If I had read this book at the same time that I had read "A Door Into Shadow", a long long time ago in another century, I would have loved it.
Unfortunately, I read it a few weeks ago; and much to my dismay, a 40 year old woman is not a 16 year old girl.
At this age, I tend to notice and find boring, things like plot holes, unidimensional main characters, forced plots, convenient fortuitous events, and things like that. This book made me realize that I have become much less forgiving of this things than I thought I would be.

Still, this is the lesser of the three book of "The Tale of the Five" series, and if this is the 10th or 20th book that you have ever read, it's a nice story set in an interesting world. Don't fret, the other books are better.