This was a fantastic book, overall. I thoroughly enjoyed the uniqueness of setting. It was refreshing to see a fantasy done in Africa, and whose magic is less intellectual and more from the heart (though it certainly did involve study). I thought the characters were of sufficient depth, and the story pulled me right along throughout. The only negative that stuck out in my mind was the ending. It just didn't feel right to me, it felt too convenient, too abrupt, and I didn't feel that the author prepared me well for it via foreshadowing, etc. As a result, I'll knock a point off and give it a 4. The rest of the book was great, and absolutely stands out from the crowd of traditional fare.