolkien, Goodkind to some degree -- the kind where a guy gets an Epic Quest, leaves his small village, travels across the country experiencing trials and travails and usually getting chased in the process. It's a standard story structure. And that's what this is. Standard.

I honestly loved the writing, and it held me a lot longer than most quest fiction normally does -- I doubt I made it halfway through Eye of the World, and the only reasons I made it all the way through Lord of the Rings as a teenager were that I was running out of fantasy in the school library and the three books managed to finish every single one of my reading requirements for the year at once. It was a little darker and held a little bit more of the character-driven fantasy that I enjoy than most quest fiction does.

But it was kind of generic. I mean, it's been done before. All of it. The kids in the weird area that nobody lives in picked up and taken with no explanation across the country, being chased by creatures only out of legend.... I mean, you could hit plot point by plot point Jordan or Tolkien.

When I got halfway done with the book, I shut the covers, closed my eyes, and thought about it. Where were we going? What was going to happen next in the book? Is there any foreshadowing that would give me a clue or mysteries that I needed answered? And all I could see was the abyss yawning open in front of me.

It's an interesting book, but I just didn't give a shit. I've put it down and left it down with only the regret of a book unfinished, not with unanswered questions or a burning need to know what's next. And I think that's a little sad. ( )

Too old school for me. Also, the author is "trying too hard". Good for WoT fans. ( )

Fun worldbuilding, I like it because you can tell there is a lot more going on behind the scenes. The plot seemed a bit sudden, but maybe that was on purpose. Excited for book two. ( )

Epic fantasy with many characters and many story lines at once. Great for people who miss the Wheel of Time. ( )

Fast paced, highly entertaining read! ( )