This is a good start to the Codex Alera series. It does a good job of setting up the world, the conflicts in it, and alludes to a reasonably well developed magic system. However, it's a plot-driven story.

Other than Tavi, I struggled to connect with the characters. There's plenty of action, with quiet introspective moments few and far between. That makes the characters seem plot-servient rather than individuals with goals and aspirations that should transcend plot.

There's a detailed battle sequence towards the beginning of the end, and we spend much of it in a character's viewpoint as they watch stuff happen but don't do much themselves.

The magic system was one of the aspects I looked forward to, and I get the Pokémon parallels for the most part, but I wish there was some more page-time given to showing us the mechanics, costs, limits, etc. Without that, the characters seem too overpowered and it's a surprise that there isn't an anarchy in the streets as furies clash with each other for every petty reason.

The writing isn't stellar but I usually look past it. In fact, I prefer non-purple prose most times. That said, some things in this book got too repetitive. Two things that stood out were every single character tilting their head to one side or nodding once. One or two characters do it, and it's a quirk. Everyone does it? That's creepy.

Though the plot was quite predictable, I'll still pick up the sequel as it's supposed to follow Tavi more (I hope, please) in an academic setting. So, hopefully we get more insight into the magic system too? Let's see.