I loved getting to know Numair better, and I will need to reread the Immortals quartet when I finish this series to see how et fits in. All of the supporting characters felt real and developed, even though few of them are given any substantial treatment. I may be imagining richer characters than the words alone provide, but I think it's fair to say that this is a natural result of years of reading Pierce's fiction, and knowing just how deeply developed her world is.

My only complaint is that this is less a finished novel, and more the first volume of a saga.