Wonderful. Again. Picking straight up from the end of the Initiate's Trial (read first) there is a brief recap of Athera's history (would have been useful in IT too!). And then the roller coaster sets off and there's no rest until the final page. Picked up, flung around, highs of exquisite rest and the laughter of friends the rare and perfect counterpoint to the depths of desperate peril with literally the entire world's fate (believably!!) resting on the outcome of one unsuspecting choice.

It's always hard to review books this deep in the series, but this is surely one of the best - deeply personal and and at the same time world spanning of the utmost consequence to every character we've encountered all the way through. Many of the themes touched on in earlier books are now revisited, and in a few cases finally laid to rest. The history of a few areas are finally completely revealed. Both Arithon and Lysaer have learnt from past encounters and changed their approach in attempt to preserve the world's mysteries. However a few people haven't learnt and the Korinthians remain a major threat, refusing to accept that mankind's presence is there by limited grant only, and they craft any possibility distorting free will, to twist events that might break the restrictions that impede their control of humankind's destiny. Elaria remains heartbroken and distant to Arithon but able to scry into his presence from time to time. Her fortitude remains one of the pillars that support the Fellowship's hopes for the future, but she's sorely tested, yet again.

There are always niggles in any book, and my personal ones in this are that: the clanbloods get hardly any time at all - the three friends from Initiate's trial do not feature except in passing;There is a little bit (too much?) repetition of past event's from previous books, the Knife appears again, and some of Arithon's companion's descendants relieve their forefather's roles; I wasn't convinced about the timescales - poor Vevit gets harshly treated throughout, and abandoned by Arithon for too long. They really are minor points though. It's an enthralling book, gripping throughout, and just needs to be read in great long chunks of time to fully immerse yourself in the delightful language and depth of the world.

This concludes a two volume arc of the greater story. Everything related to this is neatly finished and a few threads left ongoing for the final grand conclusion of the last volume to find out the world's fate.

Go read it. ( )