4.5 stars! (Close to being 5!)

This is the first book in the Darkwar Saga. The cast of characters in this book was truly outstanding! It might very well be among the top 1 or 2 books in the Feist world up to this point. There were some great favorites that have been with us throughout the series and made their appearances here. The new characters that were introduced were really excellent. They seamlessly fit right in and were highly likable. They were introduced in a way that left you unsure how they would integrate into the story initially, but now I'm extremely excited to see how they will fit in the later books.

The villain appears to have made a comeback at the end of the book, which adds an element of anticipation as we look forward to seeing how that storyline progresses into the next read. Overall, the story was filled with action, yet it was also written in a way that gave the world and characters a vivid life. It really engages the reader and makes them eager to continue on with the series to see what further adventures and developments lie ahead.

As usual, the story line for this installment was quite good. There were plot twists that kept the readers on the edge of their seats. All the favorite characters from the previous books were present, and a couple of new ones were introduced to add more flavor and keep things interesting.

The references made to the Princes of the Blood were a nice touch. It's not often that this particular aspect is referenced in the series, and it provided an unusual and fascinating insight into Pug and Miranda's relationship.

However, the main disappointing factor was the writing. I felt that it was rather sloppy. Things were repeated in adjoining paragraphs frequently and unnecessarily, which made the reading experience a bit tedious. Moreover, there were several details that were wrong. For example, Kaspar is not an only child, as anyone who has read the Talon of the Silver Hawk series will know. Additionally, the wrong character names were used in some paragraphs when the context clearly referred to someone else.

I'm not sure if I got my hands on an early edition or something, but I was really disappointed and annoyed that a series I had enjoyed so much was marred by these silly errors.

Nevertheless, it's still worth a read, especially if you're a fan of the worlds of Midkemia and Kelewan. But it's definitely not the best in the series.

I heard about Feist and on a sudden impulse, I picked up this book from the library.

I think I managed to get halfway through it. However, the two main characters seemed to be nothing more than nondescript placeholders or moving scenery. They lacked any depth whatsoever.

I couldn't distinguish between them and I constantly kept forgetting their names.

The magic in the story didn't make any sense either. There were elements like aliens and kingdoms, along with a myriad of obscure references that left me confused.

Maybe I need to go back to the very beginning of his world building to truly understand. But as the first book in a new series, I would have expected a much better explanation about what on earth is going on.

It seems that the author assumed too much prior knowledge on the part of the reader, which made it difficult for me to fully engage with the story.

I'm not sure if I'll continue with this series or not.

I've read this right after finishing the preceding Talon of the SilverHawk series (or whatever its proper name was).

I awarded those books 4 or 5 stars, but this one presented a bit of a challenge for me.

Presumably, the young boy characters introduced in this book will play significant roles in future installments, just like the other new characters.

Talon, Kaspar, Caleb, and others from the previous few books were central figures, yet none of them was the real focus of this particular book. Pug, Miranda, and Nakor were also quite prominent.

I felt that the story built up towards the end, but despite Feist's attempt to keep the identity of the evil magician a secret until the final climax, I found it rather predictable.

Overall, while it had its moments, this book didn't quite live up to the standards set by the earlier ones in the series for me.

However, I'm still interested to see how the story progresses and how the new characters develop in the subsequent books.

Maybe the next installment will bring more excitement and surprises.

I'll be looking forward to reading it to find out.