I’ll be honest: by the time I reached the middle end of this book, I was debating whether to give this book 4 or 5 stars. Now, I wish I could give it 6. This is a gripping, emotional, adventurous, exciting, funny, and overall extremely enjoyable read that will send any fantasy/sci-fi fan’s pulse racing. This book and this series was such a joy and such an amazing adventure. The protagonists are lovable, all the characters are very interesting, the storyline is compelling and emotionally charged, the world is wonderfully complex and fascinating, and the tale is exceptionally well-spun and well-told with sincere talent, spirit, guts, and heart. Would highly recommend.