The first book was really gripping, but this one wasn't quite so. I still found myself disliking all the characters, but the story was pretty fun. I think I would have liked reading this series as a very young teenager, but just can't find the story believable as an adult.

Just not in the mood for the genre at the moment. will try again later.

Not my favorite so far but intense. There are some very suspenseful moments in this books. I cried a couple times even. A lot of build up, side plots, and scheming and then all of a sudden, it all comes crashing together in a whirlwind of a finale. One of those where it leaves you sagging in your chair in relief. Can't wait to read the next one.

It's an OK fantasy series. Although there are several contrived plot points.

I liked this a bit better than the first one. The writing is still clunky in spots, but less so than the first. Some of the sections with Richard were quite good, but I think the other characters don't feel quite so natural. The bad guys still seem pretty one-dimensional, though at least they've moved on from "Fire bad! I like raping little boys!". Speaking of which, rape is definitely an overused trope in this novel. It seemed like all men ever wanted was to rape women. Also, the women are weak thing seems ill developed - supposedly Kahlen is and has been the most powerful figure in the land, but every time she does anything everyone is like "you're just a girl. Girls can't do that".

I really liked the last 30% of the book but I thought that the first 70% of the story dragged on in a way that made it a bit difficult to read. The romance in the beginning felt stiff and unreal to me and I was sometimes put off by the relationships between the more powerful, well connected peoples (e.g., Kahlan, the Galeans) and the less powerful, more local peoples (e.g., the Mud People, the Baka Ban Mana). It wasn't until the end, when the pace picked up, that I felt any real connection between Richard and Kahlan nor felt comfortable with the balance of power of the peoples like at the moment when the Baka Ban Mana reclaimed their ancestral land. That being said, I enjoyed the plot line, the development of our understanding of wizards and magic, and the development of different characters' and groups' motives. I will be continuing with the series as I hope the pacing issue was confined to this story alone. Also, I loved Gratch!