Not one of my favorite from this universe, but not one of my least favorite, either.

The timeframe is a rather compelling one in terms of Valdemar history--just after The Last Herald Mage, but before most of the "main" story. It was interesting to see Vanyel just barely out of reach, and to see the process of forgetting the knowledge that is gone by the time the Arrows of the Queen series starts.

Mags' accent grated after about the halfway point, though I found him at least interesting. The plot crawled, possibly to allow for it to be five books instead of three. I've sometimes felt myself wishing a little more time was spent at the Collegium in previous books, but I think I may take that back now that I've seen what that can do to the pacing.

The ending did not feel terribly well-done. I was expecting more exposition than we got. Everything was wrapped up kind of suddenly and it all felt a bit out-of-the-blue.

I'll pick up the rest of the series, partly because it is Valdemar and those books are a type of comfort food for the soul and partly because I am intrigued by Mags' background and where they are going to go with his story arc. It might be nowhere, but it will be full of Companions and I know, in the end, the good guys will win. Sometimes that's all you need.