Well this was just excellent, huh?

I'd been putting off reading this book for a long time because I spoiled myself on some things when I went to the wiki out of curiosity (big mistake, i know, let's not linger) and because the magic system, at the time, seemed almost too complicated for it's own good. But after finally picking this up on a whim, I can say quite confidently it's one of my favorite first entries in a fantasy series. It's so fresh and unique, even 10 years after its initial release. The world building is excellent, the magic system is excellent, and most of the characters are excellent as well. And its paced in such a way that none of the story ever dragged for me; in fact the adventure was relentless and incredibly fun. I was never bored and I was just hungry for more action, more mystery, and more magic. And that's exactly what I got. I already have Book 2 and I cannot wait to start.

Some quick negatives though...Weeks is not...the best at writing female characters. Several times when I was reading I had to stop and squint like: Hmmm, that was...a Choice and while it wasn't enough to ruin my personal enjoyment of the book, it did happen one too many times and I can only hope he gets better as the series progresses.

UPDATE: Think it’s wack we can’t write reviews for the same book twice but to briefly summarize, on re-read I did not vibe with this as much though it is still quite enjoyable and the magic system is probably one of the coolest I’ve ever read, rivaling even the best Sanderson has to offer. Going to try and continue with Book Two at some point this year. The series has a lot of potential, if only weeks could get out of his own way.