I just finished it! I gave it a 6 - I don't really know exactly how I feel about the whole book! I enjoyed a great deal of it (a lot of it felt a bit like RG)- and it gets bonus points just coz I love Meren and thought he was great. The downside for me was that I really didnt like Nefer or Mintaka in this - and I LOVED them in Warlock. Their wonderful personalities from WL just sort of seemed lost you know?
The other thing that was a downside for me was the number of inconsistencies there were with the other books (I'll put them under a spoiler thingy just to be safe)
[spoiler]1. Lanata was Lostris's baby name! I got annoyed every time I read her name. It SPECIFICALLY states in RG. I mean that is why Tanus named his bow that. that leads into no. 2
2. Tanus wasn't even mentioned! Okay, once - just as the army commander. Taita loved him and it's not like he just wouldn't mention or think about him! And besides isnt Fenn curious about who fathered her children in another life?
3. Taita wasn't a virgin! It says in one of them I'm sure that he had 'already known the joys of a woman's body' or something along those lines. So I was confused about that.
4. I think this is the last one - Taita NEVER called Nefer Mem! (In the bit where Taita is telling Nefer something only the two of them would know). Em (iheartnefie) and I specifically looked all through Warlock and he never called him anything except Nefer or Prince Nefer. huh?!
oh and in RG 'Lord Aquer was spelt Aqer!!!
5. OH and OMG Lostris/Fenn doesn't have blonde hair!!! It SPECIFICALLY says her hair was the colour of the wing of a black eagle in RG.
[/spoiler]
Am I being REALLY nitpickey?
That isn't to say I didn't enjoy it though - I did! I liked a lot of the bits about the journey and the battles and stuff (and any bit with Meren just because he amuses me - a LOT like Kratas).
Some of my fave bits were
[spoiler] When Meren and Nakonto were going to rush to Taita and Fenn because he was convinced they were in trouble. Ah, Meren.... I loved how he was just clueless about the whole thing (a lot like Jim in Blue Horizon about Zama

)
Also when Meren was overdoing the whole 'i am a son without a father' thing, sobbing into the tunic. I giggled so much
Man - all my bits are about Meren but I just loved Taita's little remarks about how Meren was just so dumb and that stuff was 'rare insight'.
I originally didn't like Fenn cause I was convinced she was evil - but she really grew on me. I ended up liking her a lot and wanted her and Meren to get together originally haha - thats just coz he reminded me a bit of Tanus and I always loved Tanus and Lostris.
I liked Sidudu even though I don't like the name.
OOh and the 'opening of the inner eye' scene was just so grossly awesome. Em was sitting next to me when I was reading and i was like writhing but laughing haha. [/spoiler]
Wow that was really long. I guess I had a lot more to say than I thought!
So I guess that is my little (shambolic) review!
'You were ever more than a tutor to me,' Memnon answered softly. 'You where the father I never knew.'