I didn't like Eldest as much as I did Eregon. It's still a decent story, with interesting characters and lore. Overall it's alright, but there were times that I was rolling my eyes and considering putting it away. It's hard to say what it exactly was, but I think that this book tried to explain too much. A large part is dedicated to Eragon's education, and of course that is important to the story, but it just seemed to go on and on. This was also apparent in other parts, and the 'big plot twist' wasn't really surprising at all. I think the last thing that I wasn't too enthusiastic about is the prominent role magic plays. That's a very personal opinion, but to me this comes across a bit lazy, everything is solved with magic! Hurrah!